Top-loading washing machine

Abstract

To solve the problem in which volume in a dewatering tub reduces and in which laundry shrinks.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a dewatering tub arranged in an outer tub; three or more water pouring parts arranged with an equal interval in the circumferential direction with respect to an inner peripheral surface of the dewatering tub; and a water pouring device capable of pouring adjustment water to each of the water pouring parts. In the water pouring part 8, a first water receiving plate protruding radially inside from an outer wall part of the water pouring part at the lower part of the dewatering tub, and a second water receiving plate protruding radially inside from the outer wall part of the water pouring part at the upper part of the dewatering tub are provided. The protrusion amount of the second water receiving plate is smaller than the protrusion amount of the first water receiving plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing and dehydrating tub that can eliminate the imbalance of the washing and dehydrating tub while continuing the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tub, and suppress vibration and noise caused by eccentricity of the washing and dehydrating tub during dehydration. Top-loading washing machine It relates to.

[0002] Conventionally, there is a washing machine having baffles arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the washing and dehydrating tub (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Each baffle is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction from the bottom to the upper end of the washing and dehydrating tub. An opening is formed at the lower end of the baffle, which opens near the bottom of the washing and dehydrating tub, and a circulation water inlet is formed at the upper end of the baffle. Therefore, in the washing process, the washing water agitated by the lower blade part of the pulsator enters through the opening, rises inside the baffle, is discharged from the circulation water inlet, and the clothes are shower-washed.

[0003] In a washing machine, it is common to perform a dehydration process after the washing process. However, when the deviation of the laundry is large during dehydration, the eccentricity of the washing and dehydrating tub during rotation becomes large, and a large torque is required for rotation, so the dehydration operation cannot be started. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting the amount and position of imbalance of the clothes in the washing and dehydrating tub during dehydration, and when there is an imbalance, actively eliminating the imbalance state of the washing and dehydrating tub by injecting water into a plurality of baffles provided evenly in the circumferential direction of the washing and dehydrating tub.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the washing machine described in Patent Document 1, the baffle is formed to protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface of the washing and dewatering tub, and also serves as a water inlet pipe into which adjustment water is injected to resolve the imbalance in the washing and dewatering tub. For this reason, a water receiving plate is formed inside the baffle, protruding radially inward from its outer wall. When adjustment water is injected into the baffle while the washing and dewatering tub is rotating, the adjustment water adheres to the outer wall of the baffle due to centrifugal force and is held in place by the water receiving plate to prevent it from flowing downward.

[0006] Here, we consider a case where, with an imbalance caused by an eccentric load near the top of the washing and spinning tub, the rotation speed of the washing and spinning tub passes the resonant rotation speed, and in order to eliminate this imbalance, adjustment water is poured into a baffle facing the eccentric load.

[0007] As shown in Figure 12(a), when the washing and dewatering tub 502 is passing through resonance at a relatively low rotational speed, the adjustment water is poured into the baffle 506. The adjustment water adheres to the outer wall of the baffle 506 due to centrifugal force and is held above the water receiving plate 516. At that time, the water level of the adjustment water is determined by the resultant force of gravity and centrifugal force acting on the adjustment water, so the angle θ between the upper surface of the water receiving plate 516 and the water surface (angle θ of the water surface with respect to the horizontal line) changes according to the rotational speed of the washing and dewatering tub 502. When the rotational speed of the washing and dewatering tub 502 is relatively low, the above angle θ becomes relatively small, and the center of gravity of the adjustment water is low and the moment is small, so it is not possible to counteract the large moment eccentric load at the top of the washing and dewatering tub 502, and in some cases the dewatering process cannot be started. Note that in Figure 12, the above angle θ represents the angle θ corresponding to a predetermined rotational speed at a relatively low rotational speed of the washing and dewatering tub 502.

[0008] Therefore, when the baffle 506 is formed on the inner surface of the washing and dewatering tub 502, as shown in Figure 12(b), it is necessary to make the amount of protrusion near the lower end of the inner wall portion of the baffle 506 greater than the amount of protrusion near the upper end, thereby increasing the height of the water receiving plate 516 along the radial direction. Then, when the adjustment water is poured into the baffle 506 during resonance passage at a relatively low rotation speed of the washing and dewatering tub 502, even if the angle θ is relatively small, the center of gravity of the adjustment water is raised and the moment is large, which can counteract the large moment eccentric load at the top of the washing and dewatering tub 502, and allow the dewatering to start properly.

[0009] Thus, in order to increase the height of the water receiving plate 516, it is necessary to make the amount of protrusion near the lower end of the inner wall of the baffle 506 greater than the amount of protrusion near the upper end. However, in that case, the volume inside the washing and dewatering tub 502 becomes smaller, and there is a problem that the laundry is more likely to get caught on the baffle 506 inside the washing and dewatering tub 502 as it rotates inside the tub during the washing process, causing damage to the laundry.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of reduced volume in the spin-drying tub and damage to laundry, while also enabling proper spin-drying even when there is an imbalance due to eccentric load near the top of the spin-drying tub. Top-loading washing machine We can provide this. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The vertical washing machine according to the present invention comprises a spin-drying tub disposed in an outer tub, three or more water injection units arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the spin-drying tub, and a water injection device capable of injecting adjustment water into each of the water injection units, wherein the water injection units are provided with a first water receiving plate projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection unit at the lower part of the spin-drying tub, and a second water receiving plate projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection unit at the upper part of the spin-drying tub. The first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate are each plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction. The amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate. According to the present invention, a second water receiving plate is provided above the first water receiving plate in each water injection section, and the conditioned water injected into each water injection section is first held above the second water receiving plate. Therefore, when the spin-drying tub is passing through resonance at a relatively low rotation speed, the center of gravity of the conditioned water injected into the water injection section is higher and the moment is large. As a result, even if there is an eccentric load with a large moment at the top of the spin-drying tub, this eccentric load can be canceled out, and the spin-drying process can be started properly. This eliminates the need to make the amount of protrusion near the lower end of the inner wall of the water injection section provided on the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub larger than the amount of protrusion near the upper end in order to start the spin-drying process properly, thereby suppressing a reduction in the volume inside the spin-drying tub and preventing the water injection section from getting caught on the laundry inside the spin-drying tub and damaging the laundry during the washing process. The vertical washing machine according to the present invention comprises a spin-drying tub disposed in an outer tub, three or more water inlet sections arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the outer surface of the spin-drying tub, and a water inlet device capable of injecting adjustment water into each of the water inlet sections, wherein the water inlet section is provided with a first water receiving plate projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section at the lower part of the spin-drying tub, and a second water receiving plate projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section at the upper part of the spin-drying tub. The first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate are each plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction. The amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate. According to the present invention, a second water receiving plate is provided above the first water receiving plate in each water injection section, and the conditioned water injected into each water injection section is first held above the second water receiving plate. Therefore, when the spin-drying tub is passing through resonance at a relatively low rotation speed, the center of gravity of the conditioned water injected into the water injection section is higher and the moment is large. As a result, even if there is an eccentric load with a large moment at the top of the spin-drying tub, this eccentric load can be canceled out, and the spin-drying process can be started properly. This eliminates the need to make the amount of protrusion near the lower end of the inner wall of the water injection section provided on the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub larger than the amount of protrusion near the upper end in order to start the spin-drying process properly, thereby suppressing a reduction in the volume inside the spin-drying tub and preventing the water injection section from getting caught on the laundry inside the spin-drying tub and damaging the laundry during the washing process. Furthermore, since the water injection section into which the adjustment water is injected is located on the outside of the spin-drying tub, the opening of the spin-drying tub becomes larger and the volume inside the spin-drying tub increases compared to when the water injection section is formed on the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub. In addition, it prevents the water injection section from getting caught on the laundry inside the spin-drying tub and damaging it when the spin-drying tub rotates during the washing process. Moreover, even when a stainless steel spin-drying tub with enhanced durability and cleanliness is used, the majority of the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub is not hidden by the water injection section as it would be when it is formed on the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub, thus allowing the entire inner circumference of the spin-drying tub to be kept clean. Also, when the adjustment water is injected into each water injection section, the distance between the water injection section and the rotation axis of the spin-drying tub is greater compared to when the water injection section is formed on the inner circumference of the spin-drying tub. As a result, the centrifugal force acting on the adjustment water in the water injection section increases, effectively counteracting the eccentric load.

[0012] In the washing machine according to the present invention, one or more third water receiving plates are provided inside the water filling section, positioned between the first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate in the height direction, and it is preferable that the first water receiving plate, the second water receiving plate and the third water receiving plate are provided such that their protrusion amounts decrease from bottom to top.

[0013] According to the present invention, by adjusting the amount of adjustment water injected into each water injection section, the height of the center of gravity of the adjustment water can be changed according to the position of the eccentric load at the top of the dewatering tank. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, It allows for proper dehydration to be initiated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the exterior of a washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of washing machine 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an internal top view of washing machine 1. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inside of washing machine 1. [Figure 5]It is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment water injected into the water injection section 8 is held. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing the state of the adjustment water injected into the water injection section 8 to cancel the eccentric load at the upper part of the dehydration tub 2, and FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing the state of the adjustment water injected into the water injection section 8 to cancel the eccentric load at the lower part of the dehydration tub 2. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the washing machine 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a top view of the inside of the washing machine 101 in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a longitudinal sectional view of the inside of the washing machine 101 in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment water injected into the water injection section 108 is held by the first water receiving plate 116 and the second water receiving plate 118. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing a state in which the adjustment water injected into the water injection section 8 in the washing machine 201 according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention is held. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining the water receiving plate 516 provided in the conventional washing machine 502.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0019] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the vertical washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the washing machine 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view of the inside of the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the inside of the washing machine 1.

[0020] The washing machine 1 of this embodiment includes a washing machine main body 1a, a dehydration tub 2, an outer tub 3, a water injection device 30, and a drive unit 50.

[0021] The washing machine body 1a shown in Figure 1 is roughly rectangular in shape. An opening 11 for loading and unloading laundry into and out of the washing and dewatering tub 2 is formed on the top surface of the washing machine body 1a, and an opening / closing lid 11a that can open and close this opening 11 is attached.

[0022] The outer tub 3 is a bottomed cylindrical member located inside the washing machine body 1a, and is capable of storing wash water inside. A drain pipe 3n is connected to the bottom surface of the outer tub 3. As shown in Figure 2, an acceleration sensor 58 capable of detecting acceleration in two directions, horizontal and vertical, is attached to the outer circumferential surface 3a of the outer tub 3. In this embodiment, the acceleration of the outer tub 3 is detected by the acceleration sensor 58, but the acceleration of the washing and dewatering tub 2 is assumed to be approximately the same as the acceleration of the outer tub 3.

[0023] The dewatering tub 2 also serves as the washing tub and is a bottomed cylindrical member that is positioned coaxially with the outer tub 3 and is rotatably supported. The dewatering tub 2 is capable of holding laundry inside and has numerous water passage holes 2t (see Figure 4) on its walls.

[0024] A pulsator (agitator blade) 4 is rotatably positioned in the center of the bottom 2c of the spin-drying tub 2. As shown in Figure 2, the pulsator 4 has a roughly disc-shaped pulsator body 4a, a plurality of upper blades 4b formed on the upper surface of the pulsator body 4a, and a plurality of lower blades 4c formed on the lower surface of the pulsator body 4a. This pulsator 4 agitates the wash water stored in the outer tub 3 to generate a water flow.

[0025] The water injection device 30 individually injects adjustment water into the three water injection sections 8, which will be described later. The water injection device 30 has three water injection hoses 30a connected to each of the three water injection sections 8, and a water supply valve 31a is provided on each water injection hose 30a. The same number of water injection hoses 30a as there are three water injection sections 10 are provided and are positioned above the water receiving ring unit 5 which communicates with the three water injection sections 10. In this embodiment, tap water is used as the adjustment water.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the water receiving ring unit 5 has annular water conduits 5a, 5b, and 5c that are open upwards and is fixed to the upper end of the dewatering tank 2. The water conduits 5a, 5b, and 5c are constructed by layering three layers radially and are formed so that adjustment water can be supplied to any of the water inlet sections 8 individually.

[0027] The drive unit 50 shown in Figure 2 rotates the pulley 52 and belt 53 with the motor 51, and also rotates the drive shaft 54 ​​that extends toward the bottom 2c of the spin-drying tub 2, thereby providing driving force to the spin-drying tub 2 and pulsator 4, and causing them to rotate. In the washing process, the washing machine 1 mainly rotates only the pulsator 4, and in the spin-drying process, it rotates the spin-drying tub 2 and pulsator 4 together at high speed. In addition, a proximity switch 55 is provided near one of the pulleys 53 that can detect the passage of a mark 52a formed on the pulley 52.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the inner circumferential surface 2a of the dewatering tank 2 is provided with three water injection sections 8 into which adjustment water is injected to resolve the unbalanced state of the dewatering tank 2 during the dewatering process. The water injection sections 8 are provided on the outer circumferential surface 2b of the dewatering tank 2 at equal intervals (equal angles) in the circumferential direction. Each water injection section 8 is hollow and has an arc-shaped cross-section.

[0029] An inlet pipe 8a for injecting adjustment water is attached to the upper end of each water injection section 8, and the inlet pipe 8a is connected to one of the water guide troughs 5a, 5b, or 5c of the water receiving ring unit 5.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, a first water receiving plate 16 and a second water receiving plate 18 are provided inside the water inlet 8, projecting radially inward from its outer wall. Both the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 are plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction, and are curved in an arc shape throughout the entire length of the water inlet 8. The first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 are formed so that their upper surfaces are substantially horizontal.

[0031] The first water receiving plate 16 protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section 8 at the lower part of the dewatering tub 2, and the second water receiving plate 18 protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section 8 at the upper part of the dewatering tub 2 (more specifically, near the center in the vertical direction).

[0032] In this embodiment, "lower part of the dewatering tub 2" means the area from the lower end of the dewatering tub 2 to the vertical center of the dewatering tub 2, and "upper part of the dewatering tub 2" means the area from the vertical center of the dewatering tub 2 to the upper end of the dewatering tub 2. The vertical center of the dewatering tub 2 is included in "upper part of the dewatering tub 2".

[0033] Thus, the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 protrude inward from the outer wall portion within the water injection section 8. However, the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the first water receiving plate 16 is smaller than the radial length of the water injection section 8 (the amount of protrusion of the inner circumferential side wall). Therefore, at the lower end of the water injection section 8, a first void 16a is formed between the tip (radial inner end) of the first water receiving plate 16 and the inner wall portion of the water injection section 8, as shown in Figure 5(a). The regulating water above the first water receiving plate 16 inside the water injection section 8 flows downward from the first water receiving plate 16 through this first void 16a.

[0034] Furthermore, the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the second water receiving plate 18 is smaller than the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the first water receiving plate 16. Therefore, near the vertical center of the water injection section 8, a second void 18a is formed between the tip (radial inner end) of the second water receiving plate 18 and the inner wall of the water injection section 8, as shown in Figure 5(b). As a result, the regulating water above the second water receiving plate 18 inside the water injection section 8 flows downward from the water receiving plate 18 through this second void 18a.

[0035] Therefore, when the dewatering tank 2 is rotating at a relatively low speed during the dewatering process and the adjustment water is injected into the water injection section 8, as shown in Figure 5(a), the adjustment water adheres to the outer wall of the water injection section 8 due to centrifugal force, and is therefore initially held above the second water receiving plate 18 inside the water injection section 8. In Figure 5, the angle θ between the upper surfaces of the water receiving plates 16 and 18 and the water surface (angle θ with respect to the horizontal line of the water surface) indicates an angle θ corresponding to a predetermined rotation speed that is relatively low for the dewatering tank 2 (however, 0 < θ < 90°).

[0036] Subsequently, when more adjustment water is injected into the injection section 8, as shown in Figure 5(b), the amount of water exceeds the amount that can be held above the second water receiving plate 18 in the injection section 8. As a result, the adjustment water flows downward from the water receiving plate 18 through the second void 18a, and the adjustment water is held above the second water receiving plate 18 in the injection section 8, as well as above the first water receiving plate 16 in the injection section 8.

[0037] Thus, during resonance passage at a relatively low rotation speed of the dewatering tub 2, as shown in Figure 6(a), if there is an eccentric load at the top of the dewatering tub 2, the relatively small amount of conditioning water injected into the water injection section 8 is held above the second water receiving plate 18 in the water injection section 8. As a result, the center of gravity T of the conditioning water injected into the water injection section 8 becomes higher, and the moment becomes larger. This allows the eccentric load with a large moment at the top of the dewatering tub 2 to be canceled out.

[0038] In contrast, when the spin-drying tub 2 is passing through resonance at a relatively low rotation speed, as shown in Figure 6(b), if there is an eccentric load at the bottom of the spin-drying tub 2, the relatively large amount of adjustment water injected into the water injection section 8 is held above the second water receiving plate 18 in the water injection section 8, and also above the first water receiving plate 16 in the water injection section 8.

[0039] In this case, the center of gravity T of the entire adjusted water injected into the injection section 8 is located between the center of gravity Ta of the adjusted water held above the second water receiving plate 18 in the injection section 8 and the center of gravity Tb of the adjusted water held above the first water receiving plate 16 in the injection section 8. Therefore, the center of gravity T of the entire adjusted water is lower compared to the case where the adjusted water is held only above the second water receiving plate 18 in the injection section 8, as shown in Figure 6(a). This makes it possible to cancel out the eccentric load even if there is an eccentric load at the bottom of the dewatering tub 2. It is also possible to adjust the height of the center of gravity T of the entire adjusted water in the injection section 8 by adjusting the amount of adjusted water injected into the injection section 8 according to the height of the eccentric load in the dewatering tub 2.

[0040] In contrast, when the rotation speed of the dewatering tank 2 decreases during the dewatering process, the centrifugal force decreases, and the conditioned water that was held above the first water receiving plate 16 or the second water receiving plate 18 no longer adheres to the outer peripheral side wall of the water injection section 8. Instead, it flows downward through the first gap 16a between the tip of the first water receiving plate 16 and the inner wall of the water injection section 8, or the second gap 18a between the tip of the second water receiving plate 18 and the inner wall of the water injection section 8.

[0041] In the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, when the proximity switch 55 detects the marker 52a (see Figure 2), the amount of unbalance is calculated from the magnitude of the horizontal and vertical acceleration from the acceleration sensor 58, and the angle of the unbalance direction is calculated from the signals indicating the horizontal and vertical acceleration from the acceleration sensor 58 and the signal indicating the position of the marker 52a input from the proximity switch 55.

[0042] Based on signals indicating the amount and location of the imbalance, the system determines which water supply unit 8 in the spin-drying tub 2 to supply water to and the amount of water to supply, based on a pre-stored control program. The water supply unit 8 selected for supplying water to the spin-drying tub 2 is located opposite the position of the clump of laundry causing the imbalance. The water supply valve 31a connected to the selected water supply unit 8 is opened to supply adjustment water, and when the imbalance is resolved by the water supply unit 8, the supply of adjustment water is stopped.

[0043] As described above, the washing machine 1 of this embodiment comprises a spin-drying tub 2 disposed inside an outer tub 3, three or more water inlet sections 8 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner circumferential surface 2a of the spin-drying tub 2, and a water inlet device 30 capable of injecting adjustment water into each of the water inlet sections 8. Inside the water inlet section 8, there is a first water receiving plate 16 that protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section 8 at the lower part of the spin-drying tub 2, and a second water receiving plate 18 that protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section 8 at the upper part of the spin-drying tub 2. The amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate 18 is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate 16.

[0044] In this configuration, a second water receiving plate 18 is provided above the first water receiving plate 16 in each water injection section 8, and the conditioned water injected into each water injection section 8 is first held above the second water receiving plate 18. Therefore, when the spin-drying tub 2 is passing through resonance at a relatively low rotation speed, the center of gravity of the conditioned water injected into the water injection section 8 is higher and the moment is larger. As a result, even if there is a large moment eccentric load at the top of the spin-drying tub 2, this eccentric load can be canceled out, and the spin-drying process can be started properly. This eliminates the need to make the protrusion near the lower end of the inner wall of the water injection section 8 provided on the inner circumferential surface 2a of the spin-drying tub 2 larger than the protrusion near the upper end in order to start the spin-drying process properly. This prevents the volume inside the spin-drying tub 2 from decreasing and also prevents the water injection section 8 from getting caught on the laundry inside the spin-drying tub 2 and damaging the laundry during the washing process.

[0045] (Second Embodiment) The difference between the washing machine 101 of this embodiment and the washing machine 1 of the first embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, the water inlet 8 is located inside the spin-drying tub 2, whereas in this embodiment, the water inlet 108 is located outside the spin-drying tub 102. Details of the configuration of the washing machine 101 of this embodiment that are the same as those of the washing machine 1 of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0046] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vertical washing machine 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a top view of the inside of the washing machine 101 of this embodiment, and Figure 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the inside of the washing machine 101.

[0047] In the washing machine 101 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, three baffles 106 are provided on the inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102 at equal intervals (equal angles) in the circumferential direction. Each baffle 106 is hollow and has an arc-shaped cross-section. As shown in Figure 7, each baffle 106 extends vertically from the bottom 102c of the spin-drying tub 102 to its upper end and is formed to protrude from the inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102 toward the rotation axis S1 of the spin-drying tub 102. A horizontally elongated circulation water inlet 106a is formed at the upper end of the baffle 106.

[0048] Furthermore, an opening 106c is formed at the lower end of the baffle 106, near the bottom 102c of the dewatering tub 102, more specifically below the pulsator body 4a. Each baffle 106 allows the wash water agitated by the lower vane 4c of the pulsator 4 during the washing process to pass towards the upper end of the dewatering tub 102 and discharge it from the circulation outlet 106a.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the outer circumferential surface 102b of the dewatering tank 102 is provided with three water injection sections 108 into which adjustment water is injected to resolve the unbalanced state of the dewatering tank 102 during the dewatering process. The water injection sections 108 are provided on the outer circumferential surface 102b of the dewatering tank 102 at equal intervals (equal angles) in the circumferential direction. Each water injection section 108 is hollow and has an arc-shaped cross-section. The circumferential center of each water injection section 108 is positioned radially outward from the circumferential center of the baffle 106. Each water injection section 108 and each baffle 106 are formed as separate spaces. Specifically, a cover member with an open inner surface is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the dewatering tank 102, so that the water injection section 8 is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cover member and the outer circumferential surface 2b of the dewatering tank 102.

[0050] As shown in Figure 9, a first water receiving plate 116 and a second water receiving plate 118 are provided inside the water inlet 108, projecting radially inward from its outer wall. Both the first water receiving plate 116 and the second water receiving plate 118 are plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction, and are curved in an arc shape throughout the entire length of the water inlet 108 in the left-right direction. The first water receiving plate 116 and the second water receiving plate 118 are formed so that their upper surfaces are substantially horizontal.

[0051] The first water receiving plate 116 protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet 108 at the lower part of the dewatering tub 102, and the second water receiving plate 118 protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet 108 at the upper part of the dewatering tub 102 (more specifically, near the center in the vertical direction).

[0052] Thus, the first water receiving plate 116 and the second water receiving plate 118 protrude inward from the outer wall portion within the water injection section 108, but the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the first water receiving plate 116 is smaller than the radial length of the water injection section 108. Therefore, at the lower end of the water injection section 108, a first void 116a is formed between the tip (radial inner end) of the first water receiving plate 116 and the inner wall portion of the water injection section 108, as shown in Figure 10(a). The regulating water above the first water receiving plate 116 inside the water injection section 108 flows downward from the first water receiving plate 116 through this first void 116a.

[0053] Furthermore, the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the second water receiving plate 118 is smaller than the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the first water receiving plate 116. Therefore, near the vertical center of the water injection section 108, a second void 118a is formed between the tip (radial inner end) of the second water receiving plate 118 and the inner wall of the water injection section 108, as shown in Figure 10(b). As a result, the regulating water above the second water receiving plate 118 inside the water injection section 108 flows downward from the water receiving plate 118 through this second void 118a.

[0054] Thus, the conditioning water injected into the water injection section 108 is first held above the second water receiving plate 118 within the water injection section 108. Therefore, during resonance passage at a relatively low rotational speed of the dewatering tub 102, the center of gravity of the conditioning water injected into the water injection section 108 rises, and the moment increases. As a result, even if there is a large moment-generating eccentric load at the top of the dewatering tub 102, that eccentric load can be canceled out. Note that in Figure 10, the angle θ between the upper surfaces of the water receiving plates 116 and 118 and the water surface (angle θ of the water surface with respect to the horizontal line) indicates an angle θ corresponding to a predetermined rotational speed at a relatively low rotational speed of the dewatering tub 102.

[0055] As described above, the washing machine 101 of this embodiment includes a spin-drying tub 102 arranged inside the outer tub 3, three or more water inlet sections 108 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface 2b of the spin-drying tub 102, and a water inlet device 30 capable of injecting adjustment water into each of the water inlet sections 108. Inside the water inlet section 108, there is a first water receiving plate 116 that protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section 108 at the lower part of the spin-drying tub 102, and a second water receiving plate 118 that protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water inlet section 108 at the upper part of the spin-drying tub 102. The amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate 118 is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate 116.

[0056] The washing machine 101 of this embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0057] In the washing machine 101 of this embodiment, the water inlet 108 is formed on the outside of the spin-drying tub 102.

[0058] With this configuration, since the water injection section 108 into which the adjustment water is injected is located on the outside of the spin-drying tub 102, the opening of the spin-drying tub 102 becomes larger and the volume inside the spin-drying tub 102 increases compared to the case where the water injection section 108 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102. In addition, it prevents the water injection section 108 from getting caught on the laundry inside the spin-drying tub 102 and damaging it when the spin-drying tub 102 rotates during the washing process. Furthermore, even when a stainless steel spin-drying tub with enhanced durability and cleanliness is used, the majority of the inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102 is not hidden by the water injection section 108 as it is when the water injection section 108 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102. Therefore, the entire inner circumferential surface 102a of the spin-drying tub 102 can be kept clean. Furthermore, when the conditioning water is injected into each injection section 108, the distance between the injection section 108 and the rotation axis of the dewatering tank 102 becomes larger compared to when the injection section 108 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 102a of the dewatering tank 102. As a result, the centrifugal force acting on the conditioning water in the injection section 108 increases, effectively counteracting the eccentric load.

[0059] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the configuration of this embodiment is not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible.

[0060] In the first embodiment described above, a first water receiving plate 16 located at the bottom of the dewatering tub 2 and a second water receiving plate 18 located at the top of the dewatering tub 2 are provided inside the water injection section 8, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, three or more water receiving plates may be provided inside the water injection section 8. The same applies to the second embodiment described above.

[0061] In the first embodiment described above, both the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 are plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction, but are not limited to this. The shape of the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 is not limited to any shape that can hold the adjustment water above them. Furthermore, the arrangement of the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 (at any height in the height direction of the dewatering tub 2) is arbitrary.

[0062] As shown in Figure 11, the washing machine 201 according to a modification of the first embodiment is provided with, for example, a third water receiving plate 218 positioned between the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 in the height direction inside the water inlet section 8. The amount of protrusion (radial length) of the third water receiving plate 218 is smaller than the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the first water receiving plate 16, and the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the second water receiving plate 18 is smaller than the amount of protrusion (radial length) of the third water receiving plate 218.

[0063] In the washing machine 201 according to a modified version of the first embodiment described above, a third water receiving plate 218 is provided inside the water inlet section 8, positioned between the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 in the height direction, and the amount of protrusion of these plates decreases as you go from bottom to top.

[0064] With this configuration, by adjusting the amount of adjustment water injected into each water injection section 8, the height of the center of gravity of the adjustment water can be changed according to the position of the eccentric load at the top of the dewatering tank 2.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above modified example, a plurality of third water receiving plates 218 are provided, positioned between the first water receiving plate 16 and the second water receiving plate 18 in the height direction, and the first water receiving plate 16, the second water receiving plate 18, and the plurality of third water receiving plates 218 may be arranged such that their protrusion amounts decrease from bottom to top. The same applies to the second embodiment described above.

[0066] In the first embodiment described above, three water inlet sections 8 are provided inside the dewatering tub 2, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The number of water inlet sections 8 provided inside the dewatering tub 2 is arbitrary. Furthermore, the three water inlet sections 8 provided inside the dewatering tub 2 may be provided to also serve the same purpose as the baffle 106 in the second embodiment described above.

[0067] In the second embodiment described above, three water inlet sections 108 are provided on the outside of the dewatering tub 102, the same number as the three baffles 106 provided on the inside of the dewatering tub 102, but this is not limited to that. The number of water inlet sections 108 provided on the outside of the dewatering tub 102 is arbitrary. Also, the left-right center of the water inlet section 108 is positioned radially outward from the left-right center of the baffle 106, but the positions of the water inlet sections 108 and baffles 106 are arbitrary. The number of water inlet sections 108 and the number of baffles 106 may be different. Furthermore, water inlet sections 108 may be provided on the outside of the dewatering tub 102 where baffles 106 are not provided. This point is also the same for the second embodiment described above.

[0068] In the second embodiment described above, a cover member with an open inner surface is attached to the outer surface of the dewatering tub 102, thereby forming the water injection section 108 between the inner surface of the cover member and the outer surface 102b of the dewatering tub 102. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a box-shaped cover member may be attached to the outer surface of the dewatering tub 102, thereby providing the water injection section 108 on the outside of the dewatering tub 102. In that case, similar to the second embodiment, a first water receiving plate 116 and a second water receiving plate 118 may be provided inside the water injection section 108.

[0069] Other configurations can also be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0070] 1. Washing machine 2 Dehydration tank 2a Inner surface of the dewatering tank 3 Outer tank 8. Water Inlet 16. First water receiving plate 18. Second water receiving plate 30 Water injection device 101 Washing machine 102 Dehydration tank 102b Outer surface of the dewatering tank 108 Water Inlet 116. First water receiving plate 118 Second water receiving plate 201 Washing machine 218 Third water receiving plate

Claims

1. A dewatering tank located inside the outer tank, Three or more water injection sections are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the dewatering tank, Each of the aforementioned water injection sections is equipped with a water injection device capable of injecting adjustment water, Inside the water injection section, A first water receiving plate protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section at the lower part of the dewatering tank, A second water receiving plate is provided at the upper part of the dewatering tank, projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section. The first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate are each plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction. A top-loading washing machine characterized in that the amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate.

2. A dewatering tank located inside the outer tank, Three or more water injection sections are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the outer surface of the dewatering tank, Each of the aforementioned water injection sections is equipped with a water injection device capable of injecting adjustment water, Inside the water injection section, A first water receiving plate protrudes radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section at the lower part of the dewatering tank, A second water receiving plate is provided at the upper part of the dewatering tank, projecting radially inward from the outer wall of the water injection section. The first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate are each plate-shaped members with the same width throughout their entire length in the left-right direction. A top-loading washing machine characterized in that the amount of protrusion of the second water receiving plate is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the first water receiving plate.

3. Inside the water injection section, one or more third water receiving plates are provided, positioned between the first water receiving plate and the second water receiving plate in the height direction. The vertical washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first water receiving plate, the second water receiving plate, and the third water receiving plate are provided such that their protrusion amounts decrease from bottom to top.

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