Patent GB-566372-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to washing machines
IPC: D06F37/30
Filed: 1942-04-30
Abstract: 566,372. Washing- machines. BRITISH THOMSON - HOUSTON CO., Ltd. April 30, 1942, No. 5842. Convention date, April 30, 1941. [Class 138 (ii)] A washing and centrifugally drying-machine is fitted with timing means for controlling the water supplying, softening, circulating and draining means, the drying and water softener regenerating means and with manual means for adjusting the heat of water supply, the timing means having two speeds. The tub 157 having vertical ribs 159 to guide the liquid in centrifugal drying, is held in a carrier with heavy balancing ring 161 attached by radial arms 162 to a sleeve 163 at the lower end of a hub 164, the tube fitting over the sleeve with a rubber ring 166 and being secured by snap ring 165. The hub 164 is pinned to a combined sleeve and thrust bearing 167, Fig. 9, running on a flange 168 of a sleeve 169 which rests on a shoulder 170 on a central shaft 134 driven by a universal joint 131, Figs. 8b and 13, from a shaft 51 which supports the shaft 134 on a thrust ball 135, and which itself is journalled in a ball thrust bearing 53 seated in a strut 54 extending across the casing. The drive for the tub and carrier hub is by a lost - motion clutch, a stop 180 on the hub 164 meeting a projection 181 on a sleeve 182 friction geared to the shaft 134 by a set of metal discs interspaced by friction discs, alternate metal discs being splined to the shaft 134, the intermediate metal discs being tongued to engage a groove in the projection 181. The shaft 51 is oscillated for washing or rotated at greater speed for centrifugal drying, the former by a worm-wheel 38, crank-pin 42, and sliding rack 43 engaging a pinion 50 on the shaft 51, the latter by a spiral gear 56 on the shaft 51 engaging a spiral gear 57 loose on the shaft 34 of a pulley 33 belt-driven by a motor 30, Fig. 12. The hub of the gear 57 has secured to it one end of a coil spring 59 wound upon it and loosely extending over a sleeve 61 keyed to the shaft but adapted to be gripped to it by a cone 63 on a sliding sleeve 62 keyed to the shaft and controlled by a lever 106. The crankpin 42 is held up to its seating by a spring 47 in a bore in the pin and acting upon a pin 45 loose in the bore and having an enlarged head sliding on the bottom plate 46 of the gear casing. The change from one to the other drive of the shaft 51 is controlled by a cam 64, Fig. 27, engaging a spring-urged lever 65 which rocks a shaft 66 to move a lever 76 having 'plates 77 pivoted at 78 to a guide 48 in which the rack slides on a tongue by its groove 49. Snap action of the rack in and out of gear with pinion 50 is ensured by a latch 70, having a lost-motion connection with the shaft 66 and having a notch to engage a projection 75 on the lever 76 which is pivoted at 79 on a spring- pressed plunger 80 having a flat head 82 to determine the disengaged position of the lever 76. Snap action of the clutch 63, 59 is ensured by a stamping pivoted with the lever 106 with a lost-motion therewith controlled by a spring 109 and bolt 110, the stamping being engaged by a forked arm 100 fast to the shaft 66, an arm 117 on the lever 106 being held by a notched arm 113 on a fixed pivot 114 which is pin-and-slot connected to a pivoted plate 121 spring-urged and adjusted by a set-screw 123. The clutch is thrown in by the spring 109 when the lever 65 rising on projections such as 97, 98 on the cam 64 rocks plate 121 to trip the latch 113 and free the clutch lever 106. The mechanism is all supported from the upper side of the gear casing 36 which is formed with a well 124 for lubricant which may creep from the shaft bearing 52, Fig. 8b, a drain from the well leading it back to the casing. This enables the machine to be turned upside down and the bottom of the casing to be removed for inspection or overhaul. The casing is made in sections held together by tie rods, the joints having rubber packing 9 and an overflow opening 12 with splash guard 13 is provided in the top section. A stiffening ring 21 on the skirt 3 has brackets 126, Figs. 8a and 12, supporting by an arm the gear casing, the ring also affording seating to springs by which the machine is supported on castors attached to a ring 16, the movement being damped by friction strips 24 hung on brackets 20 on the ring and having slotted lower ends passing between washers on pins on the castor body with nuts to adjust the friction. Vibration both in the horizontal and vertical plane is thus controlled. Secured to the gear casing is a hollow post 139, Fig. 8b, projecting through the floor of the bottom of the casing and screwed thereto at 140, together with a clamping ring 141, a rubber washer 143 and a rubber sleeve 144 clamped at its upper end to a sleeve 136 having at its upper end a spherical bearing 137 for the shaft 134 and at its lower end having a spherical member 149 with a projecting flange supported between rubber rings 146, held with the flange between a lower flange on the post 139 and a flanged nut 150 threaded into the post which adjusts the stiffness of the mounting. The gyration of the shaft is damped by friction rings 151, 153 bearing on the spherical surface, the pressure being adjusted by a spring 156. Pumps and means for circulating liquids.- Two pumps 191, Fig. 12, for draining and 192 for circulating liquid are mounted resiliently so that one or other can be thrown into driving contact with the extending edge of the driving pulley 33 as selected by a rocking lever 198 under control of a cam 295, Fig. 27. Water is drawn hot and cold through pipes 216 and 217, Fig. 12, respectively through a mixing valve, proportions being controlled by manual pressure on right and left buttons 230, Fig. 4, at the ends of a rocking lever 226, operating by links 225 and 220 the valve lever 219, the water passing through a valve 232 and pipe 235 to a water softener 236 and thence by pipe 243 to the tub supply nozzle 244. The softener is regenerated by water drawn from the valve 232 by a pipe 246 through a valve 247 when the circulating pump is stopped and thence by pipe 249 to a salt box 245, the salt water then passing by a pipe 250, T-fitting 251 and the pipe 235 to the softener, a check valve preventing reverse flow in the pipe 250. To prevent salt water getting into the tub, a T-fitting 252, Fig. 8a, is provided in the pipe 243 with a branch 255 opening to the outer casing above the normal water level. A restriction 256 in the lower branch gives suction at the branch 255 when the tub is being filled, but at the feeble flow for regenerating returning salt water spills through the branch 255 and is pumped off by the drain pump. The supply of water to the tub is controlled by a float 257 surrounding a hollow post sealed in the bottom of the casing so that when supply water spills through holes 158 in the tub, the float pulls a latch 265, Fig. 12, to trip the supply lever 269 and close the supply valve. The circulating pipes and salt box are housed in a pilaster 8 on one side of the casing and the starting and mixing control are in a pilaster 7 on the opposite side of the casing, together with an indicator 333 showing which operation is proceeding. Control mechanism. Operations of the machine are controlled by a set of cams on a hollow timing shaft 293, Figs. 27 and 28, which is driven at one revolution per hour for working and at one revolution per minute during manual depression of the starting button 335, Fig. 4, the shaft 293 having fixed to it a hub 319, seen in expanded view, Fig. 27, which is driven by a ratchet plate 312 oscillated by an arm 310 on a shaft 309 rocked by an arm 308 thereon when a roller 306, journalled in the arm rides over a projection 305 on a gear 298. A similar ratchet plate 320 prevents backward rotation of the hub 319 and cam-shaft. The gear 298 has internal teeth differing by one from internal teeth on a gear 300 above it, held stationary by teeth 302 engaging holes in the gear casing, both internal gears being engaged by a gear rotatably carried on an eccentric fast with the worm gear 38 which has several projections 346. Thus, the starting button 335 on the pilaster 7 can be depressed to thrust a flexible shaft 330 and push-rod 343, Fig. 28, to rock a lever 345 to depress the roller 306 to engage the faster moving projections 346 to drive the cam-shaft quickly to required position. The speeds of the cam-shaft are thus one revolution per hour for working and one per minute for setting the cam-shaft to commence .work. The thrust of the flexible shaft causes a cam sleeve 337 to raise a plunger 338 to close the switch until the switch cam 296 takes over and maintains the circuit. A bevel gear 326 on top of the cam-shaft drives a sleeve squared on to the end of the flexible shaft 330 which near the control buttons is splined into the indicator 333. A lamp 336 in the circuit illuminates the indicator and the transparent control buttons. The cams in order above the driving hub are keyed on the shaft 293 with larger diameter discs 350 separating them and are : 295 engaging the lever, 355 pivoted to the spring-controlled pump selecting lever, 198 pivoted at 199 ; the cam 64 for rocking the shaft 66 to give oscillating or continuous drive to the shaft 51 ; the cam 291 for braking the drum 128 on shaft 51 after centrifugal drying by releasing a projection 290 on the brake rigging arm to allow the spring 281 to apply the brake ; the cam 272 for controlling by a lever 269 the main supply valve in cooperation with the latch 265 actuated by the float 257 in the outer casing bottom; the switch cam 296 engaging the lever 341 controlling the power switch, which is also initially closed by the manually-operated plunger 338 and lever 339, Fig. 12 ; and on top the index cam 297 which at starting holds the lever 345 in the position as rocked by depressing the starting button to rotate the cam-shaft at high speed by engaging a latch member 347 on the lever 344 engaged by the push-rod 343 until