JP2650722B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine capable of performing a series of steps from washing, rinsing, dehydration to drying.

2. Description of the Related Art As this type of conventional washing and drying machine, there is known a washing and drying machine configured as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example. Referring to the drawings, a barrel-shaped water tank 2 is rotatably supported on a horizontal axis in a washing machine main body 1, and a rotating drum 3 is rotatable in the water tank 2 via a drum shaft 4. The water tank 2 and the rotating drum 3 can be switched between a vertical position and a horizontal position. Further, a blowing path for hot air circulation is formed which includes an outer blowing section 5 surrounded by an inner circumferential surface of the water tank 2 and an outer circumferential surface of the rotating drum 3 and an inner blowing section 6 inside the rotating drum 3. Reference numeral 7 denotes a rotary blade having a hot air circulation function and a washing object stirring function, and 8 denotes a heater.

A driving device for rotating the rotary drum 3 is provided, and a rotation motor 9 for switching the attitude of the water tank 2 and a pinion gear 10 are provided. Reference numeral 11 denotes an arc-shaped rack gear 11 which is engaged with the pinion gear 10 and is fixed to the wall surface of the water tank 2. Further, a driving device for rotating the rotary drum 3 includes a drum pulley 12 fitted to one end of the drum shaft 4, a motor 13 fixed to the water tank 2 close to the drum shaft 4, and a motor 13. Pulley 14 and drum pulley 12
And a belt 15 hung between them.

The water tank 2 is supported by a pair of support legs 16, and the lower end of the support leg 16 is supported by a drain case 18 having a drain box 17 having a balance function at the center.

That is, at the start of dehydration and at the time of rinsing, the washing water stored in the drain box 17 is weighted by the weight of the washing machine main body 1 due to its weight.
Acts as a balancer to prevent vibration. Reference numeral 19 denotes an anti-vibration support, which is interposed between the four corners of the drain case 18 and the bottom of the washing machine body 1. Reference numeral 20 denotes a ventilation motor 21 provided on the rear surface of the washing machine main body 1 for ventilation of hot air containing moisture.
A ventilation fan attached to, 22 is a liquid balancer.

In such a configuration, the washing, rinsing and dewatering steps are performed in a vertical position as shown in FIG. 6, and then the rotation of the pinion gear 10 attached to the motor 9 in the counterclockwise direction causes the drum shaft 4 to move through the rack gear 11. Is set in a horizontal posture, and in this state, the rotating drum 3 rotates, the laundry is lifted and dropped, and the laundry is dried by circulating hot air.

However, with such a configuration, when the dewatering process is completed, the water tank 2 is rotated to a horizontal state with respect to the installation surface, and when the rotating drum 3 is rotated around the drum shaft 4, Due to the weight of the wet clothes clinging to the inner wall of the rotating drum 3 due to the centrifugal force, a torque proportional to the distance of the rotating drum 3 from the drum shaft 4 acts, and a considerably large starting torque is required at startup. For this reason, a high-output motor is required to rotate the rotating drum 3 during the drying process, and the size of the motor is increased, which is a disadvantageous factor in that the motor can be housed in a practical washing machine main body. In addition, the rotation speed of the drum 3 during dehydration increases, and the vibration of the water tank 2 and the support legs 16 also increases. In order to attenuate this vibration, an anti-vibration support 19 is provided. The anti-vibration support 19 supports the water tank 2, the drum 3, the support legs 16 and the drainage case 18, A strong spring had to be used. For this reason, the dehydration vibration is easily transmitted to the washing machine main body 1 via the vibration-proof support 19, which causes noise. In addition, the support legs 16 are provided outside the water tub 2 at the front and rear centers of the washing machine main body 1, so that the bottom area of the washing machine main body 1 is increased, and this is required to make the size of a conventional washing machine level. In such a case, the size of the water tank 2 must be reduced, and the amount of clothes that can be washed is reduced. Further, since the drum shaft 4 of the rotary drum 3 is attached to the water tank 2, the water tank 2 must be made of a sheet metal structure or the like to secure high strength in order to support a heavy-weight drum shaft motor 13 and the like. was there. Further, the drainage case 18
In order to have the strength described above, it must also be formed of sheet metal or reinforced, and there is a problem that the product weight becomes unnecessarily heavy and the cost increases.

The present invention solves such a problem, and enables the drying process to be performed by a small motor having a minimum necessary motor output. The size of the conventional level and lighter,
It is intended to simplify the configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a substantially spherical water tank, a substantially spherical rotating tank mounted in the water tank and forming a water passage hole, and coaxially with the rotating tank. A pulsator that rotates with the water tank, and a pair of supports that are rotatable at an arbitrary angle supported by both shafts are disposed on a diagonal line of a corner portion of the washing machine main body. In connection with the mounting member provided on the bottom of the water tank to mount the drive unit, the washing, rinsing, and dehydration processes are performed with the rotating shaft of the rotary tub perpendicular to the installation surface, and when shifting from the dehydration process to the drying process The configuration is such that the rotation tank is activated in the vertical state or the inclined state. Further, the water tank of the present invention is suspended from the washing machine main body by suspensions attached to the supports, and a base for attaching a driving unit for rotating the water tank, a hot air blowing unit for drying the water tank, a dehumidifying unit, and the like. Is suspended from the main body of the washing machine by a suspension, and only the attachment member provided at the bottom of the water tub is rotated together with the water tub along with the rotation of the water tub during the drying process.

Operation With this configuration, when the dehydration process is completed and the process shifts to the drying process, the rotating shaft of the rotary tub is activated in a state where the rotation axis is perpendicular to the installation surface or is inclined, so that the wet clothing in the rotary tub can be removed. With little load applied to the rotating shaft of the rotating tank, the rotating tank can be started by a low-torque drive motor, and after entering the operating state, the water tank is turned to the horizontal position with respect to the installation surface, and the process shifts to the drying process. It is. In addition, at the time of spin-drying, the suspensions attached to the pair of supports receive vibrations caused by the rotation of the rotary tub via the support, and the main vibration system at this time is only the water tank and the support. Further, by arranging these supports at the corners of the main body of the washing machine, space can be saved. Also,
By adopting a configuration in which the support is connected to the mounting member, even if the water tank is made of a resin such as PP, the load applied to the support is received by the mounting member, so that the water tank bends,
There is no destruction. Further, by employing a configuration in which the support for supporting the water tank is suspended by the suspension, the vibration of the rotating tank is attenuated by the suspension, and the vibration is hardly transmitted to the base. Moreover, the base is suspended by another suspension, and as a result, the vibration of the rotating tub is hardly transmitted to the washing machine main body, and the noise can be reduced. Most of the above vibrations are received by the suspension and the support suspended by this suspension,
The base only needs to have sufficient strength to receive a driving unit, a hot air blowing unit, a dehumidifying unit, and the like. For example, the base can be made of a lightweight material such as a synthetic resin to reduce the weight and cost of the product.

Examples Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described. Reference numeral 25 denotes a rectangular cylindrical washing machine main body, which is provided with a clothes inlet 26 substantially at the upper end of the center. Reference numeral 27 denotes a substantially spherical water tank, which is provided with a substantially spherical rotating tank 30 in which a water passage hole 28 is appropriately formed and a balancer 29 is provided at an upper portion, and a pulsator 31.The rotating tank 30 and the pulsator 31 are The drive shaft 32 is connected to the mechanical unit 33. Further, the drive shaft 32
Is a pulley that can be arbitrarily disconnected by the mechanical unit 33
34, the pulley 34 and the washing motor 35
And a pulley 37 is mounted coaxially with the pulley 34, and is linked with a drying motor 39 via a belt 38. Reference numeral 63 denotes an attachment member to which the mechanical unit 33, the washing motor 35, and the drying motor 39 are fixed, and is fixed to the bottom of the water tank 27. Reference numeral 42 denotes a support having a rotating shaft 41 on the opposite surface, and is connected to the mounting member 63. Reference numeral 43 denotes a bearing into which the rotary shaft 41 is fitted, and is suspended by a suspension. Reference numeral 45 denotes a base fixed to the lower end of the washing machine main body 25.The base 45 has a blower fan 46 and a heat exchanger 47 for drying, a blower duct 48, a motor 49 for driving the blower fan 46, and the water tank. A motor 50 for 27 rotations is fixed. Reference numeral 51 denotes a blowing path from the blowing fan 46 provided with a bellows 64 for vibration damping on the way, and communicates with a blowing path 52 mounted on the outer wall of the water tank 27 via a sliding portion 53. . Further, the blowing path 52 communicates with the inside of the water tank 27 via a heater 54 provided on the top surface of the water tank 27. Reference numeral 55 denotes a lint filter provided inside the inner lid 56 for putting clothes into, and communicates with an exhaust port 57. By the way, the exhaust port
57 communicates with the heat exchanger 47 via an exhaust path 58, a sliding portion 59, and an exhaust duct 60 to form a series of air circulation paths.
Reference numeral 61 denotes a belt whose both ends are fixed to the reinforcing bracket 40 and is linked to the motor 50, and 62 is an idler pulley. 67 is a drain valve and 68 is clothing. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the motor 50 is driven and the water tank 27 is turned over to the horizontal state by the belt 61. Hot air is sent into the water tank 27 by the blower fan 46 and the heater 54, and the rotary tank 30 The clothes rotate from the state shown in (1) and the clothes roll and spread and dry. FIG. 3 shows the state shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above, in which the rotating shaft 41 and the suspension 44 are located at the corners of the main body 25 of the washing machine.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows the manner of washing, rinsing and dehydrating the water tub 27. The drive shaft 32 of the rotary tub 30 is positioned perpendicular to the installation surface of the washing machine main body 25, and at this time, the pulsator 31 Is connected to the drive shaft 65 by the mechanical unit 33, and rotates in a certain mode by the power of the washing motor 35. Next, the rotary tank 30
Is driven by the mechanical unit 33 in the same manner as the pulsator 31.
And rotate at high speed to perform the dehydration process. At this time, the vibration of the rotary tank 30 is damped by the suspension 44 from the water tank 27 via the support 42. In addition, the load of the suspended member is applied to the mounting member 63 from the drive shaft 32 via the support 42, and the load is not directly received on the side surface of the water tank 27.

When the dehydration process is completed, the motor 50 is driven for a certain period of time to pull the belt 61 having both ends attached to the water tub 27 through the reinforcing metal fitting 40. The main body 25 is rotated to a horizontal position with respect to the installation surface. This state is shown in FIG. The rotating tub 30 is rotated by a drying motor 39 via a belt 38 to roll and diffuse the clothes inside. At the same time,
The blower fan 46 is driven to start blowing, and the air that has passed through the blower path 52 is heated by the heater 54 and sent into the rotary tub 30, where the dehydrated clothes are dried. The hot air containing a large amount of water in the rotary tank 30 is cleaned by the lint filter 55, passes through the exhaust path 57 from the exhaust port 57, is dehumidified by the heat exchanger 47, and is further passed through the duct 66 to the blowing fan.
Return to 46 to form a closed drying circuit. At this time, the cooling water for water cooling of the heat exchanger 47 is supplied from the water supply in a timely manner. Rinsing water or the like may be stored in an auxiliary tank and circulated with the heat exchanger 47 by a pump or the like.

When the drying process is completed, the motor 50 performs a reverse operation to return the water tub 27 to the vertical position, ready for taking out the clothes and preparing for the next washing.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the drying process is started, the rotating tub 30 is started in a state where the driving tub 32 of the rotating tub 30 is perpendicular to the installation surface of the washing machine main body 25, Thereby, the load of the wet clothing 68 in the rotating tank 30 is hardly applied to the drive shaft 32, and the rotating tank 30 can be started with a low torque. When the rotating tub 30 is started, the drive shaft 32 may be slightly inclined from the state where the drive shaft 32 is oriented vertically.

Next, a second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described. 4 and 5, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different parts will be described below.

Reference numeral 69 denotes a reinforcing bracket attached to the outer periphery of the water tank 30, which has a rotating shaft 70 on the opposite surface, and is supported by fitting the rotating shaft 70 to a bearing 72 fixed to the upper end of a column 71. The column 71 is suspended from the washing machine body 25 by a suspension 73, and the base 74 is also suspended from the washing machine body 25 by an auxiliary suspension 73 '. On this base 74, a blower fan 46 for drying and a heat exchanger 47, a blower duct 48 and a motor for driving the blower fan 46 are provided.
49, a motor 50 for rotating the water tank 27 is fixed.

 Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The operation according to the configuration of the second embodiment is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, but the vibration of the rotating tub 30 during dehydration is transmitted from the water tub 27 to the suspension 73 via the support 71 and is attenuated, and the base 74 is attenuated. Vibration is difficult to transmit, so base
74 can be made of, for example, a synthetic resin to reduce the weight.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, when the dehydration process is completed and the process shifts to the drying process, the rotating shaft of the rotary tub is started up while being kept vertical or inclined with respect to the installation surface, so that The load of the wet clothes in the tub is hardly applied to the rotating shaft of the rotary tub, the drive motor can be reduced in size, and therefore the washing machine body can be small, and an economical and inexpensive washing and drying machine can be provided. it can.

In addition, by suspending the support that supports the water tank with a suspension, the configuration can be simplified and reduced in weight, and vibration during dehydration can be effectively attenuated. In addition, by locating the support at the corner of the washing machine body, a predetermined amount of clothes can be washed without increasing the size of the washing machine body. In addition, by providing a mounting member at the bottom of the water tank and connecting the mounting member to the support, even if the water tank is made of a lightweight and easily moldable resin without forming a sheet metal structure, the load applied to the support is small. It will be received by the mounting member, and the water tank will not bend or break.

Furthermore, by suspending the support that supports the water tank with the suspension and suspending the base with another suspension, the vibration of the rotating tank is damped by the suspension,
It is hardly transmitted to the main body of the washing machine, and noise can be reduced. In addition, most of the vibration of the rotary tank is received by the suspension and the support suspended by the suspension, and the base only needs to have a strength to receive a driving unit, a hot air blowing unit, a dehumidifying unit, and the like. By using a lightweight material such as a resin, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of the product.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a washing state, FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a dry state, and FIG. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a washing state, FIG. 5 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a dry state, and FIG. 7 shows a conventional example, FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a washing state, and FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a dry state. 25 …… the washing machine body, 27 …… aquarium, 28 …… water hole, 30 ……
Rotating tank, 31 ... Pulsator, 32 ... Drive shaft, 39 ... Drying motor, 41 ... Rotating shaft, 42 ... Support, 44 ... Suspension, 46 ... Blower fan, 47 ... Heat exchanger , 50 ……
Motor, 61 belt, 63 mounting member, 69 reinforcing bracket, 70 rotating shaft, 71 support, 73, 73 'suspension, 74 base.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substantially spherical water tank, a substantially spherical rotating tank mounted in the water tank and forming a water passage hole, and a pulsator rotating coaxially with the rotating tank, further comprising: A pair of supports supported by both shafts and rotatable at an arbitrary angle are disposed diagonally on a corner of the washing machine main body, and the supports are provided at the bottom of the water tub for mounting a driving unit of the rotary tub. In connection with the mounting member, the washing, rinsing, and spin-drying steps were performed with the rotation axis of the rotary tub perpendicular to the installation surface, and the start-up of the rotary tub was in the above-described vertical state or inclined when shifting from the spin-drying step to the drying step. A washer / dryer configured to operate in a state. 2. A water tank is suspended from a main body of a washing machine by a suspension attached to a support, and a base for mounting a driving unit for rotating the water tank, a hot air blowing unit for drying the water tank, a dehumidifying unit, and the like. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the suspension is suspended from the main body of the washing machine by a suspension, and only the attachment member provided at the bottom of the water tank is rotated together with the water tank along with the rotation of the water tank during the drying process.