KR102518815B1 - Drain Pump and Washing Machine Having the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drain pump and a washing machine including the same, and more particularly, to an improved drain pump capable of reducing noise and a washing machine including the same.
To this end, in the washing machine including a tub for accommodating wash water, a drum rotatably accommodated in the tub, and a drain pump for draining the wash water in the tub, the drain pump includes an impeller for forcibly discharging the wash water; A housing in which an impeller is rotatably provided therein; an inlet pipe communicating with the housing so that wash water in the tub flows into the housing; an outlet pipe communicating with the housing so that washing water inside the housing is discharged; and a communication unit for guiding the wash water introduced into the housing to the water inlet pipe.

Description

Drain pump and washing machine including the same {Drain Pump and Washing Machine Having the Same}

The present invention relates to a drain pump and a washing machine including the same, and more particularly, to an improved drain pump capable of reducing noise and a washing machine including the same.

In general, a washing machine is a device for washing laundry by rotating a cylindrical drum containing laundry and wash water. In this type of washing machine, a drum is placed horizontally and when the drum rotates in the forward and reverse directions with respect to a horizontal axis, the laundry is moved into the drum. A front-loading drum washing machine, which is a method of washing laundry by being raised upward along the inner circumferential surface and falling, and a drum with a pulsator disposed therein are vertically arranged to generate electricity when the pulsator rotates in forward and reverse directions. [0002] There is a top-loading type washing machine, which is a type of washing laundry by water flow.

Such a general washing machine includes a cabinet forming an exterior, a cylindrical tub installed inside the cabinet and containing wash water, and a drum rotatably installed inside the tub, and after putting laundry into the drum, the drum rotates to perform laundry. is made possible.

In addition, such a washing machine is provided with a water supply device for supplying wash water to the water tank and a drainage device for discharging the wash water to the outside after washing is completed. The drainage device guides the water to be discharged from the water tank to the outside. It includes a hose and a drainage pump disposed at the lower part of the water tank and generating a pumping force to discharge wash water to the outside along the drain hose.

In such a drainage pump, a pump casing is formed and an impeller is installed. When the drainage process is in full swing in this drainage pump, a sufficient amount of wash water is supplied to the pump casing and a constant load is applied to the drainage motor, so that the drainage motor is stable. It works. However, in a situation where most of the water is drained and a sufficient amount of water is not supplied to the pump room, the load applied to the drain motor fluctuates and the drain motor operates unstable, resulting in a problem in that the operation noise of the drain pump is large. .

In addition, a drain hose connected to the drain pump to discharge wash water to the outside is connected to a discharge hole formed at a higher position than the drain pump. At a certain point in the process of completely stopping the operation of the drain pump by gradually reducing the output of the drain pump, the output of the drain pump is so low that wash water remaining in the drain hose cannot be discharged. At this time, the washing water flows backward along the drain hose, and there is a problem of generating noise while colliding with the still rotating impeller.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved drainage pump and a washing machine including the same to reduce noise.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a washing machine comprising a tub for receiving wash water, a drum rotatably accommodated in the tub, and a drain pump for draining the wash water in the tub, wherein the drainage The pump includes an impeller for forcibly discharging wash water; a housing in which the impeller is rotatably provided; an inlet pipe communicating with the housing so that wash water in the tub flows into the housing; a water outlet pipe communicating with the housing to discharge wash water inside the housing; and a communication unit for guiding wash water introduced into the housing to the water inlet pipe.

The communication unit may include a first communication pipe communicating with the inlet pipe; and a second communication pipe communicating with the water outlet pipe.

The communication unit includes a first communication pipe communicating with the water inlet pipe so that wash water flows backward from the water outlet pipe to the water inlet pipe; and a second communication pipe communicating with the water outlet pipe.

The communication unit may further include a connection pipe connecting the first and second communication tubes.

The inlet pipe communicates with the water outlet pipe through a portion of its cross section, and the communication portion may be provided inside the water inlet pipe so that washing water flows backward from the water outlet pipe to the water inlet pipe.

The communication unit includes a partition wall provided on a portion of the cross section of the inlet pipe; and a communication hole formed in the barrier rib.

The inlet pipe may have a cross-sectional extension portion connected to the housing in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of wash water flowing into the housing.

The communication unit includes a barrier rib formed inside the inlet pipe; and a communication hole formed in the barrier rib.

The inlet pipe is connected to the edge side of the housing while being spaced apart from the rotation axis of the impeller by a predetermined distance and arranged side by side, and the partition wall is provided between the space formed between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the inlet pipe. It can be.

In order to prevent a decrease in the amount of wash water flowing into the housing, the water inlet pipe may have a cross-section extension at one end connected to the housing.

The communication unit may be provided on a path through which washing water is discharged through the water outlet pipe.

The communication unit may be provided to be spaced apart from a path through which washing water is discharged through the water outlet pipe.

In addition, an impeller for forcibly discharging water; a housing in which the impeller is rotatably provided; an inlet pipe communicating with the housing so that water flows into the housing; a water outlet pipe communicating with the housing so that water inside the housing is discharged; The above object may be achieved by providing a drain pump comprising a; and a communication part for guiding water introduced into the housing to the water inlet pipe.

The communication unit includes a first communication pipe communicating with the water inlet pipe so that wash water flows backward from the water outlet pipe to the water inlet pipe; and a second communication pipe communicating with the water outlet pipe.

The inlet pipe communicates with the water outlet pipe through a portion of its cross section, but has a cross-section extension at one end connected to the housing, and the communication portion includes a partition wall provided on a portion of the cross section of the inlet pipe; and a communication hole formed in the barrier rib.

The communication unit includes a barrier rib formed inside the inlet pipe; and a communication hole formed in the barrier rib.

The inlet pipe is connected to the edge side of the housing while being spaced apart from the rotation axis of the impeller by a predetermined distance and arranged side by side, and the partition wall is provided between the space formed between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the inlet pipe. It can be.

In order to prevent a decrease in the amount of wash water flowing into the housing, the water inlet pipe may have a cross-section extension at one end connected to the housing.

The cross-sectional extension part may be provided on the opposite side of the communication part.

As described above, the drain pump of the present invention and the washing machine including the same have the following effects.

First, it provides an effect of reducing operation noise generated when sufficient washing water is not supplied to the pump chamber of the drain pump.

Second, by gradually reducing the output of the drain pump, during the process of completely stopping the operation of the drain pump, the wash water that flows backward is introduced into the inlet pipe instead of the pump room, preventing the wash water that flows backward from colliding with the impeller that has not yet stopped rotating, thereby reducing noise. provides the effect of reducing

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view showing the drain pump shown in FIG. 1;
3 is a perspective view showing a pump casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing shown in Figure 3;
5 is a perspective view showing a pump casing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing shown in FIG. 5;
7 is a perspective view showing a pump casing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing shown in FIG. 7;
9 is a perspective view showing a pump casing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing shown in FIG. 9;
11 is a perspective view showing a pump casing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing shown in FIG. 11;

Hereinafter, a drum washing machine and a tub cleaning method of the drum washing machine according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are shown by way of example to aid understanding of the invention, and it should be understood that the present invention may be variously modified and implemented differently from the embodiments described herein. However, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or component may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description and detailed illustration thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to an actual scale to aid understanding of the present invention, and the dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.

The first and second terms used in this application may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. Terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of rights. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "consist of" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other features It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a drum washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a drum washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 having a laundry inlet 11 formed on the front side, and the laundry inlet 11 of the cabinet 10 can be opened and closed. door 13, a tub 30 installed to store wash water inside the cabinet 10, a motor 50 installed in the tub 30 to generate a driving force, and a rotating shaft 55 connected to the motor 50 ), and a drum 40 connected to the rotary shaft 55 and washing laundry by the driving force transmitted from the motor 50.

1 shows a direct drive structure in which the motor 50 is directly connected to the rotary shaft 55 to drive the drum 40, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The cabinet 10 forms the exterior of the drum washing machine 1, and a laundry inlet 11 communicating the inside and outside is formed on the front side. The cabinet 10 has a front door 13 rotatably provided to selectively open and close the laundry inlet 11 . Accordingly, the user can put laundry into the drum 40 or take out laundry from the inside of the drum 40 by opening and closing the door 13 .

Here, the door 13 is formed so that the inner surface of the door facing the drum 40 protrudes toward the drum 40 . Accordingly, when the user pushes and closes the door 13, a part of the inner surface of the door 13 is located inside the drum 40, so that laundry is washed only inside the drum 40 and the drum 40 rotates. It is not discharged to the outside of the drum 40 during washing.

The tub 30 is provided inside the cabinet 10 and is formed to accommodate wash water. Water is supplied to the inside of the tub 30 from an external water supply source. In addition, the tub 30 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. In front of the tub, a front opening is formed at a position corresponding to the laundry inlet 11 of the cabinet 10 so as to communicate the inside and outside of the drum 40 .

The circumferential surface of the tub 30 is elastically supported by the spring 21 and the damper 23 installed inside the cabinet 10 . Also, since the circumferential surface of the tub 30 is directly supported by the spring 21 and the damper 23, it cannot rotate by itself. Therefore, unlike the drum 40, the tub 30 does not receive a separate rotational force from the motor 50.

A water supply device for supplying water containing detergent or clean water without detergent to the inside of the tub 30 is connected to the upper side of the tub 30 .

The water supply device includes a water supply valve 61 that regulates clean water supplied through an external hose, a water supply hose 62 that guides water passing through the water supply valve 61, and water supplied through the water supply hose 62 in advance. Detergent supply device 63 formed to be mixed with the stored detergent and then discharged, and one end to guide water containing detergent or clean water without detergent discharged from the detergent supply device 63 to the inside of the tub 30 It includes a water supply pipe 64 connected to the outlet of the detergent supply device 63 and the other end connected to the top of the tub 30. Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the water supply pipe has been described as being made of a single water supply pipe, but is not limited thereto and may be made of a plurality of water supply pipes.

In addition, a drainage device for draining water is connected to the lower side of the tub 30 .

The drainage device includes a drain pump 71 that provides power for discharging wash water accommodated in the tub 30, one end connected to the lower side of the tub and the other end connected to the drain pump 71 to wash the laundry accommodated in the tub 30. A first drain pipe 73 for guiding water to the drain pump 71, a second drain pipe 75 having one end connected to the drain pump 71 and extending substantially horizontally with the other end facing the rear surface of the cabinet 10, approximately It includes a third drain pipe 77 extending vertically and having one end connected to the second drain pipe and the other end connected to the rear surface of the cabinet 10 to discharge wash water to the outside of the cabinet 10 . The first drain pipe 73 may be formed of a bellows pipe so that vibration of the tub 30 is not transmitted to the drain pump 71 .

Meanwhile, since the front surface 33 of the tub 30 is spaced apart from the front surface of the cabinet 10 by a predetermined distance, between the door 13 and the front opening of the tub 30, that is, between the front surface of the cabinet 10 and the tub ( Washing water may be introduced through the front opening of 30). To prevent the inflow of wash water, a gasket 15 is provided between the front surface of the cabinet 10 and the front opening of the tub 30 . The gasket 15 is made of a flexible material so that the vibration of the motor 50 is not transmitted to the cabinet 10 through the tub 30 and the gasket 15 .

The gasket 15 includes a door-side portion 151 and a tub-side portion 152. In FIG. 1, the tub 30-side portion is concave, but is not limited thereto and is formed in various shapes.

The drum 40 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is rotatably provided inside the tub 30 so that laundry is put therein.

The rear surface 15 of the drum 40 is directly connected to the rotating shaft 55 connected to the motor 50 to receive rotational force from the motor 50 . Also, when the drum 40 is rotated by the motor 50, a lifter 49 is provided on an inner circumferential surface to lift and drop some of the laundry or wash water stored therein. Accordingly, when the drum 40 is rotated by the motor 50, the lifter 49 performs a function of lifting and dropping a portion of laundry or wash water to one side while rotating together with the drum 40.

In the drum 40, a plurality of through holes 47 are formed on the side wall, that is, on the peripheral surface. The drum 40 communicates with the tub 30 through the plurality of through holes 47 . Accordingly, when wash water is supplied to the tub 30 above a certain water level, the drum 40 is submerged in the wash water and some of the wash water is drawn into the drum 40 through the through hole 47 .

Meanwhile, in the present specification, the drain pump 71 is described as being used in a washing machine, but is not limited thereto and may be used in a washing machine and other devices such as a dishwasher. In addition, washing water used in the present specification does not mean only washing water used in a washing machine and may be used as a broad concept including general water. In addition, the reverse flow used in this specification refers to an operation in which wash water inside the inlet pipe is guided from the pump chamber back to the inlet pipe or from inside the outlet pipe back to the inlet pipe, which will be described later. It doesn't just mean moving again.

Hereinafter, the drain pump will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a drainage pump according to an embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

Referring to FIG. 2 , the drainage pump 71 includes a driving unit 700 and a pump casing 100 .

The drive unit 700 is coupled to a drain motor casing 740 having a drain motor (not shown) composed of a stator (not shown) and a rotor (not shown) therein, and one end of the drain motor casing 740 coupled to the rotor. and an impeller 710 that rotates together with the rotor.

The impeller 710 includes a central hub 711 and a plurality of blades 712 extending radially from an outer circumferential surface of the hub 711 .

The drain motor casing 740 has a plurality of engaging parts 730 engaged with the protrusions 115 (see FIG. 3) of the pump casing 100, which will be described later, formed at an edge of one end to which the impeller 710 is coupled. As the protrusion 115 rotates and is inserted into the locking portion 730 , the drain motor casing 740 is coupled to the pump casing 100 .

The pump casing 100 is coupled to one end of the drive unit 700, and one end is provided so that wash water in the housing 110 and the tub 30 rotatably accommodates the impeller 710 to flow into the housing 110. 1 water inlet pipe 130 connected to the drain pipe 73 and the other end communicating with the housing 110, one end communicating with the housing 110 and the other end communicating with the housing 110 so that wash water inside the housing 110 is discharged, the second drain pipe 75 It includes a water outlet pipe 150 connected to the housing 110 and a communication unit 170 for guiding wash water flowing into the water inlet pipe 130. The pump casing 100 may be formed as a separate component, but is not limited thereto and may be integrally formed on one lower side of the cabinet.

The communication unit 170 serves to reduce noise generated by the drainage motor. That is, if most of the wash water is drained and a sufficient amount of water is not supplied to the pump chamber 113 to be described later, the load applied to the drain motor fluctuates and the drain motor operates unstable, resulting in operation noise of the drain pump 71 this happens a lot. At this time, the communication unit 170 performs a function of reducing noise by allowing a portion of the washing water in the housing 110 to flow back to the water inlet pipe 130 so that a minimum load on the drainage motor is maintained.

In addition, when the output of the drain pump 71 is gradually reduced and the operation of the drain pump is completely stopped at a certain point in time, the output of the drain pump 710 outputs the washing water remaining in the second and third drain pipes 75 and 77. is pushed up to a higher position than the drain pump 71 and lowered to the point where it cannot be discharged. At this time, the wash water flows backward along the second and third drain pipes 75 and 77, colliding with the still rotating impeller 710. At this time, the communication unit 170 performs a function of reducing noise by allowing wash water in the water outlet pipe 150 to flow directly into the water intake pipe 130 without passing through the impeller 710 .

The communication unit 170 performing these functions may be formed on one side of the pump casing 100 with various phenomena. Hereinafter, the pump casing 100 according to various embodiments in which the communication unit 170 is formed will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a perspective view showing the pump casing 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing 100 shown in FIG.

3 and 4, the pump casing 100 includes a housing 110 provided with a pump chamber 113 in which an impeller 710 is rotatably accommodated, and washing water in the tub 30 flows into the housing 110. An inlet pipe 130 having one end connected to the first drain pipe 73 and the other end communicating with the housing 110, one end communicating with the housing 110 and the other end communicating with the second drain pipe 130 so that wash water inside the housing 110 is discharged. The water outlet pipe 150 connected to the drain pipe 75 and the communication unit 170 provided in the water inlet pipe 130 and the water outlet pipe 150, respectively, so that wash water introduced into the housing 110 is guided to the water inlet pipe 130. ).

The housing 110 has an inlet hole 111 formed on one side so that wash water flows in from the inlet pipe 130, and a water outlet hole 112 so that the wash water obtained from the inlet pipe 130 is discharged to the outlet pipe 150. formed on the other side. In the housing 110, a flange 114 is formed on an outer circumferential surface, and the protrusions 115 are formed at regular intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the flange 114 so that the protrusions 115 can be coupled to the engaging portion 730 of the drainage motor casing 740 described above. do. The housing 110 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange 114 so that the stopper 116 interferes with one side of the hooking part 730 of the drain pump case, and the user can easily rotate the pump casing 100 A branch 117 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange 114 . In addition, the housing 110 has a coupling portion 118 for fixing the pump casing 100 to the lower side of the cabinet 10 is formed on one side.

The communication unit 170 includes a first communication pipe 171 communicating with the water inlet pipe 130 and the water outlet pipe 150 so that wash water discharged from the water outlet pipe 150 through the housing 110 flows back to the water inlet pipe 130. It includes a second communication pipe 172 communicating with. The inlet pipe 130 has a first communication hole 131 formed on one side so that wash water flows in from the first communication pipe 171, and the water outlet pipe 150 has a second communication hole so that wash water is discharged through the second communication pipe 172. A ball 151 is formed on one side.

The first communication pipe 171 and the second communication pipe 172 may be connected to each other by a connection pipe 173, but are not limited thereto, and at least one of the first communication pipe 171 and the second communication pipe 172 extends to each other. can be connected In addition, although it has been described that a single first communication pipe 171 and a second communication pipe 172 are formed in the inlet pipe 130 and the outlet pipe 150, respectively, it is not limited thereto, and each may be formed in plurality.

Hereinafter, the operation of the drain pump including the pump casing 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

When the washing machine starts draining, the washing water in the tub 30 passes through the first drain pipe 73 and the water inlet pipe 130 to the drain pump, that is, the pump chamber 113 inside the housing 110 of the pump casing 100. ) is introduced into

Wash water introduced into the pump chamber 113 is forcibly discharged to the water outlet pipe 150 by the impeller 710 . Wash water discharged through the water outlet pipe 150 is discharged to the outside of the cabinet along the second drain pipe 75 and the third drain pipe 77 .

At this time, since the difference between the pressure inside the inlet pipe 130 and the pressure inside the outlet pipe 150 is small, wash water hardly flows backward through the communication part 170. In addition, when such a draining process is in full swing, since a sufficient amount of wash water is supplied to the pump chamber 113, the load applied to the drain motor is maintained constant, so that the operation noise of the drain pump is not greatly generated.

However, at the end of draining, a sufficient amount of wash water is not supplied to the pump chamber 113, and the pressure inside the inlet pipe 130 is lowered, such that wash water and air flow together into the inlet pipe 130. Accordingly, some of the wash water discharged by the impeller 710 in the pump chamber 113 flows backward and is obtained through the outlet pipe 150, the second communication pipe 172, the connection pipe 173, and the first communication pipe 171. It may flow into the tube 130. The reversed wash water flows into the pump chamber 113 again. Through this circulation process, it is possible to alleviate a sudden change in the amount of load applied to the drainage motor, and accordingly, noise caused by unstable startup of the drainage motor can be reduced.

On the other hand, since the third drain pipe 77, which discharges wash water from the pump chamber 113 to the outside, extends vertically and is connected to a discharge hole (not shown) formed at a higher position than the drain pump, the third drain pipe 77 remains. A force corresponding to the weight of the washing water acts against the pump chamber 113. Therefore, when the output of the drain pump is gradually reduced to stop the operation of the drain pump, the output of the drain pump reaches a point where the output of the drain pump becomes low enough to push up and discharge the wash water remaining in the third drain pipe 77 . At this time, the washing water remaining in the third drain pipe 77 flows backward along the second drain pipe 75 and the water outlet pipe 150, but some of it does not flow directly into the pump chamber 113, but the second drain pipe 150 formed in the water outlet pipe 150. After flowing in the inflow pipe 130 again along the first communication pipe 171 formed in the communication pipe 172 and the inflow pipe 130, it flows into the pump chamber 113 again. Washing water refilling the pump chamber 113 pushes the wash water flowing back into the pump chamber 113 along the second drain pipe 75 and the outlet pipe 150 in a direction opposite to the reverse flow direction. Accordingly, the amount of wash water introduced into the pump chamber 113 by reverse flow is significantly reduced, and the amount of wash water colliding with the still rotating impeller 710 is also significantly reduced, resulting in noise caused by collision with the impeller 710. this is reduced

Hereinafter, a pump casing 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 . Configurations different from those of the pump casing 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described, and descriptions of overlapping or identical configurations will be omitted.

5 is a perspective view showing a pump casing 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing 200 shown in FIG. 5 .

5 and 6, the pump casing 200 includes a housing 210, an inlet pipe 230 and an outlet pipe 250 communicating with the housing 210, respectively, but the outlet pipe 250 is the housing ( 210), but also communicates with the outlet pipe 250.

The intake pipe 230 may be provided such that a portion of its cross section is connected to one side of the water outlet pipe 250 and the remaining portion of the cross section is connected to the housing 210 . That is, the water intake pipe 230 is not disposed on the same line as the central axis of the cylindrical housing 210 and communicates with both the water outlet pipe 250 and the housing 210 as they are spaced apart and arranged side by side.

The communication unit 270 is provided inside the water intake pipe 230 and includes a partition wall 271 and a communication hole 272 formed in the partition wall 271 .

The bulkhead 271 is provided inside the water inlet pipe 230 and is provided over the entire cross-sectional area of the portion where the water outlet pipe 250 and the water inlet pipe 230 are connected.

At least one communication hole 272 is formed in the partition wall 271 so that wash water inside the water outlet pipe 250 flows backward through the water inlet pipe 230 .

Here, the partition wall 271 is provided inside the water inlet pipe 230 and may be formed by a separate structure different from the pipe wall forming the water outlet pipe 250, but is not limited thereto. That is, a part of the cross section of the inlet pipe 230 is connected to one side of the pipe wall forming the outlet pipe 250, and the partition wall 271 is connected to the inlet pipe 230 among the pipe walls forming the outlet pipe 250. It may consist of a part of the pipe wall. In this case, the communication hole 272 is made of a hole formed in a part of the pipe wall forming the water outlet pipe 250 .

On the other hand, since a portion of the cross section of the inlet pipe 230 communicates with the outlet pipe 250, a portion of the remaining cross section communicates with the housing 210. Therefore, since the cross-sectional area of the connecting portion between the inlet pipe 230 and the housing 210 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the inlet pipe 230, wash water is supplied in sufficient quantity to the pump chamber 213 of the housing 210 through the inlet pipe 230. may not be able to enter.

In order to compensate for this point, the inlet pipe 230 may be provided with a cross-section extension 220 having an expanded cross-section at one end connected to the housing 210.

The cross-sectional expansion part 220 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and an expansion chamber 222 is formed therein and a side opening 221 is formed on the side. The cross-sectional extension portion 220 is formed on one side of the inlet pipe 230 and communicates with the inlet pipe 230 through the side opening 221 and communicates with the housing 210 through the inlet hole of the housing 210. In this case, the cross-sectional extension part 220 may be arranged so that its central axis passes through the center of the housing 210 .

Accordingly, reduction of the cross-sectional area of the connection portion between the inlet pipe 230 and the housing 210 is prevented, and wash water can be smoothly supplied from the inlet pipe 230 to the pump chamber 213 of the housing 210.

Hereinafter, the operation of the drainage pump including the pump casing 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 . A different operation from that of the drain pump including the pump casing 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described, and the description of the same operation will be simplified or omitted.

When the washing machine starts draining water, since the difference between the pressure inside the water inlet pipe 230 and the pressure inside the water outlet pipe 250 is small, wash water hardly flows backward through the communication part 270. In addition, since a sufficient amount of wash water is supplied to the pump chamber 213 when the draining process is in full swing, the load applied to the drain motor is maintained constant, so that the operating noise of the drain pump 71 is not greatly generated.

At the end of draining, some of the wash water discharged by the impeller 710 in the pump chamber 213 may flow backward and flow into the water intake pipe 230 via the outlet pipe 250 and the communication unit 270. Unlike the pump casing 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the length of the communication hole 272 of the communication part 270 is very short, Very little resistance.

Similarly, when the output of the drain pump is gradually reduced, even when the washing water remaining in the third drain pipe 77 flows backward along the second drain pipe 75 and the outlet pipe 250, it flows into the water inlet pipe 230 under low resistance. .

A drain pump including a pump casing 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . Configurations different from those of the pump casing 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described, and descriptions of overlapping or identical configurations will be omitted.

7 is a perspective view showing a pump casing 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing 300 shown in FIG. 7 .

7 and 8, the inlet pipe 330 communicates with the housing 310 while the longitudinal central axis is spaced apart from the center of the housing 310 by a predetermined distance. That is, the water intake pipe 330 is connected to the edge side of the housing 310 .

The impeller 710 is accommodated inside the housing 310 so that the hub 711, that is, the rotating shaft passes through the center of the housing 310, and a certain space is formed between the impeller 710 and the inner circumferential surface of the housing 310. .

The communication unit 370 is provided on the inside of the water inlet pipe 330, but includes a partition wall 317 and a partition wall 317 provided between the impeller 710 and the inner circumferential surface of the housing 310 and between the water inlet pipe 330. It includes a communication hole 372 formed in.

When viewed from the top of the housing 310 in the drawing, part of the cross section of the inlet pipe 330 overlaps with the cross section of the impeller 710, and the other part of the cross section of the inlet pipe 330 is provided with a partition wall 371 and the impeller 710 does not overlap with the cross section of Accordingly, wash water is supplied to the impeller 710 of the pump chamber 313 through a portion overlapping the end face of the impeller 710 among the cross sections of the inlet pipe 330 .

An operation of a drain pump including a pump casing 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 .

When the washing machine starts draining, wash water in the tub is introduced into the drain pump, that is, the pump chamber inside the housing 310 of the pump casing 300 via the inlet pipe 330 . The wash water introduced into the pump chamber is forcibly discharged through the water outlet pipe by the impeller 710 . At this time, since the water pressure on both sides of the partition wall 317 is almost the same, the washing water hardly moves through the communication hole 372 of the partition wall 317 .

At the end of draining, a sufficient amount of wash water is not supplied to the pump chamber 313 and the pressure inside the inlet pipe 330 is lowered. After the wash water is discharged by the impeller 710, it flows back to the water intake pipe 330 through the communication hole 372 through a predetermined space between the impeller 710 and the inner circumferential surface of the housing 310. The washing water flowing back through the inlet pipe 330 flows into the pump chamber 313 again.

Likewise, even when the drain pump is stopped by gradually reducing the output of the drain pump, wash water flows backward through the communication hole 372 from a predetermined space between the impeller 710 and the inner circumferential surface of the housing 310 and flows into the water intake pipe 330. After that, it is introduced into the pump chamber 313 again.

A drain pump including a pump casing 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 . Configurations different from those of the pump casing 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described, and descriptions of overlapping or identical configurations will be omitted.

9 is a perspective view showing a pump casing 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump casing 400 shown in FIG. 9 .

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 , the communication unit 470 is formed as close as possible to the water outlet pipe 450 so that wash water flows back through the communication unit 470 more easily.

Specifically, the water intake pipe 430 communicates with the housing 410 while the longitudinal central axis is spaced apart from the center of the housing 410 toward the water outlet pipe 450 by a predetermined distance. That is, the water intake pipe 430 is connected to the edge side closest to the water outlet pipe 450 of the edge side of the housing 410 .

Like the pump casing 300 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the impeller 710 is accommodated inside the housing 410 so that the rotating shaft passes through the center of the housing 410, and the impeller 710 and the housing 410 A certain space is formed between the inner circumference of the.

The communication part 470 is made of a partition wall 471 provided inside the water inlet pipe 430 and a communication hole 472 formed in the partition wall 471 so that the partition wall 471 is closest to the water outlet pipe 450. It is provided on the inside of the inlet pipe 430.

Accordingly, the communication unit 470 may be formed as close to the water outlet pipe 450 as possible. In other words, the washing water communication unit 470 is provided on a path through which the wash water is discharged through the water outlet pipe 450 .

On the other hand, the cross-sectional extension portion 420 is formed at one end of the water intake pipe 430 connected to the housing 410. By the cross-sectional expansion unit 420, the inlet pipe 430 is prevented from reducing the cross-sectional area of the portion connected to the housing 410 by the partition wall 471 of the communication unit 470, and washing water is pumped into the pump chamber 413. can be supplied smoothly.

In addition, the cross-section extension 420 may be provided so that the cross section of the intake pipe 430 including the cross-section extension 420 overlaps the entire cross section of the impeller 710 when viewed from the top of the housing 410 in the drawing. . This is because wash water moving along the inlet pipe 430 can be more smoothly supplied to the impeller 710 of the pump chamber 413 . Therefore, the cross-sectional extension portion 420 is provided on one side of the inlet pipe 430, and may be provided on the opposite side to the side provided with the communication portion 470. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication hole 472, the center of the cross section of the inlet pipe 430, and the center of the cross-sectional extension 420 are sequentially formed on the central axis (X-X) of the water outlet pipe 450. can be placed.

A pump casing 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 . In the pump casing 500 , the communication portion 570 including the partition wall 571 and the communication hole 572 formed in the partition wall 571 is not formed as close to the water outlet pipe 550 as possible. In other words, the washing water may be provided at a distance from the path through which the washing water is discharged through the water outlet pipe 550 .

11 and 12, the communication hole 572 is not located on the central axis (X-X) of the water outlet pipe 550, but is spaced apart from the central axis (X-X) by a certain distance. In this case, the cross-section extension 520 is provided so that the cross section of the intake pipe 530 including the cross-section extension 520 overlaps the entire cross section of the impeller 710 when viewed from the top of the housing 510 in the drawing. Therefore, the cross-sectional extension part 520 is provided on one side of the inlet pipe 530, but is provided on the opposite side to the side provided with the communication part 570, and is not located on the central axis (X-X) of the outlet pipe 550. It is spaced apart by a certain distance from the central axis (X-X).

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will follow the technical spirit of the present invention and Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent scope of the claims to be described in.

10: cabinet 13: door
15: gasket 30: tub
40: drum 45: rear surface of drum
50: motor 61: water supply valve
71: drain pump 73: first drain pipe
75: second drain pipe 77: third drain pipe
100, 200, 300, 400, 500: pump casing
700: driving unit 710: impeller

Claims (20)

A washing machine comprising a tub for accommodating wash water, a drum rotatably accommodated in the tub, and a drain pump for draining wash water in the tub, wherein the drain pump comprises:
an impeller for forcibly discharging washing water;
a housing in which the impeller is rotatably provided;
an inlet pipe communicating with the housing so that wash water in the tub flows into the housing;
a water outlet pipe communicating with the housing to discharge wash water inside the housing; and
A communication unit for guiding wash water introduced into the housing to the water inlet pipe;
The communication unit includes a partition wall formed between a space formed between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the water supply pipe; And a communication hole formed in the barrier rib; includes,
The inlet pipe is connected to the edge side of the housing while being spaced apart from the rotational axis of the impeller by a predetermined distance and arranged side by side,
The partition wall is provided between a space formed between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the inlet pipe,
The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the water inlet pipe is connected to the housing to prevent a decrease in the amount of wash water flowing into the housing and includes a cross-section expansion part provided opposite to the communication part. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The communication unit washing machine characterized in that provided on the path through which wash water is discharged through the outlet pipe. According to claim 1
The communication unit washing machine, characterized in that provided apart from the path through which wash water is discharged through the outlet pipe. Impeller for forcibly discharging water;
a housing in which the impeller is rotatably provided;
an inlet pipe communicating with the housing so that water flows into the housing;
a water outlet pipe communicating with the housing so that water inside the housing is discharged; and
It includes; a communication part for guiding the water introduced into the housing to the water inlet pipe,
The inlet pipe communicates with the outlet pipe through a portion of the cross section, but has a cross-sectional extension at one end connected to the housing,
The communication unit includes a partition wall provided on a portion of the cross section of the inlet pipe; and a communication hole formed in the partition wall. delete delete delete According to claim 14,
The inlet pipe is connected to the edge side of the housing while being spaced apart from the rotational axis of the impeller by a predetermined distance and arranged side by side,
The partition wall is a drainage pump, characterized in that provided between a space formed between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the inlet pipe. According to claim 18,
The water inlet pipe is provided with a cross-sectional extension at one end connected to the housing to prevent a decrease in the amount of wash water flowing into the housing. According to claim 19,
The drainage pump, characterized in that the cross-sectional extension portion is provided on the opposite side of the communication portion.

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