JP2010240014A - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drum washing machine having a door body operated to be opened and closed without requiring a larger space forward from a body. <P>SOLUTION: Connecting arms 42 are provided to support the door body 3 so that the door body contacts with or separates from an access hole 5 and is turned in a vertical direction. The back side of the door body 3 is configured to contact with and separate from a bellows 11 extending from the side of a water tub 6, and when the door body 3 is opened, the door body 3 is moved to a position below the access hole 5 by the connecting arms 42, and is maintained in an opened state in which the door body is upright along the lower part of the front surface of the body 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine provided with a loading port on the front surface of a main body for taking in and out laundry.

  2. Description of the Related Art A drum type washing machine having a drum-type water tank that opens to the side is provided with an input port for putting laundry into and out of the front of the product body, and this input port is a door that opens and closes the input port. (Door body) is provided. As the door opening method, for example, there are a lateral opening type in which the door is largely opened forward (for example, see Patent Document 1), and a slide type in which the door moves up and down (for example, see Patent Document 2). .

  11 and 12 show a conventional example of the horizontal opening type. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a circular insertion port 101 for taking in and out the laundry is opened at the center of the front plate provided on the front surface of the main body 100. A door 102 that closes the insertion port 101 so as to be openable and closable is disposed on the front surface of the insertion port 101. The door 102 is formed in a circular shape, and the door 102 is supported by a hinge member 103 so that one of the left and right sides can be pivoted in the horizontal direction, and the insertion port 101 is attached to the main body 100 so as to be opened and closed. ing.

  FIG. 11A shows a state in which the main body 100 of the lateral opening type drum-type washing machine is installed so as to be adjacent to the left side wall 104 located on the left side thereof. In such an installation condition, a drum type washing machine having a left opening type door 102 provided with a hinge member 103 on the left side and opened on the left side is selected. This is because, in this installation condition, in the case of a right opening type door 102 configuration in which the hinge member 103 is provided on the right side and the right side is opened, the space in front of the insertion port 101 is sandwiched between the left side wall 104 and the opened door 102. This is because the space becomes narrow and the operation of putting in and out the laundry becomes difficult.

  On the other hand, FIG. 11B shows a case where the right side wall 105 is adjacent to the right side of the main body 100. Under this installation condition, the drum type washing machine having the door 102 of the right opening type is selected. This is because in the left-opening type door 102 configuration, the space in front of the insertion port 101 is a narrow space sandwiched between the right side wall 105 and the opened door 102, resulting in the case of FIG. This is because it is difficult to take out and put in the laundry.

  On the other hand, a drum-type washing machine with a door as a slide type has a slot on the front plate of the main body (not shown). The door is configured to slide up and down in parallel with the charging port to open and close the charging port. The door is supported by guide rails on both sides, and provided with a bellows supported on the water tank side so that washing water and splashed water splashes do not leak outside the water tank, and the tip of the bellows is a sliding door It is set as the structure closely_contact | adhered to a back surface so that sliding contact is possible.

JP 2007-244469 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-230496

  However, when the door is of the side opening type, as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), it is necessary to prepare a drum type washing machine for right opening and left opening of the door 102. It was disadvantageous in terms of performance and manufacturing costs. Also, the user must select and purchase either the right-open or left-open drum-type washing machine according to the installation environment of the drum-type washing machine, and the installation conditions are still limited. was there.

  Moreover, in the side-opening type configuration, the door 102 rotates forward about the hinge member 103 provided on the left and right side portions of the door 102, so that a relatively large space is required in front of the main body 100. Met. Therefore, when the user is located on the front surface of the main body 100 and opens and closes the door 102, the opening and closing operation of the door 102 is not always easy, for example, the user gets in the way of opening the door 102. In particular, as shown in FIG. 12, a user who uses a wheelchair has a problem that the door 102 is more difficult to open and close, and the laundry loading / unloading operation is troublesome.

  On the other hand, the slide type drum type washing machine does not have the above-described problems of the lateral opening type drum type washing machine. The door that opens and closes the loading / unloading opening for laundry is opened and closed by sliding up and down parallel to the loading / unloading opening. Therefore, a large space for opening and closing the door is required in front of the drum type washing machine. Because it does not.

In addition, it is not necessary to prepare both the left-opening type and the right-opening type of the door 102 as the slide type.
However, this slide type requires a flat plate shape to slide the door up and down. For this reason, the bulging part which protrudes in a water tank cannot be provided in the back surface of this door. Therefore, the bulging portion cannot prevent the laundry during the washing operation from hitting the bellows, and there is a possibility that a hole is formed in the bellows. Moreover, since the bellows is in sliding contact with the back of the door every time the door is opened and closed, the bellows has a drawback that it is easily worn.

  In addition, an opening means for positioning the door at the upper part of the main body is also conceivable. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the configuration (so-called built-in) in which the drum type washing machine is housed in the recess of the wall, there is a problem that the door cannot be opened and cannot be applied to the built-in.

  In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washing machine capable of opening and closing a door body without requiring a large space in front of the main body.

  In order to achieve the above object, a drum type washing machine of the present invention is provided with a drum-type water tank that opens laterally in a main body forming an outer shell, and the front surface of the main body corresponding to the opening side of the water tank is washed. Providing a loading port for taking in and out things, providing a door body for opening and closing the loading port, and providing support means for supporting the door body so as to be in contact with and away from the loading port and to be rotatable in the vertical direction; The back side of the door body can be brought into contact with and separated from the sealing member extended from the water tank side, and when the door body is opened, the door body is moved to a position below the insertion port by the support means. And it is hold | maintained in the open state which stood up along the said front-surface lower part (invention of Claim 1).

  According to the above means, the opening of the door body is maintained in an open state in which the door body moves downward from the insertion port and stands along the lower front surface of the main body. For this reason, a large space is not required in front of the main body, and it is not necessary to prepare both left and right opening types of doors, which is advantageous in terms of productivity and manufacturing cost, and is easy to use. A good drum type washing machine can be provided.

2 is a longitudinal side view of a drum-type washing machine cut along the line XX in FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. External perspective view of drum-type washing machine when door is closed External perspective view of drum-type washing machine with door open A longitudinal side view of the drum type washing machine cut and shown along the line WW in FIG. Vertical side view of the drum-type washing machine shown cut along line VV in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an enlarged view cut along line YY in FIG. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal side view cut and enlarged along the line ZZ in Fig. 3. Model diagram for explaining opening / closing operation of door of drum type washing machine Action explanatory drawing which compared the drum type washing machine (a) of the present invention with the conventional lateral opening type drum type washing machine (b) FIG. 8 equivalent view according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the use condition of the drum type washing machine (a) for door opening of the lateral opening type which shows a prior art example, and the drum type washing machine for door opening of the right side (b) Figure showing different conventional usage conditions

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a drum-type washing machine with a drying function will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a drum-type washing machine. A rectangular box-shaped main body 1 that forms an outline of the washing machine includes a front plate 1a that forms the front of the main body 1, and a side plate 1b that forms the left and right of the main body 1. 1c (see FIG. 6 for 1b), rear plate 1d (see FIG. 1), top plate 1e on the upper surface, base plate 1f forming the bottom, front lower plate 1g, which will be described later, and the like. .

  The front plate 1a constitutes the main body 1 so as to incline backward as a whole, and has an aligned shape so that the outer surfaces of the constituent members described later are substantially flush. An operation panel 2 for selecting and setting a washing operation course and the like is disposed on the upper portion of the front plate 1a, and a door body 3 is provided below the operation panel 2. A front lower plate 1g is attached and fixed between the front plate 1a and the base plate 1f. The front lower plate 1g is provided in an upright state at a position retracted by a dimension N (see FIG. 4) from the lower side of the front plate 1a. That is, the front lower plate 1g has a recess formed in the lower portion of the entire front surface of the main body 1.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the drum type washing machine in which the door body 3 is in a fully opened state.
As shown in FIG. 3, a drum-shaped water tank 6 that opens to the side and is substantially non-porous and has a cylindrical shape is disposed inside the main body 1. Inside the water tank 6, a drum 7 used for washing, dehydrating, drying and the like of the laundry is disposed. The drum 7 has a large number of through-holes 8a in the peripheral wall and is supported so as to be rotatable around the horizontal axis. Both the water tank 6 and the drum 7 have a bottomed cylindrical shape with a large opening on the front side (left side in FIG. 3). A circular slot 5 for taking in and out the laundry is provided at the center of the front plate 1a. The input port 5 is formed so as to face the opening of the water tank 6 and the drum 7. The water tank 6 and the drum 7 are pivotally supported in a gradually upwardly inclined manner as the center of rotation advances forward, and the water tank 6 is placed on the base plate 1f of the main body 1 via the elastic support device 9 (see FIG. 4). Is supported elastically.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side view cut along the line WW in FIG. 2 and shows that the door body 3 is in the uppermost position in which the inlet 5 formed in the front plate 1a is closed. ing.
With reference mainly to FIG. 4, the internal structure of the drum type washing machine will be described. A plurality of baffles 12 for scooping up the laundry are provided on the inner body of the drum 7, and the baffle 12 agitates the laundry during washing or drying operation as the drum 7 is driven to rotate. Further, an inlet 8b for circulating air supplied from an air supply port 22 connected to a circulation path 20 to be described later is formed on the back side, which is the bottom of the drum 7.

  The drum 7 is rotationally driven by a so-called direct drive by a motor 13 provided on the back surface of the water tank 6. The motor 13 is composed of, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and a rotating shaft 14 connected to the rotor 13 a passes through the water tank 6 and is directly connected to the drum 7. A drainage port 15 is formed at the lowermost rear portion of the water tank 6. A drainage pipe 17 is connected to the drainage port 15 via a drainage valve 16 on the way, and constitutes drainage means for draining to a predetermined drainage place (not shown).

  On the other hand, the water tank 6 is provided with air supply / exhaust ports at positions spaced apart from each other, and is provided with a circulation path 20 that is connected to the air supply / exhaust port so that air in the water tank 6 can be circulated. For example, the exhaust port 21 in the present embodiment is formed in the upper part on the front side of the water tank 6, and the air supply port 22 is formed in the upper part on the back side of the water tank 6. One end of the circulation path 20 is connected to the exhaust port 21, bypasses the lower side of the water tank 6, and the other end is connected to the air supply port 22.

  Specifically, this circulation path 20 includes a water tank 6, a bellows-like expansion joint 23 having one end connected to the exhaust port 21 of the water tank 6, an exhaust duct 25 connected to the other end of the expansion joint 23, and an exhaust duct. 25, the intermediate duct 27 connected to the other end, the air supply duct 24 connected to the air supply port 22 of the other water tank 6, the bellows-like expansion joint 26 connected to the other end of the air supply duct 24, and A heat exchange duct 28 connected between the intermediate duct 27 and the expansion joint 26 is provided.

  Inside the heat exchange duct 28 in the circulation path 20, an evaporator 31 and a condenser 32 are arranged in order from the upstream side of the circulating air described later flowing through the circulation path 20. Although neither the evaporator 31 nor the condenser 32 is shown in detail in detail, a number of heat transfer fins are penetrated through the refrigerant circulation pipe at short intervals, and these are arranged in the heat exchange duct 28 to circulate the air. However, heat exchange is performed by flowing through the gaps between these heat transfer fins.

  The evaporator 31 and the condenser 32 constitute a heat pump together with a compressor and an expansion valve (not shown) (for example, an electronic throttle valve or a capillary tube may be used). This heat pump is connected in the order of a compressor, a condenser 32, an expansion valve, an evaporator 31, and a compressor by a refrigerant circulation pipe (refrigeration cycle). This refrigeration cycle functions as a heating means for warming the laundry drying air in the circulation path 20 by circulating the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipe by the operation of the compressor.

  A circulation fan 37 is disposed at the lower end of the air supply duct 24 constituting the circulation path 20 at the rear end of the heat exchange duct 28. The circulation fan 37 generates circulating air that flows in the direction of the water tank 6 from the air supply duct 24, and circulates the air in the circulation path 20 in the direction of the solid line arrow shown in FIG. 4. Circulate and supply air.

  A filter device 38 is provided between the exhaust duct 25 and the intermediate duct 27. The filter device 38 includes a filter member 39 that is detachably provided to capture lint such as lint from the exhaust-side air that circulates in the circulation path 20, and one end of the filter member 39 is connected to the main body 1. The filter panel 40 is integrally formed extending to the outside of the top plate surface 1e. The filter panel 40 is substantially flush with the surface of the top plate 1e and is configured to be easily pulled out by placing a hand on it.

  Next, the structure of the rotation mechanism of the door body 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 is a longitudinal side view cut along the line XX in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal side view cut along the line V-V in FIG. Among them, FIG. 1 shows that the door body 3 closes the insertion port 5 formed in the front plate 1a and is in the uppermost position while maintaining an inclination angle in accordance with the inclination angle of the front plate 1a. On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows an open state in which the door 3 is opened vertically and the door 3 stands substantially vertically and is at the lowest position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line YY in FIG. 2, and particularly shows an enlarged peripheral portion of the door body 3. In addition, the structure of the rotation mechanism of the door body 3 is bilaterally symmetric. FIGS. 1 and 5 show only the rotation mechanism of the right door body 3 when the main body 1 is viewed from the front. The rotation mechanism of the left door body 3 has the same structure as that of the rotation mechanism of the right door body 3 except that it is bilaterally symmetric. .

The door body 3 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and a transparent portion 3a is formed at a position corresponding to the insertion port 5 of the front plate 1a. Further, a circular and deep dish container-like bulging portion is formed on the back surface side of the door body 3. 3b is formed integrally. The bulging portion 3b is formed of a transparent resin or glass excellent in chemical resistance against detergents or the like so that the inside of the drum 7 can be seen through together with the transparent portion 3a. The bulging portion 3b has a diameter that matches the shape of the inlet 5 of the front plate 1a, and is formed so as to protrude about 70 to 100 mm, for example, toward the water tank 6 side.
Support means 41 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, is provided on each of the left and right sides of the rear surface of the door body 3, and the door body 3 is located forward of the insertion port 5 formed in the front plate 1 a by the support means 41. It is provided so that it can be contacted and separated.

  A bendable bellows 11 that seals between the front opening of the water tank 6 and the inlet 5 is provided so that washing water supplied and stored in the water tank 6 or splashed water droplets do not leak outside the water tank 6. In addition, when the door body 3 is in the closed state, the bellows 11 is in close contact with the bulging portion 3b that is the back surface of the door body 3 to prevent leakage of water from the input port 5 to the outside of the main body 1. Further, the bulging portion 3 b enters inward from the insertion port 5. Thereby, for example, during the drying operation, the laundry can be prevented from entering the bellows 11 at the bulging portion 3b and can be prevented from hitting or rubbing the bellows 11 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). ), There is no possibility that the bellows 11 will be pierced by abrasion with the laundry.

Here, the support means 41 of the door body 3 will be specifically described. As will be described later in the present embodiment, the support means 41 mainly includes a connecting arm 42, rotating arms 44 and 45, a support plate 47, a swing plate 49, and tension springs 50 and 51.
First, one end of an inverted L-shaped connecting arm 42 is attached to each of the left and right sides of the upper part of the back surface of the door body 3. The other end of the connecting arm 42 is accommodated in the main body 1 through a slit opening 43 (see FIG. 3) formed on both sides of the insertion port 5 of the front plate 1a.

  In the main body 1, the other ends of the connecting arms 42 attached to the left and right upper portions of the back surface of the door body 3 are respectively pinned so that one end of each of the two rotating arms 44, 45 can be rotated vertically side by side. 46 and 46 are pivotally connected. A pivot connection point between the connection arm 42 and the rotation arm 44 is a movable support point A that can be rotated, and a pivot connection point between the connection arm 42 and the rotation arm 45 is a movable support point B that can be rotated.

The support plate 47 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is attached to the left and right side plates 1b (see FIG. 6) and 1c (see FIG. 2) of the main body 1 from the inside.
The rotating arm 44 integrally has an extending portion 44a bent obliquely upward from a substantially intermediate portion, and is pivotally connected to the support plate 47 by a pin 48 at the bent portion. . The other end of the other rotation arm 45 is pivotally connected to the support plate 47 by a pin 48 so as to be rotatable. The pivot connection point between the pivot arm 44 and the support plate 47 is defined as a fixed fixed pivot point C, and the pivot connection point between the pivot arm 45 and the support plate 47 is defined as a fixed pivot point D.

  The rotating arm 44 includes a pin 53 at its lower end. The pin 53 is connected to the other end of a tension spring 50 having one end fixed to the front side of the lower side of the support plate 47. The pin 53 is always urged downward by the connected tension spring 50, and the rotation arm 44 is always urged clockwise about the fixed fulcrum C as the rotation center. For this reason, the rotating arm 44 always urges the connecting arm 42 and the door body 3 to be joined to the front plate 1a side around the fixed fulcrum C. The urging force of the tension spring 50 acts so as to be substantially balanced with the weight of the door body 3, and the door body 3 can be opened and closed with a light operating force.

  The swing plate 49 is pivotally connected to the support plate 47 by a pin 52 at its lower end. The swing plate 49 is biased by a tension spring 51 whose one end is connected to a substantially central portion behind the support plate 47 so that the swing plate 49 is always pulled in the clockwise direction around the pin 52 as a rotation center. . The swing plate 49 includes a slit hole 54 formed in the longitudinal direction, and a pin 53 is slidably fitted along the slit hole 54. When the door body 3 is in the uppermost position in the closed state, the pin 53 is positioned at the lowermost end of the slit hole 54 (see FIG. 1), and when the door body 3 is in the lowermost position in the opened state, the pin 53 is in the slit hole. 54 (see FIG. 5). When the door body 3 moves from the uppermost position to the lowermost position, the tension spring 51 urges the swing plate 49 to always pull the swing plate 49 in the clockwise direction in order to suppress a sudden movement of the door body 3. ing.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the water tank 6 is shaken by vibration during dehydration operation or the like, the water tank 6 does not collide with the rotating arms 44 and 45, the swing plate 49, and the tension springs 50 and 51. It is disposed between the side plate 1 c of the main body 1 and the support plate 47.
The tension springs 50 and 51 are not limited to this, and a torsion coil spring may be used instead of the tension spring.

  FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view of the handle portions 55 and 57 of the door body 3 cut and enlarged along the line ZZ in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a handle 55 is provided on the front surface of the door body 3 and a concave handle 57 is provided at the upper end. The handle 55 twists the handle cover 56 by an elastic body such as a torsion coil spring ( In general, the surface of the door body 3 and the surface of the handle cover 56 are flush with each other. Furthermore, a well-known door lock means 58 (see FIG. 3) is provided below the insertion port 5 of the front plate 1a, and a latch 59 (see FIG. 3) that engages with the door lock means 58 when the door body 3 is closed. 5). An unlock button 60 of the door lock means 58 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 2 (see FIG. 3).

Next, the operation and action of the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, when the door body 3 is opened, the door lock release button 60 on the right side of the operation panel 2 is pressed to release the engagement by the door lock means 58, and then the door protrudes slightly forward from the front plate 1a. A finger is put on the concave handle 57 at the upper end of the body 3 and pushed downward. At this time, the pivot arms 44 and 45 pivot downward in the counterclockwise direction using the pins 48 and 48 shown in FIG. 1 as pivot points, and the connecting arm 42 and the door body 3 coupled thereto are lowered. Rotate to draw an arc. By this rotation, the door body 3 in an inclined state corresponding to the inclination angle of the front plate 1a moves downward and slightly away from the insertion port 5 so that the bulging portion 3b does not contact the surface of the front plate 1a. The door 3 approaches the front surface of the front lower plate 1g in a substantially vertical state, and the bulging portion 3b is located in a recess that is also the surface of the front lower plate 1g. The door body 3 is opened slowly by the tension spring 50, the swing plate 49, and the tension spring 51 while the speed in the opening direction is suppressed.

  When the door 3 is closed from the open state shown in FIG. 5, the handle cover 56 provided on the front surface of the door 3 is pushed by hand, the finger is placed on the handle 55 and lifted upward. At this time, the pivot arms 44 and 45 pivot clockwise with the pins 48 and 48 as pivot centers, and the connecting arm 42 and the door body 3 coupled thereto draw an arc upward. At the time of this rotation, the bulging portion 3b moves upward so as not to contact the surface of the front plate 1a and enters the insertion port 5, and the bulging portion 3b which is the back surface of the door body 3 becomes the bellows 11. At the same time, the latch 59 is engaged and locked with the door lock means 58, and the door body 3 is completely closed. By the three-point support of the door lock means 58 and the upper left and right connecting arms 42, the door body 3 is uniformly and reliably closed and held, and water leakage from the water tank 6 can be prevented.

When the door body 3 is rotated when the door 3 is opened and closed, the following conditions are necessary for the door body 3 (the bulging portion 3b) to smoothly rotate without contacting the front plate 1a of the main body 1. .
FIG. 8 is a model diagram for explaining the opening / closing operation of the door body 3, and shows a state in the uppermost position and the lowermost position indicating the opening / closing state of the door body 3. The door body 3 is in an inclined state when it is at the uppermost position in the closed state, and is in a substantially upright standing state when it is at the lowermost position in the opened state. In FIG. 8, the movable fulcrums A and B when they are at the uppermost position of the door body 3 will be described as points A1 and B1, and the movable fulcrums A and B when they are at the lowermost position of the door body 3 will be described. Hereinafter, description will be given as point A2 and point B2.

  The center of the arc connecting point A1 and point A2 is the fixed fulcrum C, and the radius of this arc is the radius Ra1. The center of the arc connecting point B1 and point B2 is defined as a fixed fulcrum D, and the radius of this arc is defined as radius Rb1. Under such a premise, the radius Ra1 needs to be larger than or equal to the radius Rb1 (Ra1 ≧ Rb1).

When the door body 3 opens and closes (turns), the height F of the arc connecting the point B1 and the point B2 is such that the door body 3 (the bulging portion 3b) does not contact the front plate 1a of the main body 1. This is because it is necessary to be greater than or equal to the height E of the arc connecting point A1 and point A2 (F ≧ E).
For this reason, the distance between the movable fulcrum A and the fixed fulcrum C of the rotating arm 44 needs to be equal to or greater than the distance between the movable fulcrum B and the fixed fulcrum D of the rotating arm 45. It is necessary to position the fulcrum C and the fixed fulcrum D on the support plate 47.

From the above, the drum-type washing machine according to the present embodiment can obtain the following effects.
The door body 3 rotates downward when the opening 5 is opened. Then, when the insertion port 5 is opened, the door body 3 has a recessed portion in which the bulging portion 3b is retracted by a dimension N (see FIG. 4) which is the surface of the front lower plate 1g provided at the lower portion of the main body 1 (front plate 1a). And is held upright along the lower front portion of the main body 1. FIG. 9A shows the depth installation size of the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 9B shows the depth installation size of the drum type washing machine in which the door 108 is a conventional lateral opening type. Yes. As shown in comparison with FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the depth installation dimension H (= depth installation dimension G (conventional lateral opening type) −depth installation dimension F) as compared with the lateral opening type drum type washing machine. (This embodiment) can be reduced (H = G−F).

Therefore, a large space for allowing the door body 3 to open and close is not required in front of the main body 1. For this reason, when the user is located on the front surface of the main body 1 and opens and closes the door body 3, the door body 3 does not get in the way, and the door body 3 can be easily opened and closed. The operation of putting in and out the laundry can be easily performed at a position close to the insertion port 5 and is convenient.
In particular, even when the user is using a wheelchair as disclosed in FIG. 12, the door body 3 can be opened and closed without being obstructed as described above. You can take in and out.

  Further, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the door 3 during the opening operation rotates downward, and the door 3 during the closing operation rotates upward. Therefore, even if the chamber wall is adjacent to either side of the main body 1, the space in front of the inlet 5 is not narrowed when the door body 2 is opened. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare both the left opening type and the right opening type as compared with the conventional side opening type drum type washing machine, which is advantageous in terms of productivity and manufacturing cost.

  When the door body 3 is closed, the bulging portion 3b of the door body 3 is housed in the bellows 11 and arranged in a state of projecting toward the water tub 6, so that the laundry enters the bellows 11 during washing or drying operations. The intrusion is suppressed by the bulging portion 3b, and there is no possibility that the bellows 11 is punctured due to wear.

The support means 41 of the door body 3 is arranged inside the side plates 1b and 1c which are both side surfaces constituting the main body 1, and thus constitutes the support means 41 of the door body 3 in the closed state of the door body 3. The connecting arm 42 and the like are not exposed to the outside. For this reason, a favorable external appearance is obtained and there is no possibility that a finger will touch directly.
The support means 41 includes two rotating arms 44 and 45 that are rotatably supported on the main body 1 side. Unlike the door body that is slid and moved in the slide type drum type washing machine described as a conventional example, the support means 41 that rotates as described above has less frictional resistance and can smoothly open and close the door body 3.

  The pivot arms 44 and 45 pivotally support the door body 3 via connecting arms 42 and 42 provided integrally on the left and right sides of the door body 3. When the door body 3 opens and closes, the pivot connecting portion between the rotating arms 44 and 45 and the connecting arms 42 and 42 does not come out of the main body 1. For this reason, there is no possibility that the user touches the pivot connection part to get injured, and there is no possibility that an external force is applied to the pivot connection part and the pivot connection part is damaged.

  The front plate 1a which is the inner surface of the main body 1 is provided with a slit opening 43 extending vertically corresponding to the trajectory of the connecting arm 42. For this reason, the slit opening 43 and the connecting arm 42 which are provided on the front plate 1a and extend vertically are not exposed to the outside when the door body 3 is normally closed. 1 can obtain a good appearance.

  A support plate 47 that supports the rotation arms 44 and 45 is fixed to the side plates 1b and 1c, which are the inner surfaces of the main body 1, and the rotation arm 44 and the side plates 1b and 1c are provided between the support plate 47 and the side plates 1b and 1c. 45. For this reason, even when the water tank 6 vibrates during the dehydrating operation, the water tank 6 does not directly contact the movable parts such as the rotating arms 44 and 45 and the swinging plate 49 by the support plate 47. It can protect against 6 collisions.

  The pivot arms 44 and 45 are provided with a tension spring 50 as an elastic body that constantly biases the door 3 upward. Therefore, the tension spring 50 always urges the door body 3 to pull upward, and the balance between the weight of the door body 3 and the urging force of the tension spring 50 makes it possible to open and close the door body 3 lightly. Improves. In addition, a sudden movement or impact when the door 3 is lowered when the door 3 is opened can be reduced by the biasing force of the tension spring 50, and the stress applied to the main body 1 can be reduced. This contributes to improving the durability of the main body 1 and reducing the size of the main body 1. Furthermore, the door body 3 is closed only by the urging force of the tension spring 50 in the vicinity of the closing position, and conversely, the door body 3 is opened only by the substantially gravity of the door body 3 in the vicinity of the opening position. It is obtained and easy to use.

  The upper side of the door body 3 is provided with connecting arms 42 connected to the pivot arms 44, 45, and the door lock means 58 for locking the door body 3 at the position where the insertion opening 5 is closed is provided below the insertion opening 5. Provided. For this reason, when the door body 3 is closed, the door body 3 is supported by three points (a triangle is drawn) of the support means 41 on both sides of the upper part and the door lock means 58 of the lower part. The body 3 is tightly and reliably sealed, and a highly reliable water leakage prevention structure is obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Portions that are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and different points are described in detail below. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that when the door body 3 is in the uppermost position in the closed state, the door body 3 is in a substantially upright state.

In the present embodiment, as apparent from FIG. 10, the door 3 is in the substantially upright state when it is in the closed uppermost position, but is also in the substantially upright state when it is in the lowest position of the open state. A pivot connection point between the connection arm 42 and the rotation arm 44 is a movable support point A that can be rotated, and a pivot connection point between the connection arm 42 and the rotation arm 45 is a movable support point B that can be rotated. The pivot connection point between the pivot arm 44 and the support plate 47 is defined as a fixed fixed pivot point C, and the pivot connection point between the pivot arm 45 and the support plate 47 is defined as a fixed pivot point D.
However, specifically, the movable fulcrums A and B at the uppermost position of the door body 3 are hereinafter referred to as points A3 and B3, and the movable fulcrums A and B at the lowermost position of the door body 3 are as follows. Explanation will be given as point A4 and point B4.

  The center of the arc connecting point A3 and point A4 is the fixed fulcrum C, and the radius of this arc is the radius Ra2. The center of the arc connecting point B3 and point B4 is defined as a fixed fulcrum D, and the radius of this arc is defined as radius Rb2. Under this condition, the radius Ra2 needs to be greater than or equal to the radius Rb2 (Ra2 ≧ RB2).

When the door body 3 opens and closes (turns), the height K of the arc connecting the point B3 and the point B4 is set so that the door body 3 (the bulging portion 3b) does not contact the front plate 1a of the main body 1. This is because it is necessary to be greater than or equal to the height J of the arc connecting point A3 and point A4 (K ≧ J).
For this reason, the distance between the movable fulcrum A and the fixed fulcrum C of the rotating arm 44 needs to be equal to or greater than the distance between the movable fulcrum B and the fixed fulcrum D of the rotating arm 45. It is necessary to position the fulcrum C and the fixed fulcrum D on the support plate 47.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention can be applied to a drum-type washing machine having no drying function, and the door body is limited to a rectangular shape. However, the present invention can be applied to a circular or semicircular shape, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as forming a recess according to the shape of the door body.

  In the drawings, 1 is a main body, 1a is a front plate (front surface), 1b is a side plate (side surface), 1c is a side plate (side surface), 1g is a front lower plate (recess), 3 is a door body, and 3b is bulging. , 5 is an inlet, 6 is a water tank, 7 is a drum, 11 is a bellows (sealing member), 41 is support means, 42 is a connecting arm, 43 is a slit opening, 44 is a rotating arm, 45 is a rotating arm , 47 is a support plate, 49 is a swing plate, 50 is a tension spring (elastic body), and 58 is a door lock means.

Claims (9)

In the body that forms the outer shell, a drum-shaped water tank that opens to the side is provided,
Provide an inlet for putting in and out the laundry on the front surface of the main body corresponding to the opening side of the water tank,
Provided with a door body for opening and closing the insertion port, and provided with a support means for supporting the door body so as to be in contact with and away from the insertion port and pivotable in the vertical direction,
While making the back side of the door body contactable and separable with the sealing member extended from the water tank side,
A drum-type washing machine characterized in that when the door is opened, the door is moved to a position below the charging port by the support means and is held in an open state along the lower front surface of the main body. . On the back side of the door body, it has a bulge that protrudes toward the water tank,
The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a recess is formed in a lower portion of the front surface of the main body corresponding to the bulging portion when the door body is in an open state.   The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support means for the door body is arranged inside both side surfaces constituting the main body.   4. The drum type washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the supporting means is composed of a plurality of rotating arms that are rotatably supported on the main body side.   5. The drum type washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the rotating arm supports the door body so as to be rotatable via connecting arms integrally provided on both the left and right sides of the door body. The connecting arms are located on both sides of the upper part of the door body,
6. The drum type washing machine according to claim 5, wherein a slit opening portion extending vertically is provided on the front surface of the main body so as to correspond to the trajectory of the connecting arm.   7. A support plate for supporting a rotating arm is fixedly provided on an inner surface of the main body, and the rotating arm is disposed between the support plate and the inner surface of the main body. The drum type washing machine according to crab.   The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the rotating arm is provided with an elastic body that constantly urges the door body upward.   The door body is provided with a connecting arm connected to the pivot arm on both upper sides of the door body, and door lock means for locking the door body at a position where the insertion port is closed is provided below the insertion port. The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 4 to 8.

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