Washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine which has facilitated cleaning of an automatic input device.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a water tub for storing clothing inside; and an automatic input device which automatically inputs a predetermined amount of a treatment agent into the water tub. The automatic input device includes: a tank capable of storing a treatment agent of an amount for a plurality of times of washing operations; a tank case having a peripheral wall part, and for storing the tank inside; and a storage part for storing the tank case so as to be drawn out. The tank includes: a discharge port which is an opening provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tank, which communicates the inside of the tank and the outside, and which can discharge the treatment agent stored inside the tank to the outside; and a guide part which is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tank, which covers the discharge port at least from the downside, and which extends to the outside of the peripheral wall part of the tank case in the sate where the tank is stored in the tank case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washing machine.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, washing machines equipped with an automatic dosing unit have been developed, which pre-store a plurality of doses of laundry treatment agents such as detergents and fabric softeners in a tank for automatic dosing in advance, and automatically dispense the required amount from the tank into the water tub during operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The tank for automatic dosing is detachably accommodated in the tank housing portion. The treatment agent in the tank is sucked out in the required amount by a syringe pump provided inside or outside the tank housing portion. When the tank is removed from the housing portion, the treatment agent may slightly leak from the portion connecting the check valve provided inside the tank and the syringe pump. At that time, there is a possibility that the treatment agent accumulates at the bottom of the member that houses the tank, or adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the tank. Cleaning the tank and the member that houses the tank is a troublesome task for the user.

[0005] Therefore, a washing machine that facilitates cleaning of the automatic dosing device is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The washing machine according to the embodiment includes a water tub that houses clothes therein, and an automatic dosing device that automatically doses a predetermined amount of a treatment agent into the water tub. The automatic dosing device includes a tank that can store an amount of the treatment agent for a plurality of washing operations, a tank case having a peripheral wall portion and housing the tank therein, and a housing portion that removably houses the tank case. The tank has a discharge port provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tank that communicates the inside and the outside of the tank and discharges the treatment agent stored in the tank to the outside of the tank, and a guide portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tank that covers the discharge port at least from below and extends outside the peripheral wall portion of the tank case in a state where the tank is housed in the tank case.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 5

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, washing machines according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same constituent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0009] (First Embodiment) First, a washing machine according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. The washing machine 1 includes a washing machine main body 10, a water tub 11, a rotary tub 12, a motor 13, a drain valve 14, a water injection device 30, and an automatic dosing device 40. In addition, the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is defined as the front side of the washing machine 1, and the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is defined as the rear side of the washing machine 1. In this case, it is assumed that the normal user is located on the front side of the washing machine 1. Also, the installation surface side of the washing machine 1, that is, the vertically downward side, is defined as the lower side of the washing machine 1, and the side opposite to the installation surface, that is, the vertically upward side, is defined as the upper side of the washing machine 1. Then, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the washing machine 1 is defined as the width direction of the washing machine 1, that is, the left-right direction.

[0010] The washing machine 1 of this embodiment is a so-called vertical-axis type washing machine in which the rotation axis of the rotary tub 12 faces the vertical direction. Note that the washing machine 1 is not limited to a so-called vertical type washing machine, and may be a so-called drum type in which the rotation axis of the rotary tub is horizontal or inclined. Further, the washing machine 1 may or may not have a drying function.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine main body 10 has an outer box 21, a top cover 22, a main body lid 23, and a back cover 24. The outer box 21 constitutes the outer shell of the washing machine 1. The outer box 21 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape by, for example, a steel plate or the like, and the upper side is open. As shown in FIG. 2, the water tub 11 is housed inside the washing machine main body 10, that is, inside the outer box 21. The rotary tub 12 is housed inside the water tub 11. The water tub 11 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open upper side.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the top cover 22 has a top cover opening 221 and is configured in a rectangular ring shape. The top cover 22 is provided on the upper part of the outer box 21. The main body lid 23 is rotatably supported by the top cover 22 and opens and closes the top cover opening 221. The back cover 24 is configured in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction of the washing machine 1. The back cover 24 is provided at the rear end of the upper part of the top cover 22.

[0013] The motor 13 is provided outside the bottom of the water tub 11 and is connected to the rotary tub 12 through the water tub 11. The motor 13 is, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor. The motor 13 rotates the rotary tub 12.

[0014] The drain valve 14 is an electromagnetic - drivable on - off valve for liquids and is driven and controlled by a control device (not shown). The input side of the drain valve 14 is connected to the inside of the water tank 11, and the output side of the drain valve 14 is connected to the outside of the washing machine 1. The drain valve 14 opens and closes a drain path for draining the water stored in the water tank 11 to the outside of the washing machine 1. When the drain valve 14 closes, the inside of the water tank 11 is in a state where water can be stored. Also, when the drain valve 14 opens, the water stored in the water tank 11 can be drained to the outside.

[0015] The water injection device 30 is provided inside the top cover 22 at the upper rear part within the washing machine main body 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the water injection device 30 has a water supply valve 31, a first water supply path 32, a second water supply path 33, a water injection case 34, a treatment agent case 35, a supply unit 36, and a water injection port 37. The water injection device 30 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet (not shown) via, for example, a water supply hose (not shown).

[0016] The water supply valve 31 is an electromagnetic - drivable on - off valve for liquids and is passively controlled by a control device (not shown). The input side of the water supply valve 31 is connected to an external water source such as a water supply, and the output side of the water supply valve 31 is connected to the first water supply path 32 and the second water supply path 33. The water supply valve 31 is, for example, a three - way valve, and opens and closes a water supply path for supplying water from an external water source such as a water supply into the water tank 11 via the water injection case 34 and / or the supply unit 36. Note that a configuration in which a plurality of water supply valves open and close the first water supply path 32 and the second water supply path 33 may also be used.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the first water supply path 32 and the second water supply path 33 connect the water supply valve 31 and the water tank 11. The first water supply path 32 and the second water supply path 33 are formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, like a hose, and supply water and a treatment agent from an external water source through the inside to the water tank 11. The first water supply path 32 is configured to include a water injection case 34 in the middle of the path. The second water supply path 33 is configured to include a supply unit 36 in the middle of the path.

[0018] The water injection case 34 is made of, for example, resin and is formed in a box shape. The upstream side of the water injection case 34 is connected to the water supply valve 31, and the downstream side of the water injection case 34 is connected to the water tank 11 via the water injection port 37.

[0019] The treatment agent case 35 is, for example, a resin container configured to be able to store treatment agents such as detergents and softeners in an amount used in one washing operation. The treatment agent case 35 is configured to be pullable forward, for example, inside the top cover 22. The treatment agent case 35 is provided at a position to receive the water supplied into the water injection case 34 via the first water supply path 32 when it is housed in the water injection case 34. When the user manually inputs the treatment agent into the water tank 11, the user inputs the detergent and the softener into the treatment agent case 35 with the treatment agent case 35 pulled forward. The treatment agent for one washing operation stored in the treatment agent case 35 is poured into the water tank 11 together with the water injected into the water tank 11 via the first water supply path 32.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the supply unit 36 is formed in the middle of the path of the second water supply path 33. The supply unit 36 is a part that receives the supply of the treatment agent from the automatic dosing device 40. The treatment agent introduced into the supply unit 36 is poured into the water tank 11 together with the water injected into the water tank 11 via the second water supply path 33.

[0021] The automatic dosing device 40 has a function of storing treatment agents for a plurality of washing operations in advance and automatically supplying a predetermined amount of the treatment agent into the water tank 11 over a plurality of washing operations. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the automatic dosing device 40 is provided inside the outer box 21 and above the water tank 11, and is provided closer to one side in the left - right direction of the washing machine 1, for example, closer to the left side.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, the automatic input device 40 has a housing portion 41, a supply pump 42, a tank case 50, and one or more (in this case, two) tanks 60. The housing portion 41 is provided on the top cover 22 of the washing machine main body 10 (in this case), and is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape with a part thereof being open. The housing portion 41 removably houses the tank case 50 and the tank 60 therein. The supply pump 42 is provided inside or outside the housing portion 41, and sucks out the treatment agent stored inside the tank 60 and supplies it to the supply portion 36. The tank case 50 removably houses the tank 60 therein, and is removably housed in the housing portion 41 in a pull-out manner with the tank 60 housed inside. The tank 60 is configured to be able to store the treatment agent for a plurality of times, and is attached to and detached from the housing portion 41 by a user's operation.

[0023] In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right or width directions of the housing portion 41, the tank case 50, and the tank 60 are based on the position where a user is normally assumed to stand when using the washing machine 1. That is, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right or width directions of the housing portion 41, the tank case 50, and the tank 60 do not necessarily coincide with the front-rear, up-down, and left-right or width directions of the washing machine 1. However, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, they are made to coincide with the definitions of each direction of the washing machine 1.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing portion 41 is provided at the rear portion of the top cover 22 so as to face the water tank 11 and the rotary tub 12 from the top cover opening 221. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the housing portion 41 taken out from the top cover 22, with the upper portion of the housing portion 41 removed and shown obliquely from the front. In this case, the housing portion 41 is open toward the front. The housing portion 41 has one or more (in this case, two) communication holes 43 that communicate the inside and the outside of the housing portion 41 on the surface (in this case, the back surface portion 412) facing the front opening 411 of the housing portion 41. The number of the communication holes 43 coincides with the number of the tanks 60.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the supply pump 42 is provided outside the housing portion 41, in this case, on the back of the housing portion 41. The supply pump 42 is, for example, a piston-type syringe pump and has one or more, in this case, two pipe portions 421 as shown in FIG. 2. The pipe portion 421 extends from the outside of the housing portion 41 through the communication hole 43 into the housing portion 41.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 to 7, etc., the tank case 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape with an open top and is removably accommodated inside the housing portion 41. The moving direction of the tank case 50 when it is inserted into and removed from the housing portion 41 is referred to as the insertion / removal direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60. In the case of this embodiment, the insertion / removal direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60 is the front-rear direction. And the moving direction of the tank case 50 when it is pulled out from the housing portion 41 is referred to as the pulling-out direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60. In the case of this embodiment, the pulling-out direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60 is the forward direction. Also, the moving direction of the tank case 50 when it is pushed back into the housing portion 41 is referred to as the insertion direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60. In the case of this embodiment, the insertion direction of the tank case 50 or the tank 60 is the rear direction.

[0027] The tank case 50 has a front wall portion 51, side wall portions 52, a back wall portion 53, a bottom surface portion 54, and an upper opening 55. The tank case 50 can accommodate a plurality of, in this case, two tanks 60 inside. In the case of this embodiment, the two tanks 60 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and accommodated inside the tank case 50. The tank 60 closer to the center in the left-right direction of the washing machine 1, that is, the right-side tank 60, is referred to as the first tank 601, and the tank 60 on the side of the washing machine 1 further from the left-right direction side, that is, the left-side tank 60, is referred to as the second tank 602. When there is no need to distinguish between the first tank 601 and the second tank 602, both are collectively referred to as the tank 60.

[0028] The front wall portion 51, the left and right side wall portions 52, and the back wall portion 53 form the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50 that horizontally surrounds the plurality of tanks 60. On the front wall portion 51 of the tank case 50, several in this case two window portions 511 corresponding to the number of the tanks 60 are formed. The window portion 511 is formed by penetrating or notching a part of the front wall portion 51 to communicate the inside and the outside of the tank case 50. A transparent or translucent member may or may not be fitted into the window portion 511. In the present embodiment, no member is fitted into the window portion 511. The plurality of window portions 511 are provided at positions corresponding to the respective tanks 60 in a state where the plurality of tanks 60 are accommodated inside. The user can visually confirm the amount of the treatment agent stored inside the tank 60 in a state where the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are accommodated in the accommodation portion 41.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 8, etc., the tank 60 is configured as a hollow container having a rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction and can store a liquid treatment agent. In this case, the tank 60 can be made of a transparent or translucent member such as a synthetic resin. Also in this case, the tank 60 has a sufficient capacity to store the treatment agent used in multiple washing operations. In this case, the capacity of the tank 60 is not particularly limited, but considering the convenience of the user, it is preferably set to at least about several hundred mL to 2 L.

[0030] Also, in the case of the present embodiment, the automatic feeder 40 has two tanks 60. In this case, one of the two tanks 60 can store, for example, a detergent as a treatment agent. Also, the other of the two tanks 60 can store a softener as a treatment agent. Note that the capacities of these two tanks 60 may be the same or different. In the present embodiment, the volumes of the tanks 601 and 602 are different, and the capacity of the first tank 601 is set to be larger than that of the second tank 602. In this case, the user can store a treatment agent such as a detergent that is used more frequently or has a larger usage amount per time in the first tank 601.

[0031] FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the second tank 602. The configuration of the first tank 601 is generally the same. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 etc., the tank 60 has a tank body 61, a lid member 62, a suction pipe 63, a leakage prevention valve 64, and a filter (not shown). The tank body 61 constitutes the outer shell of the tank 60. The lid member 62 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and is detachably attached to the upper part of the tank body 61 to close the opening 616. The suction pipe 63 sucks the treatment agent stored in the tank body 61 and supplies it to the supply pump 42 through the leakage prevention valve 64. The leakage prevention valve 64 prevents the treatment agent from being inadvertently discharged from the tank body 61. The filter (not shown) has a function of collecting foreign matters such as dust contained in the treatment agent when the treatment agent is sucked from the suction pipe 63 into the supply pump 42.

[0032] In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 etc., the tank body 61 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and has a discharge port 611, a front surface portion 612, a side surface portion 613, a back surface portion 614, a bottom portion 615, and an opening 616. The front surface portion 612 constitutes the front surface of the tank body 61. The side surface portion 613 constitutes the side surface of the tank body 61. The back surface portion 614 constitutes the back surface of the tank body 61. The front surface portion 612, the side surface portion 613, and the back surface portion 614 form the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60. The bottom portion 615 constitutes the bottom surface of the tank body 61. The opening 616 is an opening provided in the upper part of the tank body 61, that is, an opening formed surrounded by the front surface portion 612, the side surface portion 613, and the back surface portion 614, and exposes the inside of the tank body 61 to the outside of the tank body 61.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8 etc., the discharge port 611 is provided at the end portion on the insertion direction side of the tank body 61, in this case, the back surface portion 614. The discharge port 611 communicates the inside and the outside of the tank 60. When the tank 60 is inserted into the correct position of the housing portion 41, the pipe portion 421 is inserted into and connected to the discharge port 611. Thereby, the treatment agent stored in the tank 60 can flow out to the outside of the tank 60 and the housing portion 41 through the pipe portion 421 passing through the discharge port 611 and the communication hole 43.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the lid member 62 has a lid member body 621, a charging port 622, and an opening / closing lid 623. The lid member body 621 constitutes the outer shell of the lid member 62. The lid member body 621 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and has a charging port 622 in part. The charging port 622 is an opening through which the user charges the treatment agent when storing the treatment agent in the tank 60. In this case, the charging port 622 is provided in a portion of the lid member body 621 that is from the end portion in the pulling-out direction, that is, the front end portion. The opening / closing lid 623 is rotatably provided on the lid member body 621 via a hinge portion and opens and closes the charging port 622.

[0035] When the user stores the treatment agent in the tank 60, first, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the user pulls out the tank 60 together with the tank case 50 from the accommodating portion 41. Subsequently, the user opens the opening / closing lid 623 and charges the treatment agent into the tank 60 through the charging port 622. After the user charges the treatment agent for a plurality of times, for example, until the liquid level reaches a predetermined position, the user closes the opening / closing lid 623 and inserts the tank 60 together with the tank case 50 into the accommodating portion 41 again. Note that the user can open the opening / closing lid 623 and charge the treatment agent into the tank 60 without completely pulling out the tank case 50 and the tank 60 from the accommodating portion 41. Further, the user may remove the lid member 62 from the tank body 61 and charge the treatment agent through the opening 616.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the state in which the tank 60 is accommodated in the tank case 50. FIG. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged part of FIG. 10. The suction pipe 63 is connected to the discharge port 611 and extends vertically downward to the vicinity of the bottom 615 of the tank body. The lower end portion of the suction pipe 63 is located with a slight space from the bottom 615 of the tank body 61. The inner surface of the bottom 615 of the tank body 61 is inclined in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the bottom 615 is slightly inclined so as to descend toward the rear. Further, the bottom 615 is inclined in the left-right direction so as to descend toward the position facing the lower end portion of the suction pipe 63. Thereby, the treatment agent easily flows to the position facing the lower end portion of the suction pipe 63.

[0037] The leakage prevention valve 64 is provided between the discharge port 611 and the suction pipe 63. When the tank 60 is removed from the housing portion 41 and the discharge port 611 is not connected to the pipe portion 421, the leakage prevention valve 64 has a function of preventing the treatment agent stored in the tank body 61 from leaking out of the discharge port 611 to the outside of the tank body 61. When the pipe portion 421 is connected to the discharge port 611, the leakage prevention valve 64 opens the path between the discharge port 611 and the suction pipe 63. Thereby, the supply pump 42 can suck out the treatment agent stored in the tank body 61. On the other hand, when the pipe portion 421 is not connected to the discharge port 611, the leakage prevention valve 64 closes the path between the discharge port 611 and the suction pipe 63, thereby preventing the treatment agent in the tank body 61 from flowing out to the outside through the discharge port 611.

[0038] The supply pump 42 sucks out a predetermined amount of the treatment agent from the tank 60 in a state where the tank 60 is housed in the housing portion 41 and the pipe portion 421 is connected to the discharge port 611, and inputs the sucked treatment agent into the second water supply path 33. The washing machine 1 can input the treatment agent necessary for the washing operation onto the water flowing through the second water supply path 33 and into the water tank 11 by operating the supply pump 42, for example, during water injection in the washing step or the rinsing step of the washing operation. Note that the supply pump 42 may be provided in the tank 60 or inside the housing portion 41.

[0039] The tank 60 further has a guide portion 70. The guide portion 70 is provided at a position on the outer surface of the tank main body 61 that covers the discharge port 611 at least from below. In this case, the guide portion 70 is provided on the outer surface of the wall portion on the insertion direction side of the tank main body 61, that is, the back surface portion 614 in this case. The guide portion 70 has a function of collecting the treatment agent dripping from the discharge port 611 at one place and guiding it to the outside of the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50. When the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are pulled out, when the pipe portion 421 is relatively pulled out from the discharge port 611 and loses its connection with the discharge port 611, a small amount of treatment agent may remain between the discharge port 611 and the leakage prevention valve 64. Since the discharge port 611 is open toward the insertion direction, in this case, backward, the remaining small amount of treatment agent drips backward. The guide portion 70 covers the discharge port 611 at least from below and primarily receives the treatment agent dripping from the discharge port 611.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the guide portion 70 has a bottom surface portion 71 and side surface portions 72. The bottom surface portion 71 and the side surface portions 72 project from the back surface portion 614 in the insertion direction, that is, backward, to form a surface. The bottom surface portion 71 is located below the discharge port 611 and forms a surface substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. The side surface portions 72 extend upward from both end portions of the bottom surface portion 71, that is, the left and right end portions in this case.

[0041] The bottom surface portion 71 is provided at a position closer to the discharge port 611 than the bottom portion 615 of the tank main body 61. In the present embodiment, the discharge port 611 is located above the vertical center of the tank main body 61, for example, at a position about 75% of the height dimension of the tank main body 61 from the bottom portion 615, and the bottom surface portion 71 is located slightly above the vertical center of the tank main body 61, for example, at a position about 55% of the height dimension of the tank main body 61 from the bottom portion 615.

[0042] The position of the upper end portion of the side surface portion 72 is set to be at least at the height position of the center of the discharge port 611 or higher. In the present embodiment, the position of the upper end portion of the side surface portion 72 substantially coincides with the height position of the center of the discharge port 611.

[0043] The bottom surface portion 71 has a groove portion 73 formed by being recessed downward. The groove portion 73 is located at the center with respect to the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the bottom surface portion 71, that is, in the left - right direction, and extends in the insertion direction, that is, the front - rear direction. In this case, the position of the groove portion 73 is on the line obtained by extending the center line of the discharge port 611 downward.

[0044] The upper surface of the bottom surface portion 71, that is, the surface facing the discharge port 611, is an inclined surface that slightly descends toward the rear. The inclination angle can be set within the range of about 0.5° to about 2°. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 71 is set to about 1°. Also, among the upper surface of the groove portion 73, that is, the surface facing the discharge port 611, the deepest - recessed portion forms an inclined surface that slightly descends toward the rear. The inclination angle can be set within the range of about 2.5° to about 3.5°. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the deepest - recessed portion of the groove portion 73 is set to about 3°.

[0045] The protruding length from the back surface portion 614 of the bottom surface portion 71 and the side surface portion 72, that is, the depth dimension in the insertion and extraction direction (in this case, the front - rear direction) of the bottom surface portion 71 and the side surface portion 72 can be set to, for example, 3 mm or more. In this embodiment, the depth dimension of the side surface portion 72 is set to 5 mm. Also, in this embodiment, the back surface portion 614 of the tank main body 61 is recessed toward the inside of the tank 60 below the discharge port 611. Therefore, the depth dimension in the insertion and extraction direction (in this case, the front - rear direction) of the bottom surface portion 71 is set to be deep at the center in the left - right direction below the discharge port 611 and shallow at both left and right ends. The depth dimension in the insertion and extraction direction (in this case, the front - rear direction) of the bottom surface portion 71 is set to, for example, 10 mm at the deep position and, for example, 5 mm at the shallow position.

[0046] Note that in this embodiment, the back surface portion 614 of the tank main body 61 is recessed toward the inside of the tank 60 below the discharge port 611, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the back surface portion 614 of the tank main body 61 may be flat without being recessed below the discharge port 611.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, FIG. 9, etc., the tank case 50 has a notch portion 531, a receiving portion 56, and a concave portion 57. The notch portion 531 is formed by cutting out a part of the upper portion of the back wall portion 53. Therefore, a part of the upper end portion of the back wall portion 53 is recessed downward. The receiving portion 56 is formed in a container shape protruding rearward from the back wall portion 53 with an open upper portion. The concave portion 57 is formed by slightly recessing a part of the back wall portion 53 in the left and right direction toward the tank 60, that is, toward the inside of the tank case 50.

[0048] The notch portion 531 is provided at a position corresponding to the guide portion 70 in the tank case 50 with the tank 60 accommodated therein in the back wall portion 53. That is, when viewed from the back, the notch portion 531 is positioned so as to surround the guide portion 70 from the left, right, and below and accommodate it inside. Therefore, the guide portions 70 and the discharge ports 611 of the tanks 601 and 602 are exposed toward the back side of the tank case 50.

[0049] The receiving portion 56 is located below the lower portion of the back wall portion 53, that is, below the notch portion 531. The receiving portion 56 has left and right side surface portions 561, a back surface portion 562, a bottom surface portion 563, and an upper opening 564. The front surface of the container shape of the receiving portion 56 is formed by a part of the back wall portion 53. The vertical position of the upper opening 564 is set to be the same as or lower than the vertical position of the bottom of the recess of the notch portion 531. For example, in the present embodiment, the vertical position of the upper opening 564 is set lower than the vertical position of the bottom of the recess of the notch portion 531.

[0050] A space is formed between the back wall portion 53 of the tank case 50 and the back surface portion 412 of the accommodating portion 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the accommodating portion 41 has a recessed portion 413. The recessed portion 413 is formed by recessing a part of the back surface portion 412 rearward. The recessed portion 413 is at the lower portion of the back surface portion 412 and is located below the communication hole 43. In a state where the tank case 50 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41, the recessed portion 413 receives the receiving portion 56 inside.

[0051] The receiving portion 56 is located in a region where at least a part of the notch portion 531 and at least a part of each guide portion 70 are extended downward in a rear view. The width dimension of the receiving portion 56 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion and extraction direction, that is, the left-right direction, is set to extend at least from the right end of the discharge port 611 of the first tank 601 to the left end of the discharge port 611 of the second tank 602. In the present embodiment, the right side surface portion 561 of the receiving portion 56 is located between the right side surface portion 72 of the guide portion 70 of the first tank 601 and the right end of the discharge port 611 of the first tank 601 in the left-right direction, and the left side surface portion 561 of the receiving portion 56 is located between the left side surface portion 72 of the guide portion 70 of the second tank 602 and the left end of the discharge port 611 of the second tank 602 in the left-right direction. Note that the receiving portion 56 may be formed over the entire width of the back wall portion 53 in the left-right direction. However, by forming it in a part of the width of the back wall portion 53 as in the present embodiment, the space on the supply pump 42 side can be compressed, and thus the increase in size of the washing machine 1 can be suppressed.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the recess 57 is formed in a portion of the back wall portion 53 where the notch portion 531 is located. A plurality of, in this case two, recesses 57 are formed, and each recess 57 is formed at a position corresponding to each guide portion 70 in a state where the tank 60 is housed in the tank case 50. That is, in a rear view, each recess 57 is provided in a region where each guide portion 70 is extended downward. Further, in a rear view, the position of the center of each recess 57 in the left-right direction coincides with the position of the center of each guide portion 70 and each discharge port 611. The recess 57 is formed at least in the upper end portion of the back wall portion 53, that is, the portion forming the bottom of the depression of the notch portion 531. In the present embodiment, the recess 57 is formed over the entire vertical direction of the back wall portion 53, that is, in this case, from the bottom of the depression of the notch portion 531 to the portion where the back wall portion 53 is connected to the bottom surface portion 54.

[0053] The depth of the recess of the recess 57, that is, the length dimension in the front-rear direction in this case, can be set within a range of, for example, about 1 mm to about 10 mm at the deepest position. In the present embodiment, the depth of the recess in the front-rear direction of the recess 57 is set to about 3 mm at the deepest position.

[0054] The guide portion 70 at least partially overlaps with the back wall portion 53 in the vertical direction. In this case, the guide portion 70 at least partially overlaps with the recess 57 in the vertical direction. And the tip portion of the bottom surface portion 71 on the insertion direction side, that is, the rear end portion 711 in this case, protrudes rearward in the insertion direction, that is, rearward, from the recess 57 and overlaps with the receiving portion 56 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the treatment agent dripping from the discharge port 611 onto the guide portion 70 is guided not to the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50, that is, the space for accommodating the tank 60, but to the outside of the peripheral wall portion, that is, the receiving portion 56.

[0055] Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14, the functions of the guide portion 70, the receiving portion 56, etc. when the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are pulled out from the accommodating portion 41 will be described. FIG. 11 shows the configuration around the accommodating portion in the process of pulling out the tank 60 and the tank case 50 from the accommodating portion 41. FIGS. 12 to 14 show cross-sectional views taken along line III-III of FIG. 11. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the tank 60 and the tank case 50 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 41. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the tank 60 and the tank case 50 are slightly pulled out from the accommodating portion 41. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the tank 60 and the tank case 50 are further pulled out from the accommodating portion 41. Note that in FIGS. 12 to 14, the suction pipe 63 and the leakage prevention valve 64 are omitted.

[0056] In the state shown in FIG. 12, the discharge port 611 and the pipe portion 421 are connected, and due to the function of the leakage prevention valve 64 and the like, the treatment agent does not leak to the outside from either the discharge port 611 or the pipe portion 421. In this state, the back wall portion 53 of the tank case 50 and the back surface portion 412 of the accommodation portion 41 do not contact each other, and a space is formed between the back wall portion 53 and the back surface portion 412. As shown in FIG. 13, when the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are moved in the pulling-out direction, that is, forward in this case, by the user's pulling-out operation, the connection between the discharge port 611 and the pipe portion 421 is lost, and the tip of the pipe portion 421 is released from the discharge port 611. At this time, a part of the treatment agent remaining between the discharge port 611 and the leakage prevention valve 64 may be discharged from the discharge port 611 to the outside of the tank 60. Also, a part of the treatment agent remaining inside the pipe portion 421 may be discharged to the outside from the tip portion on the pulling-out direction side of the pipe portion 421, that is, the front end portion.

[0057] The treatment agent discharged from the discharge port 611 falls onto the bottom surface portion 71 of the guide portion 70. Immediately after the start of pulling out the tank case 50, since the pipe portion 421 is located above the guide portion 70, the treatment agent discharged from the pipe portion 421 also falls onto the guide portion 70. The treatment agent that has fallen onto the bottom surface portion 71 of the guide portion 70 flows backward along the inclination of the bottom surface portion 71 while being collected in the groove portion 73. The treatment agent that has flowed down from the rear end portion 711 of the bottom surface portion 71 is received by the receiving portion 56.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 14, when the tank case 50 is further pulled out, the tip of the pipe portion 421 moves relatively backward with respect to the guide portion 70 and comes to be located above the receiving portion 56. At this position, the treatment agent discharged from the tip portion of the pipe portion 421 directly falls inside the receiving portion 56. In this way, when the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are pulled out from the accommodation portion 41, the treatment agent discharged from the discharge port 611 and / or the tip portion of the pipe portion 421 is received by the receiving portion 56 and accumulates inside the receiving portion 56.

[0059] In addition, when the tank case 50 and the tank 60 are inserted into the housing portion 41 again, a space is formed between the back wall portion 53 of the tank case 50 and the back surface portion 412 of the housing portion 41 as described above. Therefore, even if the treatment agent adheres to the rear surface of the back wall portion 53, the possibility of adhering to the back surface portion 412 and soiling the housing portion 41 is suppressed.

[0060] Here, consider the case where the guide portion 70 is not provided in the tank 60. In this case, when the tank 60 and the tank case 50 are pulled out from the housing portion 41, the treatment agent may drip from the discharge port 611 into the tank case 50, and the treatment agent may accumulate inside the tank case 50. In addition, the treatment agent in the process of dripping from the discharge port 611 or the treatment agent accumulated inside the tank case 50 may adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to remove the tank 60 and clean the tank case 50 and the tank. The tank case 50 has a certain area for housing the tank 60 inside, and there is a risk that the treatment agent spreads widely inside. In addition, the lower part of the tank 60 or the inside of the tank case 50 may be provided with an uneven shape for fixing the tank 60 to the tank case 50. In such a case, it is not easy to clean the automatic dosing device 40 including the tank 60 and the tank case 50.

[0061] In contrast, according to the present embodiment described above, the washing machine 1 includes a water tank 11 and an automatic dosing device 40. The water tank 11 houses clothes inside. The automatic dosing device 40 has a function of automatically dosing a predetermined amount of treatment agent into the water tank 11. The automatic dosing device 40 includes a tank 60, a tank case 50, and a housing portion 41. The tank 60 is configured to be able to store a treatment agent in an amount for a plurality of washing operations. The tank case 50 has a front wall portion 51 as a peripheral wall portion, left and right side wall portions 52, and a rear wall portion 53, and houses the tank 60 inside. The housing portion 41 houses the tank case 50 in a pull-out manner. The tank 60 has a discharge port 611 and a guide portion 70. The discharge port 611 is an opening provided in a front surface portion 612, a side surface portion 613, or a rear surface portion 614 as an outer peripheral surface of the tank 60, communicates the inside and the outside of the tank 60, and is configured to be able to discharge the treatment agent stored in the tank 60 to the outside of the tank 60. The guide portion 70 is provided on the front surface portion 612, the side surface portion 613, and the rear surface portion 614 as the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60, covers the discharge port 611 at least from below, and extends to the outside of the front wall portion 51, the left and right side wall portions 52, and the rear wall portion 53 as the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50. In the present embodiment, the guide portion 70 is provided on the rear surface portion 614 of the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60 in the insertion direction, that is, the surface in the insertion direction of the tank, and extends rearward of the rear wall portion 53, that is, the surface in the insertion direction of the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50.

[0062] Thereby, it is possible to prevent the treatment agent dripping from the discharge port 611 from spilling into the tank case 50. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the treatment agent from accumulating inside the tank case 50 and from adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60. Accordingly, the user can save the trouble of cleaning the inside of the tank case 50 having a large area and the outer peripheral surface of the tank 60. Accordingly, a washing machine 1 that facilitates the cleaning of the automatic dosing device 40 is provided.

[0063] The guide portion 70 has a bottom surface portion 71 and left and right side surface portions 72, and has a groove portion 73 formed by being recessed downward in the bottom surface portion 71 and extending in the insertion and extraction direction of the tank case 50. In the present embodiment, the groove portion 73 extends in the front-rear direction.

[0064] As a result, the liquid such as the treatment agent that has fallen onto the guide portion 70 accumulates in the groove portion 73, so that it is possible to encourage the liquid to be discharged to the outside of the tank case 50 from one location. Therefore, since the treatment agent can be collected in one location, the treatment agent does not spread everywhere as compared with the case where it is discharged to the outside of the tank case 50 from a wide area of the guide portion 70, and the cleaning work becomes easier.

[0065] The tank case 50 has a receiving portion 56 formed in a container shape below the guide portion 70 on the outer side of the back wall portion 53, which is the surface facing the guide portion 70 of the peripheral wall portion in a state where the tank 60 is accommodated in the tank case 50.

[0066] This can suppress the treatment agent from dripping into the storage portion 41. Further, when the tank 60 is removed from the tank case 50, it becomes difficult for the user to see the liquid pool, so that it does not give the user a bad impression such as a feeling of uncleanness.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the groove portion 73 is formed from the front of the discharge port 611, that is, from the front end portion to the rear end portion 711 of the bottom surface portion 71 of the guide portion 70, but it is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the groove portion 73 may be formed at least vertically below the discharge port 611 toward the rear end portion 711 of the bottom surface portion 71.

[0068] The washing machine 1 includes a supply pump 42 and a pipe portion 421. The supply pump 42 has a function of sucking a predetermined amount of the treatment agent from the tank 60 and supplying it to the water tank 11. The pipe portion 421 extends from the supply pump 42 toward the tank 60 and is connected to the discharge port 611. The receiving portion 56 is provided below the pipe portion 421 and at least partially overlaps the pipe portion 421 in plan view in a state where the tank case 50 is accommodated in the storage portion 41. That is, at least a part of the receiving portion 56 and the pipe portion 421 overlap in the vertical direction in a state where the tank case 50 is accommodated in the storage portion 41.

[0069] According to this, the receiving portion 56 can receive the treatment agent that falls from the tip of the pipe portion 421 of the supply pump 42 in addition to the treatment agent that falls from the guide portion 70. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the treatment agent from dripping into the storage portion 41.

[0070] Here, when the washing machine 1 is provided with a plurality of tanks 60, if a plurality of receiving portions 56 are provided corresponding to each tank 60, the structure of the tank case 50 becomes complicated, and there is a risk that the molding process and cleaning work of the tank case 50 become troublesome.

[0071] On the other hand, the washing machine 1 includes a plurality of tanks 601 and 602 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the insertion and extraction direction of the tank case 50. The receiving portion 56 is formed over at least the width from the discharge port 611 of one tank, for example, the first tank 601 to the discharge port 611 of another tank, for example, the second tank 602 among the plurality of tanks 601 and 602.

[0072] According to this, by making the number of receiving portions 56 corresponding to the plurality of tanks 601 and 602 one, the structure of the tank case 50 can be simplified. As a result, the molding work and cleaning work of the tank case 50 can be simplified.

[0073] The back wall portion 53, which is the surface in contact with the receiving portion 56 among the front wall portion 51, side wall portion 52, and back wall portion 53 as the peripheral wall portion of the tank case 50, is located below the guide portion 70 and has a concave portion 57 formed by being recessed toward the tank 60.

[0074] Thereby, the distance at which the rear end portion 711 of the guide portion 70 overlaps with the receiving portion 56 becomes longer. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the treatment agent from being discharged into the space other than the inside of the receiving portion 56 from the guide portion 70.

[0075] (Second Embodiment) Referring to FIG. 15, the second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, instead of the tank 60, the washing machine 1 includes one or a plurality of, in this case two, tanks 80. Further, the washing machine 1 does not include the tank case 50 and the recessed portion 413. That is, the tank 80 is directly and removably accommodated in the accommodating portion 41. Further, the tank 80 has a recessed portion 90.

[0076] The tank 80 is formed in a generally rectangular box shape. As shown in FIG. 14, the tank 80 has a tank body 81 that constitutes an outer shell, a lid member (not shown in detail), a suction pipe, a leak prevention valve, and a filter.

[0077] The tank body 81 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and has a discharge port 811, a front surface portion 812, side surface portions 813, a back surface portion 814, a bottom portion 615, and an opening 616. The front surface portion 612 constitutes the front surface of the tank body 61. The front surface portion 812 constitutes the front surface of the tank body 81. The side surface portions 813 constitute the side surfaces of the tank body 81. The back surface portion 814 constitutes the back surface of the tank body 81. The bottom portion 815 constitutes the bottom surface of the tank body 81. The opening 816 is an opening provided in the upper portion of the tank body 81, that is, an opening formed surrounded by the front surface portion 812, the side surface portions 813, and the back surface portion 814, and exposes the inside of the tank body 81 to the outside of the tank body 81.

[0078] The discharge port 811 is an opening provided in the end face on the insertion direction side of the tank 80, that is, the back surface portion 814 in this case. The discharge port 811 communicates the inside and the outside of the tank 80. When the tank 80 is inserted into the correct position of the accommodating portion 41, the pipe portion 421 is inserted into and connected to the discharge port 811. Thereby, the treatment agent stored in the tank 80 can flow out to the outside of the tank 80 and the accommodating portion 41 through the pipe portion 421 that penetrates the discharge port 811 and the communication hole 43.

[0079] In this case, the recessed portion 90 is formed by denting a part of the back surface portion 814 toward the inside of the tank body 81. The recessed portion 90 has an opening on the insertion direction side of the tank 80, that is, the rear portion, and has a front surface portion 91, left and right side surface portions 92, a bottom surface portion 93, an upper surface portion 94, and a rear opening 95. A discharge port 811 is formed at the upper part of the front surface portion 91. A rising portion 96 is formed at the lower end portion of the rear opening 95. The rising portion 96 is formed to protrude upward from the bottom surface portion 93. Therefore, the lower end portion of the rear opening 95 is located above the lower end portion of the front surface portion 91. That is, the recessed portion 90 has a receiving portion 97 at the lower part. The receiving portion 97 forms a container shape capable of storing the treatment agent inside. Note that the rising portion 96 is flush with the non-recessed surface of the back surface portion 814, that is, flush.

[0080] The discharge port 811 is formed in a cylindrical shape and protrudes slightly rearward from the front surface portion 91 in the insertion direction of the tank 80, that is, backward. The tip portion in the insertion direction of the discharge port 811, that is, the rear end portion, is located on the leading-out direction side, that is, the front side, of the rising portion 96. That is, the rear end portion of the discharge port 811 is located on the front side of the rear end portion of the receiving portion 97. Note that in the present embodiment, the discharge port 811 is formed in a cylindrical shape and protrudes slightly rearward from the front surface portion 91 in the insertion direction of the tank 80, but it is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the rear end portion of the discharge port 811 may be flush with the front surface portion 91, that is, flush.

[0081] The case where the tank 80 is pulled out from the accommodating portion 41 will be described. When the tank 80 moves forward in the pulling-out direction, that is, in this case, the connection between the discharge port 811 and the pipe portion 421 is lost, and the tip portion of the pipe portion 421 is released from the discharge port 811. The treatment agent discharged from the discharge port 811 falls onto the bottom surface portion 93 of the recessed portion 90. Immediately after the start of pulling out the tank case 50, since the pipe portion 421 is located above the recessed portion 90, the treatment agent discharged from the pipe portion 421 also falls onto the bottom surface portion 93. The treatment agent that has fallen onto the bottom surface portion 93 is blocked by the rising portion 96 and stored inside the receiving portion 97 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the tank 80.

[0082] According to the present embodiment described above, the washing machine 1 includes a water tub 11 and an automatic dosing device 40. The water tub 11 houses clothes therein. The automatic dosing device 40 has a function of automatically dosing a predetermined amount of treatment agent into the water tub 11. The automatic dosing device 40 has a tank 80 and a housing portion 41. The tank 80 is configured to be able to store an amount of treatment agent for a plurality of washing operations. The housing portion 41 removably houses the tank 80. The tank 80 has a discharge port 811 and a receiving portion 97. The discharge port 811 is an opening provided in a front surface portion 812, a side surface portion 813, or a back surface portion 814 as an outer peripheral surface of the tank 80, which communicates the inside and the outside of the tank 80 and is configured to be able to discharge the treatment agent stored in the tank 80 to the outside of the tank 80. The receiving portion 97 is formed in a container shape and is located below the discharge port 811 on the front surface portion 812, the side surface portion 813, or the back surface portion 814, which is an outer peripheral portion of the tank 80. The insertion direction side end surface of the receiving portion 97, that is, the rising portion 96, is located on the insertion direction side with respect to the insertion direction side end portion of the discharge port 811. In the present embodiment, the rising portion 96, which is the rear end surface of the receiving portion 97, is located behind the rear end portion of the discharge port 811.

[0083] Accordingly, in a configuration in which there is no tank case and the tank 80 is directly inserted into and removed from the housing portion 41, the receiving portion 97 is provided in the tank 80. Thereby, since the treatment agent dripping from the discharge port 811 or the pipe portion 421 can be collected in the receiving portion, it is possible to suppress the treatment agent from adhering to portions other than the receiving portion 97 of the tank and the inside of the housing portion 41. Therefore, even with such a configuration, the washing machine 1 that facilitates the cleaning of the automatic dosing device is provided.

[0084] In addition, in the above-described multiple embodiments, the washing machine 1 includes two tanks 601 and 602, but is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the washing machine 1 may include three or more tanks 60. In this case, the receiving portion 56 can be configured to be provided from the guide portion 70 of the rightmost tank 60 to the guide portion 70 of the leftmost tank 60. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the multiple tanks 60 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and the insertion / removal direction of the tank 60 is the front-rear direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the multiple tanks 60 may be arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, and the insertion / removal direction of the tank 60 may be the left-right direction. In this case, the positions of the communication hole 43, the guide portion 70, the notch portion 531, the receiving portion 56, the recess 57, etc. can be appropriately changed in light of the above-described intention.

[0085] As described above, multiple embodiments of the present invention have been explained. However, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention and are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0086] 1... Washing machine, 11... Water tank, 40... Automatic feeder, 41... Storage portion, 42... Supply pump, 421... Pipe portion, 50... Tank case, 51... Front wall portion (peripheral wall portion), 52... Side wall portion (peripheral wall portion), 53... Rear wall portion (peripheral wall portion), 56... Receiving portion, 57... Recess, 60... Tank, 601... First tank (tank), 602... Second tank (tank), 611... Discharge port, 612... Front surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 613... Side surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 614... Rear surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 70... Guide portion, 71... Bottom surface portion, 72... Side surface portion, 73... Groove portion, 80... Tank, 811... Discharge port, 812... Front surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 813... Side surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 814... Rear surface portion (outer peripheral surface), 96... Upright portion (rear end surface), 97... Receiving portion

Claims

1. A water tank for accommodating clothes therein, and an automatic dosing device for automatically dosing a predetermined amount of a treatment agent into the water tank, wherein the automatic dosing device has a tank capable of storing the treatment agent in an amount for a plurality of washing operations, a tank case having a peripheral wall portion and accommodating the tank therein, and a housing portion for slidably housing the tank case, wherein the tank has a discharge port provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tank, the discharge port communicating the inside and the outside of the tank and being capable of discharging the treatment agent stored in the tank to the outside of the tank, and a guide portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tank, below and separated from the discharge port, covering the discharge port at least from below, and extending outside the peripheral wall portion of the tank case in a state where the tank is accommodated in the tank case, A washing machine.

2. A water tank for accommodating clothes therein, and an automatic dosing device for automatically dosing a predetermined amount of a treatment agent into the water tank, wherein the automatic dosing device has a tank capable of storing the treatment agent in an amount for a plurality of washing operations, a tank case having a peripheral wall portion and accommodating the tank therein, and a housing portion for slidably housing the tank case, wherein the tank has a discharge port provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tank, the discharge port communicating the inside and the outside of the tank and being capable of discharging the treatment agent stored in the tank to the outside of the tank, and a guide portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tank, covering the discharge port at least from below, and extending outside the peripheral wall portion of the tank case in a state where the tank is accommodated in the tank case, and the tank case has a receiving portion formed in a container shape outside a surface of the peripheral wall portion facing the guide portion and below the guide portion in a state where the tank is accommodated in the tank case. Among the peripheral wall portions of the tank case, the surface in contact with the receiving portion is located below the guide portion and has a recess formed by being recessed toward the tank. Washing machine.

3. The guide portion has a bottom surface portion and a side surface portion, and has a groove portion formed by being recessed downward on the bottom surface portion and extending in the insertion and extraction direction of the tank case. The washing machine according to claim 1.

4. The tank case has a receiving portion formed in a container shape outside the surface of the peripheral wall portion of the tank case facing the guide portion and below the guide portion in a state where the tank is housed in the tank case. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 3.

5. A supply pump that sucks out a predetermined amount of the treatment agent from the tank and supplies it to the water tank, A pipe portion extending from the supply pump toward the tank and connected to the discharge port, and The receiving portion is provided below the pipe portion and at least partially overlaps the pipe portion in a plan view in a state where the tank case is housed in the housing portion. The washing machine according to claim 2 or 4.

6. The washing machine includes a plurality of the tanks arranged in a direction orthogonal to the insertion and extraction direction of the tank case, The receiving portion is formed over at least the width from the discharge port of one tank to the discharge port of another tank among the plurality of tanks. The washing machine according to claim 2, 4 or 5.

7. Among the peripheral wall portions of the tank case, the surface in contact with the receiving portion is located below the guide portion and has a recess formed by being recessed toward the tank. The washing machine according to any one of claims 2, 4 to 6.

8. The bottom surface portion of the guide portion is provided at a position closer to the discharge port than the bottom portion of the tank. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A water tank for accommodating clothes therein, and an automatic dosing device for automatically dosing a predetermined amount of a treatment agent into the water tank. The automatic dosing device includes a tank capable of storing the treatment agent in an amount for a plurality of washing operations, and a housing portion for removably housing the tank. The tank has an opening provided at an end face on the insertion direction side of the tank, which communicates the inside and the outside of the tank and is capable of discharging the treatment agent stored in the tank to the outside of the tank, and a receiving portion formed in a container shape and located below the discharge port on the outer peripheral portion of the tank. The end face on the insertion direction side of the receiving portion is located on the insertion direction side of the end portion on the insertion direction side of the discharge port. Washing machine.

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