A fireproof board structure for a washing machine and a washing machine

Abstract

The fireproof board structure of the present invention is provided with circular hollow pipes around the fireproof board body, and a first connection port and a second connection port are formed on the pipes. The first connection port is docked with the exhaust port, overflow port, and overflow bubble port of the outer barrel, and the second connection port is communicated with the outside, so that the overall exhaust, drainage, and bubble discharge pipes are integrated, optimizing the internal pipe design of the washing machine, simplifying the structure, and making the design compact; moreover, compared with flexible pipes, the hollow pipes greatly increase the service life and reduce the pipe maintenance cost. The design of the fireproof board structure blocks the co-combustion of the open fire caused by motor failure and the injection-molded outer barrel. The reinforcing rib design on the fireproof board structure strengthens the mechanical strength of the rear cover of the injection-molded outer barrel, reduces the risk of the outer barrel cracking due to mechanical vibration, and improves the overall safety level of the washing machine. The preferred bearing support seat of the present invention adopts a split assembly method, is installed in cooperation with the fireproof board structure, and is press-fitted by means of shape matching and screw fastening, improving the coaxiality of the motor and the inner barrel and enhancing the safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fireproof board structure for a washing machine, and more particularly to a fireproof board structure for a drum washing machine. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous improvement of living standards, drum washing machines have entered thousands of households and become an important part of household appliances. Among the entire drum washing machine structure, the fireproof partition (fireproof board structure) between the outer tub rear cover and the DD motor is an important component that is overlooked by major manufacturers today. As a fireproof and flame-retardant partition between the outer tub rear cover and the DD motor, it can improve the safety level of the entire drum washing machine and make the daily use of the washing machine more comfortable and convenient.

[0003] In the washing tub part of the drum washing machine, there are a stainless steel inner tub and an injection-molded outer tub. Clothes are added to the stainless steel inner tub, and there are filter holes on the tub wall for water to enter the stainless steel inner tub and rotate to wash the clothes; the injection-molded outer tub is a sealed structure and does not rotate, so that the rotating stainless steel inner tub is immersed in water to wash the clothes. During this process, there must be exhaust ports, water inlets, water outlets, overflow ports, and overflow foam ports on the wall of the injection-molded outer tub. The functions of the overflow port, overflow foam port, and exhaust port are: 1. Prevent too much water in the tub from affecting the operation of the whole machine; 2. Discharge the foam in the tub from the overflow port in time to prevent the whole machine from overflowing with foam; 3. Allow air in the tub to be discharged from the tub when water enters the tub, so that water can smoothly enter the washing tub to perform the washing task.

[0004] The existing fireproof board structure design of washing machines has the following problems: 1. The fireproof board structure is often overlooked by manufacturers due to cost considerations during the design and production of washing machines. 2. In the outer tub rear cover assembly of current drum washing machines, the bearing seat and the outer tub rear cover are mostly combined by the method of rubber coating. Due to the too high injection temperature in the process, the bearing seat is not only prone to deformation, but also prone to poor coaxiality after the bearing seat and the outer tub rear cover are assembled, affecting the assembly quality of the later drum bearing. In the traditional bearing seat rubber coating fixing method, if the process is abnormal, it is extremely easy to cause defects such as incomplete rubber coating around the bearing seat, cracks, gaps, or bubbles, greatly reducing the reliable performance of the whole machine. More importantly, this kind of defect is invisible and intangible, and there is a great possibility of quality hazards. 3. The design of the overflow, overflow foam, and exhaust ports of the drum washing machine is necessary. Nowadays, most washing machine outer tubs are equipped with overflow foam ports to prevent the whole machine from overflowing with foam and leaking water, and the exhaust port allows air in the tub to be discharged from the tub when water enters the tub, so that tap water can smoothly enter the washing tub to perform the washing task. However, the overflow foam pipes and exhaust pipes of most washing machines are designed complexly and the assembly is cumbersome, and it is easy to have problems of water leakage and foam overflow due to assembly reasons. Once the pipeline leaks, it is easy to cause electrical accidents and cause losses of life and property. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a fireproof board structure for a washing machine. By integrating the exhaust, drainage, and defoaming pipelines through the fireproof board structure, optimizing the pipeline design, improving the utilization rate of the internal structure space of the whole machine, avoiding the problems of water leakage and foam overflow caused by the aging of flexible pipelines over the years, and improving the safety level of the whole machine. The fireproof board structure of the present invention can improve the safety level of the whole machine; preferably, the fireproof board structure of the present invention can also be used as a reinforcing plate through ribs and the like to improve the overall mechanical strength of the outer tub rear cover.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fireproof board structure is assembled with a split bearing support seat (bearing seat). By using the methods of shape fitting and multi-screw fastening, the bearing support seat is pressed and fixed. Moreover, the disc body of the bearing support seat is large enough, and the screw fixing position is farther from the center, making its overall assembly strength with the outer tub stronger and meeting higher coaxiality requirements. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention: the outer contour of the bearing seat is gear-shaped, which just fits with the outer tub rear cover, and the connecting piece steering wheel is made of a closed pipeline.

[0007] Specifically: A fireproof board structure for a washing machine, the fireproof board structure includes a fireproof board structure body and a pipeline; the pipeline is provided with at least one first connection port and at least one second connection port. One of the first connection port and the second connection port is used as a fluid inlet, and the other is used as a fluid outlet. The pipeline is fluidly connected between the second connection port and the second connection port, and the fireproof board structure body is formed with a central hole.

[0008] Preferably, the opening directions of the first connection port and the second connection port are opposite, one opening faces one side of the fireproof board structure, and the other opening faces the other side of the fireproof board structure.

[0009] Preferably, the pipeline is provided on the outer periphery of the fireproof board structure body, and the fireproof board structure body and the pipeline are connected by a plurality of connecting ribs.

[0010] Preferably, the fireproof board structure body is formed into a circular plate-like structure, the central hole is circular, and the pipeline is an annular pipeline, which is arranged around the outer periphery of the circular plate-like structure.

[0011] In addition, the present invention also provides a washing machine, which includes an inner tub, an outer tub, and a motor for driving the inner tub to rotate. It is characterized in that: a fireproof board structure according to any one of the present invention is provided between the outer tub and the motor, an outer tub interface is provided on the outer tub, and the outer tub interface is communicated with the first connection port.

[0012] Preferably, the outer tub interface has a groove, the first connection port forms a first pipe section, the first pipe section protrudes from the pipeline, and the first pipe section can be snapped into the groove to realize the fitting connection between the first connection port and the outer tub interface.

[0013] Preferably, when the first pipe section is in communication with the outer barrel interface, a sealing device is provided between the first pipe section and the groove.

[0014] Preferably, the outer barrel includes an outer barrel rear cover, an outer barrel connection portion is formed at the center position of the outer barrel rear cover, and a connection hole is formed in the outer barrel connection portion; the washing machine further includes a bearing seat, the bearing seat includes a first end and a second end, the first end has a first receiving portion, the second end has a second receiving portion, the first receiving portion is used to receive a first bearing, and the second receiving portion is used to receive a second bearing; the bearing seat can be installed into the connection hole of the outer barrel.

[0015] Preferably, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the outer periphery of the first end of the bearing seat, a plurality of grooves are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer barrel connection portion, and the plurality of protrusions can be fitted and installed into the grooves.

[0016] Preferably, the plurality of protrusions are formed in a gear shape and are evenly distributed on the outer periphery of the first end.

[0017] Preferably, a fixing portion is further formed at the second end of the bearing seat, and the bearing seat can be fixed to the connection portion of the outer barrel through the fixing portion.

[0018] Preferably, the outer barrel interface is an overflow port and / or an overflow bubble port and / or an exhaust port.

[0019] In addition, the present invention also provides an assembly method for a fireproof board structure of a washing machine as described in any one of the present invention, including the following steps: S01: Snap and fix the first and second bearings to both ends of the bearing seat;

[0020] S02: Install the bearing seat into the connection hole of the outer barrel and fix it to the outer barrel rear cover of the outer barrel;

[0021] S03: Fix the fireproof board structure to the outer barrel rear cover;

[0022] S04: Fix the motor to the fireproof board structure.

[0023] Beneficial effects:

[0024] The fireproof board structure of the present invention is cleverly combined with the overflow and overflow bubble pipelines and the exhaust pipeline, which not only simplifies the design of the overflow and overflow bubble pipelines and avoids the problems of complex pipeline design and cumbersome assembly, but also makes the fireproof board structure serve multiple purposes, enhances its value, and reduces the problems that are ignored due to considering the overall machine cost.

[0025] The existence of the fireproof board structure of the present invention not only improves the safety level, but also can act as a reinforcing plate for the outer barrel rear cover to improve the mechanical strength of the outer barrel; adopting the assembly method of a split-type bearing support seat and using the methods of shape matching and multi-screw fastening makes the coaxiality of the bearing seat and the outer barrel rear cover higher after assembly, and avoids the process production problems caused by injection molding and encapsulating the bearing seat from affecting the reliability of the whole machine.

[0026] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and do not limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] By referring to the accompanying drawings and describing in detail its exemplary embodiments, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. The following described drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0028] Figure 1 Explosion schematic diagram of a washing machine with a fireproof board structure according to the present invention

[0029] Figure 2 Explosion schematic diagram of a washing machine adopting the fireproof board structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the bearing seat and the fireproof board structure according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the first sealing ring according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the second sealing ring according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the third sealing ring according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the outer tub according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 For Figure 7 Enlarged schematic diagram at position A.

[0036] Figure 9 Stereoscopic schematic diagram of the bearing seat according to the present invention.

[0037] Wherein: 1-inner tub, 11-third sealing device;

[0038] 2-outer tub, 21-outer tub rear cover, 22-outer tub interface, 23-outer tub connecting portion, 24-connecting hole, 25-outer tub fixing hole, 26-first sealing device, 27-fastener between the outer tub and the inner tub;

[0039] 3-bearing seat, 31-first bearing, 32-second bearing, 33-second sealing device, 34-first end, 35-second end;

[0040] 4 - Fireproof board structure, 41 - Fireproof board structure body, 42 - Pipe, 43 - Central hole, 44 - First connection port, 45 - Second connection port, 46 - Connecting rib, 47 - Fireproof board structure fixing hole, first fireproof board fastener 48, second fireproof board fastener 49;

[0041] 5 - Motor, 51 - Motor housing, 52 - Motor fastener. Detailed implementation manners

[0042] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals in the figures denote like or similar parts, and thus their repetitive description will be omitted.

[0043] In addition, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will realize that the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be used. In other cases, well-known methods, devices, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] It should be understood that although terms such as first, second, and third may be used herein to describe various structures, these structures should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one structure from another. Thus, the first structure discussed below may be referred to as the second structure without departing from the teachings of the concept of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0045] Those skilled in the art can understand that the drawings are only schematic diagrams of the example embodiments, and the modules or processes in the drawings are not necessarily essential for implementing the present disclosure, and thus cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] The following is combined with the attached Figures 1-9 The content of the specific implementation manners in the present invention will be described in detail:

[0047] As Figure 1As shown, the fireproof board structure 4 for a washing machine according to the present invention is schematically shown. The fireproof board structure 4 includes a fireproof board structure body 41 and a pipe 42. The pipe 42 is provided on the outer periphery of the fireproof board structure body 41. The pipe 42 is provided with at least one first connection port 44 and at least one second connection port 45. The first connection port 44 and the second connection port 45 are communicated through the pipe 42. The fireproof board structure body 41 is formed with a central hole 43. Preferably, the fireproof board structure body 41 and the pipe 42 are connected by at least one connecting rib 46. The fireproof board structure body 41 is formed into a circular plate-like structure. The central hole 43 is circular. The pipe 42 is an annular pipe 42 and is arranged around the outer periphery of the circular plate-like structure. The opening directions of the first connection port 44 and the second connection port 45 are opposite.

[0048] As Figure 2 , as shown in FIGS. 6, the present invention further provides a washing machine, which includes an inner tub 1, an outer tub 2, and a motor 5. The motor 5 is used to drive the inner tub 1 to rotate. The fireproof board structure 4 according to any one of the present invention is provided between the outer tub 2 and the motor 5. An outer tub interface 22 is provided on the outer tub 2, and the outer tub interface 22 is communicated with the first connection port 44. Among them, a third sealing device 11 is provided on the main shaft of the inner tub 1.

[0049] As Figure 2 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, preferably, the outer tub interface 22 has a groove. The first connection port 44 is formed with a first pipe section, and the first pipe section protrudes from the pipe 42. The first pipe section can be snapped into the groove to realize the mating communication between the first connection port 44 and the outer tub interface 22. Preferably, when the first pipe section and the outer tub interface 22 are in mating communication, a first sealing device 26 is provided between the first pipe section and the groove.

[0050] As Figures 2-9As shown in the figure, the outer tub 2 includes an outer tub rear cover 21. An outer tub connection part 23 is formed at the center position of the outer tub rear cover 21, and a connection hole 24 is formed in the outer tub connection part 23. The washing machine further includes a bearing seat 3. The bearing seat 3 includes a first end 34 and a second end 35. The first end 34 has a first accommodation part, and the second end 35 has a second accommodation part. The first accommodation part is used to accommodate the first bearing 31, and the second accommodation part is used to accommodate the second bearing 32. The bearing seat 3 can be installed into the connection hole 24 of the outer tub 2. Preferably, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the outer periphery of the first end 34 of the bearing seat 3, and a plurality of grooves are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tub connection part 23. The plurality of protrusions can be fitted and installed into the grooves. The plurality of protrusions are formed in a gear shape and are evenly distributed on the outer periphery of the first end 34. Optionally, a fixing part is further formed on the second end 35 of the bearing seat 3. Through the fixing part, the bearing seat 3 can be fixed on the connection part of the outer tub 2. Preferably, the outer tub interface 22 is an overflow port and / or an overflow bubble port and / or an exhaust port. The outer tub 2 further has an outer tub fixing hole 25. The fireproof board 4 further has a fireproof board structure fixing hole 47. The first fireproof board fastener 48 and the second fireproof board fastener 49 fix the fireproof board structure 4 on the outer tub 2 through the outer tub fixing hole 25 and the fireproof board structure fixing hole 47. The outer tub 2 further has an outer tub and inner tub fastener 27 for connecting with the inner tub 1. The motor 5 further includes a motor housing 51, and a motor fastener 52 is used to fix the housing 51 and the motor.

[0051] As Figures 2-9 shown, in addition, the present invention further provides an assembly method for the fireproof board structure 4 of a washing machine as described in any one of the present invention, including the following steps: S01: Snap-fix the first and second bearings 32 to both ends of the bearing seat 3;

[0052] S02: Install the bearing seat 3 into the connection hole 24 of the outer tub 2 and fix it to the outer tub rear cover 21 of the outer tub 2;

[0053] S03: Fix the fireproof board structure 4 to the outer tub rear cover 21;

[0054] S04: Fix the motor 5 to be fixedly connected with the fireproof board structure 4.

[0055] Wherein, the first bearing 31 and the second bearing 32 are assembled together with the bearing seat 3 by press-fitting, and the second sealing device 33 (bearing seal ring) is assembled with the bearing seat 3 to form a bearing seat 3 assembly; the bearing seat 3 assembly is installed into the outer tub rear cover 21, and the assembly requirement is that the assembly hole positions are aligned; after the bearing seat 3 is press-fitted well, the fireproof board structure 4 is press-fitted on the bearing seat 3. There are corresponding screw fixing positions at the edge of the outer tub rear cover 21, and a first sealing device 26 is press-fitted at the pipe orifices of the corresponding metal hollow pipes at the exhaust port, overflow port, and overflow bubble port of the outer tub 2 and the fireproof board structure 4; the DD motor 5 is installed on the fireproof board structure 4 through screws.

[0056] So far, the assembly of the outer barrel rear cover 21 component is completed.

[0057] Beneficial effects:

[0058] In the present invention, a circular hollow pipe 42 is welded around the fireproof board body, and its first connection port 44 is butted against the exhaust port, overflow port, and overflow bubble port of the outer barrel 2, so that the overall exhaust, drainage, and exhaust bubble pipes 42 are integrated into one, optimizing the design of the internal pipes 42 of the washing machine, simplifying the structure, and making the design compact; moreover, compared with the flexible pipe 42, the stainless steel metal hollow pipe 42 greatly increases the service life of the pipe 42 and reduces the maintenance cost of the pipe 42; the design of this pipe 42 reduces the risk of overflowing bubbles and leaking water, and the design of the fireproof board structure 4 blocks the situation where the open fire caused by the failure of the motor 5 burns together with the injection-molded outer barrel 2. The rib design on the fireproof board structure 4 strengthens the mechanical strength of the injection-molded outer barrel rear cover 21 and reduces the risk of the outer barrel 2 cracking due to mechanical vibration. These three designs all improve the safety level of the whole washing machine; in the present invention, the bearing support seat (the outer connection part and the bearing seat 3) adopts a split assembly method and is press-fitted by using shape matching and screw fastening methods, improving the coaxiality of the motor 5 and the inner barrel 1; avoiding the process problems caused by the injection-molded rubber-coated bearing support seat.

[0059] The above specifically shows and describes the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the detailed structures, setting methods, or implementation methods described herein; on the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent settings included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A washing machine, the washing machine comprising an inner tub (1), an outer tub (2), and a motor (5), the motor (5) being configured to drive the inner tub (1) to rotate, characterized in that: A fireproof board structure (4) is provided between the outer barrel (2) and the motor (5); The fireproof board structure (4) is fixed to the outer barrel, and the fireproof board structure is fixedly connected to the motor; The fireproof board structure (4) includes a fireproof board structure body (41) and a pipe (42); The pipe is an annular pipe that surrounds the outer periphery of the fireproof board structure body (41); The pipe (42) is provided with a first connection port (44) and a second connection port (45), and one of the first connection port (44) and the second connection port (45) is used as a fluid inlet, and the other is used as a fluid outlet; The first connection port (44) and the second connection port (45) are fluidly connected through the pipe, and the fireproof board structure body (41) is formed with a central hole (43); An outer barrel interface (22) is provided on the outer barrel (2), and the outer barrel interface (22) is communicated with the first connection port (44), and the outer barrel interface (22) can be used as an overflow port, an overflow bubble port, and an exhaust port.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening directions of the first connection port (44) and the second connection port (45) are opposite, one opening faces one side of the fireproof board structure, and the other opening faces the other side of the fireproof board structure.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The fireproof board structure body (41) and the pipe (42) are connected through a plurality of connecting ribs (46).

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fireproof board structure body (41) is formed into a circular plate-like structure, the central hole (43) is circular, and the pipe (42) is an annular pipe (42) that surrounds the outer periphery of the circular plate-like structure.

5. The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer barrel interface (22) has a groove, the first connection port (44) is formed with a first pipe section, the first pipe section protrudes from the pipe (42), and the first pipe section can be snapped into the groove to realize the mating connection between the first connection port (44) and the outer barrel interface (22).

6. The washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the first pipe section is in mating connection with the outer barrel interface (22), a first sealing device (26) is provided between the first pipe section and the groove.

7. The washing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer barrel (2) includes an outer barrel rear cover (21), an outer barrel connection portion (23) is formed at the center position of the outer barrel rear cover (21), and a connection hole (24) is formed in the outer barrel connection portion (23); the washing machine further includes a bearing seat (3), the bearing seat (3) includes a first end (34) and a second end (35), the first end (34) has a first receiving portion, the second end (35) has a second receiving portion, the first receiving portion is used to receive the first bearing (31), and the second receiving portion is used to receive the second bearing (32); the bearing seat (3) can be installed into the connection hole (24) of the outer barrel (2).

8. The washing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: A plurality of protrusions are formed on the outer periphery of the first end (34) of the bearing seat (3), and a plurality of grooves are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer barrel connection portion (23), and the plurality of protrusions can be fitted and installed into the grooves.

9. The washing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of protrusions are formed into a gear shape and are evenly distributed on the outer periphery of the first end (34).

10. The washing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second end (35) of the bearing seat (3) further forms a fixing portion, and the bearing seat (3) can be fixed to the connection portion of the outer barrel (2) through the fixing portion.

11. An assembly method for a fireproof board structure (4) of a washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 7 - 10, comprising the following steps: S01: Snap - fit and fix a first bearing and a second bearing (32) to both ends of a bearing seat (3); S02: Install the bearing seat (3) into a connection hole (24) of the outer tub (2) and fix it to an outer tub rear cover (21) of the outer tub (2); S03: Fix the fireproof board structure (4) to the outer tub rear cover (21); S04: Fix the motor (5) to the fireproof board structure (4) in a fixed connection.

Images