CN107923113B

CN107923113B - Washing machine with door area for avoiding damage to laundry

Info

Publication number: CN107923113B
Application number: CN201680049165.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: E·赖因瓦尔德
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2015-08-27
Filing date: 2016-07-29
Publication date: 2020-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2036-07-29
Also published as: DE102015216363A1; CN107923113A; EP3341517A1; WO2017032552A1; EP3341517B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a washing machine (1) having a machine housing (2), a lye container (4) received in the housing and received in an oscillatory motion relative to the housing and a washing drum (7) received in the lye container in a rotationally movable manner, which washing drum has a charging opening (8) aligned with the rotational axis (6) of the drum, which charging opening is surrounded by an opening (8 ') of the lye container, wherein the opening (8 ') of the lye container is aligned with a loading and unloading opening (3) in the housing, wherein the openings (8 '; 3) of the lye container are connected by a hose-like sealing ring (9) which permits oscillation compensation, while in the closed state of the door (13) a gap exists between a door frame (14, 14a, 14b) of the housing door (13) and an annular region (2a) surrounding the loading and unloading opening (3), wherein it is provided that the gap d₃′，d₃-is structured enlarged compared to the other areas of the gap, at least in the lower area.

Description

Washing machine with door area for avoiding damage to laundry

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a washing machine according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, a washer-dryer is also to be included.

Background

Recently, washing machines having a particularly high volume have become popular. At the same time, the washing machine has a large door opening, so that the difference in the diameter of the door opening relative to the diameter of the washing drum belonging to such a washing machine is relatively small. This results in the tendency for an operator to hang individual laundry outside or under the front side of the washing machine beyond the door opening when loading such washing machines. If the door of the washing machine is then closed, the laundry will be clamped between the inner wall region of the door frame and the opposite wall region of the housing of the washing machine, so that the laundry is damaged when the drum is put into operation.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine with a door region, by means of which damage to the laundry is avoided in a washing machine of the type mentioned at the outset.

This object is solved by its essential features in a laundry washing machine according to the preamble of claim 1 and improved by the claims referring to this claim.

That is to say, the invention relates to a washing machine having a machine housing, a lye container received in the housing and received in an oscillatory motion relative to the housing and a washing drum received in the lye container in an rotationally movable manner, which washing drum has a charging opening oriented in an, in particular rotationally symmetrical manner relative to the axis of rotation of the drum, which charging opening is surrounded by an opening of the lye container, wherein the opening of the lye container is aligned with a loading and unloading opening in the housing, wherein the opening of the lye container and the loading and unloading opening are connected by a hose-like sealing ring which permits oscillation compensation, while in the closed state of the door a gap, hereinafter also referred to as door gap, exists between a frame or door frame of the housing door and an annular region surrounding the loading and unloading opening at a slight distance therefrom, wherein provision is made for, the door gap is formed to be increased at least in a lower region compared to other regions of the door gap, i.e. the door gap is formed to be increased at least in the lower region compared to other regions of the door gap (d)₃′，d₃"to be used herein). The loading and unloading opening is arranged at the front side of the laundry washing machine, as is common in the case of so-called front-loading laundry washing machines having a substantially horizontal drum rotation axis or a drum rotation axis inclined with respect to the horizontal. The door gap, which occurs when the door of the front-loading washing machine is closed, has a lower region which is located at least below the horizontal centre line of the ring-shaped region surrounding the loading and unloading opening.

In other words, it is possible by means of the invention that when the drum movement is started, the laundry which, when the washing machine door is first not closed, hangs down and is still outside the region of the opening of the washing machine housing when the laundry drum is being filled, is also not exposed to the risk of damage after the door of the washing machine is closed. The trapping of the laundry is prevented by the measure according to the invention, which forms an increased gap in the lower part of the door when the door is in its closed state, which occurs when the measure according to the invention is not performed. In other words, it is thus also possible to correct the error when the washing machine is incorrectly loaded with laundry by the operator, without causing damage to the laundry.

In a first alternative, it is provided that the wall of the housing of the washing machine has an increasing distance from the inner wall region of the door frame in the lower region, and that this results in the formation of the increased gap. The lower region is understood as a region which, as previously mentioned, is located below an imaginary axis of the door of the washing machine. That is, the lower region may preferably be an angular range of, for example, 30 ° to 45 ° or a circle segment with respect to the imaginary axis.

According to a second alternative, it is provided that the inner wall region of the door frame is formed with a smaller thickness with respect to the lower region of the door than the outer wall region of the door frame and thus the formation of the increased gap is achieved. The first and second alternatives can also be used in combination, i.e. the increased gap is formed not only by the increased distance in the lower region but also by the reduced thickness of the door frame in the lower region.

In the washing machine according to the invention, it is preferably provided that, in the closed state of the door, the sealing lip comprised by the tubular sealing ring effects a sealing of the lye container with respect to the housing relative to the housing of a bullseye window received in the door frame, which has a truncated cone-shaped configuration, or the sealing lip and the housing of the bullseye window interact for sealing. So that no real sealing function is achieved between the door frame and the housing opening and the prerequisite for this is that in the region of the door opening there is a gap between the inner wall region of the door frame and the corresponding wall of the housing, which gap is present in particular in the lower region below the imaginary axis of the door of the washing machine in an enlarged manner according to the invention.

If laundry incorrectly introduced into the washing drum by an operator and hanging outside the loading opening is present, it is first held elastically by the sealing lip of the sealing ring when the door is closed. The laundry can be released when the drum rotates, in particular when it starts rotating, provided according to the invention that there is an increased configuration of the aforementioned gap, in particular in the region below the imaginary axis of the door.

The laundry is released in particular in that the laundry held stationary by the sealing lip is carried along by further laundry present in the washing drum and moving by rotation, whereby a pulling force acts on the held laundry in the direction of the interior of the washing drum. The increased gap in the lower region reduces the holding force acting on the laundry held or clamped in place, as a result of which the laundry can be drawn in significantly more easily. Preferably, the sealing lip is designed, in particular elastically, in such a way that the holding or clamping force additionally exerted by the sealing lip on the clamped items of laundry does not exceed a predetermined maximum value, as a result of which the items of laundry are released during rotation of the drum. Furthermore, the sealing lip preferably has a geometry which allows the clamped laundry to be pulled in. The geometry is designed to be as smooth as possible and without additional edges, on which clamped items of laundry can get stuck.

The washing machine according to the invention is furthermore controlled by a control device which is comprised by the washing machine, the rotary movement of the drum being performed by the drive device, and the controlled liquid feed and discharge of the liquid in the lye container with partial dosing of the detergent being performed by the liquid feed and discharge device and the dosing device and the heating device.

Thus, the washing program may be executed and triggered in response to any operator influence on the input and display interface. If, in addition, a sensor is also provided in the region of the door gap, said sensor interacts in a suitable manner with the control device and is designed to detect the laundry present in the door gap when the door is closed, as a result of which it is possible for laundry which, in particular, at the beginning of rotation of the drum, would otherwise be indicated as being unable to be drawn in to be identified. The sensor preferably cooperates with the control device in such a way that a pull-in movement of the laundry into the interior of the washing machine can be detected. If the sensor detects the presence of laundry in the region of the door gap after a predetermined time duration from the beginning of the rotation of the drum in time, in particular from the beginning of the rotational movement of the drum during the washing process, the laundry is regarded as being unable to be pulled back, for example. Accordingly, the pull-back movement can be detected by detecting the presence of laundry in the region of the door gap before the drum rotates and determining that no more laundry is present in the region of the door gap within a predetermined time duration from the start of the rotation. Preferably, the sensor is arranged in the region of the enlarged gap, whereby the laundry present in the enlarged gap can be detected.

Preferably, the interruption of the operating program is triggered by the control device when the presence of laundry is detected by the sensor and this is displayed to the operator via the input and display interface. The interruption is also referred to as an emergency stop with program interruption.

Furthermore, the sensor can be designed to detect a movement of the laundry. In this case, the control device can preferably trigger the interruption of the operating program if a sensor detects that the drum, in particular when it starts to rotate, indicates that the laundry cannot be pulled in, i.e. if the presence of laundry is still detected after the end of the predetermined time duration since the start of rotation or from the aforementioned sensor interrogation.

The sensor can use a tactile sensor, a distance sensor, or a force sensor.

In general, the invention is also determined on the basis of the claims recited at the end of the following description of embodiments, and it should therefore be established that the chain of references of the first dependent claims with respect to the preceding independent claims is not to be regarded as being limited to the principles described in their entirety, other combinations of features also being indicated as being suitable and practicable by a person skilled in the art.

Drawings

The invention will be explained more precisely below, schematically, on the basis of an embodiment shown in the drawing. The preferred embodiment of the laundry treatment appliance is shown here as a washing machine. The views of the drawings are first shown in brief. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a schematic and perspective front view of the main components of a typical washing machine, with a corresponding front door shown in a partially exploded view,

fig. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the laundry washing machine according to fig. 1, said partial cross-sectional view being directed substantially towards the area of the loading and unloading opening with the corresponding door,

fig. 3 shows a view simplified with respect to fig. 2, which is also reserved in the section for explaining the inventive problem and the belonging solution,

figure 3a illustrates the inventive problem with laundry,

FIG. 3b shows a first solution to the problem, and

figure 3c shows a second solution to the problem of the invention,

fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a device in which the control device is integrated into a washing machine which is constructed according to the invention, in particular in the region of the door, with an additional monitoring device.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a washing machine with the main components, with the front door (13 in the following) supplemented by a partially exploded view, as far as the present invention is concerned. The washing machine 1 comprises a machine housing 2 which has a loading and unloading opening 3 on the front side, which can be closed by a door 13 having a door frame 14, mostly also a decorative frame 16 and a porthole (viewing window) 15. The door 13 with the door frame is connected to the housing 2 on the left or on the right by means of a hinge (not shown). The closed position of the door 13 may be fixed by a door lock (not shown). The housing 2 receives a lye container 4 in the interior space, which lye container together with other devices assigned to the lye container is supported in the machine housing 2 in an oscillating manner by means of a spring element 5. But can also be suspended by other kinds of spring elements (not shown) and supported by damping elements. The lye container 4 is in turn in particular provided with a washing drum 7 which is mounted so as to be rotatable about the axis of rotation 6 and is furthermore aligned with the loading opening 8 in the direction of the loading and unloading opening 3 of the machine housing, so that loading of laundry into the washing drum or removal of laundry from the washing drum 7 from the front side of the machine housing 2 can be achieved when the door 13 is open.

The washing machine 1 to be considered within the scope of the invention has a diameter d of the loading opening 8 with respect to the other washing machines known to most users₂Which is not too much smaller than the diameter d of the washing drum 7₁. Furthermore, the filling volume or the maximum standard filling weight of the washing machine 1 is greater than, for example, a filling weight of 5.0 to 5.5kg in the case of washing machines known to the user. In the present invention, the diameter d of the washing drum 7₁And the diameter d of the charging opening 8₂The difference in (c) may be 50mm to 100 mm. A user 18 (see fig. 3) of the washing machine 1 is oriented from above with respect to the charging opening 8.

Due to the vibrating suspension of the lye container 4, it is necessary to compensate the lye container 4 for the position of the charging opening 8 with respect to the housing 2, in particular the loading and unloading opening 3. For this purpose, a sealing ring 9 is used, which is designed as a hollow cylinder and connects the two openings 3 and 8 to one another in a liquid-tight manner, so that no liquid or lye from the interior of the lye container can reach the machine housing.

From FIG. 2, a more detailed view of the sealing ring 9 is known, which also shows the entire area of the door 13 and the loading and unloading opening 3 as well as the loading opening 8 (diameter d) of the drum 7 or of the lye container 4 surrounding the drum₂) The lye container has an opening 8' which is almost the same size as the charging opening. In the view of fig. 2, the door 13 is closed. The sealing ring 9 has a Z-shaped area 12 for enabling compensation of the position between the openings 3 and 8'. Furthermore, the sealing ring 9 is received in a first connection region 9a with respect to the lye container 4 and in a second connection region 9b with respect to the machine housing 2. The connecting

regions

9a and 9b substantially define the openings 8' and 3 (viewed close to the axis respectively)In the case of the end of a wire). It is also particularly important that the door frame 14 of the door 13 does not seal against the housing 2 in the closed state, but rather that the bullseye 15, which is embodied in the form of a truncated cone and is arranged in the door frame 14, performs a sealing function at its wall region 15a with respect to the sealing lip 10 of the sealing ring 9. The sealing lip 10 is furthermore elastic and has a region 11 which is advantageous for allowing objects, for example laundry, to enter easily with respect to the interior of the drum, but is not removed so easily, since the lip region 10 then acts as a barrier. The door frame 14, which, as already mentioned, receives the porthole 15 in a positionally fixed manner, is also surrounded by a decorative frame 16, which itself does not function in relation to the washing machine 1. It is also noted that the corresponding inner wall region 14a of the door frame 14 opposite the housing wall 2a has a distance d₃And thereby forming a gap d₃The spacing is constant at least in a conventional manner with respect to the inner wall region 14a and the entire circumference of the annular configuration of the housing 2 a.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation corresponding to fig. 2 and only for the door region. The reference numerals already adopted by the description of fig. 2 are introduced.

Fig. 3a shows a further schematic representation from fig. 3. Only the lower part of the door area starting from the imaginary axis 19 of the door 13 is shown here, since this area is of particular interest for the problem according to the invention. The laundry 17 is therefore additionally shown in relation to fig. 3, which is formed by the diameter d of the loading opening 8 of the washing drum 7₂Diameter d of washing drum₁Is decisively indicative of how the laundry 17 is present with a certain probability, i.e. it does not enter the interior of the drum. The laundry is elastically pressed against the wall 15a of the bullseye window 15 at the seal lip 10 of the seal ring. However, because in the region of the door gap between the wall 2a of the machine housing 2 and the inner wall region 14a of the door frame 14 only a small distance d is provided₃Or corresponding gaps, not only multiple turns of the laundry 17 occur but also a small distance d₃Or the gap itself with a small width causes the laundry 17 to be caught, the drawing-in of the laundry 17 into the interior of the drum 7 cannot be achieved when the drum 7 starts to rotate. Washing 17 quiltAnd (6) tearing. The almost immediate emergency stop of the washing drum 7 can then no longer be used.

According to the invention, a remedy is shown in fig. 3b and is explained below. The wall 2 a' of the machine housing 2 is held at a greater distance d from the inner wall region 14a of the door frame 14₃' i.e., has a large gap, so that the laundry 17 hanging on the outside is not caught. In this case, a smaller distance d is formed in the rotation angle range (at least partially below the imaginary axis) determined with respect to the imaginary axis 19 of the door 13 at the discretion of the person skilled in the art₃Large distance d₃', wherein the sealing function is present only in the region of the sealing lip 10 and the wall 15a of the bullseye window 15. The sensor 31 arranged in the region of the wall 2 a' is also explained below.

An additional remedy is shown in fig. 3 c. In this alternative, the wall 2a of the machine housing 2 is also unchanged as shown in fig. 3 and 3 a. Approximately also corresponding to the distance d discussed above₃Larger spacing d of `₃"or the gap" is obtained by bringing the inner wall area 14 a' in a corresponding spaced-apart proximity with respect to the outer wall area 14b connected to the decorative frame 16. Thereby forming a larger spacing d₃"or a gap. Such an approach, at the discretion of the person skilled in the art, to the correct distance of the inner wall region 14 a' relative to the decorative frame 16 is effected only in the region of the angle of rotation determined with respect to the imaginary axis 19 of the door 13 (at least partially below said imaginary axis). Furthermore, it is also possible to dispense with a larger distance in relation to the trim frame 16 in the outer region (i.e. 14c) of the door frame 14, if this also leads to sufficient stability, which can be determined by the person skilled in the art on an individual basis. The sensor 31, which can be mounted in the region of the wall 2a, is also explained below.

It is further shown by way of fig. 4 according to a schematic block diagram how the control device 30 can be constructed in conjunction with the device (explained below) of the washing machine 1, wherein the door region constructed according to the invention is further constructed with additional monitoring devices.

The control device 30 is responsible for the program sequence of the washing machine 1, to be precise taking over on the basis of input at the input or operating interface 25, which is optionally influenced by the operator 18. The drum 7, which is surrounded by the lye container, is a treatment space for the incoming laundry (see 17), inside which the laundry is treated under the influence of chemicals (detergent dissolved in liquid), motion and heat. The usual sensors of the treatment space are connected to a control device 30 via a bidirectional bus 26. The control device 30 acts on devices such as the drive device 20, the liquid feed and discharge device 21, the dosing device 22 for dosing detergent, and the heating device 23 for increasing the temperature of the liquid, for example the lye in the treatment spaces 4, 7, so that the program process can be carried out as required, wherein the mentioned devices are controlled by the control device 30 according to the program sequence, taking into account the data exchange via the bus 26. After the program is input through the operation interface 25, the program is also started through the operation interface 25. The start-up is usually not performed when the operator adds laundry to the drum 7 or the treatment space.

The sensor 31 is at an increased clearance d according to the invention₃' or d₃"in the area of the housing wall 2 a' or 2a according to the preferred embodiment, the sensor is able to recognize the presence of the laundry 17 and the change in position of the laundry. For example, an infrared emitter 31a and a reflection receiver 31b belong to the sensor 31. The sensor may also use multiple radiation emitters and receivers.

Due to the increased clearance d constructed according to the invention₃' or d₃Needless to say, the detection of the laundry 17 hanging outside by the sensor 31 at the start of the washing machine necessarily results in an emergency stop of the drum 7, since through the increased gap d₃' or d₃"to achieve a high probability of pulling the laundry 17 inside the drum 7 without damaging the laundry 17. Experiments have shown that this is the case with 97 to 99 events out of 100. However, in order to exclude the disadvantageous relatively unlikely event and damage to the laundry 17, the sensor 31 is operated by the control device in such a way that a movement of the laundry 17 is detected, i.e. the laundry is finally pulled into the washInside the clothes machine. By means of a multiple arrangement of radiation emitters and reflection receivers, it is possible, taking into account most computer-designed control devices, to include a device designed to detect the presence of items of laundry at the sensor 31, in particular at the gap d₃' or d₃"and/or identify the net or fabric structure of the laundry 17 and thus the movement of said laundry. The movement of the laundry 17 can also be determined by repeated detection, wherein a movement can be inferred if, after the first detection of the laundry 17, the previously detected laundry is not present when repeated detection is determined. Then an emergency stop need not be triggered. Through an increased clearance d₃' or d₃"in a simple manner, results in the correction of the wrongly added laundry 17, i.e. in the pulling of said laundry inside the washing machine without time loss. Only when it is detected that the laundry 17 is not moving inward toward the interior of the washing machine, an emergency stop of the washing machine is triggered and the operator 18 can be requested, in particular by means of a display flashing in the operating and display area 25 if necessary, to replace the laundry in the washing machine or the drum 7 of the washing machine in an orderly manner, wherein the locking of the door 13 previously performed is released by the control device 30. Other operation instructions that meet the purpose can be set by the operator 18 through the operation and display area 25.

List of reference numerals

1 washing machine

2 machine housing

2a wall of the housing (door zone)

3 Loading and unloading opening (door open)

4 lye container

5 spring element

6 axis of rotation

7 washing drum

8 (7) charging opening

8' (of 4) opening

9 sealing ring

9a first connection region of the sealing ring (lye container)

9b second connection zone of sealing ring (wall of door zone)

109 sealing lip

11 region of the sealing lip

12Z-shaped area

13 door

14 door frame

14a 14 inner wall area

14b 14 outer wall (in decorative frame)

14c 14a partial region

15 bull's eye window

15a wall of bullseye window

16 decorative frame

17 washing article

18 operator

19 (13) imaginary axis

20 drive device

21 input and output device

22 dosing device

23 heating device

25 input interface

30 control device

31 sensor

31a ray emitter

31b ray receiver

d₁Diameter of the washing drum

d₂Diameter of the charging opening

d₃Distance between 14a and 2a

Claims

1. Washing machine (1) having a machine housing (2), a lye container (4) received in the housing and received vibrationally movably relative to the housing, a washing drum (7) received rotatably movably in the lye container, the washing drum having a charging opening (8) aligned with a rotational axis (6) of the washing drum, which charging opening is surrounded by an opening (8 ') of the lye container, wherein the opening (8 ') of the lye container is aligned with a loading and unloading opening (3) in the housing, wherein the opening (8 ') of the lye container and the loading and unloading opening (3) are connected by a hose-like sealing ring (9) allowing vibration compensation, while in the closed state of the door (13) in an inner wall region of a door frame (14, 14a) of the housing door (13) and in an inner wall region of the housing, A door gap is present between annular regions (2a) surrounding the loading and unloading opening (3), wherein the sealing ring (9) comprises a sealing lip (10) which, in the closed state of the door (13), interacts with a housing (15a) of a porthole (15) received in the door frame (14) for sealing the lye container (4) with respect to the housing (2), the porthole having a truncated cone-shaped configuration,

characterized in that the door gap is designed, at least in a lower region, as an increased gap (d) compared to other regions of the door gap₃′，d₃-wherein the sealing lip (10) is elastically configured such that the laundry (17) clamped when the door (13) is closed is released when the drum (7) is rotated, wherein the holding or clamping force by the sealing lip on the clamped laundry does not exceed a predetermined maximum value.

2. Laundry washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower region is a region located below a horizontal centre line (19) of an annular region surrounding the loading and unloading opening (3).

3. Laundry washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wall (2a) of the casing (2) has an increased spacing in the lower region from the inner wall region (14a) of the door frame (14), the increased gap (d) being formed by the increased spacing₃′)。

4. Laundry washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner wall area (14a) of the door frame (14) is configured with a smaller thickness with respect to the lower area of the door (13) with respect to the outer wall area (14b) of the door frame, by which the increased gap (d) is formed₃〞)。

5. Laundry washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a control device (30) and a sensor (31) interacting with the control device (30), which is configured for detecting laundry (17) present in the door gap when the door (13) is closed and is arranged in the region of the door gap.

6. Washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the control device (30) is configured for interrupting an operating program, wherein such interruption can only be triggered by the control device (30) if the presence of the laundry (17) is detected by the sensor (31).

7. Laundry washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensor (31) is configured for detecting the movement of the laundry (17).

8. Laundry washing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the control device (30) is configured for interrupting the operating program, wherein such interruption can be triggered by the control device (30) only if it is detected by the sensor (31) that the laundry (17) cannot be pulled in when the drum (7) is rotating.

9. Laundry washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensor (31) is configured as a tactile sensor, a distance sensor or a force sensor.

10. Laundry washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing lip (10) is elastically configured such that the laundry (17) clamped when the door (13) is closed is released when the drum (7) starts to rotate.

11. Laundry washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensor is configured for detecting the presence of the increase when the door (13) is closedGap (d) of₃′，d₃") and is arranged in said increased gap (d)₃′，d₃"in the region of (c).

12. Laundry washing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that such interruption can be triggered by the control device (30) only when it is detected by the sensor (31) that the laundry (17) cannot be pulled in at the beginning of the rotation of the drum (7).