CN116356533A

CN116356533A - Drain valve driving device and washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN116356533A
Application number: CN202211672122.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 有贺久刚
Original assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corp
Current assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corp
Priority date: 2021-12-27
Filing date: 2022-12-26
Publication date: 2023-06-30
Also published as: JP2023096851A

Abstract

The subject of the invention is to restrain the position deviation of a shell and a cover of a shell forming a drain valve driving device. A drain valve driving device (1) is provided with a wire (10) connected with a drain valve, a housing (20), a motor (40) accommodated in the housing, and a gear unit (2). The housing (20) is provided with a case (21) and a cover (22) that face each other in a first direction (Z). The housing (21) is provided with a plurality of boss parts (6) provided with through holes (7) penetrating in a first direction. The plurality of boss parts (6) are uncovered by the cover (22) except for one part and are exposed. Therefore, when the casing (20) is fixed to the mounting part (100) of the washing machine by the bolts (5), one part of the boss parts (6) is of a structure that the cover (22) is fastened together by the bolts (5), but other boss parts (6) can be screwed to the mounting part (100) only without fastening the cover (22) together.

Description

Drain valve driving device and washing machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a drain valve driving device for driving a drain valve and a washing machine provided with the same.

Background

Patent document 1 describes a drain valve driving device for driving a drain valve of a washing machine or the like. The drain valve driving device of patent document 1 includes: a drain valve driving part connected with the drain valve; a motor as a driving source; a transmission gear train for transmitting rotation of the motor to the output gear; and a housing accommodating the motor and the transmission train. The housing is formed by stacking a case and a cover, and the motor and the transmission train are accommodated between the case and the cover. A plate for covering the motor and the transmission gear train from the cover side is disposed between the housing and the cover. A slider as a drain valve driving member extends from between the plate and the cover to the outside of the housing.

The case and the cover constituting the outer case are fastened by three bolts. The side wall of the housing is provided with bolt through holes for passing bolts at three positions. The bolt through-hole is formed by overlapping a case-side through-hole portion provided in the case and a cover-side through-hole portion provided in the cover.

In the drain valve driving device of patent document 1, when the drain valve driving device is mounted to the washing machine, a screw member (bolt) that fastens the casing and the cover serves as a fixing member for fixing the casing to a member (mounting portion) on the washing machine side. That is, the casing formed by stacking the casing and the cover so that the casing-side through hole portion and the cover-side through hole portion overlap is brought into contact with the mounting portion, the bolt is inserted through the bolt through hole, and the tip end of the bolt is screwed into the screw hole provided in the mounting portion, whereby the casing is fixed to the washing machine.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2020-207751

Disclosure of Invention

In the structure of patent document 1, when the casing is fixed to the member on the washing machine side, the casing and the cover are fastened together by a bolt for fixation. In such a configuration, if the pitch of the screw holes provided in the washer-side member is shifted from the pitch of the bolt through holes on the housing side, the bolts cannot be fastened without being inclined with respect to the center line of the bolt through holes. When the bolt is inclined with respect to the center line of the bolt through hole, a force acts in a direction in which the cover is offset with respect to the housing. If the housing and the cover are misaligned, the components supported by the housing and the cover are tilted inside the housing.

In patent document 1, a plate that supports the slider is disposed between the housing and the cover, but in the case of a configuration in which a wire is used as the drain valve driving member and the pulley is rotated based on rotation of the output gear to wind the wire, a plate that separates the housing and the cover is not required. In this case, one end of the rotor shaft disposed at the rotation center of the motor is supported by the housing, and the other end is supported by the cover via the motor housing. Therefore, if the bolts are inclined and the housing and the cover are displaced, the magnet disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor with the rotor shaft inclined comes into contact with the pole teeth surrounding the rotor. In addition, if the member held between the housing and the cover is inclined or displaced, other than the rotor shaft, a problem may occur.

In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to suppress positional displacement of a housing and a cover constituting a casing of a drain valve driving device.

In order to solve the above problem, a drain valve driving device according to the present invention includes: a drain valve driving part connected with the drain valve; an output member connected to the drain valve driving member; a driving unit that drives the output member; and a housing that houses the output member and the driving section, the housing including a case and a cover that face each other in a first direction, the case including: covering a bottom of the driving part from one side of the first direction; a main body portion extending from the bottom portion to the other side in the first direction and surrounding an outer peripheral side of the driving portion; a case-side fixing portion for fixing the cover; and a plurality of boss portions provided with through holes penetrating the housing in a first direction, the cover including: an end plate portion covering the driving portion from the other side in the first direction; an edge portion extending from the end plate portion to one side in the first direction and connected to a front end of the main body portion; and a cover-side fixing portion fixed to the case-side fixing portion, wherein an end portion of the other side of at least a part of the plurality of boss portions in the first direction is exposed without being covered by the cover.

According to the present invention, the casing of the drain valve driving device includes a housing and a cover facing each other in the first direction, and the housing formed in a depth shape for accommodating the driving portion is provided with a plurality of boss portions. Therefore, when the housing is fixed to the mounting portion of the device such as the washing machine, the housing can be fixed by screw-fixing the screw member passing through the through hole of each boss portion to the mounting portion. Since the housing has a structure in which at least a part of the plurality of boss portions is exposed without being covered by the cover, the housing and the cover can be fastened together, and only the housing can be screwed to the mounting portion. Fixing portions (a case-side fixing portion and a cover-side fixing portion) for fastening the case and the cover are provided at portions of the case and the cover different from the boss portions. Therefore, the portion where the housing and the cover are fastened together by the screw member for fixing the housing to the mounting portion can be reduced. By reducing the portion where the housing and the cover are fastened together, even when the screw member for fixation is screwed obliquely to the mounting portion, the portion where the force acts in the direction in which the housing and the cover are offset can be reduced. Therefore, positional displacement of the housing and the cover can be suppressed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of boss portions include: a first boss portion covered by the cover from the other side in the first direction; and a second boss portion that is exposed on the other side in the first direction without being covered by the cover, wherein the cover includes a cover-side boss portion that abuts the first boss portion from the other side in the first direction, and a cover-side through hole that overlaps the through hole is provided in the cover-side boss portion. In this way, a part of the boss portion can serve as a fastening portion for fastening the housing and the cover. Therefore, the number of case-side fixing portions and cover-side fixing portions provided at positions different from the boss portions can be reduced, and the structures of the case and cover can be simplified.

In this case, the number of the boss portions is preferably three, and the number of the first boss portions is preferably one. By setting the number of fixing portions to the mounting portion to three, each boss portion can be reliably brought into contact with the mounting portion. Therefore, the sloshing can be eliminated. In addition, by providing only one portion that serves as a fastening portion for fastening the case and the cover, only one portion for fastening the case and the cover together can be provided. The present inventors have verified through analysis that, in the case where only one portion where the housing and the cover are fastened together is provided, the inclination of the member due to the misalignment of the housing and the cover is reduced to a tolerable degree.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a total length of the first boss portion and the cover-side boss portion in the first direction is equal to a length of the second boss portion in the first direction. In this way, the length of the screw member at the portion where the cover is not fastened together can be made the same as the length of the screw member at the portion where the cover is fastened together. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a plurality of screw members having different lengths, and the number of types of members can be reduced.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a concave portion recessed in a shape exposing the second boss portion in the first direction is provided at a position of the cover overlapping the second boss portion in the first direction, and the second boss portion has a distal end portion protruding inward of the concave portion. In this way, the length of the second boss portion in the first direction can be increased, and the length of the second boss portion can be made equal to the total length of the first boss portion and the cover-side boss portion. Therefore, the length of the screw member used in all the fixing portions can be made the same.

In the present invention, a gap is preferably provided between the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion and the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion. Thus, the tip of the second boss portion can be prevented from interfering with the cover. Therefore, the positional displacement of the housing and the cover due to interference between the front end portion of the second boss portion and the cover can be suppressed.

In the present invention, the driving unit preferably includes: a motor; and a gear unit overlapping the motor from the other side of the first direction, the motor including: a motor housing disposed inside a motor housing recess provided in the bottom portion; and a rotor disposed in the center of the motor housing, wherein a rotor shaft extending in the first direction is disposed in the center of the rotor, one end portion of the rotor shaft in the first direction is held by the housing via the motor housing, and the other end portion of the rotor shaft in the first direction is held by the cover. Thus, in the present embodiment, both ends of the rotor shaft are supported by the housing and the cover. Therefore, if the positional displacement between the housing and the cover is large, the inclination of the rotor shaft increases, and there is a possibility that the magnets disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor will contact the pole teeth disposed so as to surround the rotor.

Next, the washing machine according to the present invention includes the above-described drain valve driving device and a mounting portion to which the drain valve driving device is fixed, wherein the plurality of bosses are respectively fixed to the mounting portion by screwing a tip end of a screw member passing through the through hole from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion.

The washing machine according to the present invention is characterized in that the first boss portion and the cover-side boss portion are fixed to the mounting portion by screwing the distal ends of the screw members passing through the cover-side through hole and the through hole from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion, and the second boss portion is fixed to the mounting portion by screwing the distal ends of the screw members passing through the through hole from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion.

According to the present invention, as described above, when the housing is fixed to the mounting portion of the washing machine or the like, the housing accommodating the driving portion of the drain valve driving device can be fixed by screw-fixing the screw member penetrating the boss portion provided in the housing to the mounting portion. In the present invention, at least a part of the plurality of boss portions is uncovered by the cover and exposed, so that the housing and the cover can be fastened together without fastening the housing to the mounting portion only by screw-fastening the housing thereto. Thus, the number of parts where the housing and the cover are fastened together can be reduced, and therefore, even when the housing and the cover are fastened by screws obliquely to the fastening screw member of the mounting portion, the number of parts where the force acts in the direction in which the housing and the cover are offset can be reduced. Therefore, positional displacement of the housing and the cover can be suppressed.

Effects of the invention

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a drain valve driving apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the drain valve driving apparatus with the cover removed.

Fig. 3 is a train wheel development showing a section of the shaft of the gear connected to the gear unit (section A-A of fig. 2).

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the gear unit, motor and housing.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the housing as seen from the +z direction.

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the housing as seen from the-Z direction.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view (section J-J of fig. 1) of the drain valve driving device cut at the positions of the first boss portion and the second boss portion.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the drain valve driving device viewed from the +z direction.

Detailed Description

(integral structure)

Hereinafter, a drain valve driving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a drain valve driving device 1 to which the present invention is applied, and fig. 2 is a plan view of the drain valve driving device 1 with a cover 22 removed. Fig. 3 is a train wheel development diagram showing a section (section A-A of fig. 2) of the shaft of the gear connected to the gear unit 2. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the gear unit 2, the motor 40, and the housing 21. The drain valve driving device 1 includes: a drain valve driving member connected to a drain valve not shown; an output part connected with the drain valve driving part; and a driving unit for driving the output member. In the present embodiment, the drain valve driving member is a wire 10, and the output member is a pulley 11. The pulley 11 rotates about a rotation axis (B axis in fig. 3) extending in the first direction Z. The drain valve driving device 1 drives the drain valve via the wire 10 by rotating the pulley 11. The present invention can also be applied to a structure using a member other than the wire 10 as an output member.

In the present specification, the first direction Z, the second direction Y, and the third direction X are mutually orthogonal directions. One side in the first direction Z is the +z direction, the other side is the-Z direction, one side in the second direction Y is the +y direction, the other side is the-Y direction, one side in the third direction X is the +x direction, and the other side is the-X direction. The CW direction and the CCW direction are the CW direction and the CCW direction when the drain valve driving device 1 is viewed from the-Z direction side.

As shown in fig. 1, the drain valve driving device 1 includes a resin housing 20, and the pulley 11 and the driving portion are disposed inside the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a case 21 and a cover 22 facing each other in the first direction Z. An opening 23 for drawing the wire 10 to the outside of the housing 20 is provided on the +x side surface of the housing 20.

As shown in fig. 2, 3, and 4, the driving unit for rotating the pulley 11 is a gear motor including a motor 40 and a gear unit 2. The motor 40 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 21, and the bottom is disposed on one side in the first direction Z (+z direction). The gear unit 2 and the pulley 11 are disposed on the other side (-Z direction) of the first direction Z of the motor 40. The housing 21 covers the gear unit 2 and the pulley 11 from the-Z direction.

The gear unit 2 includes an output gear 54 integrally formed with the pulley 11. As shown in fig. 3, the pulley 11 is disposed in the-Z direction of the output gear 54. The end of the wire 10 is fixed to the pulley 11, and the wire 10 is wound around a groove 12 formed in the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 11. The wire 10 is led out of the casing 20 through an opening 23 formed in a side surface of the casing 20, and is connected to a drain valve, not shown.

When the output gear 54 and the pulley 11 rotate in the CW direction, the wire 10 is fed out.

When the pulley 11 rotates to the first rotation position (closing position), the drain port is closed by the drain valve connected to the wire 10. When the pulley 11 rotates in the CCW direction, the wire 10 is wound. When the pulley 11 rotates to the second rotation position (open position), the drain valve is separated from the drain port to start draining.

The drain valve driving device 1 continues to energize the motor 40 as a driving source in a state where the pulley 11 and the output gear 54 are moved to the second rotational position (open position), and holds the pulley 11 and the wire 10. When the energization of the motor 40 is stopped and the holding state of the pulley 11 and the wire 10 is released, the drain valve driving device 1 can return the pulley 11 to the first rotational position (closed position) by an external force. For example, the pulley 11 returns to the first rotational position via the wire 10 by a biasing force such as a spring force connected to the valve body of the drain valve, and the drain port is closed by the drain valve.

(Gear Unit)

In fig. 2 and 3, the shaft (rotation center axis) of the gear unit 2 is shown by a symbol B, D, E, F, G, H, O. The gear unit 2 includes: a transmission train 50 that transmits rotation of the motor 40 to the pulley 11; a first clutch mechanism 60 that connects or disconnects transmission of rotational torque from the motor 40 to the transmission train 50; a rotation limiting mechanism 70 that limits rotation of the transmission train 50 and holds the output gear 54 and the pulley 11 when an external load is applied to the pulley 11 via the wire 10; and a second clutch mechanism 80 that switches between a state in which the transmission train 50 transmits rotational torque and a state in which the transmission train does not transmit rotational torque.

The transmission train 50 includes a rotor pinion 51, a planetary gear mechanism 52, a reduction gear 53, and an output gear 54. The transmission train 50 sequentially transmits the driving force of the motor 40 to the pulley 11. The rotation center axis of the rotor pinion 51 is an O-axis, the rotation center axis of the planetary gear mechanism 52 is an E-axis, the rotation center axis of the reduction gear 53 is a D-axis, and the rotation center axis of the output gear 54 is a B-axis.

The rotor pinion 51 is formed of resin, rotatably supported by the fixed shaft 453 of the rotor 45, and movable in the first direction Z. The rotor pinion 51 and the rotor 45 are provided with clutch pawls constituting the first clutch mechanism 60. The first clutch mechanism 60 includes a fan-shaped clutch switching lever 64, and the clutch switching lever 64 presses down the rotor pinion 51 toward the rotor 45 side (+z direction) to switch the connection/disconnection of the first clutch mechanism 60. The clutch switching lever 64 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the output gear 54. By switching the on/off state of the first clutch mechanism 60, switching is performed between a state in which the rotor pinion 51 rotates integrally with the rotor 45 (clutch on state) and a state in which the rotor pinion 51 does not rotate integrally with the rotor 45 (clutch off state).

The second clutch mechanism 80 includes: a rotor gear 47 formed on an induction rotating body 46 that rotates together with the rotor 45 when the rotor 45 rotates; a rotating member 81 formed with a sector gear 82 engaged with the rotor gear 47 and a lock lever 83; a lock gear 84; a speed increasing gear 85; a torsion coil spring 86. The rotation center axis of the rotation member 81 is an H axis, the rotation center axis of the lock gear 84 is a G axis, and the rotation center axis of the speed increasing gear 85 is an F axis. The second clutch mechanism 80 switches between a state in which the rotation of the lock gear 84 and the speed increasing gear 85 is restricted and a state in which the rotation of the lock lever 83 is not restricted, based on the rotation of the motor 40. Thereby, the state in which the rotational torque is transmitted from the planetary gear mechanism 52 meshed with the speed increasing gear 85 to the speed decreasing gear 53 and the state in which the rotational torque is not transmitted are switched. Therefore, the transmission gear train 50 can be switched between a state in which the driving force is transmitted and a state in which the driving force is not transmitted.

The rotation restriction mechanism 70 restricts rotation of the rotor pinion 51 by engaging a locked protrusion 71 formed at an end of the rotor pinion 51 in the-Z direction with a locking protrusion 69 provided on the clutch switching lever 64. When the second clutch mechanism 80 is switched to a state in which the rotation of the speed increasing gear 85 is regulated, if the rotation of the rotor pinion 51 is regulated by the rotation regulating mechanism 70, the rotation of the gear of the planetary gear mechanism 52 that meshes with the rotor pinion 51 is regulated, and the locked state is set. Therefore, even if an external force is applied to the wire 10, the rotational torque is applied from the output gear 54 side to the transmission train 50, and the rotational torque is not transmitted, and the load holding state for holding the wire 10 is formed.

(Motor)

The motor 40 is an ac synchronous motor. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the motor 40 includes: a cup-shaped motor housing 41; a support plate 42 mounted at an end of the motor housing 41 in the-Z direction; a bobbin 43 disposed inside the motor case 41; a stator coil 44 wound around the bobbin 43; and a rotor 45 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the bobbin 43.

The rotor 45 includes a substantially cylindrical magnet 451 and a shaft portion 452 disposed on an inner peripheral side of the magnet 451. The rotor 45 is formed by insert-molding a magnet 451 made of ferrite or the like at an end of the shaft 452 in the-Z direction. The induction rotator 46 is disposed between the magnet 451 and the shaft 452. The induction rotating body 46 is formed by insert-molding an induction ring made of a nonmagnetic metal such as aluminum or copper in a shaft portion which is a resin member.

When the motor 40 is driven and the rotor 45 rotates, an eddy current is generated between the magnet 451 and the induction ring of the induction rotating body 46, and a magnetic flux is generated by the eddy current, thereby generating a braking force that prevents the induction rotating body 46 from rotating relative to the magnet 451. The induction rotating body 46 and the rotor 45 are coupled to rotate together by the braking force (braking force generated by eddy current).

The upper end of the induction rotor 46 protrudes toward the-Z direction side of the magnet 451, and a rotor gear 47 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion. The rotor gear 47 is a gear that transmits the rotation of the rotor 45 to the second clutch mechanism 80. A fixed shaft 453 (rotor shaft) that rotatably supports the rotor 45 is disposed in the center of the rotor 45. The rotation center axis of the rotor 45 is an O-axis, and the fixed shaft 453 extends in the Z-direction centering on the O-axis. The +z-direction end of the fixed shaft 453 is fixed to the bottom of the motor case 41 by press fitting. the-Z end of the fixed shaft 453 is fixed to a recess 261 provided in the cover 22 by press fitting or the like.

The motor housing 41 and the support plate 42 are constituted by magnetic plates. The support plate 42 is formed with teeth extending from the edge of the through hole in which the rotor 45 is disposed in a curved manner in the +z direction. Further, pole teeth that are bent in the +z direction by cutting up the bottom of the motor housing 41 are formed on the motor housing 41. The teeth provided on the support plate 42 and the teeth cut from the motor housing 41 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and are opposed to the outer circumferential surface of the magnet 451 in the radial direction. That is, the motor housing 41 and the support plate 42 double as a stator core.

The support plate 42 is provided with fixing holes into which the +z-direction ends of the fixed

shafts

50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H are press-fitted, and the fixed

shafts

50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H rotatably support a plurality of gears constituting the transmission gear train 50. As will be described later, the-Z-direction end portions of the fixed

shafts

50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H are fixed to the

recesses

262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267 provided in the cover 22 by press fitting or the like.

(outer casing)

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the housing 20 as seen from the-Z direction. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the housing 20 viewed from the +z direction. As described above, the housing 20 includes the case 21 and the cover 22 facing each other in the first direction Z. The cover 22 covers the housing 21 from the-Z direction and is fixed to the housing 21 by 3 screw members 3. The cover 22 is provided with hooks 14 that engage with the claw portions 13 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 21.

The housing 21 is provided with housing-side fixing portions 31 for fixing the cover 22 by the screw members 3 at three positions. As shown in fig. 5, the case-side fixing portion 31 is a boss portion protruding in the-Z direction. The cover 22 is provided with cover-side fixing portions 32 facing the case-side fixing portions 31 in the first direction Z at three positions. As shown in fig. 6, the cover-side fixing portion 32 is a boss portion protruding in the +z direction.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the housing 21 includes: covering the motor 40 and the bottom 24 of the gear unit 2 from the +z direction; and a main body portion 25 extending from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 24 in the-Z direction and surrounding the motor 40 and the outer periphery side of the gear unit 2. The bottom 24 is provided with a circular motor housing recess 241 recessed in the +z direction, and

boss portions

242, 243, 244, 245 protruding in the-Z direction are provided around the motor housing recess 241. The

boss portions

242, 243, 244, 245 are connected to the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 25.

The motor housing 41 is disposed in the motor housing recess 241. The boss portion 242 disposed in the-X direction of the motor housing recess 241 and the boss portion 243 disposed on the opposite side in the radial direction from the boss portion 242 are lower in height in the first direction Z than the other two

boss portions

244, 245. Two protruding portions 48 provided on the outer periphery of the support plate 42 are fixed to the

boss portions

242, 243 by

screw members

3, 4. In the present embodiment, the boss portion 242 in the-X direction is one of the three case-side fixing portions 31, and the screw member 3 that fixes the protruding portion 48 to the boss portion 242 is one of the three screw members 3 that fix the cover 22 to the case 21.

The protruding portion 48 is fixed to the boss portion 243 in the +x direction by a screw member 4 (see fig. 4) different from the three screw members 3 for fixing the cover 22 to the housing 21.

As shown in fig. 6, a small diameter portion 33 protruding in the +z direction from the front ends of the other two cover-side fixing portions 32 is provided at the front end of one of the three cover-side fixing portions 32.

The tip of the screw member 3 protruding from the tip surface of the small diameter portion 33 passes through a cutout provided at the tip of the protruding portion 48 of the support plate 42, and is screwed to the boss portion 242. The other two case-side fixing portions 31 are a boss portion 244 arranged in the +y direction of the boss portion 243 and a boss portion 245 arranged in the-Y direction of the boss portion 243. The

boss portions

244, 245 extend to the vicinity of the front end of the main body portion 25 in the-Z direction. The distal ends of the screw members 3 passing through the cover-side fixing portion 32 are screwed to the

boss portions

244, 245, respectively.

As shown in fig. 4, the protruding portion 48 of the support plate 42 is fitted into a cutout portion provided in the edge portion of the motor case 41. Accordingly, the motor housing 41 is fixed to the housing 21 by screwing the support plate 42 in contact with the distal end surfaces of the

boss portions

242, 243.

The cover 22 includes: covering the motor 40 and the end plate 26 of the gear unit 2 from the-Z direction; and an edge portion 27 extending in the +z direction from the outer peripheral edge of the end plate portion 26. As shown in fig. 6, the three cover-side fixing portions 32 protrude in the +z direction from the end plate portion 26, and are connected to the inner peripheral surface of the edge portion 27. The end plate 26 is provided with seven protruding portions protruding in the +z direction, and a recess 261 is provided at one of the protruding portions, and the front end of the fixed shaft 453 disposed at the center of the rotor 45 is press-fitted into the recess 261. The other six protruding portions are provided with

recesses

262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, and the ends in the +z direction of the six fixed

shafts

50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H are press-fitted into the

recesses

262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, and the six fixed

shafts

50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H rotatably support the gears of the transmission train 50 and the rotating members constituting the second clutch mechanism 80.

As shown in fig. 6, a cover-side step 271 recessed in the-Z direction is formed at the front end of the edge 27 of the cover 22, and the inner peripheral side of the cover-side step 271 is formed as a cover-side convex portion 272 protruding in the +z direction. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5, a case-side step 251 recessed in the +z direction is formed at the front end of the main body 25 of the case 21, and the outer peripheral side of the case-side step 251 is a case-side convex portion 252 protruding in the +z direction. When the housing 21 and the cover 22 are assembled, the cover-side protruding portion 272 is fitted into the housing-side protruding portion 252, thereby connecting the main body portion 25 of the housing 21 and the edge portion 27 of the cover 22. A sealing agent such as grease is applied to a portion where the case-side protruding portion 252 and the cover-side protruding portion 272 are fitted.

(fixing Structure of mounting part of washing machine)

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the drain valve driving device 1 cut at the positions (J-J positions in fig. 1) of the first boss portion 6A and the second boss portion 6B. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the drain valve driving device 1 viewed from the-Z direction. The drain valve driving device 1 is fixed to a mounting portion 100 (see fig. 7) provided in the washing machine by a plurality of bolts 5. The housing 20 is provided with a cylindrical boss portion 6 extending in the first direction Z. The mounting portion 100 is provided with fixing holes 101 at positions corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of boss portions 6. As shown in fig. 7, the housing 20 is positioned at a position where each boss portion 6 faces the fixing hole 101, and the front end of the bolt 5 passing through the through hole 7 penetrating each boss portion 6 in the first direction Z is screwed to the fixing hole 101, whereby the housing 20 is fixed to the mounting portion 100.

In the present embodiment, the number of boss portions 6 is three. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the bottom 24 of the housing 21 includes a circular bottom plate 246 constituting the bottom of the motor housing recess 241. Each boss portion 6 extends to a position closer to the +z direction than the bottom plate 246, and the +z direction end surfaces of the three boss portions 6 are located on the same surface. Therefore, the housing 20 can be positioned and fixed in a state where the +z-direction end surface of the three boss portions 6 is brought into contact with the mounting portion 100.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the boss portion 6 is integrally formed with the housing 21. As shown in fig. 1, when the housing 20 is assembled, one of the three boss portions 6 is covered by the cover 22 from the-Z direction, and the other two are not covered by the cover 22, and the-Z direction end is exposed. In the following description, the boss portion 6 covered by the cover 22 is referred to as a first boss portion 6A, and the boss portion 6 uncovered by the cover 22 is referred to as a second boss portion 6B. The through-hole 7 penetrating the first boss portion 6A in the first direction Z is referred to as a through-hole 7A, and the through-hole 7 penetrating the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z is referred to as a through-hole 7B. The bolts 5 fixing the first boss portion 6A to the mounting portion 100 fasten the cover 22 and the first boss portion 6A together to be fixed to the mounting portion 100. On the other hand, the bolts 5 that fix the second boss portion 6B to the mounting portion 100 fix only the second boss portion 6B to the mounting portion 100.

As shown in fig. 5, an annular step portion 253 is provided on the same surface as the front end surface of the main body portion 25 (the front end surface of the case-side convex portion 252) at the end portion in the-Z direction of the second boss portion 6B, and the second boss portion 6B includes a tubular front end portion 9 extending in the-Z direction from the step portion 253. As shown in fig. 1 and 8, a concave portion 15 which is semicircular in shape when viewed in the-Z direction is provided on the-X direction side surface and the-Y direction side surface of the cover 22. The two concave portions 15 are provided at positions overlapping the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z. A distal end portion 9 provided at the distal end of the second boss portion 6B in the-Z direction is disposed inside each recess 15.

The cover 22 includes an annular cover-side boss portion 17 overlapping the first boss portion 6A in the-Z direction. The cover 22 has a recess 16 formed in the +y side surface, and the recess 16 has the same shape as the recess 15 formed in the-X side surface and the-Y side surface of the cover 22. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the cover-side boss portion 17 includes a large diameter portion 18 connected to the inner peripheral surface of the recess 16, and a small diameter portion 19 protruding in the +z direction from the large diameter portion 18.

As shown in fig. 5, the front end surface of the first boss portion 6A in the-Z direction is recessed in the +z direction from the case-side protruding portion 252 provided at the front end of the main body portion 25, and is located on the same surface as the case-side stepped portion 251. As shown in fig. 7, when the small diameter portion 19 of the cover-side boss portion 17 is fitted into the inner peripheral side of the case-side convex portion 252 extending in a semicircular shape along the front end surface of the first boss portion 6A in the-Z direction, and the front end surface of the small diameter portion 19 is brought into contact with the front end surface of the first boss portion 6A, the cover-side through hole 8 penetrating the cover-side boss portion 17 overlaps with the through hole 7A penetrating the first boss portion 6A in the first direction Z.

As shown in fig. 7, the length H of the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z is longer than the length H1 of the first boss portion 6A in the first direction Z. The total length of the length H1 of the first boss portion 6A in the first direction Z and the length H2 of the cover-side boss portion 17 in the first direction Z is the same as the length H of the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z. Therefore, the length of the bolt 5 for fastening the first boss portion 6A and the cover-side boss portion 17 together and fixing the same to the mounting portion 100 is the same as the length of the bolt 5 for fixing the second boss portion 6B to the mounting portion 100, and the three boss portions 6 are fixed to the mounting portion 100 by the bolts 5 of the same shape.

(main effects of the invention)

As described above, the drain valve driving device 1 of the present embodiment includes the wire 10 connected to the drain valve, the pulley 11 connected to the wire 10, the driving portion for driving the pulley 11, and the housing 20 for housing the pulley 11 and the driving portion. The driving section includes a motor 40 and a gear unit 2. The housing 20 includes a case 21 and a cover 22 facing each other in the first direction Z. The housing 21 includes: a bottom 24 covering the driving section from the +z direction (one side of the first direction Z); a main body portion 25 extending from the bottom portion 24 in the-Z direction (the other side of the first direction Z) and surrounding the motor 40 and the outer peripheral side of the gear unit 2; a case-side fixing portion 31 for fixing the cover 22; and a plurality of boss portions 6 provided with through holes 7 penetrating the housing 21 in the first direction Z. The cover 22 includes: an end plate portion 26 covering the driving portion from the-Z direction; an edge portion 27 extending from the end plate portion 26 in the +z direction and connected to the front end of the main body portion 25; and a cover-side fixing portion 32 fixed to the case-side fixing portion 31. At least a part of the boss portions 6 in the-Z direction are exposed without being covered with the cover 22.

According to the present embodiment, when the housing 20 of the drain valve driving device 1 is fixed to the mounting portion 100 of a washing machine or the like, the bolts 5 penetrating the boss portion 6 provided in the housing 21 can be screwed to the mounting portion 100 to be fixed. Further, although the plurality of boss portions 6 are provided, since the boss portions 6 are not covered by the cover 22 and are exposed except for one portion, it is possible to screw-fix only the boss portions 6 to the mounting portion 100 without fastening the boss portions 6 together with the cover 22. The housing 21 and the cover 22 are fastened at different portions (the housing-side fixing portion 31 and the cover-side fixing portion 32, and the claw portion 13 and the hook 14) from the boss portion 6. Therefore, since the bolts 5 fixing the housing 20 to the mounting portion 100 have few fastening portions for fastening the case 21 and the cover 22 together, even when the bolts 5 are screwed obliquely to the mounting portion 100, the portions on which the force acts in the direction in which the case 21 and the cover 22 are offset can be reduced. This can suppress positional displacement of the case 21 and the cover 22, and thus, a problem caused by tilting of the member housed between the case 21 and the cover 22 can be suppressed. For example, since the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 disposed at the center of the rotor 45 can be suppressed, the displacement between the pole teeth and the magnet 451 can be suppressed, and the contact between the pole teeth and the magnet 451 can be avoided.

In the present embodiment, the number of boss portions 6 is three, but the number of boss portions 6 may be two or four or more. One of the plurality of boss portions 6 is covered with the cover 22, and the boss portion 6 and the cover 22 are fastened together by the bolts 5, and the other portions are not fastened together, but the number of boss portions 6 not fastened together with the cover 22 in the plurality of boss portions 6 may be different from the present embodiment. For example, only one portion may not be fastened together, and the boss portion 6 and the cover 22 may be fastened together at other portions. Alternatively, the plurality of boss portions 6 may be entirely uncovered by the cover 22 and exposed. In this case, all boss portions 6 are fixed to the mounting portion 100 without being fastened together with the cover 22. Therefore, even when the bolt 5 is screwed obliquely to the mounting portion 100, the force does not act in the direction in which the housing 21 and the cover 22 are offset. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress a failure caused by the positional displacement of the housing 21 and the cover 22.

In the present embodiment, the case 21 and the cover 22 are fastened at different portions (the case-side fixing portion 31 and the cover-side fixing portion 32, and the claw portion 13 and the hook 14) from the boss portion 6, but the fixing structure for fixing the case 21 and the cover 22 may be any one of a screw-based fixing structure and a claw-and-hook-based fixing structure. For example, the claw portion 13 and the hook 14 may be omitted, or the fixing structure (the case-side fixing portion 31 and the cover-side fixing portion 32 of the present embodiment) using the screw member 3 may be omitted, and the claw portion 13 and the hook 14 may be used as the case-side fixing portion and the cover-side fixing portion.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of boss portions 6 includes a first boss portion 6A covered by the cover 22 in the-Z direction and a second boss portion 6B exposed in the-Z direction without being covered by the cover 22. The cover 22 includes a cover-side boss portion 17 that abuts against the first boss portion 6A from the-Z direction, and the cover-side boss portion 17 is provided with a cover-side through hole 8 that overlaps with the through hole 7A that penetrates the first boss portion 6A. Therefore, since a part of the boss portion 6 can be used as a fastening portion for fastening the case 21 and the cover 22, the number of case-side fixing portions 31 and cover-side fixing portions 32 provided at positions different from the boss portion 6 can be reduced. Therefore, the structures of the housing 21 and the cover 22 can be simplified.

In the present embodiment, the number of boss portions 6 is three, and the number of first boss portions 6A is one. By setting the number of the portions (boss portions 6) to be in contact with the mounting portion 100 to three, each boss portion 6 can be reliably brought into contact with the mounting portion 100, and rattling can be eliminated. The present inventors verified the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 (rotor shaft) by analysis using a 3D model of a structure (structure of the present embodiment) in which only one part where the housing 21 and the cover 22 are fastened together and a structure (structure of the conventional example) in which all of the three fixing parts fasten the housing 21 and the cover 22 together. As a result, the following results were obtained: in the structure of the conventional example, the displacement of the gap between the pole tooth and the magnet 451 due to the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 (rotor shaft) is large, whereas the pole tooth is in contact with the magnet 451, and in the structure of the present embodiment, the displacement of the gap between the pole tooth and the magnet 451 is small, and the pole tooth is not in contact with the magnet 451. That is, it was confirmed that if the housing 21 and the cover 22 are fastened together at one position, the misalignment of the housing 21 and the cover 22 due to the inclination of the bolt 5 is small, and the inclination of the members due to the misalignment of the housing 21 and the cover 22 is small enough to be acceptable.

In the present embodiment, the total length (h1+h2) of the first boss portion 6A and the cover-side boss portion 17 in the first direction Z is equal to the length H of the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z. Thus, the length of the bolt 5 used in the portion (second boss portion 6B) where the cover 22 is not fastened together can be made the same as the length of the bolt 5 used in the portion (first boss portion 6A) where the cover 22 is fastened together. Thus, it is not necessary to use bolts 5 of different lengths separately, and therefore the number of types of components can be reduced.

In the cover 22 of the present embodiment, a concave portion 15 recessed in a shape exposing the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z is provided at a position overlapping the second boss portion 6B in the first direction Z, and the second boss portion 6B includes a distal end portion 9 protruding inward of the concave portion 15. This can lengthen the length of the second boss portion 6B, and therefore, the length of the second boss portion 6B can be made equal to the total length of the first boss portion 6A and the cover-side boss portion 17 in the first direction Z. Therefore, the length of the bolts 5 used in all the fixing locations can be made the same.

In the present embodiment, a gap S is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 15 and the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 9 disposed inside the concave portion 15. Therefore, even if there is a dimensional error in the shapes of the cover 22 and the housing 21, the interference between the tip portion 9 and the cover 22 can be avoided. Therefore, positional displacement of the cover 22 and the housing 21 caused by interference between the tip portion 9 and the cover 22 can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the driving section of the driving pulley 11 includes the motor 40 and the gear unit 2 overlapping the motor 40 from the-Z direction. Therefore, the housing 21 housing the driving unit is formed to have a shape capable of stacking the motor 40 and the gear unit 2. The motor 40 includes: a motor housing 41 disposed inside a motor housing recess 241 provided in the bottom 24 of the housing 21; and a rotor 45 disposed in the center of the motor housing 41. A fixed shaft 453 (rotor shaft) extending in the first direction Z is disposed in the center of the rotor 45, and an end portion in the +z direction of the fixed shaft 453 is held by the housing 21 via the motor housing 41 and an end portion in the-Z direction is held by the cover 22. In such a configuration, if the positional displacement between the housing 21 and the cover 22 is large due to the inclination of the bolt 5 when the housing 20 is fixed to the mounting portion 100, the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 becomes large, and the magnet 451 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 45 may contact the pole teeth disposed so as to surround the rotor 45, but in the present embodiment, the number of points at which the housing 21 and the cover 22 are fastened together is small, and the positional displacement between the housing 21 and the cover 22 can be suppressed. Therefore, the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 can be suppressed, and contact between the pole teeth and the magnet 451 due to the inclination of the fixed shaft 453 can be avoided.

Symbol description

1: a drain valve driving device; 2: a gear unit; 3. 4: a threaded member; 5: a bolt; 6: a boss portion; 6A: a first boss portion; 6B: a second boss portion; 7. 7A, 7B: a through hole; 8: a cover-side through hole; 9: a front end portion; 10: a wire rod; 11: a belt wheel; 12: a groove; 13: a claw portion; 14: a hook; 15. 16: a concave portion; 17: a cover-side boss portion; 18: a large diameter portion; 19: a small diameter portion; 20: a housing; 21: a housing; 22: a cover; 23: an opening portion; 24: a bottom; 25: a main body portion; 26: an end plate portion; 27: a rim portion; 31: a housing-side fixing portion; 32: a cover side fixing part; 33: a small diameter portion; 40: a motor; 41: a motor housing; 42: a support plate; 43: a bobbin; 44: a stator coil; 45: a rotor; 46: a sensing rotator; 47: a rotor gear; 48: a protruding portion; 50: a transmission train; 50B, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H: a fixed shaft; 51: a rotor pinion; 52: a planetary gear mechanism; 53: a reduction gear; 54: an output gear; 60: a first clutch mechanism; 64: a clutch switching lever; 69: a locking protrusion; 70: a rotation limiting mechanism; 71: a locked protrusion; 80: a second clutch mechanism; 81: a rotating member; 82: a sector gear; 83: a locking lever; 84: a locking gear; 85: a speed increasing gear; 100: a mounting part; 101: a fixing hole; 241: a motor housing recess; 242. 243, 244, 245: a boss portion; 246: a bottom plate; 251: a housing side step portion; 252: a housing side protrusion; 253: a step portion; 261. 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267: a concave portion; 271: a cover side step portion; 272: a cover side protrusion; 451: a magnet; 452: a shaft portion; 453: a fixed shaft; s: a gap; x: a third direction; y: a second direction; z: a first direction.

Claims

1. A drain valve driving device, characterized by comprising:

a drain valve driving part connected to the drain valve;

an output member connected to the drain valve driving member;

a driving section that drives the output member; and

a housing accommodating the output member and the driving section,

the housing is provided with a shell and a cover opposite in a first direction,

the housing is provided with: covering a bottom of the driving part from one side of the first direction; a main body portion extending from the bottom portion to the other side in the first direction and surrounding an outer peripheral side of the driving portion; a case-side fixing portion for fixing the cover; and a plurality of boss portions provided with through holes penetrating the housing in a first direction,

the cover is provided with: an end plate portion covering the driving portion from the other side in the first direction; an edge portion extending from the end plate portion to one side in the first direction and connected to a front end of the main body portion; a cover-side fixing portion fixed to the case-side fixing portion,

an end portion of at least a part of the plurality of boss portions on the other side in the first direction is exposed without being covered by the cover.

2. The drain valve driving device according to claim 1, wherein,

the plurality of boss portions includes: a first boss portion covered by the cover from the other side in the first direction; and a second boss portion which is uncovered by the cover and is exposed at the other side in the first direction,

the cover includes a cover-side boss portion that abuts the first boss portion from the other side in the first direction, and a cover-side through hole that overlaps the through hole is provided in the cover-side boss portion.

3. The drain valve driving device according to claim 2, wherein,

the number of the boss portions is three,

the number of the first boss portions is one.

4. The drain valve driving device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein,

the total length of the first boss portion and the cover-side boss portion in the first direction is equal to the length of the second boss portion in the first direction.

5. The drain valve driving device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein,

the cover is provided with a concave portion at a position overlapping the second boss portion in the first direction, the concave portion is recessed in a shape exposing the second boss portion in the first direction,

The second boss portion has a distal end portion protruding inward of the recess.

6. The drain valve driving device according to claim 5, wherein,

a gap is provided between an inner peripheral surface of the recess and an outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion.

7. The drain valve driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

the driving unit includes: a motor; and a gear unit overlapping with the motor from the other side of the first direction,

the motor is provided with: a motor housing disposed inside a motor housing recess provided in the bottom portion; and a rotor disposed in the center of the motor housing, a rotor shaft extending in the first direction being disposed in the center of the rotor,

an end portion of the rotor shaft on one side in the first direction is held by the housing via the motor housing, and an end portion of the rotor shaft on the other side in the first direction is held by the cover.

8. A washing machine is provided with: the drain valve driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and a mounting part for fixing the drain valve driving device, characterized in that,

the plurality of boss portions are fixed to the mounting portion by screwing distal ends of screw members penetrating the through holes from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion, respectively.

9. A washing machine is provided with: the drain valve driving device according to any one of claims 2 to 6; and a mounting part for fixing the drain valve driving device, characterized in that,

the first boss portion and the cover-side boss portion are fixed to the mounting portion by screw-fixing distal ends of screw members passing through the cover-side through hole and the through hole from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion,

the second boss portion is fixed to the mounting portion by screwing a tip end of a screw member passing through the through hole from the other side in the first direction to the mounting portion.