CN114395899A

CN114395899A - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN114395899A
Application number: CN202210041428.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李云龙; 徐然然; 赵波
Original assignee: TCL Home Appliances Hefei Co Ltd
Current assignee: TCL Home Appliances Hefei Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-01-14
Filing date: 2022-01-14
Publication date: 2022-04-26

Abstract

The present application provides a washing machine, comprising: the washing machine comprises a washing machine body, a disk seat and a control device, wherein the disk seat comprises an edge part positioned at the top, the edge part is arranged in a direction vertical to the height direction of the washing machine, and a through hole penetrating through the edge part along the thickness direction is formed in the side edge of the edge part; the door cover is rotatably connected with the edge part, so that the door cover can rotate relative to the disk seat to open or close the washing machine; and the hinge assembly comprises a hinge body, the hinge body is arranged in the through hole in a penetrating manner, one end of the hinge body is positioned on one side of the edge part facing the door cover and is fixedly connected with the door cover, the other end of the hinge body is positioned on one side of the edge part back to the door cover and is rotatably connected with the disk seat, and the hinge assembly and the door cover rotate relative to the disk seat by taking the other end of the hinge body as a rotation center. The utility model provides a washing machine sets up in the border portion below of dish seat through the rotation center with hinge subassembly and door closure to all can hide in the border portion below of dish seat for the pivot support or the attenuator of fixed hinge subassembly, improved impeller washing machine's the outward appearance of dish seat.

Description

Washing machine

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of fabric processing, and particularly relates to a washing machine.

Background

With the development of economic level, the washing machine gradually becomes a standard household appliance in daily life. Washing machines are roughly classified into pulsator washing machines and drum washing machines according to their operating principles. Among them, the pulsator washing machine is popular with consumers due to its strong cleaning ability.

The pulsator washing machine generally includes a body, a tray provided at a top of the body, and a door rotatably coupled to the tray. The disk seat and the door cover are connected through a door hinge structure to realize the opening and closing functions of the door cover. The pivot center of the hinge structure on the market at present designs the top at the fixed corresponding face of disk seat mostly, and the drawback of this kind of structure is: the upper surface of the disk seat needs to be provided with a rotating shaft bracket or a damper to fix the bracket, and the door cover can expose the part of the structure in an open state to influence the appearance of a product.

Therefore, there is a need for a new washing machine to solve the above technical problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a washing machine, can improve the outward appearance of impeller washing machine's disk seat.

The embodiment of the application provides a washing machine, its characterized in that includes:

the washing machine comprises a washing machine body, a disc seat and a handle, wherein the washing machine body is provided with a washing machine body, the disc seat comprises an edge part positioned at the top, the edge part is perpendicular to the height direction of the washing machine body, and a through hole penetrating through the edge part along the thickness direction is formed in the side edge of the edge part;

the door cover is rotatably connected with the edge part, so that the door cover can rotate relative to the tray seat to open or close the washing machine; and

the hinge assembly comprises a hinge body, the hinge body is arranged in the through hole in a penetrating mode, one end of the hinge body is located on one side, facing the door cover, of the edge portion and is fixedly connected with the door cover, the other end of the hinge body is located on one side, back to the door cover, of the edge portion and is rotatably connected with the disc seat, and the hinge assembly and the door cover rotate relative to the disc seat by taking the other end of the hinge body as a rotation center.

Optionally, the border portion dorsad the one side of door closure is provided with connection structure, the hinge body includes:

the first section is arranged on one side, back to the door cover, of the edge part, and one end of the first section is rotatably connected with the connecting structure;

the second section is arranged on one side, facing the door cover, of the edge part and is fixedly connected with the door cover; and

the third section penetrates through the through hole, one end of the third section is fixedly connected with the second section, the other end of the third section is fixedly connected with the other end of the first section, the third section is arranged straightly, and an included angle between the third section and the second section is an obtuse angle and an included angle between the third section and the first section is an acute angle; or the third section is arranged in a bending way, and the third section is bent back to the second section and bent towards the first section.

Optionally, the third section is arranged in a curved manner, an axis of the third section is an arc, and an axis of the first section and an axis of the second section are respectively parallel to a radius of the axis of the third section.

Optionally, a blind hole or a through hole is formed in one end of the first section connected with the connecting structure, the axial direction of the blind hole or the through hole is perpendicular to the plane where the axes of the first section, the second section and the third section are located, and one end of the connecting structure penetrates through the blind hole or the through hole.

Optionally, a groove extending from a joint of the third section and the second section to at least a joint of the third section and the first section is formed in one surface of the hinge body, which faces away from the door cover, and the groove is used for a wire to penetrate through.

Optionally, a connection portion of the second section and the third section is provided with a window penetrating through the second section in the thickness direction, the window is communicated with the groove, and the window is used for a wire in the groove to pass through.

Optionally, the hinge assembly further comprises:

and the hinge cover plate is covered on the notch of the groove and used for shielding the groove and the lead in the groove.

Optionally, the free end of second section is provided with first joint structure, the door closure orientation the one side of second section is provided with second joint structure, first joint structure with second joint structure cooperatees, with the joint the second section with the door closure.

Optionally, the second section is provided with a counter bore, and the counter bore is used for a fastener to pass through to fixedly connect the second section and the door cover.

Optionally, the hinge assembly further comprises:

and the counter bore cover plate is covered on the counter bore and is used for shielding the counter bore and the fastening piece in the counter bore.

In the washing machine that this application embodiment provided, the disk seat has the border portion that is located top and perpendicular to washing machine's direction of height setting, the through-hole that runs through it along the thickness direction is seted up to the border portion side, wear to locate in the through-hole through the hinge body with the hinge subassembly, and make hinge body one end be located one side of border portion towards the door closure and with door closure fixed connection, the other end is located one side of border portion dorsad door closure and with disk seat rotatable coupling, can make the door closure rotate around the relative disk seat of the other end of hinge body together with the hinge subassembly, then the rotatory center of hinge subassembly and door closure is located the border portion below of disk seat, a pivot support or attenuator for fixing the hinge subassembly all can set up in the border portion below of disk seat, also can not expose this partial structure under the condition that the door closure is opened, the outward appearance of impeller washing machine's disk seat has been improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. In the following description, like reference numerals denote like parts. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and that other drawings can be derived from these drawings by a person skilled in the art without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a first structural view of a seat and a door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a second structural view of a seat and a door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a third structural view of a seat and a door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fourth structural view of a seat and a door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of the tray in the tray and the door shown in fig. 2 to 5.

Fig. 7 is a structural schematic view of a hinge assembly in the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the hinge assembly shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a structural view of a hinge body in the hinge assembly shown in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the hinge body shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of a door cover of the tray and the door cover shown in fig. 2 to 5.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely exemplary of some, and not all, of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the application provides a washing machine to improve the outward appearance of impeller washing machine's disk seat. The following description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The washing machine 100 may include a body 10, a tray 20, and a door cover 30. Wherein, the door 30 is rotatably connected with the tray 20 such that the door 30 can rotate relative to the tray 20 to open or close the washing machine 100; the tray 20 is fixedly arranged on the top of the machine body 10, and the control circuit and the control keys of the washing machine 100 can be integrated on the tray 20; a tub 101 is provided in the body 10, and the tub 101 accommodates laundry. When the user pulls up the door 30 to rotate the door 30 relative to the seat 20 to open the washing machine 100, the washing tub 101 is exposed, and the user can place laundry into the washing tub 101 or take out the washed laundry from the washing tub 101; when the user pulls down the door 30 to rotate the door 30 relative to the seat 20 to close the washing machine 100, the washing tub 101 is hidden, and the user can operate the control button on the seat 20 to control the washing machine 100 to wash the laundry in the washing tub 101.

It should be noted that the control circuit and the control keys of the washing machine 100 may also be disposed on the door 30, and a part of the control circuit and the control keys of the washing machine 100 may also be disposed on the door 30 and another part of the control circuit and the control keys may also be disposed on the tray 20.

Referring to fig. 2 to 5, fig. 2 is a first structural schematic view of a tray and a door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1, fig. 3 is a second structural schematic view of the tray and the door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1, fig. 4 is a third structural schematic view of the tray and the door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1, and fig. 5 is a fourth structural schematic view of the tray and the door of the washing machine shown in fig. 1. The washing machine 100 may further include a hinge assembly 40, the hinge assembly 40 for connecting the door cover 30 with the tray 20.

The tray 20 may include a main body portion 21 and a rim portion 22. The edge portion 22 is disposed on the top of the tray 20, the main body portion 21 is disposed on the bottom of the tray 20, and the main body portion 21 and the edge portion 22 are fixedly connected or integrally formed. The main body 21 is used for transitionally connecting the disk seat 20 and the body 10. The main body 21 may be a cylinder whose axial direction is parallel to the height direction of the washing machine 100, the aperture of the main body 21 gradually decreases along the direction from the top of the washing machine 100 to the bottom of the washing machine 100, and the aperture of the end of the main body 21 close to the edge 22 is the largest and the aperture of the end far from the edge 22 is the smallest. The rim 22 is used to rotatably connect the tray 20 and the door 30. The rim portion 22 is disposed perpendicular to the height direction of the washing machine 100 such that the rim portion 22 is horizontal.

The edge 22 may be circular or elliptical, the edge 22 may also be square or rectangular, and the edge 22 may also be polygonal. In the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the tray 20 is described by taking the square edge portion 22 as an example, but the specific shape of the edge portion 22 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The edge portion 22 has four side edges connected in sequence, and a through hole 220 is opened at one side edge of the edge portion 22. The through hole 220 penetrates the edge portion 22 along the thickness direction of the edge portion 22, and the through hole 220 is disposed near the side edge of the edge portion 22. The number of the through holes 220 may be one, two, or more.

The door 30 is rotatably coupled to the rim portion 22 of the tray 20 such that the door 30 can rotate relative to the tray 20 to open or close the washing machine 100. The shape of the door 30 may be the same as the shape of the edge 22, or the shape of the door 30 may be different from the shape of the edge 22; the door 30 may have the same size as the rim 22, or the door 30 may have a different size from the rim 22. The present embodiment is not limited to the specific shape and the specific size of the door 30, but it should be noted that, when the door 30 is covered on the rim portion 22, the door 30 can completely cover the main body portion 21 at least in the height direction of the washing machine 100, so as to ensure that the door 30 can completely cover the washing tub 101.

The hinge assembly 40 may include a hinge body 41. The hinge body 41 is disposed through the through hole 220, such that one end of the hinge body 41 is located at a side of the edge portion 22 facing the door cover 30 (i.e., above the edge portion 22), and the other end is located at a side of the edge portion 22 facing away from the door cover 30 (i.e., below the edge portion 22). One end of the hinge body 41 above the edge portion 22 is fixedly connected with the door 30, and one end of the hinge body 41 below the edge portion 22 is rotatably connected with the tray 20, so as to rotatably connect the door 30 with the tray 20. The hinge assembly 40 is rotatable relative to the tray 20 about an end of the hinge body 41 on a side of the rim 22 facing away from the door 30, so that the door 30 is rotatable relative to the tray 20 about an end of the hinge body 41 below the rim 22 as a rotation center.

It should be noted that a washing machine 100 may include one, two or more hinge assemblies 40, but one hinge assembly 40 includes only one hinge body 41, and only one hinge body 41 is inserted into one through hole 220. Therefore, the number of the through holes 220, the hinge assembly 40, and the hinge body 41 is the same.

In the washing machine 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the tray 20 has the edge 22 located at the top and perpendicular to the height direction of the washing machine 100, the side of the edge 22 is provided with the through hole 220 penetrating through the through hole in the thickness direction, the hinge body 41 is inserted into the through hole 220, one end of the hinge body 41 is located at one side of the edge 22 facing the door cover 30 and fixedly connected with the door cover 30, the other end of the hinge body is located at one side of the edge 22 opposite to the door cover 30 and rotatably connected with the tray 20, the door cover 30 can rotate around the other end of the hinge body 41 relative to the tray 20 together with the hinge assembly 40, the rotation center of the hinge assembly 40 and the door cover 30 is located below the edge 22 of the tray 20, the rotation shaft bracket or the damper for fixing the hinge assembly 40 can be located below the edge 22, and the hinge assembly 40 can not be exposed under the condition that the door cover 30 is opened, the appearance of the tray seat of the pulsator washing machine is improved.

Referring to fig. 6 to 9, fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a tray seat and a tray seat in a door cover shown in fig. 2 to 5, fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a hinge assembly in the washing machine shown in fig. 1, fig. 8 is an exploded structural view of the hinge assembly shown in fig. 7, and fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a hinge body in the hinge assembly shown in fig. 8. A connecting structure 23 is disposed on a side of the edge portion 22 facing away from the door cover 30, and the connecting structure 23 is used for rotatably connecting the hinge assembly 40, so as to rotatably connect the door cover 30 with the base 20. Hinge assembly 40 may include, in addition to hinge body 41, a hinge cover plate 42 and a counter bored cover plate 43. Wherein, the counter bore cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 are both covered on the hinge body 41.

The hinge body 41 may include a first section 411, a second section 412, and a third section 413. Wherein, the first section 411 is disposed on a side of the edge portion 22 opposite to the door cover 30, and one end of the first section 411 is rotatably connected to the connecting structure 23; the second section 412 is arranged on one side of the edge part 22 facing the door cover 30, and the second section 412 is fixedly connected with the door cover 30; the third segment 413 is disposed in the through hole 220 of the edge portion 22, and one end of the third segment 413 is fixedly connected to the second segment 412, and the other end is fixedly connected to the other end of the first segment 411.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" and "third" in the description of the present application are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated.

In some embodiments, the third segment 413 is straight, and the included angle between the third segment 413 and the second segment 412 is an obtuse angle, and the included angle between the third segment 413 and the first segment 411 is an acute angle.

In other embodiments, the third segment 413 is disposed in a curved manner, and the third segment 413 is bent away from the second segment 412 and the third segment 413 is bent toward the first segment 411.

In the embodiment of the present application, the third segment 413 is disposed in a curved manner, and the axis of the third segment 413 is a circular arc, and the axis of the first segment 411 and the axis of the second segment 412 are each parallel to a radius of the axis of the third segment 413. Wherein the axis of the first segment 411 is itself a radius of the axis of the third segment 413. That is, the end of the first segment 411 away from the third segment 413 is the center of the axis of the third segment 413.

By setting the axis of the third segment 413 to be an arc and setting the end of the first segment 411 far from the third segment 413 to the center of the axis of the third segment 413, the distance from any point on the third segment 413 to the rotation center (the end of the first segment 411 far from the third segment 413) can be kept equal, and the distance between the door cover 30 and the rotation center can be kept unchanged in the rotation process of the hinge assembly 40, so that the door cover 30 is prevented from fluctuating up and down in the opening and closing process, and the opening and closing process of the door cover 30 is stable.

When the door 30 is rotated to completely close the washing machine 100, the first segment 411 is inclined or perpendicular to the rim 22, the second segment 412 is parallel to the rim 22, a part of the third segment 413 is located on a side of the rim 22 facing away from the door 30, and another part is located in the through hole 220.

When the door 30 is rotated to partially close/open the washing machine 100, the first segment 411 and the second segment 412 are both inclined to the rim 22, and a portion of the third segment 413 is located on a side of the rim 22 facing away from the door 30, a portion is located in the through hole 220, and another portion is located on a side of the rim 22 facing the door 30.

When the door 30 is rotated to fully open the washing machine 100, the first section 411 is parallel to the rim 22, the second section 412 is inclined or perpendicular to the rim 22, and a portion of the third section 413 is located in the through hole 220 and another portion is located on a side of the rim 22 facing the door 30.

It should be noted that, during the rotation of the door 30, the angle of the door 30 rotatable relative to the tray 20 is the same as the central angle corresponding to the axis of the third segment 413. Such as: when the central angle corresponding to the axis of the third segment 413 is 90 °, the first segment 411 is perpendicular to the second segment 412, and when one of the first segment 411 and the second segment 412 is parallel to the edge 22, the other is necessarily perpendicular to the edge 22; when the central angle corresponding to the axis of the third segment 413 is greater than or less than 90 °, the first segment 411 and the second segment 412 are inclined, and when one of the first segment 411 and the second segment 412 is parallel to the edge 22, the other one is necessarily inclined to the edge 22. It is understood that, in order to avoid that the door 30 is held by the user to prevent the door 30 from falling when the door 30 fully opens the washing machine 100, the central angle corresponding to the axis of the third section 413 should be not less than 90 °, the included angle between the door 30 and the tray 20 when the door 30 fully opens the washing machine 100 should be not less than 90 °, and the door 30 will not fall even if the user does not hold the door 30 by the user. Of course, it is also possible to prevent the door 30 from falling down due to gravity after the washing machine 100 is opened by providing a damper at the junction of the hinge body 41 and the rim 22.

Please continue to refer to fig. 9. A hole 4110 is formed in one end, away from the third section 413, of the first section 411, where the hole 4110 may be a blind hole, and the hole 4110 may also be a through hole. The axial direction of the hole 4110 is perpendicular to the plane of the axes of the first section 411, the second section 412 and the third section 413. In other words, the axial direction of the hole 4110 is parallel to the width direction of the first section 411. One end of the connecting structure 23 is disposed through the hole 4110 so that the first section 411 is rotatably connected to the connecting structure 23.

In some embodiments, the door 30 of the washing machine 100 is provided with a display screen or other electronic components, and the washing machine 100 needs to be wired from the body 10 or the base 20 to the inside of the door 30. The hinge body 41 has a groove 410 on a surface facing away from the door 30, and the groove 410 is used for a wire to pass through. In order to ensure that the wires are always located in the groove 410 during the rotation of the door 30 and are not placed outside the hinge assembly 40, the groove 410 needs to extend from the connection between the third segment 413 and the second segment 412 to at least the connection between the third segment 413 and the first segment 411. Correspondingly, the connecting portion of the second section 412 and the third section 413 is provided with a window 4121 penetrating through the second section 412 along the thickness direction, and the window 4121 is communicated with the groove 410, so that the lead in the groove 410 can pass through the window 4121 and enter the door cover 30.

The hinged cover plate 42 covers the notches of the grooves 410 to shield the grooves 410 and the wires in the grooves 410. The side of the hinge cover plate 42 facing away from the hinge body 41 is flush with the side of the hinge body 41 facing away from the door 30, so that the hinge assembly 40 is more aesthetically pleasing overall. The shape of the hinge cover 42 is consistent with the shape of the portion of the hinge body 41 where the groove 410 is disposed. If the groove 410 extends from the junction of the third segment 413 and the second segment 412 to the junction of the third segment 413 and the first segment 411, the shape of the hinged cover plate 42 is a circular arc as the shape of the axis of the third segment 413; if the groove 410 extends from the junction of the third segment 413 and the second segment 412 to the first segment 411, the shape of the hinged cover plate 42 is consistent with the shape of the axis of the third segment 413 plus the axis of the first segment 411, and is a circular arc plus a line segment bent along the radius direction of the circular arc and connected to the end of the circular arc.

Referring to fig. 10 to 11, fig. 10 is a side view of the hinge body shown in fig. 9, and fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of a door cover of the disc seat and the door cover shown in fig. 2 to 5. The free end of the second section 412 of the hinge body 41 is provided with a first clamping structure 4122, one surface of the door cover 30 facing the second section 412 is provided with a second clamping structure 31, and the first clamping structure 4122 is matched with the second clamping structure 31 to clamp the second section 412 and the door cover 30.

In order to enhance the connection strength between the second section 412 and the door cover 30, the second section 412 is further provided with a counter bore 4123. Counterbores 4123 are provided for passage of fasteners to fixedly connect the second section 412 to the door cover 30. For example, screws may be used through the counterbores 4123 to screw the second section 412 with the door cover 30.

It should be noted that the manner of fixedly connecting the second section 412 and the door cover 30 is not limited to the screw connection, and other manners may also be adopted. For example, glue may be applied to the side of the second section 412 facing the door 30 to bond the second section 412 to the door 30. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific manner of fixedly connecting the second segment 412 and the door cover 30.

Please continue to refer to fig. 7 to fig. 9. The counterbore cover plate 43 caps the counterbore 4123 to shield the counterbore 4123 and the screws within the counterbore 4123. The side of the counter bored cover plate 43 facing away from the second section 412 is flush with the side of the second section 412 facing away from the door 30 to provide an overall aesthetic appearance to the hinge assembly 40. The shape of the counterbore cover plate 43 conforms to the shape of the counterbore 4123 so that the counterbore cover plate 43 may completely cover the counterbore 4123.

It should be noted that the counterbore cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 may be detachably connected to the hinge body 41, for example, the counterbore cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 may be clamped to the hinge body 41 by a snap; the counter bored cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 may also be non-removably attached to the hinge body 41, for example, the counter bored cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 may be bonded to the hinge body 41 by glue. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection manner between the counterbore cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 and the hinge body 41, but it can be understood that the counterbore cover plate 43 and the hinge cover plate 42 can be detachably connected to the hinge body 41, so that the fasteners can be more conveniently arranged or replaced in the counterbores 4123 and the wires can be more conveniently inserted into the grooves 410.

In the foregoing embodiments, the descriptions of the respective embodiments have respective emphasis, and for parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to related descriptions of other embodiments.

The washing machine provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above, and the principle and the embodiment of the present application are explained herein by applying specific examples, and the description of the above embodiment is only used to help understanding the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized by comprising:

2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a side of the rim facing away from the door is provided with a connection structure, and the hinge body comprises:

3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the third section is curved and has an axis of a circular arc, and the axis of the first section and the axis of the second section are each parallel to a radius of the axis of the third section.

4. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein a blind hole or a through hole is formed at one end of the first section connected with the connecting structure, the axial direction of the blind hole or the through hole is perpendicular to the plane where the axes of the first section, the second section and the third section are located, and one end of the connecting structure penetrates through the blind hole or the through hole.

5. The washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a groove extending from a junction of the third section and the second section to at least a junction of the third section and the first section is formed in a surface of the hinge body facing away from the door cover, and the groove is used for a wire to pass through.

6. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein a connection portion of the second section and the third section is provided with a window penetrating through the second section in a thickness direction, the window is communicated with the groove, and the window is used for a lead in the groove to pass through.

7. The washing machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hinge assembly further comprises:

8. A washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein a first clamping structure is provided at the free end of the second section, a second clamping structure is provided on the side of the door facing the second section, the first and second clamping structures cooperate to clamp the second section to the door.

9. The washing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second section is formed with a counter bore for a fastener to pass through to fixedly connect the second section and the door cover.

10. The washing machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the hinge assembly further comprises: