JP7480014B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine with a laundry outlet on the top surface (a so-called vertical washing machine).

In a vertical washing machine, the axis of rotation of the washing tub is approximately vertical, and the top of the washing tub is open (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in a vertical washing machine, an opening that serves as a laundry removal outlet is also provided on the top surface of the washing machine body.

International Publication No. 2016/147554

When removing laundry from a vertical washing machine, it is necessary to lift the laundry from the bottom of the washing tub up to the laundry outlet. However, in vertical washing machines, the water supply port is usually located behind the laundry outlet and protrudes forward. This creates a problem when removing relatively heavy laundry, as the water supply port interferes with the laundry, making it difficult to remove.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a washing machine that makes it easy to remove laundry.

To solve the above problem, the washing machine of the present invention is a washing machine with a laundry outlet on its top surface, and is characterized in that when the washing machine is viewed from above with the washing tub in a reference position, the center of the laundry outlet is eccentric so as to be located forward of the center of the washing tub, and when the washing tub is moved forward from the reference position, the center of the washing tub and the center of the laundry outlet can coincide.

With the above configuration, when the washing tub is pulled forward to remove the laundry from the washing tub, the center of the washing tub can be aligned with the center of the laundry outlet. At this time, the area of the opening of the washing tub that exists in the internal area of the laundry outlet increases, making it easier to remove the laundry.

In addition, in the above-mentioned washing machine, the laundry outlet is formed as an opening that penetrates the top panel of the washing machine in the vertical direction, and the area between the lower and upper edges of the laundry outlet is an inclined surface, and the inclined surface is configured so that both front ends of the laundry outlet have a more gentle inclination than the front center of the laundry outlet.

According to the above configuration, by making both front ends of the inclined surface at a gentle incline at the laundry removal opening, when a user wishes to remove heavy laundry, the laundry can be removed even more easily by removing it from a diagonal direction in front of the washing machine.

The washing machine may also be configured such that an operation panel is attached to the top plate in front of the laundry outlet, and an inclined surface is formed on the edge of the operation panel at the joint between the top plate and the operation panel.

According to the above configuration, by providing an inclined surface on the edge of the operation panel, the laundry is less likely to get caught on the edge of the operation panel when it is pulled out from the laundry outlet, preventing damage to the laundry.

The washing machine may also have a lid that covers the laundry outlet, and the handle structure for opening the lid may be configured such that recesses are formed in the upper edges of both sides of the top panel so that a user can insert their fingers under the lid.

According to the above configuration, by providing the handle structure of the lid on the side of the washing machine, the user's approach to the washing machine can be directed to the side of the washing machine. In other words, the user's action of opening the washing machine lid and the user's action of removing laundry from the washing machine can both be performed from the side of the washing machine, providing a unified approach to the user's actions when using the washing machine.

In addition, in the above-mentioned washing machine, the bottom edge of the laundry outlet can be configured so that the left and right side edges are straight lines parallel to the front-to-rear direction.

With the above configuration, whether the washing tub is stationary and in the reference position or pulled forward, the area of the opening of the washing tub that is located in the internal region of the lower edge of the laundry removal opening can be made large, making it easy to remove the laundry.

The washing machine of the present invention has the advantage that when the washing tub is pulled forward to remove the laundry from the washing tub, the center of the washing tub is aligned with the center of the laundry removal opening, making it easier to remove the laundry.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine, showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the washing machine of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the washing machine of FIG. 1 . 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between an upper opening of the washing tub and a laundry removal opening. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a joint between the top plate and the operation panel. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the laundry outlet. FIG.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a top view of the washing machine 10. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the washing machine 10 (a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the washing machine 10 has a washing machine body 11 and a lid 12 that covers the top surface of the washing machine body 11. A washing tub 13 is provided inside the washing machine body 11. The external housing of the washing machine body 11 is divided into an upper panel 111 and a lower housing 112. The upper panel 111 has an opening that penetrates in the vertical direction to become a laundry outlet 113, and the laundry outlet 113 is covered by closing the lid 12. In addition, an operation panel 114 is attached to the upper surface of the upper panel 111 and in front of the laundry outlet 113. The lid 12 is configured so that the upper surface of the lid 12 and the upper surface of the operation panel 114 are flush with each other when the lid 12 is closed. As a result, the lid 12 and the operation panel 114 have a design that gives a sense of unity, improving the design of the washing machine 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the internal structure of the washing machine 10 is such that the washing tub 13 is positioned so that the upper end of the washing tub 13 is located lower than the upper end of the lower housing 112. The rotation axis of the washing tub 13 is maintained in a substantially vertical reference position when the washing tub 13 is stationary and there is no laundry in the washing tub 13. However, because the washing tub 13 is suspended from the lower housing 112 by multiple suspensions (not shown), the washing tub 13 can swing and move from the reference position when the washing tub 13 rotates or when laundry is removed from the washing tub 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the laundry outlet 113 on the top panel 111 has a lower edge 113a and an upper edge 113b each having a different shape, and an inclined surface 113c is formed between the lower edge 113a and the upper edge 113b.

The lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113 is shaped as a combination of arcs and straight lines, and is shaped as a part of a circle larger than the outer circumference of the cylindrical washing tub 13, cut off by a chord. More specifically, the rear edge of the lower edge 113a is straight, and both side edges are arcs. The front edge of the lower edge 113a is also straight and shorter than the rear edge.

The upper edge 113b of the laundry outlet 113 is generally rectangular, with the long sides extending in the left-right direction of the washing machine 10 and the short sides extending in the front-rear direction. The four corners of the upper edge 113b are arc-shaped. When the laundry outlet 113 is viewed from above, the inner area of the upper edge 113b is wider than the inner area of the lower edge 113a, and the entire lower edge 113a is located inside the upper edge 113b. Therefore, the inclined surface 113c of the laundry outlet 113 is an inclined surface that slopes downward from the outside to the inside around the entire periphery of the laundry outlet 113. The inclined surface 113c is formed as a concave curved surface, except for the area above the water supply port 115, which will be described later.

When viewed from above, the laundry outlet 113 has a wider rear side than a wider front side, because the water supply port 115 (see FIG. 3) is provided at the rear side of the laundry outlet 113. That is, the water supply port 115 is provided below the slope 113c at the rear side of the laundry outlet 113, and the slope 113c is formed so that the upper part of the water supply port 115 juts out forward. The slope 113c at the upper part of the water supply port 115 is formed into a curved surface that is convex.

The washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment has the following features with respect to the positional relationship between the washing tub 13 and the laundry outlet 113, and the shape of the laundry outlet 113. These features are described below with reference to FIG. 4.

When the washing machine 10 is viewed from above with the washing tub 13 in the reference position, as shown in FIG. 4, the center P of the laundry outlet 113 is offset so as to be located forward of the center Q of the washing tub 13. The upper end of the washing tub 13 is also open so that a part of its rear side is located rearward of the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113. Here, the center P of the laundry outlet 113 refers to the center of the line segment L1 at the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113 that has the maximum dimension in the left-right direction. For example, the center P of the laundry outlet 113 refers to the center of a circle that includes the arcs on both sides of the lower edge 113a.

In addition, when the washing tub 13 is pulled forward from the reference position to the maximum extent, the center of the washing tub 13 (shown as position Q' in FIG. 4) can be moved forward of line segment L1 shown in FIG. 4. The distance between P and Q shown in FIG. 4 can be, for example, 11 mm, and the distance between Q and Q' can be, for example, 32 mm.

When a user removes laundry from the washing tub 13 of the washing machine 10, the laundry is usually removed by pulling it out from the front side of the washing machine 10. Also, if the laundry to be removed is relatively heavy, the laundry is often pulled out of the washing tub 13 while being abutted against the front edge of the laundry removal opening 113. In such cases, the action of pulling the laundry out of the washing tub 13 pulls the washing tub 13 forward.

In the washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment, when the washing tub 13 is pulled forward to remove the laundry from the washing tub 13, the center Q of the washing tub 13 and the center P of the laundry outlet 113 can be aligned with each other. Even if the washing tub 13 does not move straight forward but moves diagonally forward, the center Q of the washing tub 13 and the center P of the laundry outlet 113 can be brought closer to each other than when the washing tub 13 is in the reference position. At this time, the area of the opening of the washing tub 13 present in the internal region of the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113 increases, making it easier to remove the laundry.

In other words, when the washing tub 13 is in the reference position, the center Q of the washing tub 13 is located behind the center P of the laundry removal opening 113, thereby suppressing the forward protrusion of the washing tub 13 and making the washing machine 10 smaller. In addition, since the front inner wall of the washing tub 13 is less likely to be covered by the laundry removal opening 113, the user can easily see the laundry stuck to the front inner wall of the washing tub 13 after the washing and spin-drying processes.

On the other hand, when the washing tub 13 is pulled forward when the laundry is to be removed from the washing tub 13, the center Q of the washing tub 13 and the center P of the laundry removal opening 113 can be aligned, so that the laundry removal opening 113 does not feel narrow when the user puts their hands in and out of the washing tub 13 to remove the laundry.

As a result, it is possible to provide a washing machine 10 that is compact and allows easy removal of laundry.

Second Embodiment
In the second embodiment, a description will be given of the shape of laundry outlet 113 for making it easier to remove laundry from washing tub 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper edge 113b of the laundry outlet 113 is generally rectangular with the long sides extending in the left-right direction of the washing machine 10, and the inclined surface 113c is an inclined surface that slopes downward from the outside to the inside around the entire periphery of the laundry outlet 113. The inclined surface 113c has a more gentle slope at both front ends (i.e., both front corners) of the laundry outlet 113 than at the front center. In other words, the gentle slope is present at the point along the line segment L2 in FIG. 4.

In this way, by making both front ends of the inclined surface 113c at a gentle incline in the laundry removal opening 113, when a user tries to remove heavy laundry, the laundry can be removed even more easily by removing it from a diagonal direction in front of the washing machine 10. In addition, when removing laundry from a diagonal direction in front of the washing machine 10, it can be removed without interfering with the operation panel 114. This also prevents the washing machine 10 from malfunctioning due to accidentally touching the operation panel 114 when removing laundry.

The washing machine 10 according to the second embodiment has a large area of the inclined surfaces 113c at both ends of the front side of the laundry removal opening 113, and is designed to encourage the user to remove laundry from the front diagonal direction of the washing machine 10. When removing laundry from the front diagonal direction of the washing machine 10, the user will view the inside of the washing tub 13 from the direction where the inclination of the inclined surfaces 113c is gentle. As a result, the inside of the washing tub 13 can be easily viewed, which is expected to have the effect of preventing the user from forgetting to remove laundry.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 4) showing the joint between top panel 111 and operation panel 114. As shown in Figure 5, at the joint between top panel 111 and operation panel 114, the edge of operation panel 114 forms gently sloping surface 114a. Furthermore, this sloping surface 114a is formed into a curved surface with a concave surface. In this way, by providing sloping surface 114a on the edge of operation panel 114, laundry is less likely to get caught on the edge of operation panel 114 when it is pulled out from laundry outlet 113, preventing damage to the laundry.

In the washing machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the handle structure for opening the lid 12 may be devised in the following shape. For example, the handle structure used by the user when opening the lid 12 may be provided on the side of the washing machine 10, rather than on the front side of the washing machine 10 (the front side of the lid 12). Specifically, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the washing machine 10 has recesses 111a formed on the upper edges of both sides of the top panel 111. As a result, when the user opens the lid 12, the user can insert their fingers into the recesses 111a and hook their fingers on the underside of the lid 12 to lift the lid 12.

In this way, in the washing machine 10, by providing a handle structure (i.e., recess 111a) for opening the lid 12 on the side of the washing machine 10, it is not necessary to form a handle portion on the front end portion of the lid 12 or to form a handle structure for opening the lid 12 on the rear edge of the operation panel 114. Therefore, when the lid 12 is closed, it is possible to form a continuous surface without unevenness from the rear edge of the operation panel 114 to the front edge of the lid 12. In addition, when the lid 12 is closed, the recess 111a is less visible to the user, and the design of the washing machine 10 can be improved. In addition, in the washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment, since it is not necessary to form a handle portion on the lid 12, it is possible to make the lid 12 thinner and lighter, or since it is not necessary to form a handle structure for opening the lid 12 on the operation panel 114, it is possible to effectively use the surface of the operation panel 114.

In the washing machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the handle structure of the lid 12 is provided on the side of the washing machine 10, so that the user's approach to the washing machine 10 can be directed to the side of the washing machine 10. In other words, the user's action of opening the lid 12 of the washing machine 10 and the user's action of removing laundry from the washing machine 10 can both be performed from the side of the washing machine 10, so that the user's approach to the washing machine 10 can be consistent.

Third Embodiment
In washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment, lower edge 113a of laundry outlet 113 has a shape composed of an arc and a straight line, and specifically, both side edges of lower edge 113a are arcs. However, in the present invention, the shape of lower edge 113a of laundry outlet 113 is not limited to this. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of laundry outlet 113 as washing machine 10 according to the third embodiment. That is, in washing machine 10 according to the third embodiment, both left and right side edges of lower edge 113a are straight lines parallel to the front-rear direction, not arcs.

In the washing machine 10 according to the third embodiment, when the washing machine 10 is viewed from above with the washing tub 13 in the reference position, the center P of the laundry outlet 113 is offset so as to be located forward of the center Q of the washing tub 13, as shown in FIG. 6. However, when the side edges on both sides of the lower edge 113a are straight lines, the center P of the laundry outlet 113 refers to the center of the line segment L1' located in the center in the front-to-rear direction at the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113. Then, when the washing tub 13 is tilted forward from the reference position to the maximum extent, the center of the washing tub 13 (shown as position Q' in FIG. 6) can be moved forward of the line segment L1' shown in FIG. 6.

In the washing machine 10 according to the third embodiment, the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113 has a maximum left-right dimension over a certain area (maximum dimension area) including the center in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the left-right diameter of the washing tub 13 is within the maximum dimension area, whether the washing tub 13 is stationary and in the reference position or tilted forward. In this case, no matter what state the washing tub 13 is in, the area of the opening of the washing tub 13 present in the internal area of the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113 can be made large, making it easy to remove laundry. The maximum dimension area does not have to be the same area in front and behind the center of the lower edge 113a of the laundry outlet 113, and it is preferable that the area in front of the center is narrower than the area in the rear direction. This allows the inclined surfaces 113c at both ends of the front side of the laundry outlet 113 to be gently formed as shown in the second embodiment.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be a basis for a restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not to be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included.

10 Washing machine 11 Washing machine body 111 Top panel 111a Recess 112 Lower housing 113 Laundry removal opening 113a Lower edge 113b Upper edge 113c Inclined surface 114 Operation panel 114a Inclined surface 115 Water supply port 12 Lid 13 Washing tub

Claims (5)

A washing machine having a laundry outlet on an upper surface thereof,
The laundry outlet is formed as an opening penetrating the top panel of the washing machine in the vertical direction, and a portion between a lower end edge and an upper end edge of the laundry outlet is an inclined surface,
When the washing machine is viewed from above with the washing tub in the reference position, the center of the laundry outlet is offset so as to be located forward of the center of the washing tub , and a part of the rear side of the washing tub is located rearward of the lower end edge of the laundry outlet ,
The washing machine, characterized in that, in a state in which the washing tub is moved forward from a reference position, the center of the washing tub can be moved forward of the center of the laundry outlet. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1 ,
The washing machine is characterized in that, regarding the inclined surface, the inclined surface located behind the laundry outlet is formed into a curved surface having a convex surface, and the inclined surface located in front of the laundry outlet is formed into a curved surface having a concave surface . 2. The washing machine according to claim 1 ,
An operation panel is attached to the top plate in front of the laundry outlet,
The washing machine is characterized in that at the joint between the top plate and the operation panel, an inclined surface is formed on the edge of the operation panel from the front center to both front ends . 2. The washing machine according to claim 1 ,
A lid for covering the laundry outlet is provided.
The washing machine is characterized in that, as a handle structure for opening the lid, recesses are formed at the upper edges of both sides of the top panel so that a user can insert their fingers under the lid. A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The washing machine is characterized in that the lower edge of the laundry outlet opening has both left and right side edges that are straight lines parallel to the front-rear direction.

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