EP2748370B1

EP2748370B1 - A washing/drying machine having a mechanism fixing the oscillating group during transportation

Info

Publication number: EP2748370B1
Application number: EP12753453.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Süleyman ÖZKAN
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2011-08-22
Filing date: 2012-08-21
Publication date: 2018-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2032-08-21
Also published as: EP2748370A1; TR201816457T4; CN103748275A; RU2596943C2; RU2014109035A; WO2013026846A1; PL2748370T3; CN103748275B

Description

The present invention relates to a household appliance, particularly a laundry washing/drying machine, comprising a housing having at least one panel, an oscillating or vibrating group disposed in said housing, and at least one connection aperture disposed on said panel, through which a fastening pin is passed and fastened to said oscillating group during a transportation event.
Laundry washing and drying machines comprise an oscillating or vibrating group composed of an electric motor, a drum, and a tub. The drum and the tub are connected to the machine housing by means of spring-like or impact absorber-like elements. Thus, the transfer of motion resulting from the rotating drum to the machine housing is prevented. The moving structure of the oscillating group is a problem when the laundry washing/drying machine is transported. Therefore, fastening mechanisms are used which fasten the oscillating group to the housing during transportation and are removed therefrom when required.
The solution disclosed in the patent application DE 103 10 883 A1 provides steel brackets extending on both sides of a cylindrical tank comprising a drum. Said steel brackets are fastened to the cylindrical tank by means of plates having right-angled end sections. Holes are made in said end sections, through which fastening pins are passed to fasten the drum during transportation. Arcuate slots are provided in the vicinity of the holes to prevent any impact resulting from transportation from bending the bracket.
The machine disclosed in EP 0 916 760 A2 comprises screws fastened into bores disposed on a drum bearing. The screws pass through bores on a rear panel of the machine housing. The screw head rests on a reinforcing profile or cross bar fastened detachably to the rear panel.
Another fastening system disclosed in WO 2006/117253 A1 for temporarily fastening the vibrating system of a household appliance comprises a keyhole-like passage arranged on the rear panel thereof, a cylindrical body inserted through said passage, a cavity for guiding a fastening bolt extending along the central axis of the housing, and a threaded bore in the vibrating system. In order to improve the fastening function, a coaxial extension extending outward on the cylindrical body, and a bridge connecting said housing to said coaxial extension are provided.
DE 10 2007 009 511 A1 discloses a household appliance including a housing and a swinging group suspended within the housing, wherein the swinging group is fastened to the housing by a fastening pin that connects a rear panel of the housing to the swinging group. The pin is passed through a hole in the rear panel, and the rear panel has a curvilinear recess that passes around a region which includes the hole.
The present invention relates to a laundry washing/drying machine, developed for eliminating the drawbacks of the prior art systems and bringing new advantages to the relevant art.
One object of this invention is to increase the strength of the vicinity of the connection aperture through which a fastening pin fixing the oscillating group to the housing is passed.
Another object of this invention is to eliminate the use of an additional sheet metal piece serving to increase the strength of the vicinity of said connection aperture.
In order to achieve all objects referred to above and to emerge from the following detailed description, the present invention provides a household appliance, particularly a laundry washing/drying machine, comprising a housing having at least one panel, an oscillating group disposed in said housing, and at least one connection aperture disposed on said panel, through which a fastening pin is introduced and fastened to said oscillating group during transportation. The washing machine is characterized by comprising at least one structural reinforcement in the form of a protrusion or recess disposed in the vicinity of said connection aperture on the panel.
It may be mentioned that the terms "protrusion" and "recess" are similar to each other in the present context in that both refer to deformations of a plane structure, with "protrusion" referring to a deformation directed towards an outside of the plane structure or rather a body that the plane structure is part of, and "recess" referring to a deformation directed towards an inside of the plane structure.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that a larger portion of said structural reinforcement is disposed on a region of the connection aperture, against which a head portion of the fastening pin bears during transportation.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that said structural reinforcement is composed of at least two parts in the vicinity of the connection aperture, such that one part thereof is situated closer to the connection aperture than the other.
A further preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that said connection aperture comprises a wide section and a narrow section provided in a continuous manner and in that the larger portion of the structural reinforcement is disposed in the vicinity of said narrow section.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said structural reinforcement comprises an outer curvilinear form and at least one inner reinforcing form, situated closer to the connection aperture than said curvilinear form.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer curvilinear form extends along a U-shaped path, thereby enclosing the narrow section and thus at least one inner reinforcing form.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner reinforcing form is at least one inner curvilinear form, which is disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section, and extends in a manner defining an arc and bending towards the outer curvilinear form.
Still another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the inner reinforcing form is at least one inner curvilinear form, which is disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section, and extends in a manner defining an arc and bending towards the connection aperture.
Still a further preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the inner reinforcing form is at least one linear form, which is disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section, and extends in a manner defining a line.
Again another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the outer curvilinear form extends in a manner defining a recession into the housing.
Again a further preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the inner curvilinear form and linear form extends in a manner defining a protrusion out of the housing.
Still another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the reinforcing form comprises at least one inner curvilinear form disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section and bent towards the outer curvilinear form, as well as at least one further inner curvilinear form bent towards the connection aperture.
Still a further preferred embodiment of the present invention provides that the reinforcing form comprises two inner curvilinear forms disposed on two lateral sides of the narrow section and bent towards the connection aperture, as well as one inner curvilinear form disposed on the top side of the narrow section and bent towards the outer curvilinear form.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are now described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawing. In particular, the drawing comprises the following Figures:

Figure 1 is a view from the rear of a washing/drying machine.
Figure 2 is a representative view of a preferred embodiment.
Figure 3a is a close-up view of the rear panel.
Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view of Figure 3a.
Figures 4a to 4d are representative views of alternative embodiments.

In the following detailed description, the present invention shall be described illustratively with references to annexed figures, only to make clear the present invention without imposing any restrictions thereon. Accordingly, the present invention is assumed to be applied to a household washing/drying machine 10 in the following description. In alternative embodiments, however, the present invention can be adapted to any other household appliances which comprise components which may damage other components thereof as a result of vibrating or oscillating, particularly during transportation.
The washing/drying machine 10 (to be referred to as the washing machine hereinafter) to which the present invention is applied comprises most generally a housing 11, as well as an oscillating group composed of a drum (not illustrated in the figures) receiving items to be washed and a tub (not illustrated in figures) in which the drum is moved. The washing machine 10 also comprises a fastening system used during transportation for preventing the oscillating group from displacing and damaging the housing 11. Said fastening system is composed of connection apertures 13 disposed on a rear panel 12 of the housing and fastening pins 20 passed through said connection apertures 13 and screwed to the tub. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, four connection apertures 13 are disposed on the rear panel 12 in a manner defining the corners of a rectangle, so that the oscillating group is fixed through the tub at four points by means of said fastening pins 20.
The fastening pin 20 illustrated in Figure 2, in turn, comprises a head portion 21 remaining on the exterior of the housing 11 so as to bear against the vicinity of the connection aperture 13 following assembly, a body portion 22 extending between the opening aperture 13 and the tub, and a screw portion (not illustrated in figures) extending from the body portion 22 and screwed into a screw hole (not illustrated in figures) disposed on the tub. Additionally, a neck portion (not illustrated in the figures) having a smaller diameter than the body portion 22 is formed between the head portion 21 and the body portion 22. On the other hand, said connection aperture 13 has a wide annular portion 131 and a narrow U-shaped portion 132, said portions being disposed adjacent to each other in a manner defining preferably a keyhole-like shape. As illustrated in Figure 2, the fastening pin 20 is passed through the wide section 131 of the connection aperture 13 and then the neck portion is slid and is thus fitted into the narrow section 132 thereof. Finally, the fastening pin 20 is screwed into the tub by the screw portion thereof until the head portion 21 rests against the connection aperture 13.
During transportation, the vicinity of the connection aperture 13 is subjected to some forces generated by the displacement of the oscillating group and transferred by the fastening pin 20 to the rear panel 12. As a novelty according to the present invention, structural reinforcements 14 are made around the connection aperture 13 on the rear panel 12 for providing the desired strength against these forces. Said structural reinforcements 14 have recessed and/or protruding forms and extend along a linear or curvilinear path, thereby defining a semicircular-like cross-section. The structural reinforcements 14 on the region corresponding to the vicinity of the narrow section 132, against which the head portion 21 of the fastening pin 20 bears, each define a bulging towards the head portion 21, whereas the structural reinforcements 14 formed on the outer regions each define a recess into the housing 11, 22. Many alternatives may be embodied for this solution.
For instance, exemplary schematic views are given in figures 3a and 3b for a preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the structural reinforcements 14 enclose the narrow section 132 of the connection aperture 13 completely and the wide section 131 thereof partially, and comprise one outer curvilinear form 141a extending along a U-shaped path and three inner curvilinear forms 141b defining arcs on two lateral sides and one top side of the narrow section 132 thereof. The inner curvilinear forms 141b are shorter than the outer curvilinear form 141a and each is bent towards the outer curvilinear form 141a. The outer curvilinear form 141a extends in a manner enclosing the inner curvilinear forms 141b as well. Additionally, the arms of the outer curvilinear form 141a extend up to half the length of the wider section 131. Referring to Figure 3b, the inner curvilinear forms 141b are shaped to protrude outward, whereas the inner curvilinear form 141a is shaped to make a recess into the machine's interior. Thanks to this configuration, the head portion 21 of the fastening pin 20 bears against the inner curvilinear forms 141b from the top. Thus, the contact area between the base of the head portion 21 and the region around the narrow section 132 is minimized, so that the force originating from the oscillating group is adequately absorbed by the inner curvilinear forms 141b, 141c and the linear forms 142. Additionally, both the outer and the inner curvilinear forms 141a, 141b, 141c and the linear forms 142 increase the area of the surface subjected to the force around the connection aperture (13), thereby increasing the strength of this region. On the other hand, the fact that the structural reinforcement 14 is made of multiple separate components 141a, 141b, 141c, 142 is a factor significantly increasing the strength against the aforesaid force.
In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4a, the structural reinforcements 14 on two sides of the narrow section 132 extend in a linear form 142, while the inner curvilinear form 141b on the top of the narrow section 132 is bent towards the narrow section 132. The outer curvilinear form 141a is the same with that shown in Figure 3c. The only difference of the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4b to that in Figure 4a is that the upper section of the outer curvilinear form 141a extending in a curvilinear fashion is broadened. In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4c, the inner curvilinear form 141b disposed on the top of the narrow section 132 is bent towards the narrow section 132, whereas the inner curvilinear forms 141c disposed on two lateral sides of the narrow section 132 are bent towards the outer curvilinear form 141a, as is the case shown in Figure 3a. The only difference of the embodiment shown in Figure 4b to the embodiment shown in Figure 4a is that no inner curvilinear form 141b is disposed on the top side of the narrow section 132. Additionally, all inner curvilinear forms 141b, 141c are bent to a certain radius at the centers thereof.
In result, the regions around the connection aperture 13 are reinforced against said forces originating from the displacement of the oscillating group by means of the structural reinforcements 14. Thus, the need is eliminated for using additional metal plates mounted around the connection aperture 13 for ensuring this reinforcement.

List of Reference Numerals

10: laundry washing/drying machine
11: housing
12: rear panel
13: connection aperture
131: wide section
132: narrow section
14: structural reinforcement
141a: outer curvilinear form
141b: inner curvilinear form
141c: inner curvilinear form
142: linear form
20: fastening pin
21: head portion
22: body portion

Claims

A household appliance (10), comprising a housing (11) having at least one panel (12), an oscillating group disposed in said housing (11), and at least one connection aperture (13) disposed on said panel (12) and through which a fastening pin (20) is passed and fastened to said oscillating group during a transportation event, wherein said panel (12) comprises a structural reinforcement (14) which is composed of at least one outer curvilinear form (141a) in the vicinity of the connection aperture (13) and at least one inner reinforcing form (141b, 141c, 142), situated closer to the connection aperture (13) than said outer curvilinear form (141a), characterised in that said connection aperture (13) comprises a wide section (131) and a narrow section (132) provided in a continuous manner and the larger portion of the outer curvilinear form (141a) and the inner reinforcing form (141b, 141c, 142) is disposed in the vicinity of said narrow section (132).
A household appliance (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that a larger portion of the inner reinforcing form (141b, 141c, 142) is disposed on a region of the connection aperture (13), against which a head portion (21) of the fastening pin (20) bears during transportation.
A household appliance (10) according to preceding claims, characterized in that the outer curvilinear form (141a) extends along a U-shaped path, thereby enclosing the narrow section (132) and thus at least one inner reinforcing form (141b, 142).
A household appliance (10) according to preceding claims, characterized in that the reinforcing form (14) is at least one inner curvilinear form (141b), disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section (132), and extending in a manner to define an arc and bending towards the outer curvilinear form (141a).
A household appliance (10) according to to preceding claims, characterized in that the inner reinforcing form (141b) is at least one inner curvilinear form (141c), disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section (132), and extending in a manner to define an arc and bending towards the connection aperture (13).
A household appliance (10) according to preceding claims, characterized in that the inner reinforcing form (142) is at least one linear form (142), disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section (132) and extending in a manner to define a line.
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer curvilinear form (141a) extends in a manner defining a recession into the housing (11, 22).
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner curvilinear form (141b) and linear form (142) extends in a manner defining a protrusion out of the housing (11).
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the reinforcing form (14) comprises at least one inner curvilinear form (141b) disposed in the vicinity of the narrow section (132) and bent towards the outer curvilinear form (141a), as well as at least another inner curvilinear form (141c) bent towards the connection aperture (13).
A household appliance (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the reinforcing form (14) comprises two inner curvilinear forms (141c) disposed on two lateral sides of the narrow section (132) and bent towards the connection aperture (13), as well as one inner curvilinear form (141b) disposed on the top side of the narrow section and bent towards the outer curvilinear form (141a).
A household appliance (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the reinforcing form (14) comprises at least two inner curvilinear forms (141b, 141c) disposed laterally and on the top side of the narrow section (132), at least one of these forms being bent towards the outer curvilinear form (141a) and the other towards the connection aperture (13), as well as one outer curvilinear form (141a), extending along a U-shaped path in a manner to partially surround the connection aperture (13) and enclose said inner curvilinear forms (141b).
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said panel (12) is a rear panel (12).
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said oscillating group comprises a drum in which items to be washed are placed, and a tub in which the drum is moved and to which said fastening pin (20) is screwed.
A household appliance (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in being embodied as a laundry washing/drying machine (10).