TW202242218A - washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The washing machine in this disclosure is equipped with: a washing tank for accommodating laundry; a liquid agent tank for storing the liquid agent; and an automatic liquid agent feeding device for injecting the liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank into the washing tank. The liquid agent tank has: a tank body formed in a substantially box shape and having an opening on an upper surface in an installed state; and a tank cover having an insertion wall inserted into the opening and covering the opening. The outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body when the tank cover is mounted on the tank body, and the liquid agent tank has a groove on a peripheral surface including at least one of the upper inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, The aforementioned groove portion is disposed in a substantially horizontal direction in an installed state.

Description

washing machine

This disclosure relates to a washing machine.

Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine provided with an automatic liquid agent injection device for automatically supplying liquid agents.

The washing machine in Patent Document 1 is provided with a liquid agent tank (a tank body having an opening and containing the liquid agent, and a tank cover for opening and closing the opening) and an automatic liquid agent injection device. The tank body has a liner. prior art literature

patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-37356

The present disclosure provides a washing machine capable of suppressing leakage of liquid in a liquid agent tank caused by capillary phenomenon.

The washing machine in this disclosure is equipped with: a washing tank for accommodating laundry; a liquid agent tank for storing the liquid agent; and an automatic liquid agent feeding device for injecting the liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank into the washing tank. The liquid agent tank has: a tank body formed in a substantially box shape and having an opening on an upper surface in an installed state; and a tank cover having an insertion wall inserted into the opening and covering the opening. The outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body when the tank cover is mounted on the tank body, and the liquid agent tank has a groove on a peripheral surface including at least one of the upper inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, The aforementioned groove portion is disposed in a substantially horizontal direction in an installed state.

The washing machine in the present disclosure can suppress the leakage of the liquid in the liquid agent tank caused by the capillary phenomenon.

form for carrying out the invention (Intellectual insights that form the basis of this disclosure, etc.) In conventional washing machines, watertight components such as gaskets are provided on the tank body or the tank cover in order to prevent the liquid in the tank from leaking out from between the tank body and the tank cover in the liquid tank for storing the liquid. However, in the conventional washing machine, there is a possibility that the liquid agent may leak due to deterioration of the gasket or the like.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a washing machine that does not have a watertight member such as a packing and can suppress leakage of a liquid agent from a liquid agent tank.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the attached drawings and the following descriptions are provided to allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. (Embodiment 1)

Hereinafter, washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1, which is an example of the washing machine in the present disclosure, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 . [1-1. Composition] [1-1-1. Configuration of washing machine]

1 and 2 are external perspective views showing the configuration of a washing machine 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 shows a closed state of a lid 700, and FIG. 2 shows a state of an opened lid 700. As shown in FIG. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the vertical direction in the state (corresponding to the installation state in this disclosure) in which the washing machine 100 is installed as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be described as an up-down direction. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the side where the operation part 800 of the washing machine 100 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is present may be described as the back side, and the opposite side may be described as the front side. That is, the user generally puts laundry such as clothes into the washing machine 100 while standing in front of the washing machine 100 , and performs various operations for operating the washing machine 100 . In addition, the laundry in the present disclosure is not limited to clothes, but refers to cloth or leather products such as bedding, curtains, carpets, shoes, etc. and other items that can be washed in various known washing machines.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the washing machine 100 includes a housing 600 , a cover 700 , and an operation unit 800 . The housing 600 includes a lower housing 610 and an upper housing 620 . The washing tank 500 is accommodated in the lower case 610 . The washing tank 500 is formed in a cylindrical body opened upward, and can accommodate laundry to perform a washing operation for washing the laundry. The washing operation may be performed by known washing tanks of various washing machines. The principle of this embodiment is not limited to the specific cleaning action performed by the washing tank 500 .

The upper case 620 is disposed above the lower case 610 , and the upper case 620 is formed with an input port 621 for laundry communicating with the washing tub 500 . The cover 700 is attached to the rear of the upper case 620 and covers the inlet 621 in a freely openable and closable manner. When the user rotates the cover 700 upward, the washing tank 500 will be exposed through the insertion opening 621 . A user can insert laundry into washing tub 500 from inlet 621 .

An operation unit 800 is arranged at a rear portion of the upper case 620 and at a position behind the inlet 621 . The user can operate the operation unit 800 to set various operations of the washing tub 500 . In addition, the washing machine 100 is equipped with a control device not shown in the housing 600, and in response to the user's operation of the operation part 800, in addition to the control of the water supply valve 310, the three-way valve for lotion 381 or the three-way valve for softener 382, for example, In addition, the overall operation of the washing machine 100 is also controlled. The control device has a computer system with a processor and a memory. And, by making the processor execute the program stored in the memory, the computer system functions as a control device. Although the program executed by the processor is pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, it may be recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card or provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet. .

A water supply port 200 is provided at the rear of the operation unit 800, and a water supply hose 210 is connected to the water supply port 200 to introduce tap water from a faucet.

In the upper case 620 , the detergent tank 450 , the softener tank 480 , and the detergent box 400 are arranged such that the front faces thereof are flush with each other when stored in the water supply unit 300 .

The cover body 700 is partially configured to be transparent. Thereby, even if the cover body 700 is closed, the user can still visually confirm the residual volume scale 450a of the lotion tank and the remaining volume scale 480a of the softener tank to confirm the liquid stored in the lotion tank 450 and the softener tank 480. remaining dose. In addition, the liquid agent stored in the lotion tank 450 is a liquid lotion, and the liquid agent stored in the softener tank 480 is a softener, but in the following there are cases where they are expressed as liquid agents without special distinction. [1-1-2. Water supply unit]

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the water supply unit 300 and its surroundings, and the state where the lotion box 400 , the lotion tank 450 and the softener tank 480 have been pulled out. FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the configuration of the water supply unit 300 and its surroundings.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the water supply unit 300 is mainly composed of a water supply unit housing part 320 and a water supply unit cover part 340. The water supply unit housing part 320 is formed in a substantially box shape. The water supply unit cover part 340 Covers the upper surface of the water supply unit case portion 320 .

A water supply valve 310 is attached to the back surface of the water supply unit case 320 , and the water supply valve 310 allows water introduced from the water supply port 200 to pass through freely. The water introduced from the water supply valve 310 is introduced into the water supply unit case part 320 .

As mentioned above, the lotion box 400, the lotion tank 450, and the softener tank 480 are stored in the water supply unit 300, and are arranged so that they can be pulled out independently.

The detergent box 400 is used to allow the user to inject the amount of detergent required for one operation. The detergent box 400 is provided with a powder detergent manual input unit 410 for injecting powder detergent, a liquid detergent manual input unit 420 for injecting liquid detergent, and a softener manual input unit 430 for injecting softener. The powder detergent manual input unit 410 and the liquid detergent manual input unit 420 are connected to a first water channel (not shown) connected to the water supply valve 310 . In addition, the softener manual input unit 430 is connected to a second water path (not shown) connected to the water supply valve 310 .

The lotion tank 450 and the softener tank 480 are connected to the liquid agent automatic injection device 301 . The liquid agent automatic feeding device 301 includes: a three-way valve for lotion 381 connected to the lotion tank 450 ; a three-way valve for softener 382 connected to the tank 480 for softener; and a pump unit 390 . The pump unit 390 is arranged on the downstream side of the three-way valve for lotion 381 and the three-way valve for softener 382 , and injects water and a liquid agent. The automatic liquid injection device 301 is connected to a third water channel (not shown) connected to the water supply valve 310 .

The flow path lower part 370 is configured as a discharge part, and the water flowing out from the first water path, the second water path, and the third water path and the water containing liquid agent are discharged to the washing tub 500 . [1-3. Lotion tank]

Hereinafter, as an example of the liquid agent tank in the present disclosure, the detergent tank 450 will be described as an example. Since softener tank 480 has the same configuration as detergent tank 450 , description thereof will be omitted.

5 and 6 are external perspective views showing the structure of the lotion tank 450. FIG. 5 shows the state where the lotion tank cover 471 is installed, and FIG. 6 shows the state where the lotion tank cover 471 is removed. 7 is a plan view showing the configuration of the detergent tank 450 . As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , the detergent tank 450 includes a detergent tank body 451 and a detergent tank cover 471 formed in a substantially box shape. The detergent tank body 451 has a detergent tank body opening 452 on the upper surface. In addition, the approximate box shape may be a hollow shape that functions as a container capable of storing a liquid agent. The approximate box shape includes various shapes such as a substantially cubic shape, a substantially prismatic shape, and a substantially cylindrical shape, in addition to substantially a rectangular parallelepiped as shown in the lotion tank body 451 of this embodiment.

The detergent tank cover 471 has a 1st claw part 479a and a 2nd claw part 479b. The lotion tank cover 471 can be installed by inserting the first claw portion 479a into the front inside of the lotion tank body 451, and engaging the second claw portion 479b with the engaging portion 453 outside the back side of the lotion tank body 451. Set in the lotion tank body 451 . The lotion tank cover 471 is installed on the lotion tank body 451 to cover the lotion tank body opening 452 .

On the front side of the detergent tank cover 471, a detergent tank input portion 472 including an input slope 473 is disposed. The detergent tank input portion 472 has an opening substantially at the center, and an input slope portion 473 is provided at the front, left and right sides, and rear. The input slope 473 is formed to incline downward toward the opening of the detergent tank input portion 472 , and guides liquid (liquid detergent) to the detergent tank input portion 472 to flow down into the detergent tank body 451 .

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view showing the structure of the detergent tank cover 471 viewed from the back. 9 to 11 are cross-sectional views of the A-A section, B-B section, and C-C section of the lotion tank 450 shown in FIG. 7 . As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 , an insertion wall 474 formed to extend downward in an installed state is disposed on the back side of the detergent tank cover 471 . The insertion wall 474 is inserted into the opening 452 of the lotion tank body. The outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall 474 , that is, the outer peripheral surface 474 a of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 . In this embodiment, the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the detergent tank body and the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall are defined as the peripheral surfaces of the detergent tank 450 .

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , a central rib 477 is provided on the back side of the detergent tank cover 471 . The central rib 477 vertically crosses the insertion wall 474 and extends from the insertion wall 474 toward the center of the lotion tank cover 471 . The central rib 477 is in contact with the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is attached to the lotion tank body 451 . The central rib 477 supports the insertion wall 474 from the center of the detergent tank cover 471 and suppresses deformation of the insertion wall 474 and the detergent tank body opening 452 when the detergent tank cover 471 is attached to the detergent tank body 451 .

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 , vertical ribs 478 arranged in the vertical direction are provided on the insertion wall outer peripheral surface 474 a of the detergent tank cover 471 . The longitudinal rib 478 substantially perpendicularly crosses the later-described transverse rib 476 on the outer peripheral surface 474 a of the insertion wall, and increases the strength of the insertion wall 474 . In addition, the term "approximately vertical" means not only being completely vertical, but also slightly deviating from vertical, for example, vertical within the allowable error range in manufacturing the detergent tank 450 . The vertical rib 478 abuts against the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is attached to the lotion tank body 451 . Thereby, the longitudinal rib 478 can restrain the lotion tank cover 471 from shaking when the lotion tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 .

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 , grooves 475 and transverse ribs 476 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 474 a of the insertion wall of the lotion tank cover 471 in a substantially horizontal direction. In addition, the term "approximately horizontal" means not only being completely horizontal, but also slightly deviating from horizontal, for example, including being horizontal within the range of allowable error in manufacturing the detergent tank 450 .

The transverse rib 476 includes a first transverse rib 476a, a second transverse rib 476b, and a third transverse rib 476c. The third transverse rib 476c is provided on the uppermost side among the transverse ribs 476 . The third transverse rib 476c is configured so that when the detergent tank cover 471 is attached to the detergent tank body 451, it does not come into contact with the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the detergent tank body, but creates a slight gap. The second transverse rib 476b is provided below the third transverse rib 476c, and the height of the second transverse rib 476b is lower than that of the third transverse rib 476c. The first transverse rib 476a is provided on the lower side than the second transverse rib 476b, and the height of the first transverse rib 476a is configured to be lower than the height of the second transverse rib 476b. That is, when the detergent tank cover 471 is attached to the detergent tank body 451, among the horizontal ribs 476, the first horizontal rib 476a inserted into the detergent tank body 451 first has the lowest height. Thereby, the user becomes easy to install the lotion tank cover 471 on the lotion tank body 451 .

The groove portion 475 includes a first groove portion 475a and a second groove portion 475b. The 1st groove part 475a is located between the 1st horizontal rib 476a and the 2nd horizontal rib 476b, and the 2nd groove part 475b is located between the 2nd horizontal rib 476b and the 3rd horizontal rib 476c. [1-2. Action]

The operation of washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1 constructed as above will be described below. [1-2-1. Liquid agent replenishment operation of the detergent tank]

The user checks the remaining amount of the liquid agent (liquid lotion) by looking at the remaining amount scale 450a of the lotion tank, and performs a liquid agent replenishment operation when the remaining amount of the liquid agent is small. When the lotion tank 450 is stored (the state in FIG. 2 ), the user lifts the locking lever (not shown) at the lower part of the lotion tank 450 and pulls out the lotion tank 450 . At this time, the detergent tank 450 protrudes from the plane where the softener tank 480 and the front surfaces of the detergent box 400 in the stored state are located, and the side surfaces of the detergent tank insertion part 472 and the detergent tank body 451 are exposed to the outside. Since there is no dedicated cover covering the detergent tank insertion portion 472 in the detergent tank insertion portion 472 , the user can insert detergent immediately after pulling out the detergent tank 450 . Since the lotion tank body 451 is made of a transparent material, the user can visually confirm the liquid level of the lotion inside from the exposed side of the lotion tank body 451 .

The user injects the detergent contained in a commercially available container into the detergent tank input portion 472 along the input slope 473 . If the user is short, the lotion may overflow to the front, rear, left, and right sides of the lotion tank input portion 472 . Since the detergent tank input portion 472 in this embodiment covers all four directions of the front, left and right sides, and rear by the input slope portion 473, it is possible to prevent the user from spilling the detergent. In addition, the input slope 473 in this embodiment is such that the front, left and right sides, and rear are each inclined downward toward the substantially central opening. Thereby, the input slope part 473 guides the injected lotion to the opening of the lotion tank input part 472 at any one of the front part, the left and right sides, and the rear part.

After the liquid agent replenishment operation is completed, the user pushes the lotion tank 450 to the back side to return to the state shown in FIG. 2 . [1-2-2. Washing operation when automatic input function is used]

During the washing operation, the liquid detergent automatic injection device 301 is driven to automatically inject liquid detergent.

Specifically, firstly, in the washing operation, by switching the opening and closing of the water supply valve 310, the direction of the detergent three-way valve 381, and the action of the pump unit 390, the liquid detergent in the detergent tank 450 will pass through the third water channel. And the lower part 370 of the flow path is automatically dropped into the washing tank 500. After the automatic injection of the liquid detergent is completed or simultaneously with the automatic injection of the liquid detergent, the water flowing out from the water supply valve 310 is injected into the washing tub 500 as follows. That is, the water flowing out of the water supply valve 310 dissolves the liquid detergent accumulated in the lower part 370 of the flow path through the first water channel, the powder detergent manual input part 410 and the liquid detergent manual input part 420 , and injects it into the washing tank 500 .

In the final cleaning process, by switching the opening and closing of the water supply valve 310, the direction of the softener three-way valve 382 and the action of the pump unit 390, the liquid agent (softener) in the softener tank 480 will pass through the third waterway and The lower part 370 of the flow path is automatically dropped into the washing tank 500 . After the automatic injection of the softener is completed, the water flowing out from the water supply valve 310 passes through the second water channel and the manual softener input part 430 to dissolve the softener accumulated in the lower part of the flow channel 370 and inject it into the washing tub 500 . [1-2-3. Suppression of capillarity]

In the lotion tank 450 , if the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471 is wide, the liquid in the lotion tank 450 may leak out. That is, due to the vibration etc. that are produced during the washing operation, the liquid level of the liquid agent filled in the lotion tank 450 is shaken, and there is a possibility that the liquid agent may leak from the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471. Leakage risk. Therefore, it is necessary to narrow the gap between the detergent tank body 451 and the detergent tank cover 471 to suppress leakage of the liquid agent in the detergent tank 450 .

The lotion tank 450 is configured such that the gap between the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body and the transverse rib 476 is narrowed when the lotion tank cover 471 is attached to the lotion tank body 451 . Thereby, the detergent tank 450 can suppress the liquid agent in the detergent tank 450 from leaking out.

On the other hand, when the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471 is narrowed, capillary phenomenon may occur, and there is liquid agent between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471. The risk of rising in the gap between. Therefore, in the lotion tank 450, the first groove portion 475a is provided between the first horizontal rib 476a and the second horizontal rib 476b, and the second groove portion 475b is provided between the second horizontal rib 476b and the third horizontal rib 476c. That is, the lotion tank 450 partially expands the width of the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471 . Thereby, the detergent tank 450 can suppress capillarity from occurring in the first groove portion 475a and the second groove portion 475b. Therefore, after the lotion tank 450 narrows the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 471 , leakage of the liquid in the lotion tank 450 due to capillary phenomenon can be suppressed. [1-3. Effect]

As mentioned above, the washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1 is equipped with: a washing tank 500 for accommodating laundry; a lotion tank 450 for storing a liquid agent; The agent is thrown into the washing tank 500. The lotion tank 450 has a lotion tank body 451 and a lotion tank cover 471 . The detergent tank body 451 is formed in a substantially box shape, and has a detergent tank body opening 452 on the upper surface in an installed state. The detergent tank cover 471 has an insertion wall 474 inserted into the detergent tank body opening 452 and covers the detergent tank body opening 452 . The outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body when the detergent tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451, and the lotion tank 450 has a groove 475 on the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall. The groove portion 475 is arranged substantially horizontally in the installed state. In addition, the lotion tank 450 is an example of a liquid tank in this disclosure, the lotion tank body 451 is an example of a tank body in this disclosure, and the lotion tank cover 471 is an example of a tank cover in this disclosure. In addition, the opening 452 of the lotion tank body is an example of the opening in the present disclosure. Moreover, the insertion wall outer peripheral surface 474a is an example of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall in this indication, and is an example of the peripheral surface in this indication. In addition, the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the detergent tank body is an example of the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body in the present disclosure.

Accordingly, the lotion tank 450 has a relatively wide gap between the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body and the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall in the groove portion 475, thereby suppressing capillarity. Therefore, washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1 can suppress leakage of liquid in detergent tank 450 due to capillary phenomenon.

Like this embodiment, the lotion tank 450 may also have convex first transverse ribs 476a and second transverse ribs 476b on the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall, and the first groove 475a may also be located on the first transverse ribs 476a and the second transverse ribs. Between 476b.

Thus, the lotion tank 450 can narrow the gap between the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body and the first transverse rib 476a and the gap between the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body and the second transverse rib 476b. Therefore, washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1 can suppress the liquid agent in detergent tank 450 from leaking out.

Like this embodiment, the first transverse rib 476a, the second transverse rib 476b, and the first groove portion 475a may be provided on the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall. The first transverse rib 476a may be provided on the lower side than the second transverse rib 476b in the installed state, and the height of the first transverse rib 476a may be formed lower than the height of the second transverse rib 476b.

Thereby, when the user installs the lotion tank cover 471 on the lotion tank body 451, among the transverse ribs 476, the first transverse rib 476a inserted into the lotion tank body 451 first and the upper part of the lotion tank body can be connected. The gap between the inner peripheral surfaces 451a is enlarged. Therefore, it becomes easy for the user to install the lotion tank cover 471 on the lotion tank body 451 .

Like the present embodiment, the detergent tank cover 471 may have a vertical rib 478 on the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall, and the vertical rib 478 is arranged in the vertical direction in the installed state. The longitudinal rib 478 can also abut against the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 .

Thereby, the longitudinal rib 478 can eliminate the gap between the detergent tank cover 471 and the detergent tank body 451 . Therefore, in the washing machine 100 according to Embodiment 1, the longitudinal rib 478 can suppress the shaking of the detergent tank cover 471 when the detergent tank cover 471 is mounted on the detergent tank body 451 .

Like this embodiment, the detergent tank cover 471 may also have a central rib 477 that crosses the insertion wall 474 and extends from the insertion wall 474 toward the center of the detergent tank cover 471 . The central rib 477 can also be in contact with the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 .

Thereby, the central rib 477 can press and expand the insertion wall 474 and the opening 452 of the lotion tank body when the lotion tank cover 471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 . Therefore, in the washing machine 100 according to Embodiment 1, the deformation of the insertion wall 474 and the opening 452 of the detergent tank main body can be suppressed by the central rib 477 . (Embodiment 2)

Hereinafter, a washing machine 100 according to Embodiment 2, which is an example of the washing machine in the present disclosure, will be described using FIG. 12 . In addition, washing machine 100 in Embodiment 2 is different from detergent tank 450 in washing machine 100 in Embodiment 1 in the configuration of detergent tank 1450 as described below. Other configurations of the washing machine 100 in the second embodiment are the same as those in the washing machine 100 in the first embodiment, so here, the same reference numeral "100" will be used as the washing machine in the second embodiment for description. [2-1. Composition]

Fig. 12 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of detergent tank 1450 of washing machine 100 according to the second embodiment. In Embodiment 2, washing machine 100 includes detergent tank 1450 . The detergent tank cover 1471 of the detergent tank 1450 is different from the detergent tank cover 471 of the detergent tank 450 in the first embodiment in that the insertion wall 1474 does not have a horizontal rib.

As shown in FIG. 12 , in Embodiment 2, the detergent tank 1450 includes a detergent tank body 451 and a detergent tank cover 1471 .

In the state where the lotion tank cover 1471 is installed on the lotion tank body 451 , the lotion tank cover 1471 covers the opening portion 452 of the lotion tank body. An insertion wall 1474 extending downward is disposed on the back side of the detergent tank cover 1471 . The outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall 1474 is defined as an insertion wall outer peripheral surface 1474a. When the lotion tank cover 1471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451 , the upper inner peripheral surface 451 a of the lotion tank body and the outer peripheral surface 1474 a of the insertion wall face each other.

The detergent tank cover 1471 has a groove 1475 arranged in a substantially horizontal direction on the outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall. In Embodiment 2, the detergent tank cover 1471 does not have a convex horizontal rib on the outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall. [2-2. Action]

The operation of the washing machine 100 according to the second embodiment configured as above will be described below. [2-2-1. Suppression of capillarity generation]

In the detergent tank 1450, the gap between the detergent tank body 451 and the detergent tank cover 1471 is narrowed in order to suppress leakage of liquid in the detergent tank 1450 due to vibration during washing operation.

However, if the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 1471 is narrowed, capillary phenomenon may occur, and there is liquid agent between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 1471. The risk of rising in the gap. Therefore, in the lotion tank 1450 , the groove 1475 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 1474 a of the insertion wall, and the width of the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 1471 is partially widened. Thus, the detergent tank 1450 can suppress capillary phenomenon at the groove portion 1475 . Therefore, after the lotion tank 1450 narrows the gap between the lotion tank body 451 and the lotion tank cover 1471 , leakage of the liquid agent in the lotion tank 1450 caused by capillary phenomenon can be suppressed. [2-3. Effect]

As described above, detergent tank 1450 of washing machine 100 in Embodiment 2 has detergent tank body 451 and detergent tank cover 1471 . The detergent tank body 451 is formed in a substantially box shape, and has a detergent tank body opening 452 on the upper surface in an installed state. The detergent tank cover 1471 has an insertion wall 1474 inserted into the detergent tank body opening 452 and covers the detergent tank body opening 452 . The outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body when the detergent tank cover 1471 is mounted on the lotion tank body 451, and the lotion tank 1450 has a groove 475 on the outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall. The groove portion 475 is arranged substantially horizontally in the installed state. In addition, the lotion tank 1450 is an example of a liquid tank in this disclosure, the lotion tank body 451 is an example of a tank body in this disclosure, and the lotion tank cover 1471 is an example of a tank cover in this disclosure. In addition, the opening 452 of the lotion tank body is an example of the opening in the present disclosure. Moreover, the insertion wall outer peripheral surface 1474a is an example of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall in this indication, and is an example of the peripheral surface in this indication. In addition, the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the detergent tank body is an example of the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body in the present disclosure.

Accordingly, the lotion tank 1450 has a relatively wide gap between the upper inner peripheral surface 451a of the lotion tank body and the outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall in the groove portion 475, thereby suppressing capillarity. Therefore, washing machine 100 in Embodiment 2 can suppress leakage of liquid in detergent tank 1450 due to capillary phenomenon. (Other implementation forms)

As described above, Embodiments 1 and 2 have been described as examples of techniques in the present disclosure. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can be applied to embodiments in which changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. have been made. Moreover, it is also possible to create a new embodiment by combining the constituent elements described in the first and second embodiments above.

Therefore, other embodiments will be illustrated below.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the washing machine 100 which is an upright washing machine was described as an example of the washing machine in the present disclosure. The washing machine in this disclosure is not limited to the upright type washing machine, but may be a drum type washing machine or a double tank type washing machine.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the detergent tank 450 and the detergent tank 1450 were described as examples of the liquid agent tank in the present disclosure. The liquid agent tank in this disclosure may be the softener tank 480 as long as it stores the liquid agent in the tank. In addition, the softening agent tank 480 has the same configuration as the detergent tank 450 or the detergent tank 1450 , and the same description will be given for the softening agent tank 480 .

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the groove 475 provided on the outer peripheral surface 474a of the insertion wall and the groove 1475 provided on the outer peripheral surface 1474a of the insertion wall were described as examples of the groove in this disclosure. The groove part in this disclosure only needs to be provided on at least one of the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body in this disclosure and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall of the tank cover in this disclosure, and is not limited to the groove part 475 or the groove part 1475. In the case of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall in this disclosure. That is, the groove in this disclosure can be provided on the upper peripheral surface of the lotion tank body in this disclosure, and can also be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall in this disclosure and the upper peripheral surface of the lotion tank body in this disclosure. both sides. In addition, a plurality of grooves may be provided in the present disclosure, or only one groove may be provided.

Similarly, the first transverse rib in this disclosure and the second transverse rib in this disclosure only need to be arranged on at least one of the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body in this disclosure and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall of the tank cover in this disclosure. who can.

Industrial availability The disclosure is applicable to a washing machine equipped with an automatic liquid agent feeding device. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to, for example, an upright type washing machine, a drum type washing machine, a double tub type washing machine, and the like.

100: washing machine 200: water supply port 210: water supply hose 300: water supply unit 301: Liquid agent automatic input device 310: water supply valve 320: Housing part of water supply unit 340: Water supply unit cover 370: The lower part of the flow path 381: Lotion three-way valve 382: softener three-way valve 390: pump unit 400: lotion box 410: Powder lotion manual input department 420: Liquid lotion manual input part 430: Softener manual input part 450, 1450: lotion tank 450a: Scale of remaining amount of lotion tank 451: Lotion tank body 451a: The upper inner peripheral surface of the lotion tank body 452: Lotion tank body opening 453:Catching part 471, 1471: Lotion tank cover 472: Detergent tank input part 473: put into the inclined part 474, 1474: inserted into the wall 474a, 1474a: Insert the outer peripheral surface of the wall 475,1475: Ditch 475a: the first groove 475b: the second groove 476: transverse rib 476a: 1st transverse rib 476b: 2nd transverse rib 476c: 3rd transverse rib 477: central rib 478: longitudinal rib 479a: 1st claw 479b: 2nd claw 480: softener tank 480a: Scale of remaining amount of softener tank 500: Sink 600: shell 610: lower shell 620: upper shell 621: input port 700: cover body 800:Operation Department A-A, B-B, C-C: section

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of a washing machine according to Embodiment 1 with a lid closed.

Fig. 2 is an external perspective view showing the same configuration as the washing machine with the lid opened.

Fig. 3 is an external perspective view showing the structure of the water supply unit of the same washing machine and its surroundings, with the detergent box, detergent tank, and softener tank drawn out.

Fig. 4 is a rear view showing the structure of the water supply unit and its surroundings of the same washing machine.

Fig. 5 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine with the detergent tank cover attached.

Fig. 6 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine with the detergent tank cover removed.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the detergent tank cover of the same washing machine, viewed from the back.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view along A-A section showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view along the B-B section showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view along line C-C showing the configuration of the detergent tank of the same washing machine.

Fig. 12 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of the detergent tank of the washing machine according to the second embodiment.

451: Lotion tank body

451a: The upper inner peripheral surface of the lotion tank body

471: Lotion Tank Cover

474: insert wall

474a: insert wall peripheral surface

475: Ditch

475a: the first groove

475b: the second groove

476: transverse rib

476a: 1st transverse rib

476b: 2nd transverse rib

476c: 3rd transverse rib

477: central rib

Claims (5)

A washing machine comprising: a washing tank for holding laundry; a solution tank for storing the solution; and The liquid agent automatic input device, puts the liquid agent stored in the aforementioned liquid agent tank into the aforementioned washing tank, The aforementioned liquid agent tank has: The tank body is formed in a substantially box shape, and has an opening on the upper surface in the installed state; and a slot cover having an insertion wall inserted into the opening and covering the opening, The outer peripheral surface of the insertion wall faces the upper inner peripheral surface of the tank body when the tank cover is mounted on the tank body, The liquid agent tank has a groove portion on a peripheral surface including at least one of the upper inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, and the groove portion is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction in an installed state. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the liquid agent tank has a first transverse rib and a second transverse rib on the peripheral surface, The groove portion is located between the first transverse rib and the second transverse rib. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the first transverse rib, the second transverse rib and the groove are provided on the outer peripheral surface, The first transverse rib is installed on the lower side than the second transverse rib in the installed state, The height of the first transverse rib is formed to be lower than the height of the second transverse rib. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the tank cover has longitudinal ribs on the outer peripheral surface, and the longitudinal ribs are arranged in the up and down direction in the installed state, The longitudinal rib abuts against the upper inner peripheral surface in a state where the tank cover is mounted on the tank body. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the slot cover has a central rib, the central rib intersects the insertion wall, and extends from the insertion wall toward the center of the slot cover, The central rib abuts against the upper inner peripheral surface when the tank cover is mounted on the tank body.

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