Clothing treatment machine

Abstract

To simplify the operation of closing a door by a user while surely keeping a closed state of the door of a clothing treatment machine.SOLUTION: A protruding claw 10 is provided as a catch mechanism on a door side. A rotary member 23 is rotatably and pivotally supported by a fixing shaft 24 orthogonal to an advancing direction of the protruding claw in a catch case on a main body side. An abutment part 23b against which a tip of the protruding claw abuts and an engaging part 23c which engages with an engaged part 10b of the protruding claw when the rotary member is pushed by the protruding claw to rotate, are provided on one end of the rotary member. One end of a spring member 25 installed in a compressed state is supported by a catch case 22b, and the other end is supported by another end 23d of the rotary member. When a rotation position of the rotary member comes to a specified rotation position at which the fixing shaft is positioned on an action line where an energizing force due to elongation of the spring member acts on the rotary member, the rotation direction of the rotary member by the action of the energizing force of the spring member reverses between a rejecting direction in which the abutment part pushes the protruding claw back and a receiving direction in which the engaging part pulls in the protruding claw.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothes treating machine having a drum for storing clothes built into a main body and a drum entrance opening on the front of the main body that can be opened and closed with a door, and more particularly to a mechanism for keeping the door closed. [Background technology]

[0002] In clothes processing machines such as washing machines and clothes dryers, a drum for storing clothes is built into the main body, and many of them have a drum entrance that opens at the front of the main body and is opened and closed with a door. For example, the door of the clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 is pivotally supported by a hinge mechanism at either the left or right end to the main body, and is designed to be opened by rotating it toward the front of the main body. In addition, to prevent the closed door from opening by itself, the door is provided with a mechanism (latch mechanism) at either the left or right end opposite the hinge mechanism to hold the door closed relative to the main body.

[0003] There are various types of mechanisms for holding the door in the closed state. A known catch mechanism has a protruding claw on the door side that protrudes from a surface facing the main body in the closed state, and a catch case into which the protruding claw is inserted on the main body side. In such a catch mechanism, a pair of clamping parts for clamping the protruding claw is mounted inside the catch case, and the pair of clamping parts are biased in a direction to approach each other by a spring (for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, the protruding claw has a pair of recesses on both sides into which the pair of clamping parts fit. As the door is closed, the protruding claw enters the gap between the pair of clamping parts while pushing the gap wide against the biasing force of the spring, and the pair of clamping parts fit into the pair of recesses of the protruding claw, thereby holding the door in the closed state. On the other hand, when the door is opened, the protruding claw is pulled out from the gap while pushing the gap wide against the biasing force of the spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-7827 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2000-192713 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a clothing processing machine that employs a catch mechanism configured as described above, when the user closes the door, the required operating force (pushing force) gradually increases as the protruding claws enter between the pair of clamping portions, and the operating force reaches a peak just before the door is completely closed.In addition, the door must be pushed all the way until the pair of clamping portions fit into the pair of recesses in the protruding claws, which can make the operation of closing the door feel cumbersome for the user.

[0006] This invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, and aims to provide technology that can reliably keep the door of a clothes processing machine closed while simplifying the user's operation of closing the door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the laundry treatment machine of the present invention adopts the following configuration. A clothes treating machine includes a drum for storing clothes built into a main body, a drum entrance opening on the front surface of the main body that can be opened and closed with a door, and either the left or right end of the door is pivotally supported by a hinge mechanism relative to the main body, and a catch mechanism is provided at either the left or right end opposite the hinge mechanism to hold the door in a closed state relative to the main body, The catch mechanism is a protruding claw provided on the door side and protruding from a surface facing the main body when the door is in a closed state; a catch case provided on the main body side and into which the protruding claw is inserted as the door is closed; a rotating member that is built into the catch case and is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft perpendicular to the direction in which the protruding claws enter; a contact portion formed at one end of the rotating member and contacting the tip of the protruding claw that enters the catch case; an engaging portion formed on the end of the rotating member on the same side as the abutting portion, and engaging with an engaged portion formed on the protruding claw as the rotating member rotates by being pushed by the protruding claw abutting on the contacting portion; a spring member that is installed in a compressed state, one end of which is supported by the catch case and the other end of which is supported by the other end of the rotating member opposite the abutment portion across the fixed shaft of the rotating member; Equipped with When the rotational position of the rotating member reaches a specific rotational position where the fixed shaft is located on the line of action where the biasing force of the spring member due to the expansion of the spring member acts on the rotating member, the rotational direction of the rotating member due to the action of the biasing force of the spring member is reversed between a repelling direction in which the abutting portion pushes back the protruding claw entering the catch case, and a receiving direction in which the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion to draw the protruding claw into the catch case. It is characterized by:

[0008] In such a clothes processing machine of the present invention, when a user closes the door, if the user applies a pushing force to the door until the rotational position of the rotating member exceeds a specific rotational position in order to cause the protruding claw to enter against the rotational torque of the rotating member in the repelling direction, the rotational direction of the rotating member due to the action of the biasing force of the spring member is reversed from the repelling direction to the receiving direction, and then the door is automatically retracted together with the protruding claw by the rotational torque of the rotating member in the receiving direction, so that the door can be reliably closed even if the user does not push the door all the way. And, even when the door is completely closed, the door continues to be retracted by the rotational torque of the rotating member in the receiving direction, so that the door can be reliably maintained in a closed state. On the other hand, when a user opens the door, in order to pull back the protruding claw against the rotation torque of the rotating member in the receiving direction, if a pulling force is applied to the door until the rotation position of the rotating member returns beyond the specific rotation position, the rotation direction of the rotating member due to the action of the biasing force of the spring member will be reversed again from the receiving direction to the rejecting direction, and thereafter the door will be automatically pushed back together with the protruding claw by the rotation torque of the rotating member in the rejecting direction. In this way, not only the operation of the user to close the door but also the operation of opening it can be simplified.

[0009] The above-mentioned clothes processing machine of the present invention may be configured as follows. First, the rotational position of the rotating member corresponds to the amount of penetration of the protruding claw abutting against the abutment portion into the catch case, and when the door is completely closed, the protruding claw reaches the maximum penetration amount. Then, the specific rotational position of the rotating member corresponds to the specific penetration amount between the time when the protruding claw abuts against the abutment portion and the time when it reaches half of the maximum penetration amount.

[0010] In a clothing processing machine configured as described above, when a user closes the door, they only need to apply a pushing force to the door up to a specific amount of penetration in the first half of the stroke (maximum amount of penetration) from when the protruding claw contacts the abutment part of the rotating member to when the door is completely closed, which makes it possible to improve the feel of closing the door compared to when it is necessary to continue applying pushing force to the door up to the second half.

[0011] In addition, in the clothes treating machine of the present invention, the contact portion at the initial rotation position before the rotating member is pushed by the protruding claw and rotates may be a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the protruding claw enters.

[0012] In a clothes processing machine having such a configuration, when the protruding claw abuts against the abutment portion and pushes the rotating member, the protruding claw receives a reaction force from the abutment portion in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the protruding claw. Such a reaction force in the opposite direction prevents the protruding claw from being displaced in a direction intersecting with the direction of entry, and vibration during the door rotation can be suppressed. In addition, since the distance between the abutment point of the protruding claw and the fixed shaft does not become small, the pushing force applied to the door by the user does not increase, and the operating force for closing the door can be stabilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general configuration of a clothes dryer 1 of the present embodiment as an example of a clothes treating machine. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the catch mechanism 5 of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3]2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a catch mechanism 5 when installed in a clothes dryer 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing how the biasing force of a torsion spring 25 acts on a rotating member 23 according to the rotational position of the rotating member 23. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of a rotating member 23 of a modified example in comparison with the shape of the rotating member 23 of the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the general configuration of a clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment as an example of a clothes processing machine. In the clothes dryer 1 shown in the figure, a drum 2a for storing clothes to be dried is built into a box-shaped main body 2, and a drum entrance 2b leading to the drum 2a is opened on the front of the main body 2. In addition, a door 3 for opening and closing the drum entrance 2b is provided, and either the left or right end of the door 3 (the left end in the example of FIG. 1) is pivotally supported by a hinge mechanism 4 relative to the main body 2 so as to be rotatable. A handle 3a is formed on either the left or right end (the right end in the example of FIG. 1) of the door 3 opposite the hinge mechanism 4, and when a user pulls the handle 3a, the door 3 rotates forward of the main body 2 and opens, allowing the user to put clothes to be dried into the drum 2a or take out the dried clothes from the drum 2a.

[0015] Furthermore, in order to prevent the closed door 3 from opening by itself, a catch mechanism 5 for holding the door 3 in a closed state relative to the main body 2 is provided at either the left or right end (the right end in the example of FIG. 1) of the door 3 opposite the hinge mechanism 4. Details of the catch mechanism 5 in this embodiment will be described later using a separate drawing, but a protruding claw 10 is provided on the door 3 side, protruding from the surface facing the main body 2 when the door 3 is closed, and a catch unit 20 is provided on the main body 2 side, which receives the protruding claw 10 as the door 3 closes, and the catch mechanism 5 is composed of these protruding claw 10 and catch unit 20.

[0016] 2 is a perspective view showing the catch mechanism 5 of this embodiment in an exploded state. First, the protruding claw 10 has a base plate 10a at its base end and protrudes approximately perpendicularly from the base plate 10a. This base plate 10a is fixed to the surface facing the main body 2 when the door 3 is in the closed state using a fastener such as a screw (not shown). In addition, a through hole 10b penetrating in the vertical direction is formed at the tip side of the protruding claw 10.

[0017] Next, as shown in the figure, the catch unit 20 forms a surface facing the base plate 10a of the protruding claw 10 when the door 3 is closed, and includes a catch cover 21 having an insertion hole 21a through which the protruding claw 10 is inserted, and a box-shaped catch case 22 having an opening on the front side. The catch cover 21 is fixed to the catch case 22 with screws (not shown) or the like (fastened together with the main body 2) in a state in which it covers the opening on the front side of the catch case 22. Therefore, the protruding claw 10 is inserted into the catch case 22 through the insertion hole 21a.

[0018] A specially shaped rotating member 23 is stored inside the catch case 22 and is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft 24. The fixed shaft 24 is inserted through a shaft hole 23a formed in the rotating member 23 and a support hole 22a formed on both sides of the catch case 22, and is fixed in an arrangement perpendicular to the direction of entry of the protruding claw 10. At one end of the rotating member 23 (the upper end in the example of FIG. 2), there are formed a contact portion 23b against which the tip of the protruding claw 10 that has entered the catch case 22 through the insertion hole 21a comes into contact, and an engagement portion 23c that enters and engages with the through hole 10b of the protruding claw 10 as described below as the rotating member 23 rotates by being pushed by the protruding claw 10 that has come into contact with the contact portion 23b. The through hole 10b in this embodiment corresponds to the "engaged portion" of the present invention.

[0019] Furthermore, inside the catch case 22, a spring member 25 is installed in a compressed state. The spring member 25 in this embodiment uses a torsion spring, and each of a pair of arms extending in the tangential direction from both ends of a cylindrical coil is bent inward parallel to the axial direction of the coil to form an L-shape. One arm is supported on the inner bottom surface of the catch case 22 as described later, and the other arm is fitted and supported in a groove 23d formed in the other end (lower end in the example of FIG. 2) opposite the abutment portion 23b across the fixed shaft 24 (shaft hole 23a) of the rotating member 23. Hereinafter, the one arm supported by the catch case 22 may be referred to as the "fixed arm 25a," and the other arm supported by the rotating member 23 may be referred to as the "movable arm 25b."

[0020] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of catch mechanism 5 (mainly catch unit 20) when installed in clothes dryer 1. The figure shows a cross section of catch mechanism 5 cut from the front side to the back side on a vertical plane, showing the state before protruding claw 10 is inserted into catch case 22 through insertion hole 21a of catch cover 21, and omits illustration of main body 2 and door 3. As described above, catch case 22 has built-in rotating member 23, which is rotatably supported by fixed shaft 24 perpendicular to the direction in which protruding claw 10 enters.

[0021] Further, spring member (torsion spring) 25 is installed in a compressed state, with fixed arm portion 25a fitted and supported in groove 22b formed on the inside of the bottom surface of catch case 22, and movable arm portion 25b fitted and supported in groove portion 23d of rotating member 23. As shown in the figure, torsion spring 25 is disposed so that the axial direction of the coil is parallel to fixed shaft 24. Then, the biasing force of torsion spring 25 due to expansion acts on groove portion 23d of rotating member 23, and in the example shown in Fig. 3, the biasing force of torsion spring 25 acts to rotate rotating member 23 counterclockwise.

[0022] Furthermore, inside catch case 22, cushion member 26 made of an elastic material such as rubber is installed on the back side (right side in the figure) of rotating member 23. Rotating member 23 rotates counterclockwise due to the biasing force of torsion spring 25, but is stopped by contacting cushion member 26.

[0023] In this state where the rotating member 23 is stopped from rotating by contacting the cushion member 26, the engaging portion 23c of the rotating member 23 is located below the lower end of the insertion hole 21a of the catch cover 21. Therefore, when the door 3 is closed, the protruding claw 10 entering the catch case 22 through the insertion hole 21a does not collide with the engaging portion 23c, and the tip of the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutting portion 23b. Then, the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutting portion 23b advances further while pushing the rotating member 23 to rotate clockwise against the counterclockwise torque of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25. At this time, when the rotating member 23 is pushed by the entering protruding claw 10 and rotates to a specific rotation position, the direction in which the rotating member 23 tries to rotate is reversed due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25. This point will be described in detail below.

[0024] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how the biasing force of torsion spring 25 acts on rotating member 23 depending on the rotational position of rotating member 23. The upper Figs. 4(a) to 4(c) show a cross section of catch mechanism 5 cut along a plane perpendicular to fixed shaft 24, and do not show catch cover 21 or catch case 22. First, Fig. 4(a) shows a state in which the tip of protruding claw 10 entering from insertion hole 21a just abuts against abutment portion 23b of rotating member 23, and shows the initial rotational position of rotating member 23 before being pushed by protruding claw 10.

[0025] As described above, when the torsion spring 25 installed in a compressed state expands (the gap between the fixed arm 25a and the movable arm 25b opens), the biasing force F acting on the end (groove 23d) of the rotating member 23 acts around the axis of the coil and in a direction perpendicular to the movable arm 25b extended from the coil. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the biasing force F of the torsion spring 25 can be decomposed into a component force Fa in the direction of a straight line connecting the groove 23d of the rotating member 23 and the fixed shaft 24, and a component force Fb in a direction perpendicular to the component force Fa. Although the component force Fa does not rotate the rotating member 23, the component force Fb rotates the rotating member 23 counterclockwise in the figure, pushing back the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b. At the initial rotation position shown in FIG. 4(a), the rotating member 23 is prevented from rotating by contacting the cushion member 26 (see FIG. 3) as described above.

[0026] When the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b advances (moves to the right in the figure) while pushing the rotating member 23 and rotating it clockwise against the counterclockwise torque of the rotating member 23 caused by the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25, the rotation position of the rotating member 23 reaches a specific rotation position as shown in Fig. 4(b) . As described above, the fixed arm portion 25a supported on the bottom surface (groove 22b) of the catch case 22 is fixed, whereas the movable arm portion 25b supported on the end portion (groove portion 23d) of the rotating member 23 is displaced as the rotating member 23 rotates.

[0027] At the specific rotation position of FIG. 4(b), the fixed shaft 24 is located on the line of action where the biasing force F due to the expansion of the torsion spring 25 acts on the groove 23d of the rotating member 23. That is, the biasing force F of the torsion spring 25 is only a force (Fa) applied in the linear direction connecting the groove 23d of the rotating member 23 and the fixed shaft 24, and there is no force (Fb) that rotates the rotating member 23. Therefore, there is no resistance to the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 against the entry of the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b, and no force is required to push the rotating member 23 for the protruding claw 10 to further enter. Also, at the specific rotation position of the rotating member 23, the engagement portion 23c enters and engages with the through hole 10b of the protruding claw 10.

[0028] Then, when the protruding claw 10 further enters and the rotating member 23 rotates clockwise beyond the specific rotation position, the biasing force F of the torsion spring 25 acting on the groove 23d of the rotating member 23 can be decomposed into a component force Fa in the linear direction connecting the groove 23d of the rotating member 23 and the fixed shaft 24, and a component force Fc in the direction perpendicular to the component force Fa, as shown in Fig. 4(c). Then, the component force Fc rotates the rotating member 23 clockwise in the figure, so that the rotation direction of the rotating member 23 is reversed from that shown in Fig. 4(a) above, and the engaging portion 23c engaged with the through hole 10b of the protruding claw 10 draws the protruding claw 10 into the catch case 22. Fig. 4(c) shows a state in which the door 3 is completely closed relative to the main body 2 of the clothes dryer 1, and shows the closed rotation position of the rotating member 23 where the protruding claw 10 has stopped entering.

[0029] The graph in Fig. 4(d) shown in the lower part of Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship between the load required to open and close the door 3 and the amount of penetration of the protruding claw 10 into the catch case 22. The vertical axis of Fig. 4(d) represents the load applied to the door 3 by the user, with the positive direction representing the strength of the force pushing the door 3 and the negative direction representing the strength of the force pulling the door 3. Meanwhile, the horizontal axis represents the amount of penetration L of the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b of the rotating member 23, and since the rotational position of the rotating member 23 corresponds to the amount of penetration L of the protruding claw 10 as described above, in Fig. 4, the rotational positions of Fig. 4(a) to Fig. 4(c) in the upper part are shown corresponding to the amount of penetration L on the horizontal axis of Fig. 4(d). That is, the initial rotation position in Figure 4(a) corresponds to the amount of penetration L = 0 before the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b pushes the rotating member 23, and the closed rotation position in Figure 4(c) corresponds to the maximum amount of penetration Lmax at which the door 3 is completely closed and the penetration of the protruding claw 10 has stopped.

[0030] As described above, when closing the door 3, it is necessary to apply a pushing force to the door 3 in order to cause the protruding claw 10 to enter and rotate the rotating member 23 clockwise against the counterclockwise torque of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25. This pushing force is maximum when the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutment portion 23b of the rotating member 23 (entry amount L=0), as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 4(d), and gradually decreases as the rotating member 23 rotates clockwise with the entry of the protruding claw 10. Then, when the rotation position of the rotating member 23 reaches the specific rotation position in Fig. 4(b) in response to the entry amount L of the protruding claw 10 becoming the specific entry amount Lx, the resistance of the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 due to the torsion spring 25 disappears, and the force pushing the door 3 is no longer necessary.

[0031] After the rotating member 23 has passed the specific rotation position in this manner, the rotation direction of the rotating member 23 is reversed due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25, and the clockwise torque of the rotating member 23 causes the engagement portion 23c engaged with the through hole 10b of the protruding claw 10 to pull the door 3 together with the protruding claw 10, so that the door 3 closes automatically even if the user does not push the door 3 all the way.

[0032] In the catch mechanism 5 of this embodiment, the specific penetration amount Lx of the protruding claw 10 corresponding to the specific rotation position of the rotating member 23 is set between the time when the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutment portion 23b of the rotating member 23 (penetration amount L=0) and the time when it reaches half of the maximum penetration amount Lmax. Therefore, when a user closes the door 3, during the stroke (maximum penetration amount Lmax) from when the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutment portion 23b of the rotating member 23 to when the door 3 is completely closed, it is sufficient to apply a pushing force to the door 3 only up to the specific penetration amount Lx in the first half, and the pushing force can be omitted in the second half.

[0033] Furthermore, in clothes dryer 1, a packing (not shown) for sealing may be interposed between main body 2 and door 3, and when such a packing deteriorates, a gap is generated between main body 2 and door 3, which conventionally reduces the sealing ability. In clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment, even when door 3 is fully closed, door 3 continues to be pulled in by the clockwise torque of rotating member 23 as shown in Fig. 4(c), so that even if the packing deteriorates, door 3 can be maintained fully closed and sealing ability can be ensured.

[0034] On the other hand, when opening the door 3, it is necessary to apply a pulling force to the door 3 in order to pull back the protruding claw 10 and rotate the rotating member 23 counterclockwise against the clockwise torque of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25. As shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4(d), this pulling force is maximum at the maximum penetration amount Lmax when the door 3 is completely closed and the penetration of the protruding claw 10 stops, and gradually decreases as the rotating member 23 rotates counterclockwise with the retreat of the protruding claw 10. Then, when the rotating member 23 reaches the specific rotation position in Fig. 4(b) in response to the return of the protruding claw 10 to the specific penetration amount Lx, the resistance of the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 by the torsion spring 25 disappears, and the force pulling the door 3 is no longer necessary.

[0035] After the rotating member 23 has passed the specific rotation position, the direction of rotation of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25 is reversed again, and the door 3 is automatically pushed back together with the protruding claw 10 abutting against the abutment portion 23b by the counterclockwise torque of the rotating member 23. Note that a slight play is provided between the abutment portion 23b and the engagement portion 23c of the rotating member 23 to prevent the tip of the protruding claw 10 from getting stuck. For this reason, in FIG. 4(d), a slight deviation occurs between the curve of the force pushing the door 3 indicated by the dashed line and the curve of the force pulling the door 3 indicated by the dashed line.

[0036] As described above, the catch mechanism 5 in the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment is composed of the protruding claw 10 on the door 3 side and the catch unit 20 on the main body 2 side, and inside the catch case 22 forming the exterior of the catch unit 20, a rotating member 23 is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft 24 perpendicular to the entering direction of the protruding claw 10. One end of this rotating member 23 is formed with an abutment portion 23b against which the tip of the protruding claw 10 entering the catch case 22 abuts, and an engagement portion 23c which enters and engages with the through hole 10b of the protruding claw 10 as the rotating member 23 rotates by being pressed by the protruding claw 10 abutting on the abutment portion 23b. The torsion spring 25 is installed in a compressed state, with one fixed arm 25a supported on the inner bottom surface of the catch case 22, and the other movable arm 25b supported on the end (groove 23d) opposite the abutment portion 23b across the fixed shaft 24 of the rotating member 23. When the rotation position of the rotating member 23 reaches a specific rotation position where the fixed shaft 24 is located on the line of action where the biasing force of the extension of the torsion spring 25 acts on the rotating member 23, the rotation direction of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25 is reversed between a direction in which the abutment portion 23b pushes back the protruding claw 10 entering the catch case 22 (rejection direction) and a direction in which the engagement portion 23c engages with the through hole 10b to draw the protruding claw 10 into the catch case 22 (reception direction).

[0037] According to the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment, when the user closes the door 3, in order to cause the protruding claw 10 to enter against the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 in the repelling direction, a pushing force is applied to the door 3 until the rotation position of the rotating member 23 exceeds a specific rotation position, whereby the rotation direction of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25 is reversed from the repelling direction to the receiving direction, and thereafter the door 3 is automatically retracted together with the protruding claw 10 by the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 in the receiving direction, so that the door 3 can be reliably closed even if the user does not push the door 3 all the way. And, since the door 3 continues to be retracted by the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 in the receiving direction even when the door 3 is completely closed, the door 3 can be reliably held closed. On the other hand, when the user opens the door 3, in order to pull back the protruding claw 10 against the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 in the receiving direction, if a pulling force is applied to the door 3 until the rotation position of the rotating member 23 returns beyond the specific rotation position, the rotation direction of the rotating member 23 due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25 will be reversed again from the receiving direction to the rejecting direction, and thereafter the door 3 will be automatically pushed back together with the protruding claw 10 by the rotation torque of the rotating member 23 in the rejecting direction. In this way, not only the operation of the user to close the door 3 but also the operation to open it can be simplified.

[0038] In particular, in catch mechanism 5 in clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment, the specific rotation position of rotating member 23 corresponds to a specific intrusion amount Lx from when protruding claw 10 abuts against abutting portion 23b of rotating member 23 to when door 3 reaches half of maximum intrusion amount Lmax. In this way, when a user closes door 3, during the stroke (maximum intrusion amount Lmax) from when protruding claw 10 abuts against abutting portion 23b of rotating member 23 to when door 3 is completely closed, the force to push door 3 only needs to be applied up to the specific intrusion amount Lx in the first half, which improves the operational feel of closing door 3 compared to when it is necessary to continue applying a pushing force to door 3 until the latter half.

[0039] The clothes dryer 1 of the present embodiment described above can also be modified as follows. The following describes the modifications, focusing on the differences from the embodiment described above. In the description of the modifications, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] In the catch mechanism 5 of the modified example, the shape of the rotating member 23 is different from that of the catch mechanism 5 of the embodiment described above, and the difference in the shape of the rotating member 23 will be described below while comparing them. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of the rotating member 23 of the modified example in comparison with the shape of the rotating member 23 of the embodiment. The figure shows a cross section of the rotating member 23 and the protruding claw 10 cut by a plane perpendicular to the fixed shaft 24, and the rotating member 23 is in the initial rotation position. Note that the rotating member 23, which rotates counterclockwise in the figure due to the action of the biasing force of the torsion spring 25, is stopped by contacting the cushion member 26 as described above, and is in the initial rotation position until it is pushed by the protruding claw 10 abutting the abutment portion 23b and rotates clockwise.

[0041] First, as shown in Fig. 5(a), in the rotating member 23 of the embodiment, the protruding claw 10 enters to the right in the figure, while the abutting portion 23b is an inclined surface that descends to the right in the figure. Therefore, when the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutting portion 23b and pushes the rotating member 23, the protruding claw 10 receives a reaction force perpendicular to the inclined surface from the abutting portion 23b as shown by the thick arrow in the figure. This reaction force pushes the protruding claw 10 downward, and is transmitted from the protruding claw 10 to the door 3, causing the door 3 to swing up and down in the rotation. In particular, when the door 3 is pivotally supported by one hinge mechanism 4, the door 3 is more likely to swing than when it is pivotally supported by two or more hinge mechanisms 4 arranged vertically.

[0042] In addition, since the clockwise torque of the rotating member 23 in the figure caused by the protruding claw 10 pushing is proportional to the distance between the abutment point of the protruding claw 10 and the fixed shaft 24 if the pushing force is the same, when the protruding claw 10 is pushed downward and the distance between the abutment point and the fixed shaft 24 becomes smaller, the clockwise torque of the rotating member 23 decreases. As a result, the force with which the user pushes the door 3, which is required to push the protruding claw 10 against the counterclockwise torque of the rotating member 23 by the torsion spring 25 in the figure, increases. As described above, the force pushing the door 3 is maximum at the initial rotation position of the rotating member 23 (the amount of entry L of the protruding claw 10 = 0).

[0043] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 5(b), in the modified rotating member 23, the abutment portion 23b at the initial rotation position is a plane perpendicular to the direction of entry of the protruding claw 10. According to the catch mechanism 5 of such a modified example, when the protruding claw 10 abuts against the abutment portion 23b and pushes the rotating member 23, the protruding claw 10 receives a reaction force from the abutment portion 23b in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the protruding claw 10, as shown by the thick arrow in the figure. If the reaction force is in the opposite direction, the protruding claw 10 is not pushed downward, and the vertical vibration during the rotation of the door 3 can be suppressed. In addition, since the distance between the abutment point of the protruding claw 10 and the fixed shaft 24 does not become small, the pushing force applied by the user to the door 3 does not increase, and the operating force for closing the door 3 can be stabilized.

[0044] The above describes the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment and its modified examples as a clothes processing machine, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and modified examples, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0045] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a clothes dryer 1 has been described as an example of a clothes treating machine. However, the clothes treating machine is not limited to the clothes dryer 1, and may be a washing machine as long as it has a drum built into the main body, a door for opening and closing the drum entrance opening on the front of the main body, either the left or right end of the door is supported by a hinge mechanism, and a catch mechanism is provided on the opposite end (so-called drum type).

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the fixed shaft 24 that rotatably supports the rotating member 23 is arranged in a horizontal direction. However, the fixed shaft 24 is not limited to being arranged in a horizontal direction, and may be arranged in a vertical direction (inserted into the support holes 22a formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the catch case 22) as long as it is perpendicular to the direction in which the protruding claws 10 enter. In this case, the through hole 10b of the protruding claws 10 is passed through in the left-right direction, and the fixed arm 25a of the torsion spring 25 is supported on the inside of either the left or right side surface of the catch case 22.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, a torsion spring is used as the spring member 25. However, the spring member 25 is not limited to a torsion spring, and may be a leaf spring or the like, as long as it is installed in a compressed state, one end of which is supported by the catch case 22, and the other end of which is supported by an end of the rotating member 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1... clothes dryer, 2... main body, 2a... drum, 2b...drum entrance, 3...door, 3a...handle, 4... hinge mechanism, 5... catch mechanism, 10... protruding claw, 10a...base plate; 10b...through hole; 20...catch unit; 21 ... catch cover, 21a ... insertion hole, 22 ... catch case, 22a...support hole, 22b...groove, 23...rotating member, 23a...shaft hole, 23b...contact part, 23c...engaging part, 23d...groove portion, 24...fixed shaft, 25...torsion spring, 25a...fixed arm portion, 25b...movable arm portion, 26...cushion member.

Claims

1. A clothes treating machine includes a drum for storing clothes built into a main body, a drum entrance opening on the front surface of the main body that can be opened and closed with a door, and either the left or right end of the door is pivotally supported by a hinge mechanism relative to the main body, and a catch mechanism is provided at either the left or right end opposite the hinge mechanism to hold the door in a closed state relative to the main body, The catch mechanism is a protruding claw provided on the door side and protruding from a surface facing the main body when the door is in a closed state; a catch case provided on the main body side and into which the protruding claw is inserted as the door is closed; a rotating member that is built into the catch case and is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft perpendicular to the direction in which the protruding claws enter; a contact portion formed at one end of the rotating member and contacting the tip of the protruding claw that enters the catch case; an engaging portion formed on the end of the rotating member on the same side as the abutting portion, and engaging with an engaged portion formed on the protruding claw as the rotating member rotates by being pushed by the protruding claw abutting on the contacting portion; a spring member that is installed in a compressed state, one end of which is supported by the catch case and the other end of which is supported by the other end of the rotating member opposite the abutment portion across the fixed shaft of the rotating member; Equipped with When the rotational position of the rotating member reaches a specific rotational position where the fixed shaft is located on the line of action where the biasing force of the spring member due to the expansion of the spring member acts on the rotating member, the rotational direction of the rotating member due to the action of the biasing force of the spring member is reversed between a repelling direction in which the abutting portion pushes back the protruding claw entering the catch case, and a receiving direction in which the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion to draw the protruding claw into the catch case. A clothes treatment machine characterized by:

2. The laundry treatment machine according to claim 1, The rotational position of the rotating member corresponds to the amount of penetration of the protruding claw that abuts against the abutting portion into the catch case, and when the door is completely closed, the protruding claw reaches the maximum amount of penetration, The specific rotation position corresponds to a specific penetration amount from when the protruding claw abuts on the abutting portion to when the protruding claw reaches half of the maximum penetration amount. A clothes treatment machine characterized by:

3. The laundry treatment machine according to claim 1 or 2, The abutment portion at the initial rotation position before the rotary member is rotated by being pushed by the protruding claw is a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the protruding claw enters. A clothes treatment machine characterized by:

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