Combination Washer-dryer Drive Arrangement

Abstract

In the preferred form, a washing machine having a compartment within which clothes are adapted to be vertically hung for washing, rinsing and drying, including a single reversible motor which in a first direction of operation drives a pump for a liquid distribution system which provides washing and rinsing sprays to the clothes, and in a second direction of operation positively drives a fan for air flow distribution so as to dry the clothes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to washing machines and in particular machines wherein clothes are hung upon racks or rods within a cabinet wherein they are automatically washed, rinsed, and dryed while in a suspended state. With certain types of such machine it is possible to arrange the hanging of the clothes or other articles to be washed together with the washing and drying parts of the operating cycle so that the articles end up in a usable condition without requiring ironing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In comparison with certain prior proposals the present invention affords a very compact and simple washing and drying system serving a variety of functions. In one prior proposal four separate motors have been incorporated in order to drive a circulation pump, a drain pump, a cross flow fan to draw air through the condenser duct and a geared motor drive in order to vary the flow of air within the compartment during drying. The arrangement of the present application reduces the number of motors to one which in itself produces a very considerable cost saving and at the same time enables a very compact arrangement to be provided for the drive of the circulation and drain pump together with the fan for circulating air through the condenser duct which has enabled the overall height of the construction to be reduced or alternatively for a larger compartment to be included within the same height.

The proposals for alternating the flow of liquid between the top and bottom spray bars as compared with prior proposals wherein both spray bars are operated at the same time, albiet intermittently, enables the entire pump output to be directed to one spray bar at a time. As a result the required pump flow can be reduced by half as a result of which the motive power required for the circulation pump drive can be halved while maintaining maximum spraying time consistent with water quantity used and avoiding the loss of energy due to possible interference between the top and bottom sprays meeting when operating simultaneously. In one practical example, the circulation pump may be run on a 6 seconds "on" and 6 seconds "off" repeating cycle with the pump output being fed alternately to the top and bottom spray bar. Drain back to the sump of washing or rinsing liquid from the clothes load occurs during the 6 seconds "off" period.

The invention is concerned with certain aspects of washing machines of the type where garments are vertically hung, these aspects including the manner in which washing or rinsing fluid is supplied to the clothes, pumping assemblies for washing and drying the clothes and valves for controlling the circulation of washing liquid. The invention is also concerned with means for sensing the dryness of clothes in an automatic manner.

According to one aspect of the present invention a washing machine includes a washing compartment within which articles to be washed are adapted to be hung and subjected to washing and rinsing sprays from upper and lower sprays situated respectively in upper and lower regions of the washing compartment. The washing compartment is in communication with a circulation pumping system at its lower end in order to recycle liquid which drains from the clothes. Ducts extend from the pumping system to each of the sprays and means are provided for supplying only one of the upper and lower sprays at a time. The invention is of specific but not exclusive application to arrangements in which the sprays are of a rotary, and e.g. self-propelled jet reaction type.

The fluid distribution system incorporates alternating fluid flow to the upper and lower sprays. One preferred form of such system is specifically taught in copending application U.S. Ser. No. 244,829, now abandoned, in which a bistable ball valve is used in conjunction with a single intermittently driven pump. Other types of valves, such as solenoid-controlled, could be used. Furthermore, dual pumps or reversible pumps could be used with the present invention.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention a washing machine includes a cabinet having a washing compartment within which articles to be washed may be suspended therein to be acted upon by water directed from a spray during washing and rinsing and to a drying air flow during a drying operation. The spray is provided by a rotary spray bar carried by a shaft, the spray bar shaft being adapted to be driven by a motor in one direction of rotation of the motor but not in the other direction of rotation of the motor. The motor also is adapted to drive a circulation pump having an inlet communicating with the lower end of the washing compartment and an outlet communicating with the spray bar. The circulation pump may be mounted on a pump shaft which also carries a drain pump having an inlet which also communicates with the lower end of the washing compartment. The drain pump is operative in one direction of rotation of the pump shaft while the circulation pump is inoperative, and the drain pump is inoperative in the other direction of rotation of the pump shaft while the circulation pump is operative in that direction of rotation.

For drying purposes, air may be circulated within the washing compartment by means of a fan which is also carried by the spray bar shaft and which may for example be integrally formed with the spray bar. Alternatively, the spray bar may be formed separately from the positively driven fan, but freely rotatable around the same axis. In such a construction a protective grill may be disposed above the fan blades, but below the spray bar to avoid impeding upward flow of liquid from the spray bar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view in section of a washing machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper and lower portions of the washing machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing the lower spray bar and fan assembly;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 showing the upper spray arm and air distribution assembly;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified form of an integral spray bar and fan arrangement;

FIG. 8 is an end view, partly broken away, of the fan and spray bar of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view in section of the washing machine showing an alternative spray bar and fan configuration;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along lines 10--10 of FIG. 9 showing the construction of the fan hub of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cabinet 10 is generally shown within which is formed a washing compartment 11 wherein articles to be washed such as clothes can be hung from horizontal carriers or bars situated at the upper end of the compartment. For washing and rinsing purposes the articles to be treated are subjected to downwardly and upwardly directed sprays from a pair of spray bar assemblies 12 and 13 respectively. Each of these spray bars is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, the spray bar 12 being situated at the top of the compartment 11 and the spray bar 13 at the bottom of the compartment beneath a wire guard 14. Each of the spray bars is adapted to be driven by self propulsion when supplied with water under pressure and for this purpose each spray bar incorporates a number of tangentially extending spray jets. The spray bars are supplied by means of a water recirculation system extending from the outlet of a circulation pump 21 which is mounted on a vertical pump shaft 22 adapted to be driven via a belt 23 by a motor 24 situated below the compartment 11. The pump 21 draws wash and rinse water from a sump 28 which also includes a water heater 29 and filter screen 25. The pump shaft 22 also carries a drain pump 26 having an inlet 27 communicating with the sump 28 to which liquid draining from articles to be washed can flow. The pump has an outlet 30 extending to a drain hose 31.

The motor 24 is of reversible type and is arranged in one direction of rotation to drive the drain pump 26 in an operative manner to drain the compartment 11 while in the other direction of rotation the drain pump is ineffective. The circulation pump 21 is arranged to be operative when the drain pump 26 is ineffective and vice versa. When the circulation pump 21 is driven in its operative direction, liquid will be directed through the outlet of the pump and passed to the fluid distribution system, including a bistable valve described in detail in copending application U.S. Ser. No. 244,829, now abandoned. The bistable valve will provide alternating fluid flow through conduits 33 and 34 to the upper and lower spray bars respectively. The lower spray bar 13 at this time will not be driven positively, but is free wheeling. Nevertheless, the jets of liquid leaving the spray bars are sufficient to cause them to rotate.

When the circulation pump 21 is driven in the ineffective direction (at which time the drain pump 26 is operative) a one-way clutch 40 above the circulation pump 21 is adapted to drive the lower spray bar assembly through fan shaft 44 at the speed of rotation of the pump shaft 22. Secured beneath the spray bar 13 are fan blades 45 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 5) which have little or no effect when the lower spray bar 13 is being driven at relatively slow speed by the water jets extending therefrom during recirculation. However, these fan blades 45 during high speed operation (when positively driven by the pump shaft 22, clutch 40, and fan shaft 44) are adapted, when the water level in the sump 28 is low enough, to draw air downwardly from within the compartment 11 and direct this air flow into a fan outlet 46 which communicates with a vertically extending passage 47 extending up the side of the compartment 11 and communicating at its upper end with a central chamber 48. If desired, the passage 47 (or more than one such passage) could extend up in the corner or corners of the compartment.

The upper spray bar assembly 12 has in it a number of apertures through which this air can pass downwardly into the compartment 11. A number of these apertures are so disposed that the air, when ejecting therefrom, can cause the upper spray bar assembly to rotate in order to produce a rotary air flow which can agitate the clothes during the drying operation. An air heater 49 is disposed above the spray bar 12. The passage 47 may act as a condenser duct and can be supplied with cooling water if desired. The cooling fluid and condensed water will flow downwardly into the inlet 27 of the drain pump 26 which at this time is rotating in an operative manner. Alternatively, the moisture-laden air may be vented to the outside of the machine without continuous ricirculation.

To summarize the operation of the device shown in FIG. 1, in one direction of rotation of the motor 24, the drain pump 26 and the fan 45 are both operative to provide water emptying and air drying of the compartment 11. In the other direction of rotation of the motor 24, only the circulation pump 21 is operative in order to recycle washing or rinsing liquid through the compartment 11.

While this recycling of liquid can take place through both the upper and lower spray bars at the same time, considerable advantages can be obtained if only one spray bar is operative at a time. For example, this enables the entire flow from the circulation pump at any one time to be directed to one or other of the sprays. This can be achieved by two pumps, a reversible pump, or a pump and valve arrangement.

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred form of an automatically operating valve which could be employed for supplying liquid to top and bottom spray bars in an alternating manner merely by switching the pump on and off. This fluid distribution system is disclosed in detail in copending application U.S. Ser. No. 244,829, now abandoned.

It will be seen that the outlet 33 from the valve 32 extends to an annular inlet 34 situated around fan shaft 44 upon which the lower spray bar 13 is mounted for rotation. The other outlet 35 from the valve 32 communicates with a vertically extending pipe 36 extending to the upper spray bar assembly 12 in a manner to be described.

The form of the free wheel clutch 40 employed above the circulation pump 21 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. It incorporates a driving part 41 carried by the upper end of the pump shaft 22 and a driven part 42 carried by the lower end of the fan and spray bar shaft 44. The parts 41 and 42 are arranged to free wheel with respect to one another in one direction of rotation but to be driven one by the other in the other direction of rotation as previously described. Thus, when the pump shaft 22 is driven in one direction of rotation, the spray bar 13 and fan 45 will be positively driven at the same time as the circulation pump 21 is running (albeit in reverse and ineffective). While in the other direction of rotation of the pump shaft 22, the circulation pump 21 is forwardly driven and operative while the fan and spray bar shaft 44 is not positively driven. Switching the circulation pump 21 on and off will alternate the flow of washing and rinsing liquid to the spray bars 12 and 13 which are rotated by water reaction through nozzles 61.

Turning now to the top end of FIG. 2, the upper spray bar assembly 12 is mounted for free rotation about a vertical shaft 50 and the detailed form of the spray bar assembly 12 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The spray bar 12 is integrally formed with a disc 51 provided with a pair of radial slots 52 and a number of tangentially extending air impulsion nozzles 53 disposed around the periphery of the disc.

At the center of the disc 51 there is an aperture 54 which is in sealing engagement with a stationary hollow annular hub 55 surrounding the shaft 50 and placed in communication with the pipe 36 by a horizontal extension 55. In this way, when the valve 32 permits water to be circulated from the pump 21 to the pipe 36 and extension 56, this water will pass through the hub 55 and radially outwards through the two limbs of the spray bar 12 and then be directed from the nozzles of the spray bar and also cause the spray bar to be rotated about the shaft 50 by jet reaction.

During drying operations the air flow is produced by rotation of the lower spray bar 13 in a positive manner by the connection provided between the pump shaft 22 and the fan shaft 44 by means of the free wheel clutch 40. The configuration of the spray bar 13 can, for instance, take either of the forms shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 on the one hand, or FIG. 3 on the other hand. In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 the spray bar 13 comprises a generally longitudinal member 60 provided with spaced water outlet nozzles 61. The member 60 has two air foil sections 62 which enable the spray bar to act as a fan in one direction of rotation. In the alternative construction of FIG. 3 the spray bar 13 has extending at right angles to it a pair of air foil fan blades 45 again forming a fan for circulating air in the manner previously described. For this purpose a duct or peripheral shroud can be provided within which the air blades can operate.

In this embodiment therefore, the clothes in the compartment 11 are washed by the self-propelled spray bars 12 and 13 supplied alternately by means of pump 21 and valve 32. The same drive that is used for driving the circulation pump is arranged positively in the opposite direction of rotation to drive the lower spray bar 13 which has an integral fan formed therewith which directs air upwardly through the passageway 47 and downwardly through the slots 52 and the jet nozzles 53 in the disc 51 to cause rotation of the disc. This ensures that the air moving downwardly through the compartment 11 will traverse the whole of the compartment and agitate the clothes as it does so.

Another aspect of the present invention concerns the use of temperature sensing in a cabinet dryer of this type. Temperature can be used to indicate dryness of items in a dryer and tests have indicated that this is also satisfactory where the clothes are suspended from racks and where air is directed downwardly through the clothes so that the lower parts are normally the last to dry.

By way of example, it has been shown that dryness of an individual item can be indicated by placing a temperature sensor in the lowest part of such an item. In the case of shifts this would normally be the cuffs and the sensor could be placed on the double thickness material of the cuffs as this would be the slowest to dry. Alternatively, the cuffs, or a selected garment, could be placed on or adjacent to a suitably situated fixed sensor.

If the overall dryness of the load is to be sensed, the temperature sensor could be placed in the general path of the air in the lower part of the compartment 11 in order to sense the temperature of the air after it had passed through the clothes and before condensing and reheating, or venting. A single multiple setting thermostat in this position could also sense the temperature of the wash or rinse water in the sump.

In the alternative construction of the lower spray bar and fan arrangement shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a free wheel clutch 140 is arranged, in one direction of rotation, to rotate a fan shaft 144 to which is secured a fan 145 by means of a key 144'. The fan 145 incorporates a hub 170 having four radial spokes 171 connecting inner and outer sleeve portions 172 and 173 respectively. In this way a vertical passage is provided between an outlet 133 from the valve 132 and the interior of a spray bar 113 which is mounted separately from and above the fan 145. The spray bar 113 has a hub 113' surrounding the upper end of the shaft 144, but when at rest having a slight clearance between the upper end of the hub 113' and a thrust washer secured to the upper end of the shaft 144. In this way the spray bar 113 is capable of slight upward movement from the position shown in FIG. 10 and such upward movement will be caused by the flow of liquid from the circulation pump 121 and valve 132. When the spray bar 113 is in its lower position of FIG. 10, however, one or more friction pads 116 are mounted on its underside and engage the upper surface of a fan guard 14. When the shaft 144 is driven at high speed in order to drive the fan 145, the spray bar 113 will not tend to be rotated but will be held stationary by engagement of the friction pads 116 with the fan guard 114. In this way a spray bar is provided which does not require a guard between it and the clothes hanging above it, since it will not be rotated at high speed. This has the advantage that the spray nozzles of the spray bar can direct circulating liquid directly on to the clothes and not be impeded by a fan guard which would be necessary in a construction such as that of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 where the spray bar and fan rotate with one another and therefore will be rotated at high speed when the fan is operative.

The above structures teach several preferred forms of practicing the present invention. However, other modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims include all such modifications and alternatives.

Claims

I claim:

1. A washing machine having a compartment in which supported articles are to be washed and dried by being subjected to washing and rinsing liquid distribution and drying air flow, said compartment being in communication with a circulation pumping system which recirculates liquid drained from the articles,

the improvement comprising a reversible motor having first and second directions of rotation, a circulation pump in said circulation pumping system, said pump being driven by said motor so as to be effective when said motor is rotated in said first direction, and ineffective when said motor is driven in said second direction, and a fan for providing air flow distribution, said fan being positively driven only when said motor is driven in said second direction.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 wherein a drain pump is provided to drain said compartment, said drain pump being effective solely when said motor is driven in said second direction.

3. The washing machine of claim 2 wherein said circulation pump and said drain pump are mounted on a single shaft driven by said motor, clutch means also mounted on said shaft so as to be driven by said motor, said clutch means being free wheeling when said motor is driven in said first direction and being engaged so as to positively drive said fan when said motor is driven in said second direction.

4. The washing machine of claim 1 wherein said circulation pumping system includes upper and lower spray means located in the upper and lower regions respectively of said compartment.

5. The washing machine of claim 4 wherein a wire guard is positioned below said lower spray means and above said fan.

6. The washing machine of claim 4 wherein said circulation pumping system provides alternate spraying from said upper and lower spray means when said motor is driven in said first direction, and said fan provides air circulation through said compartment when said motor is driven in said second direction.

7. The washing machine of claim 4 wherein said lower spray means is driven by water reaction when said motor is driven in said first direction and said pump provides liquid to said lower spray means through said circulation pumping system, and said fan being positively driven when said motor is driven in said second direction.

8. The washing machine of claim 7 wherein said fan and said lower spray means are unitarily movable and form an assembly.

9. The washing machine of claim 8 wherein a wire guard is provided above said lower spray means and fan assembly.

10. The washing machine of claim 1 wherein an air and liquid distribution device comprising an integral spray bar and disc assembly is mounted so as to be freely rotatable, said circulation pumping system provides liquid under pressure so as to cause said spray bar and disc assembly to rotate due to liquid reaction, said air flow distribution providing air under pressure causing said spray bar and disc assembly to rotate due to air reaction, and air slots in said disc distributing the air flow when said disc is rotated by air reaction when said fan is operative.