Patent GB-327724-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to laundry machinery
IPC: D06F33/04
Filed: 1929-01-05
Abstract: 327,724. Russell, E. S. Jan. 5, 1929. Supplying. and discharging liquids to and from washing- machines. - In an automatic washing-machine the operation of the valves in the steam, water and washing-fluid supply pipes is controlled by a powerdriven cam shaft without the interposition of relay mechanism. Cams 2 - - 10, Fig. 1, are removably carried by a shaft 1 and of these the cams 5 - - 8 act directly on rollers 15, Fig. 3, on the stems of valves 11, 14; 13, 12. Fig. 1, in the soap, bleach, blue and soda supply pipes respectively. The cam 9 controls the operation of the discharge valve as described in Specification 327,738. The cam 10 controls the starting or stopping of the machine or both and mayring a bell or light lamps or both at any time during the sequence of the washing operations or at the end thereof or both. The steam supply valve 17 may be thermostatically controlled by the temperature of the liquid in the machine or it may be actuated by a cam 4 which acts upon a roller on a lever 18, Fig. 1, pivoted at 19 and engaging the stem of the steam valve. The cams 2 and 3 are mechanically linked to the hot and cold water supply valves' 20. 21, Fig. 4, and each of these cams comprises two detachable portions 30, 31. Fig. 6. The portion 30 determines the extent of the opening of the hot and cold water valves and the portion 31 determines the level of liquid in the machine at which a float controlled valve closing mechanism will act. Sectors 22, Fig. 4, are secured to the stems of the hot and cold water valves. The cams 2, 3 act on rollers on arms secured to rock shafts 28, Fig. 4, to which other arms 27 are secured. To each of the arms 27 a rod 25 is pivoted, the rod sliding in a guide 24 pivoted to the quadrant and being provided with a buffer spring 26 so that on rotation of the shafts 2S the quadrants are rocked and the valves opened. The valves are held open by detents 23 which engage the quadrants until they are released by the adiustable float controlled mechanism. An arm 32 also is secured to each rock shaft and these arms support a bar 33 one end of which is pivoted to one arm 34 of a bell crank lever loose about one of the shafts 28. The other end of the bar 33 lies in the path of a stepped slidable member 41 which is linked to the float 44. The other arm 35 of the bell crank lever is' linked to a shaft 37 carrying a. trip lever 38 which. on rotation of the shaft, releases the detents 23 from the segments 22 and permits the valves to open. Rotation of the shaft 37 is effected bv the rising of the float 44 in a chamber 45 which communicates with the interior of the machine. As the float rises the stepped member 41 is caused to slide to the right and one of its steps will engage the rod 33 to rotate the bell crank lever 34, 35, the particular step engaging the rod being determined by the height at which the rod is supported by the arms 32 the position of which is in turn controlled by the portions 31 of the cams 2, 3 so that the level of liquid at which the float becomes operative may be varied. In order to maintain a constant head of washing solutions in the supply tanks these are fed through float operated valves from reservoirs which deliver to the tanks at a rate greater than the maximum demand on the tanks. The hot and cold water supply pipes feed into the machine through a common header 74, Fig. 1, and the valves for the soap, soda, blue and bleach are connected to flanged elbows 75, Fig. 3, communicating through pipes 77 with a transverse header 78. To provide for a variable speed drive for the cam shaft from the motor 65, Fig. 1, a gear wheel 68, Fig. 3, is carried on a bracket 69 which is pivoted about the driven shaft 70 of reduction gear 64, Fig. 1. The gear wheel meshes with a pinion 67 on the shaft 70 and is held in engagement with a pinion 66 on the cam shaft by a pin 71, Fig. 3, which passes through apertures in the arm 69 and a quadrant 73. The pinion 66 is exchangeable for one of different diameter. To vary the cam control the cams may be detachably secured to plates as in Fig. 6, wherein they are bolted to a peripheral ridge 62 on the plate, or the plates themselves, having differently arranged stepped portions, may be removably secured to the cam shaft which is made square in section and is provided with a key 59, Fig. 5, taking through a corresponding aperture in the cam plates. In order that the series of such cam plates may be assembled in correct sequence each plate is formed with an axially projecting pin 60 each pin being spaced radially from those of the remaining plates and taking into an aperture 61 in the adjacent plate, the aperture in each plate being spaced radially from those of the remaining plates and being positioned to correspond with the pin of the particular plate which is to be assembled adjacent thereto. Specification 327,739 also is referred to.