CN107245843B

CN107245843B - Clutch mechanism of washing machine and washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN107245843B
Application number: CN201710400767.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 闫甜甜; 胡义明; 吴迪; 陈金涛
Original assignee: Guangdong Welling Motor Manufacturing Co Ltd; Midea Welling Motor Technology Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Welling Motor Manufacturing Co Ltd; Midea Welling Motor Technology Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-05-31
Filing date: 2017-05-31
Publication date: 2023-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-31
Also published as: CN107245843A

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of washing machines, and discloses a clutch mechanism of a washing machine and the washing machine, wherein the clutch mechanism comprises: the device comprises a deflector rod (6), a shifting fork device, an input shaft (11), an input shaft sleeve (12) and a clutch shaft sleeve (5); the shifting lever (6) and the shifting fork device are arranged to drive the shifting fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft (11) through the rotation of the shifting lever (6) in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft (11), so as to drive the clutch shaft sleeve (5) to axially move to realize the differential rotation of the input shaft sleeve (12) and the input shaft (11) under the washing working condition or the same-speed rotation of the input shaft sleeve (12) and the input shaft (11) under the dewatering working condition. The technical scheme provided by the invention simplifies the structure of the clutch mechanism, reduces the axial dimension of the clutch mechanism, and increases the washing capacity of the washing machine under the condition that the volume of the washing machine is unchanged.

Description

Clutch mechanism of washing machine and washing machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of washing machines, in particular to a clutch mechanism of a washing machine, and further relates to a washing machine with the clutch mechanism.

Background

The transmission system (i.e. the speed reducing clutch) of the washing machine, which is an important component of the washing machine, is used for realizing the elution working condition conversion of the washing machine, and has four functions of transmission, speed reduction, clutch and brake. The clutch mode of the existing speed reducing clutch of the washing machine mainly comprises a spring clutch mode and a tooth meshing clutch mode.

The traditional spring-holding clutch mode drives the square wire spring to hold tightly and unscrew the torque transmission shaft sleeve by a ratchet pawl linkage mechanism to realize elution, washing and replacement, and generally realizes the functions of braking and positive and negative rotation stopping of the inner barrel by a brake belt and a one-way bearing. The friction clutch mode cannot be suitable for a large-capacity washing machine, has a complex structure, poor matching stability, unreliable clutch operation, and has the defects of small driving torque, unstable braking torque, noise during washing and braking, easiness in breaking of a clutch spring and the like.

The traditional tooth meshing clutch mode drives the clutch shaft sleeve to slide up and down by the clutch mechanism to drive the clutch teeth to mesh or separate so as to realize elution conversion and inner barrel rotation stopping functions, a brake band and a one-way bearing can be canceled, most of defects brought by the application of the spring clutch, the brake band and the one-way bearing are overcome, and the clutch is suitable for a large-capacity high-torque washing machine.

The lever type shifting fork clutch mechanism is a common clutch form of a tooth meshing type clutch and generally consists of a first fluted disc fixed on a mounting bracket, a second fluted disc fixed on a driving source, a clutch shaft sleeve which is connected on an input shaft sleeve in a sliding manner through a spline, a shifting fork device which is connected with the mounting bracket in a rotating manner and a driving mechanism of the shifting fork device. During clutch, the shifting fork device is driven by the driving mechanism to rotate in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the clutch, so that the clutch shaft sleeve is driven to move up and down, and the engagement or separation of the clutch shaft sleeve and the clutch teeth of the first fluted disc and the second fluted disc is completed to realize elution conversion.

The existing lever type tooth meshing clutch has the defects that the common clutch driving mechanism for driving the lever is complex in structure and various in parts, and a separate driving motor or a guide mechanism is needed to be arranged for completing the clutch action; the axial dimension design is not compact enough, the axial space of the clutch is wasted, and the washing capacity is reduced under the condition that the volume of the washing machine is unchanged; the contact position is not adjustable when the shifting fork is assembled, so that the requirements on the manufacturing and assembling precision of the mechanism component parts are higher in order to ensure the clutch reliability, and the cost is increased; the clutch teeth are unreasonable in design, difficult to enter engagement, and high in engagement noise; part of the parts are redundant in design, and double waste of space and materials is caused.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome the defects in the prior art and provide a technical scheme capable of increasing the washing capacity of the washing machine, simplifying the structure of a clutch mechanism and reducing the cost of the washing machine.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a clutch mechanism of a washing machine, the clutch mechanism comprising: the device comprises a deflector rod, a shifting fork device, an input shaft sleeve and a clutch shaft sleeve;

the shifting lever and the shifting fork device are arranged to drive the shifting fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft by rotating the shifting lever in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft, so that the clutch shaft sleeve is driven to axially move to realize differential rotation of the input shaft sleeve and the input shaft under a washing working condition or synchronous rotation of the input shaft sleeve and the input shaft under a dewatering working condition.

Preferably, the clutch mechanism further comprises a brake disc fixedly connected with the input shaft sleeve, and the shifting lever drives the shifting fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft when rotating in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft to brake or unlock the brake disc, so as to drive the clutch shaft sleeve to axially move; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

one end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the shifting rod, and the other end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the clutch shaft sleeve, so that rotation of the shifting rod in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft is converted into lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft, and the clutch shaft sleeve is driven to axially move.

Preferably, a clutch guide surface is formed on one side of the shift lever, which is close to the shift fork device, and the clutch guide surface forms an inclined included angle with the horizontal plane and is in direct contact with the shift fork device, so that the shift lever drives the shift fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane through the clutch guide surface when rotating in the horizontal plane.

Preferably, the shifting fork device comprises a shifting fork and an adjusting piece arranged on the shifting fork, and one end of the shifting fork is positioned below the clutch guide surface and is in direct contact with the clutch guide surface through the adjusting piece; the other end of the shifting fork is positioned below the clutch shaft sleeve and is in contact with the clutch shaft sleeve so as to drive the clutch shaft sleeve to axially move.

Preferably, the fork comprises a driving arm, a driven disc and a connecting arm for connecting the driving arm and the driven disc; the driven disc is positioned below the clutch shaft sleeve and is provided with a protruding part corresponding to the limit groove on the clutch shaft sleeve; the driving arm is provided with the adjusting piece; the connecting arm is a bending arm; the connection part of the connection arm and the driving arm as well as the connection part of the driven disc are in arc transition.

Preferably, the adjusting member comprises an adjusting screw and a nut, one end of the shifting fork is provided with a threaded hole, the adjusting screw is screwed in the threaded hole, and the nut is screwed on the adjusting screw to position the adjusting screw; and/or the shifting fork is a sheet metal part.

Preferably, a mounting groove is formed on an end face of the adjusting screw facing the clutch guide surface, and a ball (802) for contacting the clutch guide surface is fixed in the mounting groove.

Preferably, the clutch mechanism further comprises a housing, and the brake disc is mounted in the housing; the deflector rod is pivoted on the shell and can rotate in a horizontal plane around a shaft pin parallel to the axis direction of the input shaft; the shifting fork device is pivoted on a bracket fixed on the shell and can perform lever motion in a vertical plane around a shifting fork pin vertical to the axis direction of the input shaft.

Preferably, the shell is a cylindrical shell with a bearing mounting hole formed in the middle of the bottom end; the end face of the outer ring at the bottom end of the bearing arranged in the bearing mounting hole is flush with the end face of the bottom end of the shell, and the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected with the input shaft sleeve; and/or a shifting fork device avoiding opening is formed at the bottom edge of the shell corresponding to the shifting fork device.

Preferably, the bracket is fixed at a position of the shell, which is close to the avoiding opening of the shifting fork device, and a shaft pin positioning hole is formed in the bracket corresponding to the shaft pin; and/or, the bracket is a sheet metal part.

Preferably, a first fluted disc is fixed at the bottom end of the shell, and the first fluted disc is provided with a first clutch tooth part; the bottom end of the input shaft is coaxially fixed with a second fluted disc which is provided with a second clutch tooth part; the clutch shaft sleeve is in sliding connection with the input shaft sleeve through a spline hole; a third clutch tooth part capable of being meshed with the first clutch tooth part is formed on one side of the clutch shaft sleeve, which faces the first fluted disc; a fourth clutch tooth part capable of being meshed with the second clutch tooth part is formed on one side of the clutch shaft sleeve, which faces the second fluted disc;

when the washing machine is in a washing working condition, the first clutch tooth part is meshed with the third clutch tooth part, and the second clutch tooth part is separated from the fourth clutch tooth part; when the washing machine is in a dewatering working condition, the second clutch gear part is meshed with the fourth clutch gear part, and the first clutch gear part is separated from the third clutch gear part.

Preferably, a positioning pin and a mounting hole are formed on one side of the first fluted disc facing the shell, which corresponds to the positioning hole and the threaded hole at the bottom end of the shell, respectively, and a positioning boss is formed on one side of the first fluted disc facing away from the shell, which corresponds to the mounting hole; and/or, a reinforcing rib is formed on one side of the first fluted disc, which is opposite to the shell, along the circumferential direction and the radial direction respectively; and/or a shifting fork device avoiding opening is formed at the outer edge part of the first fluted disc corresponding to the shifting fork device.

Preferably, a weight reducing groove is concentrically formed on one side of the clutch shaft sleeve, which faces the first fluted disc, and a clutch pressure spring is arranged in the weight reducing groove.

Preferably, the teeth on the first clutch tooth part, the second clutch tooth part, the third clutch tooth part and the fourth clutch tooth part are stepped teeth so as to improve the meshing strength of the teeth and reduce the meshing noise of the teeth.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a washing machine, comprising a clutch mechanism, the clutch mechanism being the clutch mechanism of the washing machine according to the first aspect of the present invention.

The technical scheme provided by the invention has the following beneficial effects:

according to the clutch mechanism provided by the invention, the lever motion of the shifting fork device in the vertical plane is driven by the rotation of the shifting lever in the horizontal plane, the clutch shaft sleeve is driven to axially move when the shifting fork device makes lever motion in the vertical plane, so that the dehydration/washing working condition conversion of the washing machine is realized, the axial size of the clutch mechanism can be reduced by converting the rotation in the horizontal plane into lever motion in the vertical plane, and the washing capacity of the washing machine is increased under the condition that the volume of the washing machine is unchanged; in addition, the shifting fork device is directly driven by the shifting rod serving as the brake arm under the normal condition, and a shifting fork device driving mechanism with a complex structure is not required to be independently arranged, so that the structure of the clutch mechanism is simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the washing machine is reduced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a front view of a washing regime of one embodiment of the clutch mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a right side view of one embodiment of the clutch mechanism of the present invention in a wash mode;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a wash station of one embodiment of the clutch mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of one embodiment of the clutch mechanism of the present invention in a de-watering condition;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a stent according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a clutch sleeve according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the bottom of a housing of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a fork assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top schematic view of a first toothed disc according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a bottom schematic view of a first toothed disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The reference numerals in the figures illustrate: 1-a shell; 2-a bracket; 3-a first toothed disc; 4-a second fluted disc; 5-clutch shaft sleeve; 6, a deflector rod; 7-shifting fork; 8-adjusting screws; 9-a nut; 11-an input shaft; 12-an input sleeve; 13-a brake band assembly; 14-a brake disc; 15-a bearing retainer ring; 16-a bearing; 21-a fork pin; 22-shaft pin; 23-a brake pin; 24-a first torsion spring; 25-a second torsion spring; 26-a clutch compression spring; 101-bearing mounting holes; 102, positioning holes; 103-a threaded hole; 104, a shifting fork device avoiding port; 201-a shaft pin positioning hole; 301—a first clutch tooth; 302—a locating pin; 303—mounting holes; 304-a shifting fork device is kept away from the opening; 305-positioning bosses; 306-reinforcing ribs; 401-a second clutch tooth; 501-a third clutch tooth; 502-fourth clutch teeth; 503-a weight reduction groove; 601—a clutch guide surface; 602—a driving section; 701-driving arm; 702—a connecting arm; 703-a driven disc; 704-ear plate; 705—a threaded bore; 706—a boss; 801-a screw body; 802-steel ball.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to like or similar elements or elements having like or similar functions throughout. It is apparent that the embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary only for explaining the present invention and are not construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of embodiments of the present invention and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a definition of "first," "second," etc., may expressly or implicitly include one or more such features.

Referring to fig. 1 to 10, a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a clutch mechanism of a washing machine, the clutch mechanism including: the shifting lever 6, the shifting fork device, the input shaft 11, the input shaft sleeve 12 and the clutch shaft sleeve 5;

wherein, the shift lever 6 and the shift fork device are arranged to drive the shift fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft 11 by rotating the shift lever 6 in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft 11, so that the shift fork device drives the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to axially move to realize differential rotation of the input shaft sleeve 12 and the input shaft 11 under a washing working condition or synchronous rotation of the input shaft sleeve 12 and the input shaft 11 under a dewatering working condition.

Specifically, the input shaft 11 is used for fixedly connecting with a pulsator of the washing machine, and can drive the pulsator to rotate under the action of an external driving source so as to wash clothes.

The input shaft sleeve 12 is sleeved outside the input shaft 11 and is fixed relative to the inner barrel of the washing machine, when the washing machine is in a washing working condition, the input shaft 11 rotates while the input shaft sleeve 12 does not rotate, and the inner barrel of the washing machine does not rotate; when the washing machine is in a dehydrating condition, the input shaft sleeve 12 rotates at the same speed along with the input shaft 11, and the inner barrel of the washing machine rotates along with the pulsator for dehydrating clothes.

The lever 6 is normally used to rotate in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft 11 under the action of a driver to brake the locking brake disc 14 or to release the rotation of the brake disc 14.

The clutch sleeve 5 is sleeved outside the input sleeve 12 and can axially move to realize the dehydration/washing working condition conversion of the washing machine.

The shifting fork device is contacted with the clutch shaft sleeve 5 and is used for driving the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to axially move.

According to the embodiment, the rotation of the deflector rod 6 in the horizontal plane is converted into the lever motion of the shifting fork device in the vertical plane to drive the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to axially move, so that the dehydration/washing working condition conversion of the washing machine is realized, the axial size of the clutch mechanism is reduced, and the washing capacity of the washing machine is increased under the condition that the volume of the washing machine is unchanged; in addition, the shifting fork device is directly driven by the shifting lever 6 serving as a brake arm under the normal condition, a shifting fork device driving mechanism with a complex structure is not required to be independently arranged, the structure of the clutch mechanism is simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the washing machine is reduced.

Referring to fig. 1 and 4, in the clutch mechanism with mechanical brake, the clutch mechanism further includes a brake disc 14 fixedly connected with the input shaft sleeve 12, and the lever 6 can rotate in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft 11 to brake or unlock the brake disc 14, and simultaneously, the actuation of the fork device is also realized.

Specifically, the brake band assembly 13 is mounted on the circumferential periphery of the brake disc 14, the deflector rod 6 is connected with the brake band assembly 13, the deflector rod 6 is provided with a driving part 602, and the driving part 602 of the deflector rod 6 is driven by a driver to rotate in a horizontal plane to the deflector rod 6, so that the brake band assembly 13 holds the brake disc 14 tightly to realize braking of the brake disc 14, or the brake band assembly 13 releases the brake disc 14 to realize unlocking of the brake disc 14. Wherein the brake disc 14 is braked or unlocked by different rotation directions of the shift lever 6 in a horizontal plane.

In order to drive the shifting fork device to drive the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to move up and down axially, one end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the shifting lever 6, the other end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the clutch shaft sleeve 5, so that rotation of the shifting lever 6 in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft 11 is converted into lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft 11, and the shifting fork device drives the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to move axially when performing lever motion in the vertical plane.

Preferably, the shift lever 6 may be configured to drive a lever movement of the shift fork device in a vertical plane.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, a clutch guiding surface 601 is formed on a side of the shift lever 6, which is close to the shift fork device, and the clutch guiding surface 601 forms an inclined angle with the horizontal plane and is in direct contact with the shift fork device, so as to form a plane pair or a curved surface pair. When the shift lever 6 rotates in the horizontal plane, the shift fork device is always in direct contact with the clutch guide surface 601, and the shift fork device can be driven to do lever motion in the vertical plane because the clutch guide surface 601 forms an inclined included angle with the horizontal plane. This arrangement simplifies the clutch configuration by using the lever 6 to drive the fork assembly in tandem when braking or unlocking the brake disc 14. Preferably, the included angle between the clutch guide surface 601 and the horizontal plane is not more than 45 °.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the clutch mechanism further comprises a housing 1, the brake disc 14 being mounted within the housing 1; the deflector rod 6 is pivoted on the shell 1 and can rotate in a horizontal plane around a shaft pin 22 parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft 11; the fork device is pivotally connected to a bracket 2 fixed to the housing 1 and is capable of leverage in a vertical plane about a fork pin 21 perpendicular to the axis of the input shaft 11.

Specifically, refer to fig. 7. In order to improve the compactness, the casing 1 can be cylindrical casing 1, and casing 1 bottom middle part is formed with bearing mounting hole 101, and bearing mounting hole 101 indent, can direct pressure equipment in bearing mounting hole 101 and the outer lane bottom surface of bearing 16 and casing 1 lower terminal surface parallel and level when bearing 16 installs, and the bearing mounting hole 101 that the indent set up can further compress clutch axial dimension. The inner race of the bearing 16 is fixed to the input sleeve 12. When the washing machine is in a dewatering working condition, the input shaft 11 drives the input shaft sleeve 12 to rotate through the clutch shaft sleeve 5. The bearing 16 is provided to avoid the housing 1 from obstructing the rotation of the input sleeve 12.

With continued reference to fig. 7, a brake band assembly avoiding opening is formed in the upper portion of the side wall of the housing 1, shaft pin mounting plates protruding radially outwards are formed on the housing 1 on the upper side and the lower side of the brake band assembly avoiding opening, and shaft pin mounting holes communicated in the vertical direction are formed on the upper shaft pin mounting plate and the lower shaft pin mounting plate. Referring to fig. 3 and 4, a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the shift lever 6, a shaft pin 22 is penetrated in the through hole and the shaft pin mounting hole, a first torsion spring 24 is sleeved outside the shaft pin 22, one end of the first torsion spring 24 contacts with a limiting part of the housing 1 and is limited by the limiting part of the housing 1, and the other end of the first torsion spring 24 is buckled on the shift lever 6. The end of the deflector rod 6 far away from the shell 1 is provided with a driving part 602, and the driving part 602 is connected with a driver, and the driver can be a synchronous motor or a drainage tractor. One end of the deflector rod 6, which is close to the shell 1, is penetrated in the brake band assembly avoiding opening and is pivotally connected with one end of the brake band assembly 13 through a brake pin 23 in the vertical direction, and the other end of the brake band assembly 13 bypasses the brake disc 14 and is fixed on the shell 1.

With continued reference to fig. 7, a fork device avoiding opening 104 is formed at the bottom edge of the housing 1 corresponding to the brake band assembly avoiding opening, and is used for accommodating a connecting arm 702 of a fork device, so that the whole mechanism of the clutch mechanism is more compact. The housing 1 on the left side and the right side of the shifting fork device avoiding port 104 is provided with a through hole for installing the bracket 2.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the bracket 2 is a sheet metal stamping part, and is located below the deflector rod 6, the two sides of the bracket 2 are formed with lugs 704 corresponding to the through holes on the housing 1, the lugs 704 are arc-shaped to adapt to the shape of the housing 1, the lugs 704 are provided with lug through holes which can be communicated with the through holes, and the bracket 2 can be fixed on the housing 1 through connectors, such as screws and nuts 9, penetrating through the lug through holes and the through holes on the housing 1. The bracket 2 is also formed with an opening for passing through the fork pin 21. In addition, the bracket 2 is also provided with a shaft pin positioning hole 201, and the shaft pin positioning hole 201 passes through the shaft pin 22 from below to be abutted on the shell 1 during installation, thereby increasing positioning accuracy.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4 and 8, the fork device includes a fork 7 and an adjusting member mounted on the fork 7, one end of the fork 7 is located under the clutch guide surface 601 and is in direct contact with the clutch guide surface 601 through the adjusting member; the other end of the shifting fork 7 is positioned below the clutch shaft sleeve 5 and can be contacted with the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to drive the clutch shaft sleeve 5 to axially move so as to realize the dehydration/washing working condition conversion of the washing machine. A pin hole for passing through the fork pin 21 is formed at a portion between both ends of the fork 7. When the clutch guide surface 601 drives the fork 7, the fork 7 performs lever motion on a vertical surface with the pin hole as a fulcrum. The adjusting member is used to adjust the initial installation position of the fork 7.

Specifically, referring to fig. 8, the adjusting member may include, for example, an adjusting screw 8 and a nut 9, wherein a threaded hole 705 is formed at one end of the fork 7, the adjusting screw 8 is screwed into the threaded hole 705, and the nut 9 is screwed onto the adjusting screw 8. After the adjusting screw 8 is provided with the nut 9, the adjusting screw 8 is connected with the shifting fork 7 through the threaded hole 705, and the head of the adjusting screw 8 is in direct contact with the clutch guide surface 601; the initial installation position of the shifting fork 7 is adjusted by adjusting the threaded screwing length of the adjusting screw 8, and the positioning is reliable by locking the nut 9.

With continued reference to fig. 8, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the adjusting screw 8 includes a screw body 801 and a ball 802, one end of the screw body 801 is provided with a polish rod portion, an installation groove is formed on an upper end surface of the polish rod portion, the ball 802 may be fixed in the installation groove in an interference fit, and when assembled, the adjusting screw 8 is adjusted to make the ball 802 abut against the clutch guide surface 601; the sphere 802 is made of a high strength and high wear resistance material, for example, the sphere 802 may be a steel ball 802. The provision of the ball 802 increases the reliability and longevity of the clutch mechanism.

With continued reference to fig. 8, the fork 7 is formed by stamping a plate, so as to reduce manufacturing cost. The driving arm 701, the connecting arm 702 and the driven plate 703 are integrally arranged on the shifting fork 7, and the reinforcing ribs are punched out of the components, so that the structural rigidity is improved. The connection portion between the connection arm 702 and the drive arm 701 and the driven plate 703 is in a circular arc transition, so that stress concentration is reduced. The thickness of the manufactured steel plate of the shifting fork 7 is optimized according to the rigidity and strength requirements of the specific embodiment, and the structure is light under the premise of ensuring the rigidity and strength.

Referring to fig. 1, 4 and 8, a driving arm 701 is disposed below a clutch guiding surface 601, a threaded hole 705 is formed in the driving arm, an adjusting screw 8 is installed in the threaded hole 705, and the screw-in length is adjusted to enable the head of the screw to be in contact with the clutch guiding surface 601; the driven plate 703 is arranged below the clutch shaft sleeve 5, is of a semicircular thin-wall structure with one side open, and is symmetrically provided with convex parts 706 corresponding to limit grooves on the clutch shaft sleeve 5 at the end far away from the driving arm 701, the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is arranged in a neutral gear of the driven plate 703 and is supported at the convex parts 706, and the connecting line of the two convex parts 706 is approximately overlapped with one radial diameter of the clutch shaft sleeve 5; the connecting arm 702 connects the driven disc 703 and the driving arm 701, and can be a straight arm or a bending arm, the number of bending parts of the connecting arm 702 is not limited, and the aim is to increase the rigidity of the shifting fork 7, reduce the axial height and avoid interference with other parts arranged up and down during the clutch action; the shifting fork 7 is also provided with an ear plate 704, the ear plate 704 is provided with a pin hole, and the shifting fork 7 can be pivotally arranged on the bracket 2 through a shifting fork pin 21 penetrating through the pin hole; the upper part of the shifting fork pin 21 is sleeved with a second torsion spring 25, one end of the second torsion spring 25 is contacted with the limiting part of the bracket 2, and the other end of the second torsion spring 25 is buckled on a driving arm 701 of the shifting fork 7; the torsion of the second torsion spring 25 makes the head of the adjusting screw 8 always reliably contact the clutch guide surface 601.

Referring to fig. 3, in a preferred embodiment, the clutch collar 5 is used to switch between washing/dehydrating conditions as follows. In the preferred embodiment, a first fluted disc 3 is fixed at the bottom end of the housing 1. Preferably, the first toothed disc 3 is coaxially fixed on the outer end surface of the bottom of the housing 1, the first toothed disc 3 has a first clutch gear portion 301, the bottom end of the input shaft 11 is coaxially fixed with a second toothed disc 4, and the second toothed disc 4 has a second clutch gear portion 401.

The first fluted disc 3 and the second fluted disc 4 are coaxially arranged and axially spaced, and the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is arranged in the axial space between the first fluted disc 3 and the second fluted disc 4; a spline hole is formed in the middle of the clutch shaft sleeve 5, the input shaft sleeve 12 is arranged in the spline hole in a penetrating mode, and the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is connected with the input shaft sleeve 12 in a sliding mode through the spline hole; the spline holes are provided so that the clutch sleeve 5 cannot rotate relative to the input sleeve 12 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input sleeve 12, but can only slide relative to the input sleeve 12 in the axial direction of the input sleeve 12.

A third clutch tooth portion 501 capable of engaging with the first clutch tooth portion 301 is formed on a side of the clutch sleeve 5 facing the first toothed disc 3; a fourth clutch tooth 502 capable of engaging with the second clutch tooth 401 is formed on one side of the clutch sleeve 5 facing the second toothed disc 4;

the clutch sleeve 5 moves axially to realize the dehydration/washing working condition conversion of the washing machine. When the washing machine is in a washing working condition, the first clutch tooth part 301 is meshed with the third clutch tooth part 501, and the second clutch tooth part 401 is separated from the fourth clutch tooth part 502; when the washing machine is in a dehydrating condition, the second clutch gear 401 is engaged with the fourth clutch gear 502, and the first clutch gear 301 is disengaged from the third clutch gear 501.

Referring to fig. 6, in a preferred embodiment, the clutch sleeve 5 is an integrally injection-molded part, a weight-reducing groove 503 is concentrically formed on one side of the clutch sleeve 5 facing the first toothed disc 3, the weight-reducing groove 503 is disposed between a spline portion and the third clutch tooth portion 501, and an upper end surface of the spline portion may be higher than an upper end surface of the third clutch tooth portion 501, so as to ensure that a sufficient spline contact length is obtained while an axial distance between the third clutch tooth portion 501 and the fourth clutch tooth portion 502 is compressible; the axial dimension of the clutch mechanism is reduced. The weight reducing groove 503 is used as an installation groove of the clutch pressure spring 26, the clutch pressure spring 26 is arranged in the weight reducing groove 503, and the upper end of the clutch pressure spring is contacted with the inner ring of the bearing 16 through the bearing retainer 15. The clutch sleeve 5 is driven to axially move by combined action with the shifting fork device.

The clutch shaft sleeve 5 provided by the embodiment performs strength check and lightweight design according to design requirements during manufacturing, optimizes the wall thickness dimension of an injection molding part, and ensures that design redundancy is reduced on the premise of meeting performance requirements.

Referring to fig. 9, the first toothed disc 3 is preferably an integrally injection-molded member, and has a shaft hole formed in the middle thereof for passing through the input shaft sleeve 12, the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole being radially spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the input shaft sleeve 12, so as to prevent the input shaft sleeve 12 from being obstructed from rotating. The outer edge of the first fluted disc 3 is provided with a shifting fork device avoiding opening 304 for accommodating a connecting arm 702 of a shifting fork 7, so that the clutch mechanism is more compact in structure.

With continued reference to fig. 9, the first toothed disc 3 may be fixed at the bottom end of the housing 1 in the following manner, the bottom end of the housing 1 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 102 and threaded holes 103, one side of the first toothed disc 3 facing the housing 1 is respectively corresponding to the positioning holes 102 and the threaded holes 103 at the bottom end of the housing 1 and is provided with a positioning pin 302 and a mounting hole 303, when the first toothed disc 3 is fixed, the positioning pin 302 of the first toothed disc 3 is accommodated in the positioning hole 102 at the bottom end of the housing 1, the mounting hole 303 is communicated with the threaded holes 103 in the vertical direction, and the first toothed disc 3 may be fixed at the bottom end of the housing 1 by means of a bolt penetrating through the mounting hole 303 and the threaded holes 103 and then matching with the nut 9.

Referring to fig. 10, a positioning boss 305 is formed on one side of the first fluted disc 3 facing away from the housing 1 corresponding to the mounting hole 303; for improving the structural strength and the mounting strength of the first fluted disc 3; in order to increase or further increase the overall structural strength of the first toothed disc 3, reinforcing ribs 306 may be formed on the side of the first toothed disc 3 facing away from the housing 1 in the circumferential direction and in the radial direction, respectively. The first fluted disc 3 is provided with a wall thickness reasonably during manufacturing so as to improve the strength of the part and the utilization rate of materials.

Referring to fig. 1-4, the second toothed disc 4 is preferably an integral injection molded part fixedly connected to the input shaft 11, and the second toothed disc 4 may be integrally provided on a pulley (not shown) for driving the clutch in parallel; or integrally formed on the motor rotor injection molding (not shown) for driving the clutch in series.

In a preferred embodiment, the teeth on the first clutch teeth 301, the second clutch teeth 401, the third clutch teeth 501 and the fourth clutch teeth 502 are stepped teeth. Specifically, each clutch tooth part comprises a plurality of teeth which are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction, and tooth grooves are formed between two adjacent teeth; the teeth consist of first straight teeth and second straight teeth, the projections of the first straight teeth and the second straight teeth in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft 11 are fan-shaped, the projections of the teeth in a plane perpendicular to the length direction of the teeth are step-shaped, wherein the first step is formed by projection of the first straight teeth, and the second step is formed by projection of the second straight teeth; when the corresponding clutch teeth are meshed, the first straight teeth of one part are embedded into tooth grooves of the other part, the tooth widths of the second straight teeth of the two parts are equal, and tooth tops are overlapped. Taking the first toothed disc 3 as an example, the length direction of the teeth on the first toothed disc 3 refers to the direction coinciding with the radial direction of the first toothed disc 3. The application of the stepped tooth improves the connection strength and the meshing reliability, can effectively reduce the abrasion of tooth surfaces and the damage of teeth, and simultaneously reduces the meshing noise.

Preferably, the first spur tooth has a minimum width in the circumferential direction of 1-2mm and a height of 1.5-2.5mm, the second spur tooth has a minimum width in the circumferential direction of 2-5mm and a height of 1.5-3.5mm, and the minimum width in the circumferential direction of the tooth slot is equal to the first spur tooth width engaged therewith.

When the clutch mechanism is installed, due to the fact that parts are numerous, accumulated tolerance of machining and assembly can cause deviation of clutch positions, after the shifting fork 7 is installed, the upper tooth part of the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is not fully meshed with the upper fluted disc or assembly interference occurs, and therefore clutch unreliability or product reject ratio is increased. In order to improve the reliability of the product, it is generally necessary to improve the machining and assembly accuracy of each component, thereby increasing the cost. By adopting the clutch mechanism of the embodiment, during assembly, the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is firstly ensured to be meshed with the first fluted disc 3 in place, then the boss 706 is adjusted to be just contacted with the limit groove of the clutch shaft sleeve 5, the adjusting screw 8 is adjusted to just contact the steel ball 802 with the clutch guide surface 601, and finally the nut 9 is tightly combined to lock the clutch mechanism at an optimal assembly point. This assembly greatly reduces the manufacturing accuracy of the fork 7, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

The following describes the working principle of the clutch mechanism provided by one embodiment of the present invention:

1. the initial position is as follows: under the action of the first torsion spring 24, the deflector rod 6 drives the brake band assembly 13 to tightly hold the brake disc 14, and the brake disc 14 is fixedly connected with the input shaft sleeve 12, so that the input shaft sleeve 12 is relatively fixed with the inner barrel of the washing machine, and the brake disc 14 drives the inner barrel to be in a braking state when being tightly held; meanwhile, one end of the steel ball 802 is always reliably contacted with the clutch guide surface 601 under the action of the second torsion spring 25, and the bulge 706 at the other end is tightly propped against the clutch shaft sleeve 5, so that the third clutch tooth part 501 of the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is in a meshed state with the first clutch tooth part 301 of the first fluted disc 3, and the inner barrel is locked; the clutch compression spring 26 is in a compressed state, and only the input shaft 11 rotates under the action of the driving source to drive the pulsator of the washing machine to rotate, so that the washing machine is in a washing state.

2. When the washing machine gives a dehydration command: the deflector rod 6 rotates around the shaft pin 22 by a certain angle under the action of the driver, the brake band assembly 13 releases the brake disc 14, and the inner barrel brake state is released; at the same time, the clutch guide surface 601 also rotates around the shaft by a certain angle, and at the moment, the position of the contact point of the steel ball and the clutch guide surface 601 in the axial direction changes (moves upwards), so that the shifting fork 7 and the clutch shaft sleeve 5 start to be separated by driving the boss 706 at the other end to move in the opposite direction (move downwards) through the shifting fork pin 21; the clutch shaft sleeve 5 moves downwards under the action of self gravity and the reset force of the clutch pressure spring 26, the third clutch tooth part 501 is disengaged from the first clutch tooth part 301, then the fourth clutch tooth part 502 is engaged with the second clutch tooth part 401, the input shaft 11 is relatively fixed with the input shaft sleeve 12, an inner barrel fixed on the input shaft sleeve 12 is fixedly connected with a wave wheel transmission system of the input shaft 11, and the clutch mechanism finishes the conversion from washing to dehydration; at the moment, the travel of the protruding part 706 of the shifting fork 7 is larger than that of the clutch shaft sleeve 5, the protruding part 706 is separated from the limiting surface of the gear ring, and abrasion between the protruding part 706 and the gear ring under the high-speed dehydration working condition is avoided.

3. When dehydration is completed: the driver stops working, the deflector rod 6 resets under the action of the reset force of the first torsion spring 24, the brake belt component 13 is driven to contact with the brake disc 14, and the clutch starts braking action; the shifting fork 7 drives the clutch guide surface 601 to reset, the steel balls are pushed to move downwards, the shifting fork pin 21 drives the convex part 706 to move upwards, the clutch shaft sleeve 5 is driven to move upwards, the fourth clutch tooth part 502 is disengaged from the second clutch tooth part 401, then the third clutch tooth part 501 is engaged with the first clutch tooth part 301, the input shaft sleeve 12 and the inner barrel are locked, and the clutch returns to a washing state; while the second torsion spring 25 and the clutch compression spring 26 are compressed.

By adopting the technical scheme, the embodiment of the invention has the following positive effects: the brake arm is used as a clutch driving arm at the same time, so that the clutch structure is simplified; an adjustable shifting fork device is adopted, so that the precision requirement of parts is reduced, and the clutch reliability is improved; the axial dimension is compact, and the washing capacity of the washing machine is increased; the shifting fork 7 and the bracket 2 adopt sheet metal stamping parts, so that the axial occupied space is reduced; the clutch tooth form is reasonably designed, so that the engagement noise is reduced and the clutch reliability is improved. The key parts are designed in a lightweight mode, and manufacturing cost is reduced.

Another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention provides a washing machine, including a clutch mechanism, where the clutch mechanism is a clutch mechanism of the washing machine according to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention. The beneficial effects of the washing machine provided by the embodiment of the invention are similar to those of the clutch mechanism, and are not repeated here.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The technical solution of the invention can be subjected to a plurality of simple variants within the scope of the technical idea of the invention. Including the various specific features being combined in any suitable manner. The various possible combinations of the invention are not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessary repetition. Such simple variations and combinations are likewise to be regarded as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A clutch mechanism of a washing machine, the clutch mechanism comprising: the device comprises a deflector rod (6), a shifting fork device, an input shaft (11), an input shaft sleeve (12) and a clutch shaft sleeve (5);

wherein the shifting lever (6) and the shifting fork device are arranged to drive the shifting fork device to do lever motion in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft (11) by rotating the shifting lever (6) in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft (11), so as to drive the clutch shaft sleeve (5) to axially move to realize the differential rotation of the input shaft sleeve (12) and the input shaft (11) under a washing working condition or the same-speed rotation of the input shaft sleeve (12) and the input shaft (11) under a dewatering working condition;

one end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the shifting lever (6), and the other end of the shifting fork device is contacted with the clutch shaft sleeve (5) so as to convert rotation of the shifting lever (6) in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft (11) into lever movement in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft (11), thereby driving the clutch shaft sleeve (5) to axially move;

a clutch guide surface (601) is formed on one side, close to the shifting fork device, of the shifting lever (6), and the clutch guide surface (601) forms an inclined included angle with the horizontal plane and is in direct contact with the shifting fork device, so that the shifting fork device is driven to do lever motion in a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane through the clutch guide surface (601) when the shifting lever (6) rotates in the horizontal plane;

the shifting fork device comprises a shifting fork (7) and an adjusting piece arranged on the shifting fork (7), and one end of the shifting fork (7) is positioned below the clutch guide surface (601) and is in direct contact with the clutch guide surface (601) through the adjusting piece.

2. Clutch mechanism for washing machines according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a brake disc (14) fixedly connected to the input shaft (12), the lever (6) being rotated in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft (11) to actuate the lever means in a lever movement in a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft (11) when braking or unlocking the brake disc (14), thus actuating the clutch shaft (5) to move axially.

3. Clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the other end of the fork (7) is located below the clutch sleeve (5) and in contact with the clutch sleeve (5) to drive the clutch sleeve (5) to move axially.

4. A clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the fork (7) comprises a driving arm (701), a driven disc (703) and a connecting arm (702) connecting the driving arm (701) and the driven disc (703); the driven disc (703) is positioned below the clutch shaft sleeve (5) and is provided with a protruding part (706) corresponding to the limit groove on the clutch shaft sleeve (5); the driving arm (701) is provided with the adjusting piece; the connecting arm (702) is a bending arm; the connection part between the connection arm (702) and the driving arm (701) and the driven plate (703) is in arc transition.

5. A clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the adjusting member comprises an adjusting screw (8) and a nut (9), a threaded hole (705) is provided at one end of the fork (7), the adjusting screw (8) is screwed into the threaded hole (705), and the nut (9) is screwed onto the adjusting screw (8) to position the adjusting screw (8); and/or the shifting fork is a sheet metal part.

6. Clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that an end face of the adjusting screw (8) facing the clutch guide surface (601) is formed with a mounting groove, in which a sphere (802) for contacting the clutch guide surface (601) is fixed.

7. Clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a housing (1), said brake disc (14) being mounted inside said housing (1); the deflector rod (6) is pivoted on the shell (1) and can rotate in a horizontal plane around a shaft pin (22) parallel to the axial direction of the input shaft (11); the shifting fork device is pivoted on a bracket (2) fixed on the shell (1) and can perform lever motion in a vertical plane around a shifting fork pin (21) perpendicular to the axial direction of the input shaft (11).

8. The clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the housing (1) is a cylindrical housing (1) with a bearing mounting hole (101) formed in the middle of the bottom end; the end face of the bottom end outer ring of the bearing (16) arranged in the bearing mounting hole (101) is flush with the end face of the bottom end of the shell (1), and the inner ring of the bearing (16) is fixedly connected with the input shaft sleeve (12); and/or a shifting fork device avoiding opening (104) is formed at the bottom edge of the shell (1) corresponding to the shifting fork device.

9. The clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the bracket (2) is fixed at a position of the housing (1) close to the fork device avoiding port (104), and a shaft pin positioning hole (201) is formed on the bracket (2) corresponding to the shaft pin (22); and/or the bracket (2) is a sheet metal part.

10. Clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to any of the claims 7-9, characterized in that the bottom end of the housing (1) is fixed with a first toothed disc (3), which first toothed disc (3) has a first clutch tooth portion (301); a second fluted disc (4) is coaxially fixed at the bottom end of the input shaft (11), and the second fluted disc (4) is provided with a second clutch tooth part (401); the clutch shaft sleeve (5) is in sliding connection with the input shaft sleeve (12) through a spline hole; a third clutch tooth part (501) which can be meshed with the first clutch tooth part (301) is formed on one side of the clutch shaft sleeve (5) facing the first fluted disc (3); a fourth clutch tooth part (502) which can be meshed with the second clutch tooth part (401) is formed on one side of the clutch shaft sleeve (5) facing the second fluted disc (4);

wherein, when the washing machine is in a washing working condition, the first clutch tooth part (301) is meshed with the third clutch tooth part (501), and the second clutch tooth part (401) is separated from the fourth clutch tooth part (502); when the washing machine is in a dewatering working condition, the second clutch gear part (401) is meshed with the fourth clutch gear part (502), and the first clutch gear part (301) is separated from the third clutch gear part (501).

11. The clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 10, wherein a positioning pin (302) and a mounting hole (303) are formed on one side of the first fluted disc (3) facing the housing (1) and corresponding to a positioning hole (102) and a threaded hole (103) at the bottom end of the housing (1), respectively, and a positioning boss (305) is formed on one side of the first fluted disc (3) facing away from the housing (1) and corresponding to the mounting hole (303); and/or, a reinforcing rib (306) is formed on one side of the first fluted disc (3) facing away from the shell (1) along the circumferential direction and the radial direction respectively; and/or a shifting fork device avoiding opening (304) is formed at the outer edge part of the first fluted disc (3) corresponding to the shifting fork device.

12. Clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 10, characterized in that a weight-reducing groove (503) is concentrically formed on the side of the clutch sleeve (5) facing the first toothed disc (3), and a clutch compression spring (26) is mounted in the weight-reducing groove (503).

13. The clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to claim 10, wherein teeth on the first clutch teeth portion (301), the second clutch teeth portion (401), the third clutch teeth portion (501) and the fourth clutch teeth portion (502) are stepped teeth to improve engagement strength of the teeth and reduce engagement noise of the teeth.

14. A washing machine comprising a clutch mechanism, characterized in that the clutch mechanism is a clutch mechanism of a washing machine according to any one of claims 1-13.