Drum-type washing machine

Abstract

Provided is a drum-type washing machine in which operability and safety of a handle of a door are improved. The drum-type washing machine has a washing machine main body and a door, and the door opens and closes a laundry inlet provided in the front surface of the washing machine main body. The door is provided with a door main body part which is configured at a position closer to the front side than the laundry input port, the lower part of the front surface of the door main body part is a vertical surface, the upper part is an inclined surface inclined towards the rear side, and the door main body part is provided with a handle capable of moving in the front-back direction relative to the door main body part. The handle is arranged at a large-thickness part of the door main body part near the boundary between the vertical surface and the inclined surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a drum type washing machine. Background Art

[0002] A drum-type washing machine having a laundry inlet on the front side is provided with a door that opens forward.

[0003] The door of such a drum-type washing machine has a rotary hinge at one end side in the horizontal direction so as to rotate approximately in the horizontal direction (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-532550). Summary of the invention

[0004] The door of a washing machine generally has a latch mechanism for keeping the door in a locked state, and when opening the closed door, the latch of the latch mechanism needs to be released. In a type of door in which the user releases the latch by pulling the door open, a relatively large force is required to open the door.

[0005] On the other hand, in a door type in which a movable handle is provided on the door and the user releases the latch by pulling the handle, the force required to open the door can be reduced. However, in this type, there is room for improving the operability and safety of the handle.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drum-type washing machine having improved operability and safety of a door handle.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a drum washing machine in one embodiment of the present invention has a washing machine body and a door, wherein the door opens and closes a laundry inlet provided on the front of the washing machine body, and the door has a door body portion arranged at a position closer to the front side than the laundry inlet, and the door body portion is formed so that the lower portion of the front thereof is a vertical plane and the upper portion thereof is an inclined plane inclined toward the rear side, and the door body portion has a handle that can be moved in the front-rear direction relative to the door body portion, and the handle is provided at a portion of the door body portion where the thickness is large, near the boundary between the vertical plane and the inclined plane.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned structure, by providing the handle at a portion where the thickness of the door body is large, the handle can be easily formed on the door, and the operability and safety of the door handle can also be improved.

[0009] In the drum-type washing machine, the handle may be disposed on the back side of the door body, and a recess may be provided on the front side of the housing of the washing machine body to form a gap for inserting a hand when the user operates the handle.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the user can operate the handle arranged on the back of the door by arranging the recessed portion in front of the housing of the washing machine body. In addition, by arranging the handle on the back of the door, the handle becomes invisible when the drum-type washing machine is viewed from the front, and the design is also improved.

[0011] In the drum-type washing machine, the handle is disposed at a position inclined upward by 45° from the center of the door.

[0012] According to the above configuration, by arranging the handle at this position, the handle becomes a position where the user can easily put his hand, thereby improving the operability of the door.

[0013] In addition, in the above-mentioned drum washing machine, when viewed from the side, the side edge of the door body has a curvature near the boundary between the vertical plane and the inclined surface, and the handle is formed into a shape in which the outer edge visible when viewed from the side is along the side edge of the door body.

[0014] According to the above configuration, when the door is viewed from the side, the outer edge of the handle has a shape that follows the outer edge of the door body, thereby improving the design of the door.

[0015] Furthermore, in the drum-type washing machine, a convex portion that protrudes rearward from the back side of the handle is provided on an outer edge of the back side of the handle.

[0016] According to the above-mentioned structure, when the user operates the handle, the finger is hung on the convex portion and easily keeps the handle, and the operability of the handle is improved. In addition, the convex portion can also prevent the finger hung on the handle from detaching and exerting force on other positions of the door body, thereby improving the safety of the door.

[0017] In addition, in the above-mentioned drum washing machine, a recessed portion is formed on the back side of the door main body, which is used for the user to insert his hand when operating the handle. The wall surface on the inner side of the handle in the recessed portion is a roughly flat wall surface that is viewed as a straight line when viewed from the back side of the door main body.

[0018] According to the above configuration, even if the depth of the recessed portion is minimized, the user's fingers are unlikely to touch the wall surface, thereby improving the operability of the handle.

[0019] According to the drum-type washing machine according to the above aspect, by providing the handle at the thick portion of the door body, the handle can be easily formed on the door, and the operability and safety of the door handle can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 One embodiment of the present invention is shown, and the present invention is shown in a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum-type washing machine. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Front view of a drum washing machine. Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional view of only the door as seen from the back side. Figure 4 It is a side view of the door. Figure 5 The figure schematically shows the mounting structure of the rotation axis of the handle inside the door body. Figure 6 This is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the handle when the door is viewed from the back side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] [Implementation method 1] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the drum-type washing machine according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 1 is a front view of the drum-type washing machine 1. In the present application, a drum-type washing and drying machine capable of washing and drying and a drum-type washing machine capable of washing only without drying are collectively referred to as a drum-type washing machine.

[0022] The drum-type washing machine 1 is generally composed of a washing machine body 10 and a door 20. The washing machine body 10 has a rotating tank (not shown) inside, and a laundry inlet is provided in front of the rotating tank. The door 20 is rotatably supported on the washing machine body 10 in a generally horizontal direction via a hinge (not shown), and is configured to open and close the laundry inlet in front of the washing machine body 10. In the drum-type washing machine 1, the door 20 matches the shape of the laundry inlet and is a circular door when viewed from the front. In addition, the front of the door 20 is configured in a manner that forms a substantially identical surface to the front of the washing machine body 10.

[0023] The front of the washing machine body 10 is formed into a vertical plane 10a at the lower part and an inclined plane 10b inclined toward the rear side at the upper part, and the door 20 is configured to be hung on both the vertical plane 10a and the inclined plane 10b. As a result, the front of the door 20 is also formed into a shape including both the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b. In addition, an operation panel 30 is provided above the door 20 on the inclined plane 10b, i.e., at the upper part of the front of the washing machine body 10. The operation panel 30 at this position is easy to see when the user looks down from above, and has high visual recognition and operability.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of only the door 20 as viewed from the back side. Figure 3 In the figure, the hinge connecting the door 20 and the washing machine body 10 is omitted. Figure 3As shown, the door 20 includes: a door body 21, which is arranged at a position closer to the front side than the laundry inlet and has a space inside; and a rear protrusion 22, which is protruded from the back side of the door body 21 to the rear. Thus, when the door 20 is closed, the rear protrusion 22 is inserted into the inner side of the laundry inlet. In the door 20, the rear protrusion 22 mainly has the function of preventing the liquid in the rotating tank of the rear protrusion 22 from leaking to the outside.

[0025] In addition, the back of the door 20 is provided with a handle 23 for the user to hold his hand when opening the door 20, and a latch claw 24 for stopping the closed door 20. Although detailed description is omitted, the latch claw 24 is inserted into a latch hole provided on the front of the washing machine body 10 when the door 20 is closed, and is locked in the latch hole to keep the door 20 in the closed state.

[0026] In the door 20, the handle 23 and the latch claw 24 are connected to each other. When the user opens the door 20 and hangs his hand on the handle 23 to operate it, the posture of the latch claw 24 changes in conjunction with the operation of the handle 23, and the latch is released. Specifically, the handle 23 can move in the front-to-back direction relative to the door body 21. When the user opens the door 20, if the handle 23 is pulled, the handle 23 moves to the front side. With the movement of the handle 23, the latch claw 24 is in a latch release posture. In addition, when the user does not operate the handle 23, due to the action of a force-applying member (spring, etc.) not shown in the figure, the handle 23 moves to the rear side, and the latch claw 24 is in a latching posture. In addition, the front-to-back movement of the handle 23 can be either a parallel movement or a rotational movement.

[0027] Thus, the user can open the door 20 after releasing the latch, and can open the door 20 with good operability with relatively small force. In addition, the mechanism itself connecting the handle 23 and the latch claw 24 is well known, and the mechanism itself is not particularly limited, and a detailed description is omitted here. In addition, the mechanism connecting the handle 23 and the latch claw 24 is arranged in the internal space of the door body 21.

[0028] In the drum-type washing machine 1, a recess 11 is provided on the front of the housing of the washing machine body 10, and the recess 11 serves as a gap for inserting the user's hand when operating the handle 23. By providing the recess 11 on the front of the housing of the washing machine body 10, the user can operate the handle 23 provided on the back of the door 20. In addition, by providing the handle 23 on the back of the door 20, the handle 23 becomes invisible when the drum-type washing machine 1 is viewed from the front, and the design of the drum-type washing machine 1 is also improved. An opening may be formed on the back of the door 20, and the handle 23 may be arranged in a manner covered by the opening (see the following description). Figure 6). Thus, the side of the handle 23 is not exposed, the design is improved, and no gap is formed between the handle 23 and the door body 21 on the outer peripheral surface of the door 20, which can prevent fingers or objects from being caught in the gap, or force being applied to the gap to damage the handle 23.

[0029] In addition, in the drum type washing machine 1, the handle 23 and the recessed portion 11 are arranged at a position inclined 45° from the center of the door 20. Figure 3 As shown, when the center of the circular door 20 is set as C when viewed from the front of the washing machine body 10, a straight line passing through the center C and forming an angle of 45° upward from the horizontal line is set as L. Here, it is defined that when the straight line L overlaps with the arrangement area of ​​the handle 23 and the recessed portion 11 when viewed from the front, the handle 23 and the recessed portion 11 are arranged at a position inclined 45° with respect to the center of the door 20. By arranging the handle 23 at this position, the handle 23 becomes a position where the user can easily hang his hand, and the distance between the handle 23 and the hinge can be ensured, so that the force to open the door 20 can be reduced, thereby improving the operability of the door 20. In addition, since the recessed portion 11 is arranged in the same direction as the handle 23 when viewed from the center C, even if the handle 23 is not visually confirmed when viewed from the front of the drum-type washing machine 1, the user can recognize the position of the handle 23.

[0030] Figure 4 2 is a side view of the door 20. As described above, the front of the door 20, that is, the front of the door body 21, includes both the vertical surface 20a and the inclined surface 20b. On the other hand, the back of the door body 21 is aligned with the inner peripheral surface of the laundry inlet to form a substantially flat surface. As a result, Figure 4 As shown, the thickness of the door body 21 is not constant, and the thickness D is maximum near the boundary between the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b.

[0031] The handle 23 is provided at a thick portion of the door body 21. That is, the handle 23 is provided near the boundary between the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b, and preferably, the handle 23 is provided to hang on both the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b when viewed from the front.

[0032] In this way, by setting the handle 23 at a portion where the thickness of the door body 21 is large, it is easy to form the handle 23 on the door 20, and safety is improved. That is, although the handle 23 can move in the front-rear direction relative to the door body 21, it is easy to ensure the movement space of the handle 23. In addition, it is also easy to ensure the space for configuring the mechanism connecting the handle 23 and the latch claw 24 inside the door body 21. Thus, it is easy to form the handle 23. Moreover, the vicinity of the handle 23 is the portion that is subjected to the greatest force when the user opens the door 20, but at the portion where the handle 23 is set, a bend is formed toward the front of the door body 21 at the junction of the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b, thereby absorbing the force at the bent portion, and also preventing deformation of the door 20, etc.

[0033] In addition, by providing the handle 23 at a thick portion of the door body 21, it is also easy to ensure the depth of the recess 11. In this case, even if the size (area) of the recess 11 when viewed from the front is reduced, the user can easily insert the hand into the recess 11, thereby improving the operability of the handle 23. Furthermore, by reducing the size of the recess 11, the design of the drum-type washing machine 1 is also improved.

[0034] In addition, when the front-to-back movement of the handle 23 is a rotational movement, the handle 23 has a rotation axis, and the rotation axis needs to be pivotally supported by the frame member of the door body 21. As described above, the door body 21 has a space inside, and in order to form the space, the door body 21 is constructed by fitting two frame members together. Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, the door body 21 is formed by combining a front door frame 211 disposed on the front side of the door 20 and a back door frame 212 disposed on the back side so as to face each other. In this case, it is preferred that the rotation axis 231 of the handle 23 is supported on the front door frame 211, and one end of the rotation axis 231 is supported on the back side of the vertical plane 20a, and the other end of the rotation axis 231 is supported on the back side of the inclined plane 20b. Thus, the distance between the rotation axis 231 and the vertical plane 20a and the inclined plane 20b at the support position of the rotation axis 231 can be shortened, and the moving distance of the handle 23 can be ensured, and the strength and operability of the handle 23 can be taken into account.

[0035] [Implementation method 2] In the second embodiment, a better method of the door 20 is described. As described above, the front of the door body 21 includes both the vertical surface 20a and the inclined surface 20b. Moreover, it is preferred that the boundary between the vertical surface 20a and the inclined surface 20b is a gently curved surface. That is, when viewed from the side, the vertical surface 20a and the inclined surface 20b of the side edge of the door body 21 have a curvature. Figure 4As shown, in this case, the outer edge of the handle 23 (the outer peripheral side edge in the radial direction of the door 20) that is visible when viewed from the side is preferably in a shape along the side edge of the door body 21. Thus, when the door 20 is viewed from the side (in an open state), the outer edge of the handle 23 is in a shape along the outer edge of the door body 21, and the design of the door 20 is improved.

[0036] Figure 6 This is an enlarged perspective view of the door 20 near the handle 23 when viewed from the back side. Figure 6 As shown, it is preferred that a convex portion 232 protruding backward from the back of the handle 23 is provided on the outer edge of the back of the handle 23 (the operating surface on which the user places his hand when operating the handle 23). In this way, by providing the convex portion 232 on the handle 23, when the user operates the handle 23, the fingers are hooked on the convex portion 232 and the handle 23 is easily held, thereby improving the operability of the handle 23. In addition, the convex portion 232 can also prevent the fingers hooked on the handle 23 from detaching and applying force to other parts of the door body 21 (for example, the frame of the door body 21 existing on the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 232). As a result, the safety of the door 20 is also improved.

[0037] In addition, a recessed portion 213 is formed on the back of the door body 21 for the user to insert his hand when operating the handle 23. In the recessed portion 213, preferably, the wall surface 213a on the inner peripheral side of the handle 23 is a substantially flat wall surface that is viewed as a straight line when viewed from the back of the door body 21.

[0038] If the radial depth of the door 20 is small, the bent fingers of the user will hit the wall surface 213a when operating the handle 23, and the operability of the recessed portion 213 will be reduced. On the other hand, if the recessed portion 213 is to have a greater depth, the recessed portion 213 needs to be provided outside the rear protruding portion 22, so the door 20 is enlarged.

[0039] Here, when the wall surface 213a is a curved surface that can be seen as an arc when viewed from the back of the door body 21, if the depth of the recessed portion 213 is small, when four fingers other than the thumb are placed on the handle 23, the index finger and the little finger in particular are likely to touch the wall surface 213a. On the other hand, when the wall surface 213a is a substantially flat surface that appears to be a straight line when viewed from the back of the door body 21, even if the depth of the recessed portion 213 is minimized, it is difficult for all fingers to touch the wall surface 213a, and the operability of the handle 23 is improved.

[0040] All aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and cannot be interpreted as limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not only interpreted by the above-mentioned embodiments, but is limited based on the description of the claims. In addition, all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims are included.

Claims

1. A drum-type washing machine, comprising a washing machine body and a door, wherein the door opens and closes a laundry inlet provided on the front of the washing machine body, wherein the drum-type washing machine is characterized in that: The door includes a door body disposed on the front side of the laundry inlet. The door body is formed such that the lower portion of the front side is a vertical surface and the upper portion is an inclined surface inclined toward the rear side, and has a handle that can move in the front-rear direction relative to the door body. The handle is provided at a portion of the door body having a large thickness near a boundary between the vertical plane and the inclined plane.

2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The handle is disposed on the back side of the door body. A recessed portion is provided on the front surface of the housing of the washing machine body, and the recessed portion serves as a gap for inserting a hand when a user operates the handle.

3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The handle is arranged at a position inclined upward by 45 degrees from the center of the door.

4. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that When viewed from the side, the side edge of the door body has a curvature near the boundary between the vertical plane and the inclined plane. The handle is formed in a shape in which an outer edge portion visible in a side view is along a side edge portion of the door body portion.

5. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A convex portion protruding rearward from the back side of the handle is provided on the outer edge of the back side of the handle.

6. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A recessed portion is formed on the back of the door body, and the recessed portion is used for a user to insert his hand when operating the handle. The wall surface on the inner peripheral side of the handle in the recessed portion is a substantially flat wall surface that is viewed as a straight line when viewed from the rear surface of the door body.

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