JP7527560B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine that can eliminate imbalance in the spin tub while continuing to rotate the spin tub, thereby suppressing vibrations and noise caused by eccentricity of the spin tub during spin drying.

A typical washing machine installed in a normal home or laundromat has a spin tub with many water holes formed on its inner surface. Therefore, the water removed from the laundry in the spin tub during spin-drying is drained to the outside of the spin tub through the many water holes. Also, if the laundry is significantly unevenly distributed during spin-drying, the spin tub becomes more eccentric during rotation, requiring a large torque to rotate, and the spin-drying operation cannot be started.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that detects the amount and location of imbalance of clothes in the washing tub during spin-drying, and if there is imbalance, actively resolves the imbalance in the spin-drying tub by injecting water into multiple baffles that are evenly spaced around the periphery of the tub.

JP 2017-56025 A

In the washing machine of Patent Document 1, since multiple baffles are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the spin tub, there is a problem that the area of the inlet of the spin tub and the volume inside the spin tub are reduced. As a method for solving this problem while maintaining the amount of water that can be poured into the baffle, it is considered to make the baffle thinner and wider in the circumferential direction. However, if the baffle is wider in the circumferential direction, the number of water passage holes formed on the inner peripheral surface of the spin tub will be reduced, and water dewatered from the laundry in the spin tub during spin drying will not be able to be efficiently drained outside the spin tub through the water passage holes.

Therefore, the present invention provides a washing machine that can efficiently drain water removed from the laundry in the washing tub to the outside of the spin tub during spin drying.

The washing machine according to the present invention comprises a spin-drying tub having a pulsator disposed at the bottom thereof and a number of water passage holes formed on its inner circumferential surface, three or more baffles disposed at equal intervals circumferentially about the inner circumferential surface of the spin-drying tub, and a water injection device capable of injecting conditioning water into each baffle individually, wherein a water receiving plate is formed inside each baffle and protrudes radially inward from its outer circumferential side wall, and each baffle is disposed above the water receiving plate and has a water storage space for storing conditioning water, and a drainage space disposed below the water receiving plate and for draining the conditioning water flowing out from the water storage space, wherein the circumferential length of the water storage space is formed to be longer than the circumferential length of the drainage space, and the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space has an inclined surface that inclines radially outward as it progresses downward, and wherein the water passage holes are disposed in a region below the water storage space in the spin-drying tub and in both circumferential regions of the drainage space.

In the washing machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that a diversion section that diverts the flow of water toward both sides in the circumferential direction of the drainage space is formed near the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space.

In the washing machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that the opening area of the water passage holes formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space in the spin tub decreases from top to bottom.

In the washing machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that a gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the spin tub and the back surface of the baffle, and that the water passage hole is disposed in a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the spin tub that faces the back surface of the baffle.

According to the present invention, even if the baffle is made wider in the circumferential direction, the inner peripheral surface of the water storage space of the baffle has an inclined surface that inclines toward the radially outward direction as it progresses downward, so that the water dewatered from the laundry in the spin tub during spin-drying is led to the bottom of the water storage space. Then, because a water passage hole is arranged below the water storage space, the water dewatered from the laundry is efficiently drained to the outside of the spin tub. Therefore, spin-drying can be performed smoothly during spin-drying. Furthermore, because the water dewatered from the laundry is concentrated and drained from the bottom of the spin tub, the drained water is less likely to accumulate between the outer tub and the spin tub, and can be smoothly led to the drain hole of the outer tub.

According to the present invention, a diversion section that diverts the flow of water toward both sides of the drainage space in the circumferential direction is formed near the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space, so that the water dehydrated from the laundry can be guided to the water passage hole located below the water storage space, allowing for smoother drainage.

According to the present invention, the opening area of the water passage holes formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space in the dehydration tank decreases from top to bottom, allowing for smoother drainage during dehydration.

According to the present invention, water removed from the laundry in the spin tub during spin drying flows around the left and right ends of the baffle to the back side, passes through the gap between the inner periphery of the spin tub and the back side of the baffle, and is efficiently drained out of the spin tub through the water passage holes.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a washing machine 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the washing machine 1 of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 viewed from above. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a spin-drying tub 2 of the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1. Figure 5(a) is a view of the baffle 8 formed on the inner surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 as viewed from the inner side, Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a1 - _a1 in Figure 5(a), and Figure 5(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a2 - _a2 in Figure 5(a). FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electrical system of the washing machine 1 of FIG. FIG. 7(a) is a view from the inner circumferential side of a baffle 8 formed on an inner circumferential surface 2a1 of a spin tub 2 of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a1 - _a1 in FIG. 7(a), FIG. 7(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a2 - _a2 in FIG. 7(a), and FIG. 7(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a3 - _a3 in FIG. 7(a). Figure 8(a) is a view from the inner circumferential side of a baffle 8 formed on an inner circumferential surface 2a1 of a spin tub 2 of a washing machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8(b) is a schematic diagram of the spin tub 2.

The washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a vertical washing machine (hereinafter, referred to as "washing machine") 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of washing machine 1 of this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a part of washing machine 1 of this embodiment seen from above. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a spin tub 2 of washing machine 1.

The washing machine 1 of this embodiment includes a washing machine main body 1a, a spin tub 2, an outer tub 3, a water receiving ring unit 5, a water injection device 30 (nozzle unit), a drive unit 50, and a control means 60 (see FIG. 6).

The washing machine body 1a shown in FIG. 1 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. An opening 11 for loading and unloading laundry from the spin 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.

The outer tub 3 is a cylindrical member with a bottom that is disposed inside the washing machine body 1a and is capable of storing wash water inside. A drain outlet 10 is formed in the bottom surface of the outer tub 3, and a drain pipe 10a is connected to the drain outlet 10. As shown in FIG. 2, an acceleration sensor 56 capable of detecting acceleration in two directions, horizontal and vertical, is attached to the outer peripheral surface 3a of the outer tub 3.

The spin tub 2 is a cylindrical member with a bottom that is arranged coaxially with the outer tub 3 and is supported so as to be freely rotatable within the outer tub 3. The spin tub 2 can accommodate laundry inside, and has a number of water holes 2t (see FIG. 5(a)) in its wall surface 2a.

A pulsator (agitating blade) 4 is rotatably disposed in the center of the bottom 2c of the spin tub 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the pulsator 4 has a generally disk-shaped pulsator body 4a, a number of upper blades 4b formed on the upper surface of the pulsator body 4a, and a number of lower blades 4c formed on the lower surface of the pulsator body 4a. The pulsator 4 agitates the wash water stored in the outer tub 3 to generate a water flow.

As shown in FIG. 4, three baffles (water injection pipes) 8 serving as water passage pipes are provided on the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 at equal intervals (equal angles) in the circumferential direction. Each baffle 8 extends vertically from the bottom 2c to the upper end of the dehydration tub 2, and is formed to protrude from the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 toward the axis S1. Each baffle 8 is hollow and has an arc-shaped cross section. In this way, the shape of the baffle 8 protrudes little toward the axis S1 of the dehydration tub 2 and expands circumferentially of the dehydration tub 2, which prevents the storage space of the dehydration tub 2 from becoming narrow.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the baffle 8 is provided with a horizontally long circulating water port 80. The lower end of the baffle 8 is provided with an opening 81 that opens near the bottom 2c of the spin tub 2, more specifically, below the pulsator body 4a.

Therefore, in the washing process in which the drain valve _10a1 (see FIG. 2) is closed and wash water is stored in the outer tub 3, the wash water agitated by the lower blade portion 4c of the pulsator 4 enters through the opening 81, runs up inside the baffle 8, and is discharged from the circulating water port 80, shower-washing the clothes, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2. This operation is repeated, so that the wash water circulates inside the spin tub 2. In other words, the baffle 8 has a function of circulating the wash water.

A partition piece 8a is provided near the upper end of the baffle 8, extending from the circulating water port 80 to a position close to the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2. The partition piece 8a extends radially outward from the upper edge of the circulating water port 80 and then curves downward. A gap 8b (see Figure 2) is formed between the partition piece 8a and the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2, and the conditioned water supplied from the water receiving ring unit 5 flows downward through the gap 8b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water receiving ring unit 5 is composed of three layers of annular water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c that are open upward and stacked radially toward the axis S1 of the dehydration tank 2, and is fixed to the upper end of the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 as shown in FIG. 2. The water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c are provided in the same number as the baffles 8, and are formed so that the conditioned water can flow to any one of the baffles 8 individually.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the water guide gutter 5a has an opening 5A that opens radially outward, and the water guide gutter 5a communicates with the inside of the baffle 8. The lower end of the water guide gutter 5b has an opening 5B that opens radially outward, and the water guide gutter 5b communicates with the inside of the baffle 8 via a water passage 5Ba that passes under the water guide gutter 5a. The lower end of the water guide gutter 5c has an opening 5C that opens radially outward, and the water guide gutter 5c communicates with the inside of the baffle 8 via a water passage 5Ca that passes under the water guide gutter 5a and the water guide gutter 5b.

An annular fluid balancer 12 is attached to the outer periphery of the water receiving ring unit 5. The fluid balancer 12 is similar to known fluid balancers.

The water injection device 30 injects the adjustment water into each of the water guide pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c. The water injection device 30 has three water injection nozzles 30a, 30b, and 30c arranged above the water guide pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c, and water supply valves 31a, 31b, and 31c connected to the water injection nozzles 30a, 30b, and 30c, respectively. The water injection nozzles 30a, 30b, and 30c are provided in the same number as the water guide pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c, and are attached to the upper end of the outer tank 3 at positions where they can inject water into the separate water guide pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c. In this embodiment, tap water is used as the adjustment water. In addition, it is also possible to use a direction switching water supply valve as the water supply valve 31a, 31b, and 31c.

The drive unit 50 shown in FIG. 2 rotates the pulley 52 and belt 53 by the motor 51, and also rotates the drive shaft 54 extending toward the bottom 2c of the spin tub 2, thereby providing driving force to the spin tub 2 and the pulsator 4, causing them to rotate. The washing machine 1 mainly rotates only the pulsator 4 during the washing process, and rotates the spin tub 2 and the pulsator 4 integrally at high speed during the spin process. In addition, a proximity switch 55 is provided near one of the pulleys 53, which can detect the passage of the mark 52a formed on the pulley 52.

Figure 5(a) is a view of the baffle 8 formed on the inner surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 as viewed from the inner side, Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a1 - _a1 in Figure 5(a), and Figure 5(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a2 - _a2 in Figure 5(a).

As shown in FIG. 5(b), near the lower end of the inner peripheral side wall of the baffle 8, there is a protruding wall portion 82 that protrudes radially inward. That is, a part of the inner peripheral side wall of the baffle 8 protrudes radially inward. Inside the baffle 8, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), a water receiving plate 85 is formed that protrudes radially inward from the outer peripheral side wall.

The water receiving plate 85 is disposed at the same height as the protruding wall portion 82, and the radially inner end portion 85a of the water receiving plate 85 is disposed inside the protruding wall portion 82. A gap is formed between the radially inner end portion 85a of the water receiving plate 85 and the tip inner circumferential surface of the protruding wall portion 82, and the conditioned water supplied to the water storage space 8Ta flows into the drainage space 8Tb through the gap.

The internal space of the baffle 8 has a water storage space 8Ta located above the protruding wall portion 82 on which the water receiving plate 85 is arranged, and a drainage space 8Tb located below the protruding wall portion 82. The water storage space 8Ta is a space for storing the conditioned water from the water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c, and the drainage space 8Tb is a space for draining the conditioned water flowing out from the water storage space 8Ta.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the radial thickness of the water storage space 8Ta and the radial thickness of the drainage space 8Tb are approximately the same, while the vertical length of the drainage space 8Tb is shorter than the vertical length of the water storage space 8Ta. The circumferential length of the water storage space 8Ta is formed to be longer than the circumferential length of the drainage space 8Tb. Therefore, the volume of the water storage space 8Ta is larger than the volume of the drainage space 8Tb.

The conditioning water poured into the water storage space 8Ta of the baffle 8 is held by the water receiving plate 85 arranged inside the protruding wall portion 82 so that it does not flow downward, and flows radially inward along the upper surface of the water receiving plate 85 inside the protruding wall portion 82. When the conditioning water is poured into the water storage space 8Ta of the baffle 8 while the dehydration tank 2 is rotating, the conditioning water sticks to the outer peripheral walls of the water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c due to centrifugal force, so that the conditioning water is held in the water storage space 8Ta.

In Figures 5(b) and 5(c), the dotted lines extending in the vertical direction indicate straight lines that pass through the lower end of the water storage space 8Ta and are parallel to the vertical direction. As shown in Figures 5(b) and 5(c), the inner surface of the water storage space 8Ta is inclined so as to be positioned radially inward as it progresses from the lower end to the upper end. In other words, the inner surface of the water storage space 8Ta is formed as an inclined surface A that is inclined so as to be positioned radially outward as it progresses from the upper end to the lower end. In this embodiment, the entire inner surface of the water storage space 8Ta is an inclined surface A.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), multiple water holes 2t are arranged in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb in the dehydration tank 2, similar to the region on the inner surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 where the baffle 8 is not formed.

The diameter of the water holes 2t arranged in the area close to the lower end of the water storage space 8Ta is large, and the diameter of the water holes 2t formed in the area close to the bottom 2c of the spin tank 2 is small. In other words, the diameter of the water holes 2t arranged on both sides of the drainage space 8Tb in the circumferential direction becomes smaller from top to bottom.

The diameter of the water passage hole 2t formed in the area where the baffle 8 is not formed on the inner surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 is approximately the same as the diameter of the water passage hole 2t formed in the area close to the bottom 2c of the dehydration tank 2.

Therefore, if the opening rate of the water passage holes 2t is defined as the ratio of the opening of the water passage holes 2t to a specified area, the opening rate of the water passage holes 2t in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb is greater than the opening area of the water passage holes 2t in the region where the baffle 8 is not formed on the inner surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2. The opening rate of the water passage holes 2t in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb decreases from top to bottom.

In the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b), the water dehydrated during dehydration inside the dehydration tub 2 is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space 8Ta by centrifugal force, and tends to flow toward the lower end of the water storage space 8Ta, which is located radially outward from the upper end of the water storage space 8Ta. The water dehydrated during dehydration is then drained to the outside of the dehydration tub 2 through the water passage holes 2t formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb, and is led to the drainage hole of the outer tub 3.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the washing machine 1 of this embodiment. The operation of this washing machine 1 is controlled by control means 60 including a microcomputer. The control means 60 has a central processing unit (CPU) 61 that controls the entire system, and is connected to this control means 60 with a memory 62 that stores various setting values, etc. Also, the control means 60 causes the microcomputer to execute a program stored in the memory 62, thereby performing a predetermined operation, and the memory 62 temporarily stores data, etc. used when executing the program.

The central control unit 61 outputs a control signal to the rotation speed control unit 63, which in turn outputs the control signal to the motor control unit (motor control circuit) 64 to control the rotation of the motor 51. The rotation speed control unit 63 receives a signal indicating the rotation speed of the motor 51 from the motor control unit 64 in real time, which serves as a control element. The unbalance amount detection unit 65 is connected to the acceleration sensor 56, and the unbalance position detection unit 66 is connected to the acceleration sensor 56 and the proximity switch 55.

As a result, when the proximity switch 55 detects the marker 52a (see Figure 2), the unbalance amount detection unit 65 calculates the amount of unbalance (M) from the magnitude of the horizontal and vertical acceleration from the acceleration sensor 56, and outputs this amount of unbalance to the unbalance amount determination unit 67. The unbalance position detection unit 66 calculates the angle of the unbalance direction from the signal indicating the position of the marker 52a input from the proximity switch 55, and outputs an unbalance position signal to the water injection control unit 68.

When the water injection control unit 68 receives signals indicating the amount of imbalance and the position of the imbalance from the imbalance amount determination unit 67 and the imbalance position detection unit 66, it determines which baffle 8 in the spin tub 2 to supply water to and the amount of water to supply based on a control program stored in advance. It then opens the selected water supply valves 31a, 31b, and 31c to start injecting adjustment water. When an imbalance occurs in the spin tub 2, it starts injecting adjustment water from the water injection nozzles 30a, 30b, and 30c selected based on the calculation of the amount of imbalance to the water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c of the water receiving ring unit 5, and stops injecting adjustment water when the imbalance is eliminated by the baffle 8.

When the laundry lump D(X) causing the imbalance is between baffle 8(A) and baffle 8(C) of the spin tub 2, as shown in FIG. 4, the water injection control unit 68 controls the supply of adjustment water to baffle 8(B). When the laundry lump D(Y) is near baffle 8(B), the water injection control unit 68 controls the supply of adjustment water to both baffle 8(A) and baffle 8(C).

Thus, the washing machine 1 of this embodiment comprises a spin tub 2 having a pulsator 4 disposed at the bottom 2c and a plurality of water holes 2t formed on its inner circumferential surface 2a1, three or more baffles 8 disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2, and a water injection device 30 capable of individually injecting conditioning water into each baffle 8, and a water receiving plate 85 is formed inside the baffle 8 and protrudes radially inward from its outer circumferential side wall, and the baffle 8 is disposed above the water receiving plate 85, It has a water storage space 8Ta that stores the conditioned water, and a drainage space 8Tb that is located below the water receiving plate 85 and drains the conditioned water that flows out from the water storage space 8Ta. The circumferential length of the water storage space 8Ta is formed to be longer than the circumferential length of the drainage space 8Tb, and the inner surface of the water storage space 8Ta has an inclined surface A that slopes downward so that it is positioned radially outward, and water passage holes 2t are arranged on both sides of the circumferential region of the drainage space 8Tb in the dehydration tank 2.

With this configuration, even if the baffle 8 is made wider in the circumferential direction, the inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta has an inclined surface A that inclines so as to be positioned radially outward as it proceeds downward, so that the water dewatered from the laundry in the spin tub 2 during spin-drying is led to the bottom of the spin tub 2. Then, because the water passage hole 2t is arranged below the water storage space 8Ta, the water dewatered from the laundry is efficiently drained to the outside of the spin tub 2. This allows for smooth dewatering during spin-drying. Furthermore, because the water dewatered from the laundry is concentrated and drained from the bottom of the spin tub 2, the drained water is less likely to accumulate between the outer tub 3 and the spin tub 2, and can be smoothly led to the drain hole of the outer tub 3.

In this way, in the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, the opening area of the water passage holes 2t formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb in the spin tub 2 gradually decreases from the top to the bottom.

With this configuration, the opening area of the water passage holes 2t formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb in the dehydration tank 2 decreases from top to bottom, allowing for smoother drainage during dehydration.

Second Embodiment
The vertical washing machine according to this embodiment differs from the vertical washing machine according to the first embodiment in the shape of the inner peripheral surface of the baffle 8. In the configuration of the vertical washing machine according to this embodiment, detailed description of the parts similar to those of the vertical washing machine according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 7(a) is a view from the inner circumferential side of a baffle 8 formed on an inner circumferential surface 2a1 of a spin tub 2 of a washing machine according to a second embodiment, FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a1 - _a1 in FIG. 7(a), FIG. 7(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a2 - _a2 in FIG. 7(a), and FIG. 7(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line _a3 - _a3 in FIG. 7(a).

The inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta is formed as an inclined surface A that inclines radially outward from the upper end to the lower end, as shown in Figs. 7(b) and 7(c). In addition, near the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta, a diversion section 8Tc that protrudes toward the inside of the spin tub 2 is formed, as shown in Figs. 7(a) and 7(d). The horizontal width of the diversion section 8Tc increases from top to bottom. Therefore, water flowing from top to bottom along the inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta is divided into left and right at the upper end of the diversion section 8Tc and flows toward both circumferential sides of the drainage space 8Tb.

In this way, in the washing machine of this embodiment, a diversion section 8Tc is formed near the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space 8Ta, which diverts the flow of water toward both sides in the circumferential direction of the drainage space 8Tb.

With this configuration, a diversion section 8Tc is formed near the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space 8Ta that diverts the water flow toward both sides of the drainage space 8Tb in the circumferential direction, so that the water dehydrated from the laundry can be guided to the water passage hole 2t located below the water storage space 8Ta, allowing for smoother drainage.

Third Embodiment
The vertical washing machine according to this embodiment differs from the vertical washing machine according to the first embodiment in that a gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 and the baffle 8. In the configuration of the vertical washing machine according to this embodiment, detailed description of the parts that are similar to those of the vertical washing machine according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

Figure 8(a) is a view of the baffle 8 formed on the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 of a washing machine according to the third embodiment, as seen from the inner circumferential side, and Figure 8(b) is a schematic diagram of the spin tub 2.

The inner circumferential surface of the water storage space 8Ta is formed as an inclined surface A that inclines radially outward as it progresses from the upper end to the lower end. As shown in FIG. 8(b), a gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 and the rear surface of the baffle 8 (the radially outer surface of the baffle 8). Therefore, water dehydrated from the laundry in the spin tub 2 during dehydration can pass through the gap between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 and the rear surface of the baffle 8.

As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), a plurality of water holes 2t are arranged on the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 in a portion facing the back surface of the baffle 8. Thus, in this embodiment, a plurality of water holes 2t are arranged on the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 in a portion hidden by the water storage space 8Ta of the baffle 8. Therefore, the water dehydrated from the laundry in the dehydration tub 2 during dehydration flows around to the back surface from both the left and right ends of the water storage space 8Ta of the baffle 8, passes through the gap between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 and the back surface of the baffle 8, and is then drained from the water holes 2t to the outside of the dehydration tub 2.

In this way, in the washing machine of this embodiment, a gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 and the rear surface of the baffle 8, and a water passage hole 2t is arranged in the portion of the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the spin tub 2 that faces the rear surface of the baffle 8.

With this configuration, water removed from the laundry inside the dehydration tub 2 during dehydration flows around the left and right ends of the baffle 8 to the back side, passes through the gap between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tub 2 and the back side of the baffle 8, and is efficiently drained outside the dehydration tub 2 through the water passage hole 2t.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the configuration of this embodiment is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the first to third embodiments, the entire inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta is an inclined surface A that is inclined so as to be positioned radially outward as it advances downward, but only a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the water storage space 8Ta may be an inclined surface A that is inclined so as to be positioned radially outward as it advances downward.

In the first to third embodiments, the aperture ratio of the water passage holes 2t formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb in the dehydration tub 2 decreases from top to bottom, but is not limited to this. For example, the aperture ratio of the water passage holes 2t formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space 8Tb in the dehydration tub 2 may be constant throughout the entire area. In the first to third embodiments, the opening area, number, and arrangement of the water passage holes 2t formed on the inner surface of the dehydration tub 2 are arbitrary.

In the first to third embodiments described above, three baffles 8 are provided, and a water receiving ring unit 5 having three water guide gutters 5a, 5b, and 5c for injecting water into the three baffles 8 is provided, but this is not limited thereto, and any configuration may be used as long as three or more baffles 8 are provided and a water injection device is provided that can inject conditioned water into each baffle 8 individually.

In the third embodiment, the description of the support structure of the baffle 8 relative to the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 was omitted, but the support structure is optional as long as a gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface 2a1 of the dehydration tank 2 and the baffle 8.

In the above first to third embodiments, the inner peripheral side wall of the baffle 8 has a protruding wall portion 82 that protrudes radially inward, and the radially inner end of the water receiving plate 85 is disposed inside the protruding wall portion 82, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the inner peripheral side wall of the baffle 8 does not have to have a protruding wall portion 82 that protrudes radially inward.

In the first to third embodiments described above, examples of the shape of the baffle 8 are shown, but the shape is not limited to these. The shape of the baffle 8, the shape of the water storage space 8Ta, and the shape of the drainage space 8Tb are arbitrary, and may be, for example, a shape that widens upward or downward.

In the first to third embodiments described above, examples of the shape of the water receiving plate 85 are shown, but the shape is not limited to these. The position (vertical height) and radial length of the water receiving plate 85 are arbitrary.

Other configurations can also be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Washing machine 2 Dewatering tub 2c Bottom of dewatering tub 2t Water passage hole 4 Pulsator 8 Baffle 8Ta Water storage space 8Tb Drainage space 8Tc Diversion section 30 Water injection device 85 Water receiving plate A Inclined surface

Claims (4)

A dewatering tub having a pulsator disposed at the bottom thereof and a plurality of water passage holes formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof;
Three or more baffles are disposed at equal intervals in a circumferential direction on an inner peripheral surface of the dehydration tub;
A water injection device capable of injecting adjusted water into each baffle individually,
A water receiving plate is formed inside the baffle so as to protrude radially inward from an outer circumferential wall thereof,
The baffle is
A water storage space arranged above the water receiving plate and configured to store regulated water;
A drainage space is disposed below the water receiving plate and drains the regulated water flowing out from the water storage space.
The circumferential length of the water storage space is formed to be longer than the circumferential length of the drainage space,
The inner circumferential surface of the water storage space has an inclined surface that is inclined so as to be disposed radially outward as it proceeds downward,
The washing machine, characterized in that the water passage holes are arranged in a region below the water storage space in the dehydration tub and in both circumferential side regions of the drainage space. The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that a diversion section is formed near the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the water storage space, which diverts the flow of water toward both sides in the circumferential direction of the drainage space. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the opening area of the water passage holes formed in both circumferential regions of the drainage space in the spin tub decreases from top to bottom. A gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the dehydration tub and the rear surface of the baffle,
4. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water passage hole is disposed in a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the spin tub that faces a rear surface of the baffle.

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