EP3507411A1

EP3507411A1 - A washing machine and a method of operating a washing machine

Info

Publication number: EP3507411A1
Application number: EP17751391.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Taha CALISKAN; Salih YILDIRIM; Yunus Emre AYDOGDU; Mursel TELLICI; Bugra CETINKAYA
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2016-08-31
Filing date: 2017-08-10
Publication date: 2019-07-10
Also published as: TR201612290A2; WO2018041593A1

Abstract

A laundry washing machine (1) comprising: a cabinet (2) having a front aperture (3); a door (4) mounted on the cabinet (2) for closing the aperture (3); an oscillating group (5) suspended in the cabinet (2) and having a tub (6) and a drum (7) rotatably placed inside the tub (6) and accessible through the aperture (3) for allowing loading and unloading laundry into and from the drum (7); a control unit programmed to control the operation of the washing machine (1); and a user interface (8) connected to the control unit for allowing the user to select the operational parameters of the washing machine (1). The washing machine (1) further comprises displacing means (9) mounted in the cabinet (2) and activable by the control unit upon the receipt of an add-garment input by a user through the user interface (8) to displace the oscillating group (5) in the cabinet (2) toward an offset position (B) in which the level of the water (W) inside the tub (6) is below the front aperture (3) to allow opening of the door (4) without water spilling out through the aperture (3). It is an object of the invention also a method of operating a washing machine as above specified.

Description

A WASHING MACHINE AND A METHOD OF OPERATING A WASHING MACHINE

The present invention relates to a laundry washing machine, in particular to a front loading washing machine, and to a method of operating such washing machine.
A front loading laundry washing machine generally comprises a cabinet with a front aperture closable by means of a door, an oscillating group suspended in the cabinet and having a tub and a drum rotatably placed inside the tub and accessible through the front aperture for allowing the user to load/unload the laundry to be washed into/from the drum. The drum is rotatable in the tub so that water and detergent held in a lower part of the tub are used for washing the laundry.
In the present application, the term “laundry washing machine” is intended to comprise both the front loading type laundry washing machine with the drying function or without the drying function.
The washing machines generally available on the market comprise a locking mechanism which prevents the door from being opened by the user once the washing cycle has started, in order to avoid water spilling out of the tub. Because of it, when the user forgets to include a garment in the laundry load, he/she cannot introduce it in the drum once the washing program has been started.
In order to obviate such problem, in recent years washing machines have been developed which allow a later introduction of garments in the drum.
An example of such a washing machine is given in the European application n. EP 2930263 A1. The washing machine therein disclosed comprises a subsidiary door arranged on the upper portion of the door to be freely opened and closed independently of the door during a washing cycle. The subsidiary door however has relatively small dimensions so that it allows the user to introduce through it only small garments.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a laundry washing machine allowing the user to introduce in an easy and secure manner any garment that could normally be introduced in the drum through the front door, despite of its dimensions, also after a washing cycle has been started. A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating a washing machine to be applied by a user whenever a mistakenly forgotten garment should be added to the laundry load after the washing cycle has been started or when a garment mistakenly introduced in the drum should be removed.
These objectives have been achieved by the washing machine as defined in claim 1 and the operating method as defined in claim 12. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.
In the washing machine of the present invention displacing means are provided for displacing, and in particular for lowering, the oscillating group and hence the tub inside the cabinet once the user is willing to open the door after the washing cycle has been started. By displacing the oscillating group, the water contained in the tub is displaced with the latter until its level is lowered below the bottom rim of the aperture on the cabinet so that the door that closes the aperture can be safely opened by the user.
In particular the displacing means are designed to work either by applying a traction force on the oscillating group to attract it toward the bottom of the cabinet or by pushing the oscillating group toward the bottom of the cabinet and are accordingly connected to the cabinet.
In one embodiment the displacing means are designed to tilt the tub of the oscillating means with its bottom rear part dragged toward the bottom of the cabinet so that in the offset position the rotation axis of the drum is inclined with respect to the horizontal.
In a different embodiment the displacing means are designed to shift the tub of the oscillating means toward the bottom of the cabinet, so that in the offset position the rotation axis of the drum is maintained horizontal such as in the operative position.
The displacing means, in one embodiment, comprises an electric motor aimed to activate one of the dampers connected to the oscillating group while, in another embodiment, comprises a dedicated device, such as a linear actuator.
In an embodiment, the locking means that locks the door in the closed position during the washing process are deactivated by the control unit once the oscillating group has reached the offset position.
According to a further embodiment the washing machine comprises a sensor for detecting the water level in the tub and the control unit is programmed to activate the displacing means if the water level in the tub sensed by the sensor is above a preset threshold level. Differently, if the water level in the tub sensed by the sensor is below a preset threshold level, the control unit is programmed for directly deactivating the locking means, since the door can be safely opened without the risk of water spilling despite the oscillating group being in the operative position.
Advantageously the washing machine can be provided with warning means to inform the user that the door can be opened since the locking means has been deactivated by the control unit.
The present invention comprises also a method of operating the washing machine which envisages, upon the insertion of an add-garment input by the user, the activation of the displacing means for displacing the oscillating group in the cabinet and unlocking the door once the oscillating group has reached the offset position.
In case the washing machine comprises the water level sensor, the method comprises the displacement step of the oscillating group only if the level of the water sensed in the tub is above a preset threshold value, otherwise the locking means are directly deactivated by the control unit while the oscillating group is still in the active position.
Additional advantages of the washing machine and of the operating method of the present invention will become more apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a lateral view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with the oscillating group in the operative position, wherein part of the cabinet has been removed in order to better show the internal components of the washing machine.
Figure 2 is a lateral view of the washing machine of Figure 1, with the oscillating group in an offset position and with further parts of the cabinet and the door removed.
Figures 3 and 4 are a schematic lateral representation of the washing machine of Figure 1 with the oscillating group respectively in the operative position and in the offset position.
Figure 5 is a frontal view of a washing machine according to a different embodiment of the present invention with the oscillating group in an operative position, wherein the cabinet is illustrated in transparency for better comprehension.
Figure 6 is a frontal view of the washing machine of Figure 5, with the oscillating group in an offset position.
Figures 7 and 8 are a schematic frontal representation of the washing machine of Figure 5 with the oscillating group respectively in the operative position and in the offset position.
The following numerals are assigned to different parts demonstrated in the drawings:
1) Laundry washing machine
2) Cabinet
3) Aperture
4) Door
5) Oscillating group
6) Tub
7) Drum
8) User interface
9) Displacing means
10) Bellows
11) Dampers
12) Springs
13) Linear actuator
A) Operative position
B) Offset position
X) Rotation axis
W) Water
The present invention relates to a laundry washing machine 1 and in particular to a front load washing machine 1, with or without the drying function, which comprises a cabinet 2 with a front aperture 3, a door 4 mounted on the cabinet 2 for closing the aperture 3 and an oscillating group 5 suspended in the cabinet 2 and having a tub 6 and a drum 7 rotatably placed inside the tub 6 and accessible through the aperture 3 for allowing to load and unload the laundry into and from the drum 7.
The drum 7 is rotatable in the tub 6 such that water and detergent held in a lower part of the tub 6 are typically used to perform washing of the laundry whereby dirt attached to the laundry is removed as a result of mechanical interaction of cloth items with each other and with the drum 7 surfaces. In order to perform the washing cycle the water is filled in the tub 6 till a predetermined height level which is above the lower rim of the aperture 3, as for instance illustrated in Figure 3.
The washing machine 1 further comprises a control unit programmed to control the operation of the washing machine 1 and a user interface 8, which is provided on the cabinet 2 and connected to the control unit for allowing the user to select the washing program or, more in general, the operational parameters of the washing machine 1.
According to the present invention, the washing machine 1 comprises displacing means 9 mounted in the cabinet 2 and activateable by the control unit to displace the oscillating group 5 and in particular the tub 6 in the cabinet 2 from an operative position A toward an offset position B in which the level of the water W inside the tub 6 is brought below the lower rim of the front aperture 3 to allow the user to open the door 4 and insert into the drum 7 the missing garments (or remove the desired garments from the drum) without the water spilling out through the aperture 3. The displacing means 9 are activateable by the control unit upon receipt of a predetermined add-garment input, provided by the user through the user interface 8. By displacing the tub 6 inside the cabinet 2 the level of the water W is lowered below the door 4, so that the latter can be safely opened without requiring any drainage of water. Moreover, since the front door 4 is fully openable, there are no restrictions on the dimensions of the garments that can be inserted or removed once the washing cycle has already been started.
The user interface 8 may comprise a dedicated button or a touching command for allowing the user to provide the add-garment input. Differently the add-garment input could be provided by the user through a button or a touching command already available in the washing machine 1, such as for instance a pause button.
The washing machine 1 further comprises a bellows 10 positioned between the front aperture 3 on the cabinet 2 and the opening on the tub 6. The bellows 10 is annularly attached to the tub 6 at a first end thereof and to the front wall of the cabinet 2 at the second end, thereby sealing the gap between the aperture 3 and the tub 6. The bellows 10 is made of a resilient material and it is elastically deformable, so that it ensures the sealing action also when the tub 6 is displaced in the offset position B.
According to an embodiment, the displacing means 9 is arranged at the bottom of the cabinet 2, i.e. in a lower internal part of the cabinet 2, it is connected to the bottom of the tub 6 and it is designed to apply a traction force to the oscillating group 5 to attract it toward the bottom of the cabinet 2.
In another embodiment, the displacing means 9 is arranged at the top of the cabinet 2, i.e. in the upper internal part of the cabinet 2, and is designed to push the oscillating group 5 toward the bottom of the cabinet 2.
According to an embodiment illustrated in the attached Figures 1-4, the displacing means 9 are designed and arranged in the cabinet 2 to tilt the tub 6, by attracting its rear bottom part toward the bottom of the cabinet 2 so that the water W is collected in the rear bottom part of the tub 6, as schematically illustrated in Figure 4. In this embodiment, therefore, the rotation axis X of the drum 7, which is horizontal when the tub 6 is in the operative position A as illustrated in Figure 3, is inclined when the tub 6 is in the offset position B as illustrated in Figure 4. This allows to move away the water W from the door 4, with the effect of lowering the level of the water W below the bottom rim of the aperture 3, so that the user can safely open the door 4 without water spilling out the aperture 3.
According to another embodiment, the displacing means 9 are designed and arranged in the cabinet 2 to shift the oscillating group 5 and hence the tub 6 toward the bottom of the cabinet 2. In this embodiment, the rotation axis X of the drum 7 is maintained horizontal also when the tub 6 is in the offset position B. By lowering the tub 6 also the level of the water W contained in it is lowered with respect to the cabinet 2 and it is brought below the bottom rim of the aperture 3.
In a preferred version of this embodiment, the displacing means 9 are designed and arranged to shift the tub 6 toward the bottom and toward one side of the cabinet 2, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 8. This version of the embodiment of Figures 4-8 is constructionally easier to be realized and it requires a displacement inner space in the cabinet 2 which is generally already available in the standard washing machines (i.e. in washing machines not provided with displacing means 9), without hence the need of redesigning a bigger cabinet 2.
The washing machine 1 further comprises dampers 11 connected to the tub 6 and to the cabinet 2. More in detail, the oscillating group 5 is suspended in the cabinet 2 in a known manner by means of springs 12 connected to the upper part of the cabinet 2 and by means of dampers 11 connected to the bottom part of the cabinet 2, for absorbing the vibrations of the oscillating group 5 during the operation of the washing machine 1.
In an embodiment, the displacing means 9 comprises an electric motor (not illustrated) connected to at least one of the dampers 11. In this manner the oscillating group 5 and hence the tub 6 is displaceable in the cabinet 2 by means of one of the dampers actuated by the electric motor, as schematically illustrated in Figure 8.
In a different embodiment, the displacing means 9 comprises a dedicated linear actuator 13, as illustrated in Figures 1-6. The linear actuator can comprise for instance a thermal piston, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a rack and pinion mechanism, a worm gear mechanism, a tackle mechanism or a linear electric motor.
In a version of this embodiment, for instance illustrated in the attached Figures 1-6, the linear actuator 13 is connected at one end to the bottom or top wall of the cabinet 2 and at the other end to the tub 6.
In a different version of this embodiment the linear actuator 13 is only connected at one end to the bottom or top wall of the cabinet 2 and it is intended to engage with the other free end to the tub 6 only when the displacing means 9 are activated.
The washing machine 1 further comprises locking means activateable by the control unit for locking the door 4 in the closed position when the washing machine 1 is operated during the washing cycle and deactivateable by the control unit for allowing the user to open the door 4 when the washing cycle finished. According to an embodiment, the control unit is programmed to deactivate the locking means when the oscillating group 5 has reached the offset position B. In this manner the locking means prevents the opening of the door 4 before the tub 6 is in the final offset position B avoiding possible water spilling.
In an embodiment, the washing machine 1 further comprises a water level sensor for measuring the level of the water W inside the tub 6 and the control unit is programmed to activate the displacing means 9 only when the water W level in the tub 6, measured by the sensor, is above a preset threshold level. This allows to activate the displacing means 9 only when it is actually necessary to avoid spilling of water out of the aperture 3 and not when the level of the water in the tub 6 is already enough low, i.e. safely below the lower rim of the aperture 3, to allow a secure opening of the door 4.
In a further embodiment, the control unit is programmed to deactivate the locking means without activating the displacing means 9 when the water level in the tub 6, measured by the sensor, is below a preset threshold level. In this manner energy and time can be saved when operating the washing machine 1, since unnecessary activation of the displacing means 9 is avoided.
Preferably a certain level of water in the tub 6 is preset as a threshold level and the control unit is programmed to simply deactivate the locking means or to activate the displacing means, before deactivating the locking means, upon confronting the measured water level in the tub with the preset threshold level.
In an embodiment, the washing machine 1 comprises warning means, which can be acoustic or visual, for warning the user that the locking means have been deactivated. In this manner the user, upon giving an add-garment input through the user interface, knows when he/she can actually open the door 4 by being informed visually or acoustically by the washing machine 1.
It is an object of the present invention also a method of operating a laundry washing machine 1 as above described. The method comprises, once the selected washing cycle and/or the operating parameters have been input by the user, locking the door 4 of the washing machine 1 in the closed position by means of the locking means and starting the washing cycle.
According to the present invention, once the user provides a predetermined add-garment input to the control unit through the user interface 8, the method comprises the further steps of suspending the washing cycle, activating the displacement means 9 for displacing the tub 6 to an offset position B and, once the tub 6 has reached the offset position B, unlocking the door 4.
For instance, if the user is giving the add-garment input while the washing machine 1 is drawing water into the tub 6, the suspension of the washing cycle implies that the intake of water is suspended.
In a version of the method, it is envisaged to measure the level of the water W in the tub 6 by means of a sensor and to compare the measured level of water with a preset threshold level. In this version of the method, the step of activating the displacement means 9 is performed only if the measured water level in the tub 6 is above the preset threshold level.
In a further version, the step of unlocking the door 4 is performed with the tub 6 in an operative position A, i.e. without the step of activating the displacement means 9 being performed, if the measured water level in the tub 6 is below a preset threshold level.
Preferably a threshold level value of water in the tub 6 is preset by the producer and the control unit, upon confronting the measured value with the preset value, either directly deactivates the locking means (if the sensed water level is below the threshold value) or activate the displacing means 9 and only afterward deactivates the locking means (if the sensed water level is above the threshold value). Obviously the control unit will be programmed in order to perform one of the two commands above in case the sensed water level is equal to the threshold level, according to the producer selection.
The washing machine 1 and the method of operating the washing machine 1 according to the invention allow therefore the user to introduce forgotten garments or remove mistakenly inserted garments into/from the drum of the washing machine in an easy and safe manner. Moreover, since the present invention allows the whole door 4 to be opened for performing the above mentioned actions, there are no specific limitations on the dimensions of the garment to be introduced/removed after the washing cycle has started and no greater effort is required to the user for introducing/removing such garments.

Claims

A laundry washing machine (1) comprising:

- a cabinet (2) having a front aperture (3);

- a door (4) mounted on the cabinet (2) for closing the aperture (3);

- an oscillating group (5) suspended in the cabinet (2) and having a tub (6) and a drum (7) rotatably placed inside the tub (6) and accessible through the aperture (3) for allowing loading and unloading laundry into and from the drum (7);

- a control unit programmed to control the operation of the washing machine (1);

- a user interface (8) connected to the control unit for allowing the user to select the operational parameters of the washing machine (1);

characterized in that it further comprises displacing means (9) mounted in the cabinet (2) and activatable by the control unit, upon receipt of an add-garment input by the user through the user interface (8), to displace the oscillating group (5) in the cabinet (2) toward an offset position (B) in which the level of the water (W) inside the tub (6) is below the front aperture (3) to allow opening the door (4) without water spilling out through the aperture (3).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the displacing means (9) is connected to the bottom of the tub (6) and is designed to apply a traction force to the oscillating group (5) to attract it toward the bottom of the cabinet (2).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the displacing means (9) is arranged at the top of the cabinet (2) and is designed to push the oscillating group (5) toward the bottom of the cabinet (2).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the displacing means (9) are designed to tilt the tub (6).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the displacing means (9) are designed to shift the tub (6) toward the bottom of the cabinet (2).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises dampers (11) connected to the tub (6) and to the cabinet (2) and the displacing means (9) comprises an electric motor connected to at least one of the dampers (11).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the displacing means (9) comprises a linear actuator.
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises locking means activateable by the control unit for locking the door (4) in the closed position, the control unit being programmed to deactivate the locking means when the oscillating group (5) has reached the offset position (B).
A laundry washing machine (1) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a water level sensor for measuring the level of the water (W) inside the tub (6), the control unit being programmed to activate the displacing means (9) only when the water level in the tub (6), measured by the sensor, is above a preset threshold level.
A laundry washing machine (1) as in Claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the control unit is programmed to deactivate the locking means without activating the displacing means (9) when the water (W) level in the tub (6), measured by the sensor, is below a preset threshold level.
A laundry washing machine (1) as in Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that it further comprises warning means for warning the user that the locking means have been deactivated.
A method of operating a laundry washing machine (1) according to any of the previous claims, comprising:

- locking the door (4) of the washing machine (1) in the closed position by means of locking means;

- starting a washing cycle;

- providing a predetermined add-garment input to the control unit through the user interface (8);

- suspending the washing cycle;

- activating the displacement means (9) for displacing the tub (6) to an offset position (B); and

- unlocking the door (4).
A method of operating a laundry washing machine (1) as in Claim 12, further comprising:

- measuring the level of the water (W) in the tub (6) by means of a sensor; and

- comparing the measured level with a preset threshold level;

the step of activating the displacement means (9) being performed only if the measured water level in the tub (6) is above the threshold level.
A method of operating a laundry washing machine (1) as in Claim 13, wherein the step of unlocking the door (4) is performed with the tub (6) in an operative position (A) if the measured water level in the tub (6) is below a threshold level.