Title: Drum type washing machine
Abstract: A drum type washing machine includes a cabinet which defines an outer appearance of the washing machine, a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water therein, a rotary tub having spin drying perforations and rotatably set in the water tub, and a water turbine which is mounted at an open front of the rotary tub and rotates along with the rotary tub to spray the wash water contained in the water tub into the rotary tub. The water turbine includes an external member having an annular shape, and an internal member having an annular shape corresponding to the external member. The internal member is arranged apart from the external member by a predetermined interval. A vane unit is set between the external and the internal members, and raises the wash water contained in the water tub and sprays the wash water into the rotary tub.
Patent Number: 7,010,942 Issued on 03/14/2006 to Ryu, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Ryu; Doo-Young (Suwon, KR);
Namkung; Koan-Seog (Suwon, KR)
|
| Assignee:
|
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-Si, KR)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
223613 |
| Filed:
|
August 20, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Sep 28, 2001[KR] | 2001-60365 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
68/19; 68/19.2; 68/142; 34/108; 34/130 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
D06F 37/04 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
68/18R,207,13R,19,192,142
34/108,130
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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| 550672 | Dec., 1895 | Jones.
| |
| 947611 | Jan., 1910 | Baker.
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| 1097510 | May., 1914 | English.
| |
| 1102268 | Jul., 1914 | Bartholomew.
| |
| 1295421 | Feb., 1919 | Holliday.
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| 1358168 | Nov., 1920 | McCutchen.
| |
| 1631266 | Jun., 1927 | Hasha.
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| 1697861 | Jan., 1929 | Garfield.
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| 2062286 | Dec., 1936 | Emil.
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| 2101841 | Dec., 1937 | Dinley.
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| 2434476 | Jan., 1948 | Wales.
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| 2436343 | Feb., 1948 | Wilson.
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| 2543993 | Mar., 1951 | Stanitz et al.
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| 2559708 | Jul., 1951 | Calhoun.
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| 2574798 | Nov., 1951 | Christian.
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| 2575335 | Nov., 1951 | Douglas.
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| 2584070 | Jan., 1952 | Walker.
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| 2774148 | Dec., 1956 | Worth.
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| 2816429 | Dec., 1957 | Kurlancheek.
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| 2818659 | Jan., 1958 | Hague.
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| 3277583 | Oct., 1966 | Mack.
| |
| 3448596 | Jun., 1969 | Bochan.
| |
| 4809524 | Mar., 1989 | Sickert et al.
| |
| 4888965 | Dec., 1989 | Fanson et al.
| |
| 5617747 | Apr., 1997 | Kim.
| |
| 5865046 | Feb., 1999 | Na et al.
| |
| 5878601 | Mar., 1999 | Won et al.
| |
| 6145350 | Nov., 2000 | Hwang.
| |
| 6167733 | Jan., 2001 | Lee.
| |
| 6241781 | Jun., 2001 | Han.
| |
| 6247339 | Jun., 2001 | Kenjo et al.
| |
| 6351974 | Mar., 2002 | Lyu et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 30 12 933 | Oct., 1980 | DE.
| |
| 8-103593 | Apr., 1996 | JP.
| |
Other References
Europena Patent Office 0 087 649 2-1983.
|
Primary Examiner: Stinson; Frankie L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Staas & Halsey LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A drum type washing machine comprising:
a cabinet which defines an outer appearance of the washing machine;
a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water therein;
a rotary tub rotatably set in the water tub and includes spin-drying perforations; and
a water turbine which is mounted at a surface of the rotary tub, rotates along
with the rotary tub and sprays the wash water contained in the water tub into the
rotary tub,
wherein a rotational axis of the rotary tub is approximately horizontal, and
the water turbine comprises an external member, an internal member, and a vane
unit arranged between the external and internal members, such that the vane unit
channels and sprays the wash water into the rotary tub.
2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water turbine
generates forced water currents and sprays the forced water currents into the rotary
tub to increase a washing effect.
3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 2, wherein:
the wash water includes detergent, and
the forced wash water currents generated by the water turbine dissolve the detergent.
4. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1 further comprising:
a water supply hose which supplies the wash water to the drum type washing machine;
a detergent container to contain detergent therein;
a drain hose to drains the wash water of the drum type washing machine;
a drain pump which discharges the wash water through the drain hose;
lifters which are arranged on an internal surface of the rotary tub, wherein
the lifters move laundry contained in the rotary tub upward and drop the laundry
from a top to a bottom inside of the rotary tub; and
a drive motor which rotates the rotary tub.
5. The drum type washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the water turbine
is rotated along with the rotary tub without an additional pump which provides
a drive force to circulate the wash water.
6. A drum type washing machine comprising:
a cabinet which defines an outer appearance of the washing machine;
a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water therein;
a rotary tub rotatably set in the water tub and includes spin-drying perforations; and
a water turbine which is mounted at a surface of the rotary tub, rotates along
with the rotary tub, and sprays the wash water contained in the water tub into
the rotary tub,
wherein the water turbine comprises;
an external member having an annular shape,
an internal member having an annular shape corresponding to the external member,
and arranged apart from the external member by an interval, and
a vane unit which is set between the external and the internal members, and raises
the wash water contained in the water tub and sprays the wash water into the rotary tub.
7. The drum type washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the vane unit comprises:
a partition plate which is positioned between the external and internal members,
and forms external and internal chambers;
internal vanes provided on a first surface of the partition plate at first predetermined
intervals; and
external vanes provided on a second surface of the partition plate at second
predetermined intervals, wherein the external and internal vanes are curved in
opposite directions so as to raise the wash water regardless of a rotating direction
of the rotary tub.
8. The drum type washing machine according to claim 7, wherein:
the internal member includes a flat surface part having a set length and an inclined
surface part which extends from the flat surface part toward an inner circumferential
edge of the external member,
the partition plate includes a flat surface part and an inclined surface part
which correspond to the flat surface part and the inclined surface part of the
internal member, and
the inclined surface part of the internal member and the inner circumferential
edge of the external member form an injection nozzle therebetween having a set
width, wherein an end portion of the inclined surface part of the partition plate
is placed adjacent to the injection nozzle.
9. The drum type washing machine according to claim 8, wherein:
each of the internal vanes set in the internal chamber comprises:
a guide part which connects an outer circumferential edge of the internal member
to an outer circumferential edge of the partition plate; and
a vane part which extends from an end of the guide part and is mounted at the
inclined surface part of the internal member so as to be curved in a direction,
wherein internal wash water inlets are formed between the guide parts of the internal
vanes, and
each of the external vanes set in the external chamber comprises:
an external guide part which connects an outer circumferential edge of the external
member to the outer circumferential edge of the partition plate; and
an external vane part which extends from an end of the external guide part and
is mounted at the inclined surface part of the partition plate so as to be curved
in the opposite direction with respect to the vane part of each of the internal
vanes, wherein external wash water inlets are formed between the external guide
parts of the external vanes.
10. The drum type washing machine according to claim 9, wherein the internal
and external wash water inlets channel the wash water into the corresponding internal
and external chambers.
11. The drum type washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the external
member includes an injection guide part which extends from the inner circumferential
edge of the external member toward the inclined surface part of the internal member
by a predetermined length, and guides the wash water passing through the injection
nozzle into the rotary tub.
12. The drum type washing machine according to claim 11, wherein in response
to the rotary tub being rotated in one direction, the wash water flows to the external
chamber through the external wash water inlets, moves along the external vane parts
of the external vanes with guide of the partition plate and the external member,
and accelerates through the injection nozzle with guide of the injection guide part.
13. The drum type washing machine according to claim 12, wherein in response
to the rotary tub being rotated in the other direction, the wash water flows to
the internal chamber through the internal wash water inlets, moves along the vane
parts of the vanes with guide of the partition plate and the internal member, and
accelerated through the injection nozzle with guide of the injection guide part.
14. The drum type washing machine according to claim 6, wherein:
the internal member includes:
a flat surface part having a set length; and
an inclined surface part which extends from the flat surface part toward an inner
circumferential edge of the external member, and
the inclined surface part of the internal member and the inner circumferential
edge of the external member form an injection nozzle therebetween having a set width.
15. The drum type washing machine according to claim 14, wherein the vane unit comprises:
guide plates which connect corresponding outer circumferential edges of the external
and internal members, wherein wash water inlets are formed between the guide plates
arranged in predetermined intervals; and
vanes which inwardly extend from the corresponding guide plates, wherein a first
edge of each of the vanes is connected to the flat surface part and the inclined
surface part of the internal member, and a second edge of each of the vanes is
connected to an internal surface of the external member.
16. The drum type washing machine according to claim 15, wherein the external
member includes an injection guide part which extends from the inner circumferential
edge of the external member toward the inclined surface part of the internal member
by a predetermined length, and guides the wash water passing through the injection
nozzle into the rotary tub.
17. The drum type washing machine according to claim 16, wherein:
the flat surface part and the inclined surface part of the internal member, and
the Internal surface of the external member form a chamber, and
in response to rotation of the rotary tub, the wash water flows to the chamber
through the wash water inlets, moves along the vanes and the inclined surface part
with guide of the external and internal members, and accelerates through the injection
nozzle with guide of the injection guide plate.
18. The drum type washing machine according to claim 15, wherein the vanes extend
from the corresponding guide plates, are radially arranged in the water turbine,
and both side surfaces of each of the vanes are flat.
19. The drum type washing machine according to claim 15, wherein the vanes extend
from the corresponding guide plates, are radially arranged in the water turbine,
and both side surfaces of each of the vanes are concave.
20. The drum type washing machine according to claim 15, wherein:
the flat surface part and the inclined surface part of the internal member, and
the internal surface of the external member form a chamber, and
the wash water inlets channel the wash water into the chamber.
21. A washing machine comprising:
a cabinet which defines an outer appearance of the washing machine;
a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water therein;
a rotary tub rotatably set in the water tub; and
a water turbine which
is positioned at a mouth of the rotary tub,
rotates along with the rotary tub, and
comprises an external member, an internal member, and a vane unit arranged between
the external and internal members, such that the vane unit sprays the wash water
contained in the water tub into the rotary tub.
22. The washing machine according to claim 21, wherein the water turbine channels
and accelerates the wash water, and sprays the accelerated wash water into the
rotary tub.
23. The washing machine according to claim 21, wherein the water turbine is rotated
along with the rotary tub, and channels, accelerates and sprays the wash water
without an additional pump which provides a drive force to circulate the wash water.
24. A turbine for a washing machine having a cabinet which defines an outer appearance
of the washing machine, a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water
therein, and a rotary tub rotatably set in the water tub, comprising:
an external member;
an internal member; and
a vane unit arranged between the external and internal members, wherein:
the vane unit channels the wash water contained in the water tub and accelerates
the wash water, and
the turbine rotates along with the rotary tub and sprays the accelerated wash
water into the rotary tub.
25. The turbine according to claim 24, wherein the water turbine channels, accelerates
and sprays the wash water without an additional pump which provides a drive force
to circulate the wash water.
26. A turbine for a laundry dryer having a cabinet which defines an outer appearance
of the laundry dryer and a rotary tub rotatably set in the laundry dryer, comprising:
an external member;
an internal member; and
a vane unit arranged between the external and internal members, wherein:
the vane unit channels air contained in the rotary tub and accelerates the air, and
the turbine rotates along with the rotary tub and circulates the accelerated
air into the rotary tub.
27. The turbine according to claim 26, wherein the turbine generates forced air
currents and injects the forced air currents into the rotary tub to increase a
drying effect.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2001-60365
filed on Sep. 28, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure
of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to
a drum type washing machine having a water turbine at a front of a rotary tub,
so as to raise wash water with detergent and spray the mixture on laundry in a
washing operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, washing machines are used to wash laundry by rotating a cylindrical
rotary tub containing the laundry and wash water therein. Such washing machines
have been typically classified into drum type washing machines and vertical shaft
type washing machines. The drum type washing machines are designed such that a
rotary tub is horizontally set in a cabinet and is rotated around a horizontal
axis of the cabinet in opposite directions to repeatedly move the laundry seated
on an internal surface of the rotary tub upward and allow the laundry to be dropped
from the top to the bottom inside of the rotary tub to wash the laundry. In the
vertical shaft type washing machines, a rotary tub with a pulsator is vertically
set in a cabinet and is rotated around a vertical axis of the cabinet in opposite
directions. In vertical shaft type washing machines, laundry inside the rotary
tub are washed by forced water currents generated by the pulsator.
FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of a conventional drum type washing machine
("washing machine"). The washing machine includes a cabinet 1 which defines
an outer appearance of the washing machine. A cylindrical water tub 2 is
horizontally set in the cabinet 1, and receives wash water therein. A rotary
tub 3 having a cylinder shape drum is rotatably set in the cylindrical water
tub 2, and is perforated on its sidewall to have spin-drying perforations
3
a. The drum type washing machine also has a drive motor 4
which rotates the rotary tub 3.
The cabinet 1 has an opening to allow a user to place the laundry in the
rotary tub 3 or remove the laundry from the rotary tub 3. A front
door 5 is hinged to the opening of the cabinet 1 to selectively close
the rotary tub 3. Lifters 6 are positioned on an internal surface
of the rotary tub 3 at regular intervals. In response to rotating of the
rotary tub 3, the lifters 6 repeatedly move the laundry seated on
the internal surface of the rotary tub 3 upward and drop the laundry from
the top to the bottom inside of the rotary tub 3 to wash the laundry.
The cabinet 1 is provided at its upper portion with a water supply hose
7 and a detergent container 8. A circulation pump 9 and a
drain pump 10 are provided at a bottom of the cabinet 1.
Unlike the vertical shaft type washing machines with a rotary tub vertically
set in a cabinet, which wash laundry inside the rotary tub with forced water currents
generated by a pulsator, the drum type washing machines consume a small quantity
of water. However, the drum type washing machines take a longer time to wash the
laundry due to a washing method used, that is, lifting and dropping of the laundry.
In the drum type washing machines, detergent is also not rapidly dissolved in wash
water and undesirably lays thick on a bottom of a water tub.
To solve the above problem, the circulation pump 9 is installed in the
drum type washing machine shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the circulation pump
9 is used to move the detergent accumulated on the bottom of the cylindrical
water tub 2 upward, which is not dissolved in the wash water, together with
the wash water to rapidly dissolve the detergent in the wash water and wet the laundry.
A wash operation of the conventional drum type washing machine described above
is as follows. First, wash water with detergent is fed to the cylindrical water
tub 2 through the water supply hose 7 and the detergent container
8. At this time, the wash water having the detergent is supplied into the
rotary tub 3, which contains the laundry therein, through the perforations
3
a formed on the sidewall of the rotary tub 3 until a predetermined
wash water height is achieved. Next, the rotary tub 3 is repeatedly rotated
in alternating directions at regular intervals by the drive motor 4. When
the rotary tub 3 is rotated, the lifters 6 provided on the internal
surface of the rotary tub 3 move the laundry upward and allow the laundry
to be dropped from a height inside the tub 3 to wash the laundry. At the
same time, the circulation pump 9 is actuated to raise the wash water with
the detergent from the bottom to the top of the cylindrical water tub 2
through a circulation hose 11 connected to an inlet and outlet of the circulation
pump 9 and upper and lower ends of the cylindrical water tub 2, and
discharge the wash water from the top of the cylindrical water tub 2 to
wet the laundry.
After a washing operation is completed in a set period of time, the drain pump
10 is actuated to discharge the wash water to the outside through a drain
hose 12. Thereafter, the washing machine performs a rinsing operation to
remove the detergent from the laundry. Finally, the drive motor 4 rotates
the rotary tub 3 at a high speed while actuating the drain pump 10
to spin-dry the laundry, thus completing the wash operation.
However, in the conventional drum type washing machine, only a small portion
of the wash water with detergent is raised from the bottom to the top inside of
the cylindrical water tub 2 and discharged to the rotary tub 3 by
the circulation pump 9 and the circulation hose 11 during the washing
operation. That is, only a part of the wash water flows into the rotary tub 3
through the perforations 3
a during the rotation of the rotary tub
3, and the remaining wash water flows down to the bottom of the cylindrical
water tub 2 along the external surface of the rotary tub 3. Accordingly,
the conventional drum type washing machine is incapable of sufficiently wetting
the laundry. Therefore, additional time is required to properly wet the laundry,
further extending the time required to wash the laundry.
Furthermore, with use of the circulation pump 9 and the circulation
hose 11 to wet the laundry, manufacturing cost is increased. Also, operational
noise as well as vibration are increased by the operation of the circulation pump
9. Such noise and vibration give negative impressions to consumers as to
the quality of the washing machine, and lower durability of components in the washing machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drum
type washing machine which rapidly dissolves detergent in wash water without an
additional drive device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washing
machine which directly sprays forced water currents onto laundry, so as to rapidly
wet the laundry and increase the washing effect of the washing machine.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in
part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description,
or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and other objects of the present invention, there is provided
a drum type washing machine comprising a cabinet which defines an outer appearance
of the washing machine, a water tub set inside the cabinet to contain wash water
therein, a rotary tub rotatably set in the water tub and includes spin-drying perforations,
and a water turbine which is mounted at a surface of the rotary tub, rotates along
with the rotary tub and sprays the wash water contained in the water tub into the
rotary tub.
The water turbine comprises an external member having an annular shape, an internal
member having an annular shape corresponding to the external member and arranged
apart from the external member by an interval, and a vane unit which is set between
the external and the internal members, raises the wash water contained in the water
tub and sprays the wash water into the rotary tub.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the vane unit comprises
a partition plate which is positioned between the external and internal members
and forms external and internal chambers, internal vanes provided on a first surface
of the partition plate at first predetermined intervals, and external vanes provided
on a second surface of the partition plate at second predetermined intervals, wherein
the external and internal vanes are curved in opposite directions so as to raise
the wash water regardless of a rotating direction of the rotary tub.
The internal member includes a flat surface part having a set length, and an
inclined surface part which extends from the flat surface part toward an inner
circumferential edge of the external member. The partition plate includes a flat
surface part and an inclined surface part which correspond to the flat surface
part and the inclined surface part of the internal member. The inclined surface
part of the internal member and the inner circumferential edge of the external
member form an injection nozzle therebetween having a set width, and an end portion
of the inclined surface part of the partition plate is placed adjacent to the injection nozzle.
Each of the internal vanes set in the internal chamber comprises a guide part
which connects the outer circumferential edge of the internal member to the outer
circumferential edge of the partition plate, and a vane part which extends from
an end of the guide part and is mounted at the inclined surface part of the internal
member so as to be curved in a direction, wherein internal wash water inlets are
formed between the guide parts of the internal vanes. Each of the external vanes
set in the external chamber comprises a guide part which connects the outer circumferential
edge of the external member to the outer circumferential edge of the partition
plate, and a vane part which extends from an end of the guide part and is mounted
at the inclined surface part of the partition plate so as to be curved in the opposite
direction with respect to the vane part of each of the internal vanes, wherein
external wash water inlets are formed between the guide parts of the external vanes.
The vane parts of the external and internal vanes move the wash water upward as
the rotary tub is rotated in alternating directions.
The external member includes an injection guide part which extends from the inner
circumferential edge of the external member toward the inclined surface part of
the internal member by a predetermined length, and guides the wash water passing
through the injection nozzle into the rotary tub.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the internal member
includes a flat surface part having a set length and an inclined surface part which
extends from the flat surface part toward an inner circumferential edge of the
external member, wherein the inclined surface part of the internal member and the
inner circumferential edge of the external member form an injection nozzle therebetween
having a set width.
The vane unit comprises guide parts which connect corresponding outer circumferential
edges of the external and internal members, wherein wash water inlets are formed
between the guide parts arranged in predetermined intervals, and vanes which inwardly
extend from the corresponding guide plates, wherein a first edge of each of the
vanes is connected to the flat surface part and the inclined surface part of the
internal member, and a second edge of each of the vanes is connected to an internal
surface of the external member.
The external member includes an injection guide part which extends from the inner
circumferential edge of the external member toward the inclined surface part of
the internal member by a predetermined length, and guides the wash water passing
through the injection nozzle into the rotary tub.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments,
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional
drum type washing machine;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the internal structure of a drum type washing
machine having a water turbine according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the water turbine of the drum
type washing machine shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway right side view of the water turbine of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway left side view of the water turbine of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI—VI of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a partial cutaway perspective view of a water turbine according to
another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a partial cutaway right side view of the water turbine of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a partial cutaway left side view of the water turbine of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X—X of FIG. 8; and
FIG. 11 is a partial cutaway perspective view of a water turbine according to
yet another embodiment of the present invention where vanes each have concave side surfaces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein
like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments
are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
FIG. 2 shows a drum type washing machine having a water turbine
20 mounted
at a surface of a rotary tub
3 adjacent to a front door
5. The water
turbine
20 effectively performs the function of pumping wash water without
requiring a circulation pump
9 or a circulation hose
11 included
in the conventional drum type washing machine of FIG. 1. The water turbine
20
is fitted in an end of the rotary tub
3 and may be attached thereto using
screws as shown, or an adhesive.
Where the rotary tub
3 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a
drive motor
4 in a washing operation, the water turbine
20 is rotated
along with the rotary tub
3 without an additional drive force, and the wash
water with detergent contained in a water tub
2 is raised and sprayed into
the rotary tub
3. The water turbine
20 rapidly wets the laundry and
allows the laundry to be effectively washed by a spraying force of the wash water.
The construction and an operation of the water turbine
20 will be described
in detail below.
FIGS. 3-6 show the water turbine
20 according to an embodiment of the
present invention. FIG. 3 shows a partial cutaway perspective view of the water
turbine
20. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a partial cutaway right side view and a partial
cutaway left side view of the water turbine
20, respectively. FIG. 6 shows
a sectional view taken along the line VI—VI of FIG. 4.
As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the water turbine
20 comprises an external member
21 and an internal member
31 which are positioned so as to be opposite
to each other. The water turbine
20 further includes a vane unit
41
set between the external and internal members
21 and
31. In this
case, the external member
21 is placed adjacent to the front door
5
while the internal member
31 is placed adjacent to the inside of the rotary
tub
3.
The external and internal members
21 and
31 have annular shapes,
and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. Wash water inlets
51 and
52 are formed along the outer circumferences of the external
and internal members
21 and
31, respectively, so as to have the wash
water flow into the vane unit
41 through the wash water inlets
51
and
52.
As shown in FIG. 6, the internal member
31 includes a flat surface part
32 having a predetermined vertical length, and an inclined surface part
33 which extends from the flat surface part
32 toward the inner circumferential
edge of the external member
21. The external member
21 includes a
flat surface part
22 and an injection guide part
23. In this case,
the vertical length of the flat surface part
22 is almost equal to the vertical
length obtained by adding the vertical length of the flat surface part
32
to that of the inclined surface part
33 of the internal member
31.
The injection guide part
23 forms an end of the flat surface part
22
of the external member
21. That is, the injection guide part
23 extends
from the inner circumferential edge of external member
21 beyond a terminal
edge of the inclined surface part
33 of the internal member
31.
An annular injection nozzle ("injection nozzle")
50 of a predetermined
width is formed between the inner circumferential edges of the external and internal
members
21 and
31. The wash water passing through the injection nozzle
50 is guided into the rotary tub
3 containing the laundry therein
by the injection guide part
23 (see arrows in FIG. 2).
The vane unit
41 is set between the external and the internal members
21 and
31, and includes a partition plate
42, and a plurality
of external and internal vanes
43 and
44. In this case, the partition
plate
42 separates the external member
21 from the internal member
31. The external and internal vanes
43 and
44 are provided
on corresponding side surfaces of the partition plate
42, at regular intervals.
Thus, two chambers, that is, an external chamber
45 and an internal chamber
46 are formed between the external and internal members
21 and
31
by the partition plate
42. The external vanes
43 are set in the external
chamber
45, while the internal vanes
44 are set in the internal chamber
46.
The partition plate
42 is used to prevent the wash water flowing into
either of the two chambers
45 and
46 from flowing into the other
chamber, and rapidly guides the wash water flowing into one of the chamber
45
and
46 into the injection nozzle
50. To carry out such functions,
as shown in FIG. 6, the partition plate
42 includes a flat surface part
42a and an inclined surface part
42b. In this case,
the flat surface part
42a separates the external member
21
from the internal member
31. The inclined surface part
42b extends
from the flat surface part
42a, and is arranged so as to have its
edge adjacent to the injection nozzle
50 and guide the wash water flowing
into one of the two chambers
45 and
46 into the injection nozzle
50.
The external vanes
43 are set in a space defined by one side surface of
the partition plate
42 and an inner surface of the external member
21,
while the internal vanes
44 are set in a space defined by the other side
surface of the partition plate
42 and an inner surface of the internal member
31. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the external vanes
43
includes a guide part
43a and a vane part
43b. The
guide part
43a is formed by connecting the outer circumferential
edge of the external member
21 to that of the partition plate
42.
The vane part
43b extends inwardly from one end of the guide part
43a while forming a curved surface. The inside end of the vane part
43b is mounted at the inclined surface part
42b of
the partition plate
42. In this case, a plurality of external vanes
43
are set in the external chamber
45 so as to be spaced apart from each other
by a predetermined interval, and form the wash water inlets
51 between the
guide parts
43a of the external vanes
43. The wash water inlets
51 channel the wash water into the external chamber
45. As the rotary
tub
3 is rotated counterclockwise, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 4, the wash
water flows into the wash water inlets
51 and moves along the vane parts
43b.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, each of the internal vanes
44 includes a guide
part
44a and a vane part
44b. The guide part
44a
is formed by connecting the outer circumferential edge of the internal member
31 to that of the partition plate
42. The vane part
44b
extends inwardly from one end of the guide part
44a in a direction
opposite to that of the vane parts
43b of the external vanes
43
while forming a curved surface. The inside end of the vane part
44b is
mounted at the inclined surface part
33 of the internal member
31.
In this case, the internal vanes
44 are set in the internal chamber
46
so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and form
the wash water inlets
52 between the guide parts
44a of the
internal vanes
44. The wash water inlets
52 channel the wash water
into the internal chamber
46. As the rotary tub
3 is rotated clockwise,
as shown by an arrow in FIG. 5, the wash water flows into the wash water inlets
52 and moves along the vane parts
44b.
As described above, the water turbine
20 according to the present invention
includes the external member
21, the internal member
31, the vane
unit
41 set between the external and internal chambers
45 and
46,
the wash water inlets
51 and
52 formed along the outer circumferences
of the external and internal members
21 and
31, and the injection
nozzle
50 formed between the inclined surface part
33 of the internal
member
31 and the inner circumferential edge of the external member
21,
which are placed so as to be adjacent to each other. Furthermore, the external
and internal vanes
43 and
44 are attached to corresponding side surfaces
of the partition plate
42 of the vane unit
41, respectively. In this
case, the external and internal vanes
43 and
44 are curved in opposite directions.
Such a water turbine
20, as shown in FIG. 3, has screw holes
53
at regular intervals, so as to be screwed to the rotary tub
3. The internal
member
21, the external member
31 and the vane unit
41 are
assembled into a single structure using an adhesive or screws.
Where the above water turbine
20 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction
together with the rotary tub
3, the wash water flows to the external chamber
45 through the wash water inlets
51, and moves along the vane parts
43b of the external vanes
43. In such a case, the wash water
is guided by the partition plate
42 and the external member
21 to
the injection nozzle
50. While the wash water passes through the injection
nozzle
50, the wash water is accelerated. Such accelerated wash water flows
into the rotary tub
3 under the guide of the injection guide part
23
of the external member
21, thus beating the laundry while wetting the laundry.
In response to rotating of the rotary tub
3 in the counterclockwise direction,
the wash water continuously flows into the external chamber
45 by a plurality
of external vanes
43 positioned at regular intervals, and passes through
the injection nozzle
50. The wash water passing through the injection nozzle
50 forms an annular shape due to the shape of the injection nozzle
50,
and generates continuous water currents to be sprayed into the rotary tub
3,
thus rapidly wetting the laundry as well as increasing the washing effect.
On the other hand, as the rotary tub
3 is rotated in a clockwise direction,
the water turbine
20 is also rotated in the clockwise direction. At this
time, the wash water flows to the internal chamber
46 through the wash water
inlets
52 and moves along the vane parts
44b of the internal
vane
44. In such a case, the wash water is guided by the partition plate
42 and the internal member
31 so as to rapidly flow to the injection
nozzle
50, and is sprayed into the rotary tub
3 under the guide of
the injection guide part
23 of the external member
21.
The water turbine
20 is provided in its chambers
45 and
46
with the vanes
43 and
44 curved in opposite directions, respectively.
Such a structure allows the wash water in the water tub
2 to be raised through
the chambers
45 and
46, regardless of the rotating direction of the
rotary tub
3, and be sprayed into the rotary tub
3.
FIGS. 7 to 10 show a water turbine
20A according to another embodiment
of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the water
turbine
20A. FIGS. 8 and 9 are a partial cutaway right side view and a partial
cutaway left side view of the water turbine
20A of FIG. 7, respectively.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X—X of FIG. 8. As compared
to the water turbine
20 of FIGS. 3-6, the water turbine
20A has an
improved structure. That is, the water turbine
20A is capable of continuously
raising and spraying the wash water by vane parts set in one chamber during an
alternating directional rotation of the rotary tub
3.
As shown in FIG. 7, the water turbine
20A includes external and internal
members
61 and
71 positioned so as to be opposite to each other,
and a vane unit
81 set between the external and internal members
61
and
71.
The external and internal members
61 and
71, and the vane unit
81 have annular shapes. A plurality of wash water inlets
91 are formed
between the outer circumferential edges of the external and internal members
61
and
71, so as to allow the wash water to flow into the vane unit
81
through the wash water inlets
91. An injection nozzle
90 is formed
between the inner circumferential edges of the external and internal members
61
and
71, and sprays the wash water into the rotary tub
3.
As shown in FIG. 10, the internal member
71 includes a flat surface part
72 having a predetermined vertical length and an inclined surface part
73
which extends from the flat surface part
72 toward the inner circumferential
edge of the external member
61. The external member
61 includes a
flat surface part
62, and an injection guide part
63. In this case,
the vertical length of the flat surface part
62 is almost equal to the vertical
length obtained by adding the vertical length of the flat surface part
72
and the inclined surface part
73 of the internal member
71. The injection
guide part
63 forms an end of the flat surface part
62. That is,
the injection guide part
63 extends from the inner circumferential edge
of external member
61 toward the inclined surface part
73 of the
internal member
71.
The injection nozzle
90 of a predetermined width is formed between the
inner circumferential edges of the external and internal members
61 and
71. The wash water passing through the injection nozzle
90 flows
into the rotary tub
3 containing the laundry therein under the guide of
the injection guide part
63 of the external member
61 (see arrows
in FIG. 2).
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the vane unit
81 is set between the external
and internal members
61 and
71, and includes guide plates
82
and vanes
83. In this case, the guide plates
82 are formed by connecting
the outer circumferential edges of the external and internal members
61
and
71 to each other. Each of the vanes
83 is designed so as to have
one edge attached along both the flat surface part
72 and the inclined surface
part
73 of the internal member
71, and the other edge attached along
an internal surface of the flat surface part
62 of the external member
61.
Therefore, a chamber
85 is formed between the external and internal
members
61 and
71, and the wash water inlets
91 are formed
between the guide plates
82 arranged at regular intervals. Accordingly,
the wash water flows into the chamber
85 through the wash water inlets
91.
Such a construction allows the wash water to be sprayed into the rotary tub
3
in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction by the guide plates
82 and
the vanes
83 of the vane unit
81, as the rotary tub
3 is rotated
in the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction. In this case, the vanes
83
perpendicularly extend from the guide plates
82 while being radially arranged
in the water turbine
20A.
As shown in FIG. 9, screw holes
93 may be formed to receive screws (not
shown) and mount the water turbine
20A to the open front of the rotary tub
3. The screw holes
93 are formed along the outer circumference of
the internal member
71 at regular intervals. The external and internal members
61 and
71 may be attached to the guide plates
82 and the vanes
83 of the vane unit
81 using an adhesive. Alternatively, they may
be screwed to the guide plates
82 and the vanes
83 of the vane unit
81.
Where the above water turbine
20A is rotated in the counterclockwise
direction along with the rotary tub
3, the wash water flows into the chamber
85 through the wash water inlets
91 formed between the guide plates
82. After the wash water flows into the chamber
85 by the guide plates
82, the vanes
83, and the external and internal members
61
and
71, the wash water rapidly flows along the inclined surface part
73
of the internal member
71 and passes through the injection nozzle
90.
Therefore, the wash water is sprayed into the rotary tub
3 under the guide
of the injection guide part
63 of the external member
61. The injected
wash water beats the laundry while wetting the laundry. In response to rotating
of the rotary tub
3 in the counterclockwise direction, the wash water continuously
passes through the injection nozzle
90 by the vanes
83 and continuously
generates annular water currents, thus rapidly wetting the laundry as well as washing
the laundry.
Where the water turbine
20A is rotated in the clockwise direction along
with the rotary tub
3, the vanes
83 of the vane unit
81, which
are radially arranged in the water turbine
20A and extend from the outer
circumferences of the external and internal members
61 and
71 to
the inner circumferences thereof, still raise the wash water in the water tub
2
to spray into the rotary tub
3. That is, an operation of the water turbine
20A in the clockwise direction is the same as the operation of the water
turbine
20A in the counterclockwise direction. Accordingly, the operation
of the water turbine
20A during the clockwise rotation of the rotary tub
3 will not be described in detail herein.
The water turbine
20A includes the chamber
85 having the vane unit
81 so as to continuously raise the wash water regardless of the rotating
directions of the water turbine
20A. That is, whether the rotary tub
3
is rotated in the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction, the water turbine
20A raises the wash water through the chamber
85 and sprays the wash
water into the rotary tub
3. The water turbine
20A is also simple
in its structure.
FIG. 11 shows a water turbine
20B according to yet another embodiment
of the present invention. The structure of the water turbine
20B is the
same as the water turbine
20A of FIGS. 7-10 except for vanes
83a.
The vanes
83a extend from guide plates
82 while being radially
arranged in the water turbine
20B. Each of the vanes
83 of the water
turbine
20A includes side surfaces which are flat, as shown in FIGS. 7-10.
In contrast, each of the vanes
83a of the water turbine
20B
includes both side surfaces which are concave. The vanes
83a extend
perpendicularly from the corresponding guide plates
82.
Such a construction allows the vanes
83a to more effectively raise
and spray the wash water than that of the vanes
83 of the water turbine
20A. The remaining operational effect of the vanes
83a, for
example, during a clockwise or a counterclockwise rotation of the rotary tub
3,
is the same the vanes
83. Accordingly, a detailed description and operability
of the vanes
83a will not described herein.
As described above, the present invention provides a drum type washing machine
having a water turbine arranged at one surface of a rotary tub. The water turbine
raises wash water with detergent contained in a water tub and sprays the mixture
on laundry as the water turbine is rotated along with the rotary tub. Therefore,
the detergent is rapidly dissolved in the wash water without an additional drive
device. In addition, a wash time is shortened and the washing effect is improved.
Furthermore, the drum type washing machine of the present invention
has less noise and vibration than that of a conventional drum type washing machine
having a circulation pump and a circulation hose. Accordingly, performance is improved,
and the manufacturing cost of the washing machines is reduced. Therefore, the present
drum type washing machine has a market advantage over the conventional drum type
washing machines.
In is understood that the present invention is not limited to a drum type washing
machine having a water turbine. Rather, the water turbine of the present invention
can be incorporated into other types of washing machines. Furthermore, a turbine
structure of the present invention and the benefit of such a structure can be applied
to other appliances. For example, a turbine structure of the present invention
can be incorporated into a laundry dryer, so as to channel, accelerate and circulate
air in the laundry dryer to more effectively dry laundry therein.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and
described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may
be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of
the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
*
