RU2468130C2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: textiles, paper.

SUBSTANCE: washing machine (1) comprises a drum (3), a motor (6) with an output shaft (8), a driving belt (13) covering the output shaft (8) and the drum (3) for rotating the drum (3) around the first fixed axis (4), and a tensioning device (14) for the belt (13) tension, which comprises a pulley (15) loosely mounted on the second fixed axis (17) with the possibility of contact with the belt (13) with a given contact pressure and with the possibility of radial elastic deformation.

EFFECT: simplification of the design of the belt drive due to elimination of the number of components while ensuring the maintenance of the belt tightly tensioned.

Description

The invention relates to a washing machine, in particular, comprising a housing mounted therein to rotate about a first stationary axis a drum, a drum drive comprising a motor with an output shaft and a belt drive with a belt located around the drum and the motor output shaft for connecting them.

As you know, the drive belt of the drum of the machines of the above type inevitably stretches as it is used and, therefore, must be manually tensioned periodically.

To avoid this, washing machines known, for example, from GB 2078357, include a belt tension control system to compensate for its gradual stretching and maintaining in a tight tension state.

In a machine known from GB 2078357, a belt is located around a drum and a pulley mounted on an engine eccentrically relative to the axis of the output shaft and connected to it by means of a friction wheel. The engine is mounted with the possibility of rotation with bearings on a support inseparably connected to the housing, and can rotate together with the pulley around the axis of the output shaft using a spring that stretches between the engine housing and the machine body and creates torque for preloading the engine body.

The disadvantage of this solution is a serious complication of the design of the machine due to the large number of components, for example, engine mount, bearings, friction wheel and spring.

The objective of the invention is to provide a machine of the type described above, which ensures that the belt is tightly tensioned in a simple and economical way.

This problem is solved in the washing machine according to the invention with the characteristics set forth in paragraph 1, and preferably in any directly or indirectly dependent on it claim.

Below, by way of example, several non-limiting embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a machine according to the invention with parts removed for clarity;

figure 2 - part of the machine depicted in figure 1, on an enlarged scale;

figure 3 is a section along the line III-III of the part depicted in figure 2;

figure 4 is a variant of the part depicted in figure 2, on an enlarged scale;

figure 5 is a section along the line V-V of the part depicted in figure 4.

Shown in figure 1, the washing machine 1 or dryer contains a housing 2 and mounted inside it with the possibility of rotation by means of a drive 5 around a fixed axis 4 perforated washing drum 3.

The drive 5 forms part of the machine 1 and comprises a motor 6, comprising a housing 7 mounted in the housing 2 of the machine on elastic damping bearings 10, and an output shaft 8 having the possibility of rotation (counterclockwise in figure 1) around an axis 9 parallel to axis 4 .

The drive 5 also contains a belt drive 11 containing a pulley 12 mounted on the output shaft 8, and a belt 13 located around the pulley 12 and the drum 3 for connecting the drum 3 with the output shaft 8.

The machine 1 also contains a tensioning device 14 for elastic and automatic compensation of changes in the length of the belt 13, in order to maintain it in a tightly tensioned state and to provide effective transmission of rotation between the output shaft 8 and the drum 3.

The tensioner 14 comprises a pulley 15, freely mounted on the shaft 16, rigidly connected to the housing 2 and having an axis 17 parallel to the axis 9. The pulley 15 is pressed against the outer surface of the driven part of the belt 13, which partially envelopes the pulley 15 and can rotate it around the axis 17 in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the output shaft 8.

As shown in FIG. 1 and in more detail in FIGS. 2-5, the pulley 15 comprises a cylindrical core coaxial with the axis 17, formed by a sleeve 18 rotatably mounted on the shaft 16, and an element 19 made of rigid plastic material and permanently installed in the sleeve 18, coaxial to the axis 17. The pulley 15 also contains an outer ring 20 made of hard plastic material, which has a shaped outer surface forming a groove 21 for the belt 13.

Between the element 19 and the ring 20 of the pulley 15 there is an annular element 22 made of a radially elastically deformable material, which during use ensures that the belt 13 is kept constant tension substantially equal to the tension of the belt 13 after assembly.

The pulley 15 is installed in the housing 2 in a position in which, as shown in FIG. 1, the pressure exerted by the belt 13 on the ring 20 deforms the ring element 22, compressing its portion facing the belt 13, thereby moving the ring 20 to an eccentric position relative to axis 17.

The elastic resistance of the annular element 22 provides sufficient elastic pre-tensioning of the belt 13 to maintain it in a tightly tensioned state, immediate compensation of any stretching of the belt 13 and, thus, eliminating the need for periodic tensioning of the belt 13 manually.

Essentially, as shown in FIG. 1, increasing the length of the belt 13 inevitably reduces the pressure it generates on the ring element 22 by the ring 20, which the ring element 22 sets in its normal position, coaxial with the axis 17 (as shown by the dotted line), while The initial pre-loaded state will not be restored.

In the example shown in figures 2 and 3, the annular element 22 is made cylindrical from layers of elastomeric material and has a cylindrical inner surface, one-piece connected to the element 19, and a cylindrical outer surface, one-piece connected to the ring 20.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the annular element 22 is formed by a dense layer of elastomeric material, which is inseparably connected to the element 19 and the outer surface to the ring 20, and preferably contains a metal ring 23 inside the metal.

In other, not shown embodiments of the invention, the annular element 22 may be made of any elastically deformable material.

In a modification not shown in the drawings, the pulley 15 may be located inside the space formed by the belt 13, pressing against the inner side of the belt 13.

Claims (11)

1. A washing machine comprising a housing (2) installed inside it with the possibility of rotation around a first stationary axis (4), a drum (3) and a drive (5) for driving a drum (3), including an engine (6) with output shaft (8) and belt drive (11) with a belt (13) covering the output shaft (8) and drum (3) for connecting them, characterized in that the engine (6) is essentially fixedly mounted in the housing (2 ) and contains a tensioning device (14) containing a pulley (15), freely mounted on the second fixed axis (17) with the possibility of contact with a belt (13) with a predetermined contact pressure and with the possibility of radial elastic deformation. 2. The machine according to claim 1, in which the engine (6) comprises a housing (7) essentially fixedly connected to the housing (2) of the machine, and the second stationary axis (17) is formed by a rod (16), one-piece connected to the housing ( 7). 3. Machine according to any one of claims 1 or 2, in which the pulley (15) contains an inner annular element (22) made of an elastically deformable material and located around a second fixed axis (17). 4. Machine according to any one of claims 1 or 2, in which the pulley (15) is mounted on the shaft (16) coaxially with the second fixed axis (17) and contains a rigid cylindrical element (19) mounted for rotation on the shaft (16), a rigid outer ring (20) forming a groove (21) for the belt (13) and an annular element (22) made of an elastically deformable material located around a second fixed axis (17) between the cylindrical element (19) and the outer ring (20) . 5. The machine according to claim 3, in which the pulley (15) is mounted on the shaft (16) coaxially with the second fixed axis (17) and contains a rigid cylindrical element (19) mounted for rotation on the shaft (16), a rigid outer ring ( 20), forming a groove (21) for the belt (13), and an annular element (22) made of an elastically deformable material located around the second fixed axis (17) between the cylindrical element (19) and the outer ring (20). 6. The machine according to claim 3, in which the annular element (22) is made cylindrical from an elastomeric material. 7. The machine according to claim 4, in which the annular element (22) is made cylindrical from an elastomeric material. 8. The machine according to claim 5, in which the annular element (22) is made cylindrical from an elastomeric material. 9. The machine according to claim 3, in which the annular element (22) contains a layer of elastomeric material containing a metal element (23). 10. The machine according to claim 4, in which the annular element (22) contains a layer of elastomeric material containing a metal element (23). 11. The machine according to claim 5, in which the annular element (22) contains a layer of elastomeric material containing a metal element (23).

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