CN116950970A

CN116950970A - Connection structure and household appliance

Info

Publication number: CN116950970A
Application number: CN202210387896.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 闫丰刚; 庄儒营; 宋立军; 李俊; 刘尊安
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-13
Filing date: 2022-04-13
Publication date: 2023-10-27

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a connecting structure and a household appliance. The connecting structure comprises a first workpiece, a second workpiece and a fixing piece. Wherein, first work piece and second work piece pass through mounting fixed connection. The connecting structure further comprises a covering component, the covering component comprises a covering piece and a connecting piece, and the covering piece and the connecting piece are integrally formed. Wherein, the covering is used for covering on the mounting, and the connecting piece is connected with the covering, and when the covering covered covers or does not cover on the mounting, the connecting piece is all connected with first work piece to in the time of keeping covering the subassembly and can cover on the mounting, still can be through the connecting piece with the second work piece all the time, avoid covering the subassembly and drop and lose. This domestic appliance can improve covering assembly installation stability, avoids covering assembly effect that drops, avoids the mounting to rust.

Description

Connection structure and household appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a connecting structure and a household appliance.

Background

As one of the commonly used locking members, a fixing member (e.g., a screw, a pin, etc.) is widely used in various parts fixing environments, for example, in household appliances such as laundry cleaning apparatuses, air conditioners, or refrigerators.

The household appliance comprises a connecting structure, wherein the connecting structure comprises a first workpiece, a second workpiece and a fixing piece. The fixing piece can fix the first workpiece on the second workpiece so as to fix the relative positions of the first workpiece and the second workpiece. However, the fixing member is generally a metal member, and the fixing member is directly fixed to the first workpiece and exposed to the outside, which is prone to rust and affects the appearance. In order to avoid the above problem, the connecting structure further comprises a covering component, and the covering component can cover the fixing piece to avoid exposing the fixing piece to the outside. However, in the prior art, the cover assembly is easily separated from the mounting hole and lost.

In order to solve the above problems, it is needed to provide a connection structure and a household appliance, which solve the problem that the cover component is easy to fall off and be lost.

Disclosure of Invention

The first object of the present invention is to provide a connecting structure, so as to improve the installation stability of the cover assembly and avoid the cover assembly from falling off.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a household appliance, which includes the above connection structure, so as to improve the installation stability of the cover assembly and avoid the cover assembly from falling off.

To achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

the utility model provides a connection structure, is applied to domestic appliance, connection structure includes first work piece, second work piece and mounting, first work piece with second work piece passes through mounting fixed connection, connection structure still includes cover subassembly, cover subassembly includes:

a cover configured to cover the fixture; and

the connecting piece, with the covering is connected, the covering covers or does not cover when being in on the mounting, the connecting piece all with first work piece is connected, just the covering with connecting piece integrated into one piece to when keeping covering assembly can cover on the mounting, still can be connected with first work piece all the time through the connecting piece, avoid covering assembly to drop and lose. The integral molding of the covering piece and the connecting piece is beneficial to improving the processing efficiency and the structural strength.

As an alternative, the end face of the first workpiece, which is close to the second workpiece, is provided with a mounting column, the connecting piece is provided with a first mounting hole, and the mounting column can pass through the first mounting hole, so that the connecting piece is sleeved on the mounting column. The connecting relation between the connecting piece and the mounting column is beneficial to improving the stability of the connection between the cover component and the first workpiece, so that the cover component is prevented from falling off or losing.

As an alternative, the first mounting hole is a bar-shaped hole extending in a direction approaching or departing from the cover, and the mounting post is capable of sliding in the first mounting hole so as to provide an operation space for an operator to assemble and replace a fixing member, thereby avoiding interference.

As an alternative, the connector includes:

a transition portion connected to the cover;

and the connecting part is connected with the transition part, and the extending direction of the connecting part is parallel to and not coplanar with the end surface of the covering part, which is close to the fixing piece.

The transition portion is connected with the covering piece, so that the connection area of the covering piece and the transition portion is enlarged and guaranteed, the connection strength is improved, repeated bending deformation and breakage of the covering piece and the transition portion in the process of covering and uncovering the fixing piece are avoided, and the structural strength of the covering assembly is improved. The extending direction of the connecting part is parallel to and not coplanar with the end face of the covering part, which is close to the fixing part, so that the covering part and the connecting part have a certain height difference, the connecting part extends into the end face of the first workpiece, which faces the second workpiece, to be connected with the mounting column, and the end face of the covering part, which is located on the back of the first workpiece and the mounting column, is covered on the fixing part.

As an alternative, the covering part is provided with a containing cavity, when the covering part covers the fixing part, the inner wall of the containing cavity is in clearance fit with the fixing part, and the covering part protrudes out of the first workpiece. When the cover plate covers the first workpiece, the covering part protruding out of the first workpiece can play a role of buffering, so that rigid collision between the cover plate and the first workpiece is avoided, and the service lives of the cover plate and the first workpiece are prolonged. At the same time, the gap between the accommodating cavity and the fixing piece is favorable for improving the buffering effect.

As an alternative, the first workpiece includes:

a panel; and

the installation department sets up on the panel, offer on the installation department and can hold the holding tank of covering, the connecting hole has been seted up to the lateral wall of holding tank, the connecting piece can pass the connecting hole with first work piece is connected to make covering and connecting piece be located the both sides of first work piece respectively, realize the stability that covering assembly and first work piece are connected promptly, can keep the outward appearance of first work piece succinct again.

As an alternative, the first workpiece further includes:

at least one protrusion, protruding setting is in the tank bottom of holding tank, just the covering can with protruding butt is favorable to making the covering play certain cushioning effect between first work piece and apron, and is favorable to guaranteeing to hold chamber and mounting to keeping the clearance that presets, further improves the cushioning effect of covering.

As an alternative, the side wall is provided with a clamping hole, and the cover assembly further comprises:

at least one clamping piece is arranged on the periphery of the covering piece and is configured to be clamped with the clamping hole, so that the covering piece is prevented from being separated from the second mounting hole, and the fixing effect of the covering piece is improved.

As an alternative, the first workpiece includes a mounting portion configured to accommodate the covering member, the covering member sequentially including, in a direction away from the second workpiece:

an embedded part which is in clearance fit with the side wall of the mounting part; and

the clamping and fixing part is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting part in diameter, and when the covering piece is covered on the fixing piece, part or all of the clamping and fixing part is located in the mounting part, so that the embedding part is conveniently placed in the mounting part, the clamping and fixing part can enter the mounting part after being subjected to certain compression denaturation, the clamping and fixing part is prevented from falling off from the mounting part, and the covering effect of the covering piece is improved.

A household appliance comprises the connecting structure, which is beneficial to preventing the cover assembly from falling off from the first workpiece and preventing the fixing piece from being exposed.

As an alternative, the household appliance is a clothes cleaning device, so that the cover assembly is effectively prevented from falling off and being lost, the fixing piece is effectively prevented from being contacted with water, and the fixing piece is prevented from rusting.

The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows:

the invention provides a connecting structure which comprises a first workpiece, a second workpiece and a fixing piece. Wherein, first work piece and second work piece pass through mounting fixed connection. The connection structure further includes a cover assembly, and the cover assembly includes a cover and a connector. The covering piece is used for covering the fixing piece, the connecting piece is connected with the covering piece, and the covering piece and the connecting piece are integrally formed. When the covering piece covers or does not cover the fixing piece, the connecting piece is connected with the first workpiece so that the covering component can be covered on the fixing piece, and meanwhile, the covering component can be always connected with the second workpiece through the connecting piece, and the covering component is prevented from falling off and being lost. The integral molding of the covering piece and the connecting piece is beneficial to improving the processing efficiency and the structural strength.

The invention also provides a household appliance, which comprises the connecting structure, so that the installation stability of the cover assembly is improved, the cover assembly is prevented from falling off, and the fixing piece is prevented from rusting.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following description will briefly explain the drawings needed in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings may be obtained according to the contents of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without inventive effort for those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a connecting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cover assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a cover assembly;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The figures are labeled as follows:

100-a first workpiece; 110-mounting posts; 120-panel; 130-a mounting portion; 131-connecting holes; 132-a clamping hole; 140-bulge;

200-a second workpiece;

300-fixing piece;

400-covering the assembly; 410-a cover; 411-accommodation chamber; 412-an embedding portion; 413-a clamping portion; 420-connecting piece; 421-transition; 422-connection; 4221-a first mounting hole; 430-a snap-fit.

Detailed Description

The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and examples. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not limiting thereof. It should be further noted that, for convenience of description, only a part of structures related to the present invention, not the whole structures, are shown in the drawings.

In the description of the present invention, unless explicitly stated and limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the communication of structures in two elements or the interaction relationship of the two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention will be understood in specific cases by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "above" or "below" a second feature may include both the first and second features being in direct contact, as well as the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact with each other through additional features therebetween. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are orientation or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, merely for convenience of description and simplicity of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used merely for distinguishing between descriptions and not for distinguishing between them.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the fixing member 300 is one of commonly used locking members, and is widely used in various parts fixing environments, for example, in household appliances such as laundry cleaning apparatuses, air conditioners, or refrigerators. The above-mentioned home appliance includes a connection structure including a first work 100, a second work 200, and a fixing member 300. The first workpiece 100 and the second workpiece 200 are fixedly connected through a fixing piece 300, so as to fix the relative positions of the first workpiece 100 and the second workpiece 200. However, the fixing member 300 is generally a metal member, and the fixing member 300 is directly fixed to the first workpiece 100 and exposed to the outside, which is easily rusted and affects the appearance. To avoid the above problems, the connection structure further includes a cover assembly 400, and the cover assembly 400 can cover the fixing member 300 to avoid the fixing member 300 from being exposed. Illustratively, the securing element 300 is a screw. For convenience of explanation, the home appliance of the present embodiment will be explained taking a laundry cleaning apparatus as an example.

The connecting structure of the clothes cleaning device is applied to a plurality of places such as a cover, a base, a control panel and the like. For example, a connection structure applied at the cover. The laundry cleaning apparatus further comprises a cover plate rotatably connected to the cover such that a side not connected to the cover can be opened or closed with respect to the cover. The cover assembly 400 covers the first workpiece 100, and when the cover and the cover plate are in a closed state, the cover plate covers the cover assembly 400. However, when the cover plate is opened, the cover assembly 400 is relatively easy to fall off or even be lost from the first workpiece 100, so that problems such as rusting of the fixing member 300 occur.

Referring to fig. 2, in order to avoid the above problems, the present embodiment provides a connection structure, and a cover assembly 400 of the connection structure includes a cover 410 and a connector 420. Wherein, the cover 410 is used for covering the fixing member 300, the connecting piece 420 is connected with the cover 410, and when the cover 410 is covered or not covered on the fixing member 300, the connecting piece 420 is connected with the first workpiece 100, so that the cover assembly 400 can be covered on the fixing member 300, and meanwhile, the cover assembly 400 can be always connected with the first workpiece 100 through the connecting piece 420, and the cover assembly 400 is prevented from falling off and being lost. Preferably, the material of the cover assembly 400 is a rubber material, which has strong corrosion resistance and deformation resistance, and is beneficial to ensuring the service life of the cover assembly 400.

Preferably, the cover 410 and the connector 420 are integrally formed, thereby contributing to improved processing efficiency and structural strength.

As shown in fig. 2, preferably, a mounting post 110 is disposed on an end surface of the first workpiece 100 near the second workpiece 200, a first mounting hole 4221 is formed on the connecting member 420, and the mounting post 110 can pass through the first mounting hole 4221, so that the connecting member 420 is sleeved on the mounting post 110. The connection between the connector 420 and the mounting post 110 is beneficial to improving the stability of the connection between the cover assembly 400 and the first workpiece 100, so as to avoid the cover assembly 400 from falling off or being lost.

As shown in fig. 3, specifically, the first mounting hole 4221 is a bar-shaped hole extending in a direction approaching or separating from the cover 410, and the mounting post 110 can slide in the first mounting hole 4221 so as to provide an operation space for an operator to assemble and replace the fixture 300, avoiding interference. Specifically, when the fixing member 300 is fixed, the operator first sleeves the connecting member 420 on the mounting post 110, and positions the mounting post 110 at the end of the first mounting hole 4221 away from the cover 410, so that the cover 410 is in the open state, and the position of the cover 410 does not interfere with the operator tightening the fixing member 300. After the fixing member 300 is screwed down by the operator, the cover member 410 and the connecting member 420 can be pushed so that the mounting post 110 is located on the side of the first mounting hole 4221 near the cover member 410, and the cover member 410 is easily covered on the fixing member 300.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, when the connecting member 420 and the mounting post 110 are disposed at an included angle, one end of the first mounting hole 4221 away from the cover 410 can be abutted against the second workpiece 200, so as to prevent the mounting post 110 from being separated from the first mounting hole 4221, and further prevent the cover assembly 400 from falling off the first workpiece 100.

With continued reference to fig. 3, further, the connector 420 includes a transition portion 421, and the transition portion 421 is connected to the cover 410. Specifically, the transition portion 421 is connected to the end surface and the side wall of the cover 410, so that the connection area between the cover 410 and the transition portion 421 is advantageously enlarged, the connection strength is further improved, repeated bending deformation and breakage of the cover 410 and the transition portion 421 during the process of covering the fixing member 300 and uncovering the fixing member 300 are avoided, and the structural strength of the cover assembly 400 is advantageously improved. Of course, in other embodiments, the transition 421 may also be connected to an end or side wall of the cover 410 to facilitate the connection with the cover 410.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, preferably, the connecting piece 420 further includes a connecting portion 422 connected to the transition portion 421, and the extending direction of the connecting portion 422 is parallel to and not coplanar with the end surface of the covering piece 410 near the fixing piece 300, so that the covering piece 410 and the connecting portion 422 have a certain height difference, so that the connecting portion 422 extends into the end surface of the first workpiece 100 facing the second workpiece 200 to be connected to the mounting post 110, and the end surface of the covering piece 410 opposite to the mounting post 110 on the fixing piece 300 is covered by the end surface of the first workpiece 100. Since the cover 410 and the connecting piece 420 are respectively located at two sides of the first workpiece 100, if the connecting portion 422 and the end face of the cover 410 close to the fixing piece 300 are arranged in a coplanar manner, in a free state, when the cover 410 is covered on the fixing piece 300, the connecting piece 420 will receive a tensile force from the cover 410, so that the connecting portion 422 or the transition portion 421 is in a tensile or bending state, and stress fatigue is easy to occur, thereby reducing the service life of the connecting piece 420. Meanwhile, if the connection portion 422 is disposed at an angle to the end surface of the cover 410 near the fixing member 300, the connection portion 422 in a free state will have a certain angle to the mounting post 110, resulting in easy detachment of the mounting post 110 from the first mounting hole 4221, so that the cover assembly 400 is easy to be detached from the first workpiece 100. The extending direction of the connecting portion 422 is parallel to and not coplanar with the end surface of the cover 410 close to the fixing member 300, so that the above problem is effectively avoided.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3, the cover 410 is provided with a receiving cavity 411, when the cover 410 is covered on the fixing member 300, an inner wall of the receiving cavity 411 is in clearance fit with the fixing member 300, and the cover 410 protrudes from the first workpiece 100. When the cover plate covers the first workpiece 100, the cover member 410 protruding the first workpiece 100 can play a role of buffering, and rigid collision of the cover plate and the first workpiece 100 is avoided, so that the service lives of the cover plate and the first workpiece 100 are prolonged. At the same time, the gap between the receiving chamber 411 and the fixing member 300 is advantageous in improving the above-described buffering effect.

As shown in fig. 5, the first workpiece 100 includes a panel 120 and a mounting portion 130. The installation department 130 sets up on the panel 120, and has seted up the holding tank that can hold covering 410 on the installation department 130, and connecting hole 131 has been seted up to the lateral wall of holding tank, and connecting piece 420 can pass connecting hole 131 and be connected with first work piece 100, and connecting piece 420 can overlap and establish on erection column 110 promptly to make covering 410 and connecting piece 420 be located the both sides of first work piece 100 respectively, realize the stability that covering subassembly 400 and first work piece 100 are connected promptly, can keep the outward appearance of first work piece 100 succinct again.

As an alternative, as shown in fig. 3 to 5, the side wall of the mounting portion 130 is provided with a clamping hole 132, the covering member 410 further includes at least one clamping member 430, the clamping member 430 is disposed on the outer periphery of the covering member 410, and the clamping member 430 can be clamped with the clamping hole 132, so as to prevent the covering member 410 from being separated from the second mounting hole, and improve the fixing effect of the covering member 410.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the clamping member 430 is one, and the clamping member 430 is disposed on the opposite side to the connecting member 420, so that the end surface of the clamping member 430 facing the first workpiece 100 can abut against the side edge of the clamping hole 132. Of course, the position where the transition portion 421 of the cover assembly 400 is connected to the side wall of the cover 410 also forms a protruding structure, the protruding structure also has a clamping effect, and the end surface of the protrusion 140 facing the first workpiece 100 can abut against the side edge of the connecting hole 131.

In order to improve the structural strength of the engagement between the cover 410 and the first workpiece 100, the engagement member 430 also forms a protrusion 140 structure on the end surface of the cover 410 facing the second workpiece 200.

Further, as shown in fig. 6, the first workpiece 100 further includes at least one protrusion 140, where the protrusion 140 is disposed at a bottom of the accommodating groove, and the cover 410 can abut against the protrusion 140, which is beneficial to making the cover 410 play a role in buffering between the first workpiece 100 and the cover plate, and is beneficial to ensuring that the accommodating cavity 411 and the fixing piece 300 keep a preset gap, so as to further improve the buffering effect of the cover 410.

Further, with continued reference to fig. 6, the cover 410 includes an embedded portion 412 and a clamping portion 413 in a direction away from the second workpiece 200. Wherein, the embedded portion 412 is in clearance fit with the side wall of the mounting portion 130, the diameter of the clamping portion 413 is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting portion 130, and when the cover 410 is covered on the fixing member 300, part or all of the clamping portion 413 is located in the mounting portion 130, so that the embedded portion 412 is conveniently placed in the mounting portion 130, and the clamping portion 413 can enter the mounting portion 130 after being subjected to certain compression denaturation, so that the clamping portion 413 is prevented from falling off from the mounting portion 130, and the covering effect of the cover 410 is improved. Further, the end surface of the engaging member 430 abutting against the engaging hole 132 is disposed coplanar with the end surface of the insertion portion 412 transitioning to the engaging portion 413.

The household appliance is beneficial to avoiding the cover assembly 400 from falling off the first workpiece 100 and avoiding the fixing piece 300 from being exposed through the connecting structure. The home appliance may be a laundry cleaning apparatus, thereby effectively preventing the cover assembly 400 from being lost due to falling, effectively preventing the fixing member 300 from contacting water, and preventing the fixing member 300 from rusting.

Note that the basic principles and main features of the present invention and advantages of the present invention are shown and described above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, but rather, the foregoing embodiments and description illustrate the principles of the invention, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a connection structure, is applied to household appliances, its characterized in that, connection structure includes first work piece (100), second work piece (200) and mounting (300), first work piece (100) with second work piece (200) are through mounting (300) fixed connection, connection structure still includes cover subassembly (400), cover subassembly (400) include:

-a cover (410) configured to cover the fixture (300); and

and the connecting piece (420) is connected with the covering piece (410), and when the covering piece (410) is covered or not covered on the fixing piece (300), the connecting piece (420) is connected with the first workpiece (100), and the covering piece (410) and the connecting piece (420) are integrally formed.

2. The connecting structure according to claim 1, wherein a mounting post (110) is disposed on an end surface of the first workpiece (100) adjacent to the second workpiece (200), a first mounting hole (4221) is formed in the connecting member (420), and the mounting post (110) can pass through the first mounting hole (4221) so that the connecting member (420) is sleeved on the mounting post (110).

3. The connection structure according to claim 2, wherein the first mounting hole (4221) is a bar-shaped hole extending in a direction approaching or departing from the cover (410), and the mounting post (110) is slidable in the first mounting hole (4221).

4. A connection according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection (420) comprises:

a transition (421) connected to the cover (410);

and the connecting part (422) is connected with the transition part (421), and the extending direction of the connecting part (422) is parallel to and not coplanar with the end surface of the covering part (410) close to the fixing piece (300).

5. A connecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the covering member (410) is provided with a containing cavity (411), when the covering member (410) is covered on the fixing member (300), an inner wall of the containing cavity (411) is in clearance fit with the fixing member (300), and the covering member (410) protrudes from the first workpiece (100).

6. A connecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first workpiece (100) comprises:

a panel (120); and

the mounting part (130) is arranged on the panel (120), the mounting part (130) is provided with a containing groove capable of containing the covering piece (410), the side wall of the containing groove is provided with a connecting hole (131), and the connecting piece (420) can penetrate through the connecting hole (131) to be connected with the first workpiece (100).

7. The joining structure according to claim 6, characterized in that said first workpiece (100) further comprises:

at least one protrusion (140), the protrusion (140) is disposed at a bottom of the receiving groove, and the cover (410) can abut against the protrusion (140).

8. The connection structure according to claim 6, wherein the side wall is provided with a clamping hole (132), and the cover assembly (400) further comprises:

at least one clamping piece (430) is arranged on the periphery of the covering piece (410), and the clamping piece (430) is configured to be clamped with the clamping hole (132).

9. A connection according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the first workpiece (100) comprises a mounting portion (130), the mounting portion (130) being configured to accommodate the cover (410), the cover (410) comprising, in order, in a direction away from the second workpiece (200):

an embedded part (412) which is in clearance fit with the side wall of the mounting part (130); and

and a clamping part (413), wherein the diameter of the clamping part (413) is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting part (130), and when the covering piece (410) is covered on the fixing piece (300), part or all of the clamping part (413) is positioned in the mounting part (130).

10. A household appliance comprising a connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The household appliance of claim 10, wherein the household appliance is a laundry cleaning appliance.