Washing mashine

Abstract

To improve operability of an operation part provided on a rear part of an enclosure of a washing machine.SOLUTION: A washing machine 1 has an enclosure and a lid part provided on an upper part of the enclosure so as to be rotatable. The lid part 3 comprises: an opening 31 penetrating from the front surface to the rear surface; a door 4a provided so as to be capable of open and close the opening 31; and a hinge part 32 that is a center of rotation of the lid part 3. An enclosure rear part 211 is positioned on a back face side of the lid part in a state in which the lid part 3 is opened, and the enclosure rear part is constituted so as to make a near side of the lid part 3 communicate with the operation part 23 through the opening when the door 4a is opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3B

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a washing machine having a lid. [Background technology]

[0002] A known washing machine for washing clothes and the like is a so-called vertical washing machine, which has a laundry inlet on the top surface of the washing machine body and is covered with a lid. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine in which an operating unit is located behind the inlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-192774 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] While placing the operating unit behind the loading opening makes it easier to load and unload laundry, the operating unit is blocked by the lid, requiring the lid to be closed each time an operation is required. In Patent Document 1, the lid body is configured to include a left arm plate and a right arm plate, with multiple buttons on the operating unit exposed between the left and right arm plates. However, with a lid structured in this way, the hinge portion that supports rotation must be minimized in size, which reduces the support strength of the lid and raises concerns about long-term use. Furthermore, it is necessary to prevent a large opening from forming between the operating unit and the lid when the lid is closed, which poses a problem of limitations on the configuration of the operating unit and the lid.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a washing machine that can improve the operability of the operating unit without reducing the support strength of the lid unit and by relaxing the restrictions on the configuration of the operating unit and lid unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the washing machine disclosed herein has a housing and a lid portion rotatably attached to the top of the housing, the lid portion having an opening penetrating the front and back of the lid portion, a door that can be opened and closed relative to the opening, and a hinge portion that is arranged between the opening and the housing and serves as the center of rotation of the lid portion, the housing includes a rear portion of the housing, and an operating portion is provided at the rear portion of the housing, and when the lid portion is open, the rear portion of the housing is located on the back side of the lid portion, and when the door is open, communication is established from the front side of the lid portion to the operating portion through the opening.

[0007] In the washing machine, the door is preferably provided so as to be slidable along the lid and can be opened and closed. The door may be provided so as to be rotatable on the front side of the lid or on the back side of the lid.

[0008] In the washing machine, it is preferable that the hinge portion is provided along the width direction of the lid portion.

[0009] In addition, in the washing machine, it is preferable that the opening is provided in a region of a lower half of the lid when the lid is in an open state.

[0010] In the washing machine, it is preferable that the operating unit is installed on a surface that is angled at an angle of more than 45 degrees relative to the top surface of the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The washing machine of the present disclosure can improve the operability of the operating part without reducing the support strength of the lid part. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view schematically illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing a washing machine. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a door provided on a lid portion of a washing machine. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the door is open. [Figure 4A] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing other examples of doors provided on the lid portion of the washing machine. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the door is open. [Figure 5A] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing yet another example of a door provided on the lid portion of the washing machine. FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the door is open. [Figure 6] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing yet another example of a door provided on the lid portion of the washing machine. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing the appearance of the washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with Figure 1 being a side view of the washing machine 1 with the lid 3 open, and Figure 2 being a front view of Figure 1.

[0014] For ease of explanation, the front side of the washing machine 1 when installed as shown in FIG. 2 will be referred to as the front side F and the opposite side as the rear side R in the following description, but this does not limit the installation or usage of the washing machine 1. In this disclosure, the term "washing machine" refers to any device that performs various processes on laundry, such as washing. Examples of processes performed on laundry in a washing machine include cleaning, drying, deodorizing, and sterilizing. The laundry is not particularly limited. Examples of laundry include fabric products. Specific examples of laundry include clothing such as clothes, hats, and gloves; personal belongings such as shoes, bags, handkerchiefs, and towels; bedding such as curtains, blankets, towelettes, and futon covers; carpets; and stuffed toys.

[0015] In the following description, the width direction (left and right direction), depth direction (front and back direction), top and bottom direction, front side (near side) F, rear side R, etc. refer to directions when the washing machine 1 is installed.

[0016] The washing machine 1 includes a housing 2 and a lid 3. The housing 2 includes an upper housing 21 and a lower housing 22. The lower housing 22 houses a tub 25. The tub 25 is a generally cylindrical body with an open top, and processes laundry such as clothes inside. The tub 25 includes an inner tub and an outer tub (not shown). For example, the inner tub functions as both a washing tub and a spin-drying tub, and a rotatable agitator called a pulsator is provided on the bottom. A fluid balancer is also provided on the upper edge of the inner tub. The outer tub houses the inner tub coaxially and is elastically supported within the lower housing 22. A drive source such as a drive motor for rotating the inner tub and pulsator is attached to the bottom of the lower housing 22.

[0017] Upper housing 21 is disposed above lower housing 22. Upper housing 21 is provided with an inlet (not shown) that communicates with tub 25. Laundry is put into tub 25 through the inlet.

[0018] A rear housing part 211 is provided on the rear side of upper housing 21. Rear housing part 211 is provided to protrude above the top surface of upper housing 21, and is provided with an inclined surface 212 that slopes downward toward front side F. Operating unit 23 is provided on inclined surface 212. Operating unit 23 is arranged facing front side F. Providing operating unit 23 on rear housing part 211 makes it easier to put laundry in and take it out of tub 25 from front side F of upper housing 21.

[0019] Lid 3 is located near the rear side R of upper housing 21, is connected to upper housing 21 on the front side of housing rear part 211, and is provided so as to openably and closably cover the top surface (insertion opening) of upper housing 21. As shown in Fig. 1, when closed, lid 3 is disposed along the top surface of upper housing 21, and surface 3a of lid 3 faces upward.

[0020] The lid 3 is connected to the upper housing 21 by a hinge 32 and is rotatable about the hinge 32. When the lid 3 is opened, the tank 25 can be exposed. When the lid 3 is open, the lid 3 stands upright or tilted on the upper housing 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 3 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, but may have any shape, such as a substantially circular shape.

[0021] An opening 31 is provided in the lid 3. The opening 31 is formed so as to penetrate from the front to the back of the lid 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 31 opens in a substantially rectangular shape in the lower half region of the lid 3.

[0022] A hinge 32 is provided behind the opening 31 in the lid 3, and serves as the center of rotation when the lid 3 is rotated. The hinge 32 is preferably provided along the width direction at the rear edge of the lid 3. The hinge 32 may be provided so as to penetrate the lid 3 in the width direction. When viewed from the front side F of the washing machine 1, the lid 3 is opened and closed by rotating around the hinge 32 with the front side facing upward.

[0023] The lid 3 is further provided with a door 4 that can be opened and closed relative to the opening 31. Figure 2 shows the lid 3 in an open state with the door 4 in the open position. The door 4 is located on the front surface 3a side of the lid 3. The rear housing 211 and the operation unit 23 are visible on the back side R of the opening 31. When the lid 3 is in the open position, the front surface 3a of the lid 3 is located opposite the rear housing 211, and the back surface 3b of the lid 3 faces the front side F. The rear housing 211 is located on the back side R of the lid 3, and opening the door 4 allows communication from the front side of the lid 3 to the operation unit 23 through the opening 31.

[0024] It is preferable that operation unit 23, or inclined surface 212 on which operation unit 23 is disposed, be at an angle steeper than 45 degrees relative to the top surface of upper housing 21. This reduces the installation area of rear housing portion 211 on the top surface of upper housing 21, allowing the size of the input port and operation unit 23 to be increased. Furthermore, because operation unit 23 faces front side F, even short users can easily operate operation unit 23. Furthermore, according to the present invention, because door 4 opens and closes opening 31 in lid portion 3, even when lid portion 3 is closed, it is possible to prevent a wide opening from remaining open between rear housing portion 211 and lid portion 3, and to prevent laundry or wash water from spilling out through this opening during the washing operation.

[0025] In the washing machine 1, the door 4 that can be opened and closed relative to the opening 31 can be configured in various forms, four of which will be described below.

[0026] (Embodiment 1) 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of the door 4 provided on the lid 3 of the washing machine 1. In the drawings shown below, the lid 3 and the doors 4a to 4c are shown in cross section, and the general shape of the upper housing 21 is shown only by outlines.

[0027] Door 4a, which opens and closes opening 31 in lid 3, can be provided so as to be able to slide open and close along lid 3. In FIG. 3A, opening 31 is closed by door 4a. As shown in FIG. 3B, opening 31 can be opened by sliding door 4a upward. When opening 31 is open, door 4a is positioned on the surface 3a side of lid 3.

[0028] As a result, the front side (near side) F of the lid 3 and the operating unit 23 communicate through the opening 31. A hand can be inserted into the open opening 31. Therefore, even when the lid 3 is in the open state, the operating unit 23 can be operated by sliding the door 4a to open the opening 31. An appropriate locking portion 33 may be provided on the surface 3a of the lid 3, which locks the sliding door 4a and maintains the open state of the opening 31.

[0029] The lid 3 and door 4a are preferably made of a transparent or translucent material such as glass or resin, so that the opposite side of the door 4a can be seen even when the door 4a is closed. The door 4a can also be configured to be openable and closable even when the lid 3 is closed, so that it can be used, for example, to add more laundry.

[0030] It is preferable that when the lid part 3 is closed, the door 4a is released from the holding of the door 4a by the locking part 33, and the door 4a is automatically closed by a spring or the like. In this configuration, if the user opens the door 4a while the lid part 3 is closed, the holding of the door 4a by the locking part 33 does not function, and the door 4a is only open when the user holds the door 4a open.

[0031] The same can be said for the doors 4b and 4c in the following embodiments.

[0032] (Embodiment 2) 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams that schematically show other examples of the door 4 provided on the lid portion 3 of the washing machine 1. In FIG.

[0033] Door 4b is arranged along the back surface 3b of lid 3 and may be rotatably attached to lid 3. In Fig. 4A, with lid 3 open, opening 31 is closed by door 4b. A rotation axis 41, which serves as the rotation center of door 4b, is provided at the upper edge of opening 31.

[0034] 4B, door 4b is rotatable about pivot shaft 41, and can be rotated upward to open opening 31. An appropriate locking portion 33 may be provided on the rear surface 3b of lid 3, and configured to lock door 4b when rotated, thereby maintaining opening 31 in an open state.

[0035] In this case, too, opening 31 can be easily opened by rotating door 4b upward, and the front side of lid unit 3 can be connected to operating unit 23 through opening 31. Even when lid unit 3 is in the open state, opening opening 31 makes operating unit 23 operable.

[0036] (Embodiment 3) 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams schematically showing still another example of the door 4 provided on the cover part 3 of the washing machine 1. In FIG.

[0037] Door 4c may be rotatably provided on the surface 3a side of the lid 3. For example, as shown in Fig. 5A, door 4c is provided along surface 3a of the lid 3 and is rotatable around rotation axis 41. In Fig. 5A, opening 31 is closed by door 4c.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5B, when the lid 3 is open, the door 4c can be rotated upward around the rotation axis 41 to open the opening 31. An appropriate locking portion 33 may be provided on the surface 3a of the lid 3 to lock the rotated door 4c and maintain the open state of the opening 31. Even with this configuration, the opening 31 can be easily opened by rotating the door 4c upward, and opening the opening 31 also makes it possible to operate the operating portion 23, even when the lid 3 is open.

[0039] (Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another example of the door 4c provided on the cover part 3 of the washing machine 1.

[0040] When door 4c is rotatably provided on the front surface of lid 3, as shown in Fig. 6, the opening 31 may be configured to be opened by tilting lid 3 backward, under the effect of the weight of door 4c. In this case, for example, operation units 23a, which are operated frequently, and operation units 23b, which are operated less frequently, may be arranged above and below the operation units provided on rear housing 211. Opening 31 is opened corresponding to operation unit 23a, and operation unit 23a can be operated from opening 31, but operation unit 23b is difficult to operate.

[0041] In this case, when the lid 3 is opened, the door 4c opens, and the operation unit 23a can be operated through the opening 31. By arranging an operation unit that is not suitable to be operated while the lid 3 is open in the operation unit 23b, it is also possible to prevent erroneous operation.

[0042] It is also possible to configure the door 4c so that the opening angle changes depending on the opening angle of the lid 3, rather than the weight of the door 4c. For example, a gear or the like may be incorporated into the hinge 32 of the lid 3, linking it to the movable part of the door 4c. This configuration can also be applied to the moving structure of the doors 4a and 4b described above.

[0043] As described above in each embodiment, in the washing machine 1, the lid 3 is provided with the opening 31 and the door 4 (4a, 4b, 4c), so that the operating unit 23 located on the rear side R of the lid 3 can be operated through the opening 31 even when the lid 3 is open, significantly improving operability. The lid 3 is connected to the upper housing 21 by the hinge 32 and is rotatable about the hinge 32. The hinge 32 can be provided to penetrate the lid 3 in the width direction, so that the support strength is not reduced and the washing machine can be opened and closed smoothly for a long period of time. Furthermore, the present invention provides a washing machine that relaxes restrictions on the configuration of the operating unit and the lid, thereby improving the operability of the operating unit.

[0044] In addition, in the washing machine 1, the opening and closing manner of the door 4 is not limited to the above-described manner and may be opened and closed in other manners. The shape of the door 4 and the shape of the opening 31 are also not limited to the above-described manner and may be any shape.

[0045] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be specified based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 washing machine 2. Case 21 Upper case 211 Rear of the housing 212 Slope 22 Lower housing 23, 23a, 23b Operation section 25 tanks 3 Lid 3a surface 3b back side 31 Opening 32 Hinge part 33 Locking part Doors 4, 4a, 4b, and 4c 41 Rotating shaft F Front side R Back side

Claims

1. The housing and A washing machine having a lid portion rotatably provided on an upper portion of the housing, the lid portion includes an opening penetrating the front and rear of the lid portion, a door provided so as to be able to open and close the opening, and a hinge portion disposed between the opening and the housing and serving as a rotation center of the lid portion; the housing includes a housing rear portion, and an operation unit is provided at the housing rear portion; When the lid is open, the rear of the housing is located on the back side of the lid, and when the door is opened, communication is established between the front side of the lid and the operating unit through the opening.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, The washing machine is characterized in that the door is provided so as to be slidable along the lid portion and opened and closed.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, The washing machine is characterized in that the door is rotatably provided on the surface side of the lid portion.

4. The washing machine according to claim 1, The washing machine is characterized in that the door is rotatably provided on the back side of the lid portion.

5. The washing machine according to claim 1, The washing machine, wherein the hinge portion is provided along the width direction of the lid portion.

6. In the washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The washing machine, characterized in that, when the lid is in an open state, the opening is provided in a region of a lower half of the lid.

7. The washing machine according to claim 6, The washing machine is characterized in that the operating unit is installed on a surface that is angled at an angle of more than 45 degrees relative to the top surface of the housing.

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