US20050178168A1

US20050178168A1 - Gasket and drum-type washing machine having the same

Info

Publication number: US20050178168A1
Application number: US10/925,002
Authority: US
Inventors: Jae Kyum Kim; Geon Kim; Chi Wan Hur; Yu Beom Kang; Sang Man Je
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2004-02-13
Filing date: 2004-08-25
Publication date: 2005-08-18

Abstract

A gasket and washing machine having the same prevents gasket deformation and damage. The gasket is coupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine and a tub disposed inside the cabinet. The gasket includes a shock absorber having a bent portion for preventing a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred to the cabinet, and at least one reinforcement member, provided to the shock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shock absorber. The reinforcement member includes a plurality of protruding ribs protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.

Description

This application claims the benefit of Korean Applications Nos. P2004-009703 and P2004-009704, both filed on Feb. 13, 2004, and which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drum-type washing machines, and more particularly, to a gasket for absorbing shocks generated from drum rotation while preventing water leakage from a tub, which employs a reinforcement member constructed of a plurality of protruding ribs provided to a shock absorber of the gasket to prevent gasket deformation and damage, and to a washing machine having the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally speaking, a washing machine is an apparatus which uses detergent and an applied mechanical energy to remove dirt attached to laundry. A tub is provided to hold (or contain) water and detergent, and laundry is placed in a drum for accommodating the laundry mixed with the water and detergent. The drum, which is installed within the tub, is rotated inside the tub by the drive force of a motor to perform washing, rinsing, and dewatering.
Meanwhile, drum-type washing machines, in which the drum and tub are disposed horizontally, tend to avoid damaging and raveling the laundry and consume less water while achieving a washing effect of beating and rubbing. A general drum-type washing machine is shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cabinet 10 forms an exterior of the washing machine and has a forward opening 14, formed in a front panel 13 of the cabinet, for loading and retrieving laundry via a door 11. A tub 20, suspended within the cabinet 10, has an entrance 21 for communicating with the forward opening 14 of the front panel 13. A drum 30, rotatably installed within the tub and provided with a multitude of perforations 32 to let water pass from the tub to the drum, has a cylindrical shape with an entrance 33 at its front end to communicate with the tub entrance 21. Thus, the forward opening 14, tub entrance 21, and drum entrance 33 compose a laundry opening through which laundry can be loaded into and retrieved from the drum 30. To wash a load of laundry, washing water is supplied to the tub 20, which is then drained using a drain pump 23 and drain hose 24 installed under the tub 20.
A rotating means 40, such as an induction or BLDC motor for rotating the drum 30 and including a rotational shaft 41 centrally coupled to the rear of the drum, is installed behind the tub 20 and rotates the drum forward and reversely according to the motor's rotational direction. At least one lifter 31 is provided to an inner wall of the drum 30 to assist the washing action by repeatedly lifting the laundry to a predetermined height as the drum is rotated and then allowing the lifted laundry to fall from the predetermined height.
As the drum 30 rotates within the tub 20 under the drive force of the rotating means 40, the drum and tub assembly vibrates. To attenuate the vibration, the tub 20 is supported by an elastic means, including a spring 25 disposed above the tub and a damper 26 disposed below the tub.
Referring to FIG. 2, a gasket 50 having an essentially annular shape is provided between the cabinet 10 and the tub 20 for preventing water leakage while the door 11 is closed. To achieve leakage prevention, the gasket 50 includes a front rim coupled to the front panel 13 of the cabinet 10 and a rear rim coupled to the entrance 21 of the tub 20, to thereby close the gap between the cabinet 10 and tub 20. Meanwhile, when operating the drum-type washing machine, vibration appearing in the tub 20 may be transferred to the cabinet 10, specifically, to the front panel 13. Therefore, the gasket 50 also serves to compensate for movement in the tub 20 caused by the rotation of the drum 30 and to prevent a transfer of the resulting vibration. To achieve vibration prevention, the gasket 50 includes a shock absorber 51 having an annular shape corresponding to that of the gasket, in which a bent portion 51 a is formed between the front and rear rims of the gasket by shaping an excess length of the gasket material into a U-shaped bend.
Over time, the gasket 50 of the related art tends to become damaged and thereby lose its leakage prevention properties or may collapse and thereby lose its vibration prevention properties. Specifically, vibration transferred from the tub 20 to the gasket 50 may cause friction to develop between inner walls 51 b and 51 c of the shock absorber 51, whereby the gasket becomes damaged or broken down as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a gasket and drum-type washing machine having the same that substantially obviate one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the foregoing problems, lies in providing a gasket and washing machine having the same, by which gasket deformation and damage is prevented.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from a practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the subject matter particularly pointed out in the specification and claims hereof as well as in the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages in accordance with the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a gasket coupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine and a tub disposed inside the cabinet includes a shock absorber having a bent portion for preventing a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred to the cabinet, and at least one reinforcement member, provided to the shock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shock absorber.
The reinforcement member comprises a protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber, and preferably, a plurality of such protruding ribs arranged to have a predetermined interval, whereby the protruding ribs run perpendicular with respect to the bend of the bent portion, which has a predetermined direction. The protruding ribs are formed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber, and in the event that a washing machine adopting the gasket of the present invention is provided with a drying function such that the gasket further comprises a duct receptacle, the stresses applied to the shock absorber are particularly compounded.
In another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine includes a cabinet having a front panel in which a forward opening is centrally formed for loading and retrieving laundry, the cabinet forming an exterior of the washing machine; a tub, disposed behind the front panel, having a tub entrance for communicating with the forward opening; and the above gasket. The washing machine may include a drying device for drying laundry by supplying hot air to the tub, the drying device being provided with a drying duct. Thus, the gasket further includes a duct receptacle for receiving the drying duct, and the at least one reinforcement member of the gasket includes a protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber adjacent the duct receptacle, the protruding rib being formed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the drying duct.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing explanation and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a general drum-type washing machine;
FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of a washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a section VI in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a section X in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, like elements are indicated using the same or similar reference designations where possible.
Referring to FIG. 4, a drum-type washing machine according to the present invention comprises a cabinet 100 forming an exterior of the washing machine and having a forward opening 140, formed in a front panel 130 of the cabinet, for loading and retrieving laundry via a door 110; a tub 200, suspended within the cabinet 100, having an entrance 210 for communicating with the forward opening of the front panel; and a drum 300, rotatably installed within the tub and provided with a multitude of perforations 320 to let water pass from the tub to the drum, having a cylindrical shape with an entrance 330 at its front end to communicate with the tub entrance. A laundry opening, through which laundry can be loaded into and retrieved from the drum 300, is thus formed by a combination of the forward opening 140, tub entrance 210, and drum entrance 330. A drain pump 230 and a drain hose 240 are installed under the tub 200 for draining washing water supplied to the tub.
A rotating means 400, such as an induction or BLDC motor for rotating the drum 300 and including a rotational shaft 410 centrally coupled to the rear of the drum, is installed behind the tub 200 and rotates the drum forward and reversely according to the motor's rotational direction. At least one lifter 310 is provided to an inner wall of the drum 300 to assist the washing action by repeatedly lifting the laundry to a predetermined height as the drum is rotated and then allowing the lifted laundry to fall from the predetermined height.
To attenuate vibration generated during operation of the drum-type washing machine, the tub 200 is supported by an elastic means, including a spring 250 disposed above the tub and a damper 260 disposed below the tub.
According to the present invention, a drum-type washing machine as described above is provided with a gasket 500, as shown in FIG. 5. The gasket, having an essentially annular shape, is provided between the cabinet 100 having a front panel 130 and the tub 200 installed behind the front panel 130, essentially connecting the entrance 210 of the tub to the front panel 130. The gasket of the present invention prevents gasket damage, which may be caused by the vibration of the tub 200, and is multipurpose.
To prevent water leakage, the gasket 500 has a front rim 501 coupled to the front panel 130 of the cabinet 100 and a rear rim 502 coupled to the entrance 210 of the tub 200, thus closing the gap between the cabinet 100 and tub 200. To prevent a transfer of vibration to the cabinet 100, the gasket 500 includes a shock absorber 510 having an annular shape corresponding to that of the gasket, in which a bent portion 511 is formed between the front and rear rims 501 and 502 of the gasket by shaping a predetermined length of the gasket material into a U-shaped bend. The shock absorber 510 is preferably formed of a soft, pliable material to absorb vibration appearing in the tub 200, by contracting, expanding, and twisting accordingly.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the gasket according to the present invention includes at least one reinforcement member provided to the shock absorber 510 to prevent the shock absorber from being damaged or broken by the vibration of the tub 200 generated from the rotation of the drum 300. Such damage could result from a collapse of the shock absorber 510, such that its inner walls are rubbed against each other. That is, excessive deformation of the gasket 500 due to a torsion and bending of the shock absorber 510 may result when the tub 200 vibrates horizontally and vertically and transfers the vibration to the gasket 500, particularly at the shock absorber. The reinforcement member includes a protruding rib 530 protruding from one or both inner walls of the shock absorber 510. Preferably, the reinforcement member of the present invention comprises a plurality of protruding ribs 530. The protruding ribs 530 are arranged in a circumferential direction of the gasket 500 with a predetermined interval (or spacing) between ribs. The junction of the protruding rib 530 to the shock absorber 510 is preferably a rounded portion R formed to have a predetermined curvature (or radius). The characteristics of the protruding ribs 530, which include their height, width, and spacing, are determined based on the incidence of vibration and stress transferred to the gasket 500 and felt at the shock absorber 510.
The shock absorber 510 preferably protrudes outwardly from its annular shape and is typically directed forward, i.e., toward the front panel 140 of the cabinet 100, and the protruding rib 530 is disposed to be perpendicular with respect to the direction of the bend of the bent portion 511. Thus, the protruding rib 530 has the same general cross-section as that of the shock absorber 510. Preferably, the protruding ribs 530 are formed as one continuous protrusion extending over both inner walls of the shock absorber 510, with the rib formation on one wall directly opposing a rib formation on the other wall. The rib formation may, however, be separately provided on one or both opposing walls. In the same manner, although not specifically shown in the drawings, the protruding ribs 530 may be formed on one or both outer walls of the shock absorber 510.
The above-constructed protruding rib 530 prevents the gasket 500 from drooping due to weight of the tub 200 when the washing machine stops operating. The protruding rib 530 prevents excessive torsional deformation of the shock absorber 510 caused by the vibration of the tub 200 while the washing machine operates and minimizes the degradation of overall vibration attenuating capability of the gasket 500.
A drum-type washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention is provided with a drying function, as shown in FIG. 8. To perform the drying function, the drum-type washing machine according to the present invention further includes a drying device 600 for drying the laundry after washing. The drying device 600 includes a drying duct 610 and a condensation duct 640 and achieves drying using an air circulation mechanism, by which hot air is supplied via the drying duct to the interior of the tub 200. A blower 620 and a heater 630, for circulating heated air, are installed in the drying duct 610. Moisture present in the circulating air is condensed by a condensing means 650 provided in the condensation duct 640, one end of which communicates with the drying duct 610 and the other end of which communicates with the rear of the tub 200.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the drum-type washing machine of the second embodiment includes a gasket 700 having a duct receptacle 720 for receiving the drying duct 610. Similar to the first embodiment, the gasket 700 of the second embodiment is coupled between the cabinet 100 and the tub 200, to prevent a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred to the cabinet 100 and to prevent water leakage, and comprises a front rim 701 coupled to the front panel 130 of the cabinet, a rear rim 702 coupled to the entrance 210 of the tub, and a shock absorber 710 having an annular shape corresponding to that of the gasket, in which a bent portion 711 is formed between the front and rear rims of the gasket by shaping a predetermined length of the gasket material into a U-shaped bend. In the second embodiment, however, the shock absorber 710 runs adjacent to the duct receptacle 720 and is shaped and directed accordingly. Here, the shock absorber 710 is also provided with the protruding ribs 530, which protrude from the inner walls of the shock absorber at points other than those adjacent the duct receptacle 720.
Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the coupling of the gasket 700 to the drying duct 610 causes one portion of the shock absorber 710 to receive a greater incidence of vibration and related stress than the remainder receives. That is, the portion of the shock absorber 710 adjacent the duct receptacle 720 is more directly affected by vibration transferred from the tub 200, resulting in additional stresses in the gasket material at or near the duct receptacle. Therefore, the shock absorber 710 of the gasket 700 of the second embodiment is provided with at least one reinforcement member comprising a protruding rib 730, and preferably a plurality of protruding ribs 730, to prevent the shock absorber from being damaged or broken by the vibration of the tub 200 generated from the rotation of the drum 300. The characteristics of the protruding ribs 730 are determined based on the incidence of vibration and stress transferred to the gasket 500 and felt at the shock absorber 510, by which the additional stresses can be separately considered.
During the operation of a drum-type washing machine adopting the gasket of the present invention, various forces generated from the vibration of the tub 200 are applied to the bent portion 511 (or bent portions 511 and 711) of the shock absorber 510 and/or 710, and particularly, to the bent portion adjacent the duct receptacle 720, but the reinforcement member provided to the shock absorber prevents excessive deformation (e.g., collapse) of the shock absorber caused by such forces, whereby a rubbing of the inner walls of the shock absorber, especially adjacent the duct receptacle, is prevented. Therefore, the present invention prevents the generation of friction between the inner walls of the entire the shock absorber, which would eventually damage the gasket, and maintains the vibration attenuating capability of the gasket over time.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations, provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A gasket coupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine and a tub disposed inside the cabinet, the gasket comprising:

a shock absorber having a bent portion for preventing a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred to the cabinet; and

at least one reinforcement member, provided to the shock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shock absorber.

2. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a first protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.

3. The gasket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bent portion of the shock absorber comprises a bend having a predetermined direction, the first protruding rib running perpendicular with respect to the bend of the bent portion.

4. The gasket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first protruding rib meets the shock absorber at a rounded junction having a predetermined radius.

5. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a plurality of first protruding ribs protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.

6. The gasket as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of first protruding ribs are arranged to have a predetermined interval.

7. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bend of the shock absorber comprises two opposing inner walls, the at least one reinforcement member being provided to one inner wall.

8. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bend of the shock absorber comprises two opposing inner walls, the at least one reinforcement member being respectively provided to both inner walls.

9. The gasket as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one reinforcement member provided to the inner walls is continuously formed so as to oppose each other.

10. The gasket as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one reinforcement member provided to the inner walls is separately formed.

11. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a duct receptacle, provided between the shock absorber and the cabinet, for receiving a drying duct.

12. The gasket as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a second protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber adjacent the duct receptacle.

13. The gasket as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second protruding rib is formed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the drying duct.

14. The gasket as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one reinforcement member further comprises a first protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber at points other than points adjacent to the duct receptacle.

15. The gasket as claimed in claim 14, wherein the characteristics of the second protruding rib are determined separately from characteristics for forming the first protruding rib.

16. The gasket as claimed in claim 13, wherein the characteristics of the second protruding rib include height and width of the second protruding rib.

17. The gasket as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a plurality of second protruding ribs protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.

18. The gasket as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second protruding rib is formed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the drying duct.

19. The gasket as claimed in claim 18, wherein the characteristics of the second protruding rib include spacing of the second protruding ribs.

20. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a first protruding rib protruding from an outer wall of the shock absorber.

21. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet having a front panel in which a forward opening is centrally formed for loading and retrieving laundry, the cabinet forming an exterior of the washing machine;

a tub, disposed behind the front panel, having a tub entrance for communicating with the forward opening; and

a gasket coupled between the cabinet and the tub, the gasket comprising:

22. The washing machine as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a drying device for drying laundry by supplying hot air to the tub, the drying device being provided with a drying duct.

23. The washing machine as claimed in claim 22, wherein the gasket further comprises a duct receptacle for receiving the drying duct.

24. The washing machine as claimed in claim 23, wherein the bent portion of the shock absorber is directed away from the duct receptacle.

25. The washing machine as claimed in claim 23, wherein the duct receptacle is provided between the shock absorber and the cabinet.

26. The washing machine as claimed in claim 23, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a protruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber adjacent the duct receptacle.

27. The gasket as claimed in claim 26, wherein the protruding rib is formed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the drying duct.