Damper for laundry treating apparatus and laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of clothes treatment equipment, and specifically provides a damper for clothes treatment equipment and clothes treatment equipment. The present application aims to solve the problem that the existing damper cannot realize variable damping and has relatively large self-noise. The damper of the present application comprises a sleeve and a plunger, an annular groove is arranged on the plunger, a sliding member can slide in the annular groove, a friction member is fixedly connected with the sliding member, the outer surface of the friction member abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve, and the friction member extends out of the sliding member at both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve. Through the above arrangement, the damper can provide smaller damping at small amplitude and larger damping at large amplitude, and can reduce the noise generated by itself.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of clothes processing equipment, and particularly provides a shock absorber for clothes processing equipment and clothes processing equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] Washing machines are essential household appliances in people's daily life. In the process of use, they often emit a lot of vibration and noise, which brings inconvenience to people's normal use.

[0003] A common solution is to add a shock absorber to the washing machine to alleviate noise and vibration, which is particularly common in drum washing machines. However, the commonly used shock absorber is usually a shock absorber with constant damping force. When the amplitude is large, the damping force generated by the shock absorber is insufficient, resulting in poor damping effect. When the amplitude is small, the damping force generated by the shock absorber is too large, resulting in excessive damping and affecting the performance of the washing machine. Moreover, although the commonly used shock absorber reduces the vibration and noise of the washing machine, it still produces noise when it runs, affecting the user experience.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a new damper to solve the problem that the existing damper cannot realize variable damping and has a large self-noise. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, that is, to solve the problem that the existing damper cannot realize variable damping and has a large self-noise, the present application provides a shock absorber for clothes processing equipment, comprising:

[0006] a sleeve and a plunger, the plunger being capable of being inserted into the sleeve in a slidable manner, and the plunger being provided with an annular groove;

[0007] a sliding member, the sliding member being arranged to be capable of sliding in the annular groove;

[0008] a friction member, the friction member being elastic, being fixedly connected with the sliding member, and having an outer surface abutting against an inner wall of the sleeve, and extending out of the sliding member at both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve.

[0009] In the preferred technical solution of the shock absorber for clothes processing equipment, a first variable-diameter region is arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve, and the diameter of the first variable-diameter region gradually decreases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve.

[0010] In the preferred technical solution of the shock absorber for clothes processing equipment, a second variable-diameter region is further arranged on the outer surface of the annular groove, and the diameter of the second variable-diameter region gradually increases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the plunger.

[0011] In the above preferred technical scheme of the damper for the laundry treating apparatus, the sliding member is an elastic sleeve having an axial opening.

[0012] In the above preferred technical scheme of the damper for the laundry treating apparatus, the friction member is a long strip-shaped friction block, the elastic sleeve is provided with mounting grooves in the circumferential direction, the friction member is arranged around the mounting grooves in the length direction thereof, and the friction member is provided with toothed protrusions on both sides in the width direction thereof, and correspondingly, the side edges of the elastic sleeve are provided with toothed grooves corresponding to the toothed protrusions.

[0013] In the above preferred technical scheme of the damper for the laundry treating apparatus, the plunger is provided with oil storage grooves in the circumferential direction on one side or both sides of the annular groove.

[0014] In the above preferred technical scheme of the damper for the laundry treating apparatus, the friction member is coated with damping grease between the inner wall of the sleeve and the friction member.

[0015] In the above preferred technical scheme of the damper for the laundry treating apparatus, the material of the friction member is porous polyurethane.

[0016] The present application also provides a damper for a laundry treating apparatus, which comprises:

[0017] a sleeve and a plunger which can be slidably inserted into the sleeve, and the plunger is provided with an annular groove;

[0018] a sliding member which is arranged to be able to slide in the annular groove;

[0019] a friction member which has elasticity, is fixedly connected with the sliding member, and the outer surface thereof abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve, and the friction member extends out of the sliding member at both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve;

[0020] wherein the inner wall of the sleeve is provided with a first variable-diameter region, and the diameter of the first variable-diameter region gradually decreases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve;

[0021] wherein the outer surface of the annular groove is further provided with a second variable-diameter region, and the diameter of the second variable-diameter region gradually increases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the plunger;

[0022] wherein the sliding member is an elastic sleeve having an axial opening;

[0023] The friction member is a long strip-shaped friction block, the elastic sleeve is provided with a mounting groove in the circumferential direction, the friction member is arranged around the mounting groove along the length direction, and the friction member extends with a toothed protrusion on both sides along the width direction, and correspondingly, the side edge of the elastic sleeve is provided with a toothed groove corresponding to the toothed protrusion.

[0024] The plunger is provided with an oil storage groove in the circumferential direction on one side or both sides of the annular groove.

[0025] The damping grease is coated between the friction member and the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0026] The material of the friction member is porous polyurethane.

[0027] The end portion of the sleeve allowing the plunger to be inserted is provided with a flange, and correspondingly, the end portion of the plunger inserted into the sleeve is provided with a chamfer.

[0028] The application also provides a laundry treating apparatus including a housing and a washing tub provided in the housing, the washing tub being supported in the housing by a plurality of dampers, at least one of the dampers being the damper of any one of the above preferred technical solutions.

[0029] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, in the technical solution of the application, the damper includes a sleeve and a plunger, an annular groove is arranged on the plunger, a sliding member can slide in the annular groove, a friction member is fixedly connected with the sliding member, the outer surface of the friction member abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve, and the friction member extends out of the sliding member at both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve.

[0030] Through the above arrangement, when the amplitude is small, a small damping force can be generated through the friction between the sliding member and the annular groove, when the amplitude is large, the sliding member abuts against the edge of the annular groove, driving the friction member to slide with the sleeve to generate a large damping force, so that the damping is variable. In addition, the friction member extends out of the sliding member at both ends, this design makes the sliding member not directly collide with the annular groove, but is buffered by the elastic friction member, so that the two rigid objects do not collide with each other, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the noise of the damper itself. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The damper for a laundry treating apparatus and the laundry treating apparatus of the application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with a drum washing machine. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic view of the installation position of the damper of the application;

[0033] Figure 2Assembly view of the shock absorber of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 Exploded view of the shock absorber of the present application (I);

[0035] Figure 4 Exploded view of the shock absorber of the present application (II);

[0036] Figure 5 Structure view of the sliding member of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 Sectional view of the shock absorber of the present application;

[0038] Figure 7 Figure 6 Enlarged view of the portion A.

[0039] List of reference numerals:

[0040] 1, sleeve; 11, first variable diameter region; 12, flange; 2, plunger; 21, annular groove; 22, second variable diameter region; 23, oil reservoir; 3, sliding member; 31, axial opening; 32, mounting groove; 33, toothed groove; 4, friction member; 41, toothed projection; 5, washing tub. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The preferred embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments as needed in order to adapt to specific application occasions. For example, although the friction member and the sliding member in the description are fixedly connected by the toothed groove and the toothed projection, the present application can obviously use other forms of connection, such as direct bonding together, as long as the friction member and the elastic sliding member are fixedly connected.

[0042] It should be noted that in the description of the present application, the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and other terms indicating the direction or positional relationship are based on the direction or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0043] ​In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] First refer to Figures 1 to 5 The present application is described for the shock absorber for drum washing machine. Among them, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the mounting position of the shock absorber of the present application, Figure 2 is an assembly drawing of the shock absorber of the present application, Figure 3 is an exploded schematic view of the shock absorber of the present application (1), Figure 4 is an exploded schematic view of the shock absorber of the present application (2), Figure 5 is a schematic view of the sliding member structure of the present application.

[0045] As Figures 1 to 5 shown, in order to solve the problem that the existing damper cannot realize variable damping and has large self noise, the shock absorber for drum washing machine (hereinafter or simply referred to as shock absorber) of the present application includes a sleeve 1 and a plunger 2, the plunger 2 can be inserted into the sleeve 1 in a slidable manner, and the plunger 2 is provided with an annular groove 21, a sliding member 3 is arranged to be able to slide in the annular groove 21, a friction member 4 has elasticity, which is fixedly connected with the sliding member 3, and the outer surface is in abutment with the inner wall of the sleeve 1. In the axial direction of the sleeve 1, the friction member 4 is longer than the sliding member 3 at both ends, so as to extend out of the sliding member 3.

[0046] The damping device has the advantages that the damping device is installed between the bottom plate and the washing tub 5, when the amplitude of the washing tub 5 is small, the friction member 4 has a large friction resistance with the sleeve 1, the sliding member 3 has a small friction resistance with the plunger 2, the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4 are kept in a fixed position in the sleeve 1, the plunger 2 has a small amplitude, the friction member 4 does not touch the edge of the annular groove 21, and only the slight friction force between the sliding member 3 and the annular groove 21 is used for buffering, so that a small damping force is generated; when the amplitude of the washing tub 5 is large, the friction member 4 extends out of the sliding member 3 at both ends, the sliding member 3 is abutted against the annular groove 21 through the end of the friction member 4, and the friction member 4 is forced to move relative to the sleeve 1, so that a large friction damping force is generated, and the damping variable purpose of the damping device is achieved. In addition, the sliding member 3 does not directly collide with the edge of the annular groove 21, but indirectly collides through the elastic friction member 4, so that the self noise of the damping device is greatly reduced, and the problems of the damping variable and the large self noise of the damping device in the prior art are solved.

[0047] Further reference will be made below Figures 4 to 7 to the damping device of the present application, wherein, Figure 6 Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the damping device of the present application, Figure 7 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the damping device of the present application, Figure 6 Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in Fig. 1.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in a possible implementation, the inner wall of the sleeve 1 is provided with a first variable-diameter region 11, the diameter of the first variable-diameter region 11 gradually decreases from the middle to both ends along the axial direction of the sleeve 1, and the longitudinal section thereof is preferably a circular arc shape, and of course, can also be a V-shaped shape, etc.

[0049] The damping device has the advantages that the damping device is installed between the bottom plate and the washing tub 5, when the amplitude of the washing tub 5 is small, the friction member 4 has a large friction resistance with the sleeve 1, the sliding member 3 has a small friction resistance with the plunger 2, the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4 are kept in a fixed position in the sleeve 1, the plunger 2 has a small amplitude, the friction member 4 does not touch the edge of the annular groove 21, and only the slight friction force between the sliding member 3 and the annular groove 21 is used for buffering, so that a small damping force is generated; when the amplitude of the washing tub 5 is large, the friction member 4 extends out of the sliding member 3 at both ends, the sliding member 3 is abutted against the annular groove 21 through the end of the friction member 4, and the friction member 4 is forced to move relative to the sleeve 1, so that a large friction damping force is generated, and the damping variable purpose of the damping device is achieved. In addition, the sliding member 3 does not directly collide with the edge of the annular groove 21, but indirectly collides through the elastic friction member 4, so that the self noise of the damping device is greatly reduced, and the problems of the damping variable and the large self noise of the damping device in the prior art are solved.

[0050] As shown in Figure 3 and Figure 7As shown, in one possible implementation, the outer surface of the annular groove 21 is further provided with a second variable-diameter region 22, the diameter of the second variable-diameter region 22 gradually increases from the middle to both ends along the axial direction of the plunger 2, and the longitudinal section thereof is preferably in the shape of a circular arc, and of course, can also be in the shape of a V, etc. The sliding member 3 is an elastic sleeve, which has an axial opening 31, so that it can change its own diameter during sliding along the second variable-diameter region 22. The friction member 4 is a long strip-shaped friction block, and the elastic sleeve is provided with a mounting groove 32 in the circumferential direction, and the friction member 4 is arranged around the mounting groove 32 along the length direction thereof, and the friction member 4 extends with a toothed protrusion 41 on both sides along the width direction thereof, and correspondingly, the side edges of the elastic sleeve are provided with toothed grooves 33 corresponding to the toothed protrusions 41. The plunger 2 is provided with an oil storage groove 23 in the circumferential direction on both sides of the annular groove 21, and of course, the oil storage groove 23 can also be provided on only one side. The inner wall between the friction member 4 and the sleeve 1 is coated with damping grease (not shown in the figure). The material of the friction member 4 is porous polyurethane. The end of the sleeve 1 allowing the plunger 2 to be inserted is provided with a flange 12, and correspondingly, the end of the plunger 2 inserted into the sleeve 1 is provided with a chamfer (not shown in the figure).

[0051] The advantages of the above arrangement are as follows: the second variable-diameter region 22 is added, the principle is similar to that of adding the first variable-diameter region 11, the axial opening 31 is provided on the elastic sleeve, so that the elastic sleeve can change its own diameter during relative movement with the plunger 2, the greater the change in its own diameter, the more difficult it is to continue to change, so that the damping force is greater, in addition, the increase in the diameter of the sliding assembly itself also squeezes the friction member 4, so that the friction between the friction member 4 and the inner wall of the sleeve 1 increases, and the size of the damping force can also be changed. The toothed protrusions 41 provided on the friction member 4 make the friction member 4 make multi-point contact when it collides with the edge of the annular groove 21, instead of surface contact, avoiding the situation that when two surfaces collide, the gas can only be discharged through the gap between the friction member 4 and the inner wall of the sleeve 1, and the gap between the sliding member 3 and the plunger 2, and further generating a "puff puff puff" noise during the collision, leaving a certain gas storage space, without the need to completely discharge the gas to make the friction member 4 abut against the annular groove 21, and the gas also generates a reaction force after being compressed, so that the damping effect of the shock absorber is better. The damping grease is coated between the friction member 4 and the inner wall of the sleeve 1, and the oil storage groove 23 is provided on one side or both sides of the annular groove 21, so that the friction member 4 can store damping grease during movement, so that the service life of the shock absorber is longer, and the friction is greater. The friction member 4 is made of porous polyurethane, so that its damping force can be more suitable for resisting the vibration of the washing tub 5, neither too large nor too small, and also reduces the production cost, which is more conducive to practical production and application. The flange 12 is provided on the sleeve 1, and the chamfer is provided on the plunger 2, so that the installation is easier, the assembly time is reduced, and the processing cost is saved.

[0052] In summary, by setting the annular groove 21, the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4, the damper can realize smaller damping force in small amplitude state and larger damping force in large amplitude state, and the noise generated during use of the damper is eliminated by extending the sliding member 3 from both ends of the friction member 4. The first variable diameter area 11 and the second variable diameter area 22 can make the damper change the damping force again in small amplitude state and large amplitude state. The variable diameter area is preferably in the shape of a circular arc, which also enables the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4 to realize smooth sliding friction, and the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4 will not be damaged due to sudden change of the track, thereby reducing the service life. The tooth-shaped protrusions 41 of the friction member 4 can further reduce the noise, and the air will not escape from the gap to generate additional noise due to excessive compression of the air. The damping grease can increase the damping force, and the oil storage groove 23 can prolong the service life of the damper. The friction member 4 is made of porous polyurethane material, which can reduce the production cost and is also suitable for dampers. The flange 12 and the chamfer make the assembly process more convenient.

[0053] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the principles of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art can adjust the above structure without departing from the principles of the present application, so that the present application can be applied to more specific application scenarios.

[0054] For example, in an alternative embodiment, the friction member 4 and the sliding member 3 can not be connected by tooth-shaped protrusions 41 and tooth-shaped grooves 33, but can be directly bonded together, as long as the friction member 4 and the elastic sliding member 3 are fixedly connected. These do not deviate from the principles of the present application, and therefore fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0055] For example, in another alternative embodiment, the sliding member 3 can be a plurality of boat-shaped metal strips, and correspondingly, the friction member 4 is also a plurality of porous polyurethane strips. The friction member 4 is pasted on the deck of the boat-shaped metal strip, and then a plurality of groups of sliding members 3 and friction members 4 are arranged in the annular groove 21. The annular groove 21 can also be provided with a plurality of limiting strips for guiding the track of the sliding member 3 to prevent the track of the sliding member 3 from being disordered in the annular groove. At this time, the first variable diameter area 11 and the second variable diameter area 22 can also exist at the same time. Similarly, the sliding member 3 and the friction member 4 can be extruded to complete the variable damping when the plunger 2 moves relative to the sleeve 1, and the two ends of the friction member 4 extend out of the sliding member 3, which can also realize the effect of silence. These do not deviate from the principles of the present application, and therefore fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0056] For example, in another alternative embodiment, the toothed protrusions 41 and the toothed grooves 33 can be provided on only one side, and the other side can be wrapped by the friction member 4 to the column sliding member 3, which can also play the role of connecting the elastic member and the friction member 4, and these do not deviate from the principles of the present application, and thus fall within the scope of the present application.

[0057] In addition, the present application also provides a laundry treating apparatus including a housing and a washing tub 5 provided in the housing, the washing tub 5 being supported in the housing by a plurality of dampers, at least one of the plurality of dampers being the damper according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that although the present application is described by taking a drum washing machine as an example, the damper for a laundry treating apparatus of the present application can obviously also be applied to other apparatuses. For example, the damper for a laundry treating apparatus can also be applied to a pulsator washing machine, a dryer, or a washer-dryer, etc.

[0059] Up to now, the technical solutions of the present application have been described in combination with the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, but it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to the related technical features without deviating from the principles of the present application, and the technical solutions after the changes or replacements will fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A damper for a laundry treating apparatus, characterized in that, The shock absorber comprises: a sleeve and a plunger, the plunger being slidably inserted into the sleeve, and the plunger being provided with an annular groove; a sliding member, the sliding member being arranged to be slidable in the annular groove; a friction member, the friction member being elastically connected with the sliding member, the outer surface of the friction member being in abutment with the inner wall of the sleeve, and the friction member extending out of the sliding member at both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve; the sliding member is an elastic sleeve; the friction member is a long strip-shaped friction block, the elastic sleeve is provided with a mounting groove in the circumferential direction, the friction member is arranged around the mounting groove in the length direction of the friction member, and the friction member is provided with a toothed protrusion at both sides in the width direction of the friction member, and the side of the elastic sleeve is correspondingly provided with a toothed groove corresponding to the toothed protrusion; the inner wall of the sleeve is provided with a first variable-diameter region.

2. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein The diameter of the first variable-diameter region gradually decreases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the sleeve.

3. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein The outer surface of the annular groove is further provided with a second variable-diameter region, and the diameter of the second variable-diameter region gradually increases from the middle to both ends in the axial direction of the plunger.

4. The shock absorber of claim 3, wherein The elastic sleeve has an axial opening.

5. The shock absorber of claim 1 wherein, The plunger is provided with an oil storage groove in the circumferential direction on one side or both sides of the annular groove.

6. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein Damping grease is coated between the friction member and the inner wall of the sleeve.

7. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein The material of the friction member is porous polyurethane. 8.A laundry treating apparatus comprising a housing and a washing tub provided in the housing, the washing tub being supported in the housing by a plurality of dampers, characterized in that, At least one of the shock absorbers is the shock absorber according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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