Patent GB-575625-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to clothes washing machines
IPC: D06F34/08
Filed: 1943-12-08
Abstract: 575,625. Washing-machines. BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON CO., Ltd. Dec. 8, 1943, No. 20495. Convention date, Dec. 12, 1942. [Class 138 (ii)] [Also in Group XXXVII] A washing-machine with means for automatically causing a cycle of washing operations in timed sequence is provided with means for manually cutting out operations it is desired to omit. The apparatus is shown applied to a machine of the kind described in Specification 566,372 in which the automatic sequence is under the control of a stack of cams indicated at 5, Fig. 3, driven at normal timing speed by a shaft through an overrunning clutch 7,. 7a and reduction gearing 8 from an electric motor 9, at a speed for example of one revolution an hour. A high-speed drive is now provided, for example of one revolution a minute through bevel gears12, 13, 14, 15 through a clutch 16, normally disengaged, but arranged to be engaged by a solenoid 17 controlled by a commutator 18 driven by the cam stack. The manual selection means are keys 19c-23c on a panel alloted to the various operations 'soak', 'wash', 'rinse', 'dry', and 'empty' and a lever 28 with three positions for 'on'. 'off', and 'reset' wired up as shown to brushes adapted to make contact with segments 19-23 for the named operations, segments 24. and 25 for the lever 'on' and 'reset' actions, 26 for the motor 9 and 27 for the solenoid. At the end of any cycle of washing operations the commutator stops when the segments 23 and 25 leave the brushes 23a and 25a thus opening the motor circuit. To start operations the lever is moved to reset, closing contacts 24b and lifting a rod 31 to release any previously operated button and the motor moves the cam stack bringing-the leading ends of segments 19 and 25 counter clockwise under the brushes, the lever being moved by biassing spring 34 off the contacts 25b. The operator then moves the lever 28 to 'off' position and presses the buttons for the desired washing operations. The lever 28 then is set to 'on' and the cam stack and commutator run rapidly through the positions for which no button is depressed and therefore the solenoid 17 and clutch 16 is operative until a depressed button cuts out the solenoid and for such depressed buttons the cam stack moves slowly and the corresponding washing operation is performed. If it is desired to change a selection the lever 28 is moved to 'reset' releasing all buttons and stopping the control, then to 'off' and the new selection of buttons are operated, and then to 'on' to start the new cycles. If only a succeeding operation is to be added however it suffices to depress the button desired. A dial 35 shows against a pointer 36 the position of the cam stack. In a modification the duration of an operation may be varied by having on the commutator an arcuate segment 37, Fig. 4, to engage a brush 38 spring mounted in a sleeve 40 threaded in a bushing 41 connected to the negative main and mounted in an insulating support 42. The sleeve 40 is attached to a knob 39 with a pointer reading against a timing scale 46 so that the knob can be set to make the brush 38 meet the inclined segment 37 after the end of the corresponding washing operation and switch in the solenoid and fast run of the cam stack, thus cutting down the time of the operation as desired.