FR2840328A3 - DOMESTIC WASHING MACHINE - Google Patents

Abstract

Washing machine with a tub (2), a water and detergent dispenser, a lower drain manifold (5) and containing in its upper part a housing for the closing ball (9), a drain pump arranged at the lower end of said drain manifold, a drain tube (7) connected at one end to said drain pump and provided with a curvature from which said drain tube follows a downward path (11); there is provided an auxiliary duct (13) of sufficiently narrow section and which connects said distributor (3) with the housing (8) of the drain pump, where the level of the inlet mouth in said auxiliary duct is greater than maximum level reached by said ball.

Description

DOMESTIC WASHING MACHINE

  The invention relates to an improved type of washing machine.

  household linen, preferably with top loading, capable of offering particularly advantageous performance as well as considerable compactness and simplicity of construction. The general requirement is known to reduce as much as possible the external dimensions of household appliances without penalizing the general performances and without excessively complicating them.

  machines themselves; with reference to washing machines

  household linen, it is known to use an element to close the bottom of the tank from below, preventing detergents poured inside during the initial phase of filling the water from reaching the pump housing. emptying and therefore not to be used; this closing element normally has the form of a ball, made naturally floating so that the liquid which rests in the pump housing, and which rises by the principle of communicating vessels, also lifts the ball (as it will be called conventionally thereafter) until it reaches an appropriate passage between the bottom of the tank and the tube which goes from the latter to the pump of

drain by closing it.

  The methods of construction and operation of said type of machinery are well known, as are wind, the corresponding advantages and, for this reason,

they will not be called back.

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  However, these machines have drawbacks which, under certain circumstances,

may become unacceptable.

  In particular, consider the method of lifting the ball: to get liquid into the housing of the drain pump, without first pouring it into the tank, it is common practice to use the water column present in the drain tube even after the end of the drain phase; however, the amount of water returning from the drain tube may not be sufficient to lift the ball until it closes the tank and, therefore, to increase the capacity of the drain tube, it is completed by a bell or upper reservoir, preferably at the highest point, just before

  curvature in teas of the drain tube.

  This considerably increases the usable capacity, but requires considerable additional costs and above all the availability of the necessary space, even outside the machine to leave room for said additional tank. When this space cannot be found, an alternative solution is to make a drain tube with a considerably enlarged section, so that its internal volume can contain the

required amount of liquid.

  However, even in this case, in particular in top-loading machines which exploit each available space especially at depth, the solution of oversizing the drain tube is

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  a flight that cannot be followed, also because it leads to other known functional drawbacks, especially felt in machines

  recirculation of the tank liquid.

  It would therefore be desirable, and it is the object of the present invention, to provide a washing machine machine provided with a ball or floating element capable of closing by teas the connecting tube between it and the housing of the drain pump, which does not have the disadvantages described, that is to say a tube of

  drain too big or a special tank.

  In addition, this washing machine must be easily achievable with existing technologies and must be competitive in construction and easy in use and, in particular, must be able to be achievable with minimal modifications on the washing machines in production today. ; moreover, the characteristics brought must not

  compromise the reliability of the washing machine.

  These wind objects obtained with a particular type of washing machine provided with means of devices and operating means described as an example not

  limiting and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The invention thus relates to a washing machine machine, preferably domestic, comprising: - a rotating perforated drum for housing and ravaging the fabrics to be washed, - a fixed tank (2) containing said drum, - an external device (3) supplying said tank and intended to selectively introduce predetermined amounts of water and substances for the

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  devastation in said tank, through at least one upper duct (3A), - an air flow (23) arranged in the water supply duct (33) upstream of said external device (3) , - a drain collector (5) arranged below said tank and comprising in its upper portion a housing (6) intended to contain a closure means (9) suitable for the passage of water through the opening (4 ) on the bottom of said tank, - a drain pump arranged at the lower end of said drain manifold, preferably in a housing (8) corresponding, - a drain tube (7) connected at one end to said drain pump drain and intended to convey to the outside the water discharged by said drain pump and provided with a rising portion and a curvature (10) from which said drain tube assumes a descending path (11), characterized in that: - an auxiliary duct (13) is provided which connects said external supply device (3) with said housing (8) of said drain pump or with the portion of said drain manifold (5) located below the respective housing (6), - and the level of the inlet mouth in said auxiliary duct is higher than the maximum level can be reached by said means of

closure (9).

  Advantageously, and in combination or separately, said auxiliary conduit comprises a device "a

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  air jump "(14) placed under said external supply device (3); said auxiliary duct has a very small section, not greater than 75 mm2; in a position lateral to said first auxiliary duct is provided an opening (15) connected to the outside by means of a sleeve (16) oriented upwards; or said air projection is disposed between said distribution device (3) and

  the bypass for said auxiliary tube (13).

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading

  of the description below, made with reference to

  annexed drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows the hydraulic diagram of a washing machine according to the invention, before the start of operation; - Figure 2 shows the diagram of the same machine during the filling phase of the ravaged water; - Figure 3 shows the diagram of the same machine during the devastation phase; - Figure 4 shows a detail of a

  improvement of the machines of the preceding figures.

  A washing machine according to the invention comprises a perforated drum not shown rotating inside the closed tank 2; a device 3 for supplying water to said tank comprises a tank for dispensing detergent and other substances and a conduit 3A for connection between said tank and

said tank 2.

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  Said device 3 is connected to the water supply network via a

conduit 33.

  In its lower part, the tank has an opening 4 to which a drain collector 5 is applied in a sealed manner, the opposite end of which is introduced into a housing 6 containing an appropriate drain pump; at this accommodation is

  also relic in a known manner the drain tube 7.

  Corresponding to the upper end of the drain collector 5 is a second housing 8 intended to contain the closing element or "ball"

9 mentions.

  The drain tube 7 has a rising portion which ends in a curvature 10 from which said tube ends with a descending portion 11; as is known, the height "h" of said curvature relative to the support plane of the machine must not be less than a precise value fixed by the

  standards, to avoid continuous emptying of the tank.

  According to the present invention, an auxiliary tube 13 is disposed between said supply conduit 33 and the

housing 6 of the drain pump.

  Said auxiliary tube may even be rather wide; however, this would partially compromise the benefits

of the invention.

  Advantageously, said auxiliary tube 13 has a very small cross section, the dimension of which can be experimentally finished depending on the essential condition explained below; furthermore, with reference to FIG. 4, said auxiliary tube 13 is

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  with a corresponding known interrupt 14

  like "air jump" whose goal is well known.

  In addition, the section at the start of said auxiliary tube 13 is upstream of the air jump 23 inserted in said conduit 33 and which is compulsory before

  reach the dispensing device 3.

  On a side portion to said auxiliary tube, placed below said air junction 14 is formed an opening 15 connected to the outside by means of a

sleeve 16 directed upwards.

  The various components described are also arranged and dimensioned reciprocally so as to be able to operate according to the following modality: 1) At the start of operation (see FIG. 1), the machine is naturally without water, with the exception of the lower zone due liquid which has remained in the rising part of the drain tube 7 and has been discharged into the pump and into said collector

  drain 5 and also in said auxiliary tube 13.

  2) After the start of operation, the water begins to flow through said dispensing device 3 towards the tank passing through the corresponding conduit 3A and, simultaneously, it is introduced through said conduit 33 into the precise auxiliary tube 13 (see Figure 2); however, the pressure towards the dispensing device 3 turns out to be rather low compared to the pressure of introduction into said auxiliary tube 13, since the point of introduction into the device 3, into the duct of the network 33, is located downstream air jump 23, as specified above

(see figure 4).

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  Consequently, the water is introduced into the secondary tube with a speed and a pressure much greater than that of the introduction into the device 3 After having exceeded the air jump 14, the water continues its course with a continuous flow in flowing towards the teas inside this same tube 13; passing at the height of said opening 15, under the effect of a well known phenomenon and also caused by the limited cross section, said flow sucks through said sleeve 16 of intermittent portions of air, brought by said sleeve 13, causing like a gurgling sound in said auxiliary tube 13; 3) While continuing the operation, in said auxiliary tube 13 a regime of small intermittent columns, but continuous between them, of air and water is established; however, and this is the phenomenon which the invention seeks to exploit, the pressure which is created in the housing 6 of the drain pump depends not only on the height of the sum of the individual intermittent water columns, but also and above all

  of the dynamic pressure of the water coming from the network.

  This effect is favored by the fact that, if the section of said auxiliary tube 13 is sufficiently small and, preferably, less than 75 mm 2, then said columns of water do not unite and "ram effect" of the dynamic pressure becomes predominant and have the drain manifold filled sufficiently before

  water does not start to settle at the bottom of the tank.

  It should also be observed that what is conventionally defined as "water column" present in said tube 13 is a column in which is presented a

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  plurality of small columns only of water interspersed with a plurality of small columns only of air, even if in said auxiliary tube 13, said column of water is not a column of water in the physical sense (it is eat- ie a compound column

only water).

  What counts in reality, in the sense of the static pressure which is established in regime in the housing 6, it is the sum of the individual heights of the water columns composed only of water which are in

said auxiliary tube.

  4) While continuing to operate, the drain manifold 5 is filled with water both from said auxiliary tube 13 and, but in a very lower quantity, which penetrates through the lower opening 4 which is still open. Because of these water supplies, the ball 9 floating is pushed up until it reaches its position close to closing; 5) However, rapid filling of the auxiliary tube 13 occurs, at a value much greater than the pressure due to the modest charge of water present in the tank; due to this difference, the water level in the drain collector 5 increases further than it takes to push the ball against said

opening 4 until closing.

  6) From this moment, the filling of the tank is done normally according to the known technique, provided that the components described are dimensioned so that the pressure present in the drain manifold 5, which tends to lift the ball in ferment

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  opening 4, remains higher than water pressure

contained in the tank.

  7) The procedure is continued until the water level in the tank reaches the predetermined value, controlled for example by a pressure switch,

according to the known technique.

  After which the flow of water to the tank is stopped and the filling procedure is considered to be

completed (Figure 3).

  However still, there remains a certain amount of water in said auxiliary tube 13; if the free surface of this column of water were positioned below the level of said curvature 10 of the drain tube, this would cause certain problems; since this column of water is however not controllable at the level of the introduction, it may happen that its free surface is located at a height of the level of said curvature 10, which would obviously give rise to an overflow of the water contained in said tube

  auxiliary through the route: secondary tube -

pump-drain tube housing.

  To avoid this drawback, it is advantageously provided with a suitable touch-up duct 15 between a point 17 at said auxiliary tube 13 and a hole 18 corresponding to access to the tank; it will be easily understood that, while the point 17 can be provided in any zone freely connected to the said auxiliary tube 13 (for example, it can also leave from the pump housing), the hole 18 must have a level "v "below level" h "of curvature 10, so as to allow, according to the principle of vases

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  communicating, the transfer of excess water to said auxiliary tube 13 to the tank without risking that said

  excess water escapes through said drain tube.

  Naturally and a fortiori, this is also valid during the phase of filling the water in the tank, because, because of the height of the free surface in the auxiliary tube 13, it can happen that the water introduced into said tube auxiliary

  is evacuated immediately by the drain tube 7.

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Claims (6)

  1. Washing machine, preferably domestic, comprising: - a rotating perforated drum for housing and ravaging the fabrics to be washed, - a fixed tank (2) containing said drum, - an external device (3) for feeding said drum tank and intended to selectively introduce predetermined quantities of water and substances for devastation in said tank, by means of at least one upper duct (3A), - an air flow (23) arranged in the duct water supply (33) upstream of said external device (3), - a drain collector (5) arranged below said tank and comprising in its upper portion a housing (6) intended to contain a means of closure (9) suitable for the passage of water through the opening (4) on the bottom of said tank, - a drain pump arranged at the end lower than said drain collector, preferably in a housing (8) corresponding , - a drain tube (7) connected at one end to said drain pump and tine to convey to the outside the water discharged by said drain pump and provided with a rising portion and a curvature (10) from which said drain tube assumes a descending path (11), characterized in that than: SR 23179 IT-JCI   - An auxiliary conduit (13) is provided which connects said external supply device (3) with said housing (8) of said drain pump or with   the portion of said drain collector (5) located above   below the respective housing (6), - and the level of the inlet mouth in said auxiliary duct is higher than the maximum level which can be reached by said means of closure (9).   2. Washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said auxiliary duct (13) comprises a device "air jump" (14) has   under said external supply device (3).   3. Washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said auxiliary duct (10) has a very small section, not greater than 75 mm2. 4. Washing machine according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that on   the side portion of said first auxiliary duct is provided with an opening (15) connected to the outside by the intermediary of a sleeve (16) oriented upwards 5. Washing machine according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that it   is provided a touch pipe (15) which connects the interior to said auxiliary pipe (13) to a corresponding hole (18) of entry in said tank and has SR 23179 IT-JCI   has a level "v" lower than the level of said curvature (10). 6. Washing machine according to any one of   claims precedence, characterized in that   said air jump (23) is disposed between said distribution device (3) and the bypass for said auxiliary tube (13).