KR20060101941A - Water level sensor of apparatus for spraying steam in drum type washer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water level sensor of a steam generator for a drum washing machine to improve the structure of the water level sensor of the steam generator, to simplify the coupling process of the water level sensor and to reduce the material cost.

To this end, the present invention is made of an upper case and an electrode unit case, in the water level sensor assembly of the drum washing machine steam generator provided with at least one electrode for sensing the water level inside the electrode case; The upper case and the electrode case of the water level sensor provides a water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine, characterized in that formed integrally.

Therefore, as the upper case and the electrode unit case are integrally formed, the assembly process and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Washing machine, steam generator, water level sensor, insert injection

Description

Water level sensor of apparatus for spraying steam in drum type washer}

1 is a perspective view briefly showing the structure of a conventional drum washing machine

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a steam generator of a conventional drum washing machine

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure in which a conventional water level sensor is coupled to a steam generator;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure in which the water level sensor according to the present invention is coupled to the steam generating device

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the water level sensor according to the present invention.

** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings **

50: steam generator 71: common electrode

72, high level detection electrode 100: water level sensor

130: upper case 131: receptacle case

132: plug case 150: electrode case

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, and more particularly to a water level sensor of the drum washing machine steam generator for measuring the water level of the water stored in the steam generator.

Generally, a washing machine is a pulsator-type washing machine that washes by water flow generated by rotating a plate-type pulsator, and a drop and friction force of washing water and laundry generated inside a bucket by rotating a lying container. The washing machine is roughly classified into a drum washing machine.

Among them, the drum washing machine has a tendency of increasing demand due to the advantages of using less water and detergent, less cloth damage, and little tangling of the laundry, compared to the pulsator type washing machine.

Referring to the structure of a conventional drum washing machine with reference to Figures 1 to 3 as follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional drum washing machine includes a cabinet 10 forming an exterior, a cylindrical tub 20 horizontally supported in the cabinet 10 to store wash water, and washing water and steam. A through hole is formed to be introduced and is rotatably installed in the tub 20, a drive motor (not shown) for driving the drum 30, and steam into the drum 30. It comprises at least one steam generator (50) for supplying.

The cabinet 10 has an inlet 13 which communicates with the inside of the drum 30 so that laundry can be put in and out of the front surface, and the door 11 pivots forward to open and close the inlet 13. It is possible to install.

In addition, a gasket (not shown) is installed along the inner circumferential surface of the inlet 13 to prevent hot air from leaking through a connection between the door 11 and the tub 20.

On the other hand, on one side of the drum washing machine, is connected to an external water pipe (not shown) and the like is provided with a water supply valve 15 for supplying the wash water to the tub 20.

In addition, the steam generator 50 is connected to the water supply valve 15, water is introduced, heats the water stored therein to generate steam to supply the drum 30.

In addition, one side of the steam generator 50, the steam supply pipe 53 is provided as a passage for guiding and injecting the steam generated by the steam generator 50 into the drum (30).

The steam supply pipe 53, the end portion is preferably formed in the shape of a nozzle so that the steam can be smoothly injected into the internal space of the drum 30, the end of the steam discharge is the inside of the drum 30 It is preferable to be installed so as to expose.

On the other hand, the steam supply pipe 53, in order to prevent the steam injected into the drum 30 is in direct contact with the laundry, the end connected to the drum 30 is in communication with the upper one side of the drum (30) It is preferred to be installed to be positioned or to penetrate the gasket (not shown).

Therefore, the steam generator 50 is configured to be relatively short in the flow path connected from the water supply valve 15 and the steam supply pipe 53, it is installed on the upper side of the tub 20 to facilitate repair and inspection desirable.

Referring to Figure 2 describes the structure of the steam generating device 50 as follows.

As shown in FIG. 2, the steam generator 50 includes a base case 51 forming an appearance and forming a space for storing water, and a cover case 52 coupled to an upper surface of the base case 51. ), And a heater (not shown) for heating the water stored in the steam generator 50.

The cover case 52 has a water supply port 52a connected to the water supply valve 15 at one side thereof to allow water to flow into the steam generator 50, and the steam generated at the other side of the drum. A discharge port 52b connected to the steam supply pipe 53 for supplying to the 20 is formed.

On the other hand, the heater may use a coil heater for heating the water stored therein from the outside of the steam generator 50, but the sheath heater for heating directly in a state completely submerged in the stored water has a high thermal efficiency Suitable for boiling water in a short time.

 One side of the cover case 52 is provided with a water level sensor 60 for detecting the water level of the water stored therein, and a temperature sensor 57 for measuring the temperature of the water and steam heated by the heater.

In addition, the temperature sensor 57 measures the temperature of the steam generated by the steam generator 50 to cut off the power of the heater 55 when the temperature is higher than the reference value to prevent overheating of the heater 55 do.

The water level sensor 60, by measuring the water level of the water stored in the steam generating device 50, and operates so that the amount of water stored at all times to maintain an appropriate level.

That is, when the water level of the water stored in the steam generator 50 is lower than the reference value, the water supply valve 15 (see FIG. 1) is opened to replenish water, and when the water level of the water stored inside is higher than the reference value, The water supply valve 15 is interrupted to stop the water supply and operates the heater 55 to generate steam.

Referring to Figure 3, the structure of the water level sensor 60 in detail as follows.

The conventional water level sensor 60, as shown in Figure 3, the upper case 61 constituting the body, and installed below the upper case 61, the water level stored in the steam generator 50 Each electrode 71, 72, and 73 for sensing is divided into an electrode part case 62.

At this time, the upper case 61 and the electrode case case 62 is coupled to each other by a separate fastening member (not shown) to form the appearance of the water level sensor.

Here, the upper case 61 is composed of a receptacle case 61a for fixing to the steam generator 50, and a plug housing 61b for electrical connection to the outside thereon. .

At this time, the receptacle case 61a of the upper case 61 is installed in a state of being coupled with the upper portion of the electrode case case 62, and the receptacle case 61a is the cover case 51 of the steam generator. It is installed in the state exposed to the outside, the lower part of the electrode case case 62 is installed inside the steam generator (50).

In addition, in order to prevent water from penetrating into the electrodes 71, 72, and 73 due to the pressure inside the steam generator, the inside of the electrode unit case 62 in which the electrodes 71, 72, and 73 are installed may be filled with a filler. (80) is filled.

However, the water level sensor of the conventional steam generator for a drum washing machine described above has the following problems.

In the process of coupling the water level sensor to the steam generator, each electrode (71, 72, 73) is first installed in the electrode case case 62, the inside of the electrode portion case 62 by applying a filler After filling with the filler 80, the electrode unit case 62 and the upper case 61 is coupled to each other by a fastening member (not shown) separately.

Accordingly, since the upper case 61 and the electrode unit case 62 forming the external appearance of the water level sensor are manufactured to assemble with each other, a plurality of assembly processes are required, and each electrode 71, 72, 73 is There was a problem in that the installation cost is required because the separate filler 80 to prevent water infiltration is installed inside.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to improve the case structure of the water level sensor, to simplify the process of coupling the water level sensor and to reduce the material cost of the drum washing machine steam generator It is to provide a level sensor.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is made of an upper case and an electrode unit case, the water level of the drum washing machine steam generator provided with an electrode unit having at least one electrode for sensing the water level inside the electrode unit case A sensor assembly; The upper case and the electrode case of the water level sensor provides a water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine, characterized in that formed integrally.

Here, the upper case and the electrode case of the water level sensor is preferably formed in a single body by insert injection.

On the other hand, the electrode unit comprises a common electrode as a reference, a low level detection electrode for detecting a low level, and a high level detection electrode for detecting a high level.

In this case, each electrode is preferably provided to be wrapped by the electrode case when the upper case and the electrode case is formed by insert injection integrally, the end of each electrode is wrapped by the electrode case It is desirable to provide such that it is exposed to the outside without being supported.

Therefore, according to the water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine of the present invention, the assembly process is greatly reduced, so that the productivity is improved.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the steam generating apparatus for a drum washing machine of the present invention that can realize the above object in detail.

Prior to the description, the same components as in the prior art are given the same names and the same reference numerals for convenience of description, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure in which the water level sensor according to the present invention is coupled to the steam generator, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the water level sensor according to the present invention.

At this time, the upper portion of the portion indicated by the dotted line in Figure 5 represents the upper housing of the water level sensor, the lower portion represents the electrode unit housing.

As shown in Figure 4 and 5, the water level sensor 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is largely the upper case 130, the electrode case case 150 installed on the lower end of the upper case 130, It comprises an electrode portion consisting of a plurality of electrodes (71, 72, 73).

Here, the upper case 130 is composed of a receptacle case 131 for fixing to the steam generator 50, and a plug case 133 for electrical connection to the outside thereon. .

In addition, the electrode part case 150 is provided to protect each of the electrodes 71, 72, and 73 of the electrode part, and the electrode part case 150 may be integrally formed with the upper case 130. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 5, the water level sensor 100 is provided that the upper case 130 and the electrode case case 150 is formed as a single body by insert injection or the like.

Here, the insert injection method, although not shown, after manufacturing a separate mold mold for manufacturing the water level sensor 100, injecting the thermoplastic resin into the mold mold to solidify, then open the mold mold product Is how to take out.

On the other hand, each electrode is preferably provided to be wrapped by the electrode case case 150, when the upper case 130 and the electrode case case 150 is formed by insert injection integrally.

The electrodes 71, 72, and 73 are formed to be wrapped by the electrode unit case 150 to prevent water from penetrating into the electrodes. This eliminates the need for the filler 80, which was previously filled to prevent water from penetrating into the electrode case case 150.

In addition, the ends of each electrode (71, 72, 73) is preferably formed to be exposed to the outside without being wrapped by the electrode unit case 150.

This is to ensure that when the water level sensor 100 is installed in the steam generator 50, the end thereof is submerged in the water stored in the steam generator 50.

That is, when the ends of the electrodes (71, 72, 73) are submerged in water at the corresponding water level, electricity flows through the water to generate a water level detection signal.

In this case, the electrode unit includes a common electrode 71 serving as a reference, a high level sensing electrode 72 for sensing a high level, and a low level sensing electrode 73 for sensing a low level.

Meanwhile, the common electrode 71 should be installed to be at least equal to or longer than the length of the low water level sensing electrode 73.

For reference, the water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine of the present invention configured as described above operates as follows.

First, when the washing stroke of the washing machine is started, water is introduced into the steam generator through the water supply port 52a.

The water introduced into the steam generator is heated by a heater (not shown) to be converted into steam, and the steam is introduced into the drum 30 (see FIG. 1) in which the laundry is accommodated through the discharge port 52b. Wetting and soaking action improves washing efficiency.

Here, when the water inside the steam generator 50 is filled with a high water level, the common electrode 71, the low water level sensing electrode 73, and the high water level sensing electrode 72 are all submerged in water to conduct electricity. In this case, water supply is stopped by judging this state as full water level.

In addition, when the water level inside the steam generator 50 is exhausted and the water level is about medium, the high water level sensing electrode 72 is exposed to the water surface, so that the low water level sensing electrode 73 is not energized with the common electrode 71. ) And the common electrode 71 are immersed in water and energized with each other, so that the controller (not shown) determines that the state is an intermediate level.

In addition, when the water in the steam generator 50 is almost exhausted and goes below the low water level, the common electrode 71 and the low water level sensing electrode 73 are exposed to the air so that electricity is not energized. In case of water supply, water is judged as low water level.

When assembling the water level sensor 100 having the structure as described above to the cover case 51, the water level sensor 100 is formed of a single part as an insert injection, the water level sensor to the upper side of the cover case Once installed, assembly is complete, which simplifies assembly, reducing processes and increasing productivity.

In addition, since the electrode part case 62 is formed to surround each of the electrodes 71, 72, and 73, the material cost is reduced because the filler 80 does not need to be filled in the electrode part case 62 as in the related art.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and as can be seen in the appended claims, modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Referring to the effect of the water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, since the water level sensor is formed of a single part as insert injection, the process is simplified during assembly, thereby improving productivity.

Second, according to the present invention, as the electrode case is formed in a state in which each electrode is wrapped, there is no need to fill the filler in the electrode unit case as in the prior art, thereby reducing the material cost.

Claims (5)

In the water level sensor assembly of the drum washing machine steam generating device provided with an electrode part having an outer case consisting of an upper case and an electrode unit case, the electrode unit having at least one electrode for sensing the water level; The water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine, characterized in that the upper case and the electrode case of the water level sensor are formed integrally. The method of claim 1, The upper case and the electrode case of the water level sensor is a water level sensor of the steam generating device for a drum washing machine, characterized in that formed by a single insert. The method of claim 1, The electrode unit and the common electrode as a reference; Low water level sensing electrode for detecting low water level, Water level sensor of the steam generator for drum washing machine, characterized in that it comprises a high water level sensing electrode: to detect the high water level. The method according to claim 1 or 3, And each electrode is provided to be wrapped by the electrode part case when the upper case and the electrode part case are integrally formed by insert injection, the water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine. The method according to claim 1 or 3, The end of each electrode is not wrapped by the electrode unit case is provided with a water level sensor of the steam generator for a drum washing machine, characterized in that it is provided to be exposed to the outside.

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