Patent GB-930232-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to laundry apparatus
IPC: D06F37/30
Filed: 1959-12-10
Abstract: 930,232. Washing-machines. PHILCO CORPORATION. Dec. 10, 1959 [Dec. 10, 1958], No. 42006/59. Class 138 (2). [Also in Group XIII] A laundry apparatus comprises a container 13, Fig. 2, a motor 15, a driving connection between the motor and container including a transmission 16 which drives a belt 20 engaging a pulley 21 mounted on the container and which is movable to provide a lower washing and tumble drying speed, and a higher, centrifuging speed of the container, and means including an idler pulley 22 driven by the belt which drives a centrifugal switch means 92, Fig. 5, operative in connection with the rotational speeds of the container sequentially to move the transmission between the lower and higher speeds to provide a resultant intermediate rotational speed of the container. General arrangement. The apparatus comprises a cabinet having a control panel mounted thereon and a front door providing access to the container which is rotatable about a horizontal shaft 14. The circumference of the container is perforated at 32 for the passage of air heated by an electric heater 32 within a recess 34 of the enclosure 24 of the container for tumble drying, and a water vapour condenser (not shown) and means for controlling the temperature in the container may be mounted in the enclosure. Driving arrangement. The transmission 16 is mounted in a housing 41, Fig. 3, between the constant speed motor 15 and the pulley 21 for selectively obtaining a lower and a higher container speed. An armature shaft 40 of the motor has an integral pinion 42 meshing with a gear 43 loosely sleeved on a countershaft 44 journalled within the housing for slow speed drive of the container. A clutch 46 is also mounted on the shaft 40 for rotation therewith and has shoes 50 seating in recesses in a clutch member 51 which is loosely sleeved on the shaft and which has teeth 52 meshing with a gear 53 on the countershaft for high-speed rotation of the container. Low-speed drive is effected by clutch members 50, 51 and to effect the higher speed a solenoid 57 is energized to apply axial pressure through a lever 60 and a thrust shaft 62 coaxial with the shaft to move the clutch member toward the clutch 46 and so drive the teeth 52 into engagement with the gear 53 to drive the countershaft, the gear 43 riding idly on the countershaft. Control means.-Means for energizing the solenoid and motor in accordance with a predetermined cycle comprises circuits controlled by a multiple switch having a manually rotatable knob and a motor-driven shaft which has cams to operate switch contacts of the circuits. Further cams may be included to control circuits and means for admitting and expelling wash water and energizing the air heater. To achieve a rotational speed of the container between the tumbling and centrifuging speeds, the multiple switch energizes a circuit in which a centrifugal switch apparatus . 92, Fig. 5, is connected to the axle 19 of the pulley 22, the axle having a disc 96 axially movable therealong which has weights 95 connected thereto by springs S. The weights are pivotally mounted on brackets 22b in response to predetermined rotational speeds of the pulley so that the disc moves downwardly along the axle as the speed increases to release pressure upon a member 94c under the action of the weights and a resilient arm 94b to move a contact 94 from a fixed contact 93. This movement de-energizes a circuit including the solenoid 57 to lower the rotational speed of the pulley and to effect reversal of the above-described movements of the disc 96 to close the contacts and re-energize the circuit and solenoid. A similar centrifugal switch means on the armature shaft 40 is disposed in a circuit to open and close a circuit including a motor starting winding so that when the motor starts and the correct constant speed of the motor is attained the windings are de-energized. Specification 930,231 is referred to.