JP7474926B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a washing machine that has a lid over an opening through which laundry is put in and taken out.

Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine that prevents loud crashing noises from being made when the lid is closed. This washing machine has a laundry entrance on the top surface, and a lid with one end pivotally supported around the periphery of the laundry entrance so that it can rotate up and down to open and close the laundry entrance by rotating, and a cushioning member is provided around the entire circumference of the underside of the lid that abuts against the periphery of the laundry entrance when the lid is closed.

JP 2000-167290 A

This disclosure provides a washing machine that can prevent loss of appearance quality by making color transfer less noticeable at the contact area of the upper frame, even if the cushioning material melts and adheres to the upper frame due to prolonged contact between the elastic cushioning material attached to the lid and the upper frame.

The washing machine according to the present disclosure comprises a main body having an opening through which clothes are put in and taken out, and a lid for opening and closing the opening. The lid is pivotally supported by the main body and is provided with a cushioning member for cushioning the impact of the lid contacting the main body when the lid is closed, the cushioning member has a circular, slightly bulging contact surface that forms the lower surface, the contact portion of the main body with which the contact surface of the cushioning member contacts is formed into a protruding shape having a semi-spherical cross-sectional shape with an upper surface that is rounded upward , and the contact portion is formed into a plurality of protruding shapes with one protruding shape as the center and six protruding shapes arranged around the circumference of the one protruding shape .

The washing machine disclosed herein can reduce the contact area by providing a protruding contact surface so that the cushioning material of the lid body does not directly contact the flat surface of the upper frame. This reduces the area to which the cushioning material adheres and makes color transfer to the upper frame less noticeable, thereby preventing damage to the appearance quality.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a washing machine in a first embodiment with a lid body open; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cushioning member provided on a lid of a washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a contact portion provided on an upper frame of a washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view of a contact portion provided on an upper frame of a washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a contact portion provided on an upper frame of the washing machine according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part of a washing machine with a lid body closed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

(Knowledge and other information that forms the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, the cushioning material, which is made of an elastic material attached to the lid, was in contact with the upper frame for a long time, and the cushioning material melted due to heat or rubbed against each other, resulting in adhesion to the contact portion of the upper frame. In particular, when the upper frame and the cushioning material were different in color, the color transfer was noticeable, and the appearance quality was impaired. Therefore, a method of making them of similar colors was considered, but since the cushioning material was made of a rubber material and the upper frame was made of a resin material, and the materials were different, the difference in the degree of light reflection made it look like a foreign object was attached to the user, and the appearance quality was impaired. In addition, it was also possible to use materials that were more resistant to friction or less prone to deterioration, but both of these methods would increase the cost accordingly. For this reason, the inventors discovered the problem of making the color transfer less noticeable even if the cushioning material was attached to the upper frame, and in order to solve this problem, they came to constitute the subject of the present disclosure.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a washing machine that reduces the area where the cushioning member comes into contact with the contact portion of the upper frame, making color transfer less noticeable and preventing damage to the appearance quality.

Below, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanations than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of matters that are already well known, or duplicate explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following explanation unnecessarily redundant and to make it easier for those skilled in the art to understand.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

[1-1. Configuration]
[1-1-1. Configuration of washing machine]
1 and 2, the washing machine is provided with a washing tub 3 in which laundry such as clothes is stored inside a main body 1, and an upper frame 2 is provided at the top as a part of the main body 1. An opening 2a through which laundry is put in and taken out in accordance with the opening of the washing tub 3 is formed in the upper frame 2, and a lid 5 is provided to cover the opening 2a. An operation display unit 4 is disposed behind the lid 5. A control device (not shown) that controls the operation of the washing machine is housed inside the operation display unit 4.

In FIG. 2, the lid 5 is supported by the upper frame 2 so that it can be opened and closed freely with the rotation shaft 6 as a fulcrum. The lid 5 has cushioning members 7 at two locations on the back surface at the tip side to cushion the impact of contact with the upper frame 2 when the lid 5 is closed. The upper frame 2 has two contact parts 8 against which the cushioning members 7 come into contact when the lid 5 is closed.

[1-1-2. Configuration of the cushioning member and contact portion]
Next, the configurations of the buffer member 7 and the contact portion 8 formed in a protruding shape will be described.

The cushioning member 7 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, and is provided with a circular, slightly bulging abutment surface 7a on the underside. The cushioning member 7 has a locking portion 7b on the top, which is inserted into and locked into a hole provided on the back side of the lid body 5, preventing it from falling out. There are no particular restrictions on the material used as long as it is rubber-based, but for example, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber) is used. Commonly used colors include white, black, and beige.

The contact portion 8 is formed in a circular protrusion shape to reduce the contact area with the cushioning member 7. There are no particular limitations on the material used, but PP (polypropylene) is commonly used.

The contact portion 8 may be formed in a protruding shape having a hemispherical cross section as shown in FIG. 4(a) as a first example, or a mountain-shaped cross section with a hemispherical top and a wide bottom as shown in FIG. 4(b) as a second example. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4(b) as a second example, not only may the top be rounded, but the bottom may also be rounded and formed to connect to the flat surface 2b of the upper frame 2 with a continuous smooth surface. In this way, if the connection between the surfaces is smooth so as to be indistinguishable, dirt will not accumulate at the connection, and the appearance quality will not be impaired.

Note that while it is sufficient for there to be one protrusion shape on the contact portion 8 corresponding to each of the cushioning members 7, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, multiple protrusion shapes are formed instead of one. Furthermore, the arrangement is centered on one point and six points are arranged around the circumference to correspond to the circular shape of the contact surface 7a of the cushioning member 7. This shape is a geometric arrangement of circles of the same diameter, and can be incorporated into the design in a well-balanced manner without creating an awkward look.

In addition, if the tip of the protrusion of the contact portion 8 is too thin, the shock absorbing performance will decrease and the abutment surface 7a of the cushioning member 7 will be significantly deformed. Furthermore, it is conceivable that in some cases the user may be injured if they come into contact with it, so it is advisable to form it to have a suitable roundness, such as a hemisphere.

[1-2. motion]
[1-2-1. Washing machine operation]
The operation and function of the washing machine constructed as above will now be described.

The washing operation is no different from that of a normal washing machine. That is, the user opens the lid 5, puts laundry into the washing tub 3 through the opening 2a, and closes the lid 5. Then, the user turns on the power, sets the washing course using the operation display unit 4, and starts the operation. The washing course basically involves the washing, rinsing, and spin-drying processes in that order.

When operation begins, washing water containing detergent is supplied into the washing tub 3 as the washing process, and the pulsator (not shown) rotates to agitate and wash the laundry. When the washing process is completed, the dirty washing water is discharged as the rinsing process, and tap water is supplied again to rinse the laundry. When the rinsing process is completed, the rinse water is discharged as the spin-drying process, and the washing tub 3 rotates at high speed, and the water contained in the laundry is separated by centrifugal force and spin-dried. When the spin-drying process is completed, the washing operation ends and the power to the washing machine is automatically turned off.

[1-2-2. Cushioning action when the lid is closed]
When the user puts laundry into the washing tub 3 and starts the washing operation, or when the user finishes using the washing machine, as shown in FIG. At this time, the cushioning member 7 provided on the back of the lid body 5 collides with a contact portion 8 provided on the upper frame body 2 in front of the opening 2a, and the shock of closing the lid body 5 is absorbed. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 5 is kept closed while the washing machine is in operation or until the user next uses the washing machine. The state in which most of the weight is applied to the buffer member 7 continues.

In this way, when the lid 5 is closed, the cushioning member 7 and the contact portion 8 of the upper frame 2 are in contact for a long period of time. In addition, the cushioning member 7 is temporarily deformed due to the impact when the lid 5 is closed. However, when it returns to the normal contact state, it is in contact only with the upper portion of the contact portion 8, and the contact area is very small.

Such collisions and long-term contact occur continuously, causing color transfer from the cushioning member 7 to the contact portion 8. However, even if color transfer occurs, it is only to the upper portion of the contact portion 8, and the area is limited to a very small area. This makes it possible to make the color transfer less noticeable and to prevent the deterioration of the appearance quality.

In addition, in this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed with multiple protrusion shapes in a predetermined arrangement. This creates a shadow due to the multiple protrusion shapes. This shadow visually reduces color transfer.

Furthermore, the cushioning member 7 can be supported at multiple points, which can suppress deformation caused by the load concentrating at one point on the contact surface 7a of the cushioning member 7.

It is not necessary to support the cover at multiple points at the same time. However, even if slight misalignment occurs when the cover 5 is closed due to looseness in the installation of the cover 5 or dimensional errors, one of the protrusion shapes can abut against the cushioning member 7 and provide support.

[1-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the washing machine comprises the upper frame 2 of the main body 1 having the opening 2a through which laundry is put in and taken out, and the lid 5 for opening and closing the opening 2a. The lid 5 is journalled to the upper frame 2 and comprises a buffer member 7 for buffering the impact of the lid colliding with the upper frame 2 when the lid is closed. The contact portion 8 of the upper frame 2 with which the buffer member 7 comes into contact is formed in a protruding shape so as to reduce the contact area between them.

This allows the washing machine to reduce the contact area between the cushioning material 7 of the lid 5 and the contact portion 8 with the upper frame 2. This reduces the area to which the cushioning material 7 adheres, making color transfer to the upper frame 2 less noticeable, and preventing damage to the appearance quality.

In addition, in the washing machine of this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed in a semi-spherical protrusion shape. This prevents the deformation of the contact surface 7a of the cushioning member 7, which would cause a decrease in shock absorbing performance, and prevents the user from touching it and getting injured.

In addition, in the washing machine of this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed in the shape of multiple protrusions. This allows the shadows created by the multiple protrusions to visually reduce color transfer. In addition, the cushioning member 7 is supported at multiple points, which can suppress deformation caused by the load concentrating at one point on the contact surface 7a of the cushioning member 7. Even if a slight misalignment occurs when the lid body 5 is closed, any one of the protrusion shapes can abut and support the cushioning member 7.

In addition, in the washing machine of this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed in a protruding shape that corresponds to the shape of the cushioning member 7. This allows for a well-balanced arrangement in terms of design, and even if a slight misalignment occurs when the lid body 5 is closed, one of the protruding shapes can abut against and support the cushioning member 7.

In addition, in the washing machine of this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed in the shape of multiple protrusions arranged at six points around a single centered circle. This shape is a geometric arrangement of circles of the same diameter, and can be incorporated into the design in a well-balanced manner without creating an awkward look.

In addition, in the washing machine of this embodiment, the contact portion 8 is formed in a protruding shape with a continuous smooth surface. This makes the connection between the surfaces smooth and indistinguishable, prevents dirt from accumulating at the connection, and does not impair the appearance quality.

Other Embodiments
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application.
However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. Also, it is possible to combine the components described in the above-mentioned first embodiment to form a new embodiment.

Therefore, other embodiments are given below as examples.

In the first embodiment, the contact portion 8 provided on the upper frame 2 is described as having a hemispherical protrusion shape with a circular upper portion and a multiple arrangement of the hemispherical protrusions. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the upper portion may be a polygon such as a rounded rectangle. The upper portion may also be a rounded strip-like protrusion shape, and multiple arrangements of these may be used. Furthermore, a doughnut-shaped protrusion may be formed around a single hemispherical point as the center. In any case, it is sufficient that the contact area between the cushioning member 7 and the contact portion 8 is smaller than when the surfaces simply contact each other as in the past, so that any color transfer is not noticeable.

In addition, in the first embodiment, a vertical washing machine has been described as an example of a washing machine. The washing machine may be any washing machine capable of washing fabrics such as clothes with water. Therefore, the washing machine is not limited to a vertical washing machine. However, if a vertical washing machine is used as the washing machine, the lid body 5 comes into contact with the upper frame body 2 due to its own weight when closed, so color transfer from the cushioning member 7 to the contact part 8 is likely to occur, and the effect of reducing this can be easily obtained. Also, a drum washing machine may be used as the washing machine. If a drum washing machine is used as the washing machine, an opening 2a for putting in and taking out laundry can be provided on the side, so the degree of freedom in the design of the washing machine can be increased.

The above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology disclosed herein, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

This disclosure is applicable to washing machines equipped with a lid having a cushioning member. Specifically, this disclosure is applicable to vertical washing machines, drum washing machines, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Main body 2 Upper frame 2a Opening 2b Flat surface 3 Washing tub 4 Operation display unit 5 Lid 6 Rotating shaft 7 Cushioning member 7a Contact surface 7b Locking portion 8 Contact portion

Claims (2)

A main body having an opening through which clothing is inserted and removed;
a cover for opening and closing the opening,
the cover is pivotally supported by the main body and includes a buffer member that buffers the impact of the cover coming into contact with the main body when the cover is closed;
The cushioning member has a contact surface that is a lower surface and has a circular and slightly bulging shape,
a contact portion of the main body with which the contact surface of the buffer member comes into contact is formed into a protruding shape having a semi-spherical cross-sectional shape with an upper surface that is rounded upward ,
The contact portion is formed into a plurality of protrusion shapes, with one protrusion shape as a center and six protrusion shapes arranged on a circumference of the one protrusion shape .
washing machine. The contact portion is formed in a protruding shape with a continuous smooth surface.
The washing machine according to claim 1 .

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