Knob device and washing machine

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of control panels, and provides a knob device and a washing machine, including a knob assembly, a rotating sleeve, a driving mechanism and a base; by arranging a protrusion on the knob assembly, and opening a closed cam groove on the outer periphery of the rotating sleeve of the protrusion from one end of the rotating sleeve to the other end of the rotating sleeve for sliding fit, the protrusion slides along the closed cam groove, and can drive the knob assembly to move axially along the rotating sleeve, and the rotating sleeve is sleeved on the output shaft of the driving mechanism coaxially arranged with the base, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the rotating sleeve to rotate; by arranging the telescopic fit between the knob assembly and the base, the relative rotation of the knob assembly and the base can be avoided. The knob device has a simple structure, can realize the extension and retraction of the knob relative to the panel, and improve the flatness of the panel surface. Since the knob device has the advantage of improving the flatness of the panel surface, the washing machine also has good quality in the corresponding aspects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of control panels, and in particular to a knob device and a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, social progress and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, washing machines have become one of the indispensable household appliances in the family. Usually, there are knobs on the washing machine to control the washing machine to start, stop, wash, rinse, dehydrate, increase water volume, time, dry, etc. In the prior art, the knob is raised on the panel of the washing machine, and the adjustment knob cannot be retracted to be flush with the panel of the washing machine, which will destroy the flatness of the washing machine surface and affect the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a knob device and a washing machine.

[0004] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a knob device, including a knob assembly, a rotating sleeve, a driving mechanism, and a base;

[0005] The driving mechanism is arranged in the base;

[0006] The rotating sleeve is sleeved on the output shaft of the driving mechanism and rotates synchronously with the output shaft of the driving mechanism; a closed cam groove is provided on the outer circumference of the rotating sleeve from one end of the rotating sleeve to the other end of the rotating sleeve;

[0007] The knob assembly is telescopically matched with the base, and a protrusion is arranged on the knob assembly, which is slidably matched with the cam groove, so that when the rotating shaft sleeve rotates, the knob assembly is driven to telescope along the axial direction of the rotating shaft sleeve.

[0008] Optionally, it further includes a control panel, on which a knob telescopic opening is opened, and the base is coaxially arranged inside the control panel with the knob telescopic opening.

[0009] Optionally, the knob assembly is movably inserted into the base.

[0010] Optionally, a first guide portion is provided on the knob assembly, and a second guide portion is provided on the base, and along the telescopic direction of the knob assembly relative to the base, the first guide portion and the second guide portion are guided and matched.

[0011] Optionally, the rotating sleeve is sleeve-fitted with the knob assembly.

[0012] Optionally, the base is a cylindrical structure, and the inner wall of the base and the outer wall of the knob assembly are guided and matched along the telescopic direction of the knob assembly.

[0013] Optionally, the knob assembly includes a knob body, a PCB and a knob shell, the knob shell is telescopically matched with the base, the protrusion is arranged on the knob shell, the knob body and the knob shell are coaxially rotatably connected, and the PCB is arranged between the knob body and the knob shell.

[0014] Optionally, a rotating shaft sleeve is disposed on the knob housing, the protrusion is disposed on the inner wall of the rotating shaft sleeve, and at least a portion of the rotating shaft sleeve is disposed in the rotating shaft sleeve.

[0015] Optionally, the raised portion is an arc-shaped raised structure, and the cross-section of the cam groove is an arc-shaped groove structure having the same curvature as that of the raised portion.

[0016] Optionally, a mounting groove is provided on the outer circumference of the rotating sleeve.

[0017] Optionally, the base is a cylindrical structure, and the inner wall of the base and the outer wall of the knob assembly are limitedly matched along the telescopic direction of the knob assembly.

[0018] Optionally, the driving mechanism is a motor.

[0019] Optionally, the output shaft of the drive mechanism is eccentrically arranged relative to the central axis of the knob assembly.

[0020] Optionally, the cam groove has translation grooves at both axial ends of the rotating sleeve and at two opposite sides of the rotating sleeve in the circumferential direction, and the translation grooves are straight groove structures parallel to the axial ends of the rotating sleeve.

[0021] Optionally, a rotation groove is connected between the corresponding ends of the two translation grooves. The rotation groove extends along the circumference of the rotating sleeve and is inclined relative to the axial direction of the rotating sleeve. The two ends of the translation groove correspondingly transition with the two rotation grooves in circular arcs.

[0022] The present disclosure also provides a washing machine, comprising the above-mentioned knob device.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following advantages:

[0024] The present disclosure provides a knob device, which is provided with a protrusion on the knob assembly, so that the protrusion can slide with a cam groove provided on the outer periphery of a rotating sleeve, and the sliding of the protrusion along the cam groove can drive the knob assembly to move; the cam groove is set to be closed from one end of the rotating sleeve to the other end of the rotating sleeve, so that the knob assembly can move along the axial direction of the rotating sleeve; the rotating sleeve is sleeved on the output shaft of a driving mechanism coaxially arranged with the base, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the rotating sleeve to rotate, and can provide power for the axial movement of the knob assembly along the rotating sleeve; the knob assembly and the base are arranged to be telescopically matched, so as to avoid relative rotation between the knob assembly and the base, and the stability of the telescopic movement of the knob assembly and the driving efficiency of the driving mechanism can be improved. The knob device has a simple structure and low production cost, and can realize the extension and retraction of the knob relative to the panel, improve the flatness of the panel surface, present an integrated appearance, and improve the user experience.

[0025] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a washing machine, comprising the knob device as described above. Since the knob device has the advantages of realizing the extension and retraction of the knob relative to the panel and improving the flatness of the panel surface, the washing machine also has better quality and user experience in corresponding aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the knob device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a partial schematic diagram of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 It is an assembly diagram of the knob device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a partial assembly diagram of the knob device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the rotating sleeve according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6It is a schematic diagram of the knob housing according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view of the knob housing described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Among them, 1. knob body; 2. PCB; 3. knob shell; 4. rotating sleeve; 41. translation groove; 42. rotation groove; 31. shaft sleeve; 32. assembly groove; 5. driving mechanism; 6. base; 7. control panel; 8. knob assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to more clearly understand the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure, the scheme of the present disclosure will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0037] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein; it is obvious that the embodiments in the specification are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0038] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a knob device, including a knob assembly 8, a rotating sleeve 4, a driving mechanism 5 and a base 6; the driving mechanism 5 is arranged in the base 6; the rotating sleeve 4 is sleeved on the output shaft of the driving mechanism 5 and rotates synchronously with the output shaft of the driving mechanism 5; a closed cam groove is opened on the outer periphery of the rotating sleeve 4 from one end of the rotating sleeve 4 to the other end of the rotating sleeve 4; the knob assembly 8 is telescopically matched with the base 6, and the driving mechanism 5 is located at the bottom of the base 6, which can make way for the telescopic match between the knob assembly 8 and the base 6. A protrusion is provided on the knob assembly 8, and the protrusion is slidably matched with the cam groove, so that when the rotating sleeve 4 rotates, the knob assembly 8 is driven to extend and retract along the axial direction of the rotating sleeve 4, so that the above-mentioned knob assembly 8 extends out of the panel when setting the program, and retracts into the panel after the program setting is completed.

[0039] Among them, the rotating sleeve 4 provided with a cam groove is the active part for rotational motion. The cam groove is a continuous closed curve groove opened along the circumference of the rotating sleeve 4 and connecting the two ends of the axial direction of the rotating sleeve 4. The rotation of the rotating sleeve 4 can drive the protrusion to slide along the contour curve of the cam groove, and then drive the knob assembly 8 to extend and retract along the axial direction of the rotating sleeve 4. By changing the shape of the cam groove, the extension and retraction movement process of the knob assembly 8 can be controlled.

[0040] The knob device of this embodiment is provided with a protrusion on the knob assembly 8, so that the protrusion can slide with the cam groove provided on the outer periphery of the rotating sleeve 4, and the sliding of the protrusion along the cam groove can drive the knob assembly 8 to move; the cam groove is set to be closed from one end of the rotating sleeve 4 to the other end of the rotating sleeve 4, so that the knob assembly 8 can move along the axial direction of the rotating sleeve 4; the rotating sleeve 4 is sleeved on the output shaft of the driving mechanism 5 coaxially arranged with the base 6, and the driving mechanism 5 is used to drive the rotating sleeve 4 to rotate, and can provide power for the axial movement of the knob assembly 8 along the rotating sleeve 4; the knob assembly 8 and the base 6 are arranged to be telescopically matched to avoid relative rotation between the knob assembly 8 and the base 6, so as to improve the stability of the telescopic movement of the knob assembly 8 and the driving efficiency of the driving mechanism 5. The knob device can realize the extension and retraction of the knob relative to the panel, improve the flatness of the panel surface, present an integrated appearance, and improve the user experience.

[0041] In more detail, based on the above-mentioned structure that the cam groove is closed from one end of the rotating sleeve 4 to the other end of the rotating sleeve 4, the protrusion can return to the initial position after sliding along the cam groove for one circle, and the corresponding knob assembly 8 can also return to its original position after a telescopic cycle. Therefore, the above-mentioned driving mechanism 5 can adopt a unidirectional driving mechanism 5 to drive the telescopic movement of the knob assembly 8. The unidirectional driving mechanism 5 has a simple structure and can reduce the production cost of the product.

[0042] In some more specific embodiments, the driving mechanism 5 is disposed at one end of the base 6 away from the screw-in position of the knob assembly 8, and a connecting piece is disposed between the driving mechanism 5 and the base 6 to fix the driving mechanism 5 in the base 6, and the connecting piece may be a screw, a pin, a buckle, etc. The output shaft of the driving mechanism 5 and the connecting shaft hole on the rotating sleeve 4 are both flat structures to prevent relative rotation between the driving mechanism 5 and the rotating sleeve 4.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a control panel 7 is further included, on which a knob telescopic opening is provided, and a base 6 is coaxially arranged in the control panel 7 with the knob telescopic opening. Specifically, a specific program name is printed on the control panel 7 for adjustment by the knob assembly 8. Preferably, one end of the base 6 is fixed in the knob telescopic opening, and the other end is installed in the washing machine to improve the stability of the base 6. Preferably, when the knob assembly 8 is shrunk to the maximum, the surface of the end of the knob assembly 8 away from the rotating sleeve 4 is flush with the surface of the control panel 7, thereby improving the integrity of the washing machine and improving the user experience.

[0044] In some embodiments, the knob assembly 8 is movably inserted in the base 6. Specifically, the base 6 can protect the knob assembly 8, the rotating sleeve 4 and the driving mechanism 5, which can not only improve the stability of the relative rotation between the knob assembly 8 and the rotating sleeve 4, but also improve the integrity of the knob device.

[0045] In some embodiments, the base 6 is a cylindrical structure, and the inner wall of the base 6 and the outer wall of the knob assembly 8 are limitedly matched along the extension direction of the knob assembly 8. Specifically, a linear limiting protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the base 6, and a limiting groove is provided on the knob assembly 8, and the limiting groove and the limiting protrusion are slidably matched to prevent relative rotation between the base 6 and the knob assembly 8.

[0046] In some embodiments, a first guide portion is provided on the knob assembly 8, and a second guide portion is provided on the base 6. The first guide portion and the second guide portion cooperate with each other along the extension direction of the knob assembly 8 relative to the base 6. Specifically, the first guide portion and the second guide portion are used to limit the knob assembly 8 to move linearly only along the axial direction of the base 6 during extension and retraction, so as to prevent the friction force generated between the cam groove and the raised portion from causing the knob assembly 8 to rotate with the rotating shaft base 6, thereby affecting the driving effect. Preferably, the first guide portion is a guide groove structure, and the second raised portion is a guide rib; a plurality of guide grooves parallel to the central axis of the knob assembly 8 can be provided in the axial direction of the knob assembly 8, and a plurality of guide grooves correspondingly provided on the inner wall of the base 6 cooperate with the plurality of guide grooves.

[0047] In some embodiments, the rotating sleeve 4 is sleeved with at least part of the knob assembly 8, and a sleeve member may be provided on the knob assembly 8 for sleeved with the rotating sleeve 4. Preferably, the knob assembly 8 is sleeved outside the rotating sleeve 4, and a protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the knob assembly 8. The sleeved structure of the rotating sleeve 4 and the knob assembly 8 has a stable connection relationship and a simple structure, and it is not necessary to provide other connectors for providing the protrusion on the knob assembly 8.

[0048] In some embodiments, the knob assembly 8 includes a knob body 1, a PCB 2 and a knob housing 3, the first guide portion is arranged on the knob housing 3, the knob housing 3 is telescopically matched with the base 6, the protrusion is arranged on the knob housing 3, the knob body 1 is coaxially rotatably connected with the knob housing 3, and the diameter of the knob body 1 does not interfere with the cooperation of the first guide portion and the second guide portion, and the PCB 2 is arranged between the knob body 1 and the knob housing 3. In more detail, a terminal is arranged on the knob housing 3, and the PCB 2 is electrically connected to the terminal. Specifically, in combination with Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the above-mentioned knob housing 3 includes a main body matching portion and a telescopic matching portion, the above-mentioned first guide portion is arranged on the telescopic matching portion, the knob body 1 is rotatably connected to the main body matching portion, and an accommodating portion is formed between the knob body 1 and the knob housing 3. After the PCB2 is loaded into the accommodating portion, the PCB2 is connected to the knob housing 3 through connecting parts such as screws, snaps, etc., and finally the knob body 1 is installed on the open end of the knob housing 3.

[0049] In some embodiments, a rotating shaft sleeve 31 is disposed on the knob housing 3, a protrusion is disposed on the inner wall of the rotating shaft sleeve 31, and at least a portion of the rotating shaft sleeve 4 is disposed in the rotating shaft sleeve 31. Specifically, the rotating shaft sleeve 31 is disposed on the side of the knob housing 3 facing away from the above-mentioned accommodation portion, and the rotating shaft sleeve 31 can telescopically move along the axial direction of the rotating shaft sleeve 4.

[0050] In some embodiments, the protrusion is an arc-shaped protrusion structure, and the cam groove is an arc-shaped groove structure with the same curvature as the protrusion. Specifically, setting the protrusion and the cam groove as an arc-shaped structure can make the protrusion and the cam groove cooperate more smoothly, and make the sliding cooperation of the protrusion in the cam groove more stable.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, a mounting groove 32 is provided on the outer circumference of the rotating sleeve 4 along the contraction direction of the knob assembly 8. Specifically, the width of the mounting groove 32 is not less than the width of the protrusion, so that the protrusion can at least slide in the mounting groove 32. Preferably, a guide surface is provided on the side of the mounting groove 32 away from the mounting position of the knob assembly 8, so as to facilitate pressing the protrusion into the cam groove.

[0052] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism 5 is a motor. Specifically, the driving mechanism 5 can also be a hydraulic mechanism, a pneumatic mechanism, etc. Preferably, a servo motor can be used to accurately control the rotation phase of the knob assembly 8.

[0053] In some embodiments, the output shaft of the drive mechanism 5 is eccentrically arranged relative to the central axis of the knob assembly 8, and the corresponding sleeve member arranged on the knob assembly 8 corresponds to the position of the output shaft of the drive mechanism 5, so as to cooperate with the rotating sleeve 4 sleeved on the output shaft. Specifically, the eccentrically arranged output shaft can provide a space for setting a reduction mechanism in the drive mechanism 5, and by cooperating with the knob assembly 8 eccentrically arranged by the corresponding sleeve member, the telescopic movement of the knob assembly 8 can be driven. Optionally, the output shaft of the drive mechanism 5 can also be coaxially arranged with the knob assembly 8, which can simplify the design process and reduce the difficulty of processing.

[0054] In some embodiments, the cam groove has a translation groove 41 at both ends of the rotating sleeve 4, the translation groove 41 is parallel to the axial ends of the rotating sleeve 4 and is located at two opposite sides of the rotating sleeve 4 in the circumferential direction, and the translation groove 41 is a straight groove structure parallel to the axial ends of the rotating sleeve 4. In more detail, by providing the above-mentioned translation groove 41, the dwell time of the knob assembly 8 between the maximum extension position and the maximum retracted position can be increased, so as to reduce the control difficulty of the control system and the difficulty of component processing.

[0055] In some embodiments, a rotation groove 42 is connected between the ends of the two translation grooves 41, the rotation groove 42 extends along the circumferential direction of the rotating sleeve 4 and is inclined relative to the axial direction of the rotating sleeve 4, and the two ends of the translation groove 41 are correspondingly transitioned into arcs with the two rotation grooves 42. Specifically, when the protrusion is matched with the translation groove 41 on the side away from the driving mechanism 5, the knob assembly 8 reaches the maximum position extending out of the control panel 7; when the protrusion is matched with the translation groove 41 on the side close to the driving mechanism 5, the knob assembly 8 retracts into the knob telescopic opening of the control panel 7, and preferably, at this time, the end of the knob assembly 8 away from the driving mechanism 5 is flush with the surface of the control panel 7.

[0056] In some embodiments, the assembly groove 32 extends from the side of the rotating base 6 away from the driving mechanism 5 to the translation groove 41 close to the driving mechanism 5, so that when the knob assembly 8 is assembled, the knob assembly 8 is inserted into the translation groove 41 close to the driving mechanism 5. Specifically, the assembly groove 32 and the cam groove are not connected to each other to prevent the protrusion from sliding into the assembly groove 32 when the cam groove slides.

[0057] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a washing machine, comprising the above knob device. Since the knob device has the advantages of realizing the extension and retraction of the knob relative to the panel and improving the flatness of the panel surface, the washing machine also has better quality and user experience in the corresponding aspects.

[0058] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "height", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structure or device referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0059] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0060] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will not be limited to the embodiments described herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A knob device, characterized in that: It comprises a knob assembly (8), a rotating sleeve (4), a driving mechanism (5) and a base (6); The driving mechanism (5) is arranged in the base (6); The rotating sleeve (4) is sleeved on the output shaft of the driving mechanism (5) and rotates synchronously with the output shaft of the driving mechanism (5); a closed cam groove is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating sleeve (4) from one end of the rotating sleeve (4) to the other end of the rotating sleeve (4); The knob assembly (8) is telescopically matched with the base (6), and a protrusion is provided on the knob assembly (8), and the protrusion is slidably matched with the cam groove, so that when the rotating sleeve (4) rotates, the knob assembly (8) is driven to telescope along the axial direction of the rotating sleeve (4); The cam groove has translation grooves (41) at both axial ends of the rotating sleeve (4) and at two circumferentially opposite sides of the rotating sleeve (4), and the translation grooves (41) are straight groove structures parallel to the axial ends of the rotating sleeve (4).

2. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a control panel (7), the control panel (7) being provided with a knob telescopic opening, and the base (6) being coaxially arranged with the knob telescopic opening in the control panel (7).

3. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knob assembly (8) is movably inserted into the base (6).

4. The knob device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The base (6) is a cylindrical structure, and the inner wall of the base (6) and the outer wall of the knob assembly (8) are guided and matched along the telescopic direction of the knob assembly (8).

5. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knob assembly (8) is provided with a first guide portion, and the base (6) is provided with a second guide portion. Along the extension and retraction direction of the knob assembly (8) relative to the base (6), the first guide portion and the second guide portion are in guiding cooperation.

6. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating shaft sleeve (4) is sleeve-fitted with the knob assembly (8).

7. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knob assembly (8) comprises a knob body (1), a PCB (2) and a knob shell (3); the knob shell (3) is telescopically matched with the base (6); the protrusion is arranged on the knob shell (3); the knob body (1) and the knob shell (3) are coaxially rotatably connected; and the PCB (2) is arranged between the knob body (1) and the knob shell (3).

8. The knob device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The knob housing (3) is provided with a rotating shaft sleeve (31), the protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the rotating shaft sleeve (31), and at least part of the rotating shaft sleeve (4) is provided in the rotating shaft sleeve (31).

9. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protrusion is an arc-shaped protrusion structure, and the cross section of the cam groove is an arc-shaped groove structure with the same curvature as the protrusion.

10. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An assembly groove (32) is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating sleeve (4).

11. The knob device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism (5) is a motor.

12. The knob device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The output shaft of the driving mechanism (5) is eccentrically arranged relative to the central axis of the knob assembly (8).

13. The knob device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: A rotation groove (42) is connected between the corresponding ends of the two translation grooves (41). The rotation groove (42) extends along the circumference of the rotation sleeve (4) and is inclined relative to the axial direction of the rotation sleeve (4). The two ends of the translation groove (41) correspond to the arc transition of the two rotation grooves (42).

14. A washing machine, characterized in that: Comprising the knob device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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