KR100521525B1 - Cover locking device of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lid locking device of a washing machine, which is easy to deploy even in a narrow space below the upper cover, and in order to be able to easily and inexpensively detect whether the plunger is moved to which of the locking position and the release position. The lid locking device is constituted by an electromagnetic coil for moving the plunger with the locking pin at the tip to the locking position and the releasing position, and a retaining mechanism for holding the locking position and the releasing position, respectively. The energized member which is energized when the plunger is in contact when the plunger moves to any one position is provided, and the presence or absence of lid locking is detected from the change of the output voltage due to the on / off of energization.

As a result, it is not necessary to arrange an expensive photointerrupter, and it is only necessary to arrange the energized member so as to be in contact with the plunger, so that it can be manufactured inexpensively, and the locking position and release depending on whether the plunger is in contact with the spring. It is determined which side the plunger is located in the position, so that the effect can be reliably obtained.

Description

COVER LOCKING DEVICE OF WASHING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a lid lock of a washing machine.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the fully automatic solar type washing machine swings and supports the outer tank freely in the outer box 1, and washes and dehydrates the rotary vane 2 at the bottom in the outer tank. Arrange the tank 3 freely, cover the periphery of the upper opening of the outer box 1 with the upper cover 4, and open and close the upper opening of the washing and dewatering tank 3 with the lid 5. Close freely. In the drawing, reference numeral 6 denotes a water supply valve, and 7 denotes an operation panel which is arranged in front of the upper cover 4 and has a setting button for setting operation details and the like.

Since the lid 5 is integrally used with the washing machine and the clothes dryer, and the clothes dryer is often installed at the top of the washing machine, the lid 5 is required to lower the height, and the rear lid 5a and the front The front and rear portions of the lid 5b are divided into two parts, and the center portion is folded by the hinge portion of the center portion. The handle 25 is attached to the front lid 5b to perform the opening and closing operation.

In this type of washing machine, the entire stroke of water supply, washing, rinsing, and dehydration proceeds automatically, but in the dehydrating stroke, the washing and dewatering tank 3 rotates at a high speed in order to blow off (spray) moisture from the laundry by centrifugal force. . For this reason, it is necessary to close the lid 5 and prevent the lid 5 from easily opening during the dehydration operation.

As a structure for that, the lid switch 21 which detects the opening and closing of the lid 5 is provided in the side which contact | connects the operation panel 7 in the front position of the front lid 5b, as shown in FIG. As shown in the top view of FIG. 8 and the longitudinal front view of FIG. 9, the lid locking device 8 was fixed to the lower surface of the upper cover 4 by the attachment screw at the side rearward position of the front lid 5b.

Then, the lid closing signal from the lid switch 21 is outputted to the operation control unit by a well-known microcomputer, and after confirming that the lid 5 is closed, the dehydration operation is started, and during the dehydration operation, the lid locking device 8 ), The lid 5 is not opened.

As shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13, for example, the lid locking device 8 is constituted by a combination of an electromagnetic coil, a permanent magnet, and a plunger, and includes the first electromagnetic coil 9 and the first. The second electromagnetic coil 10 is placed on the third yoke 13 in the form of a plate, and the second yoke 12 is placed on the side surface between the first electromagnetic coil 9 and the second electromagnetic coil 10. It is fixed to the 3 yokes 13 and provided, and covers the upper side and the other side of the first electromagnetic coil 9, and the upper side and the other side of the second electromagnetic coil 10 so as to cover the first yoke 11. Is fixed to the third yoke (13) to prepare. In this case, the first electromagnetic coil 9 is disposed on the lid 5 side and the second electromagnetic coil 10 is disposed on the opposite side thereof.

Thereby, a magnetic circuit is comprised in the location of the 1st electromagnetic coil 9 and the 2nd electromagnetic coil 10 enclosed by the 1st yoke 11, the 2nd yoke 12, and the 3rd yoke 13, respectively. do.

Then, the plunger 17 of the magnetic material is disposed to penetrate through the first electromagnetic coil 9 and the second electromagnetic coil 10. 11a and 11b in the figure show holes formed in the first yoke 11 and through which the plunger 17 penetrates.

A lock pin 18 made of a nonmagnetic material is attached to the tip of the lid 5 side of the plunger 17 on the coaxial line, and the position of the plunger 17 or the lock pin 18 is detected on the tip of the coaxial line on the opposite side. A light shielding rod 19 made of a nonmagnetic material that forms part of the means is attached. In addition, the lock pin 18 and the light shielding rod 19 may be a rod (rod) of one nonmagnetic material penetrating the plunger 17.

The first permanent magnet 14 is disposed on the coaxial line of the plunger 17, that is, the locking pin 18, by being positioned on the side of another lid 5 of the first electromagnetic coil 9. The first permanent magnet 14 is fixed to the third yoke 13 by screws and fixed to a resin-shaped mounting table 16 by adhesion, and through holes 14a through which the locking pin 18 penetrates. ) Was formed.

The second permanent magnet 15 is disposed on the coaxial line of the plunger 17, that is, the light blocking rod 19, on the side opposite to the lid 5 of the second electromagnetic coil 10. The second permanent magnet 15 is also fixed to the third yoke 13 by screws and fixed to the mounting base 16 formed by resin, and the through hole 15a through which the light shielding rod 19 penetrates. ) Was formed.

A light emitting element (LED) positioned on the opposite side to the lid 5 of the second permanent magnet 15 to detect the movement of the plunger 17, that is, the locking pin 18, on the outside of the mounting table 16; The photointerrupter 20 which consists of a light receiving element (phototransistor) is arrange | positioned. In this case, the light blocking rod 19 moves freely between the light emitting element LED and the light receiving element (phototransistor).

On the other hand, the through holes 22 and 23 at positions corresponding to the through holes 14a through which the locking pin 18 penetrates the side of the front lid 5b and the top cover 4 of the lid 5. To prepare.

Next, the operation of the lid locking device of the present invention will be described for the dehydration operation. When the lid 5 is not closed in a stroke other than the dehydration stroke, the first and second electromagnetic coils 9 and 10 are not energized, and the plunger 17 is attracted to the second permanent magnet 15. At the position shown in Fig. 11, the locking pin 18 at the tip is not inserted into the through hole 23 formed in the upper cover 4 and the through hole 22 formed in the front lid 5b. ) Is not locked.

The light blocking rod 19 is located between the light emitting element LED and the light receiving element (phototransistor), and the photointerrupter 20 is not operating.

When the washing process proceeds to the dehydration stroke and the lid 5 is closed and the output from the lid switch 21 is input to the operation control section, the first output of the lid locking device 8 is output by the output from the operation control section. The second permanent magnet 15 is energized by the electromagnetic coil 9 and is connected to the second permanent magnet 15 by a magnetic circuit on the electromagnetic coil 9 side composed of the first, second, third yokes 11, 12, and 13. The plunger 17 adsorbed is separated from the second permanent magnet 15 by a suction force greater than that of the adsorption force, and the yoke 11 in the arrow direction (left direction in the drawing) in FIG. Move to the left end.

In this state, even when the power supply to the first electromagnetic coil 9 is cut off and the suction force of the magnetic circuit is lost, the tip of the plunger 17 reaches the left end of the first yoke 11, so that the first permanent magnet 14 Under the action of the suction force, as shown in FIG. 12, the state is further moved to the locking position in the direction of the lid 5, whereby the first permanent magnet 14 is in a state of being adsorbed.

Then, the locking pin 18 at the tip of the plunger 17 passes through the through hole 14a of the first permanent magnet 14, and the through hole 23 and the front lid 5b formed in the upper cover 4, respectively. The lid 5 is inserted into the through-hole 22 formed in the side of the head), and the lid 5 is locked by the locking pin 18 in this state.

By moving the plunger 17 in the direction of the lid 5, the shading rod 19 integral with this also moves in the direction of the lid 5, so that the shading rod 19 is connected to the light emitting element LED. The photointerrupter 20 operates away from the light receiving element (phototransistor).

In addition, the operation control section judges that the plunger 17 is moved and the lid 5 is fixed by receiving the output from the photointerrupter 20 as described above, and outputs to the dehydration mechanism unit to start the dehydration operation. Let's do it. In this way, the lid 5 is completely locked, and after this is confirmed, the dehydration operation is started.

During dehydration operation, for example, when the outlet of the washing machine is disconnected or a power failure occurs, the power supply to the washing machine is cut off and the control function of the operation control unit is interrupted, but the plunger 17 is driven by the suction force of the first permanent magnet 14. Since the state of adsorption is maintained and held at the locked position, the lid 5 is prevented from being opened and closed to ensure safety during dehydration operation.

When the dehydration stroke progresses and reaches a predetermined time, the power from the operation control unit is cut off and the operation of the dehydration mechanism is stopped, but the washing and dewatering tank 3 into which the laundry is put is inertia. Continue to turn.

Then, when the rotation stop due to this inertia is detected by the driving control section, the lid locking device 8 in the state of FIG. 12 is energized to the second electromagnetic coil 10 by the output from the driving control section. 12 is opposite to the case where the plunger 17 is capped by the magnetic circuit on the side of the electromagnetic coil 10 composed of the first, second, and third yokes 11, 12, and 13; Is moved to the release position on the right side and is attracted to the second permanent magnet 15.

In this state, since the locking pin 18 exits from the through holes 22 and 23, the locking of the lid 5 is released to enable the opening and closing of the lid 5. Therefore, the lid | cover 5 can be opened and the laundry in the washing-and-dehydration tank 3 can be taken out.

Since the photointerrupter 20 and the light shielding bar 19 are used as means for detecting the locking position and the release position of the locking pin 18, the photointerrupter 20 is separately installed in the lid locking device 8. Research was required to place the space in the limited space below the upper cover 4.

In addition, the space below the upper cover 4 has a lot of moisture and the like, and the use environment is not good, and in order for the photointerrupter 20 to function normally, it is necessary to block moisture by sealing or the like, and the structure becomes more complicated, and reliability is also a problem. Occurs and becomes high in cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lid lock device for performing a lid lock and release by moving the locking pin between the locking position and the release position by energizing two electromagnetic coils installed to solve the irrationality of the conventional example. No need for sealing, so it is easy to place in the narrow space under the top cover, and the lid lock of the washing machine can easily and cheaply detect whether the plunger has moved between the locking position and the release position easily and inexpensively. To provide a device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention firstly freely supports an outer tank in an outer box, and freely rotates a washing and dewatering tank having a rotary blade at a bottom in the outer box, and freely rotates the upper part of the outer box. In a washing machine covered by an upper cover having a clothes opening to a washing and dewatering tank, and provided with a lid to open and close the clothes opening, and a lid lock to lock the lid unopened during dewatering operation, the lid lock is locked at the tip. When the plunger is moved to one of the locking position and the releasing position, it is composed of an electromagnetic coil for moving the pinned plunger to the locking position and the releasing position. Providing a member to be energized by contacting the plunger, and It detects the presence of the cover lock from the screen.

As a result, it is not necessary to arrange an expensive photointerrupter as in the related art, and it is only necessary to arrange the energized member so as to be in contact with the plunger, so that it can be manufactured at low cost, and depending on the presence or absence of contact with the spring of the plunger Since the plunger is located in either of the locking position and the releasing position, it can be executed reliably.

Secondly, the energized members are disposed on both sides of the plunger, respectively, and are formed of springs that receive a force in the direction of the plunger, so that the contact is surely maintained and the position of the plunger can be detected with a simple structure having a small installation space.

Third, the output voltage when the plunger is in contact with the spring can detect the output voltage after a certain time has elapsed after the contact, so that an unstable output called chattering in the initial stage of contact can be cut off, so that accuracy can be ensured. Reliability is improved.

Fourth, the spring is energized from the release position to the spring by disposing the spring on the release position side of the holding mechanism with respect to the moving direction of the plunger. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect that the lid can be opened.

Fifth, by forming a contact projection with a spring at the end of the plunger, the contact projection is in contact with the spring at the locking position. Therefore, the contact with the spring becomes more secure, and the current is energized at the locked position. When the lead wire is disconnected during the dehydrated operation in this jammed state, the current is cut off and it is determined that the lock is released. .

In addition, when the lead wire is disconnected before the start of operation, the spring is not energized. Therefore, it is determined that the lead wire is not locked and the safety is improved.

When the output voltage becomes unstable in this state, but the output voltage becomes unstable in this state, it is determined that the contact state is unstable due to vibration of the plunger fitted to the spring, so that unbalance during dehydration operation can be detected.

Embodiment of the Invention

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described in detail about drawing. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention, the basic configuration of which is the same as the conventional example shown in Figs. The lid locking device 8 of the present invention is also composed of a combination of an electromagnetic coil, a permanent magnet, and a plunger, and separates the first electromagnetic coil 9 and the second electromagnetic coil 10 in parallel with the yoke 24. The 1st electromagnetic coil 9 is arrange | positioned at the cover 5 side, and the 2nd electromagnetic coil 10 is arrange | positioned at the opposite side.

Thereby, a magnetic circuit is comprised in the location of the 1st electromagnetic coil 9 and the 2nd electromagnetic coil 10 enclosed by the yoke 24, respectively.

The plunger 17 is disposed through the first electromagnetic coil 9 and the second electromagnetic coil 10. On the tip of the lid 5 side of the plunger 17, a locking pin 18 made of a nonmagnetic material is attached on the coaxial line, and the plunger 17 is placed on the side of another lid 5 of the first electromagnetic coil 9. In other words, the first permanent magnet 14 as the holding mechanism is disposed on the coaxial line of the locking pin 18. A second permanent magnet 15 as a retaining mechanism is disposed on the coaxial line of the plunger 17 on the side opposite to the lid 5 of the second electromagnetic coil 10.

As a means for detecting the position of the plunger 17, i.e., the locking pin 18, by positioning it outside the second permanent magnet 15 and the yoke 24 in the moving direction of the plunger 17, As shown in Fig. 2, the continuity member was provided at the position where the plunger 17 was contacted when the plunger 17 moved to the release position, and as shown in FIG.

This energized member is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the plunger 17, and consists of a pair of spring 26 arrange | positioned so that the plunger 17 may be inserted in both sides, and the spring 26 is the plunger 17. Is receiving power in the direction of.

As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 4, when the plunger 17 comes into contact with the pair of springs 26 at the release position, the spring 26 is energized so that the normally open contact 26a is closed. The output voltage at that time was input to the control apparatus using the microcomputer which controls washing | cleaning.

Next, a method of detecting the locking of the lid 5 will be described. The operation of locking and releasing the lid is the same as in the prior art, and the plunger 17 and the locking pin 18 integrated therewith are caught by the magnetic circuit formed by the first and second electromagnetic coils 9 and 10. After moving to the position and the release position, and after moving to the latch position and the release position, the position is maintained by the suction force of the first and second permanent magnets 14 and 15.

That is, when the lid 5 is not closed in a stroke other than the dehydration stroke, the first and second electromagnetic coils 9 and 10 are not energized, and the plunger 17 is sucked into the second permanent magnet 15. 1, the locking pin 18 at the tip is not inserted into the through hole 23 formed in the upper cover 4, the through hole 22 formed in the front lid 5b, (5) is not locked.

In this state, the opposite end of the locking pin 18 of the plunger 17 is sandwiched between the pair of springs 26 and in contact with the springs 26, as shown in Figs. As a result, the spring 26 is energized, the contact 26a is closed, and the output voltage is output to the control device. Therefore, the control device judges that the locking pin 18 does not protrude and the lid 5 is in the unlocked state by the output of this voltage.

When the washing stroke proceeds to the dehydration stroke and the lid 5 is closed and the output from the lid switch 21 is input to the control device, the first output of the lid locking device 8 is output by the output from the control device. The plunger 17, which is energized by the electromagnetic coil 9 and adsorbed to the second permanent magnet 15 by the magnetic circuit on the side of the first electromagnetic coil 9, receives a suction force greater than the adsorption force and receives the second permanent magnet ( 15, it moves to the left end of the yoke 24 in FIG.

As a result, the locking pin 18 at the tip end is inserted into the through hole 23 formed in the upper cover 4 and protrudes from the through hole 22 formed in the front lid 5b to be in a locked state. Is locked. In this locking state, the end of the plunger 17 opposite to the locking pin 18 is pulled out between the pair of springs 26 by the movement of the plunger 17 as shown in FIG.

As a result, since energization to the spring 26 is cut off and the output voltage becomes zero, the control device determines that the lid 5 is locked by this output voltage, and outputs it to the dehydration mechanism unit to start the dehydration operation.

In addition, the plunger 17 moves from the locked position to the released position in order to release the lid lock from the locked state of the output voltage of 0, but the detection of unlocking is caused by the plunger 17 contacting the spring 26 and energizing it. This voltage change is detected and executed. In this case, the output voltage generated by the contact between the plunger 17 and the spring 26 becomes unstable called chattering in the initial stage as shown in FIG. Therefore, in the present invention, the output voltage after the stable output several msec after the start of output is detected, and the lid unlocking is judged by this output voltage.

6 and 7 show the second embodiment, which falls when the plunger 17 moves to the release position as a means for detecting the position of the plunger 17, i.e., the locking pin 18, and the plunger 17 to the locked position. ), The spring 26 was disposed at the position where it touched, and the projections 27 contacting the springs 26b and 26c were formed on the circumferential surface of the plunger 17.

That is, the spacing between the pair of springs 26b and 26c is made slightly larger than the diameter of the plunger 17, and the diameter of the projection 27 is made slightly larger than the spacing between the springs 26b and 26c. do.

As a result, the plunger 17 moves to the locking position at the locking position, so that the circumferential surface of the protrusion 27 contacts the springs 26b and 26c as shown in FIG. Power is supplied to 26c, and it is judged that the lid is locked by this output voltage. In the release position, as shown in Fig. 7, the plunger 17 moves to the release position, causing the projection 27 to fall from the spring 26, and the plunger 17 springs at a position other than the projection 27. Since it is located between 26b and 26c, the plunger 17 is not in contact with the springs 26b and 26c and the output voltage is 0, and it is determined that the lock is unlocked.

In this second embodiment, since the current is energized at the locked position, if the lead wire is disconnected during the dewatered operation in this locked state, the current is cut off and it is determined that the lock is released, and the dewatered operation is stopped to improve safety. In addition, when the lead wire is disconnected before the start of operation, it is judged that it is not in the locked state because it is not energized by the springs 26b and 26c, and the safety is improved.

If the output voltage becomes unstable in this state, but the output voltage becomes unstable in this state, it is determined that the plunger 17, which is located between the springs 26b and 26c, vibrates and the contact state is not stable. The unbalance at the time of dehydration operation can also be detected.

As described above, the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention first freely supports the outer tub in the outer box, and freely rotates the washing and dehydrating tank having the rotary vane at the bottom in the outer tub. In the washing machine provided with a lid to cover the top of the outer box having a clothes inlet to the washing and dewatering tank, to provide a lid to open and close the clothes inlet, and to provide a lid lock to lock the lid unopened during dewatering operation, lid washing The device is constituted by an electromagnetic coil for moving the plunger with the locking pin at the tip to the engaging position and the releasing position, and a retaining mechanism for retaining the engaging position and the releasing position, respectively. Provide an energized member that is energized when the plunger is in contact when the plunger is moved, thereby turning on and off the energization. It detects the presence of the cover lock from the change in output voltage due.

As a result, it is not necessary to arrange an expensive photointerrupter as in the related art, and it is only necessary to arrange the energized member so as to be in contact with the plunger, so that it can be manufactured at low cost, and depending on the presence or absence of contact with the spring of the plunger Since the plunger is located in either of the locking position and the releasing position, it can be executed reliably.

Secondly, the energized member is disposed on both sides of the plunger, respectively, and is formed of a spring that receives a force in the direction of the plunger, so that the position of the plunger can be reliably detected with a simple structure having a small installation space.

Third, the output voltage when the plunger is in contact with the spring can detect the output voltage after a certain time has elapsed after the contact, so that an unstable output called chattering in the initial stage of contact can be cut off, so that accuracy can be ensured. Reliability is improved.

Fourth, the spring is energized from the release position to the spring by placing the spring in the release side position of the holding mechanism with respect to the moving direction of the plunger. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect that the lid can be opened.

Fifth, by forming a contact projection with a spring at the end of the plunger, the contact projection is in contact with the spring at the locking position. Therefore, the contact with the spring becomes more secure, and the current is energized at the locked position. When the lead wire is disconnected during the dehydrated operation in this jammed state, the current is cut off and it is determined that the lock is released. .

In addition, when the lead wire is disconnected before the start of operation, the spring is not energized. Therefore, it is determined that the lead wire is not locked and the safety is improved.

When the output voltage becomes unstable in this state, the plunger sandwiched between the springs vibrates and the contact state is unstable, so that unbalance during dehydration operation can be detected.

1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a front view showing the relationship between the plunger and the spring in the lid locked state showing the first embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention.

3 is a front view showing the relationship between the plunger and the spring in the lid unlocked state showing the first embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention;

4 is a spring energizing circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of a lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention;

5 is a curve diagram showing a change in output voltage showing the first embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention;

6 is a front view showing the relationship between the plunger and the spring of the lid locked state showing a second embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention;

7 is a front view showing the relationship between the plunger and the spring of the lid lock release state showing a second embodiment of the lid locking device of the washing machine of the present invention;

8 is a plan view of the washing machine provided with a lid lock;

9 is a partially broken front view of the washing machine provided with a lid lock;

10 is a perspective view of a washing machine,

11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional lid lock of the washing machine,

12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lid lock state of a conventional lid lock of the washing machine,

13 is a bottom view of a conventional lid lock of a washing machine.

<Description of the code>

One; Outer box, 2; Rotary blade, 3; Wash and dewater bath, 4; Top cover 5; Lid 5a; Back lid, 5b; Front lid 6; Water supply valve, 7; Operation panel; Lid lock, 9; A first electromagnetic coil, 10; A second electromagnetic coil, 11; First yoke, 11a, 11b; Holes 12; Second yoke, 13; Third yoke, 14; Second permanent magnet, 14a; Through hole, 15; Second permanent magnet, 15a; Through hole, 16; Attachment table, 17; Plunger, 18; Locking pin, 19; Shading rods, 20; Photointerrupter, 21; Lid switch, 22; Through hole, 23; Through hole, 24; York, 25; Handle, 26, 26b, 26c; Spring, 26a; Contact, 27; spin.

Claims (3)

To support the outer tub freely in the outer box, and to freely arrange the washing and dewatering tank with a rotary blade in the bottom of the outer tank, and to the upper cover having a clothes inlet to the washing and dewatering tank on the top of the outer box In the washing machine provided with a lid locking device to cover the lid, and to open and close the clothing input opening, and to lock the lid so as not to open during dehydration operation, The lid locking device is composed of an electromagnetic coil for moving the plunger with the locking pin at the tip to the locking position and the releasing position, respectively, and a retaining mechanism for holding the plunger at the locking position and the release position, respectively. Provide an energized member, which is a spring which is energized when the plunger is in contact when the plunger is moved to one of the locking positions and the releasing positions, and the presence or absence of the lid locking is determined from the change of the output voltage due to the on / off of energization. Lid lock of the washing machine characterized in that detecting. The method of claim 1, The spring-powered member is disposed on both sides of the plunger, respectively, and the lid locking device of the washing machine, characterized in that the force received in the direction of the plunger. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The output voltage when the plunger is in contact with the spring detects the output voltage after a predetermined time after the contact, the lid locking device of the washing machine.