KR100190486B1 - A turning washer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a washing machine capable of pivotal motion between a vertical position and an inclined position. The washing machine of the present invention includes a washing machine main body having a round bottom surface and a support member for supporting the washing machine main body in a vertical position where washing, . The main body of the washing machine is pivotably mounted on a support base by a pivot pin and the range of pivotal motion is regulated by a dog protruding from the side surface of the main body of the washing machine so as to engage with an arc- Further, the washing machine main body is configured to be fixed at a vertical position by a latch mechanism, and a handle is attached to an upper front end thereof. The latch mechanism includes a solenoid pin which is operated in accordance with the operation of a push button provided on the handle, and a latching structure formed on the side wall of the support to engage with the solenoid pin when the solenoid pin is extended. In another embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine body is automatically pivoted between the vertical position and the inclined position by using the stepping motor and the reduction gear. According to the turn-around type washing machine having such a constitution, there is an advantage that the laundry is easily taken out and put in.

Description

Swiveling washer

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a swivel type washing machine which is held in a vertical position when washing, rinsing, and dewatering operations are performed and is designed to swing to an inclined position when the laundry is taken out or inserted.

Generally, an automatic washing machine has a washing machine main body provided with a lid on an upper part thereof and a driving motor provided on a lower part thereof, and a circular fixing barrel for accommodating a washing liquid is disposed inside the washing machine main body, A cylindrical rotating tie is provided concentrically. The rotary tub is rotated only at the time of dewatering, and a plurality of through holes for discharging the cleaning liquid are formed on the side walls thereof. In addition, a pulsator or an agitator is installed on the bottom of the rotary tub to perform a cleaning operation and a rubbing operation by generating a water flow while rotating forward and backward at regular intervals by the force of a driving motor. A clutch device for selectively transmitting the torque of the driving motor to the pulsator and the rotating shaft is provided at a lower portion of the fixed tank.

The automatic washing machine having such a structure automatically performs washing, rinsing and dewatering operations as the user operates the buttons of the control panel, so that it is possible to greatly reduce the hand loss compared to the conventional manual washing machine or hand laundry. However, since most of the automatic washing machines available on the market have a deep depth of rotation, it is often difficult for the user of the washing machine to take out the laundry. This difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that the washing machine has a large capacity and the user's height is small. As a countermeasure against this problem, it may be considered to reduce the depth of the rotary tub. However, in this case, not only a limitation is imposed on the capacity of the washing machine, but the flow space of the laundry is reduced to reduce the washing efficiency. . Another problem with conventional automatic washing machines is that since the washing machine main body is always maintained in a vertical position, the user must approach the washing machine as much as possible in order to accurately load laundry. However, in order to approach the washing machine placed in the utility room, it is troublesome to take off the shoes, and when the laundry is thrown from afar, the laundry is not properly supplied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine which is convenient for taking out laundry after completion of washing, Type washing machine.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine including a washing machine body having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, a front wall and a rear wall with a lid, A support base having a base portion shaped to conform to a lower wall of the washing machine main body and a pair of flange portions rising up from both side edges of the base portion; A pivoting means for attaching the washing machine main body to a supporting base so as to allow the washing machine main body to pivot in a vertical position and latching means for preventing relative movement between the washing machine main body and the supporting base by fixing the washing machine main body to the supporting base in the vertical position can do.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a washing machine, which is capable of washing, rinsing and dewatering in order to house laundry and a washing liquid therein, the washing machine having a lid upper wall, a lower wall, both side walls, a front wall and a rear wall A support base including a washing machine main body, a base portion having a shape conforming to a lower wall of the washing machine body, and a pair of flange portions rising from both side edges of the base portion, A pivoting means for attaching the washing machine body to a support base so that the washing machine body can be pivoted between a vertical position and a horizontal position, and a driving means provided on the supporting base for rotating the washing machine body from a vertical position to a horizontal position or vice versa, As shown in Fig.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of a swivel type washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main body of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 in a vertical position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the main body of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 is rotated to an inclined position so that the laundry can be easily drawn out and put in. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the swivel type washing machine according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

10: Washing machine main body 12: Support

16: lid 26: handle

32: dog 34: solenoid assembly

40: base portion 42: side flange portion

48: Hinge hole 50: Circular slot

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the swivel type washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured to sequentially perform washing, rinsing, and dewatering of laundry by receiving laundry and a washing liquid therein, 12). The main body 10 of the washing machine has a top wall 14 with a lid, a round bottom wall 18, both side walls 20 with a through hole 22, a front wall 24 with a handle 26, (28). In addition, a control panel 30 is disposed in a front area of the upper wall 14 so that a user of the washing machine can arbitrarily adjust various washing functions.

A dog 32 is protruded from a side wall of the washing machine body 10 at a position slightly vertically upward from the through hole 22 and a solenoid assembly 34 is attached to the upper side of the dog 32. The solenoid assembly 34 is provided with a retaining plate 36 which is capable of stretching and contracting between a stretched position and a retracted position and is normally held in a retracted position by a compression spring When the solenoid assembly 34 is energized, it moves to the retracted position to overcome the force of the compression spring. A push button 38 is provided on the handle 26 of the washing machine body 10 and the push button 38 is electrically connected to the solenoid assembly 34. [ Therefore, when the push button 38 is pressed, the solenoid assembly 34 is energized to shrink the retaining plate 36. [

As is well known, in the inside of the washing machine body 10, there are provided a rotating vessel for containing laundry, a fixing vessel surrounding the rotating vessel, a pulsator for generating water flow by rotating at the bottom of the rotating vessel, A drive motor for rotating the pulsator and rotating the rotary tub in a state where the drain hole is opened when dewatering is performed, and a clutch mechanism for selectively transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor to the pulsator and the rotary drum. Since the driving motor and the clutch mechanism are relatively heavy and disposed at the lowermost portion of the washing machine body 10, the center of gravity of the washing machine body 10 is always kept low. In the drawing, components installed inside the washing machine body 10 are not shown to avoid complexity.

The support base 12 includes a base portion 40 having a shape conforming to the lower wall 18 of the washing machine body 10 and a pair of side flange portions 42 extending up to both side edges of the base portion 40 And a leg portion 44 attached to the bottom surface of the base portion 40. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the base portion 40 may be continuously formed so as to have a curvature corresponding to the lower wall 18 of the main body 10 without penetrating through the central portion thereof.

The side flange portion 42 of the support base 12 has a substantially semicircular container portion 46. A hinge hole 48 is drilled in the center of the container portion 46 and a radial direction of the hinge hole 48 And an arc-shaped slot 50 is formed on the outer side from the vertical line passing through the hinge hole 48 to a position of about 45 degrees clockwise. A pivot pin 52 is inserted into the through hole 22 of the hinge hole 48 of the support base 12 and the through hole 22 of the washing machine body 10 and the dog 32 is coupled to the arc-shaped slot 50. Therefore, the washer main body 10 can swing back and forth between the vertical position and the inclined position with the pivot pin 52 as the center. The pivot range of the washing machine main body 10 is properly regulated by the interaction of the dog 32 and the circular arc-shaped slot 50.

A locking hole 54 is formed vertically on the top and bottom of one flange portion 42 of the support base 12. The latching hole 54 is positioned so as to be exactly aligned with the latching plate 36 of the solenoid assembly 34 when the washing machine body 10 is in the vertical position. In other words, in the state where the main body 10 of the washing machine body 10 is in the vertical position, the engaging pin 36 of the solenoid assembly 34 is extended by the compression spring to be engaged with the engaging hole 54, 34, the engagement pin 36 is configured to come out of the engagement hole 54 by an electromagnetic force.

Next, the operation of the above-described swivel type washing machine will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. First, when the washing machine performs washing, rinsing, and dewatering operations, the washing machine body 10 is held at a vertical position on the support base 12 as shown in FIG. At this time, the dog 32 of the washing machine body 10 is caught at the counterclockwise end of the arc-shaped slot 50, and the solenoid assembly 34 is in an element state due to the interruption of the power supply. The locking pin 36 of the solenoid assembly 34 is extended by the force of the compression spring and is engaged with the locking hole 54 so that the washing machine body 10 is fixed to the support base 12, .

In this state, when the washing is finished, the laundry is taken out and a new laundry is put into the washing machine body 10. To facilitate the drawing and loading of the laundry, the washing machine body 10 is rotated from the vertical position to the inclined position . The turning operation of the washing machine main body 10 starts by pressing the push button 38 while holding the handle 26. [ As the push button 38 is pressed, the solenoid assembly 34 is energized to contract the engaging pin 36, and as a result, the engaging pin 36 comes out of the engaging hole 54. Then, when the handle 26 is pulled from the front side, the washing machine body 10 is rotated about the pivot pin 52 as shown in FIG. 3 and is inclined to the inclined position. At the inclined position, the dog 32 is caught at the clockwise end of the arc-shaped slot 50, so that the washing machine body 10 is not inclined any more. When the washing machine main body 10 is placed in the inclined position, the laundry can be easily drawn out or inserted. After the laundry is taken out and put in, the washing machine body 10 is turned in the opposite direction to return to the vertical position shown in Fig.

4 is a perspective view of a swinging type washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This washing machine eliminates the solenoid assembly, the push button, and the locking hole and integrally fixes the pivot pin to the main body of the washing machine and uses the stepping motor 56, the driving gear 58 and the driven gear 60 to rotate the washing machine main body 10 The washing machine of the first embodiment differs from the washing machine of the first embodiment. The stepping motor 56 is controlled by a pressing operation of the forward rotation button 62 and the reverse rotation button 64 provided in the vicinity of the control panel 30. [ That is, when the forward rotation button 62 is pressed, the stepping motor 56 rotates clockwise to rotate the washing machine body 10 from the vertical position to the inclined position. When the reverse rotation button 64 is pressed, the stepping motor 56 Is rotated in the counterclockwise direction to rotate the washing machine body 10 in the reverse direction from the inclined position to the vertical position. Other structures of the washing machine main body 10 and the supporting base 12 are substantially the same as those of the washing machine of the first embodiment, and therefore, the same reference numerals are used and the further description is omitted.

As described above in detail, the swivel type washing machine of the present invention can swing the washing machine main body to an inclined position if necessary, so that even when the depth of the washing machine is deep or the user's elongation is small, . In addition, even when the laundry is put into the washing machine, it is possible to throw it away from the washing machine without having to approach the laundry machine, thus providing a great convenience to the user.

Claims (7)

1. A washing machine comprising: a washing machine for washing and rinsing laundry, A washing machine main body having a lid upper wall, a lower wall, both side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, A support base having a base portion shaped to conform to the lower wall of the washing machine main body and a pair of flange portions provided on both side edges of the base portion, A pivot means for rotatably attaching the washing machine main body to a support base so that the washing machine body can pivot between a vertical position and a horizontal position about one horizontal axis line; And latch means for fixing the washing machine main body to the supporting base at the vertical position to prevent relative movement between the washing machine main body and the supporting base. 2. The solenoid assembly of claim 1, wherein the latch means comprises: a solenoid assembly attached to a side wall of the washing machine body and having a latching pin that is stretchable and contractible between a retracted position and a retracted position; A retaining hole formed in one flange portion of the support so that the retaining pin can be inserted and a push button for allowing relative movement between the main body and the support by moving the retaining pin to the retracted position by energizing the solenoid assembly during the pressing operation And the washing machine is constituted by a washing machine. The swivel type washing machine of claim 2, wherein a handle is attached to a front wall of the washing machine body, and a push button of the latch means is installed on the handle. The swivel type washing machine of claim 1, further comprising a limit means for limiting a swing range of the washing machine body. The washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the limit means comprises: a dog protruding from a side wall of the washing machine body; and an arc-shaped slot formed in a flange portion of the support so as to receive the dog and restrict the range of motion thereof Features a preferred washing machine. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the pivot means comprises: a through hole formed in a side wall of the washing machine main body; a hinge hole formed in a flange portion of the support base corresponding to the through hole; and a pivot pin coupled through the through hole and the hinge hole And the washing machine is constituted by a washing machine. 1. A washing machine comprising: a washing machine for washing and rinsing laundry, A washing machine main body having a lid upper wall, a lower wall, both side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, A support base made up of a pair of flange portions provided on both side edges of the base portion, A pivot means for rotatably attaching the washing machine main body to a support base so that the washing machine main body can swing between a vertical position and a horizontal position about one horizontal axis line; And driving means provided on the support base so as to rotate the washing machine body from a vertical position to a horizontal position or vice versa.