KR20050022657A - Washing Machine for Reducing Vibration - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A vibration reduction washing machine is provided to efficiently reduce vibration by properly selecting leg-combined members. CONSTITUTION: A vibration reduction washing machine comprises a cabinet(110) constituting the exterior of the washing machine; legs formed to the lower part of the cabinet; leg-combined members combined to the legs to reduce vibration produced while the washing machine operates; an outer tub(120) and an inner tub(130) installed inside the cabinet; a pulsator(140) rotatably installed to the center of the inner tub; and a driving motor(160) installed to the bottom of the outer tub to selectively operate the inner tub and the pulsator. The leg-combined member is a block copolymer of a hard block and a soft block.

Description

Washing Machine for Reducing Vibration

The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a vibration reduction washing machine that can effectively reduce the vibration generated during operation of the washing machine.

The washing machine is a device that exfoliates contaminants by applying energy such as impact to laundry, and may be divided into a pulsator washing machine, a drum washing machine, and an agitator washing machine according to a method of applying energy to laundry. In the drum washing machine, the laundry is dropped by the rotation of the drum, thereby impacting the laundry, and washing is performed by adding a detergent. In the pulsator washing machine and the agitator washing machine, the laundry is impacted by the rotation of a pulsator or agitator mainly coupled to a washing shaft installed vertically in an inner tank, and washing is performed by adding a detergent action.

That is, the washing machine is a method of washing by giving a shock to the laundry mainly by a mechanical method, and for this purpose, the washing tank or the drum on which the laundry is placed is rotated, and thus vibration is usually generated. Therefore, the washing machine is provided with various vibration reduction means capable of reducing vibration.

Prior to describing a vibration reduction method generally used in the related art, a general drum washing machine as an example of a washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 as follows.

The cabinet 3 constituting the body of the washing machine is composed of a front part 34, a side part 32, an upper cover 38, and a lower base 36. The front part 34 of the cabinet 3 is installed so that the door 4 can be opened and closed, and the base 36 is provided with the leg 5 which supports the washing machine on the floor on which the washing machine is placed.

A tub 7 for storing the wash water is installed in the cabinet 3, and a drum 9 in which the laundry is placed is rotatably installed in the tub 7. Of course, a motor 11 for generating a driving force for rotating the drum 9 is coupled to the drum 9.

On the other hand, as described above, when the washing machine is operated, the drum 9 rotates at a high speed, thereby causing vibration. In particular, since the drum 9 rotates at a high speed in the dehydration stroke, the generation of vibration is severe. Therefore, various devices for reducing vibration or attenuating vibration generated in the design of the washing machine are installed in the washing machine.

For example, in order to prevent and reduce vibration generated in the drum 9 from being transmitted to the cabinet 3 or the like, a spring 13 is installed between the tub 7 and the upper cover 38 and the tub ( A damper 15 is provided between 7) and base 36. In addition, the material and thickness of the cabinet 3, in particular, the side portion 32 or the base 36 may be adjusted, or the beads 32a may be formed in the side portion 32 of the cabinet 3. In addition, as shown in detail in Figure 3, the leg 5 is provided with a leg coupling member 17 formed of a material capable of reducing vibration.

However, the conventional vibration reduction method and a washing machine using the same have the following problems.

First, since the correlation between the various vibration reduction devices described above is not clear, there is a limit to efficiently reduce vibration from a comprehensive point of view.

Second, there was a problem that effective vibration reduction was difficult over the entire range of rotational speed of the drum or motor of the washing machine. For example, when the damping force of the damper is largely designed to reduce the transient vibration caused by the nonuniform distribution of the laundry when entering the dehydration stroke, a problem arises that the vibration becomes rather large at the rated dehydration rotation speed. On the contrary, if the damping force of the damper is designed small, the vibration at the rated spin speed decreases while the transient vibration occurs. In addition, even in the case of the leg coupling member, the rotational speed of the washing machine effective for reducing vibration is approximately determined according to the material, and there is a problem that effective vibration reduction over the entire range of the washing machine rotational speed is difficult.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vibration reduction washing machine that can efficiently reduce vibration.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cabinet forming the outer shape of the washing machine, a leg provided at the lower portion of the cabinet to support the cabinet, and a leg coupled to the leg to reduce vibration generated during operation of the washing machine. A coupling motor, an outer tub and an inner tub installed in the cabinet, a pulsator rotatably installed in the center of the inner tub, a drive motor selectively installed to operate the inner tub and the pulsator and installed at the bottom of the outer tub. In the washing machine comprising a, the leg coupling member provides a washing machine, characterized in that the block copolymer of the hard block and soft block.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a cabinet forming the outer shape of the washing machine, a leg provided at the lower portion of the cabinet to support the cabinet, and coupled to the leg to reduce vibration generated during operation of the washing machine. A leg coupling member, an outer tub and an inner tub installed in the cabinet, a pulsator rotatably installed in the center of the inner tub, a drive installed selectively at the bottom of the outer tub while selectively operating the inner tub and the pulsator In the washing machine comprising a motor, the drive motor is coupled to the outer tank via a buffer member, the buffer member provides a washing machine, characterized in that the block copolymer of the hard block and soft block.

Therefore, according to the present invention described above, it is possible to efficiently reduce the vibration generated in the washing machine.

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

First, referring to Figures 4 and 5, the principle of the vibration reduction washing machine according to the present invention will be described.

The present inventors studied to find the most effective method for vibration reduction among various methods of vibration reduction. As a result, it has been found that optimizing the leg coupling member among the various factors such as damper, cabinet material, thickness and shape, and material of the leg coupling member is most effective in reducing vibration. 4 and 5 show experimental results demonstrating that proper design of the leg coupling member is effective for vibration reduction.

4 and 5 are graphs showing the principle and effect of the vibration reduction washing machine according to the present invention. That is, the vibration in the dehydration process was measured for various types of washing machines (hereinafter referred to as "samples") in which various factors were generally known to be effective in reducing vibration. In the vibration measurement test, an eccentricity of 400 g was given, and the vibration amount was measured at the upper edge portion A and the center portion B of the right side surface of the cabinet using a vibration amount measuring instrument (EQP / 2). 4 is an experimental result of the right side part of a cabinet, and FIG. 5 is an experimental result of the left side part of a cabinet. 4 and 5, A (maximum) means the maximum vibration measured at the upper edge portion, A (normal) means the vibration of the steady state measured at the upper edge portion. Similarly, B (maximum) means the maximum vibration measured at the center part, and B (normal) means the steady state vibration measured at the center part.

It will be described in detail as follows. Sample 1 gives a bead formed on the side of the cabinet 0.15mm more than the general depth and the material of the leg coupling member is a drum washing machine using a conventional butyl rubber. Sample 1a is the same drum washing machine as Sample 1, but is a washing machine in which only the material of the leg coupling member is changed. Sample 2 is a drum washing machine using a conventional butyl rubber without changing the depth of the beads and the material of the leg coupling member. Sample 2a is the same drum washing machine as Sample 2, but changes only the material of the leg coupling member.

Here, the leg coupling member used in Samples 1a and 2a is a material that shows the best results among a number of materials studied and tested by the present inventors. (The details of the leg coupling member will be described later.)

4 and 5 are as follows.

The results of experiments on the sample 1 and the sample 2 which are the same as that of the leg coupling member and differ only in the depth of the bead, it can be seen that increasing the bead depth has some effect on vibration reduction. However, it can be seen that the correlation between bead depth and vibration reduction is not clear.

However, the bead depth is the same, and the results of experiments on the sample 1 and the sample 1a or the sample 2 and the sample 2a with different leg coupling members, it can be seen that the appropriate leg coupling member is very effective in reducing vibration.

In addition, the experimental results for the samples 1a and 2a, it can be seen that optimizing the material of the leg coupling member than the depth of the beads is effective to reduce the vibration.

Therefore, in order to effectively reduce vibration, it is desirable to design the leg coupling member most appropriately.

As described above, in order to effectively reduce the vibration, it is preferable to design the leg coupling member most appropriately. Thus, the inventors further studied the material of the leg coupling member, especially the leg coupling member, and the results are as follows.

The leg coupling member is required to first have excellent vibration reduction characteristics. However, in order to be used as an actual leg coupling member, not only vibration reduction characteristics but also various other conditions must be satisfied. For example, conditions such as mechanical properties such as hardness, slip resistance to prevent the washing machine from slipping at the washing machine installation location, and moldability indicating ease of manufacture should also be satisfied. This is because, for example, even if the vibration reduction characteristic is satisfied, if the proper hardness is not obtained, a resonance phenomenon may occur in a certain region of the RPM of use of the washing machine, and there is a concern that the washing of the washing machine may occur. In addition, when the frictional force with the floor is small, there is a fear that the washing machine is slipped on the floor.

As a result, the leg coupling member must satisfy the above-described conditions in addition to the vibration reduction characteristics, but it is difficult to select the optimal leg coupling member that satisfies all of these conditions in the prior art. Therefore, to date, empirically, metal, plastic, butyl rubber (Isobutylene-isoprene Rubber) and the like have been used as leg coupling members, but each material has advantages and disadvantages. The metal or plastic has a relatively high hardness, so that the resonance region is outside the RPM range of the washing machine, but there is a concern that the washing machine may occur in almost all regions regardless of the rotation range. In addition, the frictional force with the floor which is the installation place of the washing machine is small, there is a fear that the sliding of the washing machine occurs. In the case of butyl rubber, the resonant zone is a low speed RPM (RPM) region of the washing machine. Therefore, the washing machine must be controlled to pass through the resonant zone quickly. It may occur.

In order to solve this problem, the present inventors have studied the material of the leg coupling member, and it is very effective to use a block copolymer of a hard block and a soft block as the material of the leg coupling member. I found out. That is, as shown in Figure 6, it was found that it is preferable to manufacture a leg bonding member using a copolymer in which the hard block HS and the soft block SS are meshed. Because, when the block copolymer of hard block and soft block is used as the material of the leg coupling member, the hard block may select a material that satisfies mechanical properties such as the required hardness, and the soft block may select a material that satisfies vibration reduction characteristics. Because there is. Therefore, it is possible to design a leg coupling member that satisfies other conditions while also satisfying vibration reduction characteristics relatively easily.

In view of the vibration reduction effect, the block copolymer according to the present invention, particularly the soft block, it is preferable to use a material exhibiting a glass transition phenomenon, it is more preferable that the glass transition temperature is near the use temperature of the washing machine. Because at higher temperatures than the glass transition temperature, the thermal motion of each part of the chain-shaped polymer having a net-like structure becomes violent, indicating a rubbery state, but below the glass transition point, the thermal motion decreases in its own volume. This is because it is suppressed and hardened (glassy state), and the vibration reduction effect is lowered.

In the case of non-nodular polymer materials such as rubber, glass transition is exhibited, so it is preferable to select a rubber material as the leg bonding member, and butyl rubber is currently used in glass transition. However, as mentioned above, the leg coupling member is required to satisfy not only vibration reduction characteristics but also other characteristics, but butyl rubber is a copolymer made by copolymerizing a small amount of isoprene in isobutylene and the hard block according to the present invention. Unlike the block copolymer of the soft block, it is difficult to satisfy other than vibration reduction characteristics. In terms of vibration reduction properties, butyl rubber has a glass transition temperature of -40 ° C to -60 ° C, which is much lower than the temperature at which the washing machine is used. As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of butyl rubber, the damping performance is generally uniform in the operating temperature range of the washing machine, but the damping performance is lower than that of the leg coupling member of the block copolymer according to the present invention.

As described above, the leg coupling member according to the present invention uses a block copolymer of a hard block and a soft block as a material of the leg coupling member, the hard block is selected in terms of mechanical properties, the soft block is selected in terms of vibration damping. do.

Therefore, the soft block is preferably selected from a material whose glass transition temperature is close to the operating temperature of the washing machine, for example, -30 ° C to 30 ° C. Of course, the hard block is preferably selected from the material required in terms of mechanical properties such as hardness. For example, in the case of a washing machine installed on a slippery floor, such as cement or tile, it is good to make the hardness of the leg coupling member high. It is usually desirable to have Shore A hardness of about 80. On the other hand, in the case of a wooden floor, Shore A hardness is preferably about 30 so that the hardness is low.

As a result of experiments with various materials, it is preferable that the hard block is polystyrene, and the soft block is polyisoprene, particularly vinyl-polyisoprne.

Although the block copolymer may be used alone when fabricating the leg-bonding member, the block copolymer may be an olefin-based thermoplastic resin, an ethylene-alpha olefin copolymer, an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer, an ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butadiene It is of course also possible to blend and use at least one of a styrene copolymer and a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer. In addition, it is also possible to appropriately add additives such as a crosslinking agent, a filler, a softener and the like based on the above-described block copolymer, which is obvious in the art, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the leg coupling member is made using the block copolymer of the hard block and the soft block as described above, it is possible to form a leg coupling member that satisfies vibration reduction characteristics and other necessary characteristics.

In order to confirm this, experiments were conducted using materials that generally satisfy the above-mentioned conditions among commercially available materials. The material used in the experiment was Kuraray's Hybrid. Hibra is a block copolymer of polystyrene and polyisoprene and has a glass transition temperature of approximately -19 ° C to 8 ° C near room temperature. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the leg coupling member using a hi-bra was confirmed that the damping force is very excellent in the vicinity of room temperature. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the material used as the leg coupling member in Samples 1a and 2a is also a leg coupling member using a hibra. Of course, the material suitable for the leg coupling member is not limited to the hibra, any one can be used as long as the above conditions are satisfied.

On the other hand, as described above, the leg coupling member is preferably excellent in formability, workability, etc. in view of the manufacturing cost of the washing machine as well as the vibration reduction characteristics. In addition, the washing machine preferably has slip resistance and the like so as not to slip on the floor. Hibra has better slip resistance than butyl rubber, and especially has good frictional force in water environments compared to other rubbers. In addition, the hibra can be made of a thermoplastic resin that can be injected and extruded, or a thermosetting resin that can be pressed. However, in order to use the thermosetting resin, a separate crosslinking agent is required.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8, the leg is coupled to the leg coupling member in a predetermined manner. First, the legs are explained as follows. Generally, the leg 5 includes a circular body portion 52 and a head portion 54 formed at the lower end of the body portion 52. And, the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 52 is preferably formed with a screw thread for easy height adjustment. The head portion 54 serves to facilitate the height adjustment of the leg by easily rotating the threaded body portion 52.

On the other hand, the leg coupling member 17 is coupled to the lower end of the leg (5). The leg coupling member 17 may be directly coupled to the head 54 of the leg 5, but an extension 56 is further formed on the lower portion of the head 54 in consideration of securing the coupling area and ease of coupling. It is preferable that the leg coupling member 17 is coupled to the extension 56.

Joining of the leg 5 and the leg coupling member 17 may be performed by insert molding, bonding or other methods. For example, the leg 5 and the leg coupling member 17 can be bonded using an adhesive. In addition, the leg 5 and the leg coupling member 17 may be coupled using insert molding. In addition, it can be detachably coupled using an elastic hook surrounding the leg 5 and the leg coupling member 17.

In the above embodiment, the material of the leg coupling member coupled to the leg provided in the cabinet which is the body of the drum washing machine is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the principle of the present invention can also be applied to other parts used for vibration reduction in a washing machine.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the drum washing machine is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a pulsator type washing machine, in particular a direct type pulsator type washing machine. First, referring to FIG. 9, a direct type pulsator type washing machine 100 will be described.

An inner tub 120 for storing the washing water is installed in the cabinet 110 forming the body of the washing machine, and the inner tub 130 having a plurality of through holes is rotatably installed in the tub 120. The pulsator 140 is rotatably installed inside the inner tub 130, and the outer tub 120 is supported by the cabinet 110 by the suspension device 150. In addition, the inner tank 130 and the pulsator 140 are rotated by the driving motor 160 installed on the bottom surface of the outer tank 120. The drive motor 160 includes a stator 162 coupled to the outer tub and a rotor 164 connected to the laundry shaft or the dehydration shaft.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10, the bottom portion of the cabinet 110 is provided with a leg portion 170. Leg portion 170 is formed of a leg 112 and a leg coupling member 172 corresponding to the shape of the inside of the leg 112 and protruding downward from the bottom of the cabinet 110 and having a predetermined internal hollow portion, The leg 112 and the leg coupling member 172 are coupled by the bolt 176. Here, using the material used in the above-described embodiment of the leg coupling member 172 it is possible to effectively reduce the vibration. In addition, the shape and structure of the leg and the leg coupling member in the present invention is not limited to that shown in FIG. In other words, it is also possible to use the legs and the leg coupling material of the drum washing machine described above.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11, the stator 162 of the drive motor 160 is coupled to the bottom surface of the outer tub 120. That is, the connecting bracket 162a of the stator 162 is coupled to the bottom plate 120a formed on the bottom of the outer tank by the bolt 169. At this time, it is preferable that the buffer member 200 is coupled to each other. The buffer member 200 is preferably formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. In addition, using the material used for the leg coupling member described above the material of the shock absorbing member 200 can effectively reduce vibration.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make modifications without departing from the concept of the present invention, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

The vibration reduction method of the washing machine and the effect of the washing machine using the same according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the vibration can be efficiently reduced by appropriately selecting the leg coupling member. That is, the vibration of the washing machine can be efficiently reduced while minimizing changes in the material, thickness, and bead depth of the cabinet, which cause a design change, an increase in production cost, and the like. In addition, there is an advantage that the vibration can be efficiently reduced by installing the drive motor through a buffer member having an optimal material.

Second, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that a leg coupling member that satisfies not only vibration reduction characteristics but also other necessary characteristics, for example, hardness and slip resistance, can be selected. Therefore, there is an advantage that a washing machine having an effective vibration reduction over the whole range of the rotation speed of the washing machine can be designed.

Third, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively select the material of the member that serves as a vibration reduction as well as the leg coupling member has the advantage that the vibration reduction effect can be further improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional drum washing machine according to the related art

2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 is a side view showing the leg of FIG. 1 in detail;

4 and 5 is a graph showing the principle and effect of the vibration reduction washing machine according to the present invention

Figure 6 schematically shows the structure of the leg coupling member that can be used in the vibration reduction washing machine according to the present invention

Figure 7 is a graph showing a comparison of the damping force of the leg coupling member and the butyl rubber leg coupling member according to the present invention

8 is an exploded perspective view showing the leg and the leg coupling member according to the present invention

9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a pulsator type washing machine as another embodiment of the vibration reducing washing machine according to the present invention.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail the leg of FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail the coupling relationship of the drive motor of FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

3: cabinet 15: damper

32: side part 34: front part

36: base 32a: bead

5: leg 17: leg coupling member

170: leg portion 112: leg

172: leg coupling member 176: bolt

160: drive motor 162: stator

164: rotor 200: buffer member

Claims (14)

A cabinet forming an outer shape of the washing machine, a leg provided at the lower portion of the cabinet to support the cabinet, a leg coupling member coupled to the leg to reduce vibration generated when the washing machine is operated, and installed inside the cabinet. In a washing machine comprising an outer tank and an inner tank, a pulsator rotatably installed at the center of the inner tank, and a drive motor selectively operating the inner tank and the pulsator and installed at a bottom of the outer tank. The leg coupling member is a washing machine, characterized in that the block copolymer of the hard block and soft block. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the hard block is a material satisfying required mechanical properties, and the soft block is a material satisfying vibration reduction characteristics. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the soft block has a glass transition temperature of room temperature. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the glass transition temperature is -30 ° C to 30 ° C. The washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the shore hardness of the leg coupling member of the washing machine installed on the slippery floor is about 80. The washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the shore hardness of the leg coupling member of the washing machine installed on the non-slip bottom is about 30. The washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the hard block is polystyrene and the soft block is polyisoprene. The washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the soft block is vinyl polyisoprene. The method of claim 8, wherein the block copolymer is an olefin-based thermoplastic resin, ethylene-alpha olefin copolymer, ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer, styrene-isoprene- Washing machine, characterized in that formed by blending with at least one of the styrene copolymer. A cabinet forming an outer shape of the washing machine, a leg provided at the lower portion of the cabinet to support the cabinet, a leg coupling member coupled to the leg to reduce vibration generated when the washing machine is operated, and installed inside the cabinet. In a washing machine comprising an outer tank and an inner tank, a pulsator rotatably installed at the center of the inner tank, and a drive motor selectively operating the inner tank and the pulsator and installed at a bottom of the outer tank. The driving motor is coupled to the outer tank via a buffer member, the buffer member is a washing machine, characterized in that the block copolymer of the hard block and soft block. The washing machine according to claim 10, wherein the hard block is a material satisfying the required mechanical properties, and the soft block is a material satisfying vibration reduction characteristics. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the soft block has a glass transition temperature of room temperature. The washing machine according to claim 12, wherein the glass transition temperature is -30 ° C to 30 ° C. The washing machine according to claim 13, wherein the hard block is polystyrene and the soft block is polyisoprene.