Washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine capable of washing laundry without damaging it.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a bottomed cylindrical water tub 4 which opens in one direction; a bottomed cylindrical rotary tub 5 which is rotatably provided in the water tub 4, and which opens in one direction; a water tub front cover which constitutes an opening part of the water tub 4; and a circulation flow passage 70 which guides washing water discharged from the water tub 4 again to the water tub 4. On the downstream end of the circulation flow passage 70, a nozzle is provided for supplying washing water into the water tub 4. The nozzle is arrange in an annular cover 6 for constituting the water tub front cover, and is arranged in such a manner that a supply port 72 provided at the tip part of the nozzle does not protrude to the surface side of the annular cover 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a washing machine having a water tub and a spin tub. [Background technology]

[0002] Drum-type washing machines are widely known as washing machines that wash laundry such as clothes contained in a rotating tub by rotating a rotating tub inside the water tub. This type of washing machine is provided with a drainage channel that drains the wash water to the outside of the water tub. Some washing machines are configured to circulate the discharged wash water back into the water tub via a circulation channel during washing.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine that includes a pump case, a circulation hose, and a circulation pump, and operates the circulation pump during the washing or rinsing process to send wash water that flows into the pump case into the drum via the circulation hose. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-57821 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The spin tub rotates at high speed during spin-drying and other operations, and centrifugal force acts on the clothes inside. In the conventional washing machine, the nozzle that discharges the washing water from the circulation hose is provided protruding on the inner circumference side of the gasket. This means that the clothes are likely to get caught or caught in the nozzle when the spin tub rotates, which may damage the clothes. In addition, there is also the problem that lint such as thread waste generated during the washing process is likely to accumulate around the nozzle protruding on the inner circumference side.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a washing machine capable of washing laundry such as clothes without damaging the laundry. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the washing machine of the present disclosure comprises a cylindrical water tub with a bottom opening on one side, a cylindrical rotating tub with a bottom opening on one side and rotatably arranged within the water tub, a water tub front cover arranged on one side of the water tub and constituting an opening of the water tub, a circulation flow path that guides wash water discharged from the water tub back into the water tub, and a nozzle connected to the downstream end of the circulation flow path and supplies wash water into the water tub, the nozzle being arranged within the water tub front cover, and a supply port arranged at the tip of the nozzle includes a portion surrounded by the water tub front cover and is arranged without protruding onto the surface side of the water tub front cover. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The washing machine of the present disclosure can wash laundry without damaging it. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine with the door open. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a water tub provided inside the washing machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the water tank as viewed obliquely from below. [Diagram 5] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the front side of the water tank and the annular cover as viewed from below. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a supply port of a nozzle provided in an annular cover. [Figure 9] 4 is a perspective view of the nozzle as viewed from the rear side of the annular cover. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a perspective view showing another example of a cutout portion of the annular cover. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a nozzle as viewed from the back side of the water-tub front cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of the washing machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, with Figure 1 showing a state in which the door 3 is closed, and Figure 2 showing a state in which the door 3 is open.

[0011] For convenience of explanation, the side of the washing machine 1 where the door 3 is provided will be referred to as the front side F, and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear side R, but this does not limit the installation form or use form of the washing machine 1. In addition, in this disclosure, the term "washing machine" refers to a general device that performs various processes such as washing on laundry. Examples of the processes performed by a washing machine on laundry include cleaning, drying, deodorization, and sterilization. The laundry is not particularly limited. Examples of the laundry include cloth products. Specific examples of the laundry include clothing such as clothes, hats, and gloves, belongings such as shoes, bags, handkerchiefs, and towels, bedding such as curtains, blankets, towel blankets, and futon covers, carpets, stuffed toys, and the like.

[0012] Washing machine 1 has door 3 on front side F of housing 10. Housing 10 has an internal space for accommodating water tub 4 and spin tub 5, which will be described later. Two lids 21, 22 are arranged on the top surface of housing 10, and a detergent dispenser unit (not shown) that can dispense detergent and the like manually or automatically is provided below lids 21, 22. A water inlet 23 for introducing tap water is provided near lid 22. Tap water can be supplied to the detergent dispenser unit by appropriately controlling the opening and closing of a plurality of solenoid valves (not shown) provided inside water inlet 23.

[0013] 1, the door 3 has, for example, a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The door 3 integrally includes a door body 31 and an inclined upper part 32 provided so as to incline rearward from the upper part of the door body 31. The inclined upper part 32 is provided with a display operation part and the like for selecting and inputting instructions for a driving operation and displaying a driving state.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, when the door 3 is opened, an opening 111 of the housing 10 is exposed. The front surface 101 of the housing 10 is provided with the opening 111 through which laundry is put in and taken out. The door 3 is provided rotatably on the housing 10 by a hinge connection, and allows the opening 111 to be opened and closed. A packing 112 made of an elastic body such as rubber or soft resin is provided on the periphery of the opening 111. When the door 3 is closed, a substantially truncated cone-shaped window member 33 provided on the door 3 comes into close contact with the packing 112, keeping the opening 111 liquid-tight and airtight.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a front view of water tub 4 provided inside housing 10, with housing 10 and its peripheral members omitted, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of water tub 4 seen from below, and Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of water tub 4 and annular cover 6 seen from below. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 5.

[0016] Housing 10 contains water tub 4 and rotating tub 5, which is a rotating drum. Water tub 4 is cylindrical with a bottom and an opening on one side (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, water tub 4 is arranged so that it opens toward opening 111 on front surface 101 of housing 10. Water tub 4 is elastically supported within housing 10 by a plurality of dampers (not shown) and the like.

[0017] The rotating tub 5 in the water tub 4 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, similar to the water tub 4. The rotating tub 5 has a rotating tub opening 51 on the front side F, which is open for loading and unloading laundry such as clothes. In the washing machine 1, the rotation axis O of the rotating tub 5 is provided at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction so that the front side F is higher than the rear side R (so that it faces diagonally upward toward the front). The rotating tub 5 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the water tub 4, and is driven to rotate within the water tub 4 by a drum motor (not shown) provided on the rear side R of the water tub 4. The rotating tub 5 may be arranged so that the rotation axis O is approximately parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0018] On the front side F of the water tub 4, an annular cover 6 is attached to the water tub front cover frame 41 to form a water tub front cover with an opening facing the opening 111 (see FIG. 7). Note that the water tub front cover is not limited to the above configuration, and for example, the water tub front cover frame 41 and the annular cover 6 may be formed integrally. In the following description, unless there is a description distinguishing between the annular cover 6 and the water tub front cover frame 41, the annular cover 6 may be read as a part or all of the water tub front cover.

[0019] Annular cover 6 has a generally annular outer shape, is provided on front side F of water tub 4, and forms an opening of water tub 4. Annular cover 6 is disposed to cover spin tub opening 51, and has the function of preventing laundry from contacting gasket 112 when spin tub 5 rotates.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 4, the annular cover 6 has a generally funnel-shaped inclined surface portion 61 whose inner diameter gradually decreases from the front side F to the rear side R. As shown in Fig. 5, the inclined surface portion 61 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the annular cover 6. An end portion on the inner peripheral side of the inclined surface portion 61 is formed as an inner peripheral edge 62 of the annular cover 6, and this inner peripheral edge 62 is configured to have a smaller diameter than an outer peripheral edge 63 of the annular cover 6.

[0021] Further, the annular cover 6 has a curved surface portion 65 arranged in a curved shape along a part of the inner peripheral edge 62. The curved surface portion 65 is provided continuously with the inclined surface portion 61, and is a curved surface extending from the front side F to the rear side R in a direction along the inner peripheral surface of the rotating tub 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved surface portion 65 of the annular cover 6 is provided corresponding to the upper half of the water tub 4, and is provided in a region above a horizontal line L1 passing through the rotation axis O.

[0022] An annular fluid balancer 52 is provided on the front side F of the rotating tub 5. The fluid balancer 52 includes a hollow shell having an annular shape and a liquid such as salt water sealed therein, and prevents the rotating tub 5 from swinging wildly when the rotating tub 5 is rotated by the movement of the liquid inside. Since the fluid balancer 52 itself has weight, the rotational balance of the rotating tub 5 can be improved.

[0023] The washing machine 1 is provided with a circulation flow path 70 that guides the wash water indicated by the symbol W in FIG. 3 back into the water tub 4 after it has been discharged from the water tub 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the circulation flow path 70 is disposed along the outer periphery of the water tub 4 on the front side F of the water tub 4. The circulation flow path 70 is connected to a circulation pump (not shown) disposed at the bottom of the water tub 4, and the discharge side is connected to the top of the front side F of the water tub 4. The wash water in the water tub 4 accumulates in the drain pipe and the water tub 4 when the drain valve is closed. By driving the circulation pump, the wash water is sent from the bottom of the water tub 4 through the circulation flow path 70 to the top of the water tub 4 and supplied to the water tub 4.

[0024] 5, a nozzle 7 that supplies wash water into water tub 4 is provided at the downstream end of circulation flow path 70. Nozzle 7 is disposed on the rear surface side of annular cover 6 and is covered by annular cover 6.

[0025] 6, the nozzle 7 includes a nozzle body 71 connected to the downstream end of the circulation flow path 70, and a supply port 72 provided at the tip (downstream end) of the nozzle body 71 for discharging wash water. The nozzle body 71 extends from the radial outside X1 to the radial inside X2 on the rear surface side of the annular cover 6. The supply port 72 is disposed so as to face the inside of the spin tub 5.

[0026] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a supply port 72 of the nozzle provided in the annular cover 6. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the nozzle 7 as viewed from the rear surface side of the annular cover 6.

[0027] 7, the nozzle 7 is configured such that the downstream end of the circulation flow path 70 is connected to a base 711 of a nozzle body 71 and the nozzle 7 supplies wash water from a supply port 72. The nozzle body 71 is formed integrally from the base 711 to the supply port 72 in a cylindrical (tubular) shape.

[0028] Nozzle body 71 is provided with an inclined flow path 73 that is inclined toward the bottom of water tub 4 and spin tub 5. Nozzle body 71 is provided with an inclined surface 731 on front side F of inclined flow path 73. Supply port 72 is provided at the downstream end of inclined flow path 73. In the illustrated embodiment, inclined flow path 73 is provided so as to incline downward from front side F to rear side R along the flow direction of the supplied wash water.

[0029] 5, the annular cover 6 is provided with a notch 64. The notch 64 penetrates from the front surface (X2 side) to the back surface (X1 side) of the annular cover 6. The notch 64 is formed in a curved surface portion 65 of the annular cover 6, and opens to an edge portion of the annular cover 6 on the radially inner side (X2).

[0030] 8, the supply port 72 at the tip of the nozzle 7 is disposed in a notch 64 provided in the annular cover 6. The supply port 72 is fitted into the notch 64 of the annular cover 6 and is covered by the annular cover 6. The supply port 72 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is elongated in the circumferential direction when viewed from the inner circumferential side of the annular cover 6. In contrast, the notch 64 is also formed in a substantially rectangular shape that corresponds to the shape of the supply port 72.

[0031] The supply port 72 has a portion surrounded by the annular cover 6. One long side of the supply port 72 that is located on the front side F and short sides at both ends in the circumferential direction are located close to the cutout portion 64. The other long side of the supply port 72 is located on the opening side of the cutout portion 64 and is not surrounded by the annular cover 6, but is located without protruding from the surface side of the annular cover 6.

[0032] The end surface of the supply port 72 exposed in the cutout portion 64 is formed in a shape that follows the curved shape of the curved portion 65 of the annular cover 6. In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, the nozzle body 71 has a rib 74 formed to be thick so as to bulge out from the outer periphery of the supply port 72 between the supply port 72 and the cutout portion 64.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 7, the peripheral wall constituting the supply port 72 is formed so that the end on the front side F continuing to the inclined surface 731 is thicker than the end located on the bottom side of the water tank 4. Also, as shown in Fig. 8, when viewed from the inner peripheral side of the annular cover 6, the peripheral wall of the supply port 72 exposed to the cutout portion 64 of the curved portion 65 is provided so that the thickness D1 on the front side F is thicker than the thickness D2 on the rear side R. The ribs 74 are provided on one long side of the supply port 72 located on the front side F and on the outer periphery of the short sides at both ends in the circumferential direction. The ribs 74 are also arranged so as not to protrude inward X2 from the surface of the annular cover 6.

[0034] 7, the peripheral wall on the front side F of the rib 74 is shifted toward the front side F by a thickness D1, and the outer wall of the inclined surface 731 is bent radially inward (X2) at the end of the front side F. This bent portion abuts against the back side (X1 side) of the cutout portion 64, so that the supply port 72 and the cutout portion 64 can be accurately aligned.

[0035] 7, the nozzle 7 is disposed within the annular cover 6 without protruding from the surface side of the annular cover 6, and the supply port 72 is disposed receding radially outward X1 from the surface of the annular cover 6. This makes it possible to prevent the laundry from getting caught on the nozzle 7 (supply port 72), and to suppress damage caused by contact with the nozzle 7. Since the rib 74 is extended from the outer periphery of the supply port 72, the laundry is less likely to get caught between the cutout 64 and the supply port 72, and it is also possible to prevent lint such as thread waste from accumulating in the gap.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the nozzle 7 as viewed from the rear surface side of the annular cover 6, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the notch 64 provided in the annular cover 6. As shown in FIG.

[0037] The nozzle 7 configured as above is preferably fixed to the rear surface side of the annular cover 6 by a screw. As shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle body 71 is provided with one fixing portion 75. The fixing portion 75 protrudes outward from the nozzle body 71. In the illustrated embodiment, the fixing portion 75 extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the nozzle body 71. A screw hole (not shown) is opened in the fixing portion 75. A boss portion (not shown) is provided on the rear surface side of the annular cover 6, and the fixing portion 75 is fastened to the annular cover 6 by a fastener 77 such as a screw. The nozzle 7 is fixed to the rear surface side of the annular cover 6 with the supply port 72 disposed in the cutout portion 64.

[0038] 10, the cutout 64 of the annular cover 6 is preferably provided with a protrusion 641 that engages with the tip of the nozzle 7. For example, the protrusion 641 protrudes from the inner peripheral edge 62 of the annular cover 6 toward the supply port 72 inside the cutout 64. In this case, the protrusion 641 is disposed opposite the edge of the opening side of the cutout 64 and can be engaged with the supply port 72. The supply port 72 disposed in the cutout 64 is fixed to the annular cover 6 without being misaligned.

[0039] By fixing the nozzle 7 to the annular cover 6 in this manner, the nozzle 7 can be stably fixed to the annular cover 6 by a simple operation with a small number of parts, and occurrences such as floating up can be prevented. The nozzle body 71 is not limited to being provided with one fixing portion 75, and similar fixing portions may be provided at multiple locations.

[0040] 11, nozzle body 71 may be provided with fixing part 76 closer to supply port 72 in addition to fixing part 75. Also, water-tub front cover 8 may be provided with water-tub front-cover frame 41 and annular cover 6, which are separate bodies, and annular cover 6 may be attached to water-tub front-cover frame 41 on the radially inner side X2.

[0041] The fixing portion 75 and the fixing portion 76 extend in opposite directions intersecting the longitudinal direction of the nozzle body 71. Furthermore, the fixing portion 75 is provided closer to the base portion 711, and the fixing portion 76 is provided closer to the tip portion (supply port 72) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle body 71. Like the fixing portion 75, the fixing portion 76 also has a screw hole (not shown) formed therein.

[0042] A boss portion (not shown) is provided on water-tank front-cover frame 41 provided on the radially outer side X1, and nozzle body 71 is placed on water-tank front-cover frame 41, and fixing portion 75 is fastened using fasteners 77 such as screws. In this state, base 711 of nozzle body 71 can be connected to the downstream end of circulation flow path 70 (see FIG. 7). Then, annular cover 6 is assembled to water-tank front-cover frame 41, and fixing portion 76 is fastened to annular cover 6. Fixing portion 76 is fixed to a boss portion provided on the back side of annular cover 6 with a screw.

[0043] The nozzle 7 can be stably fixed to the water-tank front cover 8 (water-tank front cover frame 41 and annular cover 6) via two fixing parts 75, 76. The nozzle 7 is disposed within the water-tank front cover 8, and the supply port 72 at the tip of the nozzle 7 is surrounded by the water-tank front cover 8 (annular cover 6) and disposed without protruding from the surface side of the water-tank front cover 8. When the fixing parts 76 are fastened, the nozzle body 71 can be accurately aligned with the annular cover 6. Furthermore, since the nozzle body 71 attached to the water-tank front cover frame 41 is located on the rear side R of the attachment position of the annular cover 6, it does not interfere with the attachment work of the annular cover 6 and can be attached with good workability.

[0044] As described above, in the washing machine 1, the nozzle 7 that supplies the washing water from the circulation flow path 70 is disposed inside the water-tub front cover without protruding toward the rotating tub 5 side, so that laundry such as clothes is less likely to get caught, and damage can be suppressed. In addition, the nozzle 7 has the nozzle body 71 integrally formed from the base 711 to the supply port 72, and has the rib 74 between the supply port 72 and the cutout 64 of the annular cover 6, so that the gap is reduced, the occurrence of laundry getting caught is suppressed, and the accumulation of lint can be prevented. As a result, the laundry can be effectively washed without being damaged.

[0045] In addition, in the washing machine 1, the nozzle 7 is not limited to the configuration shown in the above-described embodiment, so long as the supply port 72 provided at the tip includes a portion surrounded by the water-tub front cover and is positioned without protruding further inward than the surface of the water-tub front cover.

[0046] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. Also, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Washing machine 3 Door 4. Aquarium 41 Aquarium front cover frame 5 Rotating tank 51 Rotating tub opening 6 Circular cover 61 Slope 62 Inner edge 63 Outer rim 64 Notch 641 Protrusion 65 Curved part 70 Circulation flow path 7 Nozzles 71 Nozzle body 72 Supply port 73 Inclined channel 74 Ribs 75 Fixed part 76 Fixed part 8. Aquarium front cover

Claims

1. A cylindrical water tank having an opening at one end and a bottom; A rotating tank that is rotatably provided in the water tank and has a cylindrical shape with a bottom and an opening on one side; A water tank front cover is provided on one side of the water tank and forms an opening of the water tank; a circulation flow path for guiding the wash water discharged from the water tub back to the water tub; a nozzle connected to a downstream end of the circulation flow path and configured to supply wash water into the water tub; The nozzle is disposed within the aquarium front cover, A washing machine characterized in that a supply port provided at a tip of the nozzle includes a portion surrounded by the water-tub front cover and is arranged without protruding on the surface side of the water-tub front cover.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, The water-tub front cover has a curved surface portion extending in a direction along an inner circumferential surface of the rotating tub, The washing machine, characterized in that the supply port is arranged radially outwardly from the surface of the curved portion.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, The water-tub front cover is provided with a cutout portion penetrating the front and back surfaces of the water-tub front cover, The washing machine, wherein the supply port is disposed in the cutout portion.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, The water-tub front cover has a curved surface portion extending in a direction along an inner circumferential surface of the rotating tub, The washing machine, characterized in that the cutout portion is provided on the curved surface portion.

5. The washing machine according to claim 3, The washing machine, characterized in that the cutout portion is formed to open to a radially inner edge portion of the water-tub front cover.

6. The washing machine according to claim 5, The nozzle has a rib formed to be thick and bulging outward from the outer periphery of the supply port between the supply port and the cutout portion.

7. The washing machine according to claim 5, The washing machine is characterized in that the cutout portion is provided with a protrusion that engages with the tip of the nozzle.

8. The washing machine according to claim 7, The washing machine is characterized in that the protrusion is protruded from an edge portion on an opening side of the cutout portion.

9. The washing machine according to claim 1, The nozzle has an inclined flow path inclined toward a bottom of the water tub.

10. The washing machine according to claim 9, The supply port is provided at a downstream end of the inclined flow path, and a peripheral wall of the supply port is formed so that one side of the water tub is thicker than a bottom side of the water tub.

11. In the washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The nozzle is fixed to the back side of the water-tub front cover by screws.

12. In the washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The washing machine, characterized in that the circulation flow path is arranged along an outer circumferential surface of the water tub on one side of the water tub.

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