US3151067A - Single valve, double cam actuator pneumatic system for a laundry appliance - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1964 A. D. ISHOY ETAL 3,151,067

SINGLE VALVE, DOUBLE CAM ACTUATOR PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Filed July 51, 1961 s Sheets-Sheet 1 r A TTORLVE YS p 1964 A. D. ISHOY ETAL 3, 7

SINGLE VALVE, DOUBLE CAM ACTUATOR PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Filed July 31, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y YIQ/(id 36 16 TTORNE Y5 Sept. 29, 1964 A D ISHOY ETAL 3,151,067

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 51, 1961 INVENTORJ 32 24/1671 ,0. 13,4 0y

31 14/4072. Ito 2 6 A ORNEYS Sept. 29, 1964 A. D, ISHOY ETAL 3, 7

SINGLE VALVE, DOUBLE CAM ACTUATOR PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Filed July 31, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNEYS United States Patent 3,151,957 STNGLE VALVE, DQUBLE CAM ACTUATOR PNEU- MATEQ SYSTEM FDR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Albert D. lshoy, Hartford, and William F. Scott, Benton Harbor, Mich, assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Fiied .iuiy 31, 1961, Ser. No. 128,079 4 (Ilaims. (1. 210-144) The present invention relates broadly to acceleration control systems, and is more particularly concerned With a novel apparatus wherein a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis type drum is limited to a safe optimum rotative speed in response to deflections of the drum due to rotation of unbalanced loads therein.

The principles of the present invention can readily be incorporated in any balancing system and method wherein it is desired to counterbalance unsymmetrically disposed centrifugal forces generated because of unbalance in a rotating body. However, because these principles find a particularly useful application to a laundry machine and method, the invention is described and illustrated in connection with a specific laundry machine designed for domestic utilization.

It is highly desirable from the viewpoint of a housewife laundry machine operator that a laundry load be completely washed and dried in as short a time as possible. This criterion is applicable whether the load of clothes to be laundered is to be linedried or machine-dried, and in either case, the length of time required to dry a particular load is substantially directly proportional to the quantum of liquid retained in the material at the completion of a washing cycle.

It is further known that in either an automatic washing machine wherein clothes are washed and centrifuged, or in so-called combination washer-dryers wherein clothes are Washed, rinsed, spun dry and tumbled dry with the application of heat energy, that that part of the total washing and drying time preceding the tumble dry or line dry portion of the total laundering cycle time is designated as the wash portion of the total cycle, and cornsumes substantially the same amount of actual time for all available machines. Therefore, the most practical substantial time savings can be made by shortening the drying portion of the total cycle.

The customary approach in attempted improvements in machine drying is to increase the drying heat input to the dryer. However, this is somewhat undesirable from the standpoint of the rate of power consumption and the somewhat increased cost of operation, and further, it is even more undesirable by reason of engineering design considerations which are required because of the increased power input to the drying means.

Another approach, and that which is taken by the present invention, is to increase the rotative cylinder speed used during the extraction part of the wash cycle to thereby remove larger amounts of water from the load prior to the beginning of the tumble or line drying of the load. By increasing the spin speed utilized to remove additional water from the load, a power consumption savings of about eight to fifteen times may be accomplished as contrasted with removing this additional water by the high power input drying process.

Assuming properly designed bearing and transmission systems, power input is the primary factor to be considered in gauging the limit of spin speed attainable in driving a mass about its exact center. An empty laundry receiving cylinder rotated about its bearing axis represents an optimum operating condition, but when a load is introduced into the cylinder, it is quite likely that the load will be distributed in such a manner that the center of mass of the loaded cylinder will not coincide with the 3,151,067 Patented Sept. 29, 1964 cylinder bearing axis. This produces an unbalanced cen trifugal force which is directly proportional to the mass of the unbalanced portion of the total rotating mass, the square of the angular velocity of such unbalanced mass, and to the radius of the unbalanced mass from the rotational axis of the cylinder.

An unbalanced condition, in addition to affecting the power input necessary to rotate the drum or cylinder, causes serious vibration conditions which are more pronounced in horizontal machines than in vertical axis machines since the unbalanced force directed substantially opposite the gravitational forces acting on the machine may be sufficiently great to actually lift the machine from its supporting surface. Such violent movement is generally termed in the art as walking.

Naturally numerous attempts have been made toward a solution of this problem. Some contemporary laundry machines of the horizontal axis type operate at a sufficiently limited spin speed so that the unbalanced loads encountered during normal operation will not produce a sufiicient amount of centrifugal force to bodily lift the machine from its support. It has further been proposed to provide control means whereby a spin mechanism will be deactivated in response to excessive motion in the apparatus so that the drum or cylinder decelerates to a tumbling speed for redistribution of the contents therein. The final spin speed is thus limited to a value such that the total amount of liquid centrifugally extracted from the contents of the drum is much less than is desired. As a consequence, a longer line drying time is required, or an additional supply of heat energy must be supplied if the goods are machine-dried.

An even further attempted solution of the mentioned vibration problem is to suspend the entire laundry machine together with an additional mass producing dead weight within the enclosing cabinet on a complex spring system. Such arrangements depend upon isolation of the source of vibration whereupon the suspended system is allowed to violently vibrate within the cabinet with the dead weight tending to minimize the effects of the unbalanced centrifugal forces. This approach is unsatisfactory since the size of the enclosing cabinet must be greatly increased to allow for the violent gyratory motions of such a system during operation of the machine.

It is also within the contemplation of the prior art to sense and locate eccentric motions of the rotating body by relatively complex mechanisms which control the addition or subtraction of weights from the rotating components of the machine, to thereby counteract the unsymmetrically disposed centrifugal forces generated by the unbalanced conditions within the drum or cylinder.

in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a drum is journaied for rotation on a substantially horizontal axis within a casing rigidly connected to a base frame. A transmission interconnects the drum with a drive motor, and the transmission has a low speed ratio for tumbling fabrics at a lower washing speed and a high speed ratio for rotating the drum at higher extracting speeds for extracting fluids from the fabrics in the drum. As a further feature of this invention, there is provided clutch means for changing the speed ratios of the trans mission, as well as sensing means, responsive to movements of the drum due to rotation of unbalanced loads therein at the high speed ratio, for limiting the speed ratio of the transmission to a value between the low and high speed ratios to thereby effect the rotation of the drum at a safe optimum speed above the lower washing speed.

Illustratively, the clutch means may be of the pneumatic type and the sensing means may include bleed-off valve means actuated by vibrations of the drum to reduce the pneumatic pressure on the clutch means whereby the clutch intermittently slips to prevent increased drum acchine.

removed in the interests of'clarity.

ccleration but at the same time maintaining an essentially constant drum rotative speed. In this manner, the drum speed is maintained during the water balance function at a speed that produced sufiicient centrifugal force on the off balance load in the drum to produce the necessary deflection to initiate water balancing. As the off balanced load is counterbalanced, the deflection decreases with the result that the pneumatic clutch receives uninterrupted full pressure, and acceleration again continues.

It is accordingly an important aim of the present invention to provide acceleration control apparatus for a rotating receptacle.

Another object of this invention lies in the provision of an acceleration control system for use with counterbalance control means and which does not impede the proper functioning thereof.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a system embodying transmission means, clutch means and sensing means, and wherein the structure is so constituted that the sensing means detects deflections of a rotating receptacle which are greater than the deflections which initiate performance of load balancing functions, the sensing means being in control of the clutch means to limit the transmission speed ratio so that the receptacle rotates at a safe optimum speed and which is further sufficiently high so that there is no interference with the performance of the load balancing function.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description, particularly when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the same:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a laundry machine incorporating the principles of the present invention, but with the outer cabinet removed and with parts broken away and with other parts removed for clarity;

, FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the machine of FIGURE 1, with portions of the cabinet structure removed for clarity of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view constituting a layout of a sensing mechanism which may be employed toinitiate the load counterbalancing function and transmission speed ratio limiting function;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line IVIV of FIGURE} and further illustrating the sensing apparatus of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a more or less diagrammatic view, with portions thereof taken in section, showing the acceleration control system of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken through a twospeed transmission employed in the instant invention; and FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic representation of certain hydraulic circuitry incorporated in the illustrated ma- Reference "will first be made in the following description to certain structural details of an exemplary form of combination washer-dryer, and to an illustrative type of water balance system used therewith. However, it will be readily appreciated that the acceleration control system of this invention is not restricted in its use to the particular structural organization shown in FEGURES l and 2, nor doits advantagesiflow only from use with the particular liquid balance system. also appearing in FIG- .URES 3 and 4. As well, it will be observed as the description proceeds that parts not necessary to a description of the instant acceleration control system have been As appears in FIGURES 1 and 2, a domestic laundry 7 appliance in the form of a combination washer-dryer is designated generally by the numeral 11?, and comprises. an outer cabinet 11 providing an aesti etically. appealing enclosure for the machine 10. In the manner conventional in the art, access to a treatment zone formed with:

in the machine 10 is obtained through a suitableopening in the outer cabinet front wall, this front opening'bein'g closed by an access door (not shown) during the laundering operation.

Within the outer cabinet 11 is a rigid base structure shown generally at 13, and which comprises a channel member 13a to which is fixedly secured a plate 14. The base structure or frame 13 further may be observed from FIGURES l and 2 to include front legs 15 bolted to the channel member 13a, and a single rear leg 16 bolted to member 17 which is welded or otherwise secured to rear wall 184: of a generally imperforate casing 18.

The casing is is connected to and supported on the base frame 13 by a front wall support plate member 19 which is integrated with a front wall 13b of the casing 15% by welding or similar techniques. The plate member 19 is further securely fastened to the plate member 14 of the base frame 13, as by bolt means or the like Ztl.

The rear wall 18:: of the casing 18 hasa centrally apertured embossed portion 21 (FIG. 2) cooperable with a support spider 22 connected in firm assembly with the rear wall 13a to rigidly mount a bearing assembly generally designated at 23 in which is iournaled shaft means (not shown) connected for corotation with a perforate drum or cylinder 24 rotatable within the casing 18.

It is to be noted that the connections provided by the parts 14 and 19 between the base frame 13 and casing 18 are rigid connections, however, there is sufiicient yieldability in the support structure so that some very small movement of the casing 13 relative to the base frame 13 may occur. The connections afforded by the connection of the plate members 14 and 19 to the channel member 13a and the connection of the part 17 to the casing 18 are sufficiently rigid to confine the casing 18 for oscillatory movements about an axis positioned parallel to and located below the horizontal rotational axis of the drum 24. In the machine exemplified in the drawings, such allowable arcuate movements is approximately 0.010 inch from its normal centered position as measured from an approximate 16 inch lever arm.

The machine It) is equipped with an electric drive motor 25 which is mounted on the casing 13 and is provided with a power take-off shaft drivingly connected with a transmission 26 which is also mounted on the casing 18. The transmission 26, which will be later described in more specific detail, has a take-01f shaft Zfiq (FIGURE 2) mounting pulleys 27 and 2.8, the pulley 27 having trained thereabout a pulley belt 29 driving a pulley wheel flute rotate the drum 24. The pulley 28, on the other hand, is wrapped by a pulley belt 3]. connecting with blower means (not shown) to circulate heated drying air through the drum 24.

Machine it) is further equipped with a conventional mixing valve arrangement (not shown) as well as a sump 140 (FIGURE 7) formed in the lower portion of casing 18 for receiving fluids for the washing, rinsing and extraction operations. Sump 140 communicates with pump 141 which in turn is connected to a first two-way valve 142 which leads either-to drain for pump out operations or to a second two-way valve 143 which is provided with one conduit 144 for recirculating washing fluid through drum 24 during the washing operation by way of a recirculation nozzle (not shown) and a second conduit 32 leading to nozzle (FIGURE 3) for recirculating bal-' ancing fluid through nozzle opening 95b (FIGURE 4) during the extraction operation which balancing fluid is supplied to the fluid receivingpoclzets 39 (FIGURE 1) byway of the respective collector segments 45a-c comcluding the electric drive motor '25, the various valvemeans employed, and particularly solenoid valve means to be later described in detail which is in control of the pneumatic clutch means forming a part of the transmission 26. The sequential control means 33 by the various electrical connections conventionally employed ac'tuates the machine through a program consisting of washing, rinsing, extracting and drying periods. In a typical operation, the operator will load a batch of clothes to be laundered through the access door into the drum 24, and upon initiation of a preselected program, the casing 13 will be charged with a supply of water. Following the washing operation, the laundry liquid will be drained through the sump and discharged to drain, and the materials within the drum 24 are then subjected to an extraction operation, followed by rinsing and a subsequent extraction operation, which portions of the washing cycle may be repeated as often as may be desired in accordance with the preset program. After the final extraction operation, the machine either continues through a drying period involving operation of the drying system and including the addition of heat of vaporization to the stream of ventilating air circulated through the treatment zone, or the batch of materials being laundered may be removed from the machine by the operator for line drying.

As earlier indicated, the acceleration control system of this invention may be employed in connection with various types of water balance systems, however, one particularly advantageous balance system is shown in the application drawings in order to clearly illustrate the numerous novel results obtained by the instant acceleration control system. In this connection, it is to be observed from FIGURE 1 that the drum 2% has formed along its back wall 24a a plurality of radially extending and angularly spaced strengthening ribs 54. At the center of the back wall 24a, the drum 24 is connected as at to shaft means 36 journaled in the bearing assembly 23. The outer peripheral wall of the drum 24 is formed by a foraminous wrapper 37 (FIGURE 2) and is particularly characterized by a plurality of openings 33 through which liquid may escape from the interior or" the drum 24 into the casing 18. The drum periphery is further provided at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations therealong with recess means provided to accommodate mounting therein of a liquid balancing receptacle indicated generally in FIGURE 2 at 39. Each receptacle 39 comprises a generally trough-shaped tray member having radially spaced walls 459 and 41, axially spaced end walls 42 and 43, and a pair of spaced side walls 44. Each receptacle 39 is provided with an inlet segment 45a, 45b and 45c which may be seen in FIGURE 1 to be of generally U-shaped configuration and each provided with an opening an (FIGURE 2) through which all of the fluid within the inlet segment is discharged radially outwardly into a particular receptacle as required for counterbalancing purposes. In the exemplary disclosure illustrated, there are three receptacles 39, and accordingly, each segment 4561-6 may, if desired, extend through 120 of are on the front wall of the drum 24. The inlet segments, generally designated by numeral 45, are attached in firm assembly as by welding or the like to the drum front wall in registry with the liquid supply means provided to introduce balancing fluid thereinto.

In order to control the introduction of balancing fluid into the receptacles 39 by way of the inlet segments 45zz-c, there is utilized in accordance with the instant invention, as a controlling variable, a mechanical signal manifested as a relatively small oscillatory movement between the casing 18 and a relatively stationary reference means associated with the base structure. A balance housing, designated generally in FIGURES 3 and 4 by the numeral 75, comprises a plate-like member attached by fastening means 76 to the front wall 18b of the casing 18.

The balance housing 75 is passaged at 75a (FIGURE 4) adjacent its upper end, and firmly received in the opening thus provided is a sleeve member 77 having a generally D-shaped opening 77a forming therein by a notch extending approximately half way through the sleeve member 77. Journaled in bearings 78 within the sleeve member 77 is a rod or shaft means 79 having a notch forming a flat portion and defining a generally D-shaped recess 79a mating with the similarly shaped opening 77a in the sleeve member 77. The shaft means 79 threadably receives at one end screw means 80 to effect attachment of a flag, stream interrupter or deflector member 81.

The shaft means 79 is radially tapped and threaded on the flat portion of the D-shaped recess 79:: to receive therein screw means 82a and 82b to eccentrically mount (on shaft means 79) cam means 83, washer means 84 and a relatively thin leaf spring member directly adjacent flat portion 79a. As appears in the drawings, attaching portion 83a of the cam member 33, the washer means 84 and one end of the leaf spring member 85 are essentially entirely contained in the recessed portion 79a of the shaft means 79 and the passage 77a of the sleeve member 77.

The cam member 83 which corotates with the shaft 79 in a limited arcuate motion is provided with cam lobes 83b and 830 engaging a roller-like follower means 86 (FIGURE 3) rotatably carried by an arm member 87 pivotally connected at 88 to the balance housing 75. The end of the arm member 87 extends beyond the follower means 86 and has a flange portion 87a formed thereon to which is connected spring means 89 which in turn is connected to a stationary anchor member 90 connected to the balance housing 75.

The balance housing 75 further mounts bleed valve means 91 by clamp means 92, the valve means 91 having a stem portion 91a located for actuation by the flange portion 87a on the arm member 87. As will be described in detail later, the bleed valve means 91 connects through conduit means 91b to the transmission means 26 to slip or disengage a friction clutch in the transmission means, whereby increased acceleration of the drum 24 is prevented so that during performance of the counterbalancing function the drum is maintained at the rotative speed which caused the off-balance condition to produce the sensed vibratory deflections of the casing 18. In practice, the pneumatic clutch control and the water balance system are coordinated so that the fluid balancing takes place prior to slipping of the friction clutch. In such a case the controls are adjusted so that greater oscillation of the casing 18 is required to actuate the valve 91, than to move the stream deflector 81.

The leaf spring reaction member 85 (FIGURES 1 and 3) is clampingly engaged at its opposite end by stationary or immovable structure during drum rotation so that if the drum vibrates by reason of an off-balance load therein, the shaft 79 is slightly rotated to pivot the deflector or stream interrupter member 81 out of blocking relation with nozzle means 95 to permit the discharge of counterbalancing fluid from the nozzle opening into the proper inlet segments 45a-c diametrically opposed to the off-balance load. In this regard, it is to be observed that there is provided a splash housing 96 mounted on the casing front wall 18b between the casing 18 and drum 24. The splash housing has formed therein a slotted opening 96a in registry with the outlet of the nozzle 95.

The clamping means for the leaf reaction member 85 comprises a stationary or immovable frame member Ill!) erected from the channel member 13a of the base frame structure 13, and attached thereto by welding techniques, fastening means or other suitable modes of securement. The stationary reaction member 19%) is notched at ltltla to provide a claw portion ltltlb clampingly engaging one end of the leaf spring reaction member 85.

In summary it can be seen that the frame member Ill!) serves as a stationary abutment or reaction member to stituzting the output shown'in FEGURE 5.

which one end of the leaf spring member 85 is attached, a

the other end of the latter member 85 being attached to the flat on the shaft 79 to which the flag 81 and cam 83 are also rigidly connected. Oscillation of the casing 18 during rotation of unbalanced loads in the machine places leaf spring 85 alternately in tension and compression, and the resulting flexing and buckling of the eccentrically connected spring member 85 oscillates members 81 and 83 to control the water balancing and clutch control functions during the fluid extraction of the ma.- chine.

As was earlier stated, the described Water balance system is illustrative of a typical arrangement which can be employed in conjunction with the acceleration control system of this invention. During the course of the following description, which is directed particularly to a new and improved system for controlling drum acceleration in response to deflections of the cylinder or drum structure relative to stationary base structure, it will be readily apparent that other types of water balance systems can be effectively utilized.

Briefly stated, in the acceleration control system of this invention the bleed valve means 91, which is mounted on the balance housing 75 and senses vibrations caused by rotation of an unbalanced load in the drum 24, connects with an outlet port of a solenoid operated air valve means and is constructed to provide a pressure bleed-off line between an air compressor and the air cylinder in control of slip clutch means in the transmission 26. Compressed air from a suitable source is communicated to an inlet port in the solenoid valve means, and the solenoid is energized to accelerate drum 24 from tumble to spin speed by pressurizing a chamber within the solenoid valve means leading to the pneumatic clutch. When an olfbalance load is accelerated and produces a deflection, the bleed oil? valve on the balance housing is intermittently opened to reduce the pressure in the solenoid valve chamber, which through the outlet port leading to the clutch air cylinder, slips the clutch to prevent increased drum acceleration until the oft-balance load is counterbalanced. However, and as will be pointed out in detail hereinafter, the drum rotative speed is not necessarily reduced, but is maintained at essentially the speed which caused the casing deflections, so that there is no interference with accomplishment of the proper water balancing function.

The acceleration control system of this invention is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 5, and'it may be seen therefrom that the drive motor 25 com nects with the transmission means 26 having an output shaft mountin the pulley s27 and 28 (FIGURE 6) con- The structural details of the transmission means 26 will be later described, and for the'present purposes it may be noted from FIGURE that conduit means Itlll is in communication with the transmission means (s ecifically a clutch actuated air cylinder therein which will also be later de scribed) and an outlet port 111 of solenoid air valve means genera designated by the numeral 112. A com- 'pressor 5.13 of any suitable construction has connected to the outlet port thereof conduit means 114- leadiug to an inlet port 115 ofthe solenoid valve means 112. The solenoid valve means is further provided with a second outlet port 116 which communicates through the conduit means hftb with the bleed-o3 or relief valve means it.

The solenoid valve means M2 is provided with a body portion 119 having at one end thereof a plurality of threaded openings 12th, 1291: and Elf lilo receiving coupling members 122a, 1211; and 1210, respectively, which are internaily bored to provide the outlet port 116, inlet port diameter assages and Mia. The chamber communicates with a chamber 123 through a central aperture 124a in a rigid diaphragm member 124, which is further provided with vent passages 12% leading through vent passages 11% in the body portion 119 to atmosphere.

The central aperture 124a in the rigid diaphragm memher 124 receives a generally T-shaped flat surfaced valve member 126 positioned for contact with a solenoid annature 127 when solenoid 128 is de-energized. It may be noted from FIGURE 5 that the solenoid armature 127 has a central axial passage 12% and bottoming at one end thereof is spring means 129 which also bottoms against a fixed plug member 130 having a passage 130a therein. The plug member 13% may be secured in any suitable manner to a solenoid housing 131, and if desired, seal means 132. may be located between the solenoid armature 127 and the plug member 13% The energization of the solenoid 128 of the solenoid valve means 112 controls the shifting of the two-speed transmission 26 from tumble to spin speeds. When the solenoid is de-energ led, lthe spring-loaded solenoid armature r27 assumes its uppermost position which forces the valve member 126 against surface 122a, which in turn permits cavity or chamber 122. to be vented to atmosphere through the vents or passages. 124a, 12417 and 11% the rigid diaphragm 12-: and body portion 119, respectiveiy. This action prevents the air pressure from the compressor from reaching the pneumatic clutch in the transmission 26. in addition, this action blocks the inlet passage 115a to the chamber 122, and the compressor 1113 can thereby build up pressure until conventional relief means in the compressor bleeds the excess pressure.

When it is desired to shift the transmission from tumble to spin speed, the solenoid 123 is energized, forexample, by su table electrical circuitry connected to the presettablc timer means of FIGURE 2. Energization of the solenoid 123 withdraws the solenoid armature 127 against the pressure of spring means 129 to essentially the position 0 FIGURE 5. The air pressure from the inlet port iii, coupled with gravitational forces, moves the valve member r26 to a seating position upon surface 1240 of the rigid diaphragm member 12d. This blocks communication between the chambers 122 and 123, and pressurizes both of the valve outlets tilt and 116. The outlet port 111 leads to the pneumatic clutch in the transmission means 26 causing this clutch to operate. The outlet 116 connects to the bleed-oil valve 91, andas an off-balance load accelerated and produces a deflection, the bleedoff valve is intermittently opened to cause a reduction of the a. The reduced air r pressure in the chamber 122. pressure acting upon the pneumatic clutch causes clutch slipping and a termination of increased drum acceleration, until the oft-balance load is counterbalanced.

The positioning of the valve core stem 91a with respect to the flange portion @762 on the arm member 87 (FIG- URE 3) is adjustably controlled in relation to the'position of the deflector or interrupter member 81 and its associated parts so that a slightly greater deflection of the tan? and cylinder assembly is required to bleed off the necessary operating air pressure, than is required to initiatc tr e water balancing action. This is a mere matter of proper adjustment of parts, and assures that the water balancing funct-ionwill be first initiated and the acceleration control then set into action to maintain the transmission speed ratio at the speed which initially caused the off-balance condition and initiated the counterbalancing action, without unnecessarily diminishing the cylinder speed. 7

Referring now to FIGURE 6, the transmission means 26 is provided with a housing 15% comprising a main body portion 51 to which is securedby fastening means 152 a cap portion 153. The main body portion 151 is formed with an apertured central embossment 154. receiving therethrough variable diameter shaft means 155. connected at one end to the motormeans 25. The apertured 9 emhossment 154 may receive bearing means 156 and seal means 157.

Axially inwardly of the bearing means 156 there is corotatably mounted upon the shaft means 155 gear means 158 in meshing relation with gear means 159 corotatably mounted as by pin means 159a upon shaft means 1611 supported at opposite ends in bearing means 161 and 162 received in recesses in the body portion 151 and cap portion 153, respectively.

The shaft means 164) supports for corotation gear means 163, keyed as at 163a to shaft 160, meshing with gear means 164 which rotates freely at a constant speed upon sleeve means 165 connected to the pulley 27 and surrounding the reduced diameter portion of the shaft means 155.

Gear means 164 includes an eccentric portion 164:: that has mounted on it an encircling follower strap member 165a that drives the piston (not shown) of the compressor 113 at a constant speed Whenever motor 25 is energized.

Gear 164 is also provided with a pocket which receives a disc insert member 166 which is anchored to gear 164 by means of the cross pin 166a. Mounted on sleeve 165 and positioned within a cylindrical recess provided in the member 166 is a sprocket-like clutch member 167 and a plurality of clutch roller members 168 which cooperate with members 166 and 167 to form a one-way drive connection between these latter members. Since the one-way roller clutch formed by members 166, 167 and 168 is of conventional construction, it will sufiice to state that this connection is made during the low or tumble speed operations when member 166 cams rollers 168 tightly against the sprocket-like clutch member 167 to rotate sleeve member 165 and the driven pulley 27 at tumble speed. During the spin operations, member 167 is driven at the speed of the shaft 155 and thus overruns disc member 166, thereby moving roller members 168 to a disengaged position.

Clutch member 167' is provided with a notched laterally extending flange 167a which positively-engages a cup or dish-shaped member 169. Located within the recess defined by the member 129 is a clutch disc 170 which is provided with friction surfaces 17 a and which is corotatable with a mounting collar 171 which in turn is corotatable with and axially movable relative to the shaft 155. Corotatable with and axially movable on the collar 171 is a second clutch disc 172 provided with friction surface 172a. Corotatable with and axially movable on the cup-shaped member 159 and positioned between the clutch disc 17b and 172 is a drive disc 169a.

The means for shifting the collar member 171 to vary the rotative speed of the pulley 27, as by terminating continued acceleration when an off-balance load is detected, may comprise a yoke member 175 connected to the collar member 171 and bearing against a fulcrumproviding surface 176, while being connected at its opposite end to an elongated end portion 177a on piston arm 177. The piston end portion may travel in an embossment 178, while the piston arm is guided by an apertured embossment 17% formed on cylinder 179 connected to the cover member 153. As appears in FIGURE 6, the piston arm portion 177 is connected to a head portion 186, and the cover portion 153 is apertured (not shown) to receive the conduit means 110 for supplying air pressure to the cylinder chamber 181.

The operation of the acceleration control system of this invention may be described as follows: As the machine proceeds from tumble to spin speed, the solenoid 128 in the solenoid valve means 112 is energized by the electrical circuitry in the machine. Energization of the solenoid 128 withdraws the solenoid armature 127 in opposition to the pressure of the spring 129 and to essentially the position of FIGURE 5. The air pressure from the compressor 113 entering the inlet port 115, in combination with gravitational forces, moves the valve member 126 against the surface 1240' to block the passage 124a between the chambers 122 and 123. The valve outlet ports 111 and 116 are then pressurized, and as was noted, these ports lead through the conduit means and 91b to the air cylinder chamber 181 in the transmission 26 and the bleed-off valve 91, respectively.

Pressurization of the air cylinder chamber 181 in the transmission housing pivots the top of the yoke arm 175 to the left about fulcrum 176 (FIGURE 6) which causes disc member 172 to move to the right to move drive member 169a and clutch portion to the right, until dish-shaped member 169 is driven through collar member 171 at the speed of the shaft 155. This causes clutch member 167 to override disc member 166 and thus the drum 24 is driven at spin speed.

As the cylinder 24 rotates with an unbalanced load therein, the deflections resulting in the drum and casing structure, through connection between the rigid reaction member 101) and shaft means 79 by means of the leaf spring member 85, cause swinging movement of the cam member 83, which rocks the camrning surface 83!) thereof against the follower means 86 on the lever member 87. This forces the flange portion 87a on the lever member 87 against the valve stem 91a of the bleed-off valve 91. As a result, pressure in the chamber 122 of the solenoid valve means 112 is reduced, which lessens the pressure applied against the piston 18%) of the air cylinder 179, and the yoke member pivots in opposite directions about the fulcrum 176 to intermittently shift the collar member 171 along the shaft 155.

This action causes less pressure on the disc 169a and on the inside vertical surface of dish member 169, resulting in a slipping action of the pneumatic clutch. However, since there is intermittent slippage in the pneumatic clutch herein provided, there is no marked speed reduction in the pulley 27 necessarily, but merely a termination of an increased acceleration rate. In other words, the pulley 27 which drives the cylinder 24 rotates at essentially the speed which caused the off-balance condition, so that the counter balancing action can continue.

As the oif-balanced condition is corrected by the injection of balancing fluid into the proper receptacle or receptacles 39, deflection of the shaft 79 with respect to stationary member 1% will decrease with the result that flange portion 87a will no longer depress valve stem 91a to open valve 91 thus, chamber 181 will receive full air pressure and acceleration of the drum 24 will continue until an off-balanced load produces the necessary deflections to again intermittently bleed-off chamber 122 through valve 91. Of course, when the extraction cycle is completed, the acceleration control system reverts to the condition originally described when the solenoid 128 is de-energized. The action of the spring 129 then forces the valve member 126 against the surface 122a, which permits the chamber 122 to be vented through the passage 12411 and through the vent openings 1241) and 119a. In this manner, the increased air pressure from the compressor 113 does not reach the pneumatic clutch, and since the inlet passage 115a is blocked, a build-up of pressure occurs in the compressor 113 until the conventional relief valve therein opens.

As is now appreciated, whenever the drum and casing assembly moves to the left in FIGURE 1, the leaf spring member 85 is placed in tension and causes the shaft 79 to move counterclockwise with respect to the housing 75 to cause the deflector 81 to move downwardly out of blocking relation with the nozzle outlet 95b. On the other hand, as the balance housing 75 moves to the right of the vertical centerline due to an unbalance load in the cylinder or drum 24, the leaf spring member is compressed between the shaft 79 and the clamping surfaces liilla of the rigid reaction member 100. This compressing action tends to somewhat buckle or bend the leaf spring mem ber 85, however, the leaf spring member is effective to toposition.

tate the shaft 79 in a clockwise direction to cause the deflector to move upwardly, although the upward deflector movement is not suflicient to permit the introduction of water into the balance tanks, which would add to the unbalanced load.

The interrupter or deflector member 81 moves approximately an equal amount in opposite directions from its neutral or properly indexed position and in exact phase with the drum and casing assembly deflection by originally establishing the proper relationship between the flat portion of the recessed section 79a (FIGURE 4) in the shaft means 79 and the deflector member 81. To accomplish this, the sleeve member 77 when installed in the balance housing 75 is positioned so that the cut-out portion 77a of the sleeve 77 allows the shaft recess portion 79a to operate in its proper dimensional position. After the drive member 85, washer means 84, and cam member 83 are positioned on the shaft recess portion 79a, and the interaction between cam surface 83b and roller follower 86 as driven by spring 89 has placed the fiat portion of the shaft recess 79a in its proper neutral position, the deflector member 81 is screwed by means 80 into the shaft. A particular dimension is established for this purpose as a result of test investigations, and this dimension locates the top of the deflector or interrupter member 81 with respect to the outlet 95b of the nozzle assembly 95. This establishes the proper phase relationship between the position of the off-balance load in the drum 24 and the movement of the deflector 81 to allow the balancing fluid to pass into the collector segments 45.

After this exact dimension has been found, the deflector is locked by screw means 80 in this dimensional position with respect to the balance nozzle outlet 95b. Thereafter, the bleed-off valve 91 is adjusted in the balance housing 75 to give a proper dimensional distance of the valve stem 91a from flange portion 8711 when the cam follower 86 is centered on the cam surface 83b of the cam member 83 as controlled by the spring 89 with leaf spring member 85 unlocked. This dimension assures that the bleed-off or clutch slippage will occur at a deflection slightly greater than the deflection necessary to initiate water balancing, for the purpose earlier indicated of maintaining the drum rotative speed at that speed which caused the olf-balance condition to produce the necessary water balancing initiation deflections. With the discussed adjustments made, which can be a bench assembly operation, the entire assembly is ready to be installed on the front wall 18b of the casing 18.

At this point, it should be noticed that cam surfaces or I lobes 83b and 83c of cam member 83 are cut to drive flange portion 87a downwardly for deflections of the casing 18 on each side of the machines vertical centerline. This sensitivity to deflections of the casing on both sides of the vertical centerline provides a very important safety feature. If the exemplary machine was to be installed and properly adjusted in one location for the life of the machine, it would be necessary to only drive flange portion 87a downwardly when the casing deflected to one side of the ventical centerline and the machine would operate properly without dangerous vibrations. If the bleedoff valve 91 was sensitive to deflections of the casing to one side of the vertical centerline only and the machine was moved without unclamping reaction member 85 from member 100, a serious vibration condition could arise. If the slope of the floor inthe new location was different from the slope in the former location, the casing 18 would shift somewhat with respect to the base structure 13 and the shaft 79 would rotate. The deflector 81 and the cam member 83, assuming the member 85 was not unclamped, would not be in their proper neutral positions. Flange portion 87a, assuming it would move downwardly with movements or deflections of the casing to only one side of the machine vertical centerline, would now either be too close or too far from stem 91a in its new neutral If too close, the pneumatic system would be bled off due to smaller deflections than normal and drum acceleration could not take place. If too far, a serious condition arises such that it would take very large deflections of the casing before flange portion 87a would operate stem 91a to open valve 91 to stop acceleration of the off-balanced load in the drum 24. These deflections may be large enough to cause the machine to walk or even to topple over. This dangerous situation is completely eliminated in the exemplary machine by cutting the cam 83 to have a lobe 83b and a lobe 830 so that these lobes will drive flange portion 87a downwardly with deflections of the casing 18% to each side of the vertical centerline. Thus, if the machine were moved without unclamping member 85 and the neutral position of the cam member 83 was upset, the flange portion 87a would always operate valve 91 to arrest drum acceleration at a deflection of the casing to one side of the machine vertical centerline that was smaller than normally needed to operate valve 91. This would correspond to the too close condition just described. Thus, the dangerous vibration condition has been eliminated, but before the machine could be operated properly, it would be necessary to unclamp member 85 to allow the spring 89 to return deflector 81 and cam member 83 to their proper neutral positions. Of course, member 85 should always be unclamped when the machine is moved to a new location.

By the present invention an off-balance condition is rapidly and eifectively overcome, and as well, by provision of the bleed-off system, precise control is maintained over the acceleration of the drum or cylinder 24 so that the drum not only does not rotate at a speed any considerable degree faster than that which caused the off-balance condition to produce the necessary water balancing initiation deflections, but also by not actuating the bleed-off system at the same deflection resulting'from the cit-balance load, the drum rotative speed is not reduced to a value such that the water balancing system would be rendered ineffective.

Various modifications can of course be eflected in the structure disclosed without departing from the novel concepts of the instant invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a washing machine, a drive motor, a support, a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be washed and centrifugally dried, means mounting said basket on said support for movement in response to vibrations produced by rotation of unbalanced loads in said basket at centrifuging speeds, a transmission interconnecting said drive motor and said basket and having a low speed ratio for tumbling fabrics at a lower washing speed and a high speed ratio for rotating said basket at higher centrifuging speeds for extracting fluids from said fabrics, clutch means for changing the speed ratios of said transmission, actuating means for said clutch means, pressure source means including conduit means directing pressurized fluid to said actuating means, and valve means connected to said support and mounted in said conduit means, actuator means connected to said basket mounting means and operable upon movement of said basket mounting means due to rotation of unbalanced loads at said high speed ratio to actuate said valve'means for reducing the flow of said pressurized fluid to said actuating means to shift said clutch means and limit the speed ratio of said transmission to a value between said low and said high speed ratios to thereby eflect the rotation of said basket at a safe optimum speed above said lower washing speed, said actuator means comprising a valve actuator including a plurality of cam lobes pivotally mounted on said basket mounting means and responsive to vibratory movements thereof, said valve means including a movable member positioned to be selectively actuated by said cam lobes.

2. Laundry apparatus comprising, drive means, support means, a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be washed and centrifugally dried, means mounting said basket on said support means to accommodate vibratory movements of said basket as produced by the rotation of acentrio loads in said basket, transmission means interconnecting said drive means and said basket to provide a plurality of speed ratios for rotating said basket, means providing a source of fluid pressure, fluid clutch means controlling the selection of said speed ratios, conduit means interconnecting said source of fluid pressure with said fluid clutch means, valve means in said conduit means, valve actuator means connected to said basket mounting means, a movable cam pivotally mounted on said mounting means, reaction means interconnected between said cam and said support means for moving said cam in response to vibratory movements of said basket, said cam including a plurality of lobes engageable with said valve actuator means for actuating said valve means in response to said vibrations for regulating the supply of pressure to the clutch means and thereby limiting the rotation of said basket to those speeds which produce only minimal basket vibrations of a predetermined amplitude, means for counterbalancing said acentric loads in said basket, and control means operatively connected between the basket mounting means and said support means and operatively engageable with said valve actuator means and said means for counterbalancing so that greater amplitudes of basket movement are required for actuation of said valve means and for said counterbalancing means.

3. Laundry apparatus comprising, drive means, support means, a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be washed and centrifugally dried, means mounting said basket on said support means to accommodate vibratory movements of said basket as produced by the rotation of acentric loads in said basket, transmission means interconnecting said drive means and said basket to provide a plurality of speed ratios for rotating said basket, a compressor driven by transmission means, fluid clutch means in said transmission means controlling the selection of said speed ratios, conduit means interconnecting said compressor and said fluid clutch means, a cam having first and second cam lobes pivotally mounted on said basket mounting means and movable in unison therewith as a function of the oscillatory movements of said basket caused by the rotation of unbalanced loads therein, a valve actuator lever pivotally mounted on said basket mounting means, said valve actuator lever including a cam follower positioned between said cam. lobes, and a bleed-off valve in said conduit means positioned adjacent said valve actuator lever for actuation of said valve during vibratory movements of said basket to bleed said conduit means for regulating the supply of fluid pressure to the clutch means and thereby limiting the effective speed ratio of said transmission and controlling the rotational speed of said basket to a safe optimum speed wherein only minimal basket vibrations of a predetermined amplitude will be produced.

4. Laundry apparatus as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said cam follower being provided with roller means to facilitate relative movement. between said valve actuator lever and said cam, and further including means holding said roller means against said cam.

Armstrong Sept. 13, 1955 Bochan Aug. 23, 1960

Claims (1)

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE, A DRIVE MOTOR, A SUPPORT, A ROTARY BASKET FOR RECEIVING FABRICS TO BE WASHED AND CENTRIFUGALLY DRIED, MEANS MOUNTING SAID BASKET ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO VIBRATIONS PRODUCED BY ROTATION OF UNBALANCED LOADS IN SAID BASKET AT CENTRIFUGING SPEEDS, A TRANSMISSION INTERCONNECTING SAID DRIVE MOTOR AND SAID BASKET AND HAVING A LOW SPEED RATIO FOR TUMBLING FABRICS AT A LOWER WASHING SPEED AND A HIGH SPEED RATIO FOR ROTATING SAID BASKET AT HIGHER CENTRIFUGING SPEEDS FOR EXTRACTING FLUIDS FROM SAID FABRICS, CLUTCH MEANS FOR CHANGING THE SPEED RATIOS OF SAID TRANSMISSION, ACTUATING MEANS FOR SAID CLUTCH MEANS, PRESSURE SOURCE MEANS INCLUDING CONDUIT MEANS DIRECTING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS, AND VALVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT AND MOUNTED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS, ACTUATOR MEANS CONNETED TO SAID BASKET MOUNTING MEANS AND OPERABLE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID BASKET MOUNTING MEANS DUE TO ROTATION OF UNBALANCED LOADS AT SAID HIGH SPEED RATIO TO ACTUATE SAID VALVE MEANS FOR REDUCING THE FLOW OF SAID PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS TO SHIFT SAID CLUTCH MEANS AND LIMIT THE SPEED RATIO OF SAID TRANSMISSION TO A VALVE BETWEEN SAID LOW AND SAID HIGH SPEED RATIOS TO THEREBY EFFECT THE ROTATION OF SAID BASKET AT A SAFE OPTIMUM SPEED ABOVE SAID LOWER WASHING SPEED, SAID ACTUATOR MEANS COMPRISING A VALVE ACTUATOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CAM LOBES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASKET MOUNTING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO VIBRATORY MOVEMENTS THEREOF, SAID VALVE MEANS INCLUDING A MOVABLE MEMBER POSITIONED TO BE SELECTIVELY ACTUATED BY SAID CAM LOBES.

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