The invention relates to a washing machine and in particular to a washing machine in which the laundry is washed inside an especially adapted flexible washing device that is arranged in a fluid tight manner on the washing machine.
Conventional washing machines of today are usually relatively voluminous, usually of a certain standard measure. A washing machine washes laundry, such as clothes, by wetting them, de-moisturizing them, wetting them again etc. until the laundry is clean. In order to accomplish this laundering most of today's washing machines comprise a cylindrical drum in which the laundry may be alternately soaked and dried without having to be transferred between different chambers. The latest development in the laundry business has apart from the development of advanced washing programs and informative user interfaces been all about minimization of the consumption of energy and water, and to some extent the drying effect, whereby the washing machines of today are both more energy efficient and consume less water than what was the case only 10 years ago. Further, the spin-drying efficiency has been increased such that the washed laundry will be drier than what has been possible in the past. This is advantageous since it implies that less energy needs to be consumed at the subsequent drying of the laundry. On the other hand the washing machines are just as voluminous as they were 50 years ago and no significant solution to the problem with wear and tear of laundry has been presented.
A less voluminous washing machine is shown in the laid open patent application GB 2 378 712, which relates to a travel washing machine. This “washing machine” is driven by hand power in that the operator presses a volume in which the laundry is located such that the water in this volume is forced out to a surrounding volume. When the pressure decreases in the first volume the water flows back into this volume. This process is repeated a number of times such that the laundry is washed.
A washing machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,791. In this washing machine the laundry is washed in a washing space that is delimited by a membrane inside a washing compartment. The laundry is pressed by means of the surrounding outer pressure by reducing pressure inside the washing compartment. A combined inlet and outlet can be arranged in the lowest part of the bag. A separate washing device comprising e.g. water supply and a pump is separately arranged to be connected to the inlet and outlet on the washing compartment where it is has been hung.
A washing machine is described in EP-B1-2 633 113.
An object of the invention is to provide a washing machine that is not limited to a certain size as conventional washing machines that wash laundry in a satisfying manner without the use of hand power and that is uncomplicated to mount and to connect for washing purposes.
The invention relates to a washing machine that comprises a housing, or an open frame, and having an inlet and outlet for water, and at least one pump. In contrast to conventional washing machines, the laundry is washed in at least one, or a plurality of flexible washing compartments arranged stacked onto each other, or side-to-side to each other, inside the housing, or the frame, of the washing machine. The flexible washing compartment(s) typically comprises one flexible and a hard plate, or alternatively two flexible membranes together making up a washing compartment, or is provided as a washing compartment. The plurality of flexible washing compartments is provided adjacent to each other in a plurality of drawers. The flexible washing compartments are each provided in the drawers by means of a respective suitable fluid tight connection for inlet and outlet of water and air. Subsequently, water is provided into the flexible washing compartment from the washing machine, which is heated to the desired temperature. A washing detergent may be provided directly to the washing compartment or via a separate compartment in the washing machine to be distributed into the washing compartment together with the water. After that the water has been added to the washing compartment the pump is activated. Firstly the pump is used to suck air from the washing compartment to reduce the volume of the washing compartment, whereby the laundry is compressed and soaked in water. Gradually the water is sucked out, and the same water may be returned for instance via a filter to a reservoir provided in the washing machine to the washing compartment a couple of times before the water is exchanged and the cycle is repeated once again.
Herein, this disclosure, the term “washing compartment” also includes any washing cavity.
Specifically, the invention relates to a washing machine for the washing of laundry such as clothes and textiles. An advantage of the invention as a result of the pressure difference induced pre-compression of the textiles is that only as much, typically an absolute minimum of water as is needed to wet the laundry is required whereby the consumption of both water and energy may be minimized. Another advantage is that a several different types of laundries can be washed at the same time in the different drawers, also at different temperatures in different drawers in case of a plurality of drawers.
Further advantages of the invention include firstly that the washing machine does not comprise any voluminous element such as a pressure chamber or a cylinder drum, and to be able to wash planar and avoid ironing.
A further advantage is that the washing machine may be arranged on a wall horizontally (drawers side-by-side) or vertically (stacked drawers).
Further advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and the dependent claims.
A first embodiment of the washing machine according the invention is shown in
Now is referred to
The washing machine shown in
The washing machine 1 comprises an inlet 4, for supplying clean washing water and an outlet 5, for disposal of used washing water. The washing machine 1 further comprises one or more pump(s) 6, in order to pump the used washing water out of the washing compartment. In order to supply clean water via the inlet 4 no pump is normally needed because the water will be provided from a pressurized and closed water system such as a public water supply system. Each washing compartment 10 in each drawer 2 is connected to a pair of conduits 4a, 5a arranged to lead water from the inlet 4 of the housing via a conduit 4a to the respective washing compartment 10 arranged in each drawer 2 and to lead air and water away from the washing compartment 10 via a conduit 5a, by means of the pump 6. The pair of conduits 4a, 5a from each washing compartment 10 in each drawer 2 can be combined into one inlet 4 and outlet 5 for all washing compartments 10. The conduit 5a may also be connected to a reservoir 7 (schematically shown) inside the washing machine 1 for receiving used washing water and re-circulating the washing water one or more times back to the washing compartment 10.
The pump 6 may is utilized to create a pressure difference between the washing compartment 10 and its surroundings (in the drawer 2), typically a negative pressure, normally referred to as vacuum in the washing compartment 10 and atmospheric pressure in the drawer 2. The magnitude of the pressure difference ultimately governs how effective the washing is and how dry the laundry may become subsequent to the washing. Hence, the pump 6 also replaces a spin dryer of the conventionally used washing machine of today where the laundry is washed and spin dried in a cylinder drum.
According to another aspect, it is possible to arrange the washing compartment 10 within a compartment having over pressure to further increase washing. This aspect is not shown.
Alternatively, to the embodiment shown in
Now is referred to
Now is referred to
Now is referred to
In
The washing machine may also include an additional drying unit in order to dry the laundry by the supply of dry hot air in the flexible washing compartment 10. This is shown in
The washing machine 1 can operate as follows.
One or more of the flexible washing compartments 10 are opened and filled with laundry 11. Subsequently, water is provided via the inlet 4, and/or the conduit 4a to the flexible washing compartment(s) 10. The water is heated to a desired temp. The heating can be provided by means of a conventional heater (not shown) arranged inside or outside the washing machine 1. Then the air is sucked out of the flexible washing compartment, followed by the water being sucked out.
A washing detergent may be provided directly into the washing compartment or via a separate washing detergent compartment 2a provided centrally in the washing machine 1 or in the specific drawer 2 to be distributed into the washing compartment 10 together with the water. After that the water has been provided to the washing compartment, the pump 6 is activated. Firstly the pump 6 is used to suck air from the washing compartment, to minimize the volume that has to be wetted, whereby the laundry is compressed and soaked in water (See
An example of the operation of the invention according to various embodiments will now be given. First, the laundry 11 is placed in a washing compartment 10 of any of the types described above and in a drawer 2 of the washing machine 1. In the shown embodiment, the laundry 11 is placed in the washing compartment 10 inside the drawer 2. Then the washing compartment 10 is closed. After these measures, first air is sucked out, creating vacuum or under pressure in the fibers and/or textiles of the laundry 11 then, clean washing water is supplied via inlet 4 to the washing compartment 10 replacing the under pressure, or vacuum and normalizing pressure and any air remaining in the washing compartment 10 is pumped out via the pump 6 such that the laundry 11 is soaked and compressed by the walls of the washing compartment 10. Once the laundry 11 is soaked it is possible to pump out the washing water from the washing compartment via the pump 6, wherein a certain negative pressure again is created in the washing compartment (See
Preferably, the washing machine 1 also comprises a heater unit with which the inlet water in inlet 4 may be heated to the desired temperature regardless of the inlet temperature.
The washing machine 1 could also include a small tank in which the heating unit may be arranged. The tank makes it possible to re-utilize the washing water. Due to environmental friendly reasons it is advantageous that the laundry is washed several times with the same water, because it saves both water and heating energy. Further, the washing efficiency is not drastically worsened because the same washing water can be used several times, since the washing water very rarely is saturated in impurities. Hence, a prewash with a first water change is only necessary when very dirty laundry is to be washed. A water exchange should however always be made for the rinsing of the laundry.
For reasons concerning both the environment and the washing efficiency it is also advantageous if the tank is heat isolated such that heat energy is saved between the different washing steps.
Preferably, the washing machine also comprises an electronic equipment (not shown) where a desired washing program out of severable selectable washing programs may be chosen. The washing programs may e.g. control the washing temperature, number of soakings of the laundry, number of change of washing water, the dryness of the laundry after the performed washing and other parameters that may be controlled on conventional washing machines. Preferably, there is a number pre-set washing program that may be chosen by means of a suitable interface on housing 1a. To provide further flexibility or as a safety measure the interface of the electronic equipment may however be such arranged that the user is given information about which washing program that is set to be used, whereby he may also have the possibility to change to another program if desired.
As described, the housing 1a may also comprise a washing detergent compartment for dosage of washing detergent, which is located such that the water that is supplied to the washing compartment will pass and bring the washing detergent from it. It is however also possible to place the washing detergent directly inside the washing compartment, wherein no such compartment is needed in the main part, unless both a prewash and a main wash is desired, since the exchange of water that would result in that case would require the washing compartment to be opened between the prewash and the main wash in order to provide the washing detergent.
A washing compartment 10 that is to be used in the washing machine naturally needs to be specially designed in order for the washing to be performed in it. This is shown in
Parts of the inner walls of the washing compartment can be provided with fluid leading means such as concavities- and/or convexities in order for the walls not to get stuck towards each other without letting water and air pass when a negative pressure of a certain magnitude has been created inside the washing compartment.
In an alternative embodiment the concavities and/or convexities may be formed of at least one separate fluid permeable inner wall, e.g. in the form of a fine-meshed net, that extends along at least one of the inner walls and guarantees that the inner walls will not be stuck to each other.
It is advantageous if the walls do not have fluid leading means with sharp edges since these could damage the laundry and could undesirably assist to guide the fluid along the walls and not through the laundry. By creating islands of fluid leading surfaces surrounded by areas preventing fluid motion, the maximum flow of water through the laundry can be achieved. The washing effect is on the contrary achieved when the fluid flows through the laundry, preferably at the same time as they are kneaded by the walls as they are being sucked towards each other.
The washing compartment can also have a heat isolating layer in order to minimize the portion of heat energy that is emitted to the surrounding. This is important both for energy saving and wash efficiency reason.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1650163 | Feb 2016 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/SE2017/050120 | 2/8/2017 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2017/138872 | 8/17/2017 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190085493 A1 | Mar 2019 | US |