EP2435618A2

EP2435618A2 - Laundry machine

Info

Publication number: EP2435618A2
Application number: EP10780804A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ig Geun Kwon; Young Suk Kim; Hyun Seok Seo; Min Gyu Jo
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2009-05-28
Filing date: 2010-05-27
Publication date: 2012-04-04
Also published as: BRPI1010665A2; WO2010137893A2; CA2760279C; EP2435621A2; CA2760279A1; BRPI1010665A8; CN102428223A; ES2587799T3; EP2435618A4; AU2010253601A1; CN102395725B; WO2010137911A2; BRPI1012181A2; CA2760660C; EP2435621A4; CN102395725A; RU2485231C1; US20120011900A1; EP2435620A4; EP2435620A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry machine having an improved supporting structure of a damper for supporting a tub (200), including a tub (200) for holding washing water, a drum (400) rotatably mounted in the tub (200), vibration means for attenuating vibration transmitted from the drum (400), and a bushing (1130) disposed between a base (110) and the vibration attenuation means in a compressed and deformed state for restricting movement of one end of the vibration attenuation means.

Description

LAUNDRY MACHINE

The present invention relates to laundry machines, and more particularly, to a laundry machine having an improved supporting structure of a damper for supporting a tub.

In general, the drum type washing machine has the tub mounted in a cabinet which forms an exterior of the drum type washing machine for holding washing water. There is a drum rotatably mounted in the tub for holding laundry. The drum is rotated by a motor, and since vibration transmits from the drum to the tub, a vibration attenuation structure, such as springs, dampers, balancers is provided for attenuating the vibration.

The tub is suspended from an inside of the cabinet with springs and the like, and the motor is mounted to a rear of the tub for rotating the drum in the tub. That is, it is configured that the drum and the tub are connected with the motor mounted to the rear of the tub.

In the meantime, in such a related art drum type, vibration takes place at the drum due to weight imbalance caused by leaning of the laundry to one side as the drum type washing machine rotates at a high RPM. Consequently, the vibration transmits from the drum to the tub and the cabinet, making the tub and surrounding components to vibrate together.

Therefore, in order to maintain a coupled state even such transmission of the vibration securely, improvement of the supporting structure is required.

To solve the problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry machine in which a damper supporting structure is improved.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a laundry machine includes a tub for holding washing water, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub, a vibration attenuation means for attenuating vibration transmitted from the drum, and a bushing disposed between a base and the vibration attenuation means in a compressed and deformed state for restricting movement of one end of the vibration attenuation means.

The bushing includes an upper bushing disposed over the base and passed through by the one end of the vibration attenuation means, and a lower bushing disposed under the base and passed through by the one end of the vibration attenuation means.

The lower bushing has a height higher than a height of the upper bushing before the bushing is coupled to the base.

The lower bushing has and the upper bushing have same heights after they are coupled to the base.

The upper bushing has a thickness of 11mm ~ 12mm before the upper bushing is mounted, and the lower bushing has a thickness of 12mm ~ 13mm before the lower bushing is mounted.

Each of the upper bushing and the lower bushing has an outside diameter of 30 ~ 50mm.

The busing is formed of rubber having a hardness of 55 ~ 65Hs at a room temperature.

In the meantime, the base includes a spring supporting portion projected upward to a predetermined height from a bottom surface.

The spring supporting portion is positioned on a front side of opposite sides of the bottom surface of the base.

The spring supporting portion includes a bushing seating portion which is formed as recessed downward for seating the bushing thereon.

The bushing seating portion includes a fastening rib projected downward from a center portion, and a through-hole passed through the bushing seating portion.

The vibration attenuation means further includes a cylinder, a piston inserted into the cylinder, a spring engaged between the cylinder and the piston to exert a spring force therebetween, and

a spring supporting portion connected to the cylinder or the piston and positioned on an upper side of the bushing for supporting the spring.

Each of the upper bushing and the lower bushing has a pass through hole in a center thereof.

The fastening rib is placed in the hole in the lower bushing.

One end of the piston is mounted passing through the upper bushing, the lower bushing, and the fastening.

An embodiment of the present invention can be made such that the suspension unit is connected to the driving unit for supportably buffering vibration of the drum. Though, in the related art, the suspension unit is connected to the tub for buffering both the tub and the drum, the laundry machine of the present invention may have a structure in which vibration of the drum is isolated from the vibration of the tub.

In the meantime, the tub is supported rigidly more than the drum being supported by the suspension unit. An example in which the tub is supported rigidly more than the drum being supported by the suspension unit is as follows.

First, at least a portion of the tub can be formed as one unit with the cabinet.

Second, the tub may be supportably connected with screws, rivets, rubber bushings or supportably fixed by welding, adhesive sealing. In this case, such a connection member has rigidity greater than the suspension unit with respect to a direction of a major vibration of the drum.

Moreover, a flexible member may be included for reducing transmission of vibration from the drum to the tub. The flexible member may be made to make flexible connection of the tub to the driving unit for preventing leakage from the driving unit and the tub and enabling the driving unit to move relative to the tub. Such a flexible member may be the rear gasket.

The present invention has following advantageous effects.

The laundry machine can improve a damper supporting structure.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a laundry machine in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a base of the laundry machine in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a suspension unit of the laundry machine in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged sectional view of A part in FIG. 3.

Reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the laundry machine includes a cabinet 100 which forms an exterior of the laundry machine, a tub 200 fixedly supported on the cabinet 100, a drum 400 rotatably mounted in the tub 200, a bearing housing 500 for supporting the drum 400, a rear gasket 300 and a suspension unit 600 for supporting the tub 200.

The cabinet 100 includes a base which forms a bottom surface, one pair of side panels 120 which form opposite sides, and a rear panel 130 which forms a rear of the laundry machine (detailed structure of the base will be described later in detail).

The tub 200 includes a tub front 210 and a rear tub 220 both of which are cylindrical, and a tub back which forms a rear wall of the rear tub 220, which are assembled with screws to form a space for housing the drum therein. The rear tub 220 has an opening in a rear surface, of which inside circumference is connected to an outside circumference of the rear gasket 300, and an inside circumference of the rear gasket 300 is connected to the tub back 230. The tub back 230 has a pass through hole in a center for placing a rotation shaft therethrough.

The rear gasket 300 is formed of a flexible material for preventing the vibration from transmitting from the tub back 230 to the rear tub 220. The rear gasket 300 is sealably connected to the tub back 230 and the rear tub 220 respectively for preventing the washing water from leaking from the tub 200.

The tub back 230, vibrating with the drum 400 when the drum 400 rotates, is spaced from the rear tub 220 adequately for preventing the tub back 230 from interfering with the rear tub 220. Since the rear gasket 300 is formed of the flexible material, the tub back 230 is enabled to make a relative motion without interference with the rear tub 220. The rear gasket 300 may have a corrugated portion (not shown) which can be extended adequately for enabling the tub back 230 to make the relative motion.

The drum 400 includes a drum front 410, a drum center 420, and a drum back 430, and there are balancers 310 and 330 mounted to a front and a rear of the drum 400. The drum back 430 is connected to and supported on a spider 450, and the spider 450 is connected to the rotating shaft 460. The drum 400 rotates in the tub 200 by rotation force transmitted thereto through the rotation shaft 460.

The rotation shaft 460 is passed through the tub back 230 and connected to the motor (not shown), directly. In detail, a rotor of the motor and the rotation shaft 460 are connected directly. There is the bearing housing 500 on the rear surface 128 of the tub back 230 between the motor and the tub back 230 for supporting the rotation shaft 460, rotatably.

The bearing housing 500 has a stator (not shown) fixed thereto, the rotor is mounted to surround the stator, and the rotor is connected to the rotation shaft 460, directly. In this instance, the motor may be an outer rotor type motor.

The bearing housing 500 is mounted on the base 110 of the cabinet 100 suspended by the suspension unit 600.

Referring to FIG. 3, the suspension unit 600 includes three vertical suspensions and two tilted suspensions which support in tilted positions in a front to rear direction. The suspension unit is connected to the cabinet base 110, not fixedly, but elastically for enabling the drum to move in front/rear directions and left/right directions in a certain extent.

That is, the suspension unit 600 is elastically supported with respect to supporting points connected to the base for enabling the suspension unit 600 to move in the front/rear directions and in the left/right directions in a certain extent. In order to make such elastic supporting available, the vertical suspensions are mounted to the base 110 through rubber bushings, respectively.

In the suspension unit 600, the vertical suspensions are a first cylinder spring 610, a second cylinder spring 620, and a third cylinder spring 630 which are vibration attenuation means for buffering vibration of the drum elastically, and the tilted suspensions are a first cylinder damper 640 and a second cylinder damper 650 for attenuating the vibration of the drum.

That is, in a vibration system including spring damping means, it can be configured that vertical ones serve as a spring, and tilted ones serve as the damping means.

As described before, the tub 200 is fixedly secured to the cabinet 100, and the vibration of the drum 400 is supportably buffered. It can be said that it is in a mode that supporting structures for supporting the tub 200 and the drum 400 are separated from each other, and it may also be said that it is in a mode that the drum 400 does not vibrate even if the tub 20 does.

The suspension unit 600 will be described in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the suspension unit 600 includes first and second axial direction brackets 660 and 670, a first cylinder spring 610 connected thereto respectively, a second spring 620 and a third cylinder spring 630, and a first cylinder damper 640 and a second cylinder damper 650.

The cylinder spring is mounted between the cylinder and the piston 624, for damping the vibration. The cylinder is connected to the axial direction bracket, and the piston is connected to a base side. The spring is supported on a spring supporting portion 626. Owing to the spring, a length of the cylinder spring can vary securely at damping. The cylinder has a piston moving in the cylinder for providing the damping effect by friction resistance.

The first cylinder spring 610 is connected between the first axial direction bracket 660 and the base 110, and the second cylinder spring 620 is connected between the second axial direction bracket 670 and the base 110. The third cylinder spring 630 is connected between the bearing housing and the base 110, directly.

In the meantime, referring to FIG. 2, the base 100 includes a bottom portion 112 which is a bottom of the base 110, a front frame 114, a rear frame 116, and side frames 118 bent upward from four corners of the bottom portion 112.

The bottom portion 112 has a press processed portion 112a bent upward by press processing on an inner side of the front frame 114, the rear frame 116, and the side frames 118 spaced therefrom.

There are spring supporting portions 1120 at a front side of each of spaces between the press processed portion 112a and the side frames 118, and at a center of a space between the press processed portion 112a and the rear frame 116.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, each of the spring supporting portions 1120 has an upward projection from the bottom portion 112 to have a predetermined height higher than the bottom portion 112, and is fastened to one of the first to third springs 610, 620 and 630 (Since the cylinder springs are coupled in the same method, for convenience’s sake, the embodiment will be described with reference to the second cylinder spring).

The spring supporting portion 1120 has a bushing seating portion 1122 which is constructed as a portion of the upward projection is pressed down, and the bushing seating portion 1122 has a pass through hole 1122a in center of the bushing seating portion 1122. The pass through hole 1122a also has a fastening rib 1122b cylindrically projected downward as the pass through hole 1122a is pressed down.

A bushing 1130 to be described later is seated on the bushing seating portion 1122, and the fastening rib 1122b is placed in the bushing 1130.

The bushing 1130 includes an upper bushing 1132 coupled to an upper side of the bushing seating portion 1122 and a lower bushing 1134 coupled to an lower side of the bushing seating portion 1122.

At a center of the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134, there is a hole 1136 which is passed through for placing the piston of the second cylinder 620 therein. After the upper bushing 1132 is seated, the fastening rib 1122b is placed in the hole 1136 in the lower bushing 1134 at first to seat the lower bushing 1134 thereon.

Thereafter, the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 are coupled, and the piston 624 is passed through the upper bushing 1132 and the spring supporting portion 626 in a state the spring supporting portion 626 of the second cylinder damper 620 is seated on the upper bushing 1132, and an end of piston 624 the projected to an outside of the lower bushing 1134. For this, the spring supporting portion 626 also has a pass through hole in a center. As a nut is fastened to the projected end of the piston 624, the second cylinder spring 620 is fastened.

The lower bushing 1134 has a height higher than the upper bushing 1132. However, at the time of fastening the bushing 1130, the lower bushing 1134 is fastened with a nut in a state the lower bushing is positioned at a lower side of the bushing seating portion 1122 and coupled to the piston 624. Therefore, since the lower bushing 1134 is fastened in a state the lower bushing 1134 is compressed and deformed, and the upper bushing 1132 is fastened in a state the upper bushing 1132 is not compressed, heights of the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 can be the same or the height of the upper bushing 1132 is higher.

In the embodiment of the present invention, both the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 have outside diameters 40mm respectively, and the upper busing 1130 has thickness of 11.5mm, and the lower bushing 1134 has thickness of 12.5mm, both before mounting. Though the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 have thicknesses different from each other, the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 are mounted to have the same thickness in a mounted state.

That is, at the time of mounting, a nut is fastened to a lower end of the piston 624 until thicknesses of the upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 become the same. The upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 serve to support rotational moment acting on the cylinder springs more securely for reducing vibration of the drum 400.

The upper bushing 1132 and the lower bushing 1134 may be formed of Isobutylene-Isoprene rubber, with hardness in a range of 55 ~ 65HS at a room temperature, preferably 60HS. If the bushing 1130 has a weak rigidity weak, front/rear direction or left/right direction amplitude of the drum is liable to increase, and has a rigidity strong excessively, abnormal vibration is liable to take place in a steady state at the time of spinning.

Thus, the first to third cylinder springs are mounted to the base 110 with the rubber bushings 1130 disposed therebetween, respectively. Therefore, the cylinder spring makes motion relative to the base 110 as far as the elasticity of the bushing 1130 allows.

The fastening of the cylinder spring to the base with the rubber bushings 1130 disposed therebetween allows a certain extent of freedoms to the cylinder spring. Such a fastening structure enables to buffer the drum, flexibly relatively.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A laundry machine comprising:

a tub for holding washing water;

a drum rotatably mounted in the tub;

vibration attenuation means for attenuating vibration transmitted from the drum; and

a bushing disposed between a base and the vibration attenuation means in a compressed and deformed state for restricting movement of one end of the vibration attenuation means.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bushing includes;

an upper bushing disposed over the base and passed through by the one end of the vibration attenuation means, and

a lower bushing disposed under the base and passed through by the one end of the vibration attenuation means.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower bushing has a height higher than a height of the upper bushing before the bushing is coupled to the base.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lower bushing and the upper bushing have same heights after they are coupled to the base.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper bushing has a thickness of 11mm ~ 12mm before the upper bushing is mounted, and the lower bushing has a thickness of 12mm ~ 13mm before the lower bushing is mounted.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the upper bushing and the lower bushing has an outside diameter of 30 ~ 50mm.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the busing is formed of rubber having a hardness of 55 ~ 65Hs at a room temperature.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base includes a spring supporting portion projected upward to a predetermined height from a bottom surface.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the spring supporting portion is positioned on a front side of opposite sides of the bottom surface of the base.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spring supporting portion includes a bushing seating portion which is formed as recessed downward for seating the bushing thereon.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the bushing seating portion includes;

a fastening rib projected downward (bent?) from a center portion, and

a through-hole passed through the bushing seating portion.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the vibration attenuation means further includes;

a cylinder,

a piston inserted into the cylinder,

a spring engaged between the cylinder and the piston to exert a spring force therebetween, and

a spring supporting portion connected to the cylinder or the piston and positioned on an upper side of the bushing for supporting the spring.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the upper bushing and the lower bushing has a pass through hole in a center thereof.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the fastening rib is placed in the hole in the lower bushing.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein one end of the piston is mounted passing through the upper bushing, the lower bushing, and the fastening rib.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a rotation shaft connected to the drum;

a bearing housing rotatably supporting the rotation shaft;

a motor for rotating the rotation shaft; and

a suspension unit including the vibration attenuation means, the suspension unit attached to the bearing housing for attenuating vibration of the drum.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tub is supported more rigidly than the drum is supported by the vibration attenuation means.
The laundry machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a driving unit including a rotation shaft connected to the drum, a bearing housing rotatably supporting the rotation shaft, and a motor for rotating the rotation shaft; and

a flexible member for sealing a rear side of the tub to prevent water from leaking to the driving unit from the tub and allowing the driving unit to move relative to the tub.