JPS6135194Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drain valve operating device for a washing machine in which the drain valve is opened and closed by rotating a cam member disposed on an operation panel.

Technical background of the invention This type of conventional drain valve operating device has a rotary arm with a knob connected to a cable for opening and closing the drain valve, which is pivotally supported on the operation panel, and a plate spring engager is fixed to this. On the other hand, the operation panel is provided with a sliding bank on which the engaging element slides, and two engaging recesses in which the engaging element is elastically engaged are formed in the sliding bank. The rotating operation range of the rotating arm is limited to two positions where the engaging element engages with the engaging recess.

Problems with the Background Art According to the conventional drain valve operating device as described above,
While a leaf spring is required as an engaging element, the leaf spring and the sliding bank have a special shape, resulting in a complicated structure overall.

Purpose of the invention The present invention was made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its purpose is to provide a washing machine drain valve operating device with a simple structure that does not require separate parts such as leaf springs and has a simple shape. It is in.

Summary of the invention This invention forms first and second locking surfaces adjacent to each other in the rotational direction via a corner on a cam member rotatably supported on a plastic operation panel in order to open and close the drain valve. On the other hand, the cam member is located inside the rotational locus of the corner portion and extends along the rotational locus, and the cam member is located inside the rotational locus of the corner portion and extends along the rotational locus, and when the cam member is operated to the open and closed positions of the drain valve. An elastic stopper rib positioned such that a predetermined distance exists between the two is integrally formed with the operation panel, and further, the stopper rib is brought into contact with the first and second locking surfaces by the abutting action of the stopper rib and the first and second locking surfaces. This restricts the range of rotation of the cam member, and the single stopper rib provides two functions: a stopper action and a spring action.

Embodiment of the Invention An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a two-tub washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, 1
is a washing machine body with an operation box 2 installed above.
Washing tank 4 arranged together with dehydration receiving tank 3 inside it
A drain hose 5 is connected to the bottom of the drain valve 6 via a drain valve 6. Furthermore, in addition to the washing timer 8 and the dehydration timer 9, a drain valve operating device 10 is provided in the operation box 2. This drain valve operating device 10
is for opening and closing the valve by pulling a cable 11 connected to the drain valve 6 and guided into the operation box 2 via a suitable guide mechanism, and has the structure described below. That is, reference numeral 12 denotes a plastic cam member, which is composed of a relatively thick, substantially rectangular cam body 13 and an arm 14 integrally extended from the cam body 13. The upper end of the cable 11 is rotatably connected to a shaft-shaped holding portion 14a formed at the tip of the cable.
Now, on the outer periphery of the cam main body part 13, two flat side surfaces adjacent to each other in a bent shape in the rotation direction are arranged as a first A locking surface P1 and a second locking surface P
2. Further, a hollow shaft 15 is integrally protruded from approximately the center portion of one end surface of the cam body portion 13, and a plurality of claw portions 15a are formed at appropriate positions on the protruding end. On the other hand, the operation panel 16 of the operation box 2 is formed with a bearing cylinder part 17 whose inner diameter is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow shaft 15, into which the hollow shaft 15 of the cam member 12 is inserted from inside the operation box 2. It is rotatably supported by this, and its removal is prevented by a claw portion 15a. Reference numeral 18 denotes an operation knob, and a hole 18a formed on the rear end side thereof is fitted into the outside of a rotation transmitting shaft 13a formed in advance in the center of the hollow shaft 15 of the cam member 12, and the operation knob is operated. 18 allows the cam member 12 to rotate around the hollow shaft 15. Reference numeral 19 denotes a stopper rib that is integrally formed and protrudes from the back surface of the operation panel 16. This stopper rib 19 is connected to the cam member 12.
It extends in an arc shape in the direction along the rotation locus of the corner P with the rotation center at point P3 in FIG. 3, that is, in the rotation direction of the cam member 12, and is located slightly inside the rotation locus. , and is formed to have a thickness that allows it to be elastically deformed to the outside of the rotation locus. Further, the stopper rib 19 is configured to stop the cam member 12 in each state when the cam member 12 is operated to the open and closed positions of the drain valve 6 (see the _A1 position and the _A2 position in FIG. 3).
2, so that a predetermined distance exists between the two.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. When the cam member 12 rotates from the _A1 position in FIG. 3, which is the closed position of the drain valve 6, in the clockwise direction, which is the loosening direction of the cable 11, the first locking surface P1 of the cam body 13 is rotated by the stopper rib. 19 and is prevented by abutting against one end 19a of 19. From such a closed state, the drain valve 6
To open the cam member 12, apply a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 using the operating knob 18.
The first locking surface P1 of the cam body portion 13 is located at the corner P1 of the cam body portion 13.
In order to press the other end 19b of the stopper rib 19 in the vicinity so that it elastically deforms outward, the corner P
enters the inner surface area of the stopper rib 19 and slides while elastically deforming the entire rib 19 outward as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 2 and 3. This mid-sliding state is shown in FIG. 3 as the _A2 position. At the _A3 position where the drain valve 6 is completely opened, the corner P, which has been sliding on the inner surface of the stopper rib 19 while elastically deforming it outward, moves away from the one end 19a of the stopper rib 19. escape,
The second locking surface P2 comes into contact with this one end 19a. In such a contact state, a clockwise rotational force is applied to the cam member 12 as a reaction by the valve spring in the drain valve 6, but the stopper rib 19
Since it has an arc shape, the direction of the external force acting on the one end 19a from the second locking surface P2 approximates the direction in which the stopper rib extends in the arc shape, and therefore the stopper rib 19 has an elastic deformation action. However, it performs a sufficient stopper function against the rotational force of the cam member 12 received from the drain valve 6. The rotation range of the cam member 12 for opening and closing the drain valve 6 in this way is as follows:
The first and second locking surfaces P1 of the cam body portion 13,
P2 and each end 19a, 19b of the stopper rib 19
The rotation of the cam member 12 between the two regulated positions is permitted by the elastic deformation of the stopper rib 19.

Effects of the Invention As is already clear from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, the stopper rib acts as a stopper to restrict the rotation range of the cam member for opening and closing the drain valve, and the cam acts against this stopper action force. Since it acts as a spring that allows the member to rotate and is integrated into the operation panel, the number of parts is reduced, and the shape of the stopper rib and cam member can be extremely simple, making the structure extremely simple overall. Become. In addition, since the stopper rib is formed in an arc shape, it can have sufficient strength even though it is an integrally molded plastic product and has a problem in terms of strength. In addition, since the structure is such that a predetermined distance exists between the stopper rib and the cam member when the cam member is operated to the open and closed positions of the drain valve, this distance causes a so-called play action. The ease of use is improved because each state in which the cam member is operated to the open and closed positions cannot be reliably recognized. Furthermore, in order to give an appropriate sense of moderation to the rotation of the cam member, it is necessary to set the positional relationship between the center of rotation of the cam member and the stopper rib with great precision. Since it is integrally molded, it is possible to provide a drain valve operating device for a washing machine that has many excellent effects such as easily improving the accuracy when setting the above-mentioned positional relationship.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the valve operating mechanism, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the valve operating mechanism. In the figure, 6 is a drain valve, 10 is a valve operating mechanism, 11 is a cable, 12 is a cam member, 13 is a cam main body, 14
18 is an arm portion, 18 is an operation knob, 19 is a rib for a stopper, P is a corner portion, and P1 and P2 are first and second locking surfaces.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A washing machine that has a cam member rotatably supported by a plastic operation panel, and opens and closes the drain valve by transmitting the rotational displacement of the cam member to the drain valve via a cable. In the cam member, substantially flat first and second locking surfaces are formed in bent shapes adjacent to each other through a corner, and are located inside a rotation locus of the corner of the cam member. an elastic arc-shaped stopper that extends along the movement locus and is positioned such that a predetermined distance exists between the cam member and the cam member when the cam member is operated to the open and closed positions of the drain valve; A stopper rib is integrally molded on the operation panel, and the rotation range of the cam member is regulated by contact between the first and second locking surfaces and each end of the stopper rib. A washing machine drain valve operating device characterized by: