JP6223655B2 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a drum-type washing machine that supports a water tank in a vibration-proof manner.

  Conventionally, in a drum-type washing machine, a water tub provided with a rotatable drum is elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions at the bottom of a housing, and the suspension generates vibrations caused by rotation of the drum containing laundry. So as to exhibit a so-called damper function. The suspension includes a cylinder connected to the bottom of the water tank, a bearing supported and fixed inside the cylinder, and a linear reciprocating motion supported relative to the bearing and fixed to the bottom of the casing. And a cylindrical friction member that is fitted to the outer periphery of the shaft and attenuates the amplitude of the water tank by a frictional force with the shaft as the shaft relatively reciprocates. It is.

  However, in the suspension with such a configuration, the damping force is obtained by the frictional force of the friction member, so it is fixed (fixed damping force suspension), and the drum is rotated at a low speed, and the small vibration during rinsing is damped. This is not effective for a drum-type washing machine in which a small damping force is required and a large damping force is required to attenuate a large vibration during dehydration when the drum is rotated at a high speed.

JP 2006-122467 A

  Therefore, at least one of a plurality of fixed damping force suspensions can be configured as a variable damping force suspension to which damping force generating means for generating damping force is further added at the time of turning on to meet the demand for variable damping force. Provided is a drum type washing machine that is effective and capable of obtaining effective damping force even when a variable damping force suspension fails.

The drum-type washing machine of the present embodiment includes a housing, a water tank that accommodates a drum that is disposed in the housing and is rotatable about a horizontal axis, and a plurality of suspensions that support the vibration-proofing of the water tank at the bottom of the housing. And the plurality of suspensions include a cylindrical cylinder, a bearing incorporated in the cylinder, a shaft inserted into the bearing so as to reciprocate relatively in response to vibration of the water tank, A fixed damping force suspension having a friction member fixed to the shaft and applying a frictional force acting on the shaft to resist reciprocation , a cylindrical cylinder, a bearing incorporated in the cylinder, and relative to the vibration of the water tank A shaft inserted into the bearing so as to reciprocate in a plurality of ways, a plurality of friction members fixed in the cylinder and acting on the shaft to resist a reciprocating motion, on-off Damping force generating means for applying a damping force to the shaft is your during on a variable damping force suspension having, in the structure, said variable damping force suspension lowering rotating side of the drum to be rotated in one direction at the time of dehydration in disposed and the variable damping force suspension, the friction member includes a Clip having a sealing performance respectively, the damping force generating means is a magneto-rheological fluid, wherein the magnetic fluid is in the cylinder in is provided at a position sandwiched between the front Symbol lip, the damping force of the fixed damping force suspension is set to substantially the same value as the damping force when off the damping force generating means in said variable damping force suspension It is characterized by.

The front view of the internal structure of the drum type washing machine which shows one Embodiment Longitudinal side view of the entire drum type washing machine with a part broken away Expanded longitudinal section of a fixed damping force suspension unit Expanded longitudinal section of the main part of the fixed damping force suspension Expanded longitudinal sectional view of variable damping force suspension unit Expanded longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the variable damping force suspension

(One embodiment)
Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the drum type washing machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a washing machine) shown in FIG. On the front surface (right side in the figure) of the box-shaped housing 1 that forms the outer shell, a laundry entrance / exit 1a is formed at a substantially central portion, and a door 2 that opens and closes the laundry entrance / exit 1a is provided. An operation panel 3 is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the housing 1, and a control device 4 for controlling the washing operation is provided on the back side of the operation panel 3.

  A water tank 5 is disposed inside the housing 1. This aquarium 5 has a horizontal cylindrical shape with the axial direction as front and rear, and a fixed damping force suspension 6 and a variable damping force suspension as a plurality of suspensions with a longitudinal direction as a vertical direction on a bottom plate 1 b which is a bottom portion of the casing 1. 7 (details of which will be described later) are elastically supported in an upwardly inclined state.

  A motor 8 is attached to the back surface of the water tank 5. The motor 8 is composed of, for example, a direct current brushless motor, and is an outer rotor type. A rotating shaft (not shown) attached to the center of the rotor 8a is inserted into the water tank 5 through a bearing bracket 9. The drum 10 is connected to the center of the back surface of the drum 10 described later.

  The drum 10 is disposed inside the water tub 5 to store laundry and function as a rotatable laundry tub. The drum 10 has a horizontal-axis cylindrical shape in which the axial direction is front and rear like the water tub 5 including the drum 10. As described above, it is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 8 and is supported in a tilted state that is coaxial with the water tank 5 and rises forward. As a result, the drum 10 is directly driven by the motor 8 and rotates around the horizontal axis, and the motor 8 functions as a drum driving device that rotates the drum 10.

  Further, a large number of small holes 11 through which water can be passed and ventilated are formed in the peripheral side portion (body portion) of the drum 10 over the entire area, whereas the water tank 5 has a substantially non-porous shape and can store water. It is said that. Both the drum 10 and the water tub 5 have openings 12 and 13 in the front surface portion, and an annular bellows 14 is mounted between the opening 13 of the water tub 5 and the laundry entrance / exit 1a. ing. Thereby, the laundry entrance / exit 1a becomes a form which continues in the inside of the drum 10 via the bellows 14, the opening part 13 of the water tub 5, and the opening part 12 of the drum 10. In addition, a drain pipe 16 is connected to the lowest part of the water tank 5 capable of storing water through a drain valve 15 on the way, so that water can be drained outside the apparatus.

  Here, the configuration of the above-described drying function will be described. The drying unit 17 is provided from the back side of the water tank 5 to the upper side and the front side. The drying unit 17 includes a blower 19, a heating device 20, and a circulation duct 18 provided with a dehumidifying means (not shown). The drying unit 17 dehumidifies moisture in the air discharged from the water tank 5 during the drying operation, and then heats it. Thus, a circulation of repeatedly generating so-called dry air and returning (supplying) it into the water tank 5 is performed to dry the laundry in the drum 10 that is rotationally driven.

  Next, a specific configuration of the above-described fixed damping force suspension 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed damping force suspension 6 is provided between the housing 1 and the water tank 5 so as to be connected in the vertical direction. Specifically, the fixed damping force suspension 6 has a cylindrical cylinder 21 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 1, one end 21 a of the cylinder 21 is fixed to the mounting plate 22 of the water tank 5 with a nut through a vibration isolator (not shown), and vibrates in the vertical direction together with the water tank 5. . On the other hand, the other end portion 21b of the cylinder 21 is provided with a cylinder-side spring receiving portion 23 on the outer periphery thereof, and bearings 24 and 25 are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction inside the other end portion 21b. The placement is fixed. The bearings 24 and 25 are composed of, for example, sintered oil-impregnated metal (so-called bearing alloy) and metal press-fitting metal (so-called back metal). Between the bearings 24 and 25, cylindrical cases 26 and 27 are disposed so as to be sandwiched between the bearings 24 and 25 and fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 21, respectively. . On the inner peripheral surfaces of the cases 26 and 27, a fitting surface 29 for fitting with a friction member 28 described later, and an oil reservoir for holding grease as a lubricant in cooperation with a shaft 31 described later. 30 are formed.

  On the mounting plate 39 (see FIG. 1) of the bottom plate 1 b of the housing 1, one end 31 a of the shaft 31 that constitutes the fixed damping force suspension 6 together with the cylinder 21 is in an immobile state and in the axial direction with the cylinder 21. It is fixed with a nut through an anti-vibration material (not shown) so as to match. 3 and 4, the other end 31b of the shaft 31 is inserted into the cylinder 21 through the bearings 24 and 25, and is near the tip of the shaft 31 and between the pair of cases 26 and 27. The above-described friction member 28 slidable with the outer periphery (outer peripheral surface) 32 of the shaft 31 is fitted in the position. The friction member 28 is made of, for example, a rubber member as an elastic body, and has a cylindrical shape as a whole. In the friction member 28, a contact surface 33 that forms an inclined surface is formed on the outer peripheral portions on both sides in the axial direction. The contact surface 33 is formed with a fitting surface 29 formed on the cases 26 and 27. The contact is made by contact.

  The friction member 28 slides with the shaft 31, that is, the inner periphery (inner peripheral surface) 34 is coated with wear-preventing grease, and the oil reservoir 30 ( A certain amount of grease is also stored in cooperation with the shaft 31. A friction member 35 is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder 21 below the bearing 25. The friction member 35 is formed in a short cylindrical shape by, for example, a rubber member, and the lip 35a on the inner peripheral side presses against the outer peripheral surface 32 of the shaft 31 to have a function of applying a frictional force to the shaft 31. It is comprised so that the sealing performance which seals the clearance gap between 31 may also be exhibited. As a result, the friction member 35 is in a state where grease is applied, and the grease is also stored inside.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a shaft side spring receiving portion 36 is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft 31 near the one end portion 31 a so as to face the cylinder side spring receiving portion 23 in the axial direction. A coil spring 37 is telescopically disposed between the shaft-side spring receiving portion 36 and the cylinder-side spring receiving portion 23 of the cylinder 21 and on the outer periphery of the cylinder 21 and the shaft 31. Further, a stopper washer 38 is fitted at the tip of the shaft 31.

  Further, a specific configuration of the variable damping force suspension 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the variable damping force suspension 7 is provided between the housing 1 and the water tank 5 so as to be connected in the vertical direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the variable damping force suspension 7 is a cylindrical cylinder 41 attached to a mounting plate 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) included in the bottom plate 1 b of the housing 1. And a shaft 42 that is inserted into the cylinder 41 so as to be reciprocable and that has an upper end 42a that is one end thereof attached to a mounting plate 43 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the water tank 5. A coil spring 44 is mounted around a shaft 42 that protrudes upward from the cylinder 41 and extends upward.

  When the variable damping force suspension 7 is assembled in the housing 1, the cylinder 41 is closed so that the lower open end of the cylinder 41 is closed at the lower end 41a of the cylinder 41, particularly as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of FIG. A connecting portion 45 is attached, and the connecting portion 45 is fastened to the mounting plate 40 of the bottom plate 1b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a nut 47 via an elastic seat plate 46 such as rubber, whereby the cylinder 41 is fixedly attached to the mounting plate 40 of the bottom plate 1b. The cylinder 41 is made of iron and includes a magnetic field generator 60 that constitutes the damper mechanism 50 together with the cylinder 41, which will be described in detail later.

  The shaft 42 is made of an iron magnetic material. The upper end portion 42a is fastened to the mounting plate 43 of the water tank 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the nut 48a via the elastic seat plate 48, so that the shaft 42 follows the vibration of the water tank 5 and is integrated. In other words, they are connected so as to respond to the vertical direction or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the coil spring 44 is supported at the lower end portion of the cylinder 41 constituting the damper mechanism 50, while the upper end portion of the coil spring 44 is the upper end portion of the shaft 42. It is received by a disk-shaped spring seat 49 attached to 42a, and is attached in a state where the elastic force is accumulated. That is, the shaft 42 is stretched in a state of being biased so as to be pulled out from the cylinder 41 to the outside, and the shaft 42 is naturally held at a position that does not protrude upward for a predetermined amount or more, that is, the shaft 42 is prevented from coming off. Means (details will be described later) are provided.

  Here, a specific configuration of the damper mechanism 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The damper mechanism 50 is configured to reciprocate according to the vibration of the water tank 5 and the cylinder 41, bearing members 51 and 52 that are separated and installed in the cylindrical interior of the cylinder 41 in the vertical position (this embodiment). And the cylinder 41 so that a gap is formed around the shaft 42 and the shaft 42 inserted between the bearing members 51 and 52 and having an upper end 42a as one end extending outside the cylinder 41. The magnetic field generator 60 disposed inside and both outer ends (upper and lower ends) of the gap between the magnetic field generators 60 are sealed to form a hollow annular housing portion 53 (see FIG. 6). Friction members 54, 55 and 56 incorporated, and a magnetorheological fluid 57 (details will be described later) filled in the housing portion 53 and whose viscosity changes when a magnetic field is applied via the magnetic field generator 60. Configured It is.

  Of the above configuration, the retaining means for the shaft 42 held at a predetermined position in the cylinder 41 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. First, on the shaft 42 side, the lower end portion 42b of the shaft 43 is provided. An annular locking ring 58 is attached to the cylinder 41. On the other hand, on the cylinder 41 side, the bearing member 52 having a hollow cylindrical shape is incorporated in an approximately middle portion in the vertical direction. The bearing member 52 includes a bearing case 52a made of a non-magnetic material made of aluminum, and an annular bearing 52b that is fitted and fixed therein and slidably supports the shaft 42 so as to reciprocate in the vertical direction that is also the axial direction. The bearing 52b is composed of, for example, a copper-based sintered oil-impregnated bearing that is a non-magnetic material. Since the locking ring 58 of the lower end portion 42 b of the inserted shaft 42 is positioned on the lower surface side of the bearing member 52, the locking ring 58 can be moved upward in one direction of the shaft 42. It is stopped by contacting the lower surface.

  Thus, the bearing member 52 on the lower side is useful as a means for restricting the upward movement of the shaft 42, holds the bearing 52b, and further includes a friction member 56 mounted on the upper surface side thereof. It is effective to hold. The friction member 56 is formed in a short cylindrical shape by a rubber member, for example, and includes a lip 56a (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The friction member 56 is coated with grease and stored therein, and the inner peripheral lip 56a is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 42 so as to apply a frictional force to the shaft 42. It is comprised so that the sealing performance which seals the clearance gap with the shaft 42 may also be exhibited.

  The bearing member 51 and the friction members 54 and 55 having substantially the same material and substantially the same shape are opposed to the above-described lower bearing member 52 and the friction member 56 at positions spaced apart on the opening end side of the cylinder 41. It is fixed in the state. That is, the bearing member 51 includes a bearing case 51a and a bearing 51b. Further, the upper friction members 54 and 55 are formed in a short cylindrical shape by a rubber member, for example, and include lips 54a and 55a (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The friction members 54 and 55 are coated with grease and stored therein, and the inner peripheral lips 54a and 55a are in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 42 to apply frictional force to the shaft 42. And a sealing performance for sealing a gap between the shaft 42 and the shaft 42. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the bearing member 51 and the friction members 54 and 55 are positioned on the upper side in the state where the bearing member 51 and the friction members 54 and 55 are assembled as the variable damping force suspension 7, that is, the bearing member 51. The friction members 54 and 55 are disposed so as to face the bearing member 52 and the friction member 56 on the lower side.

  However, as shown in FIG. 5, the bearing case 51a of the upper bearing member 51 has a cylindrical base portion 51c integrally projectingly on the upper surface at the center, so that the bearing case 52a of the lower bearing member 52 is provided. And different. The base portion 51 c has a height that protrudes upward from the cap 59 even when the crown-shaped cap 59 is attached to the upper end portion 41 b of the cylinder 41. The cap 59 is assembled by fitting the upper bearing member 51 and the friction member 54 into the upper end portion of the cylinder 41 and, for example, fitting and fixing the bearing case 51a by caulking, and then press-fitting the outer side of the upper end portion on the opening side of the cylinder 41. Is fixed by fitting.

  Then, the lower end of the coil spring 44 is held in pressure contact with the upper surface of the cap 59 and the outer periphery of the projecting pedestal 51c. That is, the coil spring 44 can be expanded and contracted with the spring seat 49. Kept in a compressed state. In this way, the shaft 42 is slidably supported by the bearings 51b and 52b of the upper and lower bearing members 51 and 52 constituting the bearing means, and is in sliding contact with the friction members 54 and 55 in a watertight manner. The reciprocating motion is provided.

  Here, a specific configuration of the magnetic field generator 60 incorporated between the upper and lower bearing members 51 and 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. Coil units 61 and 62 constituting the magnetic field generator 60 are arranged in two stages in the cylinder 41 in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction. That is, the coil units 61 and 62 are specifically configured by winding coils 61b and 62b around bobbins 61a and 62a disposed on the upper and lower portions of substantially the same structure, respectively, and the upper coil of the coil units 61 and 62 is wound. An upper yoke 63 is disposed on the upper side of the unit 61, and an intermediate yoke 64 is disposed on the lower side. The lower coil unit 62 shares an intermediate yoke 64, and a lower yoke 65 is disposed on the lower side. The coil 61b and the coil 62b are connected in series, and the hollow portions of the cylindrical yokes 63, 64, and 65 have a narrow gap between the outer periphery of the shaft 42 and the bobbin 61a. A cylindrical gap extending in the vertical direction is formed in communication with the gap formed at 62a.

  The coil units 61 and 62 configured as described above are resin-molded (for example, with thermoplastic resin (nylon, PBT, PET, PP, etc.) with the yokes 63, 64, 65 disposed on the upper and lower parts and the middle part thereof. In the figure, it is shown as a resin mold portion 66) and is configured as an integrated structure, and thus constitutes a magnetic field generator 60 in this embodiment. Accordingly, the upper and lower ends of the gap formed by the magnetic field generator 60 are sealed by the friction members 54, 55, and 56, respectively, so that the cylindrical housing portion 53 is formed, and the magnetorheological fluid is contained in the housing portion 53. 57 is filled and enclosed. The two lead wires 67 drawn from the series-connected coils 61b and 62b are drawn to the outside from the upper yoke 63 side portion, and the control device 4 (see FIG. 2) via a drive circuit (not shown). Is connected to the power supply, and the power interruption control is performed by turning on and off the coils 61b and 62b of the magnetic field generator 60, thereby enabling the damper control of vibration damping.

  Here, when describing the magnetorheological fluid 57, the viscosity characteristic changes according to the strength of the acting magnetic field (magnetic field). For example, strong oil such as iron or carbonyl iron in a base oil mainly composed of polyalphaolefin oil. The magnetic particles are dispersed, and when a magnetic field is applied, the ferromagnetic particles form a chain cluster and have an apparent viscosity increase characteristic.

  In the above configuration, a magnetic field flows around each of the coils 61b and 62b as the upper and lower coils 61b and 62b are energized, and magnetic circuits D1 and D2 are generated as indicated by broken line arrows. For example, the magnetic circuit D1 generated on the upper coil 61b side extends from the shaft 42 → the accommodating portion 53 (gap) → the upper yoke 63 → the cylinder 41 → the intermediate yoke 64 → the accommodating portion 53 (gap) → the shaft 42. It is formed by a route.

  On the other hand, the magnetic circuit D2 on the coil 62b side on the lower stage side is a path extending from the shaft 42 → the housing portion 53 (gap) → the lower yoke 65 → the cylinder 41 → the intermediate yoke 64 → the housing portion 53 (gap) → the shaft 42. Is formed. Therefore, a damper effect that exhibits a vibration damping action can be expected by the frictional action caused by the viscosity of the shaft 42 and the magnetorheological fluid 57 with respect to the vibration of the water tank 5 such as during a dehydration operation. Therefore, the magnetic field generator 60 constitutes damping force generating means that is controlled to be turned on / off together with the magnetorheological fluid 57 and generates damping force by applying a frictional force to the shaft 42 when turned on.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the drum 10 is rotated at a high speed in the direction of arrow A, which is one direction, during dehydration in the washing operation. Thereby, the bottom of the water tank 5 includes a side on which the drum 10 is rotated downward (side on which the laundry contained therein is lowered) and a side on which the drum 10 is rotated upward (side on which the stored laundry rises). It is divided into. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the variable damping force suspension 7 is provided between the side of the bottom of the water tank 5 where the drum 10 rotates downward (the right side in FIG. 1) and the right side portion of the bottom plate 1 b. The fixed damping force suspension 6 is disposed between the bottom of the water tank 5 where the drum 10 is rotated upward (left side in FIG. 1) and the left side portion of the bottom plate 1b.

Next, the operation of the washing machine having the above configuration will be described.
In the washing machine having the drum 10 around the horizontal axis of this embodiment, the drum 10 is rotated at an appropriate rotational speed in each operation (stroke) of washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying under the control of the control device 4. The washing operation is automatically executed by the drive control.

  For example, in the process of washing, rinsing, and drying, the drum 10 is driven to rotate forward and reverse alternately at a low speed (for example, 50 to 60 rpm) by the motor 8, and the water tank 5 vibrates mainly in the vertical direction as the drum 10 rotates. . The vertical vibration of the water tank 5 due to the low-speed rotation of the rotating drum 10 is relatively small, and in response to this vibration, the cylinder 21 connected to the water tank 5 moves up and down while the coil spring 37 extends and contracts in the fixed damping force suspension 6. In the variable damping force suspension 7, the shaft 41 connected to the water tank 5 moves up and down while expanding and contracting the coil spring 44.

  At this time, in the fixed damping force suspension 6, in addition to the vibration reducing action by the coil spring 37, the friction members 28 and 35 always apply a damping force to the shaft 31 with a frictional resistance (frictional force), and the amplitude of the water tank 5. Is attenuated. In the variable damping force suspension 7, the friction members 54, 55, and 56 always apply a damping force to the shaft 42 by a frictional resistance (friction force) in addition to the vibration reducing action by the coil spring 44. And three yokes 63, 64, 65 and two bobbins 61b, 62b, the magnetorheological fluid 57 exerts a damping force by the frictional resistance (damper force) due to the viscosity, and the water tank 5 Attenuate the amplitude. At this time, the coils 61b and 62b of the variable damping force suspension 7 are in a disconnected state (off).

  In this case, in this embodiment, the damping force due to the frictional resistance (friction force) of the friction members 28 and 35 with respect to the shaft 31 in the fixed damping force suspension 6 is the friction members 54 and 55 in the variable damping force suspension 7. And 56 are set to have substantially the same value as the damping force due to the frictional resistance (frictional force) with respect to the shaft 42. When the coils 61b and 62b are disconnected, the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid 57 is relatively low, and the damping force due to the frictional resistance (damper force) due to the viscosity is less than the damping force due to the friction members 54, 55, and 56. Is also extremely small. Accordingly, the damping force of the fixed damping force suspension 6 and the variable damping force suspension 6 in the washing, rinsing and drying processes are almost equal.

  In the dehydration process, the drum 10 is driven to rotate in one direction (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) by the motor 8 at a high speed (for example, 1300 rpm). The vibration generated in the water tank 5 during the dehydration process in which the drum 10 is rotated at a high speed is larger than the vibration generated in the water tank 5 in the process of washing, rinsing and drying in which the drum 10 is rotated at a low speed. The vibration on the downward rotation side of the drum 10 on which the variable damping force suspension 7 is disposed is larger than the vibration on the upward rotation side of the drum 10 on which the fixed damping force suspension 6 is disposed.

  In this dehydration process, for example, the coils 61b and 62b of the coil units 61 and 62 are energized (turned on) from the beginning of operation. When the coils 61b and 62b are energized, a magnetic field is applied to the magnetorheological fluid 57 through the yokes 63, 64, and 65, and the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid 57 increases. As a result, the frictional resistance (frictional force) of the magnetorheological fluid 57 increases so as to increase. Thus, the damping force is increased by further increasing the frictional resistance with respect to the shaft 42 as compared with the case described above (when the coils 61b and 62b are disconnected). Therefore, the vibration of the water tank 5 can be sufficiently damped.

  According to such an embodiment, the fixed damping force suspension 6 obtains a damping force by the friction force of the friction members 28 and 35, and the variable damping force suspension 7 is attenuated by the friction force of the friction members 54, 55, 56. Since the force is obtained and the damping force is set to substantially the same value, the fixed damping force suspension 6 and the variable damping force suspension 7 have the same basic configuration. 7 has a configuration in which a damping force generating means including a magnetic field generator 60 and a magnetorheological fluid 57 is added to the fixed damping force suspension 6.

  As a result, the fixed damping force suspension 6 and the variable damping force suspension 7 have a configuration in which the damping force is variable as a whole. A small damping force is required in the washing, rinsing and drying processes, and a large damping force is required in the dehydrating process. It is effective to cope with the washing machine. In particular, the variable damping force suspension 7 is disposed on the downward rotation side of the drum 10 and the fixed damping force suspension 6 is disposed on the upward rotation side of the drum 10 during the dehydration stroke at the bottom of the water tank 5. It is effective for a washing machine including a water tank 5 (drum 10) that generates vibrations having different left and right sizes.

  Furthermore, since the fixed damping force suspension 6 and the variable damping force suspension 7 have the same basic configuration in which a damping force is generated by the frictional force of the friction member, for example, the coils 61b and 62b of the magnetic field generator 60 are disconnected. Alternatively, even if the magnetorheological fluid 57 does not generate a large damping force due to a failure such as leakage of the magnetorheological fluid 57, the variable damping force suspension 7 generates a damping force substantially equal to the fixed damping force suspension 6. This is effective to attenuate the vibration of the water tank 5.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the damping force due to the frictional resistance (friction force) of the friction members 28 and 35 with respect to the shaft 31 in the fixed damping force suspension 6 is reduced by the friction members 54, 55, and 56 in the variable damping force suspension 7. The damping force by the frictional resistance (friction force) with respect to the shaft 42 is set to be almost the same value, but instead, the damping force of the fixed damping force suspension 6 is a coil in the variable damping force suspension 7. You may set so that it may become a value substantially the same as the damping force of the interruption (off) of 61b and 62b.

  In the above-described embodiment, one fixed damping force suspension 6 and one variable damping force suspension 7 are arranged at both left and right ends of the water tank 5. For example, the same applies to the central part of the water tank 5. A fixed damping force suspension or a variable damping force suspension may be arranged. In short, at least one of the plurality of suspensions may be a variable damping force suspension and the rest may be a fixed damping force suspension.

The upper and lower arrangements of the fixed damping force suspension 6 and the variable damping force suspension 7 may be reversed.
Furthermore, in the magnetic field generator 60, the two coils 61b and 62b are provided. However, the coil for generating the magnetic field can be configured in one stage or three or more stages.

  The variable damping force suspension 7 is provided with the magnetic field generator 60 and the magnetorheological fluid 57 as damping force generating means. Instead, the magnetic attraction force (on / off control is performed and the shaft 41 is restrained from reciprocating vertically when turned on) You may make it provide the electromagnet apparatus which acts as a damping force.

  According to the present embodiment, a drum-type washing machine including a water tub that accommodates a drum that is arranged in a housing and is rotatable about a horizontal axis, and a plurality of suspensions that support vibration-proofing the water tub at the bottom of the housing. The plurality of suspensions are a cylindrical cylinder, a bearing incorporated in the cylinder, a shaft inserted into the bearing so as to reciprocate in response to vibration of the water tank, and fixed in the cylinder. And a fixed damping force suspension having a friction member that applies a frictional force that resists the reciprocation of the shaft. At least one of the fixed damping force suspensions is controlled to be turned on and off to be damped to the shaft when turned on. The present invention is characterized in that it is configured as a variable damping force suspension to which damping force generating means for applying force is further added. With this configuration, it is effective to meet the demand for variable damping force, and an effective damping force can be obtained even when the variable damping force suspension fails.

  Although some embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 1 is a housing, 1b is a bottom plate (bottom), 5 is a water tank, 6 is a fixed damping force suspension (suspension), 7 is a variable damping force suspension (suspension), 10 is a drum, 21 is a cylinder, 24 and 25 Is a bearing, 28 is a friction member, 31 is a shaft, 35 is a friction member, 37 is a coil spring, 41 is a cylinder, 42 is a shaft, 44 is a coil spring, 51 and 52 are bearing members, 51b and 52b are bearings, 54 to 56 is a friction member, 57 is a magnetorheological fluid (damping force generating means), 60 is a magnetic field generator (damping force generating means), 61 and 62 are coil units, 61b and 62b are coils, and 63 to 65 are yokes.

Claims (5)

A housing,
A water tank that accommodates a drum that is disposed within the housing and is rotatable about a horizontal axis;
In the drum-type washing machine provided with a plurality of suspensions for supporting the water tank on the bottom of the casing in a vibration-proof manner,
The plurality of suspensions are:
A cylindrical cylinder, a bearing built into the cylinder, a shaft inserted into the bearing so as to reciprocate relatively in response to vibration of the water tank, and a reciprocating motion fixed to the shaft within the cylinder. A fixed damping force suspension having a friction member for applying a resisting friction force ;
A cylindrical cylinder, a bearing built into the cylinder, a shaft inserted into the bearing so as to reciprocate relatively in response to vibration of the water tank, and a reciprocating motion fixed to the shaft within the cylinder. A variable damping force suspension having a plurality of friction members for applying a resisting frictional force, and a damping force generating means that is controlled to be turned on and off to apply a damping force to the shaft when turned on .
The variable damping force suspension is disposed on the downward rotation side of the drum rotated in one direction during dehydration,
In the variable damping force suspension, the friction member includes a Clip having a sealing performance respectively, the damping force generating means is a magneto-rheological fluid, the magneto-rheological fluid within the cylinder, before Symbol lip It is provided at a sandwiched position ,
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the damping force of the fixed damping force suspension is set to substantially the same value as the damping force when the damping force generating means in the variable damping force suspension is off . The suspensions consist of one fixed damping suspension and one variable damping suspension,
2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the fixed damping force suspension is disposed on the ascending rotation side of the drum rotated in one direction during dehydration .   3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the friction member of the fixed damping force suspension and the variable damping force suspension is configured by applying grease to a rubber member.   The damping force generating means of the variable damping force suspension is configured to include a coil that is controlled by turning on and off to generate magnetism by energization, and a magnetorheological fluid that increases the damping force of the shaft by the magnetic action of this coil. The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drum type washing machine is provided.   The drum type laundry according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the damping force of the friction member of the fixed damping force suspension and the damping force of the friction member of the variable damping force suspension are set to substantially the same value. Machine.

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