Textiles: fluid treating apparatus – Machines – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-28
2002-10-29
Coe, Philip (Department: 1746)
Textiles: fluid treating apparatus
Machines
Combined
Reexamination Certificate
active
06470714
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a washing machine for washing and rinsing by agitating blades which rotate at low speed, and dewatering by high speed rotation of a dewatering tank.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a washing machine was composed as shown in FIG.
31
and FIG.
32
. Its constitution is described below.
As shown in
FIG. 31
, in an outer casing
1
, an outer tank
3
is supported by a suspension
2
, and a dewatering tank
4
serving also as a washing tank (hereinafter called dewatering tank
4
) is provided in the outer tank
3
. The dewatering tank
4
is opened at the top, so that the laundry can be loaded from the top. Agitating blades
5
are provided in the bottom, and multiple holes are opened in the side wall.
The dewatering tank
4
is fixed on a dewatering shaft
7
supported by a bearing
6
provided in the bottom of the outer tank
3
. The agitating blades
5
are fixed on a washing shaft
9
supported by a bearing
8
inside of the dewatering shaft
7
. This washing shaft
9
is connected to a reduction mechanism
10
, and a pulley
12
is fitted to a washing side input shaft
11
. In the mounting part of the pulley
12
of the washing side input shaft
11
, four sides are cut off, and the mounting hole of the pulley
12
has a fitting shape, and the torque of the pulley
12
is transmitted. The pulley
12
is connected to a drive motor
14
through a belt
13
. The washing side input shaft
11
has a clutch mechanism
15
for transmitting the rotation of the drive motor
14
by changing over to the washing shaft
9
or dewatering shaft
7
.
The clutch mechanism
15
comprises, as shown in
FIG. 32
, a clutch input boss
15
d
having a hole in a shape to be fitted into the cut portion of the four sides provided in the washing side input shaft
11
, a clutch spring
15
b,
a control pawl
15
e
formed by bending the end of the clutch spring
15
b,
a release sleeve
15
c
having a notch for fitting the control pawl
15
e
formed by bending the end of the clutch spring
15
b,
clutch drive means
15
a
to be engaged with a stopper
15
f
of the release sleeve
15
c,
and a clutch output boss
15
g
of the dewatering shaft
7
on which the clutch spring
15
b
is wound.
In this constitution, in the washing and rinsing stroke, when the clutch drive means
15
a
of the clutch mechanism
15
is engaged with the stopper
15
f
of the release sleeve
15
c,
and the control pawl
15
e
formed by bending the end of the clutch spring
15
b
is fixed, the clutch spring
15
b
cannot be wound around the clutch input boss
15
d,
and if the clutch input boss
15
d
rotates, rotation cannot be transmitted to the clutch output boss
15
g
of the dewatering shaft
7
. Rotation of the drive motor
14
is transmitted only to the agitating blades
5
through the washing shaft
9
, and mechanical force is given to the laundry. Thus, washing and rising of the laundry contained in the dewatering tank
4
are progressed.
In the dewatering stroke, when the clutch drive means
15
a
of the clutch mechanism
15
is disengaged from the stopper
15
f
of the release sleeve
15
c,
and the control pawl
15
e
formed by bending the end of the clutch spring
15
b
is set free, the clutch spring
15
b
is wound around the clutch input boss
15
d.
Accordingly, when the clutch input boss
15
d
rotates, rotation is transmitted to the clutch output boss
15
g
of the dewatering shaft
7
. Rotation of the drive motor
14
is transmitted only to the dewatering tank
4
through the dewatering shaft
7
, and the entire dewatering tank
4
is put into rotation. As the dewatering tank
4
rotates, the water in the laundry after washing and rinsing is wrung out by centrifugal force into the outer tank
3
through multiple holes opened in the side wall of the dewatering tank
4
. Thus, the laundry is dewatered automatically.
In such conventional washing machine, the drive motor
14
is transmitting power to the reduction mechanism
10
through the belt
13
. Accordingly, if one attempts to apply a larger mechanical force to the laundry in order to increase the washing capacity or to enhance the cleaning power, transmission torque is defined by the upper limit by belt slip, belt elongation, belt breakage, or tension changes of the belt
13
due to time-course changes, and transmission torque corresponding to large capacity cannot be obtained.
Moreover, since heavy objects, that is, the drive motor
14
and the reduction mechanism
10
, are disposed side by side beneath the outer tank
3
, the position of the center of gravity of the dewatering tank
4
and outer tank
3
suspended in the outer casing
1
is deviated from the center of rotation (dewatering shaft
7
) of the dewatering tank
4
. Therefore, in dewatering rotation of the dewatering tank
4
, the balance is likely to be broken, and vibration due to rotation becomes larger.
To solve such problems, a washing machine constituted as shown in
FIG. 33
has been proposed.
As shown in
FIG. 33
, an outer tank
16
is suspended by a plurality of suspensions
18
in an outer casing
17
, and inside of the outer tank
16
. Moreover, there is a dewatering tank
20
serving also as washing tank (hereinafter called dewatering tank
20
) which is fixed to the upper end side of a dewatering shaft
19
and is rotated by the dewatering shaft
19
. At the side of the dewatering tank
20
, a plurality of water passing holes
21
are formed, and a liquid balancer
22
is disposed at the upper opening, so that the laundry may be loaded through the upper opening.
A bearing
21
supports the dewatering shaft
19
, and is provided in the bottom of the outer tank
16
. A washing shaft
24
is disposed inside of the hollow dewatering shaft
19
, and is disposed to be coaxial with the dewatering shaft
19
. At the upper end of the washing shaft
24
, agitating blades
25
are provided rotatably in the inner bottom of the dewatering tank
20
, and a rotor
27
of a drive motor
26
is connected to the lower end. The drive motor
26
comprises the rotor
27
and a stator
28
disposed oppositely to a magnet provided on the outer circumference of this rotor
27
, and the rotor
27
is rotated by the rotary magnetic field of the stator
28
. Between the lower end of the dewatering shaft
19
and the rotor
27
, a clutch mechanism
30
is provided through a coupling
29
, and by changing over the clutch mechanism
30
, rotation of the rotor
27
is transmitted or not transmitted to the dewatering shaft
19
.
In this constitution, in the washing and rinsing stroke, the clutch mechanism
30
is changed over, and the dewatering shaft
19
and rotor
27
are cut off. Therefore, the rotation of the rotor
27
of the drive motor
26
is transmitted only to the agitating blades
25
through the washing shaft
24
, and a mechanical force is given to the laundry. Thus, washing and rinsing of the laundry contained in the dewatering tank
20
are progressed.
In the dewatering stroke, the water in the dewatering tank
20
is discharged, the clutch mechanism
30
is changed over, and the dewatering shaft
19
and rotor
27
are coupled, thereby rotating the washing shaft
24
, dewatering shaft
19
and dewatering tank
20
coupled to the rotor
27
of the drive motor
26
. As the dewatering tank
20
rotates, the water in the laundry after washing and rinsing is wrung out into the water tank
16
from multiple water passing holes
21
provided in the side of the dewatering tank
20
by centrifugal force. Thus, the laundry is dewatered.
In the washing machine of such constitution, however, in order to effectively suppress any imbalance in the dewatering stroke, the center of rotation of the dewatering shaft
19
and the washing shaft
24
were disposed coaxially with the rotary shaft of the drive motor
26
by using a coupling
30
. The position of center of gravity of the dewatering tank
20
and outer tank
16
was also matched nearly with the position of center of gravity of the drive motor
26
. It therefore required alignment of the cou
Akasaka Kenichi
Kondo Norimasa
Koshiga Kenji
Matsuda Shin-ichi
Morinaka Junichi
Coe Philip
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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