Washing machine, electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water, and electrolyzed water for rinse

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017314179-A1
Application number	US-201515511754-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Nov 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A washing machine of the present invention includes an electrolyzed water generating unit and a wash tub. The electrolyzed water generating unit includes an electrolytic solution supplying unit and an electrolysis unit including an electrolysis electrode pair. The electrolytic solution supplying unit is provided so as to supply an aqueous solution of an electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water to the electrolysis unit. The electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water contains an alkali metal chloride and a substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic. The electrolysis unit is provided so that the aqueous solution of the electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water is electrolyzed using the electrolysis electrode pair to generate an electrolyzed water. The electrolyzed water generating unit is provided so as to supply the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolysis unit to the wash tub. The electrolyzed water supplied to the wash tub by the electrolyzed water generating unit has a pH of more than 6.5 and less than 8.0.

First claim

1 . A washing machine comprising an electrolyzed water generating unit and a wash tub,
wherein the electrolyzed water generating unit includes an electrolytic solution supplying unit and an electrolysis unit including an electrolysis electrode pair, the electrolytic solution supplying unit is provided so as to supply an aqueous solution of an electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water to the electrolysis unit, the electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water contains an alkali metal chloride and a substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic, the electrolysis unit is provided so that the aqueous solution of the electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water is electrolyzed using the electrolysis electrode pair to generate an electrolyzed water, the electrolyzed water generating unit is provided so as to supply the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolysis unit to the wash tub, and the electrolyzed water supplied to the wash tub by the electrolyzed water generating unit has a pH of more than 6.5 and less than 8.0.

2 . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzed water generating unit is provided so as to supply an electrolyzed water serving as a rinse water for rinsing laundry to the wash tub.

3 . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzed water supplied to the wash tub by the electrolyzed water generating unit has an effective chlorine concentration of 10 ppm or more and 100 ppm or less.

4 . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal chloride is at least one of sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

5 . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic is hydrogen chloride.

6 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the washing machine is provided so as to perform a wash step of removing soils, a disinfecting and cleaning step of performing disinfection and cleaning using the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit, and a rinse step,
the disinfecting and cleaning step is performed between a spin step after the wash step and the rinse step performed after water used in the disinfecting and cleaning step is drained and removed.

9 . An electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water for rinse, the electrolyte comprising an alkali metal chloride and a substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic.

10 . The electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water according to claim 9 , the electrolyte comprising water serving as a solvent,
wherein the substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic is hydrogen chloride, and a total concentration of the alkali metal chloride and the hydrogen chloride is 1% or more and 23% or less, and a ratio of hydrogen chloride/alkali metal chloride is 1/20 or more and 1/2 or less.

11 . An electrolyzed water for rinse, generated by electrolyzing an aqueous solution of an electrolyte for generating electrolyzed water, the electrolyte containing an alkali metal chloride and a substance that makes an aqueous solution acidic,
wherein the electrolyzed water for rinse has a pH of more than 6.5 and less than 8.0.

12 . The electrolyzed water for rinse according to claim 11 , comprising an alkali metal chloride, hypochlorous acid, and a hypochlorite,
wherein a concentration decreases in the order of the alkali metal chloride, the hypochlorous acid, and the hypochlorite.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Arai Nobutoshi
• Hayashi Nobuhiro

Classifications

• C25B1/14

  Alkali metal compounds · CPC title

• D06F35/003 Primary

  using electrochemical cells · CPC title

• D06F35/005

  Methods for washing, rinsing or spin-drying · CPC title

• C11D11/0005

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C11D3/046

  Salts · CPC title