KR20100082662A - Door locking switch and a cloth treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A door lock switch and a clothing managing device using the same are provided to not open a door while clothing is processed such as washing or drying and to maintain a door in opened after finishing clothing processing. CONSTITUTION: A door lock switch(40) comprises a switch body(50) wherein a barrier hole is formed and a door hook is inserted in the barrier hole, a slider(80) which is installed in the rear side of the switch body and is reciprocated between a first location allowing the secession of the hook and a second location secluding the secession of the hook, and a fixing unit(100) which selectively fixes the slider in order to locate in one among the first location or the second location.

Description

DOOR LOCKING SWITCH AND A CLOTH TREATING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a door lock switch and a clothes treating apparatus using the same, and more particularly, to a switch for locking or releasing a door of a clothes treating apparatus such as a washing machine or a dryer and a clothes treating apparatus using the same.

The clothes treating apparatus such as a washing machine or a dryer includes a cabinet or a main body in which a clothes inlet is formed, and inside the main body, a tub and a drum are inserted into the drum rotatably installed in the tub, followed by washing the drum while rotating the drum. Or drying or the like.

On the other hand, the door for opening and closing the clothes inlet is fixed to the front of the main body by a hinge. A hook is installed at one side of the inner surface of the door, and a door lock switch is coupled to the hook to maintain the closed state of the door.

The door lock switch may also include a lock to prevent the door from opening in certain situations, such as a laundry process, to prevent the door from opening due to pressure applied to the door by the wash water or clothing during the laundry or drying process. do.

The locking device also serves to prevent the occurrence of a safety accident, such as suffocating the infant into the drum of the washing machine. That is, by keeping the door locked in the state where all the washing process is finished, it is possible to prevent the infant from accessing the inside of the drum, thereby preventing the occurrence of a safety accident.

However, in the case of the conventional door lock switch as described above, only the function of maintaining the door locked state, it is still possible to access the inside of the drum when the door is not closed due to carelessness after washing type, once the infant If the door is closed by entering the interior, it is difficult to open the door from the inside, so there is still a problem of a safety accident.

The present invention has been made to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art as described above, the technical problem is to provide a door lock switch that can selectively maintain the locked and open state as well as the locked state.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treating apparatus which can selectively maintain the locked state and the opened state as well as the locked state.

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem, the switch body is formed with a hook hole is inserted into the door hook of the clothes processing apparatus; A slider slidably mounted to a rear surface of the switch body and reciprocating between a first position allowing the detachment of the hook inserted through the engaging hole and a second position blocking the detachment of the hook; There is provided a door lock switch of a clothes treating apparatus including fixing means for selectively fixing the slider to be located at either the first position or the second position.

According to this aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for selectively fixing the position of the slider to each position to allow or block the separation of the hook, thereby keeping the door of the clothes handling apparatus locked or open I would have to. Here, in the open state, the door is separated from the clothes inlet of the clothes handling apparatus and is accessible to the inside of the clothes handling apparatus. However, even if the door covers the clothes inlet of the clothes handling apparatus, the hook is not fixed inside the hook hole. Including a state that can easily open the door.

Here, it may further include an elastic means for applying an elastic force for moving the slider to the first position side.

In addition, the fixing means is in contact with the slider to limit the movement of the slider pin; And an actuator configured to protrude the pin from the switch body, and the slider may be provided with first and second fixing grooves that are coupled to the pin to fix the slider at first and second positions, respectively.

The fixing means may further include first and second pins contacting the slider to limit the movement of the slider; And an actuator for selectively protruding the first and second pins from the switch body, wherein the slider includes first and second pins in contact with the first and second pins to fix the slider to first and second positions, respectively; A second contact surface can be formed.

Here, the slider may include a protrusion located on an upper portion of one of the first and second pins as the slide moves, and both sides of the protrusion correspond to the first and second contact surfaces.

According to another aspect of the invention, the main body; A door coupled to the front surface of the main body and including a hook at one end thereof; A door lock switch mounted inside the front surface of the main body, the door locking switch including a coupling part coupled to the hook and a locking means contacting or separating with the hook to allow or block detachment from the coupling part of the hook; And a control unit for controlling the operation of the locking means of the door lock switch, the control unit is provided with a clothes processing apparatus for controlling the operation of the locking means in accordance with a preset or user selection.

In this case, the control unit may maintain the door lock switch in a state allowing the detachment of the hook when all processes of the clothes treating apparatus are finished.

According to the aspects of the present invention having the configuration as described above, the door lock switch can always be in the open state or the closed state, so that the door is not opened in the process of clothing, such as washing or drying, and the process of clothing When all are closed, the door can be kept open at all times, thus preventing the occurrence of a safety accident.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an embodiment of the door lock switch and the clothes processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

1, a washing machine to which an embodiment of the door lock switch according to the present invention is applied is shown. Here, the embodiment is not necessarily limited to a washing machine, and any clothes processing apparatus having a door such as a clothes dryer. Applicable to

The washing machine shown in FIG. 1 includes a cabinet or a main body 2 in which a clothes inlet 1 is formed, and the clothes are placed inside the main body 2 in a tub and a drum rotatably installed in the tub. After the input, the process of washing or drying is performed while rotating the drum.

On the other hand, the door 10 for opening and closing the clothes inlet 1 is fixed to the front of the main body 2 by a hinge 12. A hook 14 is installed at one side of the inner surface of the door 10, and a door lock switch 40 coupled to the hook 14 to maintain the door in a closed state is provided on the rear surface of the main body 2. Is installed.

Referring to Figure 2, the back of the main body 2 and the door lock switch 40 is shown. The door lock switch 40 includes a switch main body 50 constituting the external appearance of the device, the one end of the main body 50 is coupled to the main body 2 at the same time having a rectangular engaging hole in the center The unit 60 is located. The upper and lower ends of the coupling part 60 are fastened by the fixing bolt 62 to the rear surface of the outer peripheral part of the clothing inlet 1 of the main body 2 so that the door lock switch 40 can be stably supported by the main body 2. To help.

In addition, the terminal unit 70 is located at one side of the lower end of the switch main body 50, and is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) installed in the main body 2 of the washing machine through the terminal unit 70. Through this, it is possible to control the operation of the door lock switch 40 by controlling an actuator such as a bimetal to be described later.

On the other hand, the rear surface of the switch body 50 is provided so that the slider 80 extends to the engaging hole of the coupling portion 60. The slider 80 is installed to be reciprocated with a predetermined width along the longitudinal direction of the switch body 50, and an opening 82 is formed at a position corresponding to the engaging hole. In addition, two hook contacts 84 are formed on both side surfaces of the opening 82 to protrude toward the rear side of the washing machine body 2 by bending the member around the opening 82.

Here, a coil spring 86 is interposed between the switch body 50 and the slider 80, and the coil spring 86 exerts an elastic force on the slider 80 in the upper right direction in FIG. 2. It is configured to. In addition, a protrusion 90 is formed at an upper portion of the slider 80, and a locking groove 92 and a release groove 94 are formed at the protrusion 90, respectively. In addition, the switch body 50 has a fixing pin 100 is built, the fixing pin 100 is protruded or retracted by a bimetal to be described later any one of the locking groove 92 and the release groove 94. It is configured to be inserted into the interior of the. 2 is a state in which the fixing pin 100 is inserted into the release groove 94. In this state, even when the hook 14 is inserted into the locking hole, even if a small force is applied inside the washing machine, the fixing pin 100 is separated from the coupling groove. Thus, the door 10 is opened.

Referring to FIG. 3, a locking groove 102 is formed at an end of the fixing pin 100 extending into the switch body 50, and an end of the bimetal 104 is inserted into the locking groove 102. It is. The bimetal 104 has a state in which two metal plates having different thermal expansion rates are opposed to each other. In FIG. 3, the bimetal 104 is heated by the heater 106 and is bent toward the slider 80. For this reason, the fixing pin 100 protrudes toward the slider 80 and is inserted into the release groove 94. In this state, the slider 80 is fixed so as not to move.

On the other hand, the inner surface of the engaging hole 64 is composed of two slopes (64a, 64b) and one plane (64c), the end of the hook 14 is also adjacent to the slope (14a) and the slope (14a) The plane 14b is formed. In addition, the hook 14 is rotatably mounted about the point 14c in the door 10, so that the hook 14a of the hook 14 when the hook 14 is inserted into the locking hole 64. After rotating toward the plane 64c while contacting the slope 64a of the locking hole 64, the slider 80 is pushed downward in FIG. 3 while returning to its original position after passing through the slope 64a. It is brought into the state shown in FIG. However, the retraction of the slider 80 is impossible in the state in which the fixing pin 100 is inserted into the release groove 94 as shown in FIG. 3, and the fixing pin 100 is separated from the release groove 94. Only in the state, the advance and retraction of the fixing pin 100 is controlled by the controller.

4 is a state in which the hook 14 is inserted into the locking hole 64, and the bottom surface 14b of the hook 14 is fixed to prevent the hook 14 from being caught by the outer circumferential plane of the locking hole 64. to be. In this case, the slider 80 has the fixing pin 100 inserted into the locking groove 92 so that movement thereof is blocked, and the contact portion 84 of the slider 80 contacts the rear surface of the hook 14. This prevents the hook 14 from rotating counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the hook 14 cannot be separated from the catching hole 64 and the door 10 is locked. This locked state is maintained until the fixing pin 100 is separated from the locking groove 92.

The operation of the washing machine to which the embodiment of the door locking device is applied will now be described.

In the state in which the fixing pin 100 is accommodated inside the switch body 50, the locked state or the open state maintaining function is not exerted. In this state, if the user closes the door 10 after inserting laundry through the clothes inlet 1, the hook 14 is inserted into the locking groove 64 and the slider 80 is shown in FIG. 4. Will be in the state of. Then, when the user instructs through a button or the like to perform the washing stroke, the control unit protrudes the fixing pin 100, the fixing pin 100 is inserted into the locking groove 94 to the door 10 is in a locked state and the door 10 is not opened even through a handle installed on the surface of the door 10 or the impact inside.

When all the washing process is completed, the control unit retracts the fixing pin 100 so that the slider 80 is released in a fixed state, and in this state, the user opens the door through a handle installed in the door 10. 10) can be opened. When the door 10 is opened, the slider 80 advances to the state of FIG. 3, and when the user selects or automatically the control unit protrudes the fixing pin 100 to be inserted into the release groove 94. Since the retraction of the slider 80 is prevented, the hook 14 is not fixed in the locking groove 64 so that the door 10 remains open. Therefore, even when the infant enters the inside of the drum, the door 10 can be opened even with a slight impact, so that the escape is easy, and the door 10 is not completely in contact with the main body 2, thereby reducing the risk of choking.

On the other hand, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiment, of course, various forms of modifications are possible. As an example, it is also conceivable to include two fixing pins, and as the respective fixing pins protrude, the slider is fixed in an open position to allow the hook to be detached and a fixing position to block the detachment of the hook. have.

That is, as shown in Figure 5, to form a protrusion (80a) on the upper portion of the slider 80 is installed in the switch body 50 and the first fixing pin 110 is installed on the left side of the protrusion (80a) On the bottom of the protrusion 80a, the second fixing pin 112 is installed to protrude and retract by bimetal or the like. In FIG. 5, the slider 80 is in the state of FIG. 3, and the second fixing pin 112 is pushed back by the protrusion 80a. When the first fixing pin 110 protrudes in this state, since the retraction of the slider 80 is prevented, the hook 14 is in an open state that can be freely separated from the locking hole 64.

When the door 10 is closed in a state where both the first fixing pin 110 and the second fixing pin 112 are retracted, the hook 14 is inserted into the locking hole 64 while the slider 80 is closed. 4 is moved to the state shown in FIG. 4, and the second fixing pin 112 is exposed to the outside so as to protrude. Thereafter, when the second fixing pin 112 protrudes, the slider 80 remains in a retracted state, and thus the door 10 remains locked.

1 is a perspective view showing a washing machine to which an embodiment of a door lock switch according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion in which the door lock switch is installed in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the door lock switch of FIG. 2.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the slider is retracted in FIG. 3.

5 is a front view showing a part of another embodiment of a door lock switch according to the present invention.

Claims (10)

A switch body in which a hook hole into which the door hook of the clothes treating apparatus is inserted is formed; A slider slidably mounted to a rear surface of the switch body and reciprocating between a first position allowing the detachment of the hook inserted through the engaging hole and a second position blocking the detachment of the hook; And locking means for selectively securing the slider to be located at either the first position or the second position. The method of claim 1, And an elastic means for applying an elastic force to move the slider to the first position side. The method of claim 1, The fixing means includes a pin in contact with the slider to limit the movement of the slider; And An actuator configured to protrude the pin from the switch body, The slider of the door lock switch of the clothing processing apparatus, characterized in that the first and second fixing grooves are coupled to the pin to fix the slider to the first and second positions, respectively. The method of claim 1, The fixing means includes first and second pins contacting the slider to limit movement of the slider; And An actuator for selectively protruding the first and second pins from the switch body, And a first and a second contact surface formed at the slider in contact with the first and second pins to fix the slider at first and second positions, respectively. The method of claim 4, wherein The slider includes a protrusion located above any one of the first and second pins as the slide moves. Door lock switch of the clothes processing apparatus, characterized in that both sides of the protrusion corresponding to the first and second contact surface. main body; A door coupled to the front surface of the main body and including a hook at one end thereof; A door lock switch mounted inside the front surface of the main body, the door locking switch including a coupling part coupled to the hook and a locking means contacting or separating with the hook to allow or block the detachment from the coupling part of the hook; And It includes a control unit for controlling the operation of the locking means of the door lock switch, The control unit clothing processing apparatus for controlling the operation of the locking means in accordance with a preset or the user's selection. The method of claim 6, The door lock switch, A switch body in which a locking hole into which the door hook is inserted is formed; A slider slidably mounted to a rear surface of the switch body and reciprocating between a first position allowing the detachment of the hook inserted through the engaging hole and a second position blocking the detachment of the hook; And fastening means for selectively fixing the slider to be located at either the first position or the second position. The method of claim 7, wherein The fixing means includes a pin in contact with the slider to limit the movement of the slider; And An actuator configured to protrude the pin from the switch body, And the first and second fixing grooves are formed in the slider in combination with the pins to fix the sliders to the first and second positions, respectively. The method of claim 7, wherein The fixing means includes first and second pins contacting the slider to limit movement of the slider; And An actuator for selectively protruding the first and second pins from the switch body, And the first and second contact surfaces formed on the slider in contact with the first and second pins to fix the slider to first and second positions, respectively. The method of claim 6, The control unit is a clothes processing apparatus, characterized in that to maintain the state that allows the door lock switch to leave the hook when all the processes of the clothes processing apparatus is finished.

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