JPH08135590A - Self-priming water absorption pump - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] To provide a self-priming water absorption pump having a short self-priming time and good pump performance during steady operation. [Structure] In a self-priming water absorption pump, the volute part of the pump case is a double volute type, each volute part has a separation wall facing the runner, and a return water hole communicating between the inside and outside of the volute part. Provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water absorption pump, and more particularly to a structure of a self-priming water absorption pump, and more particularly to a water absorption pump incorporated in a washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various structures have been adopted for self-priming water absorption pumps.

Incidentally, as a prior art in which a water washing pump for supplying bath water or the like is built in a washing machine and the remaining hot water in the bathtub is supplied into the washing tub via this pump, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57- 117894, JP-A-57-117895, and JP-A-6-
No. 23190, etc. can be mentioned.

[0004]

When a washing machine has a built-in pump, at the start of operation, the water-absorbing hose communicating between the pump and the bathtub is filled with air, and a self-discharging device for completely discharging this air is used. Suction operation is required. The time until the air in the hose completely disappears (self-priming time) and the flow rate characteristic during steady operation have an inverse relationship.

That is, the self-priming time can be shortened by increasing the amount of water returned from the steam separation chamber provided on the discharge side of the runner to the suction side of the runner. The amount of discharged water is reduced, which impairs the flow rate characteristic. Therefore, as this type of pump, a compact pump having a good balance between self-priming time and flow rate characteristics and good storability is required.

Further, in order to incorporate the bath water suction pump in the washing machine, it is necessary to have a sealed structure for the motor in consideration of moisture resistance, so that the temperature rise of the motor becomes a problem. In addition, even if the insulation of the motor drops in a high humidity environment,
A structure that prevents the user from electric shock is required.

A washing machine with a bath water absorption pump that does not require a priming tank has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-23190, but the specific structure is not disclosed.

The object of the present invention is to make the structure of the water absorption pump incorporated in a washing machine, etc. smaller than that of the conventional product, having a good storability, and reducing the cost. It is to provide a water absorption pump with a good balance of self-priming performance and flow rate characteristics. Still another object is to improve the moisture resistance of the pump motor as much as possible to minimize the deterioration over time, to prolong the service life of the pump motor, and to improve the safety in the event of motor insulation deterioration. To provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 provides two volute parts for obtaining a pumping action so that the area of the discharge port is one. It is characterized in that it is halved to make it compact, and that each volute part is provided with a rib and a return water hole for facilitating separation of air and water.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the above, by providing a bubble backflow prevention rib in contact with the discharge port of the volute part, the structure that prevents the air discharged from the discharge port from entering the runner through the return water hole and lowering the self-priming performance. is there.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the motor is prevented from rising by circulating the water absorbed by the pump in the outer peripheral portion of the motor mounting portion of the casing of the pump and cooling the motor with the circulating water. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, a water draining hole is provided below the outer peripheral portion of the motor mounting portion, and a steam draining hole is provided above the outer peripheral portion of the motor mounting portion to prevent vapor from entering in a high humidity environment. As much as possible, it is allowed to escape to the upper part from the steam vent hole, and water leaks from the mechanical seal and condensed water due to steam are discharged from the water vent hole to prevent the insulation deterioration of the motor.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the shaft of the motor for driving the water absorption pump and the runner shaft press-fitted into the runner are coupled with each other by a coupling made of an insulating material to insulate the motor. At the time of decline,
It has a structure that strengthens the insulation so that you do not get an electric shock even if you touch the water discharged from the pump.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, an annular projection is formed integrally with the coupling so that water leaking from the mechanical seal does not reach the motor shaft.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is a top cover of a washing machine and 2 is a controller for controlling the operation of the washing machine. The controller 2 is built in the front of the top cover 1 and includes a microcomputer having a timer function.

Reference numeral 3 is a membrane switch which allows an operator to instruct the operation content of the washing machine from the outside.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a lid, which opens upward about a fulcrum 5 as an axis and puts laundry into the tub.

6 is a laundry inlet, 7 is a cover for preventing laundry from falling between a washing / dehydrating tub (hereinafter abbreviated as a washing tub) 8 and an outer tub 9. The outer tub 9 has a cover. It is provided on the upper part.

Denoted at 10 is a dehydration hole formed in the wall surface of the washing tub 8.

A balance ring 11 is fixed to the upper end of the washing tub 8 to reduce the vibration of the washing tub 8 during the dehydration operation and to smoothly rotate the tub 8.

A hanging rod 12 extends downward from the four corners of the outer frame 21 and suspends the outer tub 9 via springs 13.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a stirring blade, which is rotatably installed at the center of the bottom of the washing tub 8 and is normally and reversely rotated in a short cycle during washing and rinsing.

Reference numeral 15 is a motor for driving the stirring blade 14 and the washing tub 8. The power of the motor 15 is passed through the motor pulley 16, the belt 17, the driven pulley 18 and the clutch / decelerator 19 to drive the stirring blade 14 during washing and rinsing. In addition, at the time of dehydration, the washing tub 8 and the stirring blade 14 are driven together.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a leg portion provided on the lower portion of the outer frame 21, 22
Is a drainage hole provided at the bottom of the outer tub 9, and has a drainage solenoid valve 23 and a drainage hose 24, which are opened and closed according to a command from the controller 2, on the downstream side of the drainage hole 22.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a back panel, which is a pump 2 described later.
6, the water supply solenoid valve 31 and the like are housed here.

Reference numeral 26 is a bath water suction pump having a casing molded of a synthetic resin containing an antibacterial agent, which is incorporated in the back panel portion of the top cover 1.

27 is a bath water absorbing hose containing an antibacterial agent,
The connecting end is detachably attached to the bath water suction port 26a provided on the upper surface of the pump 26 via the O-ring 28.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the internal structure of the back panel 25 from which the back panel 25 is removed. 1a is a top cover 1 provided with an inlet for supplying tap water into the washing tub and an inlet for supplying bath water. The tap water injection port / bath water intake port which is also used as a bath water intake port, and the softener is also introduced from this tap water injection port / bath water intake port 1a.

26b is a discharge pipe of the pump, 29 is a lid switch, 30 is a hose connected to a tap water faucet, and 31 is a solenoid valve for supplying tap water into the washing tub 8. Part of the water discharged from the discharge port 31a of the water supply solenoid valve 31 hits the wall of the priming water supply port 33 as shown in FIG. 3, and is guided to the steam-water separation chamber of the pump 26 via the priming hose 34. Has become.

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the water suction pump 26. Reference numeral 26a denotes a water suction port integrally formed with the casing cover 41, to which the hose 27 is connected.

A suction chamber 41d for accommodating the check valve 46 and a partition wall 41c are integrally formed in the casing cover 41.

In the casing 40, a cylindrical portion 40m for holding the motor 43, a pump runner chamber to be described later, a chamber for housing the mechanical seal 48 and the coupling 45, a part of the steam separation chamber and a cooling water passage 40e are integrally formed. It is provided.

Further, the casing 40 is provided with a water drain hole 40f for discharging water leaking from the mechanical seal, steam drain holes 40g, 40h for discharging steam generated around the coupling 45 and the motor 43.

A partition plate 44 having a suction port is sandwiched and fixed between the casing 40 and the casing cover 41.

A runner shaft 49 is connected to the motor shaft 43a via a coupling 45 made of an insulating material. An annular protrusion is formed in the center of the coupling 45, and this protrusion prevents water leaking from the seal 48 from moving along the shaft toward the motor.

Reference numeral 47 is a packing for sealing the joint surface between the casing 40 and the casing cover 41.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the casing cover 41 and the partition plate 44 have been removed.
The upper volute 40a ₁ and the lower volute 40a ₂ integrally formed with each other form a runner chamber, and a runner 42 is provided therein.

[0038] 40b ₁ and 40b ₂ are separated wall protruding from the middle of the volute and lower volutes respectively in the direction of the runner, the separation in the direction of rotation of the runner walls 40b ₁
And 40b ₂ are provided with return water holes 40c ₁ and 40c _{2 for} communicating the inside and the outside of the volute.

The upper end of the lower volute 40a ₂ extends outward in the horizontal direction to form a bubble prevention rib 40d.

An annular protrusion 42a surrounding the suction port of the runner 42 and protruding from the flat portion 42b of the runner
4, the protrusion 42a and the partition plate 44 are formed in FIG.
The gap m between the flat portion 42b and the partition plate 44 is set to 0.6 to 1.2 mm.

When the runner 42 rotates in the P direction, the water pressurized by the runner 42 is discharged into the discharge chamber 40i along the upper volute and the lower volute, and the steam separation chamber 40k formed in the upper part of the discharge chamber 40k. To

As shown in FIG. 6, a discharge port 41a to which the discharge hose 26b is connected and a priming port 41b to which the priming hose 34 is connected communicate with the air / water separation chamber 40k. When the tip of the water supply hose 27 is inserted into the bathtub, the power switch of the washing machine is set to "ON", and the bath water course start button is pressed, the water supply solenoid valve 31 is energized for 15 seconds to supply tap water.

The water discharged from the discharge port 31a of the solenoid valve 31 is
It contacts the wall of the priming water supply port 33 and is supplied as priming water into the pump 26 from the priming water port 41b of the casing cover 41 through the priming water hose 34. After 15 seconds, the water supply solenoid valve 31 is de-energized and the pump 26 is energized. When the motor 43 rotates, the motor shaft 43a,
The runner 42 rotates in the P direction via the coupling 45 and the runner shaft 49.

Due to the rotation of the runner 42, the suction chamber 41d becomes a negative pressure, the check valve 46 is opened to suck the air in the water suction hose 27 connected to the water suction port 26a, and the mixture of air and water is discharged into the discharge chamber 40i. Send it to. At this time, the air sucked into the runner 42 is separated by the separation walls 40b ₁ and 40b.
b ₂ , return water holes 40c ₁ and 40c ₂ , bubble prevention rib 40d
Due to the effect of, the structure is such that air and water are separated in a short time.

The water discharged from the runner 42 during the self-priming operation is a mixture of air and water containing a large amount of air, but when reaching the discharge chamber 40i, the air flows in the separation chamber 40k due to the difference in specific gravity between the flow velocities. The water reaches the upper part and collects below the discharge chamber 40i. Since the pressure on the downstream side of the separation walls 40b ₁ and 40b ₂ decreases due to the rotation of the runner, the water in the discharge chamber flows into the inside of the volute through the return water holes 40c ₁ and 40c ₂ , and from the return water hole to the inside of the volute. The water that has flowed into the air reaches the suction side of the runner through the gaps m and n, entrains the air together, is pressurized again by the runner, and is discharged to the discharge chamber.

By repeating the above operation, the air in the hose 27 is moved to the discharge side of the pump, and when the hose is filled with water, a steady water supply operation is started.

Since the fluid discharged from the upper volute contains components in the swirling direction and air may be entrained in the lower portion of the discharge chamber 40i, the upper end of one volute is extended to form a bubble prevention rib 40d. It is less entangled in the downward direction.

Further, the self-priming performance is improved as the amount of the water / water separated during the self-priming operation is increased, but since the pump performance in the steady operation is deteriorated, the gaps m and n are balanced from the balance of both performances. Has an optimum value.

According to the experimental results of the present inventors, the gap m
Of 1 to 3 mm and the gap n of 0.6 to 1.2 mm provided favorable performance.

The cooling water passage 4 communicates with the air / water separation chamber 40k.
Since 0e is provided, the absorbed bath water circulates in the cooling water passage 40e to cool the motor and absorb the noise of the motor.

The rib 44a of the partition plate 44 for separating the suction chamber 41d and the discharge chamber 40i is attached to the steam / water separation chamber forming wall 41c of the casing cover 41 in a labyrinth structure.

The bath water absorbed during the normal operation is sent to the discharge chamber 40i through the runner 42, and the discharge chamber 40i is discharged.
The bath water sent to i is steam water separation chamber 40k, discharge hose
It is supplied into the washing tub 8 via 26b.

When the water supply is completed, the washing and rinsing operations are performed, but this is no different from the conventional washing machine.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, a self-priming type water absorption pump having a good balance of self-priming performance and flow rate characteristics, compact size, good moisture resistance and a structure for preventing temperature rise of a motor. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall internal structure explanatory view showing an embodiment of a washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the back panel shown by reference numeral 25 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of a bath water suction pump 26.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an inside view with a casing cover partition plate removed.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Top cover, 8 ... Laundry tub (laundry / dehydration tub), 25
... back panel, 26 ... bath water intake pump, 40 ... casing, 40a _1, 40a ₂ ... volute, 40b _1, 40b
₂ ... Separation wall, 40c ₁ , 40c ₂ ... Return water hole, 40e ... Cooling water passage, 40d ... Bubble prevention rib, 40f ... Drain hole, 40g ... Steam vent hole, 40k ... Steam separation chamber, 41 ...
Casing cover, 42 ... Runner, 43 ... Motor, 4
4 ... Partition plate, 45 ... Coupling.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor, Yasushi Kamori 1-1-1, Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi, Hitachi, Ibaraki, Ltd., Electric Appliances Division, Hitachi, Ltd. 1-1-1, Tagamachi, Ltd. Inside the Taga Headquarters, Electrical Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A self-priming water absorption pump, wherein a double volute system is provided in which two volute parts of a pump case are provided, and each volute part is provided with a rib facing a runner, and the rib is arranged in a runner rotating direction. A water suction pump characterized in that a hole for returning water is provided adjacent to the volute part so as to communicate with the inside and outside of the volute part. 2. The water suction pump according to claim 1, further comprising a rib for preventing bubble backflow, which is in contact with an outlet of the volute part above the volute part. 3. A water absorption pump according to claim 1, wherein a cooling water passage for returning water absorbed by the pump is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the mounting case of the pump driving motor. 4. A water absorption pump according to claim 3, wherein a water drain hole is provided below the outer peripheral portion of the mounting case for the pump drive motor, and a steam drain hole is provided above the water drain hole. 5. The water absorption pump according to claim 3, wherein the shaft of the pump driving motor and the runner shaft are connected by a coupling made of an insulating material. 6. A water absorption pump, wherein the coupling according to claim 5 is integrally provided with an annular projection so that water leaking from the water seal portion does not enter the motor shaft.