A damping structure and a washing machine

Abstract

This application discloses a vibration damping structure and a washing machine. The vibration damping structure is applied between the outer tub and the casing of the washing machine. The outer tub has a bottom wall and an outer wall. The vibration damping structure includes a first sliding member, a second sliding member, an elastic member, and a first support member. The first sliding member is disposed on the outer wall and has a groove. The second sliding member slides on the groove to adjust the first distance between the second sliding member and the bottom wall. By rotatably connecting one end of the first support member to the second sliding member and the other end to the casing, the first support member drives the second sliding member to move upward when the outer tub is tilted. This reduces the distance between the support point of the second sliding member on the first sliding member and the center of gravity of the outer tub, thereby improving the support and vibration damping effect of the outer tub. Furthermore, an elastic member is provided between the second sliding member and the first sliding member to reset the second sliding member when the degree of tilt of the outer tub is small, which helps to improve the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vibration reduction technology for washing machines, and in particular to a vibration reduction structure and motor. Background Technology

[0002] Modern washing machines typically consist of a cabinet and an outer tub, with a vibration-damping structure usually installed between them. This structure supports the outer tub, reducing its swaying amplitude.

[0003] In related technologies, as the amount of clothes and water in the outer tub increases, the center of gravity of the outer tub rises. However, since the support position of the vibration damping structure for the outer tub remains unchanged, the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure on the outer tub will decrease after the center of gravity of the outer tub rises.

[0004] Therefore, improving the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure in washing machines is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application aims to provide a vibration damping structure and a washing machine to solve the problem of how to improve the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure in the washing machine.

[0006] The present application adopts the following solution to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a vibration damping structure applied between the outer tub and the casing of a washing machine to support the outer tub, the outer tub having a bottom wall and an outer wall, the vibration damping structure comprising:

[0008] A first sliding member is mounted on the outer wall, and a sliding groove is provided on the first sliding member along a first direction, the first direction being the direction in which the first sliding member is away from the bottom wall;

[0009] A second slider is disposed on the slide groove and has a first distance between it and the bottom wall; the second slider is configured to slide along the slide groove to adjust the first distance.

[0010] An elastic element is provided, wherein the first sliding element has a blocking portion at its end in the first direction, and the elastic element is disposed between the blocking portion and the second sliding element;

[0011] The first support member has one end rotatably connected to the second sliding member and the other end rotatably connected to the housing.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the first sliding member includes a first fixing plate and a second fixing plate arranged parallel to each other, and the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate surround to form the sliding groove; wherein, the end of the first fixing plate in the first direction is connected to the end of the second fixing plate in the first direction to form the blocking part.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the first fixing plate is provided with a first protrusion at its end in the second direction, and the first protrusion is used to limit the second sliding member in the second direction;

[0014] And / or the second fixing plate is provided with a second protrusion at its end in the second direction, the second protrusion being used to limit the second sliding member in the second direction;

[0015] The second direction is the direction in which the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are away from the outer wall.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, a first opening is formed between the end of the first fixing plate away from the blocking portion and the end of the second fixing plate away from the blocking portion, and the first opening is used for the second sliding member to be installed into the slide groove.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the first direction is a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, the vibration damping structure further includes:

[0019] A first limiting member is disposed on the outer wall, and the first limiting member is disposed on the side of the first sliding member away from the bottom wall;

[0020] The second support member has one end rotatably connected to the first limiting member and the other end rotatably connected to the first support member.

[0021] In some embodiments of this application, the connection point between the second support member and the first support member is located at 1 / 4-1 / 2 of the first support member in a third direction; the third direction is the length direction of the first support member from the second sliding member to the housing.

[0022] In some embodiments of this application, the elastic element is a spring, and the spring is in a compressed state when the second sliding element moves along the first direction.

[0023] Secondly, this application also provides a washing machine, including a cabinet, an outer tub, and the aforementioned vibration damping structure, wherein the vibration damping structure is disposed between the cabinet and the outer tub to support the outer tub.

[0024] In some embodiments of this application, the number of vibration damping structures is multiple, and the multiple vibration damping structures are distributed at intervals around the outer barrel.

[0025] This application provides a vibration damping structure and a washing machine. The vibration damping structure is applied between the outer tub and the casing of the washing machine. The outer tub has a bottom wall and an outer wall. The vibration damping structure includes a first sliding member, a second sliding member, an elastic member, and a first support member. The first sliding member is disposed on the outer wall and has a groove. The second sliding member slides on the groove to adjust the first distance between the second sliding member and the bottom wall. By rotatably connecting one end of the first support member to the second sliding member and the other end to the casing, the first support member drives the second sliding member to move upward when the outer tub is tilted. This helps to reduce the distance between the support point of the second sliding member on the first sliding member and the center of gravity of the outer tub, thereby improving the support effect and vibration damping effect of the outer tub. Furthermore, an elastic member is provided between the second sliding member and the first sliding member to cause the second sliding member to return to its original position when the outer tub is tilted to a small degree, which helps to improve the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vibration reduction structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 For the purposes of this application Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA-direction cross-section;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a structural block diagram of a vibration reduction structure provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 4 For this application Figure 3 A magnified schematic diagram of part B.

[0031] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0032] 100-Outer barrel, 110-Outer wall, 120-Bottom wall, 200-Vibration damping structure, 210-First sliding member, 211-First fixing plate, 212-Second fixing plate, 213-First protrusion, 214-Second protrusion, 215-Blocking part, 216-First opening, 220-Second sliding member, 230-First support member, 240-First limiting member, 250-Second support member, 260-Elastic member, a-First direction, b-Second direction, c-Third direction. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0034] In this application, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "used as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this application. Details are set forth in the following description for purposes of explanation. It should be understood that those skilled in the art will find that this application can be implemented without using these specific details. In other embodiments, known structures and processes are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the description of this application with unnecessary detail. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles disclosed in this application.

[0035] A washing machine consists of an outer tub and a casing. The outer tub is housed within the casing and rotates relative to the casing during the washing process. However, during this rotation, the outer tub's center of gravity may not be centered (e.g., due to uneven distribution of clothes), causing it to wobble. To reduce this wobble and prevent it from colliding with the casing, a support structure is typically installed between the outer tub and the casing. This support structure helps to minimize the wobble of the outer tub.

[0036] However, current washing machines all use fixed vibration damping structures. This means that the outer tub is supported and damped only by a support rod connected to the outer tub at one end and to the main body at the other. However, when the outer tub is full of clothes and water, the center of gravity of the outer tub shifts upwards. Since the support rod remains in its original fixed position, the vibration damping effect is significantly reduced. When the vibration damping structure is ineffective, the outer tub may impact the main body, causing the washing machine to move and potentially even damaging its structure.

[0037] Based on this, this application improves the current vibration reduction structure and washing machine.

[0038] First, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This shows a schematic diagram of the vibration reduction structure 200 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 For this embodiment Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line AA is shown in the diagram. This embodiment provides a vibration damping structure 200, which is applied between the outer tub 100 and the casing of a washing machine to support the outer tub 100. The outer tub 100 has a bottom wall 120 and an outer wall 110. The vibration damping structure 200 includes a first sliding member 210, a second sliding member 220, an elastic member 260, and a first support member 230. It should be noted that the washing machine referred to in this embodiment is a pulsator washing machine. The outer tub 100 is a hollow cylindrical structure, and the outer wall 110 refers to the annular side wall of the outer tub 100. The bottom wall 120 refers to the side wall located at the bottom of the outer tub 100 and used to support clothes.

[0039] Specifically, the first sliding member 210 is mounted on the outer wall 110. It is understood that the first sliding member 210 is fixed to the outer wall 110, meaning that the first sliding member 210 does not undergo relative displacement with respect to the outer wall 110. In some embodiments, the first sliding member 210 and the outer wall 110 form an integral structure.

[0040] The first sliding member 210 has a groove along a first direction a, where the first direction a is the direction in which the first sliding member 210 is away from the bottom wall 120. That is, if other components slide on the groove, they will slide along the first direction a or its opposite direction.

[0041] Specifically, the second slider 220 is disposed on the slide groove. That is, the second slider 220 is capable of sliding on the slide groove along a first direction a or its opposite direction. A first distance exists between the second slider 220 and the bottom wall 120; the second slider 220 is configured to slide along the slide groove to adjust the first distance. It is understood that when the second slider 220 slides on the slide groove, it can move away from or closer to the bottom wall 120.

[0042] More specifically, when the second slider 220 slides along the first direction a on the slide groove, it moves away from the bottom wall 120; when the second slider 220 slides along the slide groove in a direction opposite to the first direction a, it moves closer to the bottom wall 120.

[0043] Specifically, the first sliding member 210 has a blocking portion 215 at its end in the first direction a, and the elastic member 260 is disposed between the blocking portion 215 and the second sliding member 220. That is, when the swing amplitude of the outer tub 100 is large, the second sliding member 220 is driven to slide along the first direction a on the groove, at which time the elastic member 260 is compressed. After the swing amplitude of the outer tub 100 decreases, the elastic member 260 returns to its original position and drives the second sliding member 220 to slide in the opposite direction to the first direction a.

[0044] Specifically, one end of the first support member 230 is rotatably connected to the second sliding member 220, and the other end is rotatably connected to the box body. It can be understood that when the outer barrel 100 swings significantly, since the box body remains stationary, the first support member 230 will pull the second sliding member 220 to slide along the first direction a.

[0045] In current washing machines, the vibration damping structure 200 cannot adjust the support points of the outer tub 100 according to the shift of the outer tub 100's center of gravity, resulting in a weakening vibration damping effect as more clothes are added. However, in this application, by rotatably connecting one end of the first support member 230 to the second sliding member 220 and the other end to the casing, the first support member 230 drives the second sliding member 220 upward when the outer tub 100 is tilted. This helps to reduce the distance between the support point of the second sliding member 220 on the first sliding member 210 and the center of gravity of the outer tub 100, thereby improving the support and vibration damping effect of the outer tub 100. Furthermore, an elastic member 260 is provided between the second sliding member 220 and the first sliding member 210 to cause the second sliding member 220 to return to its original position when the outer tub 100 is slightly tilted, further enhancing the vibration damping effect of the vibration damping structure 200.

[0046] In other words, the vibration damping structure 200 in this embodiment can adaptively adjust the height of its support point on the outer tub 100 according to the shift in the center of gravity of the outer tub 100, thereby improving the vibration damping effect of the structure 200 after the center of gravity of the outer tub 100 is raised. Specifically, when clothes are placed or water is added to the outer tub 100, the center of gravity of the outer tub 100 gradually moves upward, the first support member 230 pulls the second sliding member 220 upward, and at the same time, the second sliding member 220 is subjected to the rebound force of the elastic member 260, reaching a stable state. When the moisture content of the clothes in the outer tub 100 decreases, the center of gravity of the outer tub 100 gradually moves downward, and the second sliding member 220 also moves downward, reaching a stable state again. Thus, the vibration damping structure achieves the function of self-adjusting the center of gravity position while damping vibration. It should be explained that this stable state does not mean that the second sliding member 220 is stationary relative to the slide groove, but rather that the second sliding member 220 can slide back and forth within a certain sliding stroke.

[0047] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 This shows a schematic diagram of the vibration reduction structure 200 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 For this embodiment Figure 3 A partial enlarged structural diagram of section B is shown. In this embodiment, the first sliding member 210 includes a first fixing plate 211 and a second fixing plate 212 arranged parallel to each other, forming a sliding groove. That is, the second sliding member 220 can slide between the first fixing plate 211 and the second fixing plate 212. In some embodiments, the second sliding member 220 is a slider structure.

[0048] The first fixing plate 211 is connected at its end in the first direction a to the end of the second fixing plate 212 in the first direction a to form a blocking part 215. That is, the blocking part 215 can block and limit the second sliding member 220 in the first direction a to prevent the second sliding member 220 from falling off the track when sliding along the first direction a.

[0049] Please refer to the embodiments described in this application. Figure 4 In this embodiment, the first fixing plate 211 has a first protrusion 213 at its end in the second direction b. The first protrusion 213 is used to limit the second sliding member 220 in the second direction b, which is the direction in which the first fixing plate 211 and the second fixing plate 212 are away from the outer wall 110. That is, the first protrusion 213 can prevent the second sliding member 220 from disengaging from the groove in the direction away from the outer wall 110.

[0050] In further embodiments, please refer to... Figure 4In this embodiment, the second fixing plate 212 has a second protrusion 214 at its end in the second direction b. The second protrusion 214 is used to limit the second sliding member 220 in the second direction b, which is the direction in which the first fixing plate 211 and the second fixing plate 212 are away from the outer wall 110. That is, the first protrusion 213 can prevent the second sliding member 220 from disengaging from the groove in the direction away from the outer wall 110.

[0051] Please refer to the embodiments described in this application. Figure 4 In this embodiment, a first opening 216 is formed between one end of the first fixing plate 211 facing away from the blocking part 215 and one end of the second fixing plate 212 facing away from the blocking part 215. The first opening 216 is used for the second sliding member 220 to be installed into the slide groove. It can be understood that the second sliding member 220 can be placed into the slide groove along the first direction a at the first opening 216. It should be explained that by adjusting the length of the first support member 230, the second sliding member 220 can be prevented from coming out of the first opening 216 when the washing machine is in normal working condition.

[0052] Please refer to the embodiments described in this application. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the first direction a is perpendicular to the bottom wall 120. That is, the first direction a is the height direction of the outer barrel 100, which is in the same direction as the center of gravity migration direction of the outer barrel 100, which is beneficial to improving the vibration reduction effect of the vibration reduction structure 200.

[0053] In some embodiments of this application, the vibration damping structure 200 further includes a first limiting member 240 and a second support member 250. The first limiting member 240 is disposed on the outer wall 110 and is located on the side of the first sliding member 210 facing away from the bottom wall 120. One end of the second support member 250 is rotatably connected to the first limiting member 240, and the other end is rotatably connected to the first support member 230. It is understood that the second support member 250 and the first limiting member 240 can limit the rotation angle of the first support member 230, thereby limiting the sliding range of the second sliding member 220, which helps to prevent the structure of the second sliding member 220 and the first sliding member 210 from being damaged due to situations such as the washing machine falling during transportation.

[0054] In some embodiments of this application, the connection point between the second support member 250 and the first support member 230 is located at 1 / 4-1 / 2 of the first support member 230 in the third direction c; the third direction c is the length direction of the first support member 230 from the second sliding member 220 to the box body, which is beneficial to improving the support stability of the second support member 250 on the first support member 230.

[0055] In some embodiments of this application, the elastic element 260 is a spring, and when the second sliding element 220 moves along the first direction a, the spring is in a compressed state. On the one hand, the spring can dampen the vibration of the second sliding element 220, thereby improving the working stability of the second sliding element 220; on the other hand, when the second sliding element 220 moves down to reset, the spring can apply a force to the second sliding element 220 to help it reset.

[0056] In some embodiments, a damping material is applied between the slide groove and the second sliding member 220. The damping material can be damping grease, used to increase the friction between the slide groove and the second sliding member 220.

[0057] In another embodiment, a first damping layer is provided on the surface of the second slider 220 near the slide groove; and / or a second damping layer is provided on the surface of the slide groove near the second slider 220. Both the first damping layer and the second damping layer are made of a friction-resistant material.

[0058] Furthermore, in order to better implement the vibration damping structure 200 in the embodiments of this application, based on the vibration damping structure 200, this application also provides a washing machine, which includes a cabinet, an outer tub 100 and the vibration damping structure 200 in any of the above embodiments. The vibration damping structure 200 is disposed between the cabinet and the outer tub 100 to support the outer tub 100.

[0059] In some embodiments of this application, there are multiple vibration damping structures 200, and the multiple vibration damping structures 200 are distributed at intervals around the outer barrel 100; this is beneficial to improving the uniformity of the support of the vibration damping structures 200 to the outer barrel 100.

[0060] In some embodiments, there are four vibration damping structures 200, which are evenly spaced around the outer barrel 100. In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. Parts not detailed in a particular embodiment can be found in the detailed descriptions of other embodiments above, and will not be repeated here.

[0061] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the detailed disclosure above is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application, and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0062] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0063] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0064] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account a specified number of significant digits and employ a general method of digit preservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of application in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

[0065] For each patent, patent application, patent application publication, and other material such as articles, books, specifications, publications, and documents referenced in this application, the entire contents of that patent application are incorporated herein by reference, except for historical application documents that are inconsistent with or conflict with the content of this application, and documents that limit the broadest scope of the claims of this application (currently or subsequently appended to this application). It should be noted that if there are any inconsistencies or conflicts between the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in the supplementary materials of this application and the content of this application, the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in this application shall prevail.

[0066] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A damping structure for application between an outer tub and a cabinet of a washing machine and for supporting the outer tub, the outer tub having a bottom wall and an outer wall, the damping structure being characterized by, The damping structure comprises: a first sliding member mounted on the outer wall, and a sliding groove is arranged on the first sliding member along a first direction, the first direction being a direction in which the first sliding member is away from the bottom wall; a second sliding member arranged on the sliding groove, and a first distance is formed between the second sliding member and the bottom wall; the second sliding member is configured to slide along the sliding groove to adjust the first distance; a resilient member arranged between the blocking portion of the first sliding member in the first direction and the second sliding member; a first supporting member rotationally connected to the second sliding member at one end and rotationally connected to the cabinet at the other end; a first limiting member arranged on the outer wall and arranged on a side of the first sliding member away from the bottom wall; a second supporting member rotationally connected to the first limiting member at one end and rotationally connected to the first supporting member at the other end.

2. The damping structure according to claim 1, characterized by The first sliding member comprises a first fixed plate and a second fixed plate arranged in parallel with each other, and the first fixed plate and the second fixed plate enclose the sliding groove; wherein the end of the first fixed plate in the first direction is connected to the end of the second fixed plate in the first direction to form the blocking portion.

3. The damping structure according to claim 2, characterized by The end of the first fixed plate in a second direction is provided with a first protruding portion for limiting the second sliding member in the second direction; and / or the end of the second fixed plate in the second direction is provided with a second protruding portion for limiting the second sliding member in the second direction; wherein the second direction is a direction in which the first fixed plate and the second fixed plate are away from the outer wall.

4. The damping structure according to claim 2, characterized by A first opening is formed between one end of the first fixed plate away from the blocking portion and one end of the second fixed plate away from the blocking portion, and the first opening is used for mounting the second sliding member into the sliding groove.

5. The damping structure according to claim 1, wherein The first direction is perpendicular to the bottom wall.

6. The damping structure according to claim 1, wherein The connection point of the second supporting member and the first supporting member is located at 1 / 4-1 / 2 of the first supporting member in a third direction; the third direction is the length direction of the first supporting member from the second sliding member to the cabinet.

7. The damping structure according to claim 1, wherein The resilient member is a spring, and when the second sliding member moves along the first direction, the spring is in a compressed state.

8. A laundry machine characterized by The damping structure comprises:

9. A laundry washing machine according to Claim 8, characterized in that a cabinet, an outer drum, and the damping structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the damping structure being arranged between the cabinet and the outer drum to support the outer drum. The number of the damping structures is multiple, and the multiple damping structures are distributed around the outer drum.

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