Drum-type washing machine

Abstract

In a drum-type washing machine, a water tank (11) is held inside an outer tank (12). The first spring (14) hangs the water tank (11) from above on the front side, and pulls the water tank (11) from the front to the rear by being located at a connection point (P11) with the outer tank (12) further to the rear than a connection point (P12) with the water tank (11). The second spring (15) hangs the water tank (11) from above on the rear side, and pulls the water tank (11) from the rear side to the front side by positioning the connection portion (P21) with the outer tank (12) in front of the connection portion (P22) with the water tank (11). The first spring (14) and the second spring (15) are connected to the outer tank (12) with a connection portion (P11) and a connection portion (P21) spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and both the center of gravity (G0) of the water tank (11) when no load is present and the center of gravity (G1) of the water tank (11) when load is present between the connection portion (P11) and the connection portion (P21).

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In a drum-type washing machine, a water tank is held inside an outer tank (device housing). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-262796 discloses holding a water tank by supporting with a damper (suspension) from below and suspending with a spring from above. Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0003] The center of gravity of the water tank in a drum-type washing machine tends to change significantly due to the addition of laundry.

[0004] Furthermore, the water tank suspended by the spring is prone to change in posture due to the change in the center of gravity. Therefore, it is necessary to find a way to stably maintain the posture of the water tank in the drum-type washing machine. Solutions to Solve Problems

[0005] 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 that can stably maintain the posture of a water tank.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a drum-type washing machine according to a first aspect of the present invention holds a water tank inside an outer tank, and is characterized in that it comprises: a first spring, which suspends the water tank from above on the front side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the front to the rear by making the first upper connection part with the outer tank at the upper end be located at a position closer to the rear than the first lower connection part with the water tank at the lower end; and a second spring, which suspends the water tank from above on the rear side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the rear to the front by making the second upper connection part with the outer tank at the upper end be located at a position closer to the front than the second lower connection part with the water tank at the lower end, wherein the first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tank at a predetermined interval in the front-to-back direction, and both the center of gravity of the water tank when there is no load and the center of gravity when there is a load exist between the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part.

[0007] According to the above structure, the center of gravity of the water tank during operation of the drum-type washing machine can be always stored between the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part. Thus, the load is appropriately distributed to the first spring and the second spring, and both the first spring and the second spring can fully exert their posture-maintaining function, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the water tank.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a second embodiment of the drum-type washing machine of the present invention holds a water tank inside an outer tank, and is characterized in that it comprises: a first spring, which suspends the water tank from above on the front side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the front to the rear by making the first upper connection part with the outer tank at the upper end be located at a position closer to the rear than the first lower connection part with the water tank at the lower end; and a second spring, which suspends the water tank from above on the rear side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the rear to the front by making the second upper connection part with the outer tank at the upper end be located at a position closer to the front than the second lower connection part with the water tank at the lower end, wherein the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part of the first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tank at a predetermined interval in the front-to-back direction, and the midpoint of the water tank in the front-to-back direction is located between the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part.

[0009] According to the above structure, since the midpoint of the water tank in the front-back direction is located between the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part, the first upper connection part and the second upper connection part can be arranged in a manner of sandwiching the midpoint of the water tank in the front-back direction, so that even when the laundry moves forward and backward during the operation of the drum-type washing machine, the water tank can always be hung in a well-balanced manner. As a result, the load is appropriately distributed to the first spring and the second spring, and both the first spring and the second spring can fully exert the posture holding function, so that the posture of the water tank can be stably maintained. Effects of the Invention

[0010] A drum-type washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention can appropriately distribute the load to the plurality of springs (first spring and second spring) that suspend the water tank, and the plurality of springs can fully exert the posture-maintaining function, thereby achieving the effect of being able to stably maintain the posture of the water tank. Description of Reference Numerals

[0011] Figure 1 The present invention is shown in one embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum-type washing machine. Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of a drum washing machine. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the installation angles of the first spring and the second spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the appearance of drum-type washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment. Figure 21 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the internal structure 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.

[0013] 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 water tank 11 inside an outer tank 12. A rotating tank (not shown) is arranged inside the water tank 11, and a laundry inlet is provided in front of the water tank 11. The door 20 is axially supported by the washing machine body 10 via a hinge (not shown) so as to be freely rotatable in a substantially horizontal direction, and is provided to open and close the laundry inlet on the front surface of the washing machine body 10.

[0014] In drum-type washing machine 1, water tank 11 is arranged tilted. That is, substantially cylindrical water tank 11 is tilted at a predetermined angle (eg, 8°) relative to a horizontal plane so that the central axis thereof is not horizontal but the front side is higher than the rear side.

[0015] like Figure 2 As shown, the water tank 11 is held on the outer tank 12 of the washing machine body 10 via the damper 13, the first spring 14 and the second spring 15. The damper 13 elastically supports the water tank 11 from below and has the function of attenuating the vibration transmitted from the water tank 11 to the outer tank 12 during operations such as washing and dehydration (when the rotary tank rotates). Figure 2 In the embodiment, a pair of vibration dampers 13 are arranged on the left and right sides near the rear of the water tank 11, but the number of vibration dampers 13 used and the arrangement positions are not particularly limited.

[0016] The first spring 14 and the second spring 15 are tension springs, one end (upper end side) of which is connected to the outer tank 12, and the other end (lower end side) is connected to the water tank 11, thereby hanging the water tank 11 from above. Figure 2 As shown, the first spring 14 suspends the water tank 11 on the front side, and the second spring 15 suspends the water tank 11 on the rear side.

[0017] In the first spring 14, the upper connection part P11 (first upper connection part) connected to the outer tank 12 is located at a rearward position than the lower connection part P12 (first lower connection part) connected to the water tank 11. Therefore, the first spring 14 applies an elastic force F1 that pulls the water tank 11 from the front to the rear. In the second spring 15, the upper connection part P21 (second upper connection part) connected to the outer tank 12 is located at a frontward position than the lower connection part P22 (second lower connection part) connected to the water tank 11. Therefore, the second spring 15 applies an elastic force F2 that pulls the water tank 11 from the rear to the front. The first spring 14 and the second spring 15 have the function of absorbing the vibration of the water tank 11 by the expansion and contraction of the spring, and have the function of maintaining the posture of the water tank 11 by the elastic forces F1 and F2.

[0018] In addition, accessories such as pipes for washing water circulation and drainage, a lint filter unit for removing lint contained in washing water or drainage, and a motor for driving the rotating tank are also connected to the water tank 11, but Figure 2 In the figure, these auxiliary components are omitted. Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , the outer tank 12 and the door 20 are shown as cross sections.

[0019] In the drum type washing machine 1, the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 are installed at a predetermined interval in the outer tub 12. Specifically, the connection point P11 on the upper end side of the first spring 14 and the connection point P21 on the upper end side of the second spring 15 are arranged with a distance D (for example, more than 100 mm) as a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction.

[0020] Furthermore, in the drum-type washing machine 1, the positions of the connection part P11 and the connection part P21 are set in the front-to-back direction so that there are both the center of gravity G0 when there is no load and the center of gravity G1 when there is a load in the water tank 11 between the connection part P11 and the connection part P211. The center of gravity G0 when there is no load refers to the center of gravity in a state where no laundry is put into the water tank 11 and the water tank 11 is empty. On the other hand, the center of gravity G1 when there is a load refers to the center of gravity in a state where laundry of a rated weight is put into the water tank 11 together with washing water (an amount corresponding to the laundry). In addition, when the center of gravity of the water tank 11 becomes the center of gravity G1 when there is a load, it is assumed that the laundry is in a state where an equal load is applied to the bottom of the water tank 11 without deviation in the front-to-back direction.

[0021] like Figure 2 As shown, the center of gravity G1 when loaded is located in front of and below the center of gravity G0 when unloaded. The reason why the center of gravity G1 is located in front of the center of gravity G0 is that the water tank 11 is arranged inclined (higher at the front) as described above.

[0022] The drum-type washing machine 1 is basically not operated with laundry exceeding the rated weight. Therefore, the center of gravity of the water tank 11 during actual operation of the drum-type washing machine 1 is often located between the center of gravity G0 when there is no load and the center of gravity G1 when there is a load in the front-to-back direction. In addition, the center of gravity G0 and the center of gravity G1 are both located between the connection part P11 and the connection part P21 in the front-to-back direction, so as a result, the center of gravity of the water tank 11 during operation of the drum-type washing machine 1 is often located between the connection part P11 and the connection part P21.

[0023] Here, if the center of gravity of the water tank 11 is assumed to be located in front of the connection part P11, in this case, the load is concentrated on the first spring 14, and the posture holding function by the second spring 15 cannot be fully exerted. That is, since it is substantially suspended only by the first spring 14, for example, when the elastic force ( Figure 2 Similarly, if the center of gravity of the water tank 11 is located behind the connection part P21, in this case, the load is concentrated on the second spring 15, and the posture holding function based on the first spring 14 cannot be fully exerted. In this case, when the water tank is moved along the elastic force ( Figure 2 When the vibration occurs in the direction of F2), it is difficult to absorb the vibration.

[0024] In this way, if the posture of the water tank 11 is not sufficiently maintained, the tilt angle of the water tank 11 may change unexpectedly (the posture of the water tank 11 changes) due to the movement of the center of gravity of the water tank 11 during the operation of the drum-type washing machine 1. When the posture change of the water tank 11 becomes larger, the vibration of the water tank 11 cannot be completely absorbed, and the vibration of the drum-type washing machine 1 itself increases. In addition, the positional relationship between the water tank 11 and the door 20 changes, thereby increasing the burden on the sealing ring for maintaining the airtightness of the door 20 relative to the laundry input port. Specifically, there is also a concern that the airtightness of the door 20 is reduced or the life of the sealing gasket is reduced.

[0025] As described above, in the drum-type washing machine 1, the center of gravity of the water tank 11 is always stored between the connection part P11 and the connection part P21 in the front-back direction when the drum-type washing machine 1 is in operation. That is, the center of gravity in the water tank 11 exists at a position behind the connection part P11 and exists at a position in front of the connection part P21. As a result, the load is appropriately distributed to the first spring 14 and the second spring 15, and the posture holding function can be fully exerted in both the first spring 14 and the second spring 15. As a result, the drum-type washing machine 1 can stably maintain the posture of the water tank 11.

[0026] In addition, in the drum-type washing machine 1, due to the movement of the laundry during the operation of the drum-type washing machine 1, the center of gravity of the water tank 11 sometimes temporarily deviates from the center of gravity G0 when it is unloaded and the center of gravity G1 when it is loaded. In particular, when the center of gravity G0 of the water tank when it is unloaded deviates greatly in the front-to-back direction, it is sometimes difficult to fully exert the posture-maintaining function of the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 relative to the movement of the laundry. Therefore, it is considered that the midpoint of the water tank 11 in the front-to-back direction is located between the connection part P11 and the connection part P21. In addition, if Figure 2As shown, the “midpoint of the water tank 11 in the front-rear direction” here refers to the midpoint P03 between the front end P01 and the rear end P02 on the central axis L01 of the water tank 11 .

[0027] In this embodiment, since the connection part P11 and the connection part P21 can be arranged so as to sandwich the midpoint of the water tank 11 in the front-back direction, even if the laundry moves forward and backward during the operation of the drum-type washing machine 1, the laundry will not fly out of the water tank, so the water tank 1 can always be hung in a well-balanced manner. As a result, the load is appropriately distributed to the first spring 14 and the second spring 15, and the posture holding function can be fully exerted on both the first spring 14 and the second spring 15, so that the posture of the water tank 1 can be stably maintained.

[0028] In addition, in drum-type washing machine 1, by arranging first spring 14 and second spring 15 at intervals of distance D in the front-rear direction (separating connection portion P11 and connection portion P21 on the upper end side), first spring 14 and second spring 15 with shorter spring lengths can be used compared to a case where connection portion P11 and connection portion P21 on the upper end side are arranged close to each other. By using first spring 14 and second spring 15 with shorter spring lengths, it is easy to achieve both the vibration absorption function and the posture holding function of water tank 11.

[0029] In the drum-type washing machine 1, it is preferred that the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 are arranged such that when the water tank 11 is empty (under no load), the angle of the spring axis relative to the horizontal plane is ( Figure 3 The angles α, β) in the water tank 11 are set to be less than 45 degrees. Thus, the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 can effectively act on the movement of the water tank 11 in the front-rear direction.

[0030] The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects and are not the basis for restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above embodiments, but is defined based on the records of the claims. In addition, all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are included.

Claims

1. A drum type washing machine, wherein a water tank is held inside an outer tank, characterized in that: have: A first spring suspends the water tank from above on the front side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the front to the rear by positioning a first upper connection portion of the upper end with the outer tank at a rearward position relative to a first lower connection portion of the lower end with the water tank; as well as A second spring suspends the water tank from above at the rear side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the rear to the front by making the second upper connection part of the upper end connected to the outer tank be located forward of the second lower connection part of the lower end connected to the water tank, The first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tank at a predetermined interval in the front-to-rear direction, and the first upper connecting portion and the second upper connecting portion are connected to the outer tank at a predetermined interval, and both the center of gravity of the tank when unloaded and the center of gravity when loaded exist between the first upper connecting portion and the second upper connecting portion.

2. A drum-type washing machine, wherein a water tank is held inside an outer tank, characterized in that: have: A first spring suspends the water tank from above on the front side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the front to the rear by positioning a first upper connection portion of the upper end with the outer tank at a rearward position relative to a first lower connection portion of the lower end with the water tank; as well as A second spring suspends the water tank from above at the rear side, and applies an elastic force pulling the water tank from the rear to the front by making the second upper connection part of the upper end connected to the outer tank be located forward of the second lower connection part of the lower end connected to the water tank, The first and second springs are connected to the outer tank at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction at the first upper connection portion and the second upper connection portion, and the midpoint of the water tank in the front-rear direction is located between the first and second upper connection portions.

3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first spring and the second spring are arranged so that when the water tank is unloaded, the angle of the spring axis relative to the horizontal plane is less than 45 degrees.

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