JPH05200183A - Electric washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Improves air bubble cleaning function with little damage to the cloth. [Structure] Air is supplied from a nozzle 32 to a lower side of a pulsator 26. A vertical rib 5 is provided at the center of the pulsator 26.
3 is formed. [Effect] When the pulsator 26 rotates, the vertical ribs 5
Due to 3, the bubbles 71 are vigorously ejected without staying with the rising water flow, and penetrate and adhere to the gap between the articles to be washed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine having a foam cleaning function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, attention has been paid to foam cleaning in which bubbles are generated during washing to promote the dissolution of a detergent in washing water and the penetration of a washing liquid into clothes to improve the washing effect.

The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-34198 will be described below with reference to FIG. 8 as an example of a conventional washing machine having a foam cleaning function.

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view of a washing machine having a foam cleaning function disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 34198/1990.
This washing machine includes a washing tub 2 installed inside an outer tub 1, a drive mechanism 3, an electric motor 4, and a bubble generator 5. The stirring blades 6 arranged in the lower part of the washing tub 2 are rotationally driven by the electric motor 4 and the drive mechanism 3. Air is supplied from the bubble generator 5 mainly composed of the compressor 7 through the air tube 9 of the overflow / drainage chamber 8 to the approximate center of the bottom of the washing tub 2 with a large number of fumes 10 directed upward. 1
It starts from 1.

In the figure, 12 is a ridge on the inner peripheral surface of the overflow water, 1
3 is an overflow / drainage strainer provided at the boundary between the overflow / drainage chamber 8 and the washing tub 2, and 14 is a drainage port.

In the washing machine having the above structure, the stirring blade 6 connected to the driving mechanism 3 having the electric motor 4 as a driving source is inverted in a short period to stir the laundry in response to a signal from the control device. At the same time, air is continuously sent from the compressor 7 through the air tube 9 and the jet gas 11 into the washing tub 2 to generate bubbles. The laundry floats as the generated air bubbles rise. Therefore, the controller 7 operates the compressor 7 intermittently such as 30 seconds operation for 10 seconds and 10 seconds operation for 30 seconds so that the laundry is lowered and bubbles are generated when the operation is stopped. Go all out. This has been devised to eliminate uneven cleaning.

[0007]

However, the conventional bubble washing machine has not yet been fully utilized as a feature of bubble washing in general.

[0008] Recently, not only air bubbles not only passing through the cloth but also along the surface of the cloth contribute to cleaning, and when the air bubbles enter between the cloths, rubbing between the cloths is reduced, and the characteristics of the air bubbles are reduced. Has been informed.

In the above-mentioned conventional example, the ascending of the bubbles depends on the spontaneous ascent, and the air is likely to stay below the fumaroles, so that larger bubbles are generated and the effect of cleaning the bubbles is sufficiently exerted. Not not.

When the laundry is positioned above the fumaroles, it receives resistance when passing through the fumaroles and is discharged as bubbles that do not contribute to cleaning from the gap between the stirring blade and the washing tub.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine which solves the above-mentioned problems, has less damage to the cloth, and has improved bubble cleaning.

[0012]

In the means for solving the problems according to claim 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, an air feed hole 31 is formed in the lower portion of the water tank 22, and bubbles are generated in the air feed hole 31. In a washing machine in which a nozzle 32 for inserting the nozzle 32 is attached and an air pump 33 for supplying air to the nozzle 32 is connected, a discharge port 34 of the nozzle 32 is incorporated in the dehydration tub 24 as shown in FIG. A vertical rib 53 is formed in the lower portion of the pulsator 26, and the central portion of the pulsator 26 has a vertical rib 53 that causes a vertical water flow such that bubbles and water in the tank flow upward.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, a discharge port body 81 having a plurality of discharge ports 82 having a diameter smaller than the nozzle inner diameter or the bubble passing hole 35 of the pulsator is provided at the tip of the nozzle 32. It is a thing.

[0014]

In the means for solving the problems according to the first and second aspects, the air sent from the air pump 33 is discharged from the discharge port 34 of the nozzle 32 at the lower part of the water tank and gathers in the lower central part of the pulsator 26.

When the rotation of the pulsator 26 is stopped, the pulsator 26 rises as bubbles from the bubble passage holes 35 and hits and adheres to the article to be washed in the water.

When the pulsator 26 rotates, the vertical ribs 53 cause bubbles to rise together with the rising water flow. Since the pulsator 26 is rotating, air does not stay in the central portion of the pulsator 26 and air bubbles are expelled vigorously and penetrate into and adhere to the gaps between the articles to be washed.

As a result, the adhesion of the surfactant of the detergent to the article to be washed is promoted, stains are easily removed, rubbing between the articles to be washed is reduced, and the damage to the cloth is also reduced.

In the second aspect, it is possible to generate more small bubbles from the discharge port 82.

[0019]

【Example】

<Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a lower part of a water tank of a fully automatic washing machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the same fully automatic washing machine, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a pulsator. FIG.

In the schematic structure of the fully automatic washing machine of this embodiment, a water tank 22 is suspended inside a main body 21 of a washing machine by a suspension member 23, and inside the water tank 22, a large number of dehydration holes 24a are provided. A water tank 24 is rotatably supported, and a pulsator 26 is rotatably installed at the bottom of the dehydration tank 24, and a foam cleaning function is added to this structure.

That is, the air feed hole 3 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 22.
1 is formed, a nozzle 32 for generating bubbles is inserted in the air inlet hole 31, and an air pump 33 for supplying air to the nozzle 32 is connected.

The nozzle 32 has a dehydration tank 24 and a water tank 22.
Is disposed between the bottom of the pulsator 26 and the bottom of the dehydration tank 24, and the discharge port 34 is located below the pulsator 26.

A mounting flange 38 having a passage hole 25 for allowing water flow and bubbles to pass therethrough is fixed to the bottom of the dehydration tank 24. A bubble passage hole 35 is formed in the center of the pulsator 26. As a result, the nozzle 3
The bubbles emitted from 2 rise inside the dehydration tank 24 through the bubble passage holes 35 of the pulsator 26.

At the center of the bottom surface of the water tank 22, a hollow dehydration shaft 37 is rotatably supported via a bearing 36. A mounting flange 38 of the dehydration tank 24 is attached to the dehydration shaft 37. A pulsator shaft 39 is inserted into the dehydration shaft 37, and the pulsator 26 is screwed onto the pulsator shaft 39.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air feed hole 31 is formed on the side surface of the water tank 22 at a position lower than the bottom surface of the dehydration tank 24, and the hole wall flange 40 communicates the inside and outside of the water tank 22. The joint 41 is fitted through the O-ring. The joint 41 includes a pipe portion 42 having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the air inlet hole 31, and a mounting piece 43 formed on the outer periphery of the pipe portion 42 and fitted to the flange 40 of the air inlet hole 31. The mounting piece 43 is inserted into the air feed hole 11 from the outside of the water tank 22, and is sealed with an adhesive and an O-ring. The outer end of the joint 41 is connected to the air pump 33 via a supply pipe 45, and the nozzle 32 is externally fitted to the inner end.

The nozzle 32 is composed of a substantially straight pipe having the same inner diameter, and the discharge port 34 at the tip thereof is the dehydration tank 24.
Is located below the mounting flange 38. The nozzle 32 is fixed to the bottom surface of the water tank 22 with screws 46.

The air pump 33 is built in a top plate 48, and a supply pipe 45 is connected to the discharge side of the air pump 33.
The supply pipe 45 reaches the air feed hole 31 along the outer peripheral surface of the water tank 22, and is fitted on the outer surface side of the water tank of the joint 41. Further, a drive circuit 51 is connected to the air pump 33, and the air pump 33 is operated in accordance with the rotation of the pulsator 26 to send air and generate bubbles.

The pulsator 26, as shown in FIGS.
A plurality of substantially-tapered vertical ribs 53 are formed so that a rising water flow can be obtained in the central portion. This vertical rib 53
Between the outer annular rib 54 and the inner tubular portion 55,
It is formed integrally with these. A pulsator cover 56, which serves as a wing portion having a plurality of the bubble passage holes 35, is formed above the space surrounded by the annular ribs 54 and the vertical ribs 53.
However, it is attached by being detachable or screwed.
The lower portion of the vertical rib 53 may be open to allow water to pass therethrough, but as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it may be integrally formed with a substantially planar rib 59 having a plurality of large holes 58. ..

The passage hole 25 of the mounting flange 38 of the dehydration tank 24 is formed larger than the large hole 58 of the planar rib 59. Further, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 61 denotes a drain port, and 62
Is a drainage channel, 63 is a drainage hose, 64 is a drainage valve, and 65 is a drive mechanism.

In the above structure, when washing is started, water is supplied to the aquarium 22 and a certain amount of water corresponding to the amount of the article to be washed enters. After that, the pulsator 26 is rotated for a certain time (about 30 seconds) to sink the laundry to be washed that has floated on the water surface. However, the strength of the water flow is not enough to cause fabric damage.

Then, the air pump 3 is driven by the drive circuit 51.
The air sent from the air pump 33 is discharged from the nozzle 32 at the lower part of the water tank 22, and the passage hole 25 of the mounting flange 38 and the pulsator 26 are discharged.
After passing through the large hole 58 of the planar rib 59, they gather at the lower portion of the pulsator cover 56 surrounded by the vertical rib 53 and the annular rib 54.

When the rotation of the pulsator 26 is stopped,
A plurality of bubble passage holes 35 provided in the pulsator cover 56.
It rises in the form of air bubbles and hits and adheres to the laundry in the water. Further, even when the pulsator rotates (including rotation in the left-right direction) during washing and rinsing, the vertical rib 53 and the annular rib 54 of the pulsator 26 generate the rising water flow 70,
At the same time, the air bubbles 71 can be expelled vigorously, and the air bubbles can reach the space between the articles to be washed with the rising water flow 70.

That is, when the pulsator 26 is turned over at a constant interval, the article to be washed rotates, and together with the rising water flow accompanied by the bubbles, the bubbles are evenly distributed to the surface of the article to be washed and the space between the articles to be washed. Adheres.

As a result, the adhesion of the detergent surfactant to the article to be washed is promoted, stains are easily removed, and rubbing between the cloths is reduced by the bubbles, so that the damage to the cloth can be significantly reduced. ..

<Embodiment 2> FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a discharge port body attached to the tip of a nozzle showing a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the discharge port body, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the Example which has arrange | positioned below the pulsator.

In this embodiment, a discharge port 81 is provided at the tip of the nozzle 32. This discharge port body 81 has a plurality of discharge ports 82 centered around the pulsator shaft 39 and having a diameter of the nozzle circle or a bubble passage hole 35 or less at the center of the pulsator.
Is provided, and the position of the discharge port 82 is arranged inside the annular rib 54 in the central portion of the pulsator 26. Therefore, various shapes such as a donut shape and a horseshoe shape can be considered as the shape of the discharge port body 81, but FIG. 5 is a donut shape. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As described above, by providing the ejection port body 81 having the smaller ejection port 82, the
The bubbles can be made smaller, and at the same time, the bubbles can be vigorously released. Further, by setting the discharge port 82 of the discharge port body 81 to be equal to or smaller than the size of the bubble passing hole 35 in the central portion of the pulsator 26, the bubbles 71 discharged from the discharge port 82 of the discharge port body 81 rotate the pulsator 26. Pulsator cover 56 during both rest and rest
Smaller bubbles can be generated directly from the central part of the pulsator to the inside of the tank without accumulating bubbles in the inside of the pulsator. Can be increased.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the present embodiment shows an example applied to a fully automatic washing machine, it can also be applied to a two-tub washing machine.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the vertical rib is provided in the central portion of the pulsator, a rising water flow is generated when the pulsator rotates, and bubbles are generated along with this rising. It can be released vigorously, letting air bubbles reach between the clothes to be washed,
Cloth damage can be reduced.

According to the second aspect, since the discharge port body having the small discharge port is provided at the tip of the nozzle, smaller bubbles can be directly generated, and the pulsator rotates without staying under the pulsator. In both cases of rest, smaller bubbles are generated, which reduces cloth damage,
The cleaning effect can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a lower part of a water tank of a fully automatic washing machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Schematic diagram of fully automatic washing machine

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a pulsator.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a pulsator.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a discharge port body showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a discharge port body.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the lower part of the water tank.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a conventional washing machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 22 Water Tank 24 Dehydrating Tank 26 Pulsator 32 Nozzle 33 Air Pump 34 Discharge Port 35 Passage Hole 53 Vertical Rib 54 Annular Rib 56 Pulsator Cover 81 Discharge Port Body 82 Discharge Port

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A water tank, a dehydration tank having a dehydration hole arranged in the water tank, an air pump for discharging air, and a bottom surface in the water tank located below the dehydration tank for discharging air discharged from the air pump. In a washing machine having a bubble cleaning function of sending air to a central portion, a discharge port of a nozzle for ejecting air from the air pump is arranged below a pulsator installed in a dehydration tank, and bubbles and A washing machine characterized in that vertical ribs are formed so as to cause a vertical flow of water so that water in the aquarium flows upward. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge port body having a plurality of discharge ports each having a diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the nozzle or a bubble passage hole of a pulsator. ..