washing machine

Abstract

To achieve a washing machine which includes a structure that properly guarantees the function of a latch mechanism and a lock mechanism even when a door is laterally moved, in adopting a biparting function in the door.SOLUTION: In a washing machine 1, in a structure which allows a door 2 to open in a biparting way through a lateral movement operation of the door 2, at left and right both end parts of the door 2, a pair of latch mechanisms 6 for fixing the door 2 to a washing machine body 3 by elastically engaging a latch claw 61 provided on the door 2 side when the door 2 is closed with a hook 62 of the washing machine body 3, and a pair of knobs 21 for latch release corresponding to the pair of latch mechanisms 6. During an operation from the closed position of the door 2 to the knob 21 are provided. While the latch claw 61 (in) of the latch mechanism 6 positioned inside which is a hanging root side from the hook 62 to a releasable position by utilizing the lateral movement of the door 2, the latch claw 61 (out) of the latch mechanism 6 positioned outside which is the opposite of the hanging root is moved by a lateral movement amount or more and makes it releasable from the hook 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine having a door that can be opened in both directions.

[0002] As a conventional washing machine, a washing machine with a door that can be opened in both directions has been proposed for convenience during use (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The double-opening mechanism holds the left and right ends of the door by shafts and bearing parts on the washing machine body when closed, and at the initial stage of the opening operation of the door, an axis is formed between one of the left and right shafts and the bearing part, and the other shaft is disengaged from the bearing part to allow the rotation of the door.

[0003] In this document, in order to realize such an operation, in order to move the shaft into the shaft hole provided in the bearing part or retreat from the bearing part at the initial stage of the opening operation, the entire door is laterally moved in either the left or right direction with respect to the washing machine body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Unlike a refrigerator or the like, a drum-type washing machine requires a latch mechanism to securely hold the door in a closed state after clothes are loaded, and a lock mechanism to ensure water tightness during the washing operation.

[0006] For single-door washing machines, the latch mechanism can be configured to elastically engage a claw protruding from the rear of the door with a hook on the washing machine body. The lock mechanism can also be configured to electromagnetically lock the door by housing a lock pin protruding from the rear of the door into a lock pin insertion hole inside the washing machine body.

[0007] However, if a configuration is adopted in which the doors move laterally at the beginning of the opening motion rather than simply rotating in order to achieve double-opening doors, the trajectory of the latch claw changes due to the lateral movement of the door. As a result, a situation may occur where the latch claw cannot disengage from the hook on the washing machine body. Conversely, during the closing motion of the door, a situation may occur where the latch claw cannot engage with the hook on the washing machine body.

[0008] Furthermore, in the case of double doors, if the doors move sideways in the initial stages of opening rather than simply rotating, the locking pin of the locking mechanism may interfere with the opening of the door before it can be pulled out of the locking pin insertion hole inside the washing machine body. Conversely, when closing the door, the locking claw may not be able to be retracted because it does not align with the locking pin insertion hole in the washing machine body.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to realize a washing machine that employs a double-opening door function and has a structure that properly ensures the function of the latch mechanism and lock mechanism even when the door is moved sideways. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The washing machine according to the present invention is configured to have a pivot mechanism including a shaft and a bearing between the left and right ends of the door and the washing machine body, and in the initial stage of the door opening operation, the door is moved laterally in the left and right direction to engage the shaft on the hinge side with a shaft hole provided in the bearing, while the shaft on the opposite side is disengaged from the bearing, and when the door is closed, latch claws provided on the door side are provided on both the left and right ends of the door wash On the hooks of the washing machine It is positioned to return elastically to its predetermined engagement position with a spring.The door is provided with a pair of latch mechanisms to secure it to the washing machine body, and a pair of latch release handles corresponding to the pair of latch mechanisms. When the door is operated from the closed position to the handles, the latch claw of the latch mechanism located on the hinge side is moved to a position where it can be released from the hook using the lateral movement of the door, while the latch claw of the latch mechanism located on the opposite hinge side is moved beyond the amount of lateral movement to allow it to be released from the hook. An amplification mechanism is interposed between the handle and the latch pawl of the latch mechanism to amplify the amount of operation applied to the handle and transmit it to the latch pawl. It is characterized by the following: According to the configuration of the present invention, even when the door moves laterally, the latch claw of the latch mechanism can properly detach from the hook of the washing machine body. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations in which the latch claw interferes with the hook of the washing machine body during the opening or closing of the door, thereby preventing opening and closing. According to the present invention, by interposing an amplification mechanism between the handle and the latch claw of the latch mechanism, which amplifies the amount of operation applied to the handle and transmits it to the latch claw, the latch can be properly released during lateral movement by adding the amount of lateral movement of a double door to the amount of movement of the latch claw in the latch mechanism of a single door.

[0011] In the washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the latch claw of the latch mechanism is set to engage with the hook in an outward direction. According to the present invention, by setting the direction in which the latch claw engages with the hook to face outward, it is possible to appropriately achieve operation that does not interfere with the hook on both the side where the hook is attached and the side where it is not attached.

[0013] In a washing machine equipped with a locking mechanism between the door and the washing machine body to lock the door to the washing machine body, it is preferable that the latch mechanism be positioned above the locking mechanism and above the door in order to ensure reliable operation of the locking mechanism. According to the present invention, when a locking mechanism is provided in conjunction with a latch mechanism, the operation of the locking mechanism can be reliably achieved by positioning the latch mechanism above the locking mechanism and above the door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the configuration of the present invention, which includes a latch mechanism, it is possible to avoid situations in which the latch claw interferes with the hook of the washing machine body during door opening or closing operations, thereby preventing opening and closing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the relationship between the bottom surface of door 2 and the washing machine body 3 when door 2 of washing machine 1 is open. [Figure 3] This is a close-up view of door 2 in Figure 3. [Figure 4] This is a bottom view showing the state when door 2 in Figure 1 is opened to the left. [Figure 5]It is a cross-sectional view showing the latch mechanism 6 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 with the handle 21 in the non-operating position. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view showing the latch mechanism 6 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 with the handle 21 in the first operating position. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation when the door 2 moves horizontally from the state of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view showing the latch mechanism 6 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 with the handle 21 in the second operating position. [Figure 9] It is a view showing the latch mechanism 6 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 together with the closing operation of the door 2. [Figure 10] It is a view showing a comparative example when a general lock mechanism 107 is provided on the door 2. [Figure 11] It is a view showing the configuration on the washing machine main body 3 side of the lock mechanism 7 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 in the unlocked state. [Figure 12] It is a view showing the configuration on the washing machine main body side 3 of the lock mechanism 7 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 in the locked state. [Figure 13] It is a view showing the configuration on the door 2 side of the lock mechanism 7 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1. [Figure 14] It is a schematic cross-sectional view between the washing machine main body 3 and the door 2 when the lock mechanism 7 provided in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 is in the locked state.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, the washing machine 1 of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a washing machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows two states of the door 2, right-opening and left-opening, to illustrate the double-opening function. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the bottom surface of the door 2 and the washing machine body 3 when the door 2 is open. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the bottom surface of the door 2, and includes a pivot mechanism 4 for supporting the door 2 on the washing machine body 3 and a lateral movement mechanism 5 for moving the door 2 laterally to switch the pivot point of the door 2. Figure 4 is a bottom view showing the state of the inner pivot mechanism 4(in), which is the hinge side of the door 2, and the outer pivot mechanism 4(out), which is the opposite hinge side, when the door 2 is opened to the left.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the washing machine 1 of this embodiment is a drum type, and the left and right ends of the door 2 are attached to the washing machine body 3 by pivot mechanisms 4. When the door 1 is opened using the handles 21 provided on both the left and right ends, the door 1 is moved laterally by a sliding motion using a lateral movement mechanism 5 provided between the door 2 and the washing machine body 3. This motion is used to make one of the left and right pivot mechanisms 4, 4 the hinge and the other the free, thereby achieving a double-opening operation of the door 1.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the lateral movement mechanism 5 comprises an arm 51 positioned at the upper and lower ends of the door 2, closer to the center of the door 2 than the pivot mechanism 4, so as to be rotatable around a pivot point 51a, and an anchor 52 positioned opposite the arm 51 on the washing machine body 3. The arm 51 is linked to the handle 21 via a transmission mechanism (not shown). When the handle 21 is operated in the closed position of the door 2, the arm 51 rotates around the pivot point 51a, kicking the anchor 52 and using the reaction force to cause lateral movement of the door 2, mainly in the left-right direction. Subsequently, the arm 51 pushes out the anchor 52, thereby assisting the opening of the door 2.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the pivot mechanism 4 includes a shaft 41 that protrudes from the washing machine body 3 toward the door 2, that is, from the front to the back of the paper in the bottom view of Figure 3, and bearing parts 42 provided at the upper and lower ends of the door 2, that is, at the lower end of the door 2 in Figure 3. The bearing parts 42 are made of a material including resin, metal, or both. Then, by utilizing the fact that the door 2 moves laterally in the left-right direction at the beginning of the opening operation of the door 2, as shown in Figure 4, the inner shaft 41(in), which is the hinge, is moved to a position that becomes the pivot point of the bearing part 42, and the outer shaft 41(out) is moved in a direction away from the bearing part 42, thereby freeing it and achieving a double-opening operation.

[0028] Around the shaft 41, anti-cylindrical shaft ribs 43 are provided concentrically to prevent the door 2 from detaching from the shaft 41 during rotation.

[0029] The bearing portion 42 has a shaft hole 42a whose axis aligns with the shaft 41 which acts as a pivot point when the door 2 moves laterally, an opening 42b that releases the shaft 41 when it moves relative to the shaft hole 42a, and a rail groove 42c that moves the shaft 41 between the shaft hole 42a and the opening 42b. The surface of the bearing portion 42 has a surface around the shaft hole 42a that protrudes towards the front of the paper compared to other parts, and an arc-shaped first stepped portion 41d and a second stepped portion 41e are formed at the boundary centered on the shaft hole 42a. The distance from the center of the shaft hole 42a to the second stepped portion 41e is set to be larger than the distance from the center of the shaft hole 42a to the first stepped portion 41d, and a connecting stepped portion 42f extending in the substantially radial direction of the shaft hole 42a is formed between the ends of the first stepped portion 41d and the second stepped portion 41e.

[0030] The first stepped portion 41d is in contact with the inner diameter 43a of the rotating shaft rib 43 when the door 2 is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 3. When the door 2 begins to rotate and move laterally as it opens from this position, the end face 43b of the shaft rib 43 comes into contact with the connecting stepped portion 42f when viewed from the fixed side. After moving relative to the connecting stepped portion 42f, the inner diameter 43a of the rotating shaft rib 43 rides up onto the outer shape of the concentric second stepped portion 41e, as shown in Figure 4. From this point onward, the inner diameter 43a of the rotating shaft rib 43 moves along the second stepped portion 41e.

[0031] Meanwhile, as door 2 rotates along with its lateral movement, the outer shaft 41 (out) moves relative to the shaft rib 43 along the rail groove 42c, eventually disengaging from the opening 42b and releasing the engagement between shaft 41 and bearing portion 42.

[0032] If the opening direction of door 2 is reversed, the relationship between the inner hinge side and the outer opposite hinge side is reversed, allowing door 2 to open to the opposite side in a state symmetrical to Figure 4.

[0033] In the above configuration, this embodiment provides a latch mechanism 6, shown in Figures 5 to 9, between the door 2 and the washing machine body 3 to securely hold the door 2 in a closed position after clothes are placed inside, and a lock mechanism 7, shown in Figures 11 to 14, to ensure a water seal during the washing operation.

[0034] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the latch mechanism 6 that secures the door 2 to the washing machine body 3 when the handle 21 on the door 2 is in the non-operation position. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the latch mechanism 6 when the handle 21 is in the first operation position. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the latch mechanism 6 when the door 2 moves laterally to switch the pivot point. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the latch mechanism 6 when the handle 21 is in the second operation position. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram of the operation showing the state transitions of the latch mechanism 6 when the door 2 performs a closing operation. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the problems that occur when a general lock mechanism 107 is provided as a comparative example. Figure 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lock mechanism 7 on the washing machine body 3 side when the lock mechanism 7 of this embodiment is in the unlocked state. Figure 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lock mechanism 7 on the washing machine body 3 side when the lock mechanism 7 is in the locked state. Figure 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the door side that constitutes the lock mechanism 7. Figure 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lock portion when the lock mechanism 6 is in the locked state.

[0035] In the case of a double-opening door 2 that utilizes lateral movement of the door 2, as in this embodiment, simply providing a latch mechanism and lock mechanism similar to those for a typical single-opening door would cause interference between the operation of the latch mechanism and lock mechanism and the operation of the lateral movement mechanism 5.

[0036] Figure 5 shows the latch mechanism 6 of this embodiment, and this figure will be used to explain the problems that arise when a latch mechanism similar to that of a normal single-door washing machine is provided. Even if a normal latch mechanism is adopted, the configuration in which the latch claws 61 protruding from both the left and right ends of the door 2 toward the washing machine body 3 can be elastically engaged with the hooks 62 of the washing machine body 3, and these latch claws 61 are operated by a handle 21 for releasing the latch, can be common to the latch mechanism 6 of this embodiment. However, the gears 63a and 63b shown in the figure do not exist.

[0037] The latch claw 61 is set to engage outward, rotates when the handle 21 is operated, and elastically returns to a predetermined position by a spring (not shown) when the handle 21 is released. In the closed position of the door 2, the latch claw 61 engages with the hook 62 of the washing machine body 3, which is set to engage inward, in the elastically returned position.

[0038] From this state, for example, if the handle 21 on the right side in Figure 6 is operated, the inner latch claw 61(in), which is the suspension point, remains engaged with the hook 62, while the outer latch claw 61(out), which is the opposite suspension point, temporarily disengages from the hook 62 due to the gripping of the handle 21.

[0039] Subsequently, when the lateral movement mechanism 5 is activated and the door 2 slides to the right in the figure as shown in Figure 7, the inner latch claw 61(in) moves in a direction that disengages from the hook 62 due to the lateral movement of the door 2, and the outer latch claw 61(out) moves in a direction that engages with the hook 62 due to the lateral movement of the door 2.

[0040] In this case, since the standard latch claw 61 does not take into account the lateral movement of the door 2, it is unclear whether the inner latch claw 61(in) will move to a position that disengages from the hook 62, and the outer latch claw 61(out) will engage with the hook 62 again, making it impossible to release the latch.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement distance and the shapes of the latch claw 61 and hook 62 are set so that the latch claw 61 (in) located on the inside moves to a position where it can sufficiently detach from the hook 62 by utilizing the lateral movement of the door 2, and the latch claw 61 (out) located on the outside is configured to move beyond the amount of lateral movement to detach from the hook 62.

[0042] Moving the latch claw 61 to a position where it can sufficiently disengage means not only when the latch claw 61 moves to a position where it does not interfere with the hook 62 at all, but also when there is some interference, as long as the latch claw 61 rotates in a direction away from the hook 62 along the downward inclination 61a of the latch claw 61 shown in Figure 8, allowing the door 2 to open.

[0043] Furthermore, in order to enable the latch pawl 61 to move beyond its lateral movement, an amplification mechanism 63 is interposed between the handle 21 and the latch pawl 61 to amplify the amount of operation of the handle 21, i.e., the operating angle, and transmit it to the latch pawl 61. The amplification mechanism 63 includes a first gear 63a driven by the handle 21 and a second gear 63b formed at the base end of the latch pawl 61 and meshing with the first gear 63a. The rotation angle of the handle 21 is amplified through the first gear 63a and the second gear 63b, thereby enabling the latch pawl 61 to be operated.

[0044] Without such amplification mechanism 63, the position of the latch claw 41(out) in Figure 7 corresponds to the maximum gripping position of the handle 21. However, by providing the amplification mechanism 3, the position of the latch claw 41(out) in Figure 7 corresponds to a first operating position that is shallower than the maximum gripping position of the handle 21, leaving some pulling distance in the handle 21.

[0045] Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, by gripping the handle 21 further to the second operating position, the outer latch 41(out) can be opened further and detached from the hook 62.

[0046] Conversely, when closing door 2 from the open position, as shown in the state transition diagram from left to right in Figure 9, the upper inclination 61b of the latch claw 61 is pushed by the inclination 62a of the hook 62, and together with the handle 21, it rotates in the reverse direction beyond the lateral movement of door 2, allowing it to pass through the hook 62.

[0047] Figure 10 also shows a comparative example where a locking mechanism 107 similar to that of a normal single-door washing machine is used to lock the door 2. The locking mechanism 107 locks the door by housing a locking pin 107a, which protrudes from the rear of the door 2, into a locking pin insertion hole 107b provided inside the washing machine body 3.

[0048] The lock pin 107a is provided to protrude from the left and right ends of the door 2 toward the rear, and the door 2 rotates in this state, and the width of the lock pin 107a is configured to pass within the opening width of the lock pin storage hole 107b along the rotation trajectory. However, in the case of the left diagram of Figure 10, where the shaft 41 is at the position of the shaft hole 42a due to the lateral movement mechanism 5, the lock pin 107a becomes misaligned from the lock pin insertion hole 107b, and therefore cannot be stored in the lock pin insertion hole 107b.

[0049] Conversely, if the lock pin 107a is inserted into the lock pin insertion hole 107b, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 10, the positions of the shaft 41 and the shaft hole 42a will no longer align, and the door 2 will not be able to rotate.

[0050] In other words, in Figure 10, if either the inner locking mechanism 107, which is the suspension point, or the outer locking mechanism, which is the opposite suspension point, is activated, the other locking mechanism will cease to function. This phenomenon is more likely to occur with the inner locking mechanism 107, which has a smaller turning radius.

[0051] Therefore, as shown in Figures 11 to 13, this embodiment employs a configuration in which the lock pin 71 of the locking mechanism 7 is retracted into a lock pin housing hole 71a provided in the washing machine body 3, and engages with a lock pin engagement hole 72 provided in the door 2 through a thrusting motion.

[0052] The lock pin 71 has an L-shape with the tip of its shaft, which extends from the washing machine body 3 toward the door 2, bent horizontally, and is rotatable around a pivot point. The lock pin housing hole 71a is set to a shape and depth that can accommodate the lock pin 71 in a retracted state. The lock pin engagement hole 72 on the door 2 side has a wide opening 72a through which the shaft and tip of the lock pin 71 can pass, a narrow opening 72b that pulls the shaft of the lock pin 71 that has passed through the wide opening 72a further inward, and an engaged portion 72c located adjacent to the narrow opening 72b that engages the horizontal portion of the lock pin 71 with the back side.

[0053] When the lock pin 71 is engaged with the lock pin engagement hole 72, its rotation is electromagnetically locked, holding the door 2 in a locked state. When the electromagnetic lock on the lock pin 71 is released from this position, the lock pin 71 disengages from the lock pin engagement hole 72 and is retracted into the lock pin housing hole 71a.

[0054] As a result, when the lock is released, the lock pin 71 is not interposed between the door 2 and the washing machine body 3, and the lock pin 71 will not obstruct the door 2 even if it moves sideways.

[0055] The latch mechanism 6 is positioned above the lock mechanism 7 and above the door 2.

[0056] As described above, the washing machine 1 of this embodiment is configured to allow the door 2 to open from both sides through the lateral movement of the door 2. At both ends of the door 2, there is a pair of latch mechanisms 6 that, when the door 2 is closed, elastically engage a latch claw 61 on the door 2 side with a hook 62 on the washing machine body 3 to secure the door 2 to the washing machine body 3, and a pair of latch release handles 21 corresponding to the pair of latch mechanisms 6. When operating the handles 21 from the closed position of the door 2, the latch claw 61(in) of the latch mechanism 6 located on the inside, which is the hinge side, is moved to a position where it can be detached from the hook 62 by utilizing the lateral movement of the door 2, while the latch claw 61(out) of the latch mechanism 6 located on the outside, which is the opposite hinge side, is moved beyond the amount of lateral movement to allow it to be detached from the hook 62.

[0057] As a result, even when the door 2 moves laterally, the latch claw 61 of the latch mechanism 6 can properly detach from the hook 62 of the washing machine body 3, thus avoiding situations where the latch claw 61 interferes with the hook 62 of the washing machine body 3 during opening or closing operations, preventing the door 2 from opening or closing.

[0058] In the washing machine 1 of this embodiment, the latch claw 61 of the latch mechanism 6 is set to engage with the hook in an outward direction.

[0059] By setting the engagement direction of the latch claw 61 in this orientation, it is possible to properly achieve operation that does not interfere with the hook 62 on both the inner side (the side that supports the suspension) and the outer side (the side that does not support the suspension).

[0060] In this embodiment, the washing machine 1 has an amplification mechanism 63 interposed between the handle 21 and the latch claw 61 of the latch mechanism 6, which amplifies the amount of operation applied to the handle 21 and transmits it to the latch claw.

[0061] Therefore, by adding the amount of lateral movement of the double-opening door 2 to the amount of movement of the latch claw 61 in the latch mechanism 6 of the single-opening door 2, the latch can be properly and reliably released during lateral movement.

[0062] In integrating the locking mechanism 7 with the latch mechanism 6, the latch mechanism 6 is positioned above the locking mechanism 7 and above the door 2.

[0063] Therefore, the operation of the locking mechanism 7 can be reliably achieved.

[0064] The washing machine of this embodiment is configured to allow the door 2 to open from both sides through the lateral movement of the door 2, and includes a locking mechanism 7 that includes a pair of locking pins 71 that protrude forward toward the door 2 from the left and right positions of the washing machine body 3, and locking pin engagement holes 72 provided in the door 2 into which the pair of locking pins 71 engage. The locking mechanism 7 is configured to allow the locking pins 71 to protrude and retract, and by unlocking the door 2 while it is closed, the locking pins 71 are released from the locking pin engagement holes 72 and retracted into the interior of the washing machine body 3.

[0065] As the lock pin 71 is retracted, it is no longer present between the door 2 and the washing machine body 3, so the door 2 does not interfere with the lock pin 71 even when it moves laterally. Therefore, even with the lock mechanism 7 in place, the door 2 can be opened and closed properly.

[0066] Since the locking mechanism 7 performs its retraction action by rotating around a pivot point, the behavior of the locking pin can also be stabilized.

[0067] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the embodiment described above.

[0068] For example, since the latch mechanism and locking mechanism described above are designed not to interfere with the lateral movement of the door, the lateral movement mechanism and pivot mechanism of the door are not limited to the configuration shown in the illustration.

[0069] Furthermore, the specific configuration of the latch mechanism and locking mechanism can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0070] 1. Washing machine 2 doors 3. Washing machine unit 4-axis rotation mechanism 6. Latch mechanism 7. Locking mechanism 21 Handle 41 axis 42 Bearing section 42a Shaft hole 61 Latch claw 62 hooks 63 Amplification mechanism 71 Locking pins 72 lock pin engagement holes

Claims

1. In a configuration in which a pivot mechanism including a shaft and a bearing is provided between the left and right ends of the door and the washing machine body, and in the initial stage of the door opening operation, the door is moved laterally in the left-right direction to engage the shaft on the hinge side with a shaft hole provided in the bearing, while the shaft on the opposite side is disengaged from the bearing, The door is provided with a pair of latch mechanisms at both the left and right ends, which are arranged so as to be spring-loaded to return to a predetermined position where the latch claws on the door engage with the hooks on the washing machine body when the door is closed, thereby securing the door to the washing machine body, and a pair of latch release handles corresponding to the pair of latch mechanisms. When the handle is operated from the closed position of the door, the latch claw of the latch mechanism located on the hinge side is moved to a position where it can be detached from the hook by utilizing the lateral movement of the door, while the latch claw of the latch mechanism located on the opposite hinge side is moved beyond the amount of lateral movement to allow it to be detached from the hook. A washing machine characterized in that an amplification mechanism is interposed between the handle and the latch pawl of the latch mechanism, which amplifies the amount of operation applied to the handle and transmits it to the latch pawl.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the latch claw of the latch mechanism is set to engage with the hook in an outward direction.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a locking mechanism for locking the door to the washing machine body is provided between the door and the washing machine body, and the latch mechanism is positioned above the locking mechanism and above the door.

Images