GB2389121A - Clothes washing machine drainage arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine has an auxiliary pipe 13 of narrow cross-section that connects a water / cleaning agent dispenser 3 with a drain pump housing 6. The auxiliary pipe is fitted with an air jump interruption at its upper end. An opening 4 is provided in an outer tub of the machine which is closed by a ball 9. The opening communicates with a drain manifold 5 and housing 6 containing a drain pump. The housing further communicates with a drain tube 7. An overflow pipe 15 communicates with the outer tub of the machine with its outlet located at a level 'v'. The level 'v' is lower than the drain tube level 'h'.

Description

DOMESTIC CLOTHES WASHIN(; MACHINE,

The Invention relates to an improved type of domestic clothes washing machine, preferably top-kadng, that offers highly advantageous performance while at the 5 same time Is ova very compact and simple construction It Is known that there Is a general need to reduce as far as possible the external dunensons of household appliances without af'fcctmg their general perfon,ance and without over-eomphcatng the machines themselves. With reference to domestic ckthes washing machines it Is known practice to use a component to close, from beneath, 10 the bottom of'the outer tub, preventhig the Searing agents poured into it during the initial water filing phase from reaching the housug of the dram pump anti SO being unused This closing component Is normally n, the forth of a ball, made buoyant, of course, so that the liquid Iyng In the pump housing and nsmg, owing to the principle of'eommuntcatmg vessels, will also hft the said ball (as it will be conventionally called henceforth) until it 15 pushes it Into a passage between the bottom of'the outer tub and the tube leading from the outer tub to the dram pump, thereby closing it.

The methods of construction anti operation of nachnes of the sa d type are well known, as are their advantages, anti they will not thcref'ore be discussed here.

However, the said machines have disadvantages which, nil centaur 20 circumstances, can become unacceptable.

Consider, us particular, the method of hI'tmg,, the ball: n1 order to get Squid Into the dra n pump hot.'sng' without first pouring' it Into the outer tub, it is common practice to use the water column which is present In the dram tube even after the dranhgT phase; but the amount ot'\vater avouch returns from the drain tube nary be UlSUt'lC ent to lift 25 the ball far enough to close the outer rub, and therefore, no order to Increase the capacity of the drain tube, the latter's fitted with an upper bell or reservoir, preferably at the hg,,hest point, Immediately before the downward bend of the drain tube.

This greatly increases the useable capacity, but Imposes more than neg, hgibie additional burdens and most of all the avalabhty of the space required, 30 ncludng outside of the machine to accommodate the sand additional reservoir If the said space cannot be found, an altematve solution is to give the dram tube a much larger cross section, SO that its Atonal volunc cau1 contain the necessary amount of Squids

-2 However, once again, especially U1 top-loading machines which make use of all the available space, especially In teens of depth, UlCrCaSnig the SIZC of the drain tube Is not a workable solution, partly because it results m further known functional drawbacl;s which are especially serious In machines which recirculate the outer-tub hound.

5 It would therefore be clesrabie, and it Is an object of the present Invention, to provable a clothes washing, machine fitted with a ball or floating component capable of closing, from the underside, the connecting tube between the latter and the drain pump housing, that would not exhibit the drawbacks described, h1 the sense of an over-sized drain tube or a dedicated reservoir.

1() Furthermore, this clothes washing machine must be easy to produce with exsthg technologies and must be competitive u1 construction and easy to USC, and In particular must be able to be produced with only minor motltcatons to the svashm, machines currently ha production. Furthermore, the features ultrotfuced must not compromsc the rehabhty of the clothes washUlp macilule 15 According to the present Invention there Is provdedf a clothes washing machine conprisng: a rotating perforated mncr tub for containing and washing the fabrics to be washed, a fixed outer tub containing the said imier tub, 20 an external feeder tIcvce for the said outer tub, for selectively mJcctmg predefined quantitcs of water and substances for the washing into the said outer tub, via at least one upper pipe, an Rump arranged In the water fccder pipe upstream ofthc said external device, 25 a drain manfokl stuatctf beneath the said outer tub and comprsmg in its upper portion a housing tor containing a suitable means of closing the Passaic of the water from the opening in the botton1 of the said outer tub, a drain pump arranged at the lower end of the said dram manifold, prctcrably In a sutabic housing, 3() and a dram tube connected at one end to the said drain pump and capable of conveying to the exterior the water propelled by the said drain punts, the said tube having an upward section and a bend after whelk the said drain tube follows a downward path, wherein

-3 an auxhary pipe connects the said external feeder devcc with the said housing ofthe said dram pump, or with the portion ofthe said drain manit'old that Is located untlcrneath the corrcspondng housing, and the level of the ullct of'the said auxiliary pipe Is higher than the 5 maximum level to which the said closure means can rise The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, m whcl: Fig I shows the hydrauhc anagram of a clothes wasllng machme according to the invention, before it beams operation, 10 fig. shows the diagram of the same machme clurng the phase in which it Is bemg filled with the wash water, fig. 3 shows the diagram of the same macllne durmg the washing phase, and F'L;. 4 shows a detail of'an Improvement of the machines seen In the 15 previous figures.

A clothes washmy, machine according, to the nventon comprises a perforated mner tub, not shown, rotating Inside a closed outer tub 2. device 3 for admitting water into the said outer tub comprises a holder for dspensul a cleaning agent and other substances and a connectmy, pipe 3A between the said holder and the said outer 2() tub 2.

The said device 3 Is connected to the water mum by a pipe 33.

At the bottom, the outer tub has an opcmng 4, connected in a sealed manner to which Is a dram manifold 5 whose other end leads mto a housny, 6 contain a suitable drain pump; this housing is also connected in a known way to the drank tube 7.

25 At the upper end of the said dram manf'oltl 5 Is a second housing t'or containing the said closing component or "ball"').

The drain tube 7 conpriscs an upward sccton that ends with a bend 10, from which the said tube continues with a downward section 1 i. As is known, the height "h" of the said bend above the floor on which the machine Is standing must not be less than 3() a precsc value which Is set by the standards, to prcvcut continuous c'ptyng of the outer tub. According to the present uventon there Is an auxhary tube 13 between the said feeder pipe 33 and the housmg (, of the drain pump

-4 The said auxiliary tube may even be comparatively broad, however, this would partly compromise the advantages of the invention Advantageously, the said auxhary tube 13 has a very small cross section, the dmen.ston of which may be defined experimentally n1 accordance with the requirement 5 explained below; furthermore, with reference to ale. 4, the said auxiliary tube 13 Is fitted with a respective interruption 14 known as an "rump", the purpose ol which Is well known. Also, the beginning section of the said auxiluary tube 13 Is upstream of the air jump 23 connected into tile said pipe 33 which is obligatory before reaching the 10 dspensug device 3.

On one side of the said auxiliary tube, below the said atriums 14, Is an opening 15, connected to the exterior by a sleeve 16 which leads upwards.

The various components described are also laid out and neutrally designed In such a way as to be able to Auction in the following manor 15 1) At the begnmng of operation (see long. 1) the machme Is ot course empty of'water, except In the flower region because of the quip Icl't In the upward part of the drain tube 7 which has flowed back Alto the puny and into the said drain manifold 5, and also Into the said auxiliary tube 13.

2) After operation has begun, the water begins to flow from the said 20 dispensing device 3 towards the outer tub through the appropriate pipe 3A, and simultaneously passes from the said pipe 33 Into the said auxiliary tube 13 (see Fig 2) I lowever, the pressure towards the dispensing device 3 is relatively low compared with the pressure entering the said auxiliary tube 13 because the point of'entrance mto the device 3, In the mans pipe 33, is downstream of the Rump 23, as specified above (see (fig. 4).

25 The water therefore enters the secondary tube with much greater velocity and pressure than it enters the device 3.

After passe the Rump 14, the water continues, with continuous flow, its downward path inside the sane tube 13. As it passes the said opening 15, a \veil-known phenomenon due also to the restricted cross section causes the flow to draw In ultennttent 30 gulps of air from the said sleeve 16, conveyed by the said sleeve 13, producing, a sort of' gurgling In the said auxhary tube 13.

3) As operation continues, a conniption Is set up In the said auxhary tube 13 of small ntcnnttent columns, but continuous with each other, of'ar anti water.

i -5 Howcver, and this is the phenomenon which the invention seeks to put to USC, the pressure created In the housing 6 of the dram pump depends not only on the heft of'the sum of the individual nterrnttent columns of water, but also and more Importantly on the dynamic pressure of the water coming fiom the mam.

5 Tlls effect Is promoted by the fact that if the section of the said auxiliary tube 13 is sufficcntly small, and preferably less than 75 mm2, the said water columns will not unite and the "ram effect" of the dynamic pressure becomes predomulant and causes the drain manifold to fill suf'f'icently before the water begins to deposit tscif''n the bottom of the outer tub.

10 It should also be observed that what is conventionally described as the "water column" present in the said tube 13 Is a columns containing a plurality of small columns of water alone, broken up by a corresponding plurahty of small columns of air alone, even though the said column of water In the said auxhary tube 13 Is not a column of water U1 the physical sense (net a column composed of water alone).

15 What really matters, for the purposes of the static pressure that develops during steady operation in the housing 6, Is the sum of'the Individual heglts of the columns of water composed of water alone msdc the said auxiliary tube.

4) As opcraton continues to procoetl, the drain manifold 5 Is filled not only with water coming fi-om the said auxiliary tube 13, but also, though to a lesser dcgrcc, 20 with water that has got m through the lower opening 4, which Is still open. Because of these incoming streams of water, the fkatng ball 9 Is pushed Up until it Is near to the closing position.

5) However, the rapid filling of'thc auxhary tube 5, at a much higher value than the pressure due to the modest head of'water present no the outer tub, due to this 25 difference the water Icvcl h1 the drain manifold 5 increases far enough to push the ball against the said opening 4 anti close it.

6) From now on the outer tub continues to fill in the normal way In accordance with the prior art, provided the components described are designed In such a

way that the pressure present m the dram manifold 5, which tends to hilt the ball and close 30 the opening 4, remains greater than the pressure of the water contained n1 the outer tub.

7) The process continues until the level of' the water in the outer tub reaches the predetermined value, controlled for example by a pressure sensor, as in the prior art.

-6 Aftcrards the flow of water to the outer tub is Cllt off and the filling process s cons clercd to be conpictcd (Fig 3).

There remands however a certain amount of water m the salts aux.l ary tube 13; fthe free surface ofths colum,, of'watcr lay below the Icvcl ol'thc said bend 10 ot'thc 5 drain tube there would be no prohicm; however because this column of water Is not controllable on entry its free surface may he at a height level with the said bend 10 which would of course result U1 an ovcrtIow ol'tle water contained u, the said auxiliary tube along the path from secondary tube to pu rip housing, to dram tube.

To avoid this problem a sutabic overflow pipe I 5 Is a3vantagcously 10 installed between a point 17 of the said auxihary tube 13 and a respect ve hole l gnving access to the outer tub; it will readily be understood that while the 10n1t 17 may be located in any area connected freely to the sa d auxiliary tube 13 (c is it may CVC.1 begin in tlc pump housing;) the hole I must have a Icvcl v', lower than the level "h" over talc said bend 10 In order that by the franc pie of communicating vessels the excess water can 15 transfer from the salt] auxhary tube 13 to the outer tub with no danger of'the said excess water escape ng from the said drain tube.

Still more Is this relevant of course during loading of the outer tub with water snnce owing to the height ot'thc f'rcc water surf.icc In the auxlhary tube 13 the water that had entered the said auxhary tube nay mimcdatcly drain out through the drain tube 7.

2()

Claims (1)

1. CL/\IMS

   1. A clothes washing machine comprising.

   a rotating perforated inner tub for containing and washing the fabrics to be S washed, a fixed outer tub eontainng the said mner lute, an external feeder device for the said outer tub, for selectively enacting predefined quantities ot water and substances lor the washing Into the said outer tub, via at least one upper pipe, 10 an Rump arranged n1 the waler feeder pipe upstream of the said external device, a drain manifold situated beneath the said outer tub and conprsmg ha its upper portion a housing for containing a sutabic means of close the passage of the water from the opening In the bottom of the said outer tub, 15 a drain pump arranged at the lower end ot the said dram ninefold, preferably In a suitable housing, - and a dram tube connected at one end to the said drain pump and capable of conveying to the exterior the water propelled by the said drain pump, the said tube havmg an upward section and a bend at'tcr which the said drain tube follows a downward path, 2() w hcrcn an auxiliary pipe connects the SaILI external fccLicr dcvce with the said housing of the said drain pump, or with the portion of the.sad dram nanfoki that Is located underneath the corresponding housing, and the ICVel of the Act of the S'LI auxiliary ppc Is higher than the 25 maximum Icvel to which the said closing, means can rise 2. A clothes wa.shug machme accorclng to (:'lam 1, whcrcn the said auxiliary pipe comprises an "air jump" device arranged beneath the said external feeder dcvcc.

   30 3. A clothes washing machine according to Clams 2, whercn the said auxiliary

   pipe has a very snail cross section of not more than 75 m''2

   ( -- 4 A c]othc.s washng machine accordng to any onc of the prcccding clams, whercn on a side portion of the said first auxiliary pipe Is an opening connected to the extcror via a sleeve that leads upwards.

   5 5 A clothes washing nachhc according to any onc of the preccdhg clangs, wherein an overflow pipe connects the interior of the sail auxiliary pipe to a sutabic enact hole In the said outer tub at a level "v" lower than the Icvcl of the said bentl (. A clothes washing machme according to any one of the preceding clauns, 10 whcrcn the said arJunp Is arranged between the said dspcnstng, device and theuncton for the said auxiliary tube.

   7. A clothes washing machnc constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described wits reference to and as llustratecl In the I 5 accompanying drawings