KR200207116Y1 - Clutch mechanism of automatic washer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is installed on the drive shaft 124 so that the upper end is in contact with the gear housing 121, the upper clutch 131 is formed with an outer spline 132 at the lower end of the outer peripheral surface; A spring member installed at the driving shaft 124 to have an upper end contacting a lower end of the gear housing 121 to surround the upper clutch 131 from the outside; A lower clutch 137 installed on an upper surface of the driven pulley 107 bolted to the lower end of the drive shaft 124 and having an auxiliary spline 138 corresponding to the outer spline 132; An inner spline 135 is formed to be fitted to the outer spline 132 of the upper clutch 131 and the auxiliary spline 138 of the lower clutch 137, and slides toward the lower clutch 137 by the spring member. A clutch slider 134 which is moved to couple the upper clutch 131 and the lower clutch 137 to each other; And a lever 140 which is axially coupled to the mounting plate 110 so as to be rotatable, and a lever 140 having a 'b' shaped working arm 142 protruding from the lower end thereof. The clutch of the driven pulley Irrespective of the deformation, it is located on the same axis as the moving direction of the clutch slider to maintain accurate curling, so that the driving force of the motor can be accurately transmitted to the stirrer and the washing tank.

Description

Clutch mechanism of washing machine {CLUTCH MECHANISM OF AUTOMATIC WASHER}

The present invention relates to a clutch mechanism of a washing machine, and more particularly, to provide a clutch mechanism of a clutch assembly washing machine in which a clutch can be accurately engaged.

The washing machine is provided with a direct drive between the motor and the stirrer / washing tank, and the washing machine is provided with a clutch mechanism and a brake mechanism.

The clutch mechanism stops the washing tank inside when the washing machine is in the stirring mode, while the stirrer is operated, and the inside of the washing machine and the washing tank is rotated together when the water is discharged or in the rotating mode. Conventional washing machines in which this drive is used include spring clutches or spline clutches with solenoids driven by clutches. The clutch member may or may not be selectively engaged in the tub as it moves perpendicular to the motor shaft.

US Patent No. 5,635,129, issued to Jeffrey et al. On November 13, 1990, discloses a washing machine equipped with a clutch mechanism (FIGS. 5-7).

As shown in FIG. 5, this conventional washing machine includes a washing tank 10 in which a stirrer 11 is vertically installed. The washing tub 10 is rotatably installed in the washing tub 12. The rotary tube 10a protrudes to the lower part of the washing tank 10 and passes through the bottom of the washing tub 12. The vertical shaft 37 is connected to the lower end of the stirrer 11 and fitted into the rotary tube 10a. A hub 13 coupled to the gear assembly 20 is installed below the rotary tube 10a. In the gear assembly 20 a mounting plate 14 is located at the bottom. The mounting assembly 14 is provided with a clutch assembly 30.

The clutch assembly 30 includes a cam housing 31, a clutch slider 32, a lever arm 33, and an actuator (not shown). The clutch slider 32 has a first gear portion 32a formed on the rear surface thereof and is seated from the top of the cam housing 31. The driving force of the actuator is a structure in which the clutch slider 32 integrally coupled with the lever arm 33 is raised or lowered as the lever arm 33 slides in the horizontal direction. The driven pulley 34 has a second gear portion 34a corresponding to the first gear portion 32a as one surface.

In the wash mode (FIG. 6), the actuator is turned on to pull the lever arm 33 in one direction. Accordingly, the clutch slider 32 is raised inside the cam housing 31 so that the first gear portion 32a is separated from the second gear portion 34a. At this time, the driving force of the motor 16 is transmitted from the driving pulley 36 to the driven pulley 34 by the belt 17. The rotational force of the driven pulley 34 is transmitted to the stirrer 11 via the drive shaft 37a and the vertical shaft 37 to perform a washing function. At the same time, the hub 13 is in a state in which a braking force is applied by the brake assembly 40.

In the dehydration mode (FIG. 7), the actuator (not shown) is turned on to pull the lever arm 33 in the other direction. The clutch slider 32 is raised in the cam housing 31 and then lowered so that the first gear portion 32a is engaged with the second gear portion 34a. The driving force of the motor 16 is transmitted to the belt 17, the driving pulley 36 and the driven pulley 34 to generate a rotational force. The rotational force of the driven pulley 34 rotates the washing tub 12 itself via the clutch assembly 30, the gear assembly 20, the hub 13, and the rotating tube 10a to perform a dehydration function. At the same time, the hub 13 is braked by the brake assembly 40 to stop the rotation.

However, in the clutch assembly 30, the driven pulley 34 made of resin is deformed due to repeated use because the second gear portion 34a is integrally formed on the upper surface, or the pulley 34 is large because the tension of the belt is large. Is not correctly coupled to the drive shaft 37a and torsion occurs. As a result, the first gear portion 32a of the clutch slider 32 and the second gear portion 34a of the driven pulley 34 are not correctly engaged, and the driving is not smooth and the wear is not performed smoothly. Since the first gear portion 32a and the second gear portion 34a were forced to transmit power only in one direction in the form of a saw tooth, the rotational direction was limited when dewatering.

The technical problem of the present invention is to provide a clutch mechanism of a washing machine equipped with a clutch assembly that can accurately engage the clutch.

The present invention is a vertical shaft stirrer, a concentrically installed washing tank, a motor operatively connected to the stirrer and the washing tank to selectively vibrate and rotate the stirrer and the washing tank with respect to the vertical axis, connected to the lower end of the vertical shaft to the rotational force of the motor In the clutch mechanism of the washing machine is provided with a drive shaft for transmitting to the stirrer and the washing tank, and a gear assembly which is installed as a cam housing in the lower portion of the mounting plate so that the vertical shaft and the drive shaft penetrates, the drive shaft is in contact with the gear housing An upper clutch installed and having an outer spline formed at a lower end of the outer circumferential surface thereof; A spring member installed at the driving shaft to have an upper end contacting a lower end of the gear housing to surround the upper clutch from the outside; A lower clutch installed at an upper surface of a driven pulley bolted to a lower end of the drive shaft and having an auxiliary spline corresponding to the outer spline; A clutch slider formed with an inner spline so as to be fitted to an outer spline of the upper clutch and an auxiliary spline of the lower clutch and slidingly moved toward the lower clutch by the spring member to engage the upper clutch and the lower clutch; And a lever protrudingly coupled to the mounting plate so as to be rotatable, and a lever having a 'b' shaped working arm protruding from the lower end thereof.

1 is an overall perspective view of a washing machine embodying the washing machine principle of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view showing the disassembled state of the gear assembly and the clutch assembly from the mounting plate according to the embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the clutch assembly in the washing mode in the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the clutch assembly in the dehydration mode in the present invention;

Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a washing machine with a clutch assembly of the prior art installed.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the clutch assembly in the washing mode in FIG. And

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operating state of the clutch assembly in the dehydration mode of FIG. 5.

* Brief description of symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: washing machine 101: laundry

102: stirrer 103: washing tank

104: motor 105: drive pulley

106: belt 107: driven pulley

108: opening lid 109: suspension device

C: control C1: control console

110: mounting plate 120: gear assembly

121: gear housing 122: rotating tube

123: vertical axis 124: drive shaft

130: clutch assembly 131: upper clutch

132: outer spline 133: compression spring

134: clutch slider 135: inner spline

136: flange 137: lower clutch

138: secondary spline 140: lever

141: shaft 142: working arm

144: inclined surface 146: driving arm

150: brake assembly

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 4.

1 illustrates a washing machine 100 embodying the principles of the present invention. The washing machine 100 is equipped with an external cabinet 108a having an open lid 108. The open lid 108 is surrounded by a laundry tub 101 in which holes are not formed to receive the laundry liquid. The washing tub 103 and the vertical shaft stirrer 102 are installed concentrically in the washing tub 101 to receive the laundry. The motor 104 is operably connected with the stirrer 102 to vibrate and rotate the laundry, and is also connected with the stirrer 102 so that the washing tub 103 is optionally co-rotated. The assembly of the washing tub 101, the washing tub 103, the stirrer 102, and the motor 104 is installed in the suspension device 109. A plurality of controls C are installed in the control console C1 so that a series of washing, drying and washing liquid discharge steps are automatically performed.

2 illustrates a state in which the gear assembly 120, the clutch assembly 130, the brake assembly 140, and the lever assembly 150 are completely disassembled from the mounting plate 110 in FIG. 1. The gear assembly 120 is installed in the lower portion of the mounting plate 110 by the cam housing 112.

The gear assembly 120 includes a rotating tube 122, a gear housing 121, a vertical shaft 123, and a drive shaft 124. Part of the rotary tube 122 protrudes to the top of the mounting plate 110, the washing tank 103 is installed at its tip. The gear housing 121 is coupled to the lower end of the rotary tube 122 so as to rotate simultaneously. The vertical shaft 123 is inserted from the bottom of the rotary tube 122 and protrudes upwards, and the stirrer 102 is installed at the protruded portion thereof to rotate simultaneously. The drive shaft 124 is coupled to the lower end of the vertical shaft 123.

When the drive shaft 124 is rotated, the vertical shaft 123 coupled with the drive shaft 124 is rotated together, and the stirrer 102 coupled with the vertical shaft 123 rotates to stir the laundry in the washing tank 103, while the gear When the housing 121 is rotated, the rotary tube 122 coupled thereto is rotated, so that the rotary tube 122 rotates the washing tub 103.

The clutch assembly 130 includes an upper clutch 131, a compression spring 133 such as the compression spring 133, a clutch slider 134 and a lower clutch 137. The upper clutch 131 is fitted to the drive shaft 124 is splined to be coupled. The compression spring 133 is fitted to the drive shaft 124 so that the upper clutch 131 is covered so that the upper end is in contact with the rear surface of the gear housing 121. The clutch slider 134 is fitted to the drive shaft 124 and engaged with the upper clutch 131. At this time, the outer spline 132 of the upper clutch 131 is coupled to the inner spline 135 of the clutch slider 134 and is slid. The lower clutch 137 is bolted together with the driven pulley 107 at the end of the drive shaft 124. The teeth of the outer spline 132, the inner spline 135 and the auxiliary spline 138 are each formed to allow bidirectional rotation.

The clutch slider 134 always descends in the direction of the driven pulley 107 by the force of the compression spring 133, where the inner spline 135 of the clutch slider 134 is the outer spline 132 of the upper clutch 131. And the outer circumferential surface of the lower clutch 137 of the driven pulley 107. Accordingly, the rotational force of the driven pulley 107 allows the upper clutch 131 to rotate simultaneously with the lower clutch 137 by the clutch slider 134. Upon forcibly rising of the clutch slider 134, the clutch slider 134 is spaced apart from the auxiliary spline 138 of the lower clutch 137 which has already been in contact while compressing the upper compression spring 133 thereof. Accordingly, the rotational force of the driven pulley 107 is not transmitted to the upper clutch 131.

The shaft bar 141 protrudes from the upper end of the lever 140 to be rotatably coupled to the mounting plate 110. In other words. Shaft bar 141 is installed in a state rotatably coupled to the mounting plate 110. The lower end of the lever 149 protrudes to form a working arm 142 in the 'b' shape. The tip of the actuating arm 142 is fitted between the flange 136 of the clutch slider 134 and the driven pulley 107.

The flange 136 of the clutch slider 134 may be bent in an arc shape as the outer circumference thereof goes upward, and the operation arm 142 may form the inclined surface 144 at the tip so that the flange 136 easily fits under the flange 136. . That is, the inclined surface 144 of the operating arm 142 is easily fitted along the bent portion of the flange 136 when fitted between the flange 136 and the lower clutch 137. On one side of the lever 140, the driving arm 146 to which the synchronous motor (not shown) and the drain valve (not shown) are connected is integrally protruded.

Operation state of the drive unit for the washing tub and agitator for a washing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

In the washing mode as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the operator selects the dehydration mode by pressing the control C of the control console C1. The control C drives the motor 104 such that the drive pulley 105 is rotated. The rotational force of the drive pulley 105 is transmitted to the driven pulley 107 by the belt 106.

At this time, the on signal of the control C operates the synchronous motor (not shown). The driving arm 146 is pulled by the driving force of the synchronous motor 104 to cause the working arm 142 to rotate in the clockwise direction together with the trunk 140. The actuating arm 142 has its tip portion fitted from the bottom of the flange 136 of the clutch slider 134, and by the fitted thickness, the clutch slider 134 moves to the upper clutch 131. That is, the clutch slider 134 is engaged with the auxiliary spline 138 of the lower clutch 137 and is spaced apart from each other.

As before, the rotational force of the driven pulley 107 is not transmitted to the upper clutch 131. However, the rotational force is transmitted only to the drive shaft 124 and the vertical shaft 123 to rotate only the stirrer 102. At this time, the brake assembly 150 stops by applying a braking force to the gear housing 121.

On the contrary, in the dehydration mode as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the operator presses the control C corresponding to the dehydration function in the control console C1 to drive the motor 104. The motor 104 causes the driven pulley 107 to rotate via the drive pulley 105 and the belt 106.

At the same time, the synchronous motor (not shown) pushes the drive arm 146 unlike previously described. Rotation of the drive arm 146 rotates the lower working arm 142 together with the lever 140 counterclockwise. The front end of the clutch operation arm 142 is inserted under and supported by the flange 136 of the clutch slider 134, and then exits to the outside. The clutch slider 134 is slid in the direction of the lower clutch 137 by the restoring force of the compression spring 133 immediately above. In this process, the inner spline 135 of the clutch slider 134 is engaged with the auxiliary spline 138 of the lower clutch 137 as well as the outer spline 132 of the upper clutch 131. Therefore, the rotational force of the driven pulley 107 drives the stirrer 102 and the washing tank 103 simultaneously. One rotates the stirrer 102 through the drive shaft 124, the vertical shaft 123, as in the washing mode, the other by the clutch slider 134, the lower clutch 137, the upper clutch 131, the gear housing The washing tank 103 coupled to the rotary tube 122 via the 121 is to be rotated. In particular, the drain valve is connected to the drive arm 146 is opened to drain the wash water.

As described in detail above, according to the clutch mechanism of the present invention, the clutch assembly forms splines on the outer circumferential surfaces of the upper clutch and the lower clutch, respectively, coaxially fitted to the drive shaft between the gear housing and the driven pulley, and perpendicular to these splines. By engaging the clutch slider to raise and lower, the lower clutch, which is adapted to engage the clutch slider, can be positioned on the same axis as the clutch slider's direction of movement to maintain accurate curling regardless of the deformation of the driven pulley. Can be accurately delivered to the stirrer and wash bath. In addition, since each spline formed in the upper clutch and the lower clutch has teeth that can transmit power in both directions, the spline is not limited to the rotation direction in the dehydration mode.

Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to the embodiments described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes or modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such changes or modifications are attached to the accompanying drawings. It should be limited by the utility model registration claim.

Claims (3)

A vertical shaft stirrer, a washing tank concentrically installed, a motor operably connected to the stirrer and the washing tank to selectively vibrate and rotate the stirrer and the washing tank with respect to the vertical axis, and connected to a lower end of the vertical shaft to convert the rotational force of the motor to the stirrer. In the clutch mechanism of the washing machine is provided with a drive shaft for transmitting to the washing tank, and a gear assembly which is installed by the cam housing at the lower portion of the mounting plate to pass through the vertical shaft and the drive shaft, An upper clutch 131 installed on the drive shaft 124 such that an upper end of the gear housing 121 is in contact with the upper end, and an outer spline 132 formed at a lower end of an outer circumferential surface thereof; A spring member installed at the driving shaft 124 to have an upper end contacting a lower end of the gear housing 121 to surround the upper clutch 131 from the outside; A lower clutch 137 installed on an upper surface of the driven pulley 107 bolted to the lower end of the drive shaft 124 and having an auxiliary spline 138 corresponding to the outer spline 132; An inner spline 135 is formed to be fitted to the outer spline 132 of the upper clutch 131 and the auxiliary spline 138 of the lower clutch 137, and slides toward the lower clutch 137 by the spring member. A clutch slider 134 which is moved to couple the upper clutch 131 and the lower clutch 137 to each other; And Clutch mechanism of the washing machine characterized in that it comprises a lever 140 is axially coupled to the mounting plate 110 so as to be rotatable, and the lower end of the 'b' shaped working arm 142 protrudes . The clutch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the movable coupling means has a flange (136) which is bent upwardly along an outer circumference of an outer circumferential surface thereof. The clutch mechanism of claim 1, wherein an inclined surface (144) is formed at an end of the operation arm (142) of the lever (140).