washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine capable of washing a washing tub effectively.SOLUTION: A washing machine 1 includes: a washing tub 8 having an outer tub 3 and an inner tub 4; a drain passage for draining water in the washing tub 8; an overflow passage connected to an overflow port 3D provided at the outer tub 3, and for guiding the water in the washing tub 8 to the drain passage from the overflow port 3D; a water supply part 13 for supplying water to the washing tub 8; and a hollow tub washing member 10 fixed to the inner tub 4. The inner tub 4 rotates by receiving the torque of a drive part. The tub washing member 10 includes: an upper surface part 10EA in which a water receiving port 10G is provided for receiving water from the water supply part 13; an outer peripheral wall 10B in which a water discharge port 10D arranged at a position higher than the overflow port 3D is provided; a water storage part 10J in which water which has passed through the water receiving port 10G and dropped is stored; and a guide passage 10N for guiding the water in the water storage part 10J to the water discharge port 10D.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] The washing machine described in Patent Document 1 below includes a water tub, a washing / spinning tub arranged in the water tub, and a motor that rotates the washing / spinning tub. In the washing machine, when the washing / spinning tub rotates after water is supplied into the washing / spinning tub, a water flow occurs in the water tub and bubbles are generated between the washing / spinning tub and the water tub, thereby cleaning the tub. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-39318 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the washing tub of a general washing machine, including that of Patent Document 1, mold may grow using biofilms made of detergent residue and sebum dirt (hereinafter simply referred to as "dirt") remaining after a washing cycle as nutrients, and may be distributed in rings around the circumference of the washing tub. Since biofilms often grow near the surface of the water that accumulates in the washing tub during a washing cycle, in order to prevent the growth of biofilms, i.e., mold growth, it is necessary to remove dirt that is relatively high up in the washing tub.

[0005] A typical washing tub has an overflow port at the top to drain water that exceeds a certain water level in the washing tub, but the dirt mentioned above may also exist in the washing tub at a position higher than the overflow port due to water splashing, etc. However, in the case of the tub cleaning of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to remove dirt above the overflow port in the washing tub. In the first place, in the tub cleaning of Patent Document 1, there is a risk of mold growth due to bubbles remaining between the washing and spin-drying tub and the water tub, and there is also a risk of the motor being restricted and breaking down due to the bubbles acting as resistance and preventing the washing and spin-drying tub from rotating smoothly.

[0006] The present invention has been made against such a background, and has an object to provide a washing machine capable of effectively cleaning the washing tub. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a washing tub having a drive unit that generates torque, an outer tub provided with a drain outlet, an overflow outlet located at a position higher than the drain outlet, and an opening located at a position higher than the overflow outlet and configured to store water, an inner tub disposed within the outer tub and configured with a through hole for passing water between the outer tub and the outer tub and an inlet / outlet facing the opening from below, laundry being inserted / removed via the opening and the inlet / outlet, and configured to rotate by receiving the torque of the drive unit, and a washing machine connected to the drain outlet and configured with the inner tub being rotated by receiving the torque of the drive unit. The washing machine includes a drainage channel for draining water from the washing tub, an overflow channel connected to the overflow outlet and directing the water in the washing tub from the overflow outlet to the drainage channel, a water supply section for supplying water into the washing tub, an upper surface section provided with a water receiving port for receiving water from the water supply section, an outer periphery section provided with a water outlet positioned higher than the overflow outlet, a water storage section for storing water that falls through the water receiving port, and a guideway for directing water in the water storage section to the water outlet, and a hollow tub cleaning member fixed to the inner tub.

[0008] The present invention is also characterized in that the water outlet opens radially outward based on the rotation axis of the inner tank, or in a tangential direction to the circumferential direction around the rotation axis.

[0009] The present invention is also characterized in that a flow path area in the downstream region of the conduit on the spout side is equal to or smaller than a flow path area in the upstream region of the conduit on the water storage section side.

[0010] The present invention is also characterized in that the tank cleaning member has a partition that divides the internal space of the tank cleaning member into a plurality of water storage sections.

[0011] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the tub cleaning member is provided with a water supply port for dropping water in the water storage portion into the washing tub. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, in a washing machine, when water is supplied into the washing tub by the water supply unit, the water flows between the outer tub and the inner tub through the through-holes in the inner tub and accumulates in the entire washing tub. The water in the washing tub is discharged from the drain outlet of the outer tub through the drainage path. When the water level in the washing tub rises to an overflow outlet located in the outer tub at a position higher than the drain outlet, the water on the water surface side, i.e., the upper side, is guided from the overflow outlet through the overflow path to the drainage path and discharged through the drainage path. Laundry is put in and taken out of the inner tub through an opening located in the outer tub at a position higher than the overflow outlet and an inlet and outlet of the inner tub.

[0013] In the tub cleaning member fixed to the inner tub, when the water receiving port provided on the upper surface receives water from the water supply unit, the water falls through the receiving port and accumulates in the water storage unit. When the tub cleaning member rotates together with the inner tub, the water in the water storage unit is driven by centrifugal force through the guideway to reach the water outlet on the outer periphery of the tub cleaning member and is discharged from the water outlet. Since the water outlet is located at a higher position than the overflow port, the water discharged from the water outlet reaches dirt that is at a higher position in the washing tub than the overflow port and removes the dirt. Therefore, the washing tub can be effectively cleaned.

[0014] In addition, according to the present invention, the water outlet is opened radially outward from the rotation axis of the inner tub or tangentially to the circumferential direction around the rotation axis, so that the water discharged from the water outlet can be sprayed onto dirt located at a height higher than the overflow port on the inner circumferential surface of the outer tub, thereby effectively removing the dirt. In this way, the washing tub can be cleaned more effectively.

[0015] In addition, according to the present invention, the area of ​​the flow path in the downstream area of ​​the conduit on the water outlet side is equal to or smaller than the area of ​​the flow path in the upstream area of ​​the conduit on the water storage side, so that the water in the conduit is forcefully discharged from the water outlet and splashed onto dirt in the washing tub that is at a height higher than the overflow port, thereby effectively removing the dirt and cleaning the washing tub more effectively.

[0016] In addition, according to the present invention, the internal space of the tub cleaning member is divided into a plurality of water storage sections by the partitions, so that each water storage section is small. This allows water to be quickly stored in each water storage section, so that preparation for cleaning the washing tub can be completed quickly.

[0017] In addition, according to the present invention, the tub cleaning member is provided with a water supply port that allows water in the water storage section to drop into the washing tub, so that when the washing tub is not being cleaned, water can be supplied to the washing tub by dropping water from the water supply section through the water storage section of the tub cleaning member and into the washing tub from the water supply port. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic vertical sectional right side view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the tank cleaning member extracted from FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart showing a tub cleaning process executed in the washing machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional right side view of a washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 is referred to as the left-right direction X of the washing machine 1, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y of the washing machine 1, and the up-down direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the up-down direction Z of the washing machine 1. In the left-right direction X, the back side in the plane of FIG. 1 is referred to as the left side X1, and the front side in the plane of FIG. 1 is referred to as the right side X2. In the front-rear direction Y, the left side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front side Y1, and the right side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the rear side Y2. In the up-down direction Z, the upper side is referred to as the upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as the lower side Z2.

[0020] The washing machine 1 includes a housing 2 forming its outer shell, an outer tub 3 housed in the housing 2 to store water, an inner tub 4 housed in the outer tub 3, a rotor 5 housed in the inner tub 4, a motor 6 as an example of a drive unit that generates torque to rotate the inner tub 4 and the rotor 5, and an electric transmission mechanism 7 that transmits the torque of the motor 6 to the inner tub 4 and the rotor 5. The outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4 together form a washing tub 8. The washing machine 1 includes a balancer 9 attached to the upper end of the inner tub 4, and a tub cleaning member 10 fixed to the balancer 9.

[0021] Housing 2 is made of, for example, metal, and formed in a box shape. An opening 2B that connects the inside and outside of housing 2 is provided on top surface 2A. A door 11 for opening and closing opening 2B is provided on top surface 2A. A display operation unit 12 composed of a liquid crystal operation panel or the like is provided in the area around opening 2B on top surface 2A. A user of washing machine 1 can freely select the operating conditions of washing machine 1 and instruct washing machine 1 to start or stop operation by operating switches or the like on display operation unit 12. Information related to the operation of washing machine 1 is visually displayed on the liquid crystal panel or the like of display operation unit 12.

[0022] The outer tank 3 is made of, for example, resin, and is formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The outer tank 3 has an axis J extending in the up-down direction Z at its center. In the following, the circumferential direction around the axis J is referred to as the circumferential direction S, and the radial direction based on the axis J is referred to as the radial direction R. Within the radial direction R, the direction away from the axis J is referred to as the outside of the radial direction R, i.e., the radially outer direction R1, and the direction approaching the axis J is referred to as the inside of the radial direction R, i.e., the radially inner direction R2.

[0023] The outer tank 3 has a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall 3A arranged along the vertical direction Z, a bottom wall 3B that closes the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the lower side Z2, and a ring-shaped annular wall 3C that borders the upper end edge of the circumferential wall 3A and protrudes radially inward R2. An overflow port 3D that penetrates the circumferential wall 3A in the radial direction R is provided at the upper part of the circumferential wall 3A.

[0024] The bottom wall 3B is formed in a disk shape extending substantially horizontally, and a through hole 3E is provided at the center of the bottom wall 3B, penetrating the bottom wall 3B in the vertical direction Z. A drainage port 3F is provided at a position in the bottom wall 3B away from the through hole 3E, penetrating the bottom wall 3B in the vertical direction Z. The annular wall 3C is sometimes called an "outer tank cover." An opening 3G is provided on the inside of the annular wall 3C, which communicates with the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the upper side Z1. The opening 3G faces the opening 2B of the housing 2 from the lower side Z2 and is in communication with it.

[0025] A relay port 3H penetrating the annular wall 3C in the up-down direction Z is provided at one location on the circumference of the annular wall 3C, which in this embodiment is at the rear end of the annular wall 3C. The opening 3G and the relay port 3H are disposed at a higher position than the overflow port 3D, which is disposed at a higher position than the drain port 3F.

[0026] The washing machine 1 further includes a water supply unit 13 that supplies water into the washing tub 8, a drainage channel 14 that is connected to the drain outlet 3F and has a portion drawn out to the outside of the housing 2, i.e., outside the machine, and an overflow channel 15 that connects the overflow outlet 3D and the drainage channel 14. The water supply unit 13 includes a detergent case 16 that is arranged on the upper side Z1 of the relay port 3H of the outer tub 3 inside the housing 2, a water supply channel 17 that is connected to a tap (not shown) for mains water and has a portion drawn into the housing 2, and a water supply valve 18 provided midway along the water supply channel 20.

[0027] An example of the detergent case 16 includes a box-shaped main body 16A fixed to the housing 2, and a drawer 16B housed within the main body 16A and partially exposed to an opening 2B of the housing 2. Almost the entire top surface of the main body 16A is open, opening the inside of the main body 16A to the upper side Z1. The main body 16A is provided with a cylindrical water conduit 16C protruding from its bottom wall toward the lower side Z2.

[0028] The lower end of the water conduit 16C is disposed directly above the relay port 3H of the outer tub 3. In this embodiment, the lower end of the water conduit 16C is disposed away from the relay port 3H on the upper side Z1, but may be connected to the relay port 3H. A user pulls out the drawer 16B, which is in the storage position shown in Fig. 1, and pours detergent into the drawer 16B. When the user then pushes the drawer 16B back into the storage position, the detergent is set in the main body 16A.

[0029] In this embodiment, the portion 17A of the water supply passage 17 located inside the housing 2 extends in the vertical direction Z, and the lower end of this portion 17A faces the inside of the main body 16A of the detergent case 16 from the upper side Z1. When the water supply valve 18 is opened, water from the faucet falls from the water supply passage 17 into the main body 16A, and then falls from the water conduit 16C to the relay port 3H of the outer tub 3, carrying the detergent in the main body 16A. The water that falls into the relay port 3H is stored in the outer tub 3, which will be described in detail later. When the water supply valve 18 is closed, the supply of water to the outer tub 3, i.e., the washing tub 8, is stopped.

[0030] A drain valve 19 is provided in the drainage channel 14. When the drain valve 19 is closed, water is maintained in the outer tub 3. When the drain valve 19 is open, the water in the outer tub 3 is discharged outside the machine through the drainage channel 14. The overflow channel 15 has one end (not shown) connected to the overflow port 3D of the outer tub 3 and the other end 15A connected to a downstream portion of the drainage channel 14 that is farther away from the drainage port 3F of the outer tub 3 than the drain valve 19. When the water level in the outer tub 3 rises to the overflow port 3D, the water on the upper side Z1 in the outer tub 3 overflows from the overflow port 3D into the overflow channel 15, is guided by the overflow channel 15 to the drainage channel 14, and is then discharged outside the machine.

[0031] The inner tub 4 is made of, for example, metal, is formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom that is slightly smaller than the outer tub 3, and can accommodate laundry inside. The inner tub 4 has a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall 4A arranged along the vertical direction Z, and a bottom wall 4B provided at the lower end of the inner tub 4 and closing the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 4A from the lower side Z2.

[0032] The inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 4A and the upper surface of the bottom wall 4B form the inner surface of the inner tub 4. An opening 4C is provided at the upper end of the inner tub 4, bordered by the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 4A. The opening 4C exposes the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 4A to the upper side Z1 and faces the opening 3G of the outer tub 3 from the lower side Z2 and communicates with it. A user puts laundry (not shown) in and takes it out of the inner tub 4 from the upper side Z1 through the open openings 2B, 3G, and opening 4C.

[0033] The inner tub 4 is arranged coaxially in the outer tub 3. The inner tub 4, housed in the outer tub 3, can rotate around the axis J as the axis of rotation. In this embodiment, the axis J passes through the center of the inner tub 4 and extends vertically, but may extend in an inclined direction with respect to the vertical direction. As an example, the inclined direction is a direction shifting toward the front side Y1 as it moves toward the upper side Z1. At least one of the circumferential wall 4A and the bottom wall 4B of the inner tub 4 is provided with a plurality of through holes 4D, and the water in the outer tub 3 can move between the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4 through the through holes 4D. As a result, water is stored in the inner tub 4 and stored throughout the washing tub 8, and the water level in the outer tub 3 and the water level in the inner tub 4 are the same.

[0034] The bottom wall 4B of the inner tank 4 is formed in a disk shape extending approximately parallel to and spaced apart from the bottom wall 3B of the outer tank 3 on the upper side Z1. A through hole 4E penetrating the bottom wall 4B in the up-down direction Z is provided at the circular center position of the bottom wall 4B coinciding with the axis J. A tubular support shaft 21 is provided in the bottom wall 4B, surrounding the through hole 4E and extending to the lower side Z2 along the axis J. The support shaft 21 is inserted through the through hole 3E of the bottom wall 3B of the outer tank 3, and the lower end of the support shaft 21 is located on the lower side Z2 of the bottom wall 3B.

[0035] The rotor 5 is a so-called pulsator, formed in a disk shape with the axis J as the center, and disposed on the bottom wall 4B inside the inner tub 4. The rotor 5 has a top surface facing the inlet / outlet 4C of the inner tub 4 with a plurality of raised portions 5A that are raised to the upper side Z1 and radially disposed with the axis J as the reference. The rotor 5 has a rotating shaft 22 that extends from its center to the lower side Z2 along the axis J. The rotating shaft 22 is inserted into the hollow portion of the support shaft 21, and the lower end of the rotating shaft 22 is located on the lower side Z2 of the bottom wall 3B of the outer tub 3.

[0036] The motor 6 is an electric motor such as an inverter motor. The motor 6 is disposed on the lower side Z2 of the outer tub 3 inside the housing 2. The motor 6 has an output shaft 23 that rotates about an axis J, and generates torque and outputs it from the output shaft 23.

[0037] The transmission mechanism 7 is interposed between the lower ends of the support shaft 21 and the rotating shaft 22 and the upper end of the output shaft 23 protruding from the motor 6 to the upper side Z1. The transmission mechanism 7 selectively transmits the torque output from the output shaft 23 by the motor 6 to one or both of the support shaft 21 and the rotating shaft 22. A known clutch or the like is used as the transmission mechanism 7. When the torque from the motor 6 is transmitted to the support shaft 21, the inner tub 4 receives the torque of the motor 6 and is rotationally driven about the axis J as the rotation center. When the torque from the motor 6 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 22, the rotor 5 receives the torque of the motor 6 and is rotationally driven about the axis J as the rotation center.

[0038] The balancer 9 is an annular hollow body extending along the circumferential direction S, and is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the circumferential wall 4A of the inner tank 4. The balancer 9 reduces vibration of the inner tank 4 during rotation, and a cavity 9A in the balancer 9 contains liquid such as salt water to contribute to vibration reduction.

[0039] The tank cleaning member 10 is an annular hollow body extending along the circumferential direction S, and is fixed coaxially to the upper end surface 9B of the balancer 9, thereby being fixed to the inner tank 4 via the balancer 9. The inner and outer diameters of the tank cleaning member 10 are the same as the inner and outer diameters of the balancer 9, respectively. Therefore, the inner circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall 10A forming the inner circumferential portion of the tank cleaning member 10 is arranged flush with the inner circumferential surface 9C of the balancer 9, and the outer circumferential surface of the outer circumferential wall 10B forming the outer circumferential portion of the tank cleaning member 10 is arranged flush with the outer circumferential surface 9D of the balancer 9.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, which shows the tank cleaning member 10 extracted from FIG. 1, the inner wall 10A and the outer wall 10B of the tank cleaning member 10 are annular plates arranged along the up-down direction Z and extending in the circumferential direction S. A water supply port 10C penetrating the inner wall 10A in the radial direction R is provided at the lower end of the inner wall 10A. A plurality of water supply ports 10C may be provided so as to be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction S, or only one water supply port 10C may be provided so as to cover the entire area of ​​the inner wall 10A in the circumferential direction S. A plurality of water outlets 10D are provided in the outer wall 10B so as to be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction S. In this embodiment, each water outlet 10D opens toward the radially outward side R1, but may open toward the tangential direction T with respect to the circumferential direction S (see FIG. 4).

[0041] The upper end of the inner peripheral wall 10A and the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 10B are disposed at the same height. The tank cleaning member 10 has an upper wall 10E that is disposed between the upper end of the inner peripheral wall 10A and the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 10B. The upper wall 10E is a thin plate in the vertical direction Z, and most of the upper surface portion 10EA extends horizontally in the radial direction R, but an outer edge 10EB on the radial outer side R1 and an inner edge 10EC on the radial inner side R2 may protrude one step upward Z1.

[0042] The lower end of the inner peripheral wall 10A and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 10B are disposed at the same height position in most areas in the circumferential direction S. However, at the same position as the water outlet 10D in the circumferential direction S, the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 10B is disposed on the upper side Z1 than the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 10A. The tank cleaning member 10 has a lower wall 10F that is installed between the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 10A and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 10B. In the lower wall 10F at the same position as the water outlet 10D in the circumferential direction S, the outer edge portion 10FA on the radially outer side R1 and the inner edge portion 10FB on the radially inner side R2 extend horizontally in the radial direction R, but the intermediate portion 10FC between them is inclined so as to rise toward the radially outer side R1. The inner edge portion 10FB is formed in a circular ring shape that extends horizontally along the circumferential direction S. Each water outlet 10D is disposed on the upper side Z1, that is, at a higher position, than the water supply port 10C of the inner peripheral wall 10A.

[0043] 3 is a plan view of the tank cleaning member 10. An arc-shaped water receiving port 10G is provided in an area of ​​the upper surface portion 10EA of the upper wall 10E on the radially inner side R2 near the inner edge 10EC, penetrating the upper wall 10E in the up-down direction Z and extending along the circumferential direction S. A plurality of water receiving ports 10G of the same size (four in this embodiment) are provided and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction S. The tank cleaning member 10 has a plurality of partitions 10H, each arranged between adjacent water receiving ports 10G.

[0044] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, four partitions 10H are provided, each of which is a plate extending in the radial direction R and is installed between the inner circumferential wall 10A and the outer circumferential wall 10B. The tank cleaning member 10 has an annular internal space 10I extending along the inner circumferential wall 10A, and the internal space 10I is divided by these partitions 10H into a plurality of water storage sections 10J of the same size. The number of water storage sections 10J is the same as the number of water receiving ports 10G. The water storage sections 10J are disposed one by one directly below the water receiving ports 10G located at the same position in the circumferential direction S. In a plan view, the water receiving ports 10G and the water storage section 10J directly below them have the same size (see FIG. 3).

[0045] The tank cleaning member 10 has an annular rib 10K disposed between the inner circumferential wall 10A and the outer circumferential wall 10B and extending in the circumferential direction S. A water storage section 10J is defined between the inner circumferential wall 10A and the rib 10K. At the same positions in the circumferential direction S as the water outlets 10D of the outer circumferential wall 10B in the rib 10K, relay ports 10L that are wider in the circumferential direction S than the water outlets 10D are provided penetrating the rib 10K in the radial direction R.

[0046] The tank cleaning member 10 has a pair of ribs 10M that connect the water outlet 10D and the relay port 10L that are at the same position in the circumferential direction S. The ends of the pair of ribs 10M on the radially outer side R1 are connected to both ends of the water outlet 10D in the circumferential direction S, one by one. The ends of the pair of ribs 10M on the radially inner side R2 are connected to both ends of the relay port 10L in the circumferential direction S, one by one. One guide path 10N is provided between the pair of ribs 10M. The number of pairs of ribs 10M is the same as the number of water outlets 10D, so that the number of guide paths 10N provided in the entire tank cleaning member 10 is the same as the number of water outlets 10D, i.e., multiple.

[0047] Each conduit 10N is connected to the water outlet 10D and the water storage section 10J at the same position in the circumferential direction S. In each conduit 10N, the area on the water outlet 10D side is called the downstream area 10NA, and the area on the water storage section 10J side is called the upstream area 10NB. In each conduit 10N, the interval in the circumferential direction S between the pair of ribs 10M becomes narrower toward the radially outward R1, so that the conduit 10N becomes narrower in the circumferential direction S toward the radially outward R1. The conduit 10N is sandwiched between the upper wall 10E and the lower wall 10F in the vertical direction Z, but in the lower wall 10F, the outer edge portion 10FA is positioned higher than the inner edge portion 10FB, so that the conduit 10N becomes narrower in the vertical direction Z toward the radially outward R1 (see FIG. 2). As a result, in each conduit 10N, the flow path area in the downstream area 10NA is equal to or smaller than the flow path area in the upstream area 10NB. The flow path area is the cross-sectional area of ​​the guide passage 10N when cut along the circumferential direction S or the tangential direction T.

[0048] 5 is an enlarged view of the main part in FIG. 1. In the tank cleaning member 10 fixed to the inner tank 4, each water outlet 10D is located at a higher position than the overflow port 3D of the outer tank 3, and each water receiving port 10G is located at the same position as the relay port 3H of the annular wall 3C of the outer tank 3 in the radial direction R and lower than the relay port 3H. Therefore, any one of the water receiving ports 10G is always located directly below the relay port 3H. The water supply port 10C provided on the inner peripheral wall 10A of the tank cleaning member 10 faces the inside of the inner tank 4 from the radial outer side R1 and the upper side Z1. The space surrounded by the balancer 9 or the space surrounded by the tank cleaning member 10 may be regarded as the inlet / outlet 4C of the inner tank 4.

[0049] The washing machine 1 further includes a control unit 30, which is configured by, for example, a microcomputer and is built into the housing 2. The control unit 30 includes a CPU, memories such as ROM and RAM, and a timer for measuring time. The motor 6, the transmission mechanism 7, the display operation unit 12, the water supply valve 18, and the drain valve 19 are each electrically connected to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the duty ratio of the voltage applied to the motor 6 to control the motor 6 so that it rotates at a desired rotation speed. The control unit 30 controls the transmission mechanism 7 to switch the transmission destination of the torque of the motor 6 to one or both of the support shaft 21 and the rotating shaft 22. When the user operates the display operation unit 12 to select an operating condition, the control unit 30 accepts the selection. The control unit 30 controls the display of the display operation unit 12. The control unit 30 controls the opening and closing of the water supply valve 18 and the drain valve 19.

[0050] The control unit 30 executes a washing operation by controlling the operation of the motor 6, the transmission mechanism 7, the water supply valve 18, and the drain valve 19. The washing operation includes a washing process for washing the laundry in the inner tub 4, a rinsing process for rinsing the laundry in the inner tub 4 after the washing process, and a spin-drying process for spin-drying the laundry by rotating the inner tub 4. The rinsing process may be executed multiple times, and the spin-drying process includes an intermediate spin-drying process executed during the washing operation and a final spin-drying process executed at the end of the washing operation. The washing machine 1 may be a washing / drying machine that also executes a drying process for drying the laundry Q after the final spin-drying process.

[0051] In the washing step, the control unit 30 opens the water supply valve 18 with the drain valve 19 closed. At this time, the motor 6 is stopped, so the inner tub 4 and the rotor 5 are stationary. When the water supply valve 18 is opened, water from the faucet falls from the water supply passage 17 into the detergent case 16 in the water supply unit 13, and then falls from the water conduit 16C to the relay port 3H of the outer tub 3, carrying the detergent in the detergent case 16 (see arrow P1).

[0052] The water that has dropped from the water supply unit 13 into the relay port 3H drops into one of the water receiving ports 10G located directly below the relay port 3H on the upper surface 10EA of the tub cleaning member 10, and after being received by the water receiving port 10G, drops through the water receiving port 10G into the water storage unit 10J (see arrow P2). The water in the water storage unit 10J drops into the inner tub 4, i.e., the washing tub 8, through the nearest water supply port 10C in the inner peripheral wall 10A of the tub cleaning member 10 (see arrow P3). By this water supply process, water can be supplied to the washing tub 8. All of the detergent in the detergent case 16 is supplied into the inner tub 4 by the water supply process.

[0053] After the water supply process, the control unit 30 switches the transmission mechanism 7 as necessary so that the torque of the motor 6 is transmitted to the rotor 5, and then drives the motor 6 to rotate the rotor 5. As a result, the laundry in the inner tub 4 is agitated and washed by the rotating rotor 5 as an agitation process. Also, dirt on the laundry is broken down by the detergent dissolved in the water. When a predetermined agitation time has elapsed, the control unit 30 stops the motor 6 to end the agitation process, and as a drainage process, the drain valve 19 is opened to drain the water in the washing tub 8. This ends the washing process.

[0054] The rinsing process is substantially the same as the washing process, except that no detergent is used. Specifically, the control unit 30 executes a water supply process to store water, specifically tap water, in the washing tub 8, and then executes an agitation process to agitate and rinse the laundry in the inner tub 4. After that, when a predetermined agitation time has elapsed, the control unit 30 executes a drainage process to end the rinsing process.

[0055] In the spin-drying step, the control unit 30 rotates the inner tub 4 at high speed with the drain valve 19 open. The laundry in the inner tub 4 is spin-dried by centrifugal force generated by this high-speed rotation. Water that seeps out of the laundry due to spin-drying is discharged from the drain 14 to the outside of the machine. However, the rotation conditions of the inner tub 4 may be different between the intermediate spin-drying step and the final spin-drying step, and in particular, the maximum rotation speed of the inner tub 4 in the final spin-drying step is higher than the maximum rotation speed of the inner tub 4 in the intermediate spin-drying step. Water may be present in the water storage portion 10J of the tub cleaning member 10 during the rotation of the inner tub 4, and in this case, the tub cleaning member 10 may contribute to reducing vibration of the inner tub 4 during rotation, similar to the balancer 9.

[0056] Such a tub cleaning member 10 may be called a "top balancer" or may be considered as part of the balancer 9. At the end of the spin-drying process, the control unit 30 switches the transmission mechanism 7 to stop the motor 6 so that the torque of the motor 6 is not transmitted to the inner tub 4, causing the inner tub 4 to rotate by inertia. At the end of the spin-drying process, the control unit 30 closes the drain valve 19.

[0057] The control unit 30 executes a tub cleaning process for cleaning the washing tub 8, either as a part of the washing operation or as a process independent of the washing operation. When the tub cleaning process is executed as part of the washing operation, it is preferable that the tub cleaning process is executed after the final spin-drying process. The tub cleaning process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. During the tub cleaning process, the drain valve 19 is always open. Prior to the start of the tub cleaning process, the control unit 30 switches the transmission mechanism 7 so that the torque of the motor 6 is transmitted to the inner tub 4. If the transmission mechanism 7 has already been switched, the process of switching the transmission mechanism 7 is omitted.

[0058] At the beginning of the tub cleaning process, the control unit 30 opens the water supply valve 18 (step S1). Then, the control unit 30 operates the motor 6 to rotate the inner tub 4 at a low speed (step S2). An example of the rotation speed of the motor 6 at this time is 50 rpm or less. At this time, the inner tub 4 may rotate continuously at a constant rotation speed, or may rotate intermittently by repeatedly increasing and decreasing the rotation speed.

[0059] As the inner tub 4 rotates while water is being supplied, the water that has dropped from the water supply section 13 to the relay port 3H falls through each of the water receiving ports 10G on the upper surface 10EA of the tank cleaning member 10, which rotates slowly together with the inner tub 4 (see arrow P2 in FIG. 5), and is stored in the water storage section 10J directly below each water receiving port 10G. The centrifugal force caused by the slow rotation of the inner tub 4 moves the water in each water storage section 10J away from the water supply port 10C to the radially outer side R1, so that the water does not drop from the water supply port 10C into the inner tub 4 and remains stored in the water storage section 10J. The process of step S2 may be performed simultaneously with the process of step S1, or may be performed prior to the process of step S1.

[0060] As described above, the internal space 10I of the tub cleaning member 10 is divided into a plurality of water storage sections 10J by the partitions 10H, so that the capacity of each water storage section 10J is small. This allows water to be quickly stored in each water storage section 10J, so that preparations for cleaning the washing tub 8 can be completed quickly. Then, after storing water evenly in all water storage sections 10J, the control section 30 closes the water supply valve 18 to stop water supply while continuing to rotate the inner tub 4 at a low speed (step S3), and then increases the rotation speed of the motor 6 to, for example, 700 rpm to rotate the inner tub 4 steadily at a high speed (step S4).

[0061] Then, the water in each water storage section 10J of the tub cleaning member 10, which rotates at high speed together with the inner tub 4, flows through one of the guideways 10N and is guided to the water outlet 10D by the centrifugal force increased by the high speed rotation, and is forcefully discharged from the water outlet 10D to the radially outward R1 (see arrow P4 in FIG. 5). Since each water outlet 10D is located at a higher position than the overflow outlet 3D, the water discharged from each water outlet 10D reaches the washing tub 8, particularly the dirt on the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 3A of the outer tub 3, which is at a higher position than the overflow outlet 3D, and removes this dirt. Therefore, the washing tub 8 can be effectively cleaned. Furthermore, the washing tub 8 can be kept clean even if the user does not clean the washing tub 8 with detergent or the like.

[0062] As described above, the water outlet 10D opens toward the radially outward side R1 or toward the tangential direction T with respect to the circumferential direction S (see FIG. 4). This allows the water discharged from the water outlet 10D to be sprayed on dirt located at a higher position than the overflow outlet 3D on the inner circumferential surface of the outer tub 3, thereby effectively removing the dirt. In this way, the washing tub 8 can be cleaned more effectively. In addition, since water is discharged radially from the multiple water outlets 10D and sprayed on the inner surface of the circumferential wall 3A of the outer tub 3, the entire area of ​​the circumferential wall 3A in the circumferential direction S can be cleaned evenly.

[0063] Furthermore, since the flow area of ​​the downstream region 10NA on the water outlet 10D side of the conduit 10N is equal to or less than the flow area of ​​the upstream region 10NB on the water storage section 10J side of the conduit 10N, the water in the conduit 10N is forcefully discharged from the water outlet 10D and splashed onto dirt in the washing tub 8 that is at a height higher than the overflow port 3D. This effectively removes the dirt, and the washing tub 8 can be cleaned more effectively. The water splashed onto the washing tub 8 from each water outlet 10D of the tub cleaning member 10 may be hypochlorous acid water or ozone water, which has a high cleaning effect.

[0064] When the high speed rotation of the inner tub 4 continues for a predetermined time, the water in the water storage section 10J will be depleted, and the control section 30 may stop the motor 6. The cycle of steps S1 to S4 may be repeated a predetermined number of times. Of course, the predetermined number of times may be just once. When this cycle has been performed a predetermined number of times (NO in step S5), the control section 30 ends the tub cleaning process. Note that water remaining in each water storage section 10J in the tub cleaning member 10 is discharged from the water storage section 10J through the water supply port 10C, which also functions as a drain hole (see arrow P3 in FIG. 5).

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Washing machine 3 Outer tank 3D overflow outlet 3F drain outlet 3G opening 4 inner tank 4C access opening 4D through-hole 6 motor 8 washing tub 10 tank cleaning member 10B outer peripheral wall 10C water supply port 10D water discharge port 10EA upper surface portion 10G water receiving port 10H partition 10I internal space 10N guide path 10NA downstream region 10NB upstream region 10J water storage portion 13 water supply portion 14 drain path 15 overflow path J axis R radial direction R1 outside in the radial direction S circumferential direction T tangential direction Z2 lower side

Claims

1. A drive unit that generates a torque; a washing tub having an outer tub provided with a drain outlet, an overflow outlet located at a position higher than the drain outlet, and an opening located at a position higher than the overflow outlet, and for storing water; an inner tub provided with a through hole for passing water between the outer tub and the inner tub, and an inlet / outlet facing the opening from below, and disposed within the outer tub, laundry is put in and taken out through the opening and the inlet / outlet, and the inner tub rotates by receiving a torque from the drive unit; A drainage channel connected to the drain outlet for discharging water from the washing tub; An overflow channel connected to the overflow outlet and directing water in the washing tub from the overflow outlet to the drainage channel; A water supply unit that supplies water into the washing tub; The device includes a hollow tank cleaning member fixed to the inner tank, the hollow tank cleaning member having an upper surface portion provided with a water receiving port for receiving water from the water supply portion, an outer peripheral portion provided with a water outlet located at a position higher than the overflow port, a water storage portion for storing water that falls through the water receiving port, and a guide path for guiding the water in the water storage portion to the water outlet, The guide path extends along a straight line passing through the water storage section and the water outlet in a vertical cross section of the washing machine.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the water outlet opens radially outward from a rotation axis of the inner tub or in a tangential direction relative to a circumferential direction around the rotation axis.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a flow path area in a downstream region on the water outlet side in the conduit is equal to or smaller than a flow path area in an upstream region on the water storage side in the conduit.

4. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tub cleaning member has a partition that divides an internal space of the tub cleaning member into a plurality of water storage sections.

5. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tub cleaning member is provided with a water supply port through which water in the water storage section falls into the washing tub.

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