Description

A LAUNDRY INSTALLATION

[0001] The present invention relates to a laundry installation wherein more than one washing/drying machine is operated.

[0002] In laundry installations, wherein more than one washer/dryer operates, the control of all the machines is generally maintained by a master controller and having a separate control unit on each machine is not required. Moreover, in laundry installations, functions such as water intake and discharge to and from the machines are performed jointly. Thus, not only benefits of controlling from a single center is taken advantage of but also machines with simpler structures than the separately operating machines can be used, however each of the machines constituting the multiple washing/drying system should have mechanical means like the independent machines in order to perform the washing and drying processes without reducing the performance. Therefore, each machine is provided with a drive motor for maintaining the movement of the drum, the drive motors have to be controlled separately, and the simplification provided in electrical means cannot be provided in the mechanical means.

[0003] In washer/dryers, the laundry is emplaced inside a drum and the drum is driven by a motor. Generally belt-pulley systems that transmit power are used between the driver motor and the driven drum. In belt-pulley systems, the power transmission efficiency decreases due to sliding of the belt on the pulley and viscoelastic losses of the belt, for example the belt becomes loose by stretching in time. The positions of the motor and the drum shafts with respect to each other should be constant in belt-pulley systems. This limitation necessitates the motor to be mounted on the movable drive group, for example on the tub wherein the drum rotates. The motor mounted on the tub increases the quantity of the moving mass and thus during operation, particularly at high spinning speeds, the inertial forces that have to be attenuated increases. The motor covers have to be specially designed for the motor to be mounted on the tub and the motor, being connected to the tub, prevents the tub from being produced in bigger sizes and increasing the load capacity.

[0004] In the patent applications of United States of America, US2005183209 and US2004129031 and the patent documents of United States of America US6671914, US4335591 , US3918112, Japanese No JP6007573 and JP4085000, various implementations are explained related to the operation and control of machines in laundry installations wherein a multiple number of machines operate.

[0005] The aim of the present invention is to realization of a laundry installation wherein a multiple number of laundry washing/drying machines are operated, enabling energy and cost savings.

[0006] The laundry installation realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, a multiple number of laundry washing/drying machines operate in the same place, one of the machines functions as the master machine that mechanically controls all of the others whereby the other washer/dryer machines are the slave machines controlled by the master machine. By means of a transmission means, the rotational movement of the electric motor shaft that drives the drum of the master machine is transmitted to the slave machines thereby rotating the drums of the slave machines.

[0007] A gearbox situated in the master machine transmits the movement of the motor shaft outside the master machine. The rotational movement of the motor shaft separates into more than one arm by means of the power transmission elements such as the gear wheel and the magnetic or electromagnetic clutch and exit ends are provided that rotate and extend outwards from the gearbox. The rotary motion of the exit ends are transmitted to slave machines by means of flexible shafts. The torque transmitters situated in the slave machines are used in transmitting the rotational movement of the flexible shafts to the drums. In slave machines an electric motor that drives the drum is not provided instead the torque transmitter serves as the motor for driving the drum.

[0008] In the other embodiments of the present invention, the flexible shafts not only transmit power from the master machine to the slave machines but also are used for power transmission inside the master machine and the slave machines. In the master machine, the flexible shaft connected to the

motor shaft or the exit end of the gearbox, is used in transmitting the rotational motion of the motor to the drum and the flexible shaft connected to the torque transmitter in the slave machine is used in transmitting the rotational motion to the drum.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, exit ends are provided in torque transmitters for transmitting the rotary motion received from the flexible shaft to outside the slave machine and thus to transmit movement from one slave machine to the other slave machine successively. In this embodiment, material savings is provided by using a lesser number of flexible shafts as compared with transmitting movement from the master machine to all the slave machines from a single center.

[0010] The laundry installation realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached drawings, where:

[0011] Figure 1 - is the schematic view of a laundry installation wherein more than one washer/dryer operates.

[0012] Figure 2 - is the schematic view of a motor and a gearbox in a transmission means.

[0013] Figure 3 - is the schematic view of a laundry installation in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 - is the schematic view of a torque transmitter and flexible shafts connected to the torque transmitter.

[0015] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Laundry installation

2. 102. Drum

3. Motor

4. Master machine

5. Slave machine

6. Transmission means

7. 107. Exit end

8. Gearbox

9. 109, 209. Flexible shaft

10. Torque transmitter

[0016] More than one washer/dryer machines (4, 5) operate in a laundry

installation (1) wherein large amounts and different types of laundry are washed and dried.

[0017] The laundry installation (1) of the present invention comprises one master machine (4) that performs the washing/drying processes of the laundry, having a drum (2) wherein the laundry is placed and a motor (3) that drives the drum (2), one or more slave machines (5) that operate connected to the master machine (4) each having a drum (102) wherein the laundry is placed and a transmission means (6) that transmits the rotational movement to the slave machines (4) by using some of the mechanical energy of the master machine (4) motor (3) and maintains to rotate the drums (102) of the slave machines (5).

[0018] By means of the embodiment of the present invention, in the laundry installation (1), drive elements that consume energy independently is not required in each slave machine (5) for rotating the drums (102) of the slave machines (5), the mechanical energy needed for moving all the drums (2, 102) is provided from a single center, that is by the motor (3) of the master machine (4). In the laundry installation (1) of the present invention, washing and drying processes of laundry are performed by one fully equipped master machine (4) and low cost slave machines (5) having quite a simple structure without motor.

[0019] The transmission means (6) comprises a gearbox (8) situated in the master machine (4), connected to the motor (3) shaft, that transmits the rotary movement of the motor (3) shaft outside of the master machine (4) by separating into more than one arm by means of power transmission elements such as the gear wheel (D) and the magnetic or electromagnetic clutch, having one or more exit ends (7), each rotating around their own axes separately by the movement received from the motor (3) shaft and one or more flexible shafts (9) that transmit the rotary movement received from the exit ends (7) to the slave machines (5) (Figures 1 , 2).

[0020] The power transmission yield of the flexible shaft (9) is quite high, for example, the power transmission yield is approximately 80 % in a belt-pulley application whereas the power transmission yield is approximately 95 % in the embodiment of the present invention wherein

the flexible shaft (9) is used.

[0021] In another embodiment of the present invention, a flexible shaft (109) is used in the master machine (4) for transmitting the movement received from the motor (3) shaft or the terminal end (7) of the gearbox (8) to the drum (2) and rotate the drum (2).

[0022] When the flexible shaft (109) is used, the necessity for mounting the motor (3) on the tub wherein the drum (2) operates is no longer required for transmitting power and the motor (3) is mounted at a suitable place that is not connected to the tub. The motor (3) can be mounted, for example to the base of the master machine (4) or to the floor of the room wherein the master machine (4) operates thereby the motor (3) is not affected by the oscillatory motion of the drum (2).

[0023] The transmission means (6) furthermore comprises one or more torque transmitters (10) disposed in the slave machines (5) that transmit the rotary movement received from the flexible shaft (9) to the drum (102) by means of power transmission elements such as the gear wheel (D) and the magnetic or electromagnetic clutch and thus functioning as a driver.

[0024] A motor, operating by electric energy and rotating the drum (102), is not provided in the slave machines (5), instead the torque transmitter (10) is used for transmitting the movement received from the flexible shaft (9). The torque transmitter (10) functions just like a drive motor without consuming electric energy.

[0025] Flexible shafts (209) are used in slave machines (5) that rotate the drum (102) by transmitting the movement received from the torque transmitter (10) to the drum (102). Thus, the torque transmitter (10) is not affected by the oscillatory motion of the drum (102) and can be mounted on a stationary place in the slave machine (5).

[0026] Since the torque transmitter (10) is not affected by the oscillatory motion of the drum (102), the flexible shaft (9) connected to the torque transmitter (10) from outside is also not affected by the oscillatory motion of the drum (102), thus making it easier for connecting the flexible shaft (9) to the slave machine (5). The flexible shaft (9) coming from the master machine (4), can be easily connected to the stationary torque transmitter (10) by

passing through an opening formed on the body wall of the slave machine (5) sized such that only the flexible shaft (9) can pass since there is no problem of vibration.

[0027] Moreover, transmission rates of the torque transmitter (10) can be changed, the number of revolutions and the rotation moment of the flexible shaft (9) coming from the master machine (4) can be decreased or increased for transmitting to the drum (102). Thus, the drum (2) of the master machine (4) and the drum (102) of the slave machine (5) can operate at different speeds, for example, laundry washing operation can be performed in the master machine (4) while laundry drying operation is performed in the slave machine (5).

[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission means (6) comprises one or more exit ends (107) disposed in the torque transmitters (10) for transmitting the rotary motion received from the flexible shaft (9) to outside of the slave machine (5) and thereby transmitting movement from one slave machine (5) to the other slave machine (5) (Figures 3, 4). The movement received from the exit ends (107) is transmitted successively from one slave machine (5) to the other slave machine (5) by the flexible shafts (9) not connected to the master machine (4). In this embodiment, savings in materials is provided by using a lesser number of flexible shafts (9) as compared with movement transmission from the master machine (4) to all the slave machines (5) from a single center.

[0029] With the embodiment of the present invention, in the laundry installation (1), the slave machines (5), which are a cheaper and simpler version of the master machine (4), not having a motor, a display or a control panel, that entirely follow the operation of the master machine (4), are used and cost advantage is provided. Flexible shafts (9, 109, 209) are used for rotating the drums (2, 102) of the master machine (4) and the slave machines (5) and for power transmission from the master machine (4) to the slave machines (5) thereby the power of the motor (3) is distributed efficiently.