Drum type washing machine

Abstract

To provide a drum type washing machine capable of stably holding the posture of a water tub.SOLUTION: In a drum type washing machine 1, a water tub 11 is held inside an outer tub 12. A first spring 14 suspends the water tub 11 from above on the front side, and as a connection place P11 to the outer tub 12 is positioned further backward than a connection place 12P to the water tub 11, it pulls backward from the front with respect to the water tub 11. A second spring 15 suspends the water tub 11 from above on the rear side, and as a connection place P21 to the outer tub 12 is positioned further frontward than the connection place P22 to the water tub 11, it pulls frontward from the rear side with respect to the water tub 11. In the first spring 14 and the second spring 15, in the frontward / backward direction, the connection place P11 and the connection place P21 are connected to the outer tub 12 having a predetermined interval, and between the connection place P11 and the connection place P21, the center of gravity G0 at the time of non-load and the center of gravity G1 at the time of being loaded in the water tub 11 both exist.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In a drum-type washing machine, a water tub is held inside an outer tub (device housing). Patent Document 1 discloses that the water tub is held by being supported from below by a damper (suspension) and suspended from above via a spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-262796 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The center of gravity of the water tub in a drum-type washing machine is easily changed when laundry is put in. The water tub suspended by a spring is also prone to change in posture due to the change in center of gravity. For this reason, drum-type washing machines require some kind of device to keep the water tub in a stable position.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a drum-type washing machine capable of stably maintaining the posture of a water tub. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a drum-type washing machine according to a first aspect of the present invention is a drum-type washing machine that holds a water tub inside an outer tub, and is equipped with a first spring that suspends the water tub from above at the front side, and a first upper connection point with the outer tub at the upper end is located rearward of the first lower connection point with the water tub at the lower end, thereby applying an elastic force pulling the water tub from the front to the rear, and a second spring that suspends the water tub from above at the rear side, and a second upper connection point with the outer tub at the upper end is located forward of the second lower connection point with the water tub at the lower end, thereby applying an elastic force pulling the water tub from the rear to the front, and the first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tub with a predetermined interval between them in the front-to-rear direction, and both the center of gravity of the water tub when unloaded and the center of gravity when loaded are present between the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point.

[0007] With the above configuration, the center of gravity of the water tub when the drum washing machine is in operation can always be located between the first and second upper connection points. This allows the load to be appropriately distributed to the first and second springs, allowing both the first and second springs to fully exert their posture-maintaining functions, so that the posture of the water tub can be stably maintained.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a drum-type washing machine which is a second aspect of the present invention is a drum-type washing machine which holds a water tub inside an outer tub, and which suspends the water tub from above at the front side, with a first spring which applies an elastic force pulling the water tub from the front to the rear by having a first upper connection point with the outer tub at the upper end located rearward of a first lower connection point with the water tub at the lower end, and a second spring which suspends the water tub from above at the rear side, with a second upper connection point with the outer tub at the upper end located forward of a second lower connection point with the water tub at the lower end, and which applies an elastic force pulling the water tub from the rear to the front, and which is characterized in that the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point are connected to the outer tub with a predetermined distance between them in the front-to-rear direction, and the midpoint of the water tub in the front-to-rear direction is located between the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point.

[0009] With the above configuration, the midpoint of the water tub in the front-to-rear direction is located between the first and second upper connection points, and the first and second upper connection points can be arranged to sandwich the midpoint of the water tub in the front-to-rear direction, so that the water tub can always be suspended in a balanced manner even if the laundry moves back and forth while the drum washing machine is in operation. This allows the load to be appropriately distributed to the first and second springs, and allows both the first and second springs to fully exert their posture-maintaining functions, so that the posture of the water tub can be stably maintained. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The drum-type washing machine of the present invention can appropriately distribute the load to the multiple springs (first spring and second spring) that suspend the water tub, and these multiple springs can fully perform their posture-maintaining function, thereby achieving the effect of stably maintaining the posture of the water tub. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearance of a drum-type washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of the drum type washing machine of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the mounting angles of a first spring and a second spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum type washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of the drum type washing machine 1. In the present application, the drum type washing machine is a general term for both a drum type washing machine that can wash and dry, and a drum type washing machine that only washes without drying.

[0013] Drum type washing machine 1 is broadly composed of washing machine main body 10 and door 20, and washing machine main body 10 has water tub 11 inside outer tub 12. A rotating tub (not shown) is disposed inside water tub 11, and a laundry inlet is provided in front of water tub 11. Door 20 is axially supported by washing machine main body 10 via a hinge (not shown) so as to be freely rotatable in a substantially horizontal direction, and is provided at the front of washing machine main body 10 to open and close the laundry inlet.

[0014] In drum type washing machine 1, water tub 11 is disposed at an angle. That is, water tub 11, which has a substantially cylindrical shape, has a central axis that is not horizontal, but is inclined at a predetermined angle (e.g., 8°) with respect to the horizontal plane so that the front side is higher than the rear side.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, water tub 11 is held against outer tub 12 of washing machine main body 10 via damper 13, first spring 14, and second spring 15. Damper 13 elastically supports water tub 11 from below, and has the function of damping vibrations transmitted from water tub 11 to outer tub 12 during operations such as washing and spin-drying (when the spin tub rotates). In Fig. 2, a pair of dampers 13 is disposed on the left and right near the rear of water tub 11, but the number of dampers 13 used and the locations where they are disposed are not particularly limited.

[0016] The first spring 14 and the second spring 15 are tension springs having one end (upper end) connected to the outer tub 12 and the other end (lower end) connected to the water tub 11, thereby suspending the water tub 11 from above. As shown in Fig. 2, the first spring 14 suspends the water tub 11 from the front side, and the second spring 15 suspends the water tub 11 from the rear side.

[0017] In the first spring 14, the connection point P11 (first upper connection point) with the outer tub 12 at the upper end is located behind the connection point P12 (first lower connection point) with the water tub 11 at the lower end. As a result, the first spring 14 applies an elastic force F1 that pulls the water tub 11 from the front to the rear. In the second spring 15, the connection point P21 (second upper connection point) with the outer tub 12 at the upper end is located ahead of the connection point P22 (second lower connection point) with the water tub 11 at the lower end. As a result, the second spring 15 applies an elastic force F2 that pulls the water tub 11 from the rear to the front. The first spring 14 and the second spring 15 have the function of absorbing vibrations of the water tub 11 by expanding and contracting the springs, and also have the function of maintaining the posture of the water tub 11 by the elastic forces F1 and F2.

[0018] Although accessories such as pipes for circulating wash water and draining water, a lint filter unit for removing lint contained in the wash water and draining water, and a motor for driving the rotating tub are also connected to the water tub 11, these accessories are not shown in Fig. 2. Also, in Fig. 2, the outer tub 12 and the door 20 are shown in cross section.

[0019] In the drum type washing machine 1, the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 are attached to the outer tub 12 with a predetermined gap between them. 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 disposed with a distance D (e.g., 100 mm or more) provided as a predetermined gap in the front-rear direction.

[0020] Furthermore, in drum type washing machine 1, the positions of connection points P11 and P21 are set so that both the center of gravity G0 of water tub 11 when unloaded and the center of gravity G1 when loaded are present between connection points P11 and P211 in the front-to-rear direction. The center of gravity G0 when unloaded refers to the center of gravity when water tub 11 is empty, with no laundry placed in it. On the other hand, the center of gravity G1 when loaded refers to the center of gravity when a rated weight of laundry is placed in water tub 11 together with wash water (in an amount corresponding to that laundry). It is also assumed that when the center of gravity of water tub 11 is center of gravity G1 when loaded, the laundry is in a state in which it exerts an even load on the bottom of water tub 11 without any bias in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] 2, the center of gravity G1 under a load is located forward and below the center of gravity G0 under an unloaded load. The reason that the center of gravity G1 is located forward of the center of gravity G0 is because the water tank 11 is tilted (so that the front is higher) as described above.

[0022] Drum type washing machine 1 is basically not operated with laundry exceeding the rated weight. Therefore, the center of gravity of water tub 11 during actual operation of drum type washing machine 1 often exists between center of gravity G0 when unloaded and center of gravity G1 when loaded in the front-rear direction. In addition, since both centers of gravity G0 and G1 exist between connection points P11 and P21 in the front-rear direction, the center of gravity of water tub 11 during operation of drum type washing machine 1 often falls between connection points P11 and P21.

[0023] Here, if we assume that the center of gravity of the water tub 11 is located forward of the connection point P11, then in this case, the load is concentrated on the first spring 14, and the second spring 15 is unable to fully maintain its position. In other words, since the water tub is substantially suspended almost entirely by the first spring 14, for example, when the water tub vibrates in the direction of the elastic force (F1 in FIG. 2) applied by the first spring 14, it becomes difficult to absorb the vibration. Similarly, if we assume that the center of gravity of the water tub 11 is located rearward of the connection point P21, then the load is concentrated on the second spring 15, and the first spring 14 is unable to fully maintain its position. In this case, when the water tub vibrates in the direction of the elastic force (F2 in FIG. 2) applied by the second spring 15, it becomes difficult to absorb the vibration.

[0024] In this way, if the posture of water tub 11 is not sufficiently maintained, there is a risk that the movement of the center of gravity of water tub 11 during operation of drum type washing machine 1 will cause an undesired change in the inclination angle of water tub 11 (change in the posture of water tub 11). If the change in posture of water tub 11 becomes large, the vibrations of water tub 11 cannot be absorbed, and the vibrations of drum type washing machine 1 itself will increase. In addition, the positional relationship between water tub 11 and door 20 will change, increasing the burden on the packing that keeps door 20 airtight against the laundry inlet. Specifically, there is a risk that the airtightness of door 20 will decrease and the lifespan of the packing will be shortened.

[0025] As described above, in drum type washing machine 1, the center of gravity of water tub 11 during operation of drum type washing machine 1 is always located between connection point P11 and connection point P21 in the front-rear direction. That is, the center of gravity of water tub 11 is behind connection point P11 and in front of connection point P21. As a result, the load is appropriately distributed to first spring 14 and second spring 15, and both first spring 14 and second spring 15 can fully perform their posture maintaining functions. This allows drum type washing machine 1 to stably maintain the posture of water tub 11.

[0026] In the drum type washing machine 1, the center of gravity of the water tub 11 may temporarily move out of the range between the center of gravity G0 when unloaded and the center of gravity G1 when loaded due to the movement of the laundry during operation of the drum type washing machine 1. In particular, if the center of gravity G0 of the water tub when unloaded is significantly biased in the front-to-rear direction, it may be difficult to fully exert the posture-maintaining function of both the first spring 14 and the second spring 15 against the movement of the laundry. Therefore, it is considered to position the midpoint of the water tub 11 in the front-to-rear direction between the connection point P11 and the connection point P21. Note that the "midpoint of the water tub 11 in the front-to-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 tub 11, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0027] In this configuration, connection points P11 and P21 can be arranged to sandwich the midpoint of water tub 11 in the front-to-rear direction, so that even if the laundry moves back and forth while drum-type washing machine 1 is operating, the laundry will not fly out of the water tub, and water tub 1 can always be suspended in a balanced manner. This allows the load to be appropriately distributed to first spring 14 and second spring 15, and both first spring 14 and second spring 15 can fully perform their posture-maintaining functions, so that the posture of water tub 1 can be stably maintained.

[0028] Furthermore, in drum type washing machine 1, by arranging first spring 14 and second spring 15 at a distance D apart in the front-to-rear direction (separating upper end connection point P11 and connection point P21), it is possible to use first spring 14 and second spring 15 with a shorter spring length than when upper end connection point P11 and connection point P21 are arranged closer together. Using first spring 14 and second spring 15 with a short spring length makes it easier to achieve both the vibration absorbing function and the posture maintaining function of water tub 11.

[0029] In drum type washing machine 1, first spring 14 and second spring 15 are preferably installed so that the angle of the spring axis with respect to the horizontal plane (angles α and β in FIG. 3) is 45 degrees or less when water tub 11 is empty (unloaded). This allows first spring 14 and second spring 15 to act effectively against the movement of water tub 11 in the front-rear direction.

[0030] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but is defined by the claims. Also, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1. Drum type washing machine 10 Washing machine body 11. Aquarium 12 Outer tank 13 Damper 14 First Spring 15 2nd Spring 20 Doors P11 Connection point (first upper connection point) P12 Connection point (first lower connection point) P21 Connection point (second upper connection point) P22 Connection point (second lower connection point) G0 Unloaded center of gravity G1 Center of gravity when loaded

Claims

1. A drum-type washing machine that holds a water tub inside an outer tub, a first spring that suspends the water tank from above at the front side, and a first upper connection point at the upper end with the outer tank is located rearward of a first lower connection point at the lower end with the water tank, thereby applying an elastic force that pulls the water tank from the front to the rear; a second spring that suspends the water tank from above at the rear side, and a second upper connection point at the upper end with the outer tank is located forward of a second lower connection point at the lower end with the water tank, thereby applying an elastic force to the water tank that pulls it from the rear to the front; A drum-type washing machine characterized in that the first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tub at a predetermined interval in the front-to-rear direction, with the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point, and both the center of gravity of the tub when unloaded and the center of gravity when loaded are located between the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point.

2. A drum-type washing machine that holds a water tub inside an outer tub, a first spring that suspends the water tank from above at the front side, and a first upper connection point at the upper end with the outer tank is located rearward of a first lower connection point at the lower end with the water tank, thereby applying an elastic force that pulls the water tank from the front to the rear; a second spring that suspends the water tank from above at the rear side, and a second upper connection point at the upper end with the outer tank is located forward of a second lower connection point at the lower end with the water tank, thereby applying an elastic force to the water tank that pulls it from the rear to the front; A drum-type washing machine characterized in that the first spring and the second spring are connected to the outer tub with a predetermined gap between the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point in the front-to-rear direction, and the midpoint of the water tub in the front-to-rear direction is located between the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point.

3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, The drum-type washing machine is characterized in that the first spring and the second spring are installed so that an angle of the spring axis with respect to a horizontal plane is 45 degrees or less when the water tub is unloaded.

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