JP6854094B2 - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a drum-type washing machine.

For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a drum-type washing machine is watertight with a cylindrical bellows between a laundry entrance / exit provided on the front surface of a housing and an opening provided on the front surface of a water tank. It is configured to be connected to.

Japanese Patent No. 5486871

By the way, the bellows provided in the drum type washing machine has a structure having a vibration absorbing portion that can be elastically deformed in order to follow the vibration of the water tank during operation. However, in the configuration in which the vibration absorbing portion is provided so as to bulge on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, the vibration absorbing portion forms a pocket shape bulging on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, so that it is small. Laundry may get into the pocket-shaped vibration absorber.

Therefore, even if the bellows has a vibration absorbing portion that bulges on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, a drum type washing machine that can prevent laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion is provided. ..

The drum-type washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a housing, a water tank, a drum, and a cylindrical bellows. The housing has a laundry doorway on the front. The water tank is elastically supported in the housing and has an opening on the front surface. The drum is rotatably provided in the water tank to accommodate the laundry. The bellows make a watertight connection between the laundry entrance and the opening of the aquarium. The bellows has a vibration absorbing portion that bulges toward the laundry inlet / outlet side, which is provided on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, and is located between the vibration absorbing portion and the opening of the water tank. , The inclined portion has an inclined portion inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drum, and the inclined portion is inclined so as to cover at least a part of the vibration absorbing portion , and water is not poured into the water tank. Moreover, in the no-load state in which the laundry is not put into the drum, the tip end portion of the inclined portion is lower than the bellows side end portion at the lowest point of the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the water tank. It is configured to be.
Further, the drum-type washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a housing, a water tank, a drum, a cylindrical bellows, and a door. The housing has a laundry doorway on the front. The water tank is elastically supported in the housing and has an opening on the front surface. The drum is rotatably provided in the water tank to accommodate the laundry. The bellows make a watertight connection between the laundry entrance and the opening of the aquarium. The door opens and closes the laundry doorway. The bellows has a vibration absorbing portion that bulges toward the laundry entrance / exit side, which is provided on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, and is located between the vibration absorbing portion and the opening of the water tank. The inclined portion has an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drum, and the inclined portion has a pressed portion that is pressed by the door when the door closes the laundry entrance / exit, and the pressed portion. Is pressed by the door to be deformed so as to be inclined toward the outer peripheral direction of the bellows with respect to the rotation axis of the drum, and is inclined so as to cover at least a part of the vibration absorbing portion .

Longitudinal side view schematically showing a configuration example of a drum-type washing machine according to this embodiment. A perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a bellows according to the first embodiment. Longitudinal side view showing the peripheral part of the bellows in the no-load state Longitudinal side view showing the peripheral part of the bellows in a light load state Longitudinal side view showing an enlarged peripheral part of the bellows under medium load condition Longitudinal side view showing the peripheral part of the bellows under heavy load FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing an enlarged peripheral portion of the bellows in a no-load state according to the second embodiment. Longitudinal side view showing the peripheral part of the bellows under heavy load A vertical sectional side view showing an enlarged peripheral portion of a bellows in a state where the door is opened, which relates to the third embodiment. Longitudinal side view showing an enlarged peripheral part of the bellows when the door is closed and there is no load. Longitudinal side view showing an enlarged peripheral part of the bellows when the door is closed and the load is heavy.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments relating to the drum type washing machine will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
(First Embodiment)
The drum-type washing machine 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided with a laundry entrance / exit 12 for taking in / out laundry in the central portion of the front surface of the housing 11 constituting the outer shell. Hereinafter, the drum type washing machine 10 is simply referred to as "washing machine 10". The laundry entrance 12 has a circular opening, and is opened and closed by a circular door 13. Inside the housing 11, a bottomed cylindrical water tank 14 in which water is stored is provided. A water tank cover 15 is provided on the front surface of the water tank 14. An opening 16 having a circular opening is provided in the central portion of the water tank cover 15. The water tank 14 is elastically supported by a pair of suspensions 17 provided on the left and right sides of the bottom of the water tank 14. A drum 18 is rotatably provided inside the water tank 14. The rotating shaft 18R of the drum 18 is inclined so that the rear surface side is lower than the front surface side along the front-rear direction of the washing machine 10, that is, the depth direction. The drum 18 is rotated by a drive motor 19 provided on the rear surface of the water tank 14.

The laundry entrance 12 and the opening 16 of the water tank 14 are watertightly connected by a cylindrical bellows 20. The bellows 20 is made of an elastic material such as ethylene-propylene rubber and has elasticity. The bellows 20 has a waterproof function that maintains a watertight state between the laundry inlet / outlet 12 and the opening 16 of the water tank 14, and a vibration isolation function that suppresses vibration during operation from being transmitted from the water tank 14 to the housing 11. Has.

That is, the bellows 20 has a vibration absorbing unit 21. The vibration absorbing portion 21 bulges toward the outside of the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 and opposite to the opening 16 of the water tank 14, in this case, toward the front side of the washing machine 10, and is orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the bellows 20. The cross section is curved like a pocket, and it can be elastically deformed by following the vibration of the water tank 14 during operation. The vibration absorbing portion 21 is elastically deformed to absorb the vibration of the water tank 14 during operation, whereby the above-mentioned waterproof function and vibration-proof function are exhibited.

Here, during operation, the laundry is agitated in the drum 18, and the laundry is placed in the gap G between the rear end of the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 and the front end of the opening 16 of the water tank 14. May reach. At this time, relatively small laundry such as socks for children can easily enter the pocket-shaped vibration absorbing portion 21 through the gap G. Therefore, conventionally, the gap G is designed to be as small as possible to prevent the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion 21. However, if the gap G is made small, there is a concern that the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 may come into contact with the opening 16 of the water tank 14 and wear. Therefore, there is a limit to how to reduce the gap G.

Further, as the amount of water in the water tank 14 and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 increase, the water tank 14 sinks, and as a result, the opening 16 of the water tank 14 shifts downward with respect to the laundry inlet / outlet 12. Then, since the gap G becomes larger as the water tank 14 sinks, the laundry can more easily enter the vibration absorbing portion 21.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the bellows 20 is provided with a rib 22 between the vibration absorbing portion 21 and the opening 16 of the water tank 14 at a position facing the vibration absorbing portion 21, that is, at a portion where a gap G is formed. ing. The rib 22 is an example of an inclined portion, and in this case, the rib 22 projects from the rear end portion of the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 toward the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical surface 20a. Further, the rib 22 projects in a direction in which the drum 18 is inclined with respect to the rotation shaft 18R. Further, the rib 22 is inclined toward the lower rear portion of the housing 11. Further, the rib 22 has a thicker wall thickness toward the base end portion, that is, the cylindrical surface 20a side of the bellows 20. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the ribs 22 are provided on the lower portion and the side portion of the bellows 20, and are not provided on the upper portion of the bellows 20.

The state illustrated in FIG. 3 shows a no-load state in which water is not charged into the water tank 14 and laundry is not charged into the drum 18. In this no-load state, the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 and the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14 are flush with each other. At this time, all of the ribs 22 are located lower than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14, and are stored in the gap G.

The state illustrated in FIG. 4 shows a small load state in which the amount of water in the water tank 14 is small and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 is small. In this small load state, the water tank 14 sinks downward as compared with the no-load state due to the load in the water tank 14 and the drum 18. At this time, a part of the rib 22, in this case, the upper portion thereof is located higher than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14, and is in a state of protruding from the gap G.

The state illustrated in FIG. 5 shows a medium load state in which the amount of water in the water tank 14 is medium and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 is medium. In this medium load state, the water tank 14 sinks further downward than in the light load state due to the load in the water tank 14 and the drum 18. At this time, a part of the rib 22, in this case, the upper portion and the middle portion thereof are located higher than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14, and the rib 22 is in a state of protruding from the gap G.

The state illustrated in FIG. 6 indicates a heavy load state in which the amount of water in the water tank 14 is large and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 is large. In this heavy load state, the water tank 14 sinks further downward than in the medium load state due to the load in the water tank 14 and the drum 18. At this time, all of the ribs 22 are located higher than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14, and are in a state of protruding from the gap G. That is, as the amount of water in the water tank 14 and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 increase, the tip end portion, that is, the lower end portion of the rib 22 becomes higher than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14. ..

Further, the washing machine 10 has a configuration in which the rib 22 is separated from the front surface 16b of the opening 16 of the water tank 14 even in a no-load state in which the tip end portion of the rib 22 is closest to the front surface 16b of the opening 16 of the water tank 14. ing. Then, in the small load state, the medium load state, and the large load state, the tip end portion of the rib 22 gradually separates from the front surface 16b of the opening 16 of the water tank 14, so that the rib 22 is in any load state. It is separated from the front surface 16b of the opening 16 of the water tank 14.

The above-mentioned heavy load state is, for example, a state in which the rated load is applied to the water tank 14 and the drum 18. The rated load here is when clothes with a rated capacity specified by JIS or the like are put into the drum 18 and a standard amount of water for washing clothes with the rated capacity is put into the water tank 14. This is the load. As an example, in the case of washing operation, for example, when the amount of laundry is 9 kilograms and the amount of water is 30 liters, the load applied is the rated load. Then, for the small load state and the medium load state, a state in which a small level load is applied and a state in which a medium level load is applied are appropriately set between the above-mentioned no load state and the large load state, respectively. Can be done.

According to the washing machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the bellows 20 has a rotating shaft 18R of the drum 18 at a position facing the pocket-shaped vibration absorbing portion 21 between the vibration absorbing portion 21 and the opening 16 of the water tank 14. It has a rib 22 that is inclined with respect to the rib 22. The rib 22 projects outward from the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20. According to this configuration, the opening portion of the vibration absorbing portion 21, that is, the portion where the gap G is formed can be closed by the rib 22, and the rib 22 can prevent the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion 21. it can.

Further, according to the washing machine 10, the ribs 22 are provided on the lower portion and the side portion of the bellows 20, and are not provided on the upper portion. That is, there is almost no possibility that the laundry in the drum 18 will reach the vibration absorbing portion 21 of the upper portion of the bellows 20, and therefore there is almost no possibility that the laundry will enter the vibration absorbing portion 21 of the upper portion. Therefore, there is almost no need to provide the rib 22 on the upper portion of the bellows 20, and therefore, by providing the rib 22 on the lower portion and the side portion of the bellows 20, the laundry can enter the vibration absorbing portion 21. It can be sufficiently prevented. The bellows 20 may be configured to have ribs 22 only on the lower portion. That is, the portion where the laundry is most concerned about entering the vibration absorbing portion 21 is the lower portion of the bellows 20. Therefore, by providing the rib 22 at least on the lower portion of the bellows 20, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion 21.

Further, according to the washing machine 10, the rib 22 is inclined toward the rear lower portion of the housing 11. That is, when a load is applied, the water tank 14 moves backward while descending downward. Therefore, by inclining the rib 22 toward the lower rear portion of the housing 11, that is, toward the direction in which the water tank 14 moves when a load is applied, the rib 22 easily closes the gap G and absorbs vibration. It is possible to more effectively prevent the laundry from entering the portion 21.

Further, according to the washing machine 10, the cylindrical surface 20a of the bellows 20 and the opening of the water tank 14 in a no-load state in which water is not charged into the water tank 14 and no laundry is charged into the drum 18. The inner peripheral surface 16a of the portion 16 is in a flush state. According to this configuration, when the user opens the door 13 to put in and take out the laundry in a no-load state before the start of the operation or after the completion of the operation, a flush inner peripheral surface is provided between the laundry entrance 12 and the drum 18. It is possible to form an opening having an opening, and the appearance can be improved. In addition, the user can smoothly put in and take out the laundry through the opening having a flush inner peripheral surface.

Further, according to the washing machine 10, the rib 22 is separated from the water tank 14 in the no-load state. Further, the rib 22 is configured to be separated from the water tank 14 even in a small load state, a medium load state, and a large load state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rib 22 from coming into contact with the water tank 14 in any load state, and it is possible to prevent the rib 22 from being worn regardless of the magnitude of the load applied to the water tank 14.

Further, according to the washing machine 10, as the amount of water in the water tank 14 and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 increase, the tip of the rib 22 is higher than the inner peripheral surface 16a of the opening 16 of the water tank 14. Become. According to this configuration, in a state where the water tank 14 sinks and the gap G greatly expands as the amount of water in the water tank 14 and the amount of laundry in the drum 18 increase, the gap G can be reliably covered by the rib 22. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing unit 21.

(Second Embodiment)
In the bellows 40 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cylindrical surface 40a of the bellows 40 itself is inclined with respect to the rotation shaft 18R of the drum 18 at a position facing the vibration absorbing portion 21, and the housing 11 It slopes toward the lower rear part of the. That is, the bellows 40 has a configuration in which the cylindrical surface 40a itself functions as an example of the inclined portion. Also in this embodiment, the opening portion of the vibration absorbing portion 21, that is, the portion where the gap G is formed can be closed by the cylindrical surface 40a of the bellows 40, and the cylindrical surface 40a prevents the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion 21. Can be prevented by

(Third Embodiment)
The bellows 50 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes a protrusion 51 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical surface 50a. The protruding portion 51 is an example of the pressed portion, and in this case, the protruding portion 51 protrudes inward in the radial direction of the bellows 50 from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical surface 50a. Further, the protruding portion 51 has a trapezoidal cross section orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the bellows 50. The cross-sectional shape of the protruding portion 51 is not limited to a trapezoidal shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular cross-sectional shape or a semi-circular cross-sectional shape.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the protruding portion 51 is pressed downward by the door 13 in a state where the door 13 closes the laundry entrance / exit 12. Then, when the protruding portion 51 is pressed by the door 13, the cylindrical surface 50a of the bellows 50 is deformed so as to be inclined in the outer peripheral direction of the bellows 50 with respect to the rotation shaft 18R of the drum 18. Further, the cylindrical surface 50a of the bellows 50 is deformed so as to be inclined toward the lower rear portion of the housing 11. The cylindrical surface 50a of the bellows 50 deformed so as to be inclined functions as an example of the inclined portion at a position facing the vibration absorbing portion 21.

Also in this embodiment, the opening portion of the vibration absorbing portion 21, that is, the portion where the gap G is formed can be closed by the cylindrical surface 50a of the bellows 50, and the cylindrical surface 50a prevents the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion 21. Can be prevented by

According to the drum-type washing machine according to the plurality of embodiments described above, the bellows has an inclined portion inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drum between the vibration absorbing portion and the opening of the water tank. According to this configuration, the opening portion of the vibration absorbing portion, that is, the portion where the gap is formed can be closed by the inclined portion, and the inclined portion can prevent the laundry from entering the vibration absorbing portion.

It should be noted that this embodiment is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawing, 10 is a drum-type washing machine, 11 is a housing, 12 is a laundry entrance / exit, 13 is a door, 14 is a water tank, 16 is an opening of a water tank, 18 is a drum, 20, 40, 50 are bellows, and 21 is. The vibration absorbing portion, 22 indicates a rib (inclined portion), 40a and 50a indicate a cylindrical surface of a bellows (inclined portion), and 51 indicates a protruding portion (pressed portion).

Claims (8)

A housing with a laundry entrance on the front and
A water tank that is elastically supported in the housing and has an opening on the front surface,
A drum that is rotatably provided in the water tank and accommodates laundry,
A cylindrical bellows that watertightly connects the laundry entrance and the opening of the water tank.
The bellows has a vibration absorbing portion that bulges toward the laundry inlet / outlet side provided on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, and is between the vibration absorbing portion and the opening of the water tank. , Has an inclined portion inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drum,
The inclined portion is inclined so as to cover at least a part of the vibration absorbing portion.
In a no-load state in which no water is charged into the water tank and no laundry is charged into the drum, the tip of the inclined portion is the most of the inner peripheral surfaces of the opening of the water tank. A drum-type washing machine configured to be lower than the bellows-side end at the lower point. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is a rib protruding from the cylindrical surface of the bellows and is inclined toward the rear lower portion of the housing. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is formed of a cylindrical surface of the bellows. A housing with a laundry entrance on the front and
A water tank that is elastically supported in the housing and has an opening on the front surface,
A drum that is rotatably provided in the water tank and accommodates laundry,
A cylindrical bellows that watertightly connects the laundry entrance and the opening of the aquarium,
A door that opens and closes the laundry doorway,
With
The bellows has a vibration absorbing portion that bulges toward the laundry inlet / outlet side provided on the side opposite to the opening of the water tank, and is between the vibration absorbing portion and the opening of the water tank. , Has an inclined portion inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the drum,
The inclined portion has a pressed portion that is pressed by the door when the door closes the laundry entrance / exit, and when the pressed portion is pressed by the door, the rotating shaft of the drum is pressed. On the other hand, a drum-type washing machine that is deformed so as to be inclined toward the outer periphery of the bellows and is inclined so as to cover at least a part of the vibration absorbing portion. The drum-type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inclined portion is provided in a lower portion of the bellows. In a no-load state in which no water is charged into the water tank and no laundry is charged into the drum, the cylindrical surface of the bellows and the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the water tank are flush with each other. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the inclined portion is separated from the water tank in the no-load state. As the amount of water in the water tank and the amount of laundry in the drum increase, the lowest portion of the tip of the inclined portion is the bellows side at the lowest point of the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the water tank. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 6 or 7, which changes to a state higher than the end.

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