JP2001000777A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] In a conventional washing machine, mechanical force by a stirring blade or the like is applied to laundry in a washing and dewatering tub, and the laundry may be damaged or entangled. SOLUTION: In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a dehydrating shaft for rotating a dehydrating tub, a washing shaft for rotating a stirring blade disposed in the dehydrating tub, and being arranged coaxially with the dehydrating shaft. A drive motor for rotating the spinning shaft and the washing shaft; a speed reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the drive motor to rotate the washing shaft; and a clutch for switching so as to transmit the rotation of the driving motor to the spinning shaft. A washing machine including the mechanism, wherein the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are coaxially arranged, and the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor. ,
The capacity of the washing machine itself does not change.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine in which washing and rinsing are performed by a low-speed rotating stirring blade, and dehydration is performed by a high-speed rotation of a dehydrating tub.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional washing machine has a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, a receiving cylinder 3 suspended by a suspension 2 is arranged in the main body 1 in order to prevent dehydration vibration, and a dehydrating tub 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as a dehydrating tub 4) also serving as a washing tub is provided in the receiving cylinder 3. ) Is rotatably accommodated.
The dewatering tub 4 is open at the top, so that laundry can be put in from above. A pulsator 5, which is a kind of agitating blade for stirring the laundry, is rotatably disposed at the bottom of the dewatering tub 4, and a number of holes are formed on the side surface of the dewatering tub 4. The upper end side of a dewatering shaft 7 is fixed to the center of the bottom of the dewatering tub 4, and the dewatering shaft 7 is supported by a bearing 6 provided at the center of the bottom of the receiving cylinder 3. The pulsator 5 having the center of rotation at the bottom of the dewatering tub 4 as a center of rotation is disposed in the hollow portion of the dewatering shaft 7 and the upper end of the washing shaft 9 is fixed.
Is supported by a bearing 8 provided in the hollow portion of the first embodiment.

The lower end of the washing shaft 9 is connected to the output side of the speed reduction mechanism 10. A pulley is attached to the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42 of the speed reduction mechanism 10, and is connected to the drive motor 12 via the belt 11. A large diameter portion is provided below the reduction mechanism input shaft 42 of the reduction mechanism 10, and the diameter of the dehydrating shaft 7 that houses the reduction mechanism input shaft 42 above the large diameter portion is substantially the same as the diameter of the large diameter portion. And The clutch coupling 13 is wound around the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion of the speed-reduction mechanism input shaft 42 and the outer periphery of the dehydrating shaft 7, and the large-diameter portion side of the spring clutch 13 is expanded in the radial direction. The rotation of the reduction mechanism input shaft 42 is transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 7 unless the large diameter side of the spring clutch 13 is expanded in the radial direction. Therefore, the rotation of the drive motor 12 can be transmitted or not transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 7 by the function of the spring clutch 13.

With the above configuration, during the washing and rinsing steps, the spring clutch 13 is switched to the non-transmission state.
The rotation of the drive motor 12 is transmitted to only the pulsator 5 via the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42, the speed reduction mechanism 10, and the washing shaft 9 without being transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 7, so that the laundry is stirred or rubbed. To provide mechanical power. Thus, the washing and rinsing of the laundry housed in the dewatering tub 4 proceeds.

In the dewatering process, the spring clutch 1
3 is switched to the transmission state, the rotation of the drive motor 12 is transmitted to the dehydration tub 4 via the dehydration shaft 7, and the entire dehydration tub 4 is rotated. The laundry is pressed against the side of the dewatering tub 4 by centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the dehydration tub 4, and the moisture of the laundry after washing and rinsing is removed.
Are squeezed out into the receiving cylinder 3 through a number of holes provided on the side surface of the cylinder. Thus, the laundry is automatically dehydrated.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional washing machine, in order to increase the transmission torque, it is necessary to increase the winding length of the spring clutch 13 to increase the strength. Therefore, the volume below the main body 1 of the washing machine is increased. Therefore, in addition to the increase in the capacity of the dehydration tub 4 accompanying the increase in the washing capacity,
The capacity of the spring clutch 13 is increased, and the size of the washing machine is further increased. Since the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor, the entire structure can be made thin even if the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are arranged coaxially.

Further, since the drive motor 12 and the speed reduction mechanism 10, which are heavy objects, are arranged below the receiving cylinder 3, the position of the center of gravity of the dewatering tank 4, the receiving cylinder 3 and the like suspended in the main body 1 is set. However, it deviates from the rotation center of the dewatering tank 4 (dewatering shaft 7). Thereby, when the spin-drying tub 4 performs spin-drying, it tends to be unbalanced, and the rotational vibration increases.

[0008] The present invention is to solve the problems of such a conventional configuration, and has an object to cope with an increase in washing capacity.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a dehydrating shaft for rotating a dehydrating tub, a stirring blade disposed in the dehydrating tub, and a shaft which is coaxial with the dehydrating shaft. A drive shaft for rotating the dehydrating shaft and the washing shaft; a speed reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the drive motor to rotate the washing shaft; and transmitting the rotation of the drive motor to the dehydrating shaft. A washing machine in which the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are coaxially arranged, and the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor. , The volume of the washing machine itself does not change.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that a dehydrating shaft for rotating a dehydrating tub, a stirring blade disposed in the dehydrating tub are rotated, and coaxial with the dehydrating shaft. A washing shaft disposed thereon, a drive motor for rotating the spinning shaft and the washing shaft, a reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the drive motor to rotate the washing shaft, and transmitting the rotation of the drive motor to the spinning shaft. And a clutch mechanism that switches
A washing machine in which the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are coaxially arranged, and the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor.

According to this structure, since the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are located on the same axis, the position of the center of gravity of the dewatering tub and the receiving cylinder can be matched with the rotation center of the dewatering tub, and the unbalance during dewatering can be achieved. Can be suppressed. Further, since a part of the rotational force transmitting portion of the clutch mechanism is formed in the rotor of the drive motor, the number of parts can be reduced, the assemblability can be improved, and the clutch mechanism can be made thinner and smaller. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a large volume below the main body of the washing machine from being taken up.

[0012]

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the overall configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A receiving cylinder 23 suspended by a suspension 22 is provided in the main body 21 so as to prevent dehydration vibration, and a dehydrating tub 24 is rotatably arranged in the receiving cylinder 23. , A pulsator 25, which is a kind of agitating blade for agitating the laundry, is rotatably arranged. The dewatering tub 24 is fixed to the upper end side of a dewatering shaft 27 which is supported by a bearing 26 provided at the bottom of the receiving cylinder 23, and the pulsator 25 is disposed coaxially with the dewatering shaft 27 in the hollow portion of the dewatering shaft 27. It is fixed to the upper end side of the washing shaft 29 which is arranged so as to be in the shape shown in FIG. The washing shaft 29 is supported by a bearing 28 provided in the hollow portion of the dehydrating shaft 27, and the lower end of the washing shaft 29 is connected to the output side of the reduction mechanism 30. Reduction mechanism 30
The drive motor 31 is attached to the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42.

The drive motor 31 is formed in a disk shape and has a magnet attachment portion 31c extending in the height direction on the outer periphery thereof, and a magnet 31 attached to the outer periphery of the magnet attachment portion 31c. And a stator 31b that is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the magnet of the rotor 31a and applies a rotating magnetic field to the rotor 32a. The reduction mechanism input shaft 42 of the reduction mechanism 30 is connected to the rotation center of the rotor 31 a of the drive motor 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the clutch mechanism 32 includes a torque transmitting section for transmitting the torque of the drive motor 31 and a drive section for bringing the torque transmitting section into contact with or away from the torque transmitting section. Specifically, the rotational force transmitting portion includes a fixed clutch portion 32a formed on a part of the rotor 31a,
The movable clutch portion 32b is brought into contact with / separates from the fixed clutch portion 32a, and the drive portion 32c is formed of a solenoid or the like which moves the movable clutch portion 32b in the up / down direction and makes contact / separation with the fixed clutch portion 32a. . In this embodiment, the fixed clutch portion 32a is connected to the rotor 3
It is configured as a part excluding the magnet 1a, and the parts related to the rotor 31a and the parts related to the fixed clutch part are shared.

As shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular through hole for connecting the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42 is provided at the bottom of the fixed clutch portion 32a having a bottomed cylindrical shape. A plurality of convex portions 41a extending radially around the through hole are formed on the inner bottom surface of the substrate. In addition, the convex portion 41a is provided on the outer peripheral side of the through hole, and preferably, the convex portion 41a is provided from the inner peripheral surface side of the magnet mounting portion 31c toward the through hole, so that the convex portion 41a is located on the outer peripheral side as much as possible. I have.

The movable clutch portion 32b has a cylindrical shape with a bottom and is inserted into the fixed clutch portion 32a from above, and a concave portion 41b extending radially is formed on the outer bottom surface of the bottom portion. 32a convex portion 41
a to transmit the rotation of the fixed clutch portion 32a to the movable clutch portion 32b. An annular flange portion 41e is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the movable clutch portion 32b, and a lever portion 32d which moves up and down by a solenoid 32c is connected to the flange portion 4d.
1e. Therefore, the movable clutch part 32b provided with the flange part 41e also moves up and down by the up and down movement of the solenoid 32c.

As shown in FIG. 1, the movable clutch portion 32b is attached to the dehydrating shaft 27 extending downward (toward the clutch mechanism) integrally with the outer periphery of the speed reduction mechanism 30.
7, a plurality of grooves extending in the vertical direction are provided as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a through-hole through which the dewatering shaft 27 penetrates, and in this through-hole, a plurality of protrusions that fit into the grooves of the dewatering shaft 27 are provided. Therefore, the movable clutch part 32b can move up and down within the range where the groove of the dewatering shaft 27 is provided, and the rotational force of the movable clutch part 32b is also transmitted to the dewatering shaft side.

A plurality of convex portions 41c are provided on the inner bottom surface of the movable clutch portion 32b so as to extend radially around the through hole of the dehydrating shaft 27. On the other hand, a cutout portion 41d for locking the convex portion 41c of the movable clutch portion 32b is provided on the bottom surface of the case 19 accommodating the speed reduction mechanism 30, and when the movable clutch portion 32b moves upward, The convex portion 41c fits into the notch portion 41d to prevent the movable clutch portion 32b from rotating.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. First, in the washing / rinsing process, a current is applied to the solenoid 32c, and the generated magnetic force moves the movable clutch portion 32b in the thrust direction of the dehydrating shaft 27, that is, upwards, so that the convex portion 41a of the fixed clutch portion 32a and the movable clutch The engagement of the portion 32b with the concave portion 41b is released. Due to the disengagement, the rotational force of the rotor 31a of the drive motor 31 is transmitted to the washing shaft 29 via the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42 and the speed reduction mechanism 30, and only rotates the pulsator 25, thereby washing the laundry. Stir and provide mechanical force by rubbing. Thus, the washing and rinsing of the laundry housed in the dewatering tub 24 proceeds.

When the washing process is completed, the dehydration process is automatically started. In this dehydration process, the water in the dehydration tub 24 is drained, and at the same time, the power supply to the solenoid 32c is stopped.
At this time, the movable clutch portion 32b lowers the dehydrating shaft 27 in the thrust direction by its own weight, and the convex portion 41a of the fixed clutch portion 32a and the concave portion 41c of the movable clutch portion 32b are engaged.

Accordingly, the rotor 31a and the dehydrating shaft 27 are connected, and the rotational force of the drive motor 31 is transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 27, and the pulsator 25 and the entire dehydrating tub 24 rotate integrally. The water content of the laundry, which has been washed and rinsed by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the spin tub 24, is removed from the spin tub 24.
Are squeezed out into the receiving cylinder 23 from a number of holes provided on the side surface of the cylinder. Thus, the laundry is automatically dehydrated.

In this manner, the laundry put into the dewatering tub 24 automatically completes the washing, rinsing and dewatering steps.

Next, a countermeasure for imbalance in the dehydration process will be described. In this embodiment, the speed reduction mechanism input shaft 42 of the speed reduction mechanism 30 is directly connected to the rotor 31a of the drive motor 31. That is, the speed reduction mechanism 30 and the drive motor 31
Are located on the same axis, the dewatering tank 24, the receiving cylinder 23,
Further, the position of the center of gravity of the speed reduction mechanism 30 and the drive motor 31 mounted below the receiving cylinder 24 can be substantially matched with the rotation center of the dewatering tub 24, and the occurrence of imbalance during dehydration can be suppressed. In this embodiment, since the receiving cylinder 23 is suspended by the suspension 22, the center of gravity is shifted unless the deceleration mechanism 30 and the drive motor 31 which are heavy objects are on the same axis. However, in this embodiment, the dewatering tank 24
Can be rotated.

In addition, since the speed reduction mechanism 30 and the dehydrating shaft 27 are directly rotated by the drive motor 31, the conventional belt becomes unnecessary, and belt slip and durability can be eliminated.

Further, since a part of the rotational force transmitting portion of the clutch mechanism, that is, the fixed clutch portion 32a is formed on the rotor 31a of the drive motor 31, the number of parts can be reduced and the assemblability can be improved. In addition, since the thickness and the size of the clutch mechanism can be reduced, it is possible to suppress the large volume below the main body 21 of the washing machine. In particular, in this embodiment, the rotor 31a has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and the convex portion 41 for transmitting the rotational force of the clutch mechanism into the internal space thereof.
Since a is provided, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the rotational force transmitting portion of the clutch mechanism, and it is possible to further suppress a large volume below the main body of the washing machine.

The transmission of the rotational force between the fixed clutch portion 32a and the movable clutch portion 32b constituting the rotational force transmitting portion of the clutch mechanism is performed by a convex portion 41 provided on the outer peripheral side from the center of the through hole.
a and the concave portion 41b, even if the torque for rotating the dehydrating shaft 27 attached to the through hole is increased,
These concave portions 41b and convex portions 41a are not damaged.
That is, a position (concave portion 41b, convex portion 4
When the dehydrating shaft 27 located in the through hole is rotated from the position 1a), the torque applied to the concave portion 41b and the convex portion 41a by the moment force can be suppressed, and these damages can be prevented. When the dehydrating shaft 27 is rotated with a large torque, as described above, the torque of the convex portion 41a of the fixed clutch portion 32a and the concave portion 41c of the movable clutch portion 32b formed to be engaged with the fixed clutch portion 32a can be reduced. Therefore, in order to increase the strength of the fixed clutch portion 32a and the movable clutch portion 32b,
It is also possible to prevent an increase in size, which contributes to a reduction in the thickness of the clutch mechanism.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, at the time of washing, the movable clutch portion 32b is moved by the solenoid 32c in the thrust direction of the dehydrating shaft, that is, upward, and the convex portion of the fixed clutch portion 32a is moved. 41a, while the convex portion 41c of the movable clutch portion 32b is
9 engages with the notch portion 41d at the lower part of the movable member 9 to prevent the rotation of the movable clutch portion 32b. Since the case 19 is fixed below the receiving cylinder 23, the case 19 itself does not rotate.

Therefore, when the washing shaft 29 is rotated left and right at the time of washing, the pulsator 25 is turned left and right to agitate the laundry. Attempts to rotate together under the agitation. However, since the movable clutch portion 32b is locked by the notch portion 41d of the case 19, the rotation of the dehydrating shaft 27 that fits into the through hole of the movable clutch portion 32b is also prevented, and the detachable shaft connected to the dehydrating shaft 27 is prevented. The rotation of the water tank 24 is also prevented.

As described above, the co-rotation of the dewatering tub 24 during washing and rinsing can be prevented, and a decrease in cleaning performance can be prevented. Further, by making the movable clutch portion 32b also have a function of preventing the co-rotation of the dewatering tub 24, the mechanism for preventing the co-rotation of the dehydration tub 24 is eliminated to improve the assemblability, and the upper surface side of the movable clutch portion is utilized. Since the co-rotation prevention mechanism of the dewatering tub is provided, it does not hinder the thinning of the rotational force transmitting portion of the clutch mechanism.

In this embodiment, the rotor 31a and the fixed clutch portion 32a, which is a torque transmitting portion, are provided integrally, but it goes without saying that they may be formed separately.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive motor 31 includes a speed reduction mechanism 30 therein. in this way,
By including the speed reduction mechanism 30 with the drive motor 31, even if the speed reduction mechanism 30 and the drive motor 31 are arranged coaxially, the entire structure can be made thin, and the volume below the main body 21 of the washing machine can be increased. Can be suppressed.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor, the entire structure can be made thin even if the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor are arranged coaxially. A large volume can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view around a clutch mechanism of the washing machine.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view around the speed reduction mechanism and the drive motor of the washing machine.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional washing machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Main body 23 Receiving cylinder 24 Dehydration tank 25 Pulsator (stirring blade) 27 Dehydration shaft 29 Washing shaft 30 Reduction mechanism 31 Drive motor 31a Rotor 32 Clutch 32a Fixed clutch (rotational force transmission part) 32b Movable clutch (rotational force transmission part) 32c solenoid (Drive part) 41a Convex part 41b Concave part 41c Convex part (engagement part) 41d Notch part (lock part)

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Morinaka 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinichi Matsuda 1006 Kadoma Kadoma Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A dehydrating shaft for rotating a dehydrating tub, a washing shaft for rotating a stirring blade disposed in the dehydrating tub and arranged coaxially with the dehydrating shaft, and a dehydrating shaft and the washing shaft. A drive motor for rotating, a speed reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the drive motor to rotate the washing shaft, and a clutch mechanism for switching to transmit the rotation of the drive motor to the dehydration shaft, the speed reduction mechanism, A washing machine in which the drive motor and the drive motor are arranged coaxially and the speed reduction mechanism is included in the drive motor.