Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kenji Koshiga

Toshihiko Ura

Norimasa Kondo

Kenichi Akasaka

Shinichi Nakajima

Shinichi Matsuda

Junichi Morinaka

A washing machine includes a washing shaft for rotating agitating blades disposed in a dewatering tank, and the washing shaft is disposed coaxially on a hollow dewatering shaft for rotating the dewatering tank. The washing shaft is connected to the output side of a reduction mechanism, and a washing side input shaft is connected to the input side of the reduction mechanism to rotate the washing shaft by decelerating the rotation of a drive motor. A rotor of the drive motor is coupled to the lower part of the washing side input shaft. Therefore, the rotating torque of the agitating blades can be increased without increasing the torque of the drive motor. In addition, if the laundry collides against the agitating blades, the eccentricity to the washing side input shaft is suppressed, thereby the increase of the washing capacity can be handled without increasing the size of the drive motor.

Washing machine

A motor drives, via a hollow dryer shaft, a basket doubling as a washing basket and a spin-dryer basket. The motor rotating speed is reduced by a speed reduction mechanism, thereby driving an agitator disposed in the basket via a washing shaft that is axially aligned with the dryer shaft. A clutch switches transmission of the motor driving force either to the dryer shaft or to the washing shaft. The speed reduction mechanism and the motor are axially aligned with one another. The clutch is placed within a motor bracket, and is controlled by a clutch driver that is inserted into the bracket through a hole provided on the motor bracket. These arrangements restrain unbalance of a water tub during a dehydrating step, as well as prevent water or fingers of users from entering the motor.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Kenji Koshiga