JP7535016B2 - Drum-type clothing treatment device - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a drum-type clothing processing device.

Drum-type washing machines equipped with a baffle provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum are known. In this type of drum-type washing machine, when the drum is rotated, laundry stored in the drum is hooked onto the baffle and lifted in the direction of rotation, and the lifted laundry falls from an appropriate height, beating the laundry to wash it and encouraging agitation of the laundry. Patent Document 1 discloses a drum-type washing machine equipped with such a baffle. In Patent Document 1, the side surface of the baffle located in the circumferential direction of the drum is formed in a flat shape at a predetermined angle to the radial direction of the drum, and the cross section of the baffle is approximately triangular.

JP 2006-75479 A

The baffle in Patent Document 1 has a flat surface with a predetermined angle (i.e., inclined) relative to the radial direction of the drum. As a result, when the drum is rotated, laundry may slide down this inclined surface, making it impossible to lift the laundry sufficiently. This specification provides a technology that can efficiently lift laundry while maintaining the internal volume of the drum.

The drum-type clothing treatment device disclosed in this specification comprises a main body, a washing tub provided within the main body, a drum rotatably provided within the washing tub, and a baffle provided on the inner circumferential surface of the drum, protruding from the inner circumferential surface in the radial direction of the drum and extending along the direction of the rotation axis of the drum. The baffle comprises a support portion attached to the inner circumferential surface, and an agitator portion protruding from the support portion in the radial direction of the drum. The surface of the support portion has a curved shape that is curved concavely.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a baffle according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a baffle according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of a baffle according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of a baffle according to an embodiment.

(Example)
A drum-type washing machine 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as washing machine 1) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Washing machine 1 is a washing and drying machine having a function of washing clothes and a function of drying clothes. As shown in Fig. 1, washing machine 1 mainly includes a main body 2, a door 4, a washing tub 7, a drum 9, a motor 10, a baffle 11, a display operation unit 5, and a control device 6. In the following description, the left side of Fig. 1 is referred to as the "front" and the right side is referred to as the "rear".

The main body 2 has a generally rectangular box shape. An opening 3 through which laundry can be put in and taken out is provided in the center of the front of the main body 2. The door 4 of the washing machine 1 is attached to the main body 2 and opens and closes the opening 3 of the main body 2. The door 4 is configured to be lockable by a locking mechanism (not shown). There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the locking mechanism as long as it can lock the door 4. Inside the main body 2, a washing tub 7, a drum 9, and a motor 10 are arranged.

The washing tub 7 is disposed inside the main body 2 inclined in the X-axis direction so that the rear is lower than the front (inclined downward from the front to the rear). The washing tub 7 has a horizontal cylindrical shape and contains washing water. The washing tub 7 is supported inside the main body via multiple (e.g., a pair of left and right) suspensions 8 (only some of which are shown).

The drum 9 is disposed inside the washing tub 7. The drum 9 is cylindrical with a bottom and contains the laundry. The drum 9 is supported so that it can rotate around a rotation axis A that is inclined downward from the front to the rear.

The motor 10 is disposed in the center behind the washing tub 7. The motor 10 is, for example, an outer rotor type motor made of a brushless DC motor, and rotates the drum 9 around a rotation axis A. The motor 10 is provided with a rotation sensor (not shown) that detects its rotational position.

The baffles 11 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9. Although not shown, a plurality of (e.g., three) baffles 11 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The baffles 11 protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9 in the radial direction of the drum 9. When the drum 9 is rotated, the baffles 11 lift the laundry contained in the drum 9 in the rotational direction and agitate the laundry. The baffles 11 are made of, for example, synthetic resin, and extend in the front-rear direction within the drum 9 (i.e., along the rotation axis A of the drum 9). The configuration of the baffles 11 will be described in more detail later.

The inner surface of the drum 9 is formed with a number of holes 12 for water (air) passage, except for the area where the baffle 11 is provided. The front of the drum 9 is provided with an opening 9c through which laundry is put in and taken out. The front of the washing tub 7 is formed with an input port 7a that is connected to the opening 9c, and the input port 7a is connected to the opening 3 of the main body 2 via a bellows 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, a drain port 15 is formed at the bottom of the rear side of the washing tub 7. The base end of an internal drain hose 16 is connected to the drain port 15. A filter unit 17 is provided on the front side of the main body 2 on the bottom plate 2a that constitutes the bottom of the main body 2. Although not shown in detail, the filter unit 17 is composed of a cylindrical case and a lint filter housed inside the case. A cap 18 is attached to the front opening of the filter unit 17 so that it can be opened and closed. The lint filter has the function of capturing lint (lint) in the washing water. An opening for inserting and removing the lint filter from the case is provided in the main body 2 in front of the cap 18, and the opening is closed by a cover 2b so that it can be opened and closed.

A hose connection port 17a is provided at the top of the filter unit 17. The tip of the internal drain hose 16 is connected to the hose connection port 17a. That is, the internal drain hose 16 connects the washing tub 7 and the filter unit 17. A drain valve 19 is connected to the bottom of the filter unit 17, and a drain pipe 20 is connected to the outlet side of the drain valve 19. The tip of the drain pipe 20 extends to the outside of the main body 2 through the bottom plate 2a and is connected to an external drain hose (not shown). As a result, when the drain valve 19 is open, the washing water in the washing tub 7 passes through the filter unit 17 and is then discharged from the drain pipe 20.

A circulation pump 21 is provided at the rear end of the filter unit 17. The circulation pump 21 has an intake port facing the filter unit 17, and sucks water from inside the washing tub 7 and drum 9 through the drain port 15, the internal drain hose 16, and the filter unit 17. An outlet port 21a is provided at the top of the circulation pump 21. The base end of a water supply hose 22 is connected to the outlet port 21a. The middle part of the water supply hose 22 extends upward from the side of the periphery of the bellows 14, and its tip is connected to a fountain nozzle 23 formed at the top of the input port 7a of the washing tub 7.

The fountain nozzle 23 is configured to spray wash water in the direction of arrow J toward the lower part of the drum 9 (more specifically, toward the lower part slightly to the right when viewed from the front). As a result, when the circulation pump 21 is driven, the wash water in the washing tub 7 passes through the drain outlet 15, the internal drain hose 16, the filter unit 17, and the water supply hose 22, and is sprayed in a shower-like manner from the fountain nozzle 23 into the drum 9. As the wash water passes through the filter unit 17, relatively large lint is captured by the lint filter.

An air trap 24 is provided at the front upper part of the filter unit 17. A water level sensor 25 is provided at the top of the rear side inside the main body 2. The air trap 24 and the water level sensor 25 are connected by an air tube 26. The water level in the washing tub 7 is detected by the water level sensor 25 via the internal drain hose 16, the filter unit 17, the air trap 24, and the air tube 26.

A water supply unit 27 is provided at the top of the inside of the main body 2. The water supply unit 27 supplies water to the washing tub 7. A water supply port 28 connected to a water tap is provided on the upper surface of the rear side of the main body 2. The water supply port 28 is connected to a water supply valve 29, which is connected to the inlet of a water supply case 31 via a connection pipe 30. The outlet of the water supply case 31 is connected to the washing tub 7 via a water supply hose 32. A detergent storage section (not shown) is provided inside the water supply case 31. As a result, when the water supply valve 29 is opened, tap water is supplied from the water supply port 28 to the washing tub 7 via the water supply valve 29, the connection pipe 30, the water supply case 31, and the water supply hose 32. In addition, when water is supplied, the detergent in the water supply case 31 is automatically poured into the washing tub 7.

Inside the main body 2, a drying unit (not shown) is provided for circulating and supplying warm air into the drum 9 to dry the laundry. The drying unit has a well-known configuration including, for example, a circulation duct that connects an air inlet and an air outlet provided in the washing tub 7 to the outside of the washing tub 7, and a blower fan and a heater provided in the circulation duct. Note that a dehumidifying means (for example, a heat pump) may be provided in the circulation duct.

The display operation unit 5 is provided on the upper front surface of the main body 2. The display operation unit 5 is, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel. Various information related to the washing machine 1 is displayed on the display operation unit 5. The display operation unit 5 also accepts various operations related to the washing machine 1.

The control device 6 is provided on the back side of the display operation unit 5. The control device 6 is composed of a computer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the operation of the entire washing machine 1 to execute each step of the washing operation. The control device 6 receives signals indicating operations accepted by the display operation unit 5, and controls the display of various information on the display operation unit 5.

The control device 6 also receives detection signals from the water level sensor 25 and the rotation sensor. The control device 6 drives and controls the motor 10, as well as the water supply valve 29, the drain valve 19, the circulation pump 21, the drying unit 34, and the locking mechanism. Based on signals indicating input operations by the user to the display operation unit 5 and detection signals from the water level sensor 25, etc., the control device 6 controls each mechanism such as the motor 10, the water supply valve 29, the drain valve 19, and the circulation pump 21 according to an operation control program, and executes a washing operation consisting of each process such as washing, rinsing, and spin-drying.

Next, the configuration of the baffle 11 of this embodiment will be described in more detail. As described above, in the washing machine 1, the laundry stored in the drum 9 is lifted in the direction of rotation by hooking it on the baffle 11 as the drum 9 rotates. Then, the lifted laundry falls from an appropriate height position, so that the laundry is beaten and washed and the agitation of the laundry is promoted. For this reason, it is necessary to configure the baffle 11 so that the laundry can be lifted efficiently. In addition, in this embodiment, the rotation axis A of the drum 9 is inclined so as to descend from the front to the rear. For this reason, when the laundry is agitated by the rotation of the drum 9, the laundry may be biased toward the rear side of the drum 9 and may not be sufficiently agitated. In other words, it is necessary to agitate the laundry so that it moves from the rear side to the front side in the drum 9 as the drum 9 rotates. In consideration of these circumstances, the baffle 11 of this embodiment has the configuration described below.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the baffle 11 has a support portion 50 and an agitation portion 52. The support portion 50 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9. The agitation portion 52 protrudes from the support portion 50 in the radial direction of the drum 9. Although not shown, the baffle 11 is hollow and its bottom surface (the surface that is placed on the drum 9) is open. The internal space of the support portion 50 and the agitation portion 52 is connected to an opening provided on the bottom surface of the baffle 11.

2 and 3, the support portion 50 has a curved surface shape in which the surface 50a (the surface opposite to the surface that is placed on the drum 9) is concavely curved (curved toward the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9). Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the width W1 (length along the circumferential direction of the drum 9) of the support portion 50 is substantially uniform along the front-to-rear direction when viewed from above. The width W1 may be configured to become wider from the front to the rear of the drum 9. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface of the support portion 50 is configured to have a curvature that becomes smaller from the front to the rear of the drum 9. That is, the curvature R1 of the surface 50a of the support portion 50 at the front end of the baffle 11 is larger than the curvature R2 of the surface 50a of the support portion 50 at the rear end of the baffle 11. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the height H1 of the support portion 50 (i.e., the distance from the installation surface of the support portion 50 (the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9) to the upper end of the support portion 50) is configured to increase from the front to the rear of the drum 9.

2 and 3, the side surfaces 52a of the stirring section 52 (the left and right side surfaces located in the circumferential direction of the drum 9) have a planar shape that spreads along the radial direction of the drum 9. Specifically, each side surface 52a extends approximately parallel to a plane (X-Z plane) defined by the radial direction and depth direction (front-rear direction) of the drum 9. That is, the thickness W2 of the stirring section 52 (the length along the circumferential direction of the drum 9) is approximately uniform along the front-rear direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the height H2 of the stirring section 52 (i.e., the distance from the connection part between the stirring section 52 and the support section 50 to the upper end of the stirring section 52) is configured to increase from the front to the rear of the drum 9. Therefore, the baffle 11 is configured so that the height from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 9 increases from the front to the rear of the drum 9. As shown in FIG. 1, when the baffle 11 is positioned at the bottom of the drum 9, the upper end of the stirring section 52 is configured to extend in a substantially horizontal direction (X direction) from the front to the rear of the drum 9.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the upper end of the stirring section 52 is provided with a top surface 52c that connects the side surfaces 52a and 52b (side surfaces located in the front-to-rear direction of the drum 9). The top surface 52c has a planar shape and is provided with a number of holes 56 that communicate with the internal space of the baffle 11. There is no particular limit to the number of holes 56, but in this embodiment, nine holes 56 are provided in the top surface 52c.

As described above, in the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, the baffle 11 has a support portion 50 and an agitation portion 52. The surface 50a of the support portion 50 has a curved shape that is curved in a concave shape. Therefore, for example, compared to a case where the side of the baffle is an inclined plane, the volume of the baffle 11 can be reduced, and the internal volume of the drum 9 can be secured. In addition, in this configuration, for example, the strength is higher and the load capacity is larger than a configuration in which the connection portion between the support portion and the agitation portion forms an angle, so that even relatively heavy laundry (for example, water-soaked laundry) can be lifted efficiently. In addition, in this embodiment, the surface 50a of the support portion 50 has a curved shape, so that the volume of the baffle 11 is reduced, and the internal volume of the drum 9 can be maintained even if the size (height) of the agitation portion 52 is enlarged. Therefore, the size of the agitation portion 52 can be sufficiently secured, and laundry can be lifted efficiently.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the side surface 52a of the agitator 52 has a planar shape that extends along the radial direction of the drum 9. Therefore, the laundry can be lifted efficiently by the side surface 52a having this planar shape.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotation axis A of the drum 9 is inclined downward from the front to the rear of the drum 9. Therefore, when the laundry is agitated by the rotation of the drum 9, the laundry may be biased toward the rear side of the drum 9. However, in this embodiment, the height of the baffle 52 (i.e., H1+H2) increases from the front to the rear of the drum 9, so that the laundry biased toward the rear side of the drum 9 can be efficiently lifted and agitated by moving it from the rear side of the drum 9 to the front side.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the upper end of the agitator 52 extends in a substantially horizontal direction (X direction) from the front to the rear of the drum 9 when the baffle 11 is located at the bottom of the drum 9. This allows the laundry on the rear side of the drum 9 to be lifted more efficiently even if the rotation axis A of the drum 9 is tilted.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a top surface 52c is provided that connects the side surfaces 52a, 52b. In other words, the agitating portion 52 of the baffle 11 has a substantially uniform thickness W2. This ensures the strength of the agitating portion 52, and allows even relatively heavy laundry to be lifted efficiently. In addition, this top surface 52c is provided with a number of holes 56 that communicate with the internal space of the baffle 11. This allows the holes 56 to be used as holes for water passage.

In the above embodiment, the curvature of the surface 50a of the support portion 50 of the baffle 11 decreases from the front to the rear of the drum 9 (R1>R2). In other words, the surface area of the support portion 50 increases from the front to the rear of the drum 9. This ensures the strength of the baffle 11 at the rear side of the drum 9, where the load is relatively large. In a configuration in which the height H2 of the agitation portion 52 increases from the front to the rear of the drum 9, as in this embodiment, more laundry is lifted at the rear side of the drum 9, so it is more useful to reduce the curvature of the support portion 50 at the rear side of the drum 9 (i.e., to increase the strength of the support portion 50).

When the height of the baffle 11 is configured to increase from the front to the rear of the drum 9, the height H1 of the support portion 50 is changed along with the height H2 of the stirring portion 52 (i.e., configured to increase from the front to the rear of the drum 9), thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the stirring portion 52 itself compared to a configuration in which only the height H2 of the stirring portion 52 is changed, and therefore the load applied to the stirring portion 52 can be reduced.

Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples given above. Modifications of the above examples are listed below.

In the above-described embodiment, the side surface 52a of the stirring portion 52 has a planar shape that follows the radial direction of the drum 9, but the shape of the side surface 52a is not particularly limited. For example, it may be a planar surface that is inclined relative to the radial direction of the drum 9.

Furthermore, the rotation axis A of the drum 9 does not have to be inclined downward from the front to the rear, and the height H2 of the stirring section 52 does not have to increase from the front to the rear. For example, the rotation axis A of the drum 9 may be parallel to the X direction, in which case the height of the baffle 11 (i.e., H1+H2) may be approximately uniform. Furthermore, the upper end of the stirring section 52 does not have to extend horizontally when the baffle 11 is located at the bottom of the drum 9 (Figure 1).

The baffle 11 does not have to be hollow. In this case, the baffle 11 does not have to have holes 56.

The curvature of the surface 50a of the support portion 50 does not have to decrease from the front to the rear of the drum 9, and may be uniform, for example. In addition, in a configuration in which the height of the baffle 11 increases from the front to the rear, as in the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary for both the height H1 of the support portion 50 and the height H2 of the stirring portion 52 to increase from the front to the rear. For example, the height H1 may be approximately constant, and only the height H2 may change along the front-to-rear direction, or vice versa.

The technical elements described in this specification or drawings may exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings may achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving any one of those objectives is itself technically useful.

1: Drum-type washing machine 2: Main body 7: Washing tub 9: Drum 11: Baffle 50: Support part 50a: Surface 52: Agitation part 52a: Side 52b: Side 52c: Top surface 56: Hole

Claims (8)

The main body,
A washing tub provided in the main body;
A drum rotatably provided in the washing tub;
a baffle provided on an inner peripheral surface of the drum, protruding from the inner peripheral surface in a radial direction of the drum and extending along a rotation axis direction of the drum;
Equipped with
The baffle includes a support portion attached to the inner circumferential surface and a stirring portion protruding from the support portion in the radial direction of the drum,
The surface of the support portion has a concavely curved shape ,
The side surface of the stirring portion located in the circumferential direction of the drum has a planar shape extending along the radial direction of the drum,
Drum type clothing treatment device. The main body,
A washing tub provided in the main body;
A drum rotatably provided in the washing tub;
a baffle provided on an inner peripheral surface of the drum, protruding from the inner peripheral surface in a radial direction of the drum and extending along a rotation axis direction of the drum;
Equipped with
The baffle includes a support portion attached to the inner circumferential surface and a stirring portion protruding from the support portion in the radial direction of the drum,
The surface of the support portion has a concavely curved shape ,
The height of the baffle from the inner circumferential surface increases from the front to the rear of the drum,
The curvature of the surface of the support portion of the baffle is configured to decrease from the front to the rear of the drum.
Drum type clothing treatment device. The main body,
A washing tub provided in the main body;
A drum rotatably provided in the washing tub;
a baffle provided on an inner peripheral surface of the drum, protruding from the inner peripheral surface in a radial direction of the drum and extending along a rotation axis direction of the drum;
Equipped with
The baffle includes a support portion attached to the inner circumferential surface and a stirring portion protruding from the support portion in the radial direction of the drum,
The surface of the support portion has a concavely curved shape ,
The height of the stirring portion increases from the front to the rear of the drum.
Drum type clothing treatment device. The main body,
A washing tub provided in the main body;
A drum rotatably provided in the washing tub;
a baffle provided on an inner peripheral surface of the drum, protruding from the inner peripheral surface in a radial direction of the drum and extending along a rotation axis direction of the drum;
Equipped with
The baffle includes a support portion attached to the inner circumferential surface and a stirring portion protruding from the support portion in the radial direction of the drum,
The surface of the support portion has a concavely curved shape ,
The height of the support portion increases from the front to the rear of the drum.
Drum type clothing treatment device. A drum-type clothing processing device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4 , wherein a side surface of the agitation portion positioned in the circumferential direction of the drum has a planar shape that extends along the radial direction of the drum. The rotation axis of the drum is inclined downward from the front to the rear of the drum,
The drum-type clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the height of the baffle from the inner circumferential surface increases from the front to the rear of the drum. The drum-type clothing treatment device according to claim 6 , wherein an upper end of the agitating portion extends in a substantially horizontal direction from the front to the rear of the drum when the baffle is positioned at the lowest part of the drum. The baffle is hollow;
An upper surface portion is provided at the upper end of the stirring portion, the upper surface portion connecting each side surface of the stirring portion,
The drum-type clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the upper surface portion is provided with a hole communicating with the internal space of the baffle.

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