Tunnel-type commerical-duty washing machine

Abstract

A tunnel-type commerical-duty washing machine has a horizontally elongated housing subdivided by a succession of partitions into a succession of compartments each provided with a generally cylindrical foraminous drum. Each drum is provided with a respective foraminous scoop formed from a first generally cylindrical section having an edge attached to the outer wall and extending between the end walls of the drum and a second generally frustoconical section forming a continuation of the cylindrical section and having a side edge joined to one of the end walls over a major arc of the periphery of an aperture in one of the end walls. Thus the drums may be oscillated back and forth to agitate clothing, but when rotated through greater than a predetermined angle the scoop will pick up the articles of clothing in the drum and displace them axially out of the drum.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating a textile article. More particularly this invention concerns a commercial-duty laundry washing machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Although the standard home washing machine has been developed and perfected to a high degree, large-capacity machines such as used in commercial laundries, hospitals, collectives, and the like have remained relatively crude. The most recent development in such commercial washing machines has been so-called continuous washers which are formed with an elongated housing having an input end and an outlet end. Laundry may be continuously introduced into the input end and is continuously expelled from the output end. Such an arrangement, referred to as a washing tunnel, is internally subdivided into several zones respectively responsible for the soaking, prewashing, washing, and rinsing of the articles introduced into the inlet end. In each zone the water is maintained at a predetermined temperature and various washing products are added. As a rule the water is circulated from the outlet end back toward the input end.

In the commonest type of such devices inside the longitudinally elongated cylindrical housing there is provided a similarly shaped drum. The entire arrangement is tipped slightly toward the output end so that as the internal drum is rotated the clothing and the like within it is tumbled and slowly progresses toward the outlet end. With such an arrangement some articles are washed much more thoroughly than others. In addition the simple tumbling action caused by continuous rotation of the treatment drum is not on the whole as effective as an agitation or oscillation of this drum would be.

Attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages by providing a central compartmented drum in the housing forming a spiral with a succession of flat partitions alternating with helical ones. In such an arrangement the different laundry articles advance at approximately the same speed and do not get mixed together. Such a system has, however, the considerable disadvantage that the central drum is extremely expensive and difficult to manufacture. It must be delivered to the site as a single unit and does not allow the type of washing operation to be altered by addition or removal of stages. In addition it is necessary that the articles in each compartment be subjected to exactly the in aritcles articles of clothing from the bath 40 and discharges them as indicated by arrow 41 into the next downstream drum 1.

At this time another load may be introduced as indicated by arrow 43, rinse water may be fed into the second downstream housing, and simultaneous washing and rinsing may take place.

This operation is continued until there is a load of laundry in each of the drums, here six in number. The device is operated so that the first load is discharged and the other loads are all moved up one after the other to free the furthest upstream drum so that a seventh load may be introduced into it. In this manner continuous washing is possible. It is possible, indeed to only provide minimal agitation in the furthest upstream drum and then to allow the articles merely to soak. On the contrary, the other loads may simultaneously be agitated for washing and rinsing in the further downstream drums.

A very effective agitation of the articles 39 is achieved for most thorough washing period. The displacement of the drums from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 6 is executed very slowly so as to insure that a miximum maximum amount of the liquid held in the articles 39 drips back into the compartment before these articles are displaced into the next downstream drum.

After exiting as indicated by arrow 44 the furthest downstream drum the articles may be fed to an extractor or press.

Claims

1. An apparatus for treating a textile article with a liquid, said apparatus comprising:

at least one drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and provided with an outer wall defining a chamber and with a pair of axially spaced end walls flanking said chamber and each formed at said axis with a respective aperture;

scoop means in said drum effective on rotation thereof through more than a predetermined angle for lifting from said outer wall and axially displacing said article out of said chamber through one of said apertures and ineffective on oscillation of said drum through less than said predetermined angle for lifting said article;

drive means for oscillating and rotating said drum about said axis, said scoop means being at least partially foraminous and formed from a first generally cylindrical section having an edge attached to said outer wall and extending between said end walls and a second generally frustoconical section forming a continuation of said cylindrical section and having a side edge joined to one of said end walls over a major arc of the periphery of said one aperture, said edge of said cylindrical section lying generally in a plane including said axis and angularly bisecting said major arc where said frustoconical section joins said periphery;

a housing means having an inlet end and an outlet end and provided providing between said ends individual housings forming a succession of upright partitions defining respective compartments and each formed with a throughgoing opening, each compartment being provided with one such drum, said drums being coaxial with said axis passing through said openings, each frustoconical section being joined to that end wall of the respective drum turned toward said outlet end; and

means for introducing treatment fluids into said compartments, said drums being at least partially foraminous.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said predetermined angle is substantially 360°.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said drive means for each drum comprises:

a motor transmission carried on said housng housing and having an output side;

a pinion operatively connected to said output side,; and,

a chain wrapped around the respective drum and in mesh with said pinion.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said drive means for each drum further comprises means for radial displacement of said pinion relative to said axis, and spring means for urging said pinion radially inwardly against said chain.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein each output side has a splined shaft extending axially, said pinion being limitedly axially displaceable on said shaft.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein each of said housings is formed from an upper half and a lower half joined at a generally horizontal axial plane, said drive means being provided on said upper half, said lower half being provided with means for rotatably supporting said drum.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein said means for supporting each drum includes a plurality of rollers cradling said drum and rotatable about respective axes parallel to said axis.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein each of said drums is rotatable independently of the others, said drive means including respective drives each operatively connected to a respective one of said drums for ratating rotating same.

9. A washing machine comprising:

housing means including a plurality of axially aligned axially open housings centered on a common axis and disposed adjacent one another to define a succession of axially separated compartments;

a respective perforated drum in each of said compartments, said drums being rotatable about a substantially common axis and being axially open;

scoop means in said drums effective on rotation thereof through more than a predetermined angle for lifting laundry from each drum and axially displacing same into a successive drum, said scoop means being ineffective on angular oscillation of said drums through less than said predetermined angle;

means for introducing liquid into and removing it from said housings; and

drive means for respectively rotating the drums and angularly oscillating same in the respective housing, said scoop means of each drum being formed from a first generally cylindrical section and a second frustoconical section, each of said drums having an axial aperture in an end wall through which laundry is deposited in the next drum, each of said cylindrical sections having an edge attached to a peripheral wall of the respective drum and each of said frustoconical sections having a side edge joined to the respective end wall over a major arc of the periphery of the apeture aperture thereof, the said edge of each cylindrical section lying generally in a plane including said axis and angularly bisecting the respective major arc where the respective frustoconical section joins the respective aperture periphery. 10. An apparatus for treating a textile article with a liquid, comprising:

a plurality of axially spaced at least partially foraminous drums rotatable about a common horizontal axis and each provided with a respective outer wall defining a chamber and with a pair of axially spaced end walls flanking said chamber, each of said end walls being formed at said axis with a respective aperture;

respective scoop means in each drum effective on rotation thereof in one sense through more than a predetermined angle for lifting from the respective outer wall and axially displacing said article out of the respective chamber through a respective one of said apertures into another of said drums and ineffective on rotation of the drum, in the opposite sense for lifting said article;

drive means for angularly displacing said drums in said one sense through at least said predetermined angle and for rotating said drums in said opposite sense, each of said scoop means being at least partially foraminous and formed from a first generally cylindrical section having an edge attached to the respective outer wall and extending between the respective end walls, and a second generally frustoconical section forming a continuation of said cylindrical section and having a side edge joined to one of the respective end walls over a major arc of the periphery of the respective said one aperture, said edge of said cylindrical section lying generally in a plane including said axis and angularly bisecting the respective major arc where the respective frustoconical section joins the respective periphery;

housing means having an inlet end and an outlet end and providing between said ends individual housings forming a succession of upright partitions defining respective compartments each formed with a throughgoing opening and, each compartment receiving a respective one of said drums with the apertures thereof being aligned with said opening, each frustoconical section being joined at that end wall of the respective drum turned toward said outlet end; and

means for introducing treatment fluids into said compartments.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein said predetermined angle is substantially 360°.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein said drive means includes:

a motor transmission carried on said housing and having an output side;

a pinion operatively connected to said output side; and

a chain wrapped around one of said drums and meshing with said pinion.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein said drive means further comprises means for radially displacing said pinion relative to said axis, and spring means for urging said pinion radially against said chain.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein said output side has a splined shaft extending axially, said pinion being limitedly axially displaceable on said shaft.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein each of said housings is formed from an upper half and a lower half joined at a generally horizontal axial plane, said drive means being provided on said upper half, said lower half being provided with means for rotatably supporting said drums.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 wherein the means for supporting each drum includes a plurality of rollers cradling said drum and rotatable about respective axes parallel to the first-mentioned axis.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein each of said drums is rotatable independently of the others, said drive means including respective drives each operatively connected to a respective one of said drums for rotating same.

18. A washing machine comprising:

housing means including a plurality of axially aligned axially open housings disposed adjacent one another to define a succession of axially separated compartments along a common axis;

a respective perforated drum in each of said compartments, said drums being rotatable about said common axis and being axially open;

scoop means in each of said drums effective on rotation thereof in one sense through more than a predetermined angle for lifting laundry from each drum and axially displacing same into a successive drum, and scoop means being ineffective to lift laundry upon rotations of said drums in the opposite sense;

means for introducing liquid into and removing it from said housing; and

drive means for rotating the drum in said senses, said scoop means of each drum being formed from a first generally cylindrical section and a second frustoconical section, each of said drums having an axial aperture in an end wall through which laundry is disposed in the next drum, each of said cylindrical sections having an edge attached to a peripheral wall of the respective drum and each of said frustoconical sections having a side edge joined to the respective end wall over a major arc of the periphery of the aperture thereof, the said edge of each cylindrical section lying generally in a plane including said axis and angularly bisecting the respective major arc where the respective frustoconical section joins the respective aperture peripherally.