KR100839079B1 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing machine is provided to reduce the number of elements by assembling a safety switch without an additional screw. A washing machine comprises a housing(10), a door(20), a washing tub, a safety switch(40), and a safety switch assembling unit(50). The safety switch has a body unit(41) and an assembling rib(45) which is extended from the body unit. The safety switch assembling unit is formed at the housing, wherein the safety switch is slid. The safety switch assembling unit has a rib assembling unit(51) where the assembling rib is slid, a fastening protrusion(53) formed at an inlet of the rib assembling unit, and a body guide(55), and a body fixing unit(57). The body guide is extended from the housing, and surrounds the body unit to prevent shaking of the body unit. The body fixing unit has an uneven shape to be mate to the housing and the body unit.

Description

Washing machine {WASHING MACHINE}

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the safety switch of FIG.

3A and 3B are views illustrating a process of coupling the safety switch of FIG. 2 to the safety switch coupling unit.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the safety switch of Figure 1 coupled to the safety switch coupling.

      * Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10 housing 20 door

22: hinge installation part 30: washing tank

40: safety switch 41: body

45: coupling rib 47: door opening and closing detection unit

49: washing tank vibration detection unit 50: safety switch coupling unit

51: rib coupling portion 53: locking jaw

55: body guide 57: body fixing

60: washing machine

The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a coupling structure of a safety switch for detecting the opening and closing of the washing machine door and the vibration of the washing machine.

In general, a washing machine is a device that allows laundry to be washed by repeatedly washing and rinsing the laundry, and washing the contaminated laundry by repeating the process of supplying and rotating the washing water and rotating the washing water according to the progress of the washing process. .

During the washing process, the laundry inside the laundry rotates to detect whether the door of the washing machine is opened or closed to prevent safety accidents. In addition, the vibration of the washing machine should be sensed in order to prevent this, because excessive shaking may occur due to the deflection of the laundry during the dehydration process.

In the conventional washing machine, as disclosed in Korean Utility Model Utility Model 1999-014031, a safety switch has been disclosed that detects the shaking of the washing tank due to the opening of the door and the washing of the laundry inside the washing tank to stop the operation of the washing machine. .

The safety switch is composed of a body, a door opening and closing detection part in contact with the door, a washing tank vibration detection part in contact with the washing tank. The body portion is provided with a screw coupling portion screwed by a screw in the fixing portion, the fixing portion is provided with a coupling boss portion corresponding to the screw coupling portion, the screw is inserted. Therefore, when the screw coupling portion is positioned on the coupling boss portion and the screw is rotated thereto, the safety switch is fixed to the upper cover and coupled.

However, such a conventional washing machine has a limit in cost reduction due to the need for a separate screw for the fastening of the safety switch, and has a problem in that work efficiency decreases due to the need for a screw fastening process.

Therefore, the object of the present invention, in order to solve such a problem in the prior art, the number of parts is reduced compared to the conventional screw fastening method without a large change in the safety switch shape, the material cost is reduced, as well as the assembly time can be shortened to increase the work efficiency To provide a washing machine.

The object is, according to the present invention, a door for selectively opening and closing the opening provided in the housing, a washing tank provided in the housing so as to communicate with the opening opened and closed by the door, the washing tank and the door in contact with the washing tank In the washing machine comprising a safety switch for detecting the vibration of the door and the opening or closing of the door, the housing is provided with a safety switch coupling portion for sliding the safety switch, the safety switch, the coupling is extended from the body and the body The safety switch coupling part is divided into ribs, and preferably includes a rib coupling part to which the coupling rib is slidably coupled and a locking step provided at an inlet of the rib coupling part.

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The safety switch coupling part further includes a body guide extending from the housing to surround the body and preventing shaking of the body, and a body fixing part provided in an uneven shape so as to correspond to the housing and the body part. It is possible.

The locking jaw is elastically deformed during the coupling of the safety switch so that the coupling rib is smoothly coupled to the rib coupling part, and after the safety switch is coupled to the rib coupling part, the locking jaw returns to the previous elastic deformation position. It is preferable to prevent the coupling ribs from being separated from the rib coupling portion.

The safety switch may further include a door open / close detection unit extending from the body to detect whether the door is opened or closed, and a washing tank vibration detection unit extending from the body to detect vibration of the washing tank.

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

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in this, the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 10 forming the appearance of the washing machine 60, the washing tub 30 provided in the housing 10 and the housing 10 Door 20 for selectively opening and closing the opening 11 provided, and the safety switch 40 in contact with the washing tank 30 and the door 20 to detect the vibration of the washing tank 30 and whether the door 20 is opened or closed. It includes.

The housing 10 forms the exterior of the washing machine 60, and various equipments necessary for the progress of the washing process, including the washing tub 30, are built in the housing 10.

The washing tub 30 is provided inside the housing 10 to wash the wash water. The washing tank 30 is provided with a water tank 13 in which laundry is accommodated and a washing process is performed. The driving unit 15 is coupled to the lower end of the washing tub 30. The driving unit 15 rotates the entire tank 13 or rotates the pulsator 14 to proceed with the washing process. The opening 10 is formed in the housing 10 so as to communicate with the washing tub 30, and the door 11 is provided in the opening 11.

The door 20 is provided in the opening 11 to selectively open and close the opening 11 at the user's choice. The water tank 13 communicating with the outside by the opening 11 is rotated by the driving unit 15 during the operation of the washing machine 60. Therefore, when the washing machine 60 is operated, the opening 11 is shielded from the outside by the door 20 for safety. The door 20 is hinged by the hinge mounting portion 22 to open and close the opening 11. The safety switch 40 is in contact with the door 20.

The safety switch 40 is coupled to the housing 40 by having a body portion 41 and coupling ribs (45 in FIG. 2) extending from both sides of the body portion 41. An electrode (not shown) is installed inside the safety switch 40. The electrode (not shown) is opened and closed by the door opening / closing detecting portion 47 and the washing tank vibration detecting portion 49 extending from the body portion 41 to generate a control signal. Specifically, when the door 20 is opened or closed by the rotation of the hinge installation part 22 provided in the door 20, the door opening / closing detecting part 47 is an electrode (not shown) inside the body part 41. Open and close the At the same time, the washing tank vibration detecting unit 49 provided in the washing tank 30 detects abnormal vibrations of the washing tank 30 by a frequency and voltage change due to the interaction of the coil and the magnet, thereby detecting an electrode (inside the body 41). Open and close). The control signal of the electrode (not shown) according to the action of the door open / close detection unit 47 and the washing tank vibration detection unit 49 is transmitted to the controller (not shown) through the terminal 43 to stop the operation of the washing machine 60. The operation of the washing machine 60 which has been stopped or stopped is resumed. The housing 40 is provided with a safety switch coupling part (50 of FIG. 2) such that the safety switch 40 is slidably coupled, which will be described below in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the safety switch of FIG.

As shown in this, the safety switch coupling part 50 of the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the rib coupling portion 51, the coupling rib 45 is slidingly coupled, the inlet of the rib coupling portion 51 A locking jaw 53 provided in the body, a body guide 55 extending from the housing 10 and surrounding the body 41 to prevent shaking of the body 41, and an uneven shape in the housing 10. It includes a body fixing portion 57 provided.

Rib coupling portion 51 is provided in the housing 10, the cross section is extended in a "-" shape. Two rib coupling portions 51 are formed at a corresponding position of the housing 10 so that the coupling ribs 45 provided on the left and right sides of the safety switch 40 are coupled to each other so that the coupling ribs 45 are slidingly coupled. The rib coupling portion 51 is provided with an inlet groove 51a and a sliding groove 51b.

The inlet groove 51a is a portion into which the left and right coupling ribs 45 of the safety switch 40 are inserted to slide into the rib coupling portion 51. The inlet groove 51a is relatively wider than the inside of the rib coupling portion 51 so that the coupling rib 45 is easily inserted.

The sliding groove 51b is a slit provided along the side of the rib coupling portion 51 so that the coupling rib 45 inserted through the inlet groove 51a can slide and enter the rib coupling portion 51. to be. Since the sliding groove 51b is provided on the side of the rib coupling part 51, the coupling rib 45 enters the inside of the rib coupling part 51 along the sliding groove 51b and is coupled.

The catching jaw 53 is provided in front of the inlet groove 51a which is the inlet of the rib coupling part 51. In the coupling process of the safety switch 40, the locking jaw 53 is elastically deformed downward by the coupling rib 45 is pressed. When the locking jaw 53 is elastically deformed and pressed, a space is provided for the coupling rib 45 to enter the inlet groove 51a. When the entrance space is provided, the coupling rib 45 is slid in the sliding groove 51b direction and pushed into the rib coupling portion 51 through the inlet groove 51a. On the other hand, when the coupling rib 45 passes through the inlet groove 51a and completely enters into the rib coupling portion 51 through the sliding groove 51b, the locking jaw 53 which has been elastically deformed downward is positioned before the elastic deformation. Go back to the top. When the locking jaw 53 returns to the position before the elastic deformation, a part of the inlet groove 51a is shielded. When a part of the inlet groove 51a is shielded, the coupling rib 45 is caught by the locking jaw 53, and the rib coupling portion 51 is applied before the elastic deformation by pressing the locking jaw 53 downward again by applying an external force. It does not break away.

The body guide 55 extends from the housing 10 to surround the body portion 41 to prevent the body portion 41 coupled to the safety switch coupling portion 50 from shaking. Two body guides 55 extend from the housing 10 so as to surround left and right sides of the body portion 41. As the coupling rib 45 of the safety switch 40 is slid to the sliding groove 51b, the body portion 41 of the safety switch 40 enters the body guide 55, and the coupling rib 45 is When fully slidingly coupled to the rib coupling portion 51, the body portion 41 is also completely entered into the body guide 55 is fixed.

The body fixing part 57 is provided in an uneven shape so as to correspond to the shape of the lower end of the body part 41 of the safety switch 40. When the body portion 41 is completely coupled to the safety switch coupling portion 50, the concave and convexity of the lower portion of the body portion 41 and the body fixing portion 57 is fitted to prevent the flow of the safety switch (40).

By such a configuration, the safety switch of Figures 3a, b and Figure 1 is a view showing a process of coupling the safety switch of Figure 2 to the safety switch coupling portion of the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention safety switch coupling Referring to Figure 4 is a perspective view coupled to the portion as follows.

The safety switch 40 is positioned so that the coupling ribs 45 provided on the left and right sides of the body part 41 are positioned above the locking jaw 53 provided on the safety switch coupling part 50.

When the coupling rib 45 is located above the locking jaw 53, the safety switch 40 is moved downward so that the locking jaw 53 is elastically deformed downward. When the locking jaw 53 is elastically deformed downward, the inlet groove 51a is widened, and a space into which the coupling rib 45 can enter is provided.

When sufficient space is provided in the inlet groove 51a, the safety switch 40 is pushed so that the coupling rib 45 slides into the rib coupling part 51 along the sliding groove 51b.

When the coupling rib 45 slides completely into the rib coupling portion 51 along the sliding groove 51b, the locking jaw 53, which has been elastically deformed, returns to the pre-elastic deformation position and shields a part of the inlet groove 51a. do. When a part of the inlet groove 51a is shielded by the locking jaw 53, the coupling rib 45 is fixed inside the rib coupling portion 51 and is not separated.

The coupling rib 45 is slidably coupled to the rib coupling portion 51, and the body portion 41 is slidably coupled to the body guide 55. After the body portion 41 is coupled to the body guide 55 by sliding, the shaking of the body portion 41 is prevented.

On the other hand, the body guide 55 is slidingly coupled to the body portion 41, and at the same time, the body fixing portion (57 of FIG. 2) is coupled to the bottom of the body portion 41 formed to be coupled to the concave-convex shape to the safety switch 40 To prevent flow).

In the above-described embodiment, the case in which two coupling ribs are provided on the left and right sides of the body part is described, but the number of each component of the safety switch coupling part including the coupling rib is not limited thereto if it is possible to maintain an appropriate coupling force.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the body fixing portion provided in the housing has been described as a convex portion, but it is, of course, possible that the body fixing portion is a recessed portion.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

As described in detail above, the washing machine according to the present invention can reduce the number of parts as compared to the conventional screw fastening method without a large change in the safety switch shape, as well as the material cost is reduced and the assembly time can be shortened to increase the work efficiency.

Claims (5)

delete A door for selectively opening and closing the opening provided in the housing, a washing tank provided in the housing so as to communicate with the opening opened and closed by the door, vibration of the washing tank in contact with the washing tank and the door, and whether the door is opened or closed. In the washing machine comprising a safety switch for sensing, The housing is provided with a safety switch coupling portion for sliding the safety switch, The safety switch is divided into a body portion, the coupling ribs extending from the body portion, The safety switch coupling unit washing machine, characterized in that it comprises a rib coupling portion for sliding the coupling rib and the locking step provided in the inlet of the rib coupling portion. The method of claim 2, The safety switch coupling portion, The washing machine further includes a body guide extending from the housing to surround the body part and preventing shaking of the body part, and a body fixing part provided in an uneven shape to correspond to the housing and the body part. . The method of claim 2, The locking jaw is, In the coupling process of the safety switch is elastically deformed so that the coupling ribs are smoothly coupled to the rib coupling portion, and after the safety switch is coupled to the rib coupling portion to return to the elastic deformation position before the coupling rib is the rib coupling Washing machine, characterized in that to prevent the departure from the wealth. The method of claim 2, The safety switch, And a door opening / closing detection part extending from the body part to detect whether the door is opened or closed, and a washing tank vibration detection part extending from the body part to detect vibration of the washing tank.

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