Door hinge assembly of a laundry care device, door assembly, laundry care device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a door hinge assembly, door subassembly, clothes care device of clothes care device, to rotate and connect the door body and the organism of clothes care device, including: hinge seat, with organism fixed, with the fixed pivot of hinge seat, and pivot rotatory mounting with door body, the electric ring is fixed with pivot and is electrically connected with the main control board in the organism, electric connection subassembly is installed with door body and is electrically conducted with the function subassembly in door body, and electric connection subassembly forms the electric brush, to with the electric ring contact, wherein, the door body opens and closes to make electric connection subassembly and the relative rotation process of electric ring, and the electric brush is electrically conducted with electric ring, thereby realizes the power supply or signal transmission to the internal function subassembly of door body, the utility model makes door hinge assembly have door body rotatory support and electrically conducted double function simultaneously, has solved the problem of wire pulling, fatigue fracture of wire connection mode in the prior art because of the frequent opening and closing of door body, realizes stable power supply or signal transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of clothing care devices, specifically to a door hinge assembly, a door assembly, and a clothing care device. Background Technology

[0002] The washing machine door is usually connected to the machine body through a hinge structure. The hinge structure must simultaneously meet the requirements of the door's load-bearing capacity, rotation positioning, and sealing performance. It is a key structural component to ensure the normal operation of the washing machine.

[0003] With the increasing intelligence and diversification of washing machines, the number of electronic components integrated into the washing machine door is growing. For example, a display panel can be installed on the door to indicate the running stage or operation instructions, and various sensors can be deployed to indicate the washing status. All of these components require a stable power supply and signal transmission.

[0004] In existing technologies, there are solutions where power supply and communication between the washing machine door and the machine body are achieved by a wiring harness running through the hinge structure. However, the washing machine door needs to be opened and closed frequently during long-term use, and the wiring harness is repeatedly bent, which can easily lead to breakage due to metal fatigue. Furthermore, the friction between the wire and the hinge structure can accelerate the wear of the insulation layer, which may cause short circuit risks, especially in humid environments with a lot of detergent residue. In addition, the wiring harness needs to have a spare length and cannot be completely hidden, which affects the aesthetics.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new approach to solve the aforementioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a door hinge assembly for a garment care device. This assembly simultaneously provides door rotation support and electrical conduction, solving the problems of wire pulling and fatigue breakage caused by frequent door opening and closing in existing wire connection methods. It achieves stable power supply or signal transmission, has a long service life, and ensures the continuous and reliable operation of the door's functional components.

[0007] The present utility model discloses the following embodiments: The primary objective of this invention is to provide a door hinge assembly for a garment care device, used to rotatably connect the door and body of the garment care device; comprising: A hinge seat, which is fixed to the body; A pivot fixed to the hinge seat, the pivot being rotatably mounted to the door body; A conductive ring, which is fixed to the rotating shaft and electrically connected to the main control board inside the machine body; An electrical connection assembly is installed with the door body and electrically connected to the functional components inside the door body, and the electrical connection assembly is formed with a brush for contacting the conductive ring; During the opening and closing of the door to allow the electrical connection assembly and the conductive ring to rotate relative to each other, the brush and the conductive ring are electrically connected, thereby enabling power supply or signal transmission to the functional components inside the door.

[0008] Preferably, the hinge seat includes at least two supporting arms, and the rotating shaft is fixedly installed with the supporting arms.

[0009] Preferably, the contact area between the conductive ring and the electrical connection assembly is located between the two supporting spiral arms.

[0010] Preferably, the conductive wires of the conductive ring are arranged inside the supporting rotating arm.

[0011] Preferably, the conductive wire passes through the mounting surface of the hinge seat for mounting to the body.

[0012] Preferably, the electrical connection assembly includes a rotating housing and an electrical connector mounted on the rotating housing; wherein the rotating housing is rotatably disposed outside the conductive ring.

[0013] Preferably, the shape of the rotating housing is adapted to the shape of the rotating shaft to cover the outside of the conductive ring.

[0014] Preferably, the two ends of the rotating housing are rotatably mounted to the two supporting rotating arms respectively.

[0015] Preferably, the rotating shaft and the hinge seat are connected by a threaded structure.

[0016] The second objective of this invention is to provide a door assembly for a garment care device, including a door body and a door hinge assembly for the garment care device as described above.

[0017] Preferably, the door body is equipped with one or more functional components including an image acquisition device, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a noise reduction device, and a door status detection device.

[0018] A third objective of this invention is to provide a garment care device, including a door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described above.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of this utility model are as follows: This utility model provides a door hinge assembly for a garment care device. Through a structural design that fixes the conductive ring to the pivot and adapts the electrical connection assembly to the door body, the door hinge assembly simultaneously provides both door rotation support and electrical conduction. Furthermore, by utilizing the brush and conductive ring to maintain electrical conduction during door rotation, it solves the problems of wire pulling and fatigue breakage caused by frequent door opening and closing in existing wire connection methods. This achieves stable power supply or signal transmission, has a long service life, and ensures the continuous and reliable operation of the door's functional components. In addition, the conductive ring and electrical connection assembly can be hidden within the door hinge assembly and the assembly gap between the door hinge assembly and the door / machine body, effectively solving the problem of the traditional electrical connection scheme's detrimental effect on the garment care device's appearance, significantly improving the overall aesthetics of the garment care device. Moreover, the design of integrating the conductive ring and electrical connection assembly into the door hinge assembly helps save space, improve space utilization, reduce the number of parts, and lower assembly complexity.

[0020] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of this utility model. In order to better understand the technical means of this utility model and to implement it according to the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific implementation methods of this utility model are given in detail in the following embodiments and their accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description thereof, serve to explain the present invention and do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the door hinge assembly in an embodiment of this utility model. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the door hinge assembly in an embodiment of this utility model. Figure 2 ; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the assembly relationship between the conductive ring and the electrical connection assembly in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wire threading channel inside the hinge seat in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the door hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the door hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the assembly relationship between the door hinge assembly, the door body, and the machine body in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Door hinge assembly; 2. Door body; 3. Machine body; 10. Hinge seat; 11. Base; 111. Assembly surface; 112. Wire hole; 12. Support arm; 12a. Upper arm; 12b. Lower arm; 121. Wire passage; 122. Rotating part; 20. Shaft; 30. Conductive ring; 31. Metal conductive area; 32. Conductive wire; 40. Electrical connection assembly; 41. Brush; 42. Rotating housing; 43. Electrical connector. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] In the accompanying drawings, shapes and dimensions may be enlarged for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used in all figures to indicate the same or similar parts.

[0025] In the following description, terms such as center, thickness, height, length, front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper, and lower are defined relative to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings. In particular, "height" corresponds to the dimension from top to bottom, "width" corresponds to the dimension from left to right, and "depth" corresponds to the dimension from front to back. These are relative concepts and may vary depending on their location and usage. Therefore, these or other orientations should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

[0026] Terms involving attachment, connection, etc. (e.g., “connection” and “attachment”) refer to the relationship in which these structures are directly or indirectly fixed or attached to each other through an intermediate structure, as well as movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0027] Example 1 This utility model embodiment provides a door hinge assembly 1 for a garment care device, used to rotatably connect the door body 2 and the main body 3 of the garment care device; combined with Figures 1-7 As shown, it includes: Hinge seat 10, which is fixed to the body 3; A rotating shaft 20 is fixed to the hinge seat 10, and the rotating shaft 20 is rotatably mounted to the door body 2; A conductive ring 30 is fixed to the rotating shaft 20 and electrically connected to the main control board inside the body 3; An electrical connection assembly 40 is installed with the door body 2 and is electrically connected to the functional components inside the door body 2. The electrical connection assembly 40 has a brush 41 for contacting the conductive ring 30. During the opening and closing of the door 2 to allow the electrical connection assembly 40 to rotate relative to the conductive ring 30, the brush 41 becomes electrically connected to the conductive ring 30, thereby enabling power supply or signal transmission to the functional components inside the door 2. In some embodiments, the brush 41 is configured to always remain in contact with the conductive ring 30; in other embodiments, when power supply or signal transmission to the functional components inside the door 2 is required, the brush 41 can be controlled to contact the conductive ring 30 to achieve electrical connection.

[0028] In this embodiment, during the opening and closing of the door 2 around the rotating shaft 20, the electrical connection component 40, which is fixedly installed with the door 2, rotates together with the door 2, while the conductive ring 30 fixed on the rotating shaft 20 remains stationary relative to the machine body 3. Thus, when the electrical connection component 40 rotates, the brush 41 of the electrical connection component 40 slides and contacts the conductive ring 30 to maintain electrical conductivity.

[0029] This embodiment, through the structural design of fixing the conductive ring 30 to the rotating shaft 20 and adapting the electrical connection component 40 to the door body 2, enables the door hinge component 1 to simultaneously possess the dual functions of supporting the rotation of the door body 2 and conducting electricity. Furthermore, by utilizing the brush 41 and the conductive ring 30 to maintain electrical conductivity during the rotation of the door body 2, the problem of wire pulling and fatigue breakage caused by the frequent opening and closing of the door body 2 in existing wire connection methods is solved, achieving stable power supply or signal transmission, and having a long service life, ensuring the continuous and reliable operation of the functional components of the door body 2.

[0030] In addition, the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 can be hidden in the door hinge component 1 and the assembly gap between the door hinge component 1 and the door body 2 and the body 3, which effectively solves the problem of the damage to the appearance of the garment care device caused by the traditional electrical connection solution, significantly improves the overall aesthetics of the garment care device, and the design of integrating the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 into the door hinge component 1 is conducive to saving space, improving space utilization, reducing the number of parts, and reducing assembly complexity.

[0031] In some embodiments, the hinge base 10 includes at least two supporting rotating arms 12, and the rotating shaft 20 is fixedly installed with the supporting rotating arms 12. In this embodiment, the hinge base 10 includes two supporting rotating arms 12 distributed vertically, and the two ends of the rotating shaft 20 are respectively installed with the two supporting rotating arms 12. The two supporting rotating arms 12 are used to jointly support the rotating shaft 20, thereby enhancing the stability of the installation structure. The contact area between the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 is located between the two supporting rotating arms 12. By arranging the contact area between the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 between the two supporting rotating arms 12, the concentricity of the conductive ring 30 and the rotating shaft 20 can be ensured by the rigid constraint of the two supporting rotating arms 12 on the rotating shaft 20. This ensures the uniformity of the contact pressure between the brush 41 and the conductive ring 30, avoids excessive wear or poor contact of the brush 41 due to the tilt of the rotating shaft 20, and ensures the stability of conductivity during long-term rotation.

[0032] Specifically, the conductive ring 30 has a plurality of metal conductive regions 31 with positions corresponding to the brush 41 and a plurality of conductive wires 32 with corresponding positions to the metal conductive regions 31; wherein, an insulating plate is provided between adjacent metal conductive regions 31; one end of the conductive wire 32 is electrically connected to the metal conductive region 31 and the other end is arranged on the supporting rotating arm 12.

[0033] In some embodiments, the conductive wires 32 of the conductive ring 30 are arranged inside the supporting rotating arm 12.

[0034] In some alternative embodiments, the conductive wire 32 is embedded within the supporting swivel arm 12.

[0035] In some preferred embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the supporting rotating arm 12 has a wire-passing channel 121 inside, and the conductive wire 32 is disposed in the wire-passing channel 121; further, the conductive wire 32 passes through the mounting surface 111 of the hinge seat 10 for mounting with the body 3; specifically, the hinge seat 10 includes an integrally formed base 11 and a supporting rotating arm 12. The base 11 is used for fixed installation with the body 3, and the mounting surface 111 of the base 11 for mounting with the body 3 has a wire-passing port 112, which is connected to the wire-passing channel 121; one end of the conductive wire 32 is connected to the conductive ring 30, and the other end passes through the wire-passing channel 121, exits through the wire-passing port 112, and extends into the body 3 to connect with the main control board inside the body 3.

[0036] The design in this embodiment allows the conductive wire 32 to be completely hidden inside the hinge seat 10, which is beneficial to the external aesthetics. Furthermore, the wire passage 121 inside the supporting rotating arm 12 forms a protective structure for the conductive wire 32, preventing it from being squeezed or pulled during rotation. It can also block the intrusion of external moisture or dust, extending the service life of the conductive ring 30. The design also optimizes the connection layout, simplifies the wiring process, and reduces space occupation.

[0037] In some embodiments, the electrical connection assembly 40 includes a rotating housing 42 and an electrical connector 43 mounted on the rotating housing 42; wherein the rotating housing 42 is disposed outside the conductive ring 30, and the brush 41 is formed on the electrical connector 43; specifically, the rotating housing 42 serves both as a mounting carrier for the electrical connector 43 and as a protective structure for the brush 41. When the rotating housing 42 is installed with the door 2, the rotating housing 42 can enhance the mechanical strength of the electrical connector 43, preventing the brush 41 from shifting due to vibration and deformation when the door 2 is frequently opened and closed or rapidly closed, thus ensuring the relative position of the brush 41 and the conductive ring 30 remains stable. In some embodiments, the electrical connector 43 and the rotating housing 42 are detachably installed, for example, by means of fasteners or snap-fit ​​structures; in other embodiments, the electrical connector 43 and the rotating housing 42 can be fixed by insert injection molding.

[0038] Furthermore, the shape of the rotating housing 42 is adapted to the outer shape of the rotating shaft 20 to cover the outside of the conductive ring 30. Specifically, the rotating housing 42 is cylindrical, and when it is disposed on the outer periphery of the conductive ring 30, it can form a closed cavity with the conductive ring 30. Only a small gap is required between the rotating housing 42 and the outer peripheral surface of the conductive ring 30 for the contact between the brush 41 and the metal conductive area 31. The rotating housing 42 serves to form a protective barrier to prevent contaminants from corroding the brush 41 and the metal conductive area 31, thereby extending its service life.

[0039] Furthermore, the two ends of the rotating housing 42 are rotatably mounted to the two supporting rotating arms 12 respectively. Specifically, the two supporting rotating arms 12 are provided with mounting holes that are adapted to the ends of the rotating housing 42. When the two ends of the rotating housing 42 are installed to the corresponding mounting holes, on the one hand, the supporting rotating arms 12 can form an end sealing structure of the rotating housing 42, further enclosing the core components such as the brush 41 and the conductive ring 30 in a relatively closed space formed by the two supporting rotating arms 12 and the rotating housing 42. On the other hand, it ensures that the rotation axis 20 of the rotating housing 42 is aligned with the axis of the conductive ring 30, so as to avoid the problem of tilting or eccentricity of the rotating housing 42. This ensures that when the door 2 is opened and closed, the brush 41 always moves along the concentric circle trajectory of the outer circumference of the conductive ring 30, and the contact pressure is uniform. This fundamentally eliminates the hidden dangers of excessive wear and intermittent contact of the brush 41 caused by eccentricity, thus adapting to the high-frequency opening and closing usage scenario of the clothing care device.

[0040] In some embodiments, the rotating shaft 20 and the hinge seat 10 are connected by a threaded structure. Unlike the prior art which uses interference fit or pin fixing, requiring special tools for pressing or hammering, which is difficult to operate and easily damages parts, this embodiment uses a threaded connection between the rotating shaft 20 and the hinge seat 10. Assembly can be completed quickly by manual screwing or power tools, supports multiple disassembly and reassembly, reduces maintenance costs, and the axial positioning accuracy of the threaded connection is higher, which can more accurately control the axial gap between the conductive ring 30 and the brush 41, ensuring uniform contact pressure between the two.

[0041] In some other embodiments, the supporting rotating arm 12 includes an upper rotating arm 12a and a lower rotating arm 12b. The rotating shaft 20 passes through the upper rotating arm 12a and is connected to the upper end of the lower rotating arm 12b. The lower end of the lower rotating arm 12b is integrally formed with a rotating part 122. The axis of the rotating part 122 coincides with the axis of the rotating shaft 20 to jointly form a rotational support for the door body 2, further strengthening the overall structural rigidity of the door hinge assembly 1, reducing the risk of fatigue fracture, and improving the rotational stability of the door body 2.

[0042] Example 2 This utility model provides a door assembly for a garment care device, including a door body and a door hinge assembly for the garment care device as described in Embodiment 1.

[0043] During the opening and closing of the door 2 around the rotating shaft 20, the electrical connection component 40, which is fixedly installed with the door 2, rotates together with the door 2, while the conductive ring 30, which is fixed to the rotating shaft 20, remains stationary relative to the machine body 3. Thus, when the electrical connection component 40 rotates, the brush 41 of the electrical connection component 40 slides and contacts the conductive ring 30 to maintain electrical conductivity, thereby enabling power supply or signal transmission to the internal functional components of the door 2.

[0044] In some embodiments, the door 2 is equipped with one or more functional components, including an image acquisition device, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a noise reduction device, and a door status detection device. Specifically, the image acquisition device includes a TOF and / or a camera, which can acquire and identify the status of clothes inside the garment care device drum; the temperature sensor and humidity sensor can be used to detect the washing / drying environment status of the garment care device; the noise reduction device can generate anti-phase sound waves based on the noise collected during the operation of the garment care device to reduce noise during operation and spin-drying; the door status detection device can be used to detect the door's closed state to ensure the safety of the garment care device's operation.

[0045] Example 3 This utility model provides a garment care device, including a door assembly as described in Embodiment 2. In some embodiments, the garment care device can be used as a washing machine, in other embodiments as a washer-dryer combo, or as a dryer.

[0046] Combination Figures 1-6 As shown, during the opening and closing of the door 2 around the rotating shaft 20, the electrical connection assembly 40, which is fixedly installed with the door 2, rotates together with the door 2, while the conductive ring 30 fixed to the rotating shaft 20 remains stationary relative to the machine body 3. Thus, when the electrical connection assembly 40 rotates, the brush 41 of the electrical connection assembly 40 slides and contacts the conductive ring 30 to maintain electrical conductivity.

[0047] This embodiment, through the structural design of fixing the conductive ring 30 to the rotating shaft 20 and adapting the electrical connection component 40 to the door body 2, enables the door hinge component 1 to simultaneously possess the dual functions of supporting the rotation of the door body 2 and conducting electricity. Furthermore, by utilizing the brush 41 and the conductive ring 30 to maintain electrical conductivity during the rotation of the door body 2, the problem of wire pulling and fatigue breakage caused by the frequent opening and closing of the door body 2 in existing wire connection methods is solved, achieving stable power supply or signal transmission, and having a long service life, ensuring the continuous and reliable operation of the functional components of the door body 2.

[0048] In addition, the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 can be hidden in the door hinge component 1 and the assembly gap between the door hinge component 1 and the door body 2 and the body 3, which effectively solves the problem of the damage to the appearance of the garment care device caused by the traditional electrical connection solution, significantly improves the overall aesthetics of the garment care device, and the design of integrating the conductive ring 30 and the electrical connection component 40 into the door hinge component 1 is conducive to saving space, improving space utilization, reducing the number of parts, and reducing assembly complexity.

[0049] Although the embodiments of this utility model have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. They can be applied to various fields suitable for this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other modifications can be easily made. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and their equivalents, this utility model is not limited to the specific details and the illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A door hinge assembly for a garment care device, used to rotatably connect the door and body of the garment care device; characterized in that, include: A hinge seat, which is fixed to the body; A pivot fixed to the hinge seat, the pivot being rotatably mounted to the door body; A conductive ring, which is fixed to the rotating shaft and electrically connected to the main control board inside the machine body; An electrical connection assembly is installed with the door body and electrically connected to the functional components inside the door body, and the electrical connection assembly is formed with a brush for contacting the conductive ring; During the opening and closing of the door to allow the electrical connection assembly and the conductive ring to rotate relative to each other, the brush and the conductive ring are electrically connected, thereby enabling power supply or signal transmission to the functional components inside the door.

2. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The hinge base includes at least two supporting arms, and the rotating shaft is fixedly installed with the supporting arms.

3. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The contact area between the conductive ring and the electrical connection assembly is located between the two supporting spiral arms.

4. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The conductive wires of the conductive ring are laid inside the supporting rotating arm.

5. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The electrical connection assembly includes a rotating housing and an electrical connector mounted on the rotating housing; wherein the rotating housing is rotatably disposed outside the conductive ring.

6. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The shape of the rotating housing is adapted to the shape of the rotating shaft to cover the outside of the conductive ring.

7. The door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The two ends of the rotating housing are respectively rotatably mounted to the two supporting rotating arms.

8. A door assembly of a garment care device, characterized in that, Includes a door body and a door hinge assembly of the garment care device as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. The door assembly of the garment care device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The door is equipped with one or more functional components, including an image acquisition device, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a noise reduction device, and a door status detection device.

10. A garment care device, characterized in that, Includes the door assembly of the garment care device as described in claim 8 or 9.

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