KR20110106750A - Dish washer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a dishwasher capable of adjusting an installation height.
According to the present invention, the dishwasher comprising a leg assembly which is elevated by the operation of the lower frame and the operator to adjust the height of the lower frame relative to the floor, wherein the leg assembly, the worm gear; An adjustment leg which rotates by being coupled to the worm gear at one side of the worm gear; Leg to lift the lower frame in accordance with the rotation of the adjustment leg; And when the torque applied to the worm gear in a rotational constraint condition of the worm gear is a predetermined or more, to provide a dishwasher comprising an elastic member elastically deformed in the other direction of the worm gear to release the gear coupling of the worm gear and the adjustment leg. Can be.

Description

Dishwasher {Dish washer}

The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a dishwasher capable of adjusting an installation height.

Referring to Figure 1, a conventional dishwasher will be described.

The dishwasher is a device for washing dishes by spraying washing water on the dishes. The dishwasher includes a washing chamber 3 in which dishes are placed inside the main body 1 to wash, and various electrical appliances for supplying high-pressure washing water to the washing chamber 3 by being positioned under the washing chamber 3. It is comprised including the base 5 which is installed.

The washing chamber 3 and the driving unit installation unit 5 will be described as follows.

The front of the washing chamber 3 is provided with a door 7 that can be opened and closed. An upper rack 12 and a lower rack 14 on which dishes are placed are installed in the washing chamber 3, and an upper spray arm 32 spraying the washing water on the lower part of the upper rack 12 and the lower rack 14. ) And the lower injection arm 34 are disposed respectively.

Then, one side inside the washing chamber is provided with a heater 13 for heating the moisture remaining in the washing chamber to make steam after the washing process is finished.

On the other hand, the base (5) is provided with a sump (9) for receiving the wash water, the sump (9) pumps the wash water and sends it to the upper injection arm (32) and the lower injection arm (34) of the washing chamber (3). A wash pump is installed. Generally, the sump 9 and the upper injection arm 32 and the lower injection arm 34 are connected by the upper connection pipe 322 and the lower connection pipe 324.

On the other hand, the lower surface of the base 5 is provided with a plurality of legs (1a) for supporting the main body (1).

In addition, the washing pump is generally composed of a motor 13 for generating a driving force, and an impeller (not shown) connected to the motor 13.

Referring to the operation of the conventional dishwasher described above as follows.

When the dishwasher is operated, the washing water of the sump 9 is pumped by the washing pump and supplied to the upper spray arm 32 and / or the lower spray arm 34 of the washing chamber 3. Therefore, the washing water is sprayed from the upper injection arm 32 and the lower injection arm 34 to the dishes placed on the upper rack 12 and / or the lower rack 14 to wash the dishes. The wash water may be supplied to the upper injection arm 32 or the lower injection arm 34 alone or may be supplied at the same time.

The washing water sprayed on the tableware is recovered to the sump 9 through a recovery hole (not shown) in communication with the sump 9. In this case, the washing water containing the contaminants by washing the dishes may be filtered through a predetermined filtering means.

The dishwasher adjusts the installation height through the legs (1a). However, in general, a dishwasher is easily installed so that an operator can access only the front surface of the dishwasher (the side where the door is installed). Therefore, compared with the leg 1a provided in front of the dishwasher, the operation of the leg 1a provided in the back is very difficult.

Recently, a built-in dishwasher designed to be installed in a kitchen according to height and size of a kitchen sink and other products is widely used to increase space utilization.

The kitchen sink is provided with a space in which the dishwasher is inserted, the width of which is made according to the width of the dishwasher. However, in order to facilitate the insertion of the dishwasher, it is preferable that the height of the space is made with a margin.

Once the dishwasher is inserted into the space, it is desirable to fill the gap 2 'between the top plate 2 of the sink and the dishwasher. This is aesthetic problem, but dust is introduced into the gap (2 ') because it may be a hygiene problem.

However, unlike the front legs, it is very difficult to adjust the height of the rear legs. Therefore, it is also very difficult to insert the dishwasher by adjusting the rear leg from the beginning.

In order to solve this problem, a dishwasher capable of adjusting not only the front leg but also the rear leg at the front of the dishwasher has been developed, but at the front of the dishwasher, the operator fills the gap 2 'at the rear of the dishwasher. There is a problem that is very difficult to determine whether or not.

This problem is described in more detail.

The worker can easily see that the gap 2 'at the front of the dishwasher is filled in front of the dishwasher. Therefore, the operator can visually confirm that the gap 2 'is filled and stop the operation of the front leg 1a. However, it is difficult for an operator to easily check that the gap 2 'at the rear of the dishwasher is filled in front of the dishwasher. This is because the gap 2 'is generally very narrow, making it difficult to identify the height of the rear part of the dishwasher. As a result, even when the rear leg ascends as much as possible and cannot rise any more, excessive force is applied to the rear leg, thereby causing a problem in that the leg is broken.

The present invention basically aims to solve the above-mentioned problems.

More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher which prevents damage to the leg assembly and enables reuse to improve reliability.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dishwasher which can be easily installed by an operator, and in particular, can be easily operated with an installation height.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a dishwasher comprising a leg assembly which is elevated by the operation of the lower frame and the operator to adjust the height of the lower frame relative to the floor.

More specifically, the leg assembly comprises a worm gear and a control leg that rotates in gear coupling with the worm gear at one side of the worm gear. In addition, it may include a leg for lifting the lower frame in accordance with the rotation of the adjustment leg.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention may be made including an elastic member of various forms.

Specifically, when the torque applied to the worm gear in a rotational constraint condition of the worm gear is a predetermined or more, it comprises an elastic member that is elastically deformed in the other direction of the worm gear to release the gear coupling of the worm gear and the adjustment leg.

The elastic member may include a shaft provided to operate the worm gear in a position spaced apart by the operator.

When such a shaft is provided, it is preferable that the leg be provided at the rear of the lower frame. And, one end of the shaft is preferably connected to the worm gear and the other end is preferably located in front of the lower frame.

One end of the shaft comprises a distal end and a crimping portion, it is preferred that the worm gear is formed with a groove corresponding to the distal end and the crimping portion. The thickness of the crimping portion may be smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end, and the width of the crimping portion may be larger than the outer diameter of the distal end. This increases the coupling strength between the shaft and the worm gear. Therefore, even if a large torque is applied, it can prevent that they mutually separate. In addition, it is possible to further widen the area that the shaft and the worm gear contact, so that the torque can be transmitted more smoothly. Of course, the force applied to the worm gear is distributed through the crimping portion to prevent damage in the groove of the worm gear, in particular the worm gear.

The embodiment may include a nut fixed to the rotation of the lower frame to be coupled to the leg.

And, the lower portion of the adjustment leg is preferably inserted into the leg so as to slide up and down. Accordingly, the regulating leg is rotatable with the leg and at the same time, the leg can move up and down relative to the regulating leg.

The embodiment may further include a holder provided to cover the upper portion of the control leg to limit the vertical movement of the control leg and block the inflow of foreign matter or water.

One side of the holder is preferably opened to allow horizontal movement of the worm gear. The holder may be provided to cover a portion of the upper portion of the worm gear. The holder prevents water or dust from entering the nut or leg through the adjusting leg in the lower frame. As a result, this moisture or dust is prevented from entering the bottom of the dishwasher through the lower frame.

Preferably, a gap is formed between the side wall of the lower base and the worm gear to allow horizontal movement of the worm gear. The elastic member may include a spring provided on the other side of the worm gear. Therefore, the spring is preferably provided between the side wall of the lower base and the worm gear.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention also comprises a worm gear rotatably provided through a support; An adjustment leg which rotates by being coupled to the worm gear at one side of the worm gear; When the torque applied to the worm gear in the rotation constraint condition of the worm gear is a predetermined or more, provides a leg assembly including an elastic member is elastically deformed to horizontally move the worm gear to release the gear coupling of the worm gear and the adjustment leg. And it provides a dishwasher comprising such a leg assembly.

Here, the leg assembly may be provided to cover the upper portion of the control leg and the worm gear, one side may include a holder formed with an opening portion to enable the horizontal movement of the worm gear.

In addition, the elastic member is preferably provided to apply an elastic force in a direction that prevents the horizontal movement of the worm gear, it may be a spring provided between the side wall of the lower frame and the worm gear.

In addition, the elastic member may include a shaft which is provided to operate the worm gear in a position where the operator is spaced apart.

In addition, the lower frame is preferably formed with a support for supporting the worm gear or shaft. The support part may include a first support part in which the worm gear or shaft is rotatably supported and a second support part in which the worm gear or the shaft is rotatable and horizontally movable.

According to the present invention can basically provide a dishwasher that can solve the above problems.

More specifically, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dishwasher which prevents damage to the leg assembly and enables reuse to improve reliability.

According to the present invention, it is also possible to provide a dishwasher which can be easily installed by the operator, and in particular, which can easily manipulate the installation height.

In addition, according to the present invention it is possible to prevent the inflow of water or dust in the leg assembly, thereby providing a dishwasher capable of preventing contamination of the floor is installed dishwasher.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a typical dishwasher;
2 is a front view of a kitchen equipped with a built-in dishwasher;
3 is a perspective view illustrating a lower frame and a leg assembly of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exploded perspective view of the leg assembly of FIG. 3;
5 is a plan view of the leg assembly of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the supports for supporting the shaft shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the supports for supporting the shaft shown in FIG.
8 is a graph showing the relationship between the torque applied to the leg assembly and the stress.

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

An embodiment of the present invention includes a lower frame 20 constituting the lower part of the dishwasher as shown in FIG. The lower frame is configured to support many configurations of the dishwasher at the bottom of the dishwasher.

In addition, the lower frame 20 includes a leg assembly 30 for supporting the dishwasher against the floor. The leg assembly 30 may be formed of a front leg assembly provided in the front of the dishwasher and a rear leg assembly provided in the rear.

The front leg assembly and the rear leg assembly may have the same operating mechanism. That is, only the names differ depending on the installation location, and the structure or the components may be the same. Therefore, below, the back leg assembly 30 is mainly demonstrated.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rear leg assembly 30 may comprise a shaft 31 which transmits torque applied by the operator in front of the dishwasher. And, it comprises a worm gear 34 that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the shaft (31).

Of course, the shaft 31 is omitted in the front leg assembly 30 and it will be possible for the operator to directly torque the worm gear 34. However, in this case, since the worm gear 34 should be rotatably supported, it may be preferable that the shaft 32 is provided at the rear end of the worm gear or the front and rear ends of the worm gear. Of course, the shaft 31 and the worm gear 34 may be integrally formed.

However, when the shaft 31 and the worm gear 34 are integrally formed, a portion having weak strength may occur due to the difference in cross-sectional area. That is, a sudden cross-sectional area of the shaft 31 may increase, and strength may be weak at a portion reaching the worm gear 34. Due to this problem, the shaft 31 and the worm gear 34 are preferably manufactured separately and connected to each other.

Therefore, one end of the shaft 31 is preferably connected to the worm gear and the other end is preferably located in front of the lower frame.

More specifically, it is preferable that a portion of the shaft 31 and the worm gear 34 connected to each other, that is, one end of the shaft, is formed to further increase the connection strength and more reliably transmit torque.

Although not shown, one end of the shaft may include a distal end and a crimping portion, and a groove corresponding to the distal end and the crimping portion may be formed in the worm gear. Here, the distal end means the end of the shaft, the shape may be the same as the middle portion of the shaft.

For example, when the total length of the shaft is 600mm, the distal end may mean a portion about 2mm at the end of the shaft. And a crimping portion may be formed next to the end portion. The pressing part may be, for example, about 5 mm long. Here, the crimping portion may mean a portion that is compressed, unlike other portions of the shaft, to have a thinner thickness but a wider width. That is, the thickness of the crimp portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end portion, and the width thereof is larger than the outer diameter of the distal end portion.

A groove is formed in the worm gear corresponding to the distal end and the compressed part, and the distal end and the compressed part may be forcibly fitted into the groove. This allows for smooth torque transmission and higher connection strength.

When the operator applies torque to the shaft to rotate the worm gear 34, the control leg 35 coupled to the worm gear rotates on one side of the worm gear 34. Due to the shape and structure of the worm gear, the regulating legs, and the gear coupling, the rotation axes of the worm gears are perpendicular to each other. That is, the worm gear 34 is configured to rotate based on a horizontal axis of rotation with respect to the floor by the torque applied by the operator, the control leg 35 is configured to rotate about the axis of rotation perpendicular to the floor by the worm gear. .

A leg 37 may be provided below the adjustment leg 35. The leg 37 rotates as the control leg 35 rotates to elevate the lower frame 20. That is, the leg 37 is configured to widen or narrow the gap between the lower frame 20 and the floor according to the rotation direction.

If the leg 37 is regarded as a bolt in a relation between a general nut and a bolt, it is easy to understand. If the nut is fixed in a non-rotatable manner, rotating the bolt to tighten it further inserts the bolt into the nut, narrowing the gap between the nut and the bolt. This can be easily understood as the height of the dishwasher is lowered. Conversely, turning the bolt to loosen widens the gap between the bolt and the nut. This can be easily understood as the height of the dishwasher increases.

Therefore, it is preferable that the nut 36 is provided in relation to the leg 37. That is, a hole 36a may be formed in the nut, a screw 36b may be formed in the hole, and a screw 37b may be formed in the leg 37. That is, the female thread on the nut and the male thread on the bolt may be coupled to each other. And the lower part 37c of the leg 37a is formed in the shape suitable for supporting a dishwasher.

The nut 36 is preferably rotatably fixed to the lower frame 20. Of course, the configuration for rotating this leg 37 is the adjustment leg 30 described above.

On the other hand, the nut 36 is not only rotatable, it is preferable that the up and down movement in the lower frame 20 is not fixed. In addition, it is preferable that the adjustment leg 35 can be rotated only and cannot be moved up and down in the lower frame. Therefore, the coupling structure of the control leg 35 and the leg 37 is very important.

The lower part 35 'of the regulating leg 35 is configured to be inserted into the inner hollow 37a of the leg 37. However, as described above, since the height of the adjustment leg 35 and the nut 36 in the lower frame 20 is fixed, the lower portion 35 'of the adjustment leg 35 is an internal hollow ( It is preferred that it is slidable at 37a).

In addition, since the rotation of the lower portion 35 'of the adjustment leg 35 must be transmitted to the leg 37, the cross section of the lower portion 35' is preferably formed in a polygon. Of course, the cross-sectional view of the hollow 37a is preferably formed of a polygon corresponding to the cross-section of the lower portion 35 '. In consideration of torque transfer efficiency and wear of the torque transfer portion, the polygon may be hexagonal. However, it is not necessarily limited to such a shape and may be implemented in various ways such as a serration form.

The relationship between the control leg lower 35 'and the hollow 37a can be vertically sliding but rotated together. Therefore, it is preferable that the rotation shaft of the control leg 35 and the leg 37 is formed the same.

The torque transmission mechanism in the leg assembly 30 is described in the leg 37 reference as follows.

As the leg 37 rotates, the distance between the bottom and the lower frame 20 changes. To this end, the lower frame 20 may be provided with a fixed nut 36. Thus, as the leg 37 rotates, the distance between the nut 36 and the leg 37 varies.

An adjustment leg 35 is provided to rotate the leg 37. In order for the rotation of the adjustment leg 35 to be transmitted to the leg 37, the lower portion 35 ′ of the adjustment leg 35 is inserted into the hollow 37a of the leg 37. Thus, the leg 37 rotates due to the rotation of the lower portion 35 'of the regulating leg. However, since the adjustment leg 35 also has a fixed height at the lower frame 20 like the nut 36, the lower portion 35 ′ of the adjustment leg slides into the hollow 37a of the leg 37. Preferably inserted. That is, as the height of the dishwasher is lowered, the lower part 35 'will be inserted into the hollow 37a more deeply.

On the other hand, the rotation axis of the adjustment leg 35 and the leg 37 is perpendicular to the floor. Thus, when such components constitute the front leg assembly, the operator may directly manipulate the adjustment leg 35 through a wrench or the like. In this case, it will be possible to omit the above-described worm gear 34. Of course, the aforementioned shaft 31 may also be omitted.

However, when the adjustment leg 35 and the leg 37 form a rear leg assembly, as described above, it is very difficult for an operator to directly operate the adjustment leg 35. To this end, the worm gear 34 needs to be configured as described above.

The axis of rotation of the worm gear 34 is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the regulating leg 35. That is, it can be said that the rotating shaft is formed parallel to the floor. This structure makes it possible for the operator to apply torque through the shaft 31 described above. In addition, in the case of the rear leg assembly, it is possible for the operator to apply torque to the worm gear 34 in front of the dishwasher.

When torque is applied to the worm gear 34, the operator will use a power tool, for example a torque driver. The torque driver is generally manufactured to adjust the strength of the torque step by step.

8 is a graph showing the relationship between stress (stress) and torque applied to the configuration of a worm gear and the like.

First, since the leg supports the load of the dishwasher, a torque of a predetermined size or more must be applied to overcome the load to rotate the worm gear 34 or the adjustment leg 35.

In other words, even if the torque increases to point A, the torque is only applied to the worm gear or the like, and the worm gear does not rotate. That is, only the stress increases in proportion to the torque applied, and does not rotate.

From point A to point B, the worm gear rotates while the load of the dishwasher is overcome. At this time, even if the torque applied increases, only the torque related to the load of the dishwasher is applied to the worm gear, so the stress is constant. Therefore, the stress in this section becomes constant.

However, as described above, when the gap 2 'is completely filled, that is, at the point B, the dishwasher can no longer rise. This may be referred to as a rotation constraint condition of the worm gear. In this constraint, the worm gear will be rotatable only when a torque is applied to overcome the load of the dishwasher as well as the load of the sink.

The problem is that in many cases the operator will not gradually increase the torque strength to adjust the legs. That is, when adjusting the leg using a torque driver, there is a problem in adjusting the leg with a high level of torque from the beginning.

For example, although the leg can be sufficiently adjusted in the torque stage of 5 as shown in FIG. 8, the leg is adjusted in the torque stage much higher than this. Because you want to finish the adjustment in one time instead of several times.

In general, the legs are respectively located at the rectangular corner portions of the lower frame 20. However, the load on each leg may be different due to the shape of the dishwasher or the arrangement of the internal components. As a result, the leg may be sufficiently adjusted by five torque stages for a specific leg, whereas the leg may need to be adjusted in seven torque stages for another specific leg.

Likewise, if the rear leg is adjusted, the leg may be sufficiently adjusted in five torque steps. However, if the front leg is adjusted first to fill the gap 2 ', the load of the dishwasher on the rear leg will be greater. Therefore, in this case, it may be necessary to adjust the rear leg to a torque step of seven or more steps.

As a result, the operator often adjusts the leg through a high torque stage from the beginning.

For example, if the operator adjusts the leg in the torque stage of step 11, a very large torque can be continuously applied to the worm gear even though the height of the dishwasher is no longer adjusted beyond the constraint point B. This is because the operator cannot easily grasp the constraint as described above. Therefore, under such restraint conditions, since all the torque applied is applied to the worm gear, a very large stress is generated in the worm gear.

In this case, the stress in the worm gear may exceed the limit stress at which plastic change or destruction occurs. That is, there may be a problem that the worm gear is damaged due to the stress of D or more. Of course, the same problem may occur not only in the worm gear, but also in the regulating leg 35, the leg 37, and the like. This is because the constraint condition of the worm gear is the same as the constraint condition that the regulating legs 35 and 37 cannot rotate. Therefore, breakage will occur first in the configuration with the lowest limit stress.

Due to this problem, a breakage occurs in one of the components constituting the leg assembly, so that it can no longer function as the leg assembly.

Embodiments according to the present invention provide a solution for preventing breakage of the leg assembly caused by torque applied under restraint conditions.

To this end, in particular, it provides a dishwasher including an elastic member that is elastically deformed to release the gear coupling of the worm gear 34 and the adjustment leg 35.

More specifically, when the stress in the worm gear 34 or the like or more than a predetermined range or the torque applied to the worm gear or the like provides a dishwasher including an elastic member for releasing the gear coupling. Here, the torque applied to the worm gear or the like does not mean the torque set by the torque driver. This is because the torque applied between the points A and B is not transmitted to the worm gear or the like.

Therefore, it is preferable that the elastic member is provided to release the gear coupling when the torque applied to the worm gear is in a certain range or more than a predetermined range or a certain stress or more under the rotational constraint condition of the worm gear.

As shown in Figure 8, it is preferable to release the gear coupling when the stress or torque is increased based on the point C. Here, A point, B point, C point and D point may be determined in consideration of the material of the component, the weight of the dishwasher and the like. Through this, it is possible to prevent the stress applied to the worm gear or the like under the constraint condition of the worm gear. That is, it is possible to allow only stress up to point C in the constraint and not allow more stress.

Hereinafter, the gear disengagement mechanism of the worm gear and the adjustment leg through the aforementioned elastic member will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

As described above, the regulating legs 35 are gear-coupled to one side of the worm gear 34 (for convenience, referred to as 'right' with respect to the center of the worm gear). When the worm gear rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the regulating legs, at which time repulsive force is generated between the two. The higher the torque, the greater the repulsive force and the higher the stress on the worm gear and regulating legs. For this reason, there is a possibility that breakage of the worm gear or the adjustment leg may occur under rotational restraint conditions, and there is a possibility that breakage of the support portions 33 and 33 'supporting the rotation of the worm gear may occur.

In order to prevent such a problem, it is preferable that the worm gear is moved in the direction of the other side of the worm gear (referred to as 'left' from the center of the worm gear for convenience) to release the gear coupling between the worm gear and the regulating leg. Here, the movement of the worm gear for releasing the gear coupling may be referred to as the movement for slip. Through such gear disengagement, only the worm gear rotates above the rotation constraint condition of the worm gear so that a large torque is not applied to the worm gear. This is because only the worms are rotated so that no torque is applied to overcome the weight of the dishwasher or the load depending on the constraints. Therefore, a large torque is not applied not only to the worm gear, but also to other configurations such as an adjustment leg.

The movement for slipping of the worm gear should be made when a constraint condition, that is, a stress or torque is applied to the worm gear by a predetermined range or more, as shown in FIG. 8. If it moves between point A and point B, the normal leg assembly will not function. Therefore, it is preferable that the elastic member is provided so that the worm gear can move for slip only when the torque or the stress is greater than a certain range.

The elastic member may be elastically deformable within an available torque range, and its material or shape may be determined so that displacement may occur within an appropriate range. That is, when torque or stress applied to the point C or more is deformed only to the extent that the gear coupling is released, it should be returned to its original position when the torque is removed to perform the function of the leg assembly again.

This elastic member may be made of a plurality of configurations, the position may also be different.

The elastic member may include a shaft 31 provided to allow the operator to operate the worm gear 34 at a spaced apart position.

As shown in FIG. 5, when excessive torque is applied to the worm gear, a pulling force to the left side of the worm gear may be generated. The worm gear is rotatably supported by the upper support part 33 and the lower support part 33 ′. Of course, a plurality of such supports may be provided.

Thus, the worm gear 34 and the shaft 31 between the upper support portion 33 and the lower support portion 33 'are the same as the beams or bars with both being supported and a load being applied to the intermediate portion. Therefore, the displacement will be increased in proportion to the load, and if the load is excessive, the displacement will be larger and a shift for slipping of the worm gear may occur.

If the distance between the upper support portion 33 and the lower support portion 33 'is very narrow, the gear coupling will be released when a very large load is applied (that is, a very large torque is applied to the worm gear). Therefore, plastic deformation or breakage of the shaft or worm gear, or damage to the support portions 33 and 33 'may occur before gear engagement is released. In addition, if the distance between the supports is very large, the gear coupling is released even at a small load, it is impossible to perform the function of the normal leg assembly.

For this reason, the shape, position, and strength of the supports 33 and 33 'must be appropriately determined for proper elastic deformation of the shaft, and the material, cross-sectional shape, and its strength of the shaft must also be appropriately determined.

Meanwhile, the elastic member may include a spring 38 provided on the left side of the worm gear. That is, a spring 38 for generating an elastic force in the direction of preventing movement for slipping of the worm gear may be provided. Such a spring may be a coil spring or may be a leaf spring as shown in FIG. 5.

The spring may be provided between the side wall 21 of the lower frame 20 and the worm gear 34.

First, the spring 38 acts to block the movement of the worm gear when a load under the constraint condition is applied. The spring 38 is elastically deformed to allow the worm gear to move when a load exceeding a constraint condition is applied.

Here, the spring 38 can be elastically deformed alone to enable movement of the worm gear. Of course, it is also possible to enable the movement of the worm gear together with the shaft 31 described above.

When the movement of the worm gear is possible only by the elastic deformation of the shaft 31, the range in which the displacement of the shaft varies according to the change of the small load may be very large. Thus, it may be difficult to cause the desired shaft displacement to occur in the desired load range.

On the contrary, the elastic deformation of the shaft 31 may be limited and the movement of the worm gear may be enabled only by the elastic deformation of the spring 38. In this case, however, physical deformation of the shaft will have to be preceded. In addition, when limiting the elastic deformation of the shaft, excessive load may be applied to the support portions 33 and 33 '. Therefore, it may be desirable to use the elastic deformation of the shaft 31 and the elastic deformation of the leaf spring to enable the movement of the worm gear.

On the other hand, in order to allow the elastic deformation of the shaft, it is preferable to vary the shape, position and strength of the support portions 33 and 33 'rotatably supporting the shaft 31 or the worm gear 34 in various forms.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a support part 33 may be provided to support the shaft or the worm gear so as to be rotatable, and a support part 33 ′ may be provided to support the horizontal movement. Here, the former may be referred to as the first support part and the second support part. Of course, although not shown in Figure 6 and 7 may be provided with the above-described spring.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the upper side of the worm gear is rotatably supported and the lower side is rotatable and horizontally movable. At this time, the worm gear 34 and the shaft 31 will be rotated by a predetermined angle based on the point a. That is, the shaft will rotate until it reaches point b. Therefore, it is desirable to allow the shaft to reach point b when under constraint. However, the shaft is elastically deformed in the whole shaft and worm gear, not between a and b points. This is because, although not shown below the point b, it is preferable that the first support part is further provided.

On the other hand, Figure 7 is a form in which both ends of the worm gear is supported so as to be rotatable and horizontally movable, other portions are supported only to rotate. In this case, it is preferable to allow the shaft to move to point a and b under the constraint conditions.

The variety of shapes of these supports 33, 33 ′ is related to the material of the supports. These supports are formed in the lower frame 20 because they can be manufactured by plastic injection. Therefore, if the shaft is made of a metal material because the strength of the support will be weak compared to the shaft. Therefore, it will be desirable that the support 33 which only supports the shaft to be rotatable has a greater strength than the support 33 ′ that is not. In particular, it would be desirable for the supports adjacent to the worm gear to be formed to have greater strength than those that are not.

It would also be desirable to provide a spring 38 together to distribute the load so that excessive load is not applied to these supports as described above.

The dishwasher uses water, so it is easy to be exposed to water. Therefore, there is a possibility that water flows into the lower frame from the top. In addition, there is a possibility that not only water but foreign matters may flow into the lower frame. Such water and foreign matter may flow into the nut 35 and the leg 37 as well as the worm gear 34 and the regulating leg 35. This ingress of water and foreign matter can constrain the screw or gear engagement between these components. In particular, the inflow of water may cause water to flow directly into the kitchen or the floor of the kitchen, causing corruption. This is because the under base is generally very difficult to clean.

To prevent this, as shown in FIG. 5, a holder 32 may be provided. The holder is provided to cover the upper portion of the control leg 30 to block foreign matter or moisture from entering the control leg. And, it is fixed to the lower base 20 can be prevented to move the control leg 30 up and down. Therefore, the holder 32 is rotatably supporting the control leg 30, it can be said to be configured to cover the top. In addition, the holder 32 may be referred to as a configuration to support the control leg 30 so as to rotate only relative to the lower frame 20, the control leg 30 to block the inflow of moisture and foreign matter. .

Here, the holder 32 may be formed to cover all of the upper portion of the worm gear. Of course, it may be formed to cover only a portion as shown in FIG. However, it is preferable that the side of the control leg 30 and the worm gear 34 is also formed to cover the desired action of the holder 32. That is, it is preferable to surround the adjustment leg.

However, as described above, the worm gear should be horizontally movable. To this end, an opening 32 'is preferably formed at one side of the holder 32.

As described above, the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention may provide a reliable dishwasher by preventing damage to the leg assembly.

20: lower frame 30: leg assembly
31 shaft 32 holder
33, 33 ': Support part 34: Worm gear
35: adjustment leg 36: nut
37: leg

Claims (18)

In the dishwasher comprising a leg assembly which is elevated by the operation of the lower frame and the operator to adjust the height of the lower frame relative to the floor,
The leg assembly,
Worm gear;
An adjustment leg which rotates by being coupled to the worm gear at one side of the worm gear;
Leg to lift the lower frame in accordance with the rotation of the adjustment leg; And
When the torque applied to the worm gear in the rotation constraint condition of the worm gear is a predetermined or more, the dishwasher comprising an elastic member to elastically deform in the other direction of the worm gear to release the gear coupling of the worm gear and the control leg. The method of claim 1,
The elastic member is a dishwasher, characterized in that it comprises a shaft provided to operate the worm gear in the worker spaced position. The method of claim 2,
The leg is provided in the rear of the lower frame dishwasher, characterized in that. The method of claim 3, wherein
One end of the shaft is connected to the worm gear and the other end is located in front of the lower frame dishwasher. The method of claim 4, wherein
One end of the shaft comprises a distal end and the pressing portion, the worm gear is dishwasher, characterized in that the groove corresponding to the distal end and the pressing portion is formed. The method of claim 5, wherein
The thickness of the crimping portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end portion, the width of the crimping portion is greater than the outer diameter of the distal end portion dishwasher. The method of claim 1,
And a nut fixed to the lower frame to restrain rotation to be coupled to the leg. The method of claim 7, wherein
The lower portion of the adjustment leg is inserted into the leg so as to slide up and down, the dishwasher. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The dishwasher further comprises a holder provided to cover the upper portion of the control leg to limit the vertical movement of the control leg and block the inflow of foreign matter or moisture. The method of claim 9,
One side of the holder is dishwasher, characterized in that open to allow the horizontal movement of the worm gear. The method of claim 10,
The holder is a dishwasher, characterized in that provided to cover a portion of the upper portion of the worm gear. The method of claim 1,
The elastic member is a dish washer, characterized in that it comprises a spring provided on the other side of the worm gear. The method of claim 1,
And a predetermined gap is formed between the side wall of the lower base and the worm gear to allow horizontal movement of the worm gear. In the dishwasher comprising a leg assembly which is elevated by the operation of the lower frame and the operator to adjust the height of the lower frame relative to the floor,
The leg assembly,
Worm gear rotatably provided through the support;
An adjustment leg which rotates by being coupled to the worm gear at one side of the worm gear;
An elastic member that is elastically deformed to horizontally move the worm gear in a rotational constraint condition of the worm gear, thereby releasing the gear coupling between the worm gear and the adjustment leg; And
The dishwasher is provided to cover the upper portion of the control leg and the worm gear, one side comprises a holder formed with an opening to enable the horizontal movement of the worm gear. The method of claim 14,
The elastic member is a dish washer, characterized in that for applying an elastic force in the direction of hindering the horizontal movement of the worm gear. The method of claim 15,
The elastic member is a dishwasher, characterized in that the spring provided between the side wall of the lower frame and the worm gear. The method of claim 14,
The elastic member is a dishwasher, characterized in that it comprises a shaft provided to operate the worm gear in the worker spaced position. The method of claim 17,
It comprises a support for supporting the worm gear or shaft,
The support unit dishwasher, characterized in that the worm gear or the shaft includes a first support for supporting only the rotation and the second support for supporting the rotation and horizontal movement.

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