KR100686125B1 - Device for cloth treating - Google Patents

Abstract

A cloth treating device is provided to secure convenience, to prevent a user from being injured, and to have beautiful appearance by sliding a drum door for opening and closing. A cloth treating device comprises: a cabinet; a tub(20) installed in the tub; a drum(30) rotatably installed in the tub, and provided with an opening(32) at the side surface; a drum door(40) sliding along the circumferential direction of the drum so as to open and shut the opening of the drum; a motor(50) for rotating the drum and the drum door; a clutch assembly for selectively connecting the drum to the motor or disconnecting the drum from the motor; and a control unit forwardly or backwardly rotating the motor to completely connect or disconnect the motor and the drum, when the drum is connected to the motor or disconnected from the motor.

Description

Device for cloth treating

1 schematically shows a drum of a drum washing machine according to the prior art.

2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view of the opening and closing operation of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention;

4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the clutch assembly of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention;

6 is a perspective view of a clutch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 and 8 are a flow chart of the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10: cabinet 20: tub

30: drum 40: drum door

50: motor 80: clutch assembly

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a laundry treatment apparatus top-loaded and a control method thereof.

In general, the drum washing machine is a device for washing the laundry by using the friction force of the rotating drum and the laundry by receiving the driving force of the driving unit in the state in which detergent, washing water and laundry are put into the drum. Don't get tangled, tap and rub for a washable effect.

In a conventional drum washing machine, a door for inputting and withdrawing laundry is provided at the front of the main body. Therefore, when the user puts or withdraws the laundry in the drum washing machine, there is a disadvantage in that a lot of power and inconvenience because the work should be bent or sitting down.

Accordingly, an opening is formed at the side of the drum of the drum washing machine to insert and withdraw laundry, and the drum door opening and closing the opening is rotatably installed at one side of the opening so that the user does not bend his or her back so that the door is open from the top of the main body. Top loading type drum washing machine has been developed that can open the laundry into or out of the drum.

1 is a view schematically showing a drum of a drum washing machine according to the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the drum 1 of the drum washing machine according to the related art, a cylindrical drum 5 is horizontally installed inside the main body 3 of the washing machine. On the outside of the drum 5, a tub 7 for storing wash water is installed to surround the drum 5.

The drum 5 is closed on both sides facing each other, and an opening 9 is formed for introducing and extracting laundry to the side portion. The openings 9 are provided with a pair of drum doors 2 which open and close the openings so as to be rotatable outwardly around the hinge shaft 4.

The drum doors 2 are elastically supported by springs (not shown) installed at both ends of the hinge shafts 4 so that the spring is rotated outward by the elastic force when no external force is applied.

In addition, the drum doors 2 are fixed to each other by a locking device 6 formed at a portion where they meet with each other to close the opening 9.

An opening 8a is formed at a position corresponding to the opening 9 of the drum 5 in the side portion of the tub 7, and the tub door 8b is rotatably installed to the outside of the opening 8a.

In the drum washing machine configured as described above, the user opens the door 8b formed on the upper surface of the main body 3, and the tub door 8b of the tub 7 automatically rotates outward by the elastic force of the spring to open the opening. .

Of course, when the lock 6 is locked after closing the drum door 2, the opening 9 is closed while the drum 5 is fixed to the drum door 2.

However, in the conventional drum washing machine described above, the drum door 2 opening and closing the drum 5 rotates to the outside to open and close the drum, so that the drum door 2 pops out of the main body during the opening and closing operation of the drum door. It is uncomfortable and there is a problem in appearance.

In addition, in the above-described conventional drum washing machine, in order to operate the drum door 2, the user has to manually release the locking device 6, which is inconvenient to use and the elastic force of the spring is large, so that the drum door 2 opens. If it is fast, the user may be damaged by hitting the drum door (2) or pinch the fingers.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treatment apparatus for sliding and opening a drum door, thereby improving user convenience.

Another object of the present invention is to fully combine the motor and the drum to improve the reliability of the user.

The present invention was created in order to solve the problems as described above, to enable the sliding opening and closing of the drum door, to prevent personal injury due to opening and closing of the drum door, top loading to beautify the appearance of the drum washing machine Its purpose is to provide a drum washing machine and a control method.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cabinet, a tub installed inside the cabinet, a drum rotatably installed at the tub, and having an opening formed at a side thereof, and sliding along the circumferential direction of the drum. A drum door for opening and closing, a motor for rotating the drum and the drum door, a clutch assembly for selectively connecting or disconnecting the drum to the motor, and for fully engaging or releasing when the drum is connected to or disconnected from the motor It provides a laundry treatment apparatus comprising a control unit for rotating the motor in the forward and reverse directions.

In addition, the clutch assembly is characterized in that it comprises a clutch for selectively connecting the drum and the motor and a clutch drive for moving the clutch so that the clutch selectively connects the drum and the motor.

On the other hand, the present invention comprises the steps of connecting the drum and the drum door to move the motor together, disconnecting the drum and the motor so that the drum door can move alone, at least one of the two steps When performing the step, it provides a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus comprising driving the motor at least one forward and reverse direction.

The method may further include fixing the drum when the drum is disconnected from the motor.

On the other hand, the present invention comprises the steps of rotating the drum and the drum door together with the motor to face the drum door and the cabinet door, disconnecting the drum and the motor and rotating the drum door to open the drum, In order to disconnect the drum and the motor, there is provided a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus comprising driving the motor at least once in the forward and reverse directions.

Meanwhile, rotating the drum door by a motor to close the drum, connecting the drum and the drum door to the motor together, and driving the motor at least once in the forward and reverse directions to connect the drum to the motor It provides a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus comprising a.

In addition, in the step of rotating the motor in the forward and reverse direction, it characterized in that the motor is continuously driven in the forward and reverse directions for a short time.

In addition, the step of rotating the motor in the forward and reverse direction, characterized in that the time difference between the forward rotation and reverse rotation.

The present invention is applied to a clothes treating apparatus, which may be embodied in various apparatuses such as a dryer and a washing machine. Here, the present invention will be described by taking a washing machine, and a drum washing machine as an example.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cabinet 10 forms an appearance of the clothes treating apparatus, and although not shown in detail, an inlet through which laundry is introduced and drawn out is formed at an upper portion thereof, and a cabinet door 11 opening and closing the inlet. Is installed (see Fig. 1).

Tub 20 is installed inside the cabinet 10, the wash water is stored. Although not shown in detail, the tub 20 is installed in a form suspended from the cabinet 10 by a suspension, a damper and a spring. Here, the suspension, the damper and the spring serves to prevent the vibration of the tub 20 is transmitted to the cabinet 10 during the washing stroke.

In addition, the tub 20 is generally a cylinder disposed horizontally with the ground, and when described with reference to the related art, the upper part of the tub is opened to correspond to the inlet of the cabinet 10, the tub door for opening and closing the upper part Is installed (see FIG. 1). A drum 30 is installed inside the tub 20, and a motor 50 for rotating the drum 30 and the drum door 40 is installed at one side thereof.

The drum 30 is rotatably installed in the tub 20, and is rotated by the motor 50 to perform a washing stroke and a dehydration stroke. Here, the structure in which the drum 30 is rotatably installed in the tub 20 and the connection structure of the drum 30 and the motor 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

In more detail, the drum 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an axial cross section has a circular or elliptical shape. And the drum 30 has a plurality of through holes on the outer circumferential surface, a plurality of tumbling ribs (not shown) on the inner circumferential surface. Therefore, the water supplied in the tub 20 may pass through the drum 30 and the tub 20 through the through hole. In addition, when the drum 30 is rotated, the washing water introduced into the drum 30 is lifted up by the tumbling ribs (not shown) and then falls downward. Thus, a large amount of friction and impact energy required for washing can be obtained when laundry is dropped by the tumbling ribs (not shown).

On the other hand, the drum 30 is an opening 32 is formed on the side for the laundry to be drawn in and out, a drum door 40 for opening and closing the opening 32 is provided. In more detail, the drum door 40 is installed to open and close the opening 32 of the drum 30 by sliding along the circumferential direction of the drum 30. Here, the drum door 40 is connected to the motor 50, the sliding door is moved by the motor 50. The connection structure of the drum door 40 and the motor 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 3, the installation structure of the drum 30 and the drum door 40 will be described in detail. As illustrated in FIG. 3, one side of the opening 32 of the drum 30 is provided with a plurality of structures. The first catching bar 33 is formed to protrude inward, and a plurality of second catching bars 34 are formed to protrude inward at one edge of the opposite side of the opening 32.

One side edge of the drum door 40 is formed to be bent in a substantially semi-circular shape a plurality of first locking pieces 43 are supported in response to the first locking bar 33, the edge of the drum door 40 At least one or more second catching pieces 44 held in correspondence with the second catching bars 34 are formed to be bent in a substantially semicircular shape. The second locking piece 44 is equipped with a weight 45.

Here, the second catching piece 44 is formed so as to extend outwardly from the end of the drum door 40, when the drum 30 is stopped, the engagement with the second catching bar 34 is released, the drum ( 30 is supported by the second catching bar 34 while moving radially outwardly of the drum 30 by the centrifugal force by the weight 45 at the time of rotation.

4, the coupling relationship between the tub 20, the drum 30, the drum door 40, and the motor 50 and the clutch assembly 60 will be described in detail.

The motor 50 rotates the drum 30 and the drum door 40, and for this purpose, the stator 51 fixed to the tub 20 and the rotor 52 rotating along the outer circumference of the stator 51. )

The motor 50 and the drum door 40 are connected by a door drive shaft 41. One end of the door driving shaft 41 is connected to the rotor 52, and the other end thereof is connected to the drum door 40 through the tub 20 and the drum 30.

The motor 50 and the drum 30 are connected by a drum shaft 31. One end of the drum shaft 31 is coupled to the drum 30, and the drum shaft 31 is hollow to penetrate the door driving shaft 41. Here, an oilless bearing 48 is installed between the door drive 41 shaft and the drum shaft 31. In addition, a bearing 38 is installed between the drum shaft 31 and the tub 20, and the drum shaft 31 is rotatably supported by the tub 20, so that the drum 30 also has the tub. 20 is rotatably supported.

Here, the drum door 40 must be rotated independently to open and close the opening 32 of the drum 30. In the washing stroke and dehydration stroke, the motor 50 rotates the drum 30 and the drum door 40 at the same time. And when opening the opening (32) of the drum 30, the motor 50 is rotated by sliding only the drum door (40). To this end, a clutch assembly 80 for selectively connecting or releasing the drum 30 to the motor 50 is installed.

The clutch assembly 80 includes a clutch 70 for selectively connecting the drum 30 and the motor 50, and a clutch driver 60 for moving the clutch 70 to selectively connect the drum 30 and the motor 50. Is done. That is, the clutch 70 connects or disconnects the rotor 52 of the motor 50 and the drum shaft 31 of the drum 30 by the clutch driver 60.

If the installation structure of the clutch assembly 80 will be described in more detail, the clutch 70 is movably installed in the axial direction of the door driving shaft 31. The rotor 52 of the motor 50 has a serrated first serration part 52a coupled to the clutch 80, and the drum shaft 31 has a rotor 52. The second serration portion 31a is formed at the end of the direction.

Here, the clutch 70 has a first corresponding serration portion 61a meshing with the first serration portion 52a at one inner peripheral portion thereof, and the second serration portion 31a on the opposite inner peripheral surface thereof. And a second corresponding serration portion 61b engaging with each other.

In order for the motor 50 to rotate the drum 30 and the drum door 40 simultaneously, the clutch 70 is moved as shown in FIG. 4 to move the motor 50 and the drum 30. Connect. In addition, in order for the motor 50 to rotate the drum door 40 only, the clutch 70 is moved as shown in FIG. 5 to release the connection between the motor 50 and the drum 30.

As described above, the clutch driving unit 60 for moving the clutch 70 is representatively made of two embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clutch driver 60 according to an exemplary embodiment is installed to be fixed to the tub 20 and has a solenoid 64 having magnetic properties by electrical energy applied from the outside. An elastic force is applied to the clutch 70 against the magnetic member 65 fixed to the clutch 61 and coupled to the solenoid 64 by the magnetic force of the solenoid 64 and the rotor 52 of the motor 50. It consists of a tension spring (62).

As shown in FIG. 6, the clutch drive unit 60 according to another embodiment includes a clutch motor 83 including a rotation locking member 81, and a connection member 85 that is lifted and lowered by the operation of the rotation locking member 81. , The lever member 87 is rotated by the operation of the connecting member 85, and the pressing member 89 for pressing the clutch 70. Reference numeral 82 denotes a mounting position of the drum door 40, 84 denotes a rotor mounting position, and 86 denotes a clutch bracket.

Here, the clutch 70 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the door drive shaft 41 in accordance with the selective pressure of the pressing member (89). According to the sliding movement of the door drive shaft 41 of the clutch 70, only the drum door 40 can be rotated, or the drum 30 and the drum door 40 can be selectively driven together, thereby making the drum Selective opening and closing of the door 40 is enabled.

On the other hand, a positioning unit is provided to determine the position of the drum 30 so that the opening 32 of the drum 30 is positioned at a predetermined position, that is, at a position aligned with the cabinet door 11 of the cabinet 10. do.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, the positioning unit includes a sensing unit 91 installed at one side of the drum 30 and a position sensing unit installed at one side of the tub 20 to react with the sensing unit 91. It may be configured as a sensor 93. Therefore, when the motor 50 slowly rotates the drum 30 and the sensing unit 91 coincides with the position detecting sensor 93, a signal is applied to the controller (not shown) through the position detecting sensor 93. The operation of the motor 50 is stopped, and the drum 30 is stopped at this position. Such a position sensor may be provided as a hall sensor.

On the other hand, the drum door 40 is opened, the drum 30 may be rotated when the user draws in or out the laundry. In order to prevent this, a third serration portion 21a formed in the tub 20 is formed, and a third corresponding serration portion 61c is formed in the clutch 70. When the clutch 70 is moved in the direction of FIG. 5, that is, when the second serration portion 31a and the second corresponding serration portion 61b are engaged with each other, the third serration portion 21a is third. The corresponding serration section 61c is engaged to fix the drum 30 to the tub 20.

On the other hand, the clutch 70 may be constrained to the drum shaft 31 due to the load of laundry, etc., and thus may not move smoothly. Alternatively, the first serration section 52a of the motor 50 and the first corresponding serration section 61a of the clutch 70 are out of phase, so that the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are not properly engaged. The problem arises.

Therefore, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, when the drum 30 is connected to or disconnected from the motor 50, the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions to completely engage or release A control unit (not shown) for rotating is provided. Here, when the control unit (not shown) rotates the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions will be described in the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus.

The controller (not shown) may be connected to one motor 50 to move the drum 30 and the drum door 40 together, and the drum (40) to move independently of the drum door 40. 30) and disconnecting the motor 50 is performed. In the previous step, the clutch 70 moves as shown in FIG. 5, and in the later step, the clutch 70 moves as shown in FIG. 4.

Here, the controller (not shown) performs the step of driving the motor 50 in at least one forward and reverse direction when performing at least one of the two steps. That is, by rotating the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions, the force is applied to the serration parts in different directions to release the bite of the serration parts. Alternatively, the motor 50 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions to adjust the engagement position of the first serration section 52a of the motor 50 and the first corresponding serration section 61a of the clutch 70.

Meanwhile, the step of fixing the drum 30 is further performed when the drum 30 is disconnected from the motor 50.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described in more detail.

7 shows a step of closing the drum door 40 and performing a washing stroke.

Referring to FIG. 7, the drum door 40 is rotated and closed by the motor 50 (S100). The drum 30 and the drum door 40 are connected to the motor 50 together. In order to connect the drum 30 to the motor 50, the motor 50 is driven at least once in the forward and reverse directions. (S300) Next, a washing stroke and a dehydration stroke are performed. (S400)

Referring to the relationship between the motor 50, the clutch 70, the drum 30 in each step, in the step (S100) in which the motor 50 rotates the drum door 40, the control unit (not shown) ) Slides the drum door 40 by driving the motor 50 so that the drum door 40 closes the opening 32 of the drum 30. At this time, the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are not engaged.

In step S200 of connecting the drum 30 and the drum door 40 to the motor 50 together, the controller (not shown) drives the clutch driver 60 to drive the motor 50. The clutch 70 is moved to connect the drum 30. That is, the controller (not shown) drives the clutch driver 60 to engage the motor 50 and the clutch 70.

Here, when the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are engaged with each other, the serration parts do not mesh well. In order to solve this problem, a step (S300) of driving the motor 50 in at least one forward and reverse direction is performed. Here, the controller (not shown) may repeatedly rotate the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions until the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are completely engaged.

When the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are completely engaged, the control unit (not shown) performs a washing stroke and a dehydration stroke.

Meanwhile, the controller (not shown) may rotate the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions after closing the drum door 40 and before connecting the drum 30 and the drum door 40 together. (S110) This is the control unit (not shown) when the first serration section 52a of the motor 50 and the first corresponding serration section 61a of the clutch 70 do not face each other. ) Is to drive the motor 50 to ensure that the serrations correspond exactly.

8 shows the steps of opening the drum 30 after finishing the washing and dehydrating stroke.

Referring to FIG. 8, the drum 50 and the cabinet door 11 are opposed to each other by rotating the drum 30 and the drum door 40 together with the motor 50 (S500). The drum 30 is disconnected from the motor 50 (S700) and the drum door 40 is rotated to open the drum 30. (S800) Here, the drum 30 and the motor ( In order to disconnect the 50, the motor 50 is driven at least once in the forward and reverse directions (S600).

Referring to the relationship between the motor 50, the clutch 70, the drum 30 in each step, in the step of opposing the drum door 40 and the cabinet door 11 (S500), the motor 50 ) And the drum 30 are connected by the clutch 70. That is, the motor 50 and the clutch 70 are engaged with each other. Therefore, the controller (not shown) drives the motor 50 to rotate the drum 30, and stops driving the motor 50 in response to a signal from the positioning unit, thereby stopping the drum door 40. And the cabinet door 11 are opposed to each other. At this time, the drum door 40 is rotated together when the drum 30 is rotated.

And in the step of releasing the connection between the drum 30 and the motor (50) (S700), the control unit (not shown) is the clutch drive unit (to release the connection of the drum 30 and the motor 50) 60 is driven to move the clutch 70. That is, the engagement between the motor 50 and the clutch 70 is released.

In this case, the clutch 70 and the motor 50 are pinched by the load of the laundry and the inertial force of the motor 50, so that the engagement is not released. In order to solve this problem, the control unit (not shown) rotates the motor 50 at least once in the forward and reverse directions to release the pinch of the motor 50 and the clutch 70. Here, the motor 50 may be repeatedly rotated in the forward and reverse directions until the pinch of the motor 50 and the clutch 70 is released. The controller (not shown) drives the clutch driver 60 to move the clutch 70 to release the engagement between the motor 50 and the clutch 70.

Next, the controller (not shown) drives the motor 50 to slide and rotate the drum door 40 to open the drum 30.

On the other hand, the control unit (not shown) releases the engagement of the motor 50 and the clutch 70 and engages the clutch 70 with the tub 20 in order to prevent rotation of the drum 30. . In this case, the controller (not shown) drives the motor 50 at least once in the forward and reverse directions to completely engage the clutch 70 with the tub 20. (S710) Here, the motor 50 Driving force is transmitted to the clutch 70 by the tension spring 62, so that the clutch 70 is engaged with the tub 20.

On the other hand, when the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 50 will be described in more detail, as shown in Figure 7 when the motor 50 is rotated in the forward and reverse direction, the control unit (not shown) is the motor (50) Drive continuously in the forward and reverse direction for a short time. At this time, a force may be applied to the motor 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the motor 50 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, the controller (not shown) drives with a time difference between the forward and reverse rotations.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications or other embodiments falling within the scope equivalent to the present invention are possible by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

The clothes treating apparatus and the control method according to the present invention as described above can be opened and closed by the opening and closing operation of the drum door by the drive of the motor, thereby increasing the convenience of the user according to the door opening and closing operation. In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, according to the sliding opening and closing operation of the drum door, to prevent the risk of personal injury of the user. In addition, the clothes treating apparatus according to the present invention has a beautiful appearance since no external exposure of the drum door occurs according to the sliding drive in the drum circumferential direction of the drum door. In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention improves the user's reliability by connecting or releasing the motor and the drum.

Claims (8)

cabinet; A tub installed inside the cabinet; A drum rotatably installed at the tub and having an opening formed at a side thereof; A drum door sliding along the circumferential direction of the drum to open and close the opening of the drum; A motor for rotating the drum and the drum door; A clutch assembly for selectively connecting or disconnecting the drum to the motor; And And a control unit which rotates the motor in the forward and reverse directions to completely engage or release the drum when the drum is connected to or disconnected from the motor. The method of claim 1, The clutch assembly, A clutch for selectively connecting the drum and the motor; And And a clutch drive unit for moving the clutch such that the clutch selectively connects the drum and the motor. Connecting to a motor such that the drum and the drum door move together; Disconnecting the drum and the motor so that the drum door can move alone; And when the at least one of the two steps is performed, driving the motor in at least one forward and reverse direction. The method of claim 3, wherein And fixing the drum when the drum is disconnected from the motor. Rotating the drum and the drum door together with a motor to face the drum door and the cabinet door; Disconnecting the drum from the motor and rotating the drum door to open the drum; Driving the motor at least once in the forward and reverse directions to disconnect the drum from the motor. Rotating the drum door with a motor to close the drum; Connecting the drum and the drum door to the motor together; Driving the motor at least once in the forward and reverse directions to connect the drum to the motor. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, In the step of rotating the motor in the forward and reverse direction, the control method of the clothes treating apparatus, characterized in that for continuously driving the motor in the forward and reverse directions for a short time. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, In the step of rotating the motor in the forward and reverse direction, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that the time difference between the forward and reverse rotation.

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