US20180363204A1

US20180363204A1 - Wall mounted washing machine and door gasket thereof

Info

Publication number: US20180363204A1
Application number: US15/944,601
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeong Hyeon GIM
Original assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corp
Current assignee: WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-14
Filing date: 2018-04-03
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Also published as: CN109082827A; KR20180136087A

Abstract

A wall mounted washing machine and a door gasket thereof are provided to reduce manufacturing costs and addresses the problems associated with increasing costs incurred in the machine assembling process. The wall mounted washing machine includes: a rear panel mounted on a wall; a tub supported on the rear panel, the tub being filled with wash water; a front panel having an opening formed therein and installed in the tub; a drum rotatably installed in the tub; a cover installed on the front panel to cover the front panel; a door rotatably coupled to the cover to open or close a laundry inlet of the cover and having a door glass; and a door gasket disposed between the cover and the front panel and generating a bending force when making contact with the door glass.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
The present disclosure claims benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0074623, filed on, Jun. 14, 2017, by inventors, Jeong Hyeon Gim, which application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a wall mounted washing machine and a door gasket thereof.

BACKGROUND

A washing machine is a device for separating contaminants from washed fabric (laundry) using wash water and detergent, wherein the contaminants may be separated from the washed fabric by the chemical action of the detergent dissolved in the wash water and the mechanical action of the wash water and an inner basket. Such washing machines may be categorized into a top loading type washing machine, a front loading type washing machine, and a combined type washing machine combined with the top loading type and the front loading type, depending on the method of loading the laundry.
In recent years, wall mounted washing machines have been introduced, which may be installed in narrow spaces such as bathrooms and toilets. In general, the wall mounted washing machines employ the front loading type for better miniaturization.
For example, the wall mounted washing machine may include a cabinet that forms an exterior, a tub provided in the cabinet filled with wash water, a drum rotatably installed in the tub and accommodating the laundry, a drive unit providing power to the drum, a water supply unit for supplying the wash water to the tub, and a drain unit for discharging the wash water from the tub to the outside of the cabinet.
In the prior art, the wall-mounted washing machine typically has a gasket just for maintaining a watertight seal. The prior art gasket is generally mounted along the edge of an opening on the front panel of the washing machine. In this case, the outer surface of a gasket mounting portion makes contact with the plastic surface of the cover and therefore receives vibrations created by the washing machine during operation.
However, in the prior art washing machine, contact occurs between the gasket mounting portion (e.g., rubber material) and a different material such as plastic.
Particularly, the gasket, which is not as mechanically strong as the plastic material, can have a chemical related crack at a chemical contact region between the different materials when receiving vibrations while there is contact between the different materials.
In this regard, the prior art washing machine has no solution for this type of gasket damage caused by chemical cracks, which results in a deterioration of watertightness of the appliance due to gasket damage.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the above disadvantages, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wall mounted washing machine and a door gasket thereof, which can extend the lifetime of the door gasket, reduce manufacturing costs, and solve the problem cost increases incurred in the appliance assembly process by providing a door gasket for preventing cracks thereof due to vibration loads in the wall mounted washing machine in order to maintain a watertight seal.
According to a wall mounted washing machine and a door gasket thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure, chemical cracks on the door gasket can be minimized.
Furthermore, watertight efficiency can be maximized while minimizing damage to the door gasket.
More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a wall mounted washing machine, comprising: a rear panel operable to be mounted to a wall; a tub supported on the rear panel, the tub operable to contain wash water; a front panel having an opening formed therein and disposed in the tub; a drum rotatably installed in the tub; a cover operable to cover the front panel and comprising an inlet; a door rotatably coupled to the cover to selectively open and close the inlet and comprising a door glass; and a door gasket disposed between the cover and the front panel and operable to generate a bending force when contacting the door glass. Embodiments include the above and wherein the front panel comprises a shield unit with a plurality of fastening protrusions for bolting wherein the plurality of fastening protrusions are spaced apart along a circumference and attached to an edge of the tub, and wherein the opening is integrally formed with an inner edge of the shield unit. Embodiments include the above and wherein the opening of the front panel comprises: an annular wall extending toward the cover from the inner edge of the shield unit; an annular end formed at an edge of the annular wall and smaller in diameter than the annular wall; and juts extending in a circumferential direction from an outer peripheral surface of the annular end and protruding toward a diameter direction of the annular end and operable to prevent release of the door gasket.
Embodiments include the above and wherein an inner peripheral surface of the annular end of the opening extends parallel to a center line of the wall mounted washing machine and attaches to the door gasket. Embodiments include the above and wherein the opening of the front panel further comprises a stepped portion positioned between the annular end and the annular wall and is formed integrally with the opening to support the door gasket. Embodiments include the above and wherein the annular wall slopes downward relative to the inner peripheral surface of the annular end, within an area defined from the stepped portion to the shield unit. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket is supported on the annular end and is operable to exert a bending force on the door glass. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door glass comprises an inclined surface having an angle substantially between 40 degrees and 50 degrees.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a wall mounted washing machine, comprising: a rear panel operable to be wall-mounted; a tub supported on the rear panel, the tub operable to contain with wash water; a front panel having an opening formed therein and disposed in the tub; a drum rotatably installed in the tub; a cover operable to cover the front panel; a door rotatably coupled to the cover to selectively open and close an inlet of the cover; a door gasket disposed between the cover and the front panel and operable for generating a bending force when contacting the door glass; and a ring clamp surrounding an outer portion of the door gasket and securing the door gasket to the opening of the front panel. Embodiments include the above and wherein the front panel comprises a shield unit and wherein further the opening of the front panel comprises: an annular wall extending toward the cover from the inner edge of the shield unit; an annular end formed at an edge of the annular wall and smaller in diameter than the annular wall; and a stepped portion connecting the annular end and the annular wall together to support the door gasket. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket comprises a ring-shaped elastic structure that extends in a circumferential direction and corresponds in shape to a shape of the opening.
Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket comprises: a gasket body disposed inside the opening; a gasket fixing portion integrally formed with the gasket body and located on an outside of the opening to surround an edge of the opening of the front panel; a receiving portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the gasket fixing portion and for receiving the ring clamp; a front protrusion protruding from an edge of the gasket fixing portion toward an edge of the inlet of the cover and extending along a circumference of the door gasket; and an elastic protrusion protruding at an angle toward the door and between the front protrusion and the gasket body and extending along the circumference of the door gasket. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket further comprises a waist portion formed integrally with a connection point between the elastic protrusion and the gasket body and wherein said waist portion is thinner than the elastic protrusion.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to, in a wall mounted washing machine comprising: a tub formed on a rear panel operable to be wall-mounted; a drum rotatably installed in the tub; a front panel installed in the tub and having an opening formed therein; a cover installed on the front panel to cover the front panel; and a door installed on the cover, for selectively opening and closing a laundry inlet of the cover, and having a door glass bulging out toward the drum, a component comprising: a door gasket, wherein the door gasket is disposed inside the wall mounted washing machine, and wherein further, the door gasket is operable to maintain a watertight seal by making contact with the door and is operable to generate a bending force when making contact with the door glass, and wherein the door gasket is further supported on an annular end of the opening formed on the front panel to exert the bending force on the door glass of the door. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket comprises: a gasket body disposed inside the opening; a gasket fixing portion integrally formed with the gasket body and located on an outside of the opening and surrounds an edge of the opening of the front panel a receiving portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the gasket fixing portion and for receiving a ring clamp; a front protrusion protruding from an edge of the gasket fixing portion toward an edge of the laundry inlet of the cover and extending along a circumference of the door gasket; an elastic protrusion protruding at an angle toward the door and between the front protrusion and the gasket body and extending along the circumference of the door gasket; and a waist portion formed integrally with a connection point located between the elastic protrusion and the gasket body and being thinner than the elastic protrusion, and wherein, when the door is closed, the elastic protrusion generates a bending force by bending when contacting the door glass on the door.
Embodiments include the above and wherein the gasket fixing portion of the door gasket comprises a gasket extension extending over a length corresponding to a thickness of the annular end, from the gasket fixing portion to a connection point located between the front protrusion and the gasket body, and further contacts the annular end which corresponds to the edge of the opening. Embodiments include the above and wherein the door gasket is disposed on the annular end and maintains a gap between a surface of the cover and the gasket extension of the door gasket when the cover and the front panel are coupled together. Embodiments include the above and wherein the gap in the door gasket extends to a space located between the surface of the cover and the gasket fixing portion of the door gasket. Embodiments include the above and wherein the gap in the door gasket further extends to a space between the surface of the cover and a bottom surface of the front protrusion of the door gasket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a wall mounted washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the door of FIG. 1 is opened.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the washing machine of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the washing machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the washing machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the front panel to which the cover of FIG. 4 is attached;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the circle M of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a door gasket according to an application example of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a door gasket according to another application example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In addition, in the description of the present disclosure, the detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted if they would unnecessarily obscure the features of the subject matter of the present disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a wall mounted washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the door of FIG. 1 is opened, FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the washing machine of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a wall-mounted washing machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cabinet 100 having a front surface and a rear surface opened and forming an outer appearance, a door 200 disposed on one side of the cabinet 100 and for opening or closing the opened front surface of the cabinet 100, a cover 300 connected to the door 200 for opening and closing the door 200, a front panel 400 disposed on the rear surface of the cover 300, a detergent container 500 housed in one side of the front panel 400 and accommodating detergent and conditioner, a drum 600 in which laundry is stored, a tub 700 which surrounds the drum 600 and is filled with wash water, and a rear panel 800 mounted on the wall. Here, the rear surface means a surface close to the wall, and the front surface means a surface opposite to the rear surface.
Specifically, the cabinet 100 may be provided in an empty form. Also, the cabinet 100 may include a power button 102 for controlling a power supply, a cover connection unit 104 connected to the cover 300, and a rear panel connection unit 106 connected to the rear panel 800.
The power button 102 may be provided on one side of the cabinet 100 to control whether the washing machine 10 is turned on or off. The power button 102 may be provided on one side of the front surface of the cabinet 100 to be easily controlled by the user. Here, in this embodiment, the power button 102 is provided on the lower surface of the front surface of the cabinet 100. However, the position of the power button 102 is not limited thereto, and may be provided on the left or right of the front surface of the cabinet 100, for example, or in other well known positions.
The cabinet 100 may include a cover connection unit 104 connected to the cover 300.
The cover connection unit 104 may correspond to an edge of the opened front surface of the cabinet 100 and may have a smaller diameter than the diameter of the cover 300 so that the cover 300 is not detached from the cabinet 100. Specifically, the cover 300 may be inserted into the cabinet 100 from the rear surface to the front surface side. In this case, since the diameter of the cover connection unit 104 is smaller than the diameter of the cover 300, the cover 300 may be fitted into the cover connection unit 104, so that the cover 300 may not be separated from the cabinet 100.
The cabinet 100 may include a rear panel connecting unit 106 connected to the rear panel 800. The rear panel connecting unit 106 may correspond to the opened rear edge of the cabinet 100 and may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the rear panel 800. The cabinet 100 may be bolted to the rear panel 800 and for this purpose, a plurality of bolt fastening holes may be formed in the rear panel connecting portion 106
Meanwhile, the door 200 may be provided on the front surface of the cabinet 100. The door 200 is provided for loading and unloading laundry, and may include a door inner frame 230 and a door outer frame 240. Specifically, the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240 may be bolted in such way to offer a predetermined space therebetween, and each may be provided in a circular shape having a diameter corresponding to the cover connection unit 104. In this case, the door inner frame 230 may be in contact with the cover connection unit 104, and the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240 may completely shield the cover 300 connected to the cabinet 100.
The door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240 may include a door hinge connection unit 232 for connection with the cover 300. The door hinge connecting unit 232 is provided at one side of the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240 and may provide a space for accommodating a door hinge 360 of the cover 300 to be described later.
A display 202 may be provided in a space between the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240. The display 202 is capable of outputting predetermined information to the user, and is provided with a front surface exposed to the outside of the door outer frame 240. That is, the door outer frame 240 may include a hole (not shown) or may be formed of a transparent material so that the display 202 may be viewed. In this case, the display 202 may include a touch panel capable of inputting or outputting information, and the user may view the panel to confirm information such as the operating state through the display 202, and also use the panel to perform operations of the wall-mounted washing machine 10 via touch interactions. For example, the user may select a process such as washing and rinsing of the laundry by performing a touch interaction with respect to the display 202, and confirm the remaining washing time or the like through the display 202.
The display 202 exposed to the exterior of the door outer frame 240 and the door outer frame 240 may be protected through a protective glass 204. The protective glass 204 is transparently provided on the front surface of the door outer frame 240 so that the user may identify the display 202. In this case, the protective glass 204 may be provided with the same diameter as the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240.
A hole (not shown) may be provided on one side of the protective glass 204, and the door opening button 210 may be exposed to the outside through the hole (not shown). The door opening button 210 may be provided in the door outer frame 240 for opening or closing the interior of the cabinet 100 using an electronic opening and closing system and may be exposed to the outside through a hole of the protective glass 204.
In addition, the door 200 may include a door opening unit 250 and a door hanging unit 260. The door opening unit 250 and the door hanging unit 260 may protrude rearward of the door inner frame 230 and may be in contact with and engaged with one side of the cover 300. Specifically, the door opening unit 250 serves as an opening/closing assistant and may have an elastic force. For example, the door opening unit 250 may include a spring and may act as a support for opening the door 200 through the elastic force of the spring. For example, when the door 200 is closed, the door opening unit 250 may be compressed and inserted into a groove (not shown) provided on one side of the cover 300. When the user operates the door opening button 210 to open the door 200, the door opening unit 250 may be released from one side of the cover 300, and may be in contact with the bottom surface of the groove (not shown) provided on one side of the cover 300 in a relaxed state. That is, a space is provided between the door 200 and the cover 300 by the relaxed length of the door opening unit 250, thereby preventing the door 200 from being automatically closed.
The door opening unit 250 may be a pusher stem assembly that may be supported by the spring and located within a guide structure formed in the door inner frame 230 or repeatedly perform projecting by a linear movement through a predetermined stroke range.
The door hanging unit 260 may be provided at a predetermined distance from the door opening unit 250 and may be provided in the shape of a hook partially protruding from the door inner frame 230. The protruding portion of the door hanging unit 260 may be coupled to a door lock unit 330 of the cover 300 to be described later, and thus the door 200 may be closed.
In summary, the door 200 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be opened through a door opening button 210. When the user operates the door opening button 210, the door opening unit 250 and the door hanging unit 260 may be released from the cover 300 so that the door 200 may open the cover 300. In this case, the door opening unit 250 having an elastic force may be relaxed and provided on one side of the cover 300, and thus a predetermined gap is provided between the door 200 and the cover 300. Therefore the door 200 may be prevented from closing.
In addition, the user may close the door 200 by applying pressure to the door 200 toward the cover 300 side. To this end, the user may press one side of the outermost protective glass 204 of the door 200 so that the door opening unit 250 may be compressed and become received in the groove (not shown) of the cover 300 and the protruding portion of the door hanging unit 260 may be coupled to the door hanging unit 330 of the cover 300. That is, the door 200 may be opened and closed without a separate handle.
A center side of the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240 may be opened and the door glass 280 may be provided at the opened center side. The door glass 280 allows the user to view the laundry inside the machine from the outside of the washing machine 10 and may be fitted to the door inner frame 230 and the door outer frame 240. In this case, the door glass 280 may be formed to protrude rearward, and the protruded side of the door glass 280 may be fitted to the opened side of the cover 300.
Meanwhile, the door 200 may be rotatably connected to the cover 300. The cover 300 is provided to enclose the front panel 400 and may include a laundry inlet 302 for loading the laundry, a detergent container loading port 304 for loading a detergent container 500, and a power processing unit 306 for controlling the button 102.
The user may load laundry through the laundry inlet 302. The laundry inlet 302 may be provided to have a predetermined diameter. In this case, the diameter of the laundry inlet 302 may correspond to the size of the protruding portion of the door glass 280. Thus, when the door 200 is closed, the door glass 280 may block the laundry inlet 302, and when the user opens the door 200, the door glass 280 is released from the laundry inlet 302 to allow laundry loading through the laundry inlet 302.
A detergent container loading port 304, which may load the detergent container 500, may be provided on the upper side of the laundry inlet 302. In this case, the detergent container loading port 304 may correspond to the shape of the detergent container 500.
The cover 300 may have a laundry inlet 302 at its center and may have a circular shape as a whole. Further, the cover 300 may be shaped such that one side protrudes downward. In this case, the power processing unit 306 may be provided in a protruding portion downward. The power processing unit 306 may be a PCB substrate connected to the power button 102 to control whether the power is turned on or off according to the operation of the power button 102 protruding from the outside of the case 100.
Meanwhile, the cover 300 may include a door hanging unit 330 located at a position corresponding to the other door hanging unit 260. The door hanging unit 330 is coupled to the hook-shaped door hanging unit 260 and may include a groove corresponding to the shape of the door hanging unit 260. Thus, as the door hanging unit 260 is coupled to the other door hanging unit 330, so that the door 200 may close the laundry inlet 302.
Also, the cover 300 may include a door hinge 360 at a location corresponding to the door hinge connection unit 232. The door hinge 360 may be opened while one side of the door 200 and one side of the cover 300 may be connected to each other, and the one side of the door hinge 360 may be received in the door hinge connection unit 232. Specifically, the door hinge 360 may be formed in a shape of a long curved panel in a vertical direction on one side of the laundry inlet 302, and may be partially protruded forward such that the door 200 may be rotated and connected to the door hinge connection unit 232. That is, the door 200 may be rotatable along the protruding portion in front of the door hinge 360.
Meanwhile, a front panel 400 may be provided on the rear surface of the cover 300. The front panel 400 may be coupled to the tub 700 and may include a shield unit 410 shielding a space between the drum 600 and the tub 700, a detergent container receiving unit 420 receiving the detergent container 500, a detergent container gasket 430 which provides a seal at a portion coupled with the detergent container 500, a fitting 440 for supplying water into the detergent container 500, a door gasket 450 which provides a seal at a portion in contact with the door 200, and a water supply valve assembly 480 for receiving wash water from an external water supplying source.
The shield unit 410 may shield a space generated between the drum 600 and the tub 700 and may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the cover 300. That is, it may have the same diameter as the cover 300 and have an opening corresponding to the laundry inlet 302 provided on the center side thereof. In this regard, the opening of the shield unit 410 may be smaller than the diameter of the drum 600, so that the space between the drum 600 and the tub 700 may be shielded.
The detergent container receiving unit 420 may be provided at one side of the shield unit 410 to receive the detergent container 500. The detergent container receiving unit 420 may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the detergent container 500 and may be in communication with the detergent container loading port 304 of the cover 300. That is, the detergent container 500 may be received in the detergent container receiving unit 420 via the detergent container loading port 304 of the cover 300.
The detergent container receiving unit 420 may include a detergent container gasket 430 that is pressurized by the detergent container 500. The detergent container gasket 430 may be disposed around the end of the detergent container receiving unit 420 to seal the detergent container 500 and may be composed of a rubber material. That is, the detergent, the conditioner, and the wash water supplied to the detergent container 500 are prevented from leaking to the outside through the detergent container gasket 430.
At least one fitting 440 may be provided on the top of the detergent container receiving unit 420. The fitting 440, which is connected to a water supply valve assembly 480 connected to an external water supply source, may supply the wash water into the detergent container 500. Thus, the wash water supplied to the drum 600 and the tub 700 may include the dissolved detergent or conditioner because the wash water is supplied into the drum 600 and the tub 700 through the detergent container 500.
Meanwhile, the opening of the shield unit 410 may include a door gasket 450 which is pressed by a door glass 280 of the door 200. The door gasket 450 may be disposed at the opening end of the shield unit 410 (for example, at the annular end of the opening) to hermetically fix the door glass 280, and it may be composed of a rubber material or the like. Thus, when the door 200 is closed, the door glass 280 penetrating the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300 presses the door gasket 450, and therefore the wash water inside the drum 600 and the tub 700 will not leak outside the door 200.
The fitting 440 may be supplied with wash water through a water supply valve assembly 480. The water supply valve assembly 480 may be connected to an external water supply source and may selectively supply the wash water to the detergent container 550 through the fitting 440. The water supply valve assembly 480 may be a three-way valve and two of the supply flow paths extending from the water supply valve assembly 480 may be connected to the fitting 440 connected to the detergent container 500 and one of them may supply the wash water to the drum 600 directly through the door gasket 450.
The detergent container 500 may accommodate detergent and conditioner and may include a detergent container handle 502, a detergent input space 504 in which detergent is loaded, and a conditioner input space 506 in which a conditioner is loaded.
The detergent container handle 502 may protrude forward and may be exposed to the outside of the cover 300. The user thus may grasp the detergent container handle 502 after opening the door 200, allowing the detergent container 500 to be unloaded or inserted from the detergent container receiving unit 420. In this embodiment, although the detergent container handle 502 is extended in the vertical direction and provided at the center of the front surface of the detergent container 500, the detergent container handle 502 is not limited thereto. For example, the detergent container receiving unit 420 may be extended in the horizontal direction and provided on the front surface of the detergent container 500.
The detergent container 500 may be partitioned based on the center of the interior and include a detergent input space 504 and a conditioner input space 506 which may contain detergent and conditioner, respectively. In this connection, the fitting 440 may be arranged to correspond with the detergent input space 504 and the conditioner input space 506, and the detergent and conditioner in the detergent input space 504 and the conditioner input space 506 may be supplied with the wash water. Specifically, the user may draw the detergent container 500 from the detergent container receiving unit 420 after opening the door 200 and may fill detergent and conditioner into the detergent input space 504 and the conditioner input space 506, respectively. The detergent container 500 filled with the detergent and the conditioner may be inserted again into the detergent container receiving unit 420, and depending on the washing process, the detergent input space 504 and the conditioner input space 506 may be supplied with the wash water. Accordingly, the wash water including detergent or conditioner may be selectively supplied to the drum 600 and the tub 700.
Meanwhile, the front panel 400 may be connected to the drum 600. The drum 600 for receiving the laundry may include a drum inlet portion 610 on the front surface and a spider 680 on the rear surface. In this case, a plurality of holes may be formed around the drum 600 for fluid communication with the tub 700.
A drum inlet portion 610 may correspond to the opened portion of the shield unit 410. In this regard, the drum inlet portion 610 may have a diameter smaller than the entire diameter of the drum 600, and the drum inlet portion 610 may be fitted into the opened portion of the shield unit 410, so that front panel 400 and the drum 600 may be connected to each other. Thus, the laundry may be loaded into the drum 600 via the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300 and the opened portion of the front panel 400.
The drum 600 may be rotated through a spider 680. The spider 680 may rotate in response to a driving force from a driving motor 910 (to be described later). The spider 680 may be separate from the drum 600 and also coupled to the rear surface of the drum 600. In this case, a groove corresponding to the shape of the spider 680 may be formed on the rear surface of the drum 600 so that the spider 680 may be seated.
The spider 680 may include a plurality of arms extending in different directions with a constant gap at the center. For example, the spider 680 may include an arm extending in three directions by a length corresponding to the radius of the drum 600, and each arm may be disposed at a 120-degree gap. Further, the center of the spider 680 may be fixed to a second pulley 914 (to be described later) through a drum rotation axis 916 to be described later, and thus both the drum 600 coupled to the spider 680 and the spider 680 may be rotated. A specific method of rotating the drum 600 will be described later.
A tub 700 in which the wash water is filled may be provided outside the drum 600. The tub 700 may have a shape corresponding to the drum 600 and may be formed with a diameter larger than a diameter of the drum 600 by a predetermined length. Accordingly, the tub 700 may be arranged apart from the drum 600 by a predetermined gap. In addition, the wash water supplied into the tub 700 may flow into the drum 600 through a plurality of holes formed around the drum 600. Similarly, the inner wash water of the drum 600 may flow into the tub 700 through the plurality of holes formed around the drum 600. In this regard, the drum 600 and the tub 700 may be provided in a cylindrical shape, but of course are not limited thereto.
Further, the tub 700 may include a heater 702 to heat the wash water. Specifically, a groove may be formed on the inner side of the tub 700 to receive the heater 702, and a heater 702 may be provided on the inner side of the tub 700 in a detachable manner. Thus, the heater 702 may heat the wash water filled in the tub 700.
Meanwhile, the tub 700 may be integrally provided with a rear panel 800. The rear panel 800 may be mounted on the wall and may include an anchor connection unit 802 to which an anchor (for mounting to the wall) is connected, a cabinet fixing unit 804 for fixing the cabinet 100, and a sensor 806 for detecting the water level.
Specifically, the tub 700 and the rear panel 800 may be integrally injection molded, and the tub 700 may protrude from the front of the rear panel 800. The rear surface of the rear panel 800 may be mounted on the wall via a separate anchor. The anchor may be coupled to the wall through an anchor connection unit 802 and may be provided on the rear surface of the rear panel 800 for stable engagement. That is, the plurality of anchors may mount the rear panel 800 on the wall. In this case, since the tub 700 and the rear panel 800 are integrally provided, a separate damper or an elastic member for supporting the tub 700 is not required. Consequently, the number of parts may be reduced, and the size of the washing machine 10 may be likewise reduced.
The cabinet 100 may be coupled to the front surface of the rear panel 800 where the tub 700 is provided to enclose the tub 700. In this case, a cabinet fixing unit 804 may be provided to have a stepped shape along the periphery of the rear panel 800, and the cabinet 100 may be fixed to the cabinet fixing unit 804. For this purpose, a fastening member such as a bolt may be used.
Also, the rear panel 800 may include a control unit 810 for controlling the overall functions of the wall mounted washing machine 10 and a drain unit 820 for discharging the wash water filled in the tub 700.
The control unit 810 may be provided on the front surface of the rear panel 800 to control various components of the wall mounted washing machine 10 depending on a user's operation to perform laundry washing. In this embodiment, while the control unit 810 is shown on the right side of the respect to tub 700, the position of the control unit 810 is not limited thereto.
A power supply line 904 may be connected to the external power source to supply power to the electric equipment, the control unit 810, the driving motor 910, and the like described above. The power supply line 904 may extend through the rear panel 800 to the front of the rear panel 800 and may extend outwardly from the rear of the rear panel 800. In this case, the power supply line 904 may be fixed to the rear surface of the rear panel 800 through a separate fixing means. As the power supply line 904 is provided extending outwardly from the rear surface of the rear panel 800, the washing machine 10 may have a finished or pleasing appearance.
The drain unit 820 may be provided under the rear panel 800. The drain unit 820 may discharge any wash water inside the tub 700 to the outside and may be disposed on the lower surface of the front surface of the rear panel 800. In this case, the drain unit 820 may include a drain pump for pressurizing the wash water and may be connected to the drain hose 902 to discharge the wash water. Specifically, the drain hose 902 is connected to the drain unit 820 and extends outward along the rear surface of the rear panel 800, so that the wash water may flow through the pressure of the drain unit 820. Thus, when the drain unit 820 is operated after the washing cycle is completed, the wash water may be discharged to the outside of the cabinet 100 through the drain hose 902 under the pressure change of the drain unit 820.
Meanwhile, the rear panel 800 may include a driving motor 910 for transmitting a driving force to the rear panel 800, a first pulley 912 and a second pulley 914 connected to the driving motor 910, a drum rotational shaft 916 connected to the second pulley 914 to rotate the drum 600, and a belt 918 that connects the first pulley 912 and the second pulley 914.
Specifically, the driving motor 910 may be provided on the front surface of the rear panel 800. The driving motor 910 may be controlled by the control unit 810 and may be provided on one side of the control unit 810 and the drain unit 820.
Also, the driving motor 910 may be connected to the first pulley 912. In this case, the shaft (not shown) of the driving motor 910 may be provided through the rear panel 800 and may be connected with a shaft (not shown) of the driving motor 910 to the first pulley 912 at the rear surface of the rear panel 800.
The first pulley 912 may be connected to the second pulley 914 via a belt 918. The second pulley 914 may be provided to surround the drum rotation shaft 916 connected to the spider 680 and the drum rotation axis 916 may penetrate the rear panel 800 while being connected to the spider 680. That is, the second pulley 914 and the drum rotation shaft 916 may be connected to each other at the rear surface of the rear panel 800.
In summary, when the wash water is filled in the tub 700 through the fitting 440, the control unit 810 may operate the driving motor 910. Subsequently, the first pulley 912 connected to the driving motor 910 may be rotated, and the second pulley 914 may be then rotated by the rotation of the first pulley 912. Thus, the drum rotation shaft 916 connected to the second pulley 914 may also rotate so that the drum 600 may be rotated inside the cabinet 100 and the tub 700. Consequently, the laundry inside the drum 600 may be washed.
On the other hand, the rear panel 800 may further include an exhaust line 920. The exhaust line 920 may be connected to the drain unit 820 and may exhaust air inside the tub 700 and the drain unit 820. Specifically, the exhaust line 920 may be connected to the drain hose 902 and pass through the rear panel 800, through which it may extend to the rear surface of the rear panel 800 and be exhausted to the outside.
The wall-mounted washing machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be used as follows.
First, the user may open the door 200, and may load the laundry inside the drum 600 and unload the detergent container 500 from the front panel 400. In this case, the detergent container 500 is divided in the center, so that a space for loading detergent and conditioner, respectively, may be provided.
After inserting the detergent container 500 loaded with the detergent and conditioner back into the front panel 400, the user may close the door 200 and control the laundry operation via the power button 102 and the display 202. When the washing cycle is started, the wash water provided from an external water supplying source through the water supply valve assembly 480 may be supplied to the detergent container 500 through the fitting 440, and the wash water may be supplied into the drum 600 and tub 700 after passing the detergent input space 504 and the conditioner input space 506. That is, the wash water filled in the drum 600 and the tub 700 may optionally include detergent and conditioner.
When the tub 700 is fully filed with the wash water, the control unit 810 may drive the driving motor 910. In this case, the driving motor 910 may be connected to the first pulley 912 and the second pulley 914, and the second pulley 914 may be connected to the drum 600 through the drum rotation shaft 916. Thus, the drum 600 may be rotated through the driving motor 910. Consequently, the laundry loaded in the drum 600 may be easily washed by the rotation of the drum 600.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the front panel to which the cover of FIG. 4 is attached, FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the circle M of FIG. 6.
Referring to FIGS. 5 to 9, the front panel 400 may include a shield unit 410 with a plurality of fastening protrusions 411 used for bolting and are spaced apart along the circumference and attached to the edge of the tub 700.
Here, the opening 460 is integrally formed with the inner edge of the shield unit 410.
The opening 460 may be an annular wall structure vertically extending from the surface of the shield unit 410. For example, the opening 460 may have a stepped cross-section along an annular wall, caused by a difference in the diameters.
More specifically, the opening 460 includes an annular wall 461 extending toward the cover 300 from the inner edge of the shield unit 410 and an annular end 462 formed at the edge of the annular wall 461, smaller in diameter than the annular wall 461.
The annular end 462 may refer to a stepped portion formed at the edge of the annular wall 461.
Referring to FIG. 7, a plurality of juts 463 are formed on the annular end 462.
The plurality of juts 463 may be spaced apart along the circumference of the annular end 462.
Each jut 463 may extend in the circumferential direction from the outer peripheral surface of the annular end 462 and protrude toward the radius direction of the annular end 462 to prevent the door gasket 450 from being released.
The annular end 462 of the opening 460 may serve as the base of support for the door gasket 450. For instance, the door gasket 450 is supported on the annular end 462 to exert a bending force (to be described later) on the door glass 280 of the door 200 or on an inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280.
The door gasket 450 may be a ring-shaped elastic structure that extends in the circumferential direction, corresponding to the shape of the opening 460.
When the door is closed, the door gasket 450 serves to generate a bending force as it is bent in its elastic range while making contact with the door glass 280 of the door 200.
The door gasket 450 may be made from an elastic material, rubber material, or silicon material. For instance, the door gasket 450 may be made from a material selected from polymer compounds or copolymers, including fluoroelastomers, epichlorohydrin polymer, EPM(ethylene propylene monomer), EPDM(ethylene propylene diene monomer), IIR(isobutylene isoprene rubber), and HNBR(hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber), etc.
Referring to FIG. 2, the door 200 is open. When the door 200 is open, the door 200 is swung out on the door hinge 360, away from the cabinet 100. In this case, the door hanging unit 260 is detached and released from the door lock unit 330. Also, the end of the door opening unit 250 protrudes out by the elastic force of a spring inside the door opening unit 250.
In this instance, an elastic protrusion 455 a of the door gasket 450 indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 9 may not be in contact with the door glass 280. For instance, the elastic protrusion 455 a may be sloped toward the door 200 without elastic deformation, as shown in FIG. 9.
On the other hand, referring to FIG. 1, the door 200 is closed. When the door 200 is closed, the door 200 is swung back on the door hinge 360 into the cabinet 100. In this case, the door hanging unit 260 is fastened and locked to the door lock unit 330. Also, the end of the door opening unit 250 is retracted toward the inner space of the door inner frame 230 as it compresses the spring after making contact with the bottom surface of the groove provided on one side of the cover 300.
In this instance, the elastic protrusion 455 of the door gasket 450 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 9 may be elastically deformed as it is bent toward the drum 600 while making contact with the door glass 280. In this instance, the elastic protrusion 455 has a bending force within the elastic deformation range.
Again, as explained above, the user may open the door 200 by pressing the door opening button 210 using an electronic opening and closing system.
That is, when in a locked state, the door hanging unit 260 is released form the door lock unit 300. In this case, the door opening unit 250 exerts the elastic force of the compressed spring on the bottom surface of the groove provided on one side of the cover 300. As a result, the door opening unit 250 moves forward out of the door inner frame 230, exerting a reactive force that causes the door 200 to swing.
Along with this, the elastic protrusion 455 of the door gasket 450 exerts a bending force on the door glass 280 in the same direction as the swinging of the door 200 to cause it to move to where the elastic protrusion 455 a is positioned as indicated by a dotted line, thereby allowing the door 20 to be quickly opened.
That is, the door 200 has a characteristic that allows for smooth and quick opening of the door 200 by using both the elastic force of the spring inside the door opening unit 250 and the bending force of the elastic protrusion 455 of the door gasket 450.
Since the door 200 is a rotatable heavy object, the force required to automatically or semi-automatically open the door 200 may originate from not only from the door opening unit 250 but also from the elastic protrusion 455 of the door gasket 450. As such, the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a may serve as a membrane spring of elastic material extending along the circumference of the door gasket 450.
Meanwhile, in order for the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a to serve as a membrane spring, the inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280 has a greater slope angle compared to that of the prior art drum type washing machines.
As a comparative example, the inclined surface (not shown) of the door glass of a prior art drum-type washing machine has a slope angle of approximately 30 degrees, whereas the inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280 in this embodiment of the present disclosure has an angle somewhat between 40 degrees and 50 degrees. Preferably, the inclined surface 281, if optimized, may have an angle of 45 degrees, in one embodiment.
If the angle of the inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280 is less than 40 degrees, the efficiency of transmitting a bending force to the door glass 280 may be significantly reduced. If greater than 50 degrees in inclined angle, the watertightness may be significantly lowered. Accordingly, the angle of the inclined surface 281 may have a critical significance.
Also, in order to exert the bending force of the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a more efficiently on the inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280, the door gasket 450 is integrally formed with a connection point located between the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a and the gasket body 451, and may further include a waist portion 455 b which is thinner than the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a.
The waist portion 455 b may act as a pivot on which the elastic protrusion 455 and 455 a (of the door gasket 450 above the waist portion 455 a) can rotate easily.
Subsequently, referring to FIG. 9, the inner peripheral surface 462 a of the annular end 462 may extend parallel to the center line of the wall mounted washing machine, to attach to the door gasket 450.
Moreover, the opening 460 includes a stepped portion 464 positioned between the annular end 462 and the annular wall 461. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the stepped portion 464 supports the door gasket 450 and also forms a stepped surface by connecting the annular end 462 and the annular wall 461 together. To this end, the stepped portion 464 is integrally formed with the opening 460.
The annular wall 461 extends to slope downward relative to the inner peripheral surface 462 a of the annular end 462, within the area from the stepped portion 464 to the shield unit 410. That is, the annular wall 461 may have a predetermined slope angle B to improve drainage performance.
The door gasket 450 may be disposed between the cover 300 and the front panel 400 and requires stable mountability to maintain a watertight seal by making contact with the door 200, and may be configured to avoid interference with reinforcing ribs of various shapes formed on the front panel 400.
The door gasket 450 may be primarily fixed by a ring clamp 470. Here, the ring clamp 470 surrounds the outer portion of the door gasket 450 and tightly secures the door gasket 450 to the opening 460 of the front panel 400.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the ring clamp 470 includes an elastic wire 471 that has a cross-section and ring shape corresponding to a receiving portion 453 formed on the door gasket 450. The ring clamp 470 may include a loop 472 formed integrally with the ends of the elastic wire 471 and a bolt and nut assembly 473 fitted to the loop 472. Here, if the bolt and nut 473 are tightened with a tool, the circumferential length of the elastic wire 471 is reduced, thus tightly securing the door gasket 450 to the annular end 462 of the opening 460 of the front panel 400.
Along with this, since part (e.g., gasket fixing portion 452) of the door gasket 450 is positioned between the cover 300 and the annular end 462 of the front panel 400, secondary fixing may be done as the cover 300 and the front panel 400 are coupled together. Such secondary fixing allows for better installation of the door gasket 450. Here, the direction of primary fixing and the direction of secondary fixing intersect, and therefore the door gasket 450 can be fixed in place more securely.
That is, the opening 460 may be manufactured in such a way that the following are integrated as whole, e.g., by plastic injection molding: 1) the annular wall 461 extending toward the cover 300 from the inner edge of the shield unit 410; 2) the annular end 462 formed at the edge of the annular wall 461, smaller in diameter than the annular wall 461; and 3) the stepped portion 463 connecting the annular end 462 and the annular wall 461 together to support the door gasket 450.
As shown in FIG. 8, the door gasket 450 may include a gasket body 451, a gasket fixing portion 452, a receiving portion 453, a front protrusion 454, and an elastic protrusion 455. The gasket body 451 may be disposed inside the opening 460, and its shape may be bent to correspond to the internal shape of the opening 460 of the front panel 400. That is, the gasket body 451 is sloped for fluid drainage, corresponding to the shape of the annular wall 461 of the opening 460. For instance, the gasket body 451 may have the same slope angle B as the annular wall 461.
The gasket fixing portion 452 may be integrally formed with the gasket body 451, and may be located on the outside of the opening 460 to surround the edge of the opening 460 of the front panel 400. The gasket fixing portion 452 is shorter in length than the gasket body 451 with respect to the center line of the wall mounted washing machine. The receiving portion 453 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the gasket fixing portion 452, and receives the ring clamp 470.
The front protrusion 454 protrudes from the edge of the gasket fixing portion 452 toward the edge of the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300 and extends along the circumference of the door gasket 450. The elastic protrusion 455 has a wedge-shaped cross-section which becomes narrower toward the end of the elastic protrusion 455. The elastic protrusion 455 protrudes at an angle toward the door 200 between the front protrusion 454 and the gasket body 451 and extends along the circumference of the door gasket 450.
Particularly, the wall mounted washing machine includes a door 200 installed on the cover 300, more specifically, on the door hinge 360 of the cover 300. The door 200 opens or closes the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300. In particular, the door 200 has a door glass 280 bulging out toward the drum 600.
Notably, the elastic protrusion 455 of the door gasket 450 protrudes toward the door 200, and serves to maintain a watertight seal by making contact with the door glass 280.
Also, the shape or slope angle of the elastic protrusion 455 may be determined so that it can be tightly secured to the inclined surface 281 of the door glass 280.
The gasket fixing portion 452 of the door gasket 450 may make contact with the annular end 462 which corresponds to the edge of the opening 460 and may be supported on the front panel 400. To this end, the gasket fixing portion 452 may include a gasket extension 456 which extends over a length corresponding to the thickness of the annular end 462, from the gasket fixing portion 451 to a connection point between the front protrusion 454 and the gasket body 451.
Moreover, the door gasket 450 has a plurality of walls 457 and 458 to prevent foreign material from entering. For instance, the door gasket 450 includes a first foreign material prevention wall 457 and a second foreign material prevention wall 458 which extend along the circumference and protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the gasket body 451. Here, the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the second foreign material prevention wall 458 may serve as a dual-structured means for preventing foreign material in the washing machine of this embodiment.
The first foreign material prevention wall 457 may have a plurality of drain holes 457 a. The drain holes 457 a may be passages through which water gathered in a first space S1 of the door gasket 450 passes toward a second space S2 between the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the second foreign material prevention wall 458. The second foreign material prevention wall 458 may have slits 458 a corresponding in position to the drain holes 457 a. Here, the slits 458 a may refer to passages through which the water exiting the drain holes 457 a passes.
The second foreign material prevention wall 458 extends in the circumferential direction from the inner peripheral surface of the door gasket 450. Particularly, the second foreign material prevention wall 458 may be formed only on the lower inner peripheral surface of the door gasket 450.
In the case where the second foreign material prevention wall 458 is formed only on the lower inner peripheral surface of the door gasket 450, foreign material prevention can be advantageously maximized while manufacturing costs can be reduced by reducing the amount of materials used to manufacture the door gasket 450, and assembly efficiency can be increased due to the reduced weight.
The second foreign material prevention wall 458 may be relatively shorter in height than the first foreign material prevention wall 458, so as not to interfere with the drum inlet portion 610 of the drum 600.
Also, the door gasket 450 may be installed on the annular end 462 and maintain a gap G1 between the surface of the cover 300 and the gasket extension 456 of the door gasket 450 when the cover 300 and the front panel 400 are coupled together. Because of this gap G1, the door gasket 450 may be protected from any chemical deformation or damage, and the door gasket 450 may have no chemical cracks, even with vibrations created by the wall mounted washing machine during operation.
Moreover, the upper part of the gap G1 is covered by the front protrusion 454. Accordingly, while wet laundry is being loaded into the washing machine or while the inside of the washing machine is being cleaned with water, water flowing in the height direction (e.g., vertical direction) of the washing machine first touches the front protrusion 454 of the door gasket 450, and this may lower the pressure of the flowing water.
Due to this, very little of the falling water may enter the gap G1. That is, in this embodiment, a degree of watertightness can be achieved that is good enough for daily usage of the machine. That is, although a water film or a small amount of moisture may enter the gap G1, the amount will be very small, if any.
More specifically, the gap G1 in the door gasket 450 may extend to a space between the surface of the cover 300 and the gasket fixing portion 452 of the door gasket 450. Moreover, the gap G1 in the door gasket 450 may further extend to a space between the surface of the cover 300 and the bottom surface of the front protrusion 454 of the door gasket 450.
Also, the gap G1 may extend along the circumference of the door gasket 450.
The gap G1, if defined as the linear distance from the surface of the cover 300 to the door gasket 450 separated from it, may be anywhere between 0.01 mm and 0.3 mm. For example, there will be no chemical cracks when the gap G1 is 0.2 mm, chemical cracks will occur at a higher rate when the gap G1 is less than 0.2 mm, and there will be very few chemical cracks caused by friction with plastic material but the amount of moisture penetration may increase rapidly when the gap G1 is more than 0.2 mm. Accordingly, the gap G1 may have a critical significance when it is 0.2 mm.
Referring to FIG. 9, when the door gasket 450 is attached to the annular end 462 of the opening 460 of the front panel 400, the edge of the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the inner peripheral surface of the drum inlet portion 610 may be at the same level L. Since the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the drum inlet portion 610 are at the same level L, laundry may be easily loaded into the drum 600.
The first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the second foreign material prevention wall 458 are spaced apart from each other along a direction from the door gasket 450 toward the drum 600.
Moreover, when the user loads laundry into the drum 600, foreign material separated from the laundry may be dropped into the first space S1 in front of the first foreign material prevention wall 457 or the second space S2 between the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the second foreign material prevention wall 458. Because the movement of foreign material dropped into these spaces S1 and S2 may be restrained by the first foreign material prevention wall 457 or the second foreign material prevention wall 458, the entrance of foreign material into the gap G2 between the outer peripheral surface of the drum inlet portion 610 and the outer surface of the door gasket 450 may be relatively minimized.
In addition, the edge of the drum inlet portion 610 may be bent to form an outbound caulking portion 611. The outbound caulking portion 611 is disposed in the second space S2 between the first foreign material prevention wall 457 and the second foreign material prevention wall 458.
Thus, the second space S2 may be a space like a U-shaped trap which makes the flow of foreign material difficult, thus allowing for better prevention of foreign material.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a door gasket according to an exemplary application of the present disclosure, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a door gasket according to another exemplary application of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 10 or 11, a door gasket 450 a according to an exemplary application may have a bead portion 459 protruding from the outer surface of the door gasket 450 a to make contact with the inner peripheral surface of the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300.
Here, the bead portion 459 serves to close the above-explained gap G1 between the surface of the cover 300 and the door gasket 450. For instance, the door gasket 450 a is configured such that the cover 300 is attached to the front panel 400 and the door gasket 450 a makes contact with the surface of the cover 300.
Moreover, the cover 300 and the front panel 400 may be coupled together by fastening means such as bolts for connecting the cover 300 and the front panel 400. For example, when the bolts are loosened, the cover 300 and the front panel 400 may be separated from each other.
The bead portion 459 is an element of the door gasket 450 a that makes contact with the surface of the cover 300. The edge of the bead portion 459 makes linear contact with the inner peripheral surface of the laundry inlet 302 of the cover 300. Here, the term “linear contact” may mean that the edge of the bead portion 459 is in the shape of a line extending in the circumferential direction and contact is made between the line and the surface of the cover, e.g., the inner peripheral surface of the laundry inlet 302.
Accordingly, even if the edge of the bead portion 459 is partially damaged due to linear contact, the structural strength of the rest of the door gasket 450 a may be maintained for a relatively long time.
That is, the bead portion 459 is a portion that can be sacrificed to extend the product lifetime of the door gasket 450 a, which may serve as a means for maintaining the structural safety of the entire door gasket 450 a. To this end, the bead portion 459 of the door gasket 450 a may be formed integrally with the surface of the gasket fixing portion 452 on the side of the gasket fixing portion 452 facing the cover 300, at the position where it is separated from the front protrusion 454 in a downward direction.
Meanwhile, a bead portion 459 a of a door gasket 450 b according to another application example shown in FIG. 11 may be formed integrally with the surface of the gasket extension 456 on the side of the gasket extension 456 facing the cover 300, at the position where it is separated from the front protrusion 454 in a downward direction.
The protruding length of the bead portion 459 and 459 a of the door gasket 450 a and 450 b may serve to maintain a space between the cover 300 and the door gasket 450 a and 450 b.
Moreover, the bead portion 459 and 459 a extends along the circumference of the door gasket 450.
In addition, the protruding length of the bead portion 459 and 459 a may be shorter than the front protrusion 454.
Furthermore, one bead portion 459 and 459 a may be provided as shown in FIG. 10, or a plurality of bead portions 459 and 459 a may be provided as shown in FIG. 11.
The above descriptions are merely illustrative of the technical scope of the present disclosure and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present disclosure are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but are intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas which are equivalent or equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wall mounted washing machine, comprising:

a rear panel operable to be mounted to a wall;

a tub supported on the rear panel, the tub operable to contain wash water;

a front panel having an opening formed therein and disposed in the tub;

a drum rotatably installed in the tub;

a cover operable to cover the front panel and comprising an inlet;

a door rotatably coupled to the cover to selectively open and close the inlet and comprising a door glass; and

a door gasket disposed between the cover and the front panel and operable to generate a bending force when contacting the door glass.

2. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises a shield unit with a plurality of fastening protrusions for bolting wherein the plurality of fastening protrusions are spaced apart along a circumference and attached to an edge of the tub, and

wherein the opening is integrally formed with an inner edge of the shield unit.

3. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 2, wherein the opening of the front panel comprises:

an annular wall extending toward the cover from the inner edge of the shield unit;

an annular end formed at an edge of the annular wall and smaller in diameter than the annular wall; and

juts extending in a circumferential direction from an outer peripheral surface of the annular end and protruding toward a diameter direction of the annular end and operable to prevent release of the door gasket.

4. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 3, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the annular end of the opening extends parallel to a center line of the wall mounted washing machine and attaches to the door gasket.

5. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 4, wherein the opening of the front panel further comprises a stepped portion positioned between the annular end and the annular wall and is formed integrally with the opening to support the door gasket.

6. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 5, wherein the annular wall slopes downward relative to the inner peripheral surface of the annular end, within an area defined from the stepped portion to the shield unit.

7. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 3, wherein the door gasket is supported on the annular end and is operable to exert a bending force on the door glass.

8. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 7, wherein the door glass comprises an inclined surface having an angle substantially between 40 degrees and 50 degrees.

9. A wall mounted washing machine, comprising:

a rear panel operable to be wall-mounted;

a tub supported on the rear panel, the tub operable to contain with wash water;

a front panel having an opening formed therein and disposed in the tub;

a drum rotatably installed in the tub;

a cover operable to cover the front panel;

a door rotatably coupled to the cover to selectively open and close an inlet of the cover;

a door gasket disposed between the cover and the front panel and operable for generating a bending force when contacting the door glass; and

a ring clamp surrounding an outer portion of the door gasket and securing the door gasket to the opening of the front panel.

10. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 9, wherein the front panel comprises a shield unit and wherein further the opening of the front panel comprises:

a stepped portion connecting the annular end and the annular wall together to support the door gasket.

11. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 10, wherein the door gasket comprises a ring-shaped elastic structure that extends in a circumferential direction and corresponds in shape to a shape of the opening.

12. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 11, wherein the door gasket comprises:

a gasket body disposed inside the opening;

a gasket fixing portion integrally formed with the gasket body and located on an outside of the opening to surround an edge of the opening of the front panel;

a receiving portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the gasket fixing portion and for receiving the ring clamp;

a front protrusion protruding from an edge of the gasket fixing portion toward an edge of the inlet of the cover and extending along a circumference of the door gasket; and

an elastic protrusion protruding at an angle toward the door and between the front protrusion and the gasket body and extending along the circumference of the door gasket.

13. The wall mounted washing machine of claim 12, wherein the door gasket further comprises a waist portion formed integrally with a connection point between the elastic protrusion and the gasket body and wherein said waist portion is thinner than the elastic protrusion.

14. In a wall mounted washing machine comprising: a tub formed on a rear panel operable to be wall-mounted; a drum rotatably installed in the tub; a front panel installed in the tub and having an opening formed therein; a cover installed on the front panel to cover the front panel; and a door installed on the cover, for selectively opening and closing a laundry inlet of the cover, and having a door glass bulging out toward the drum, a component comprising:

a door gasket, wherein the door gasket is disposed inside the wall mounted washing machine, and wherein further, the door gasket is operable to maintain a watertight seal by making contact with the door and is operable to generate a bending force when making contact with the door glass, and wherein the door gasket is further supported on an annular end of the opening formed on the front panel to exert the bending force on the door glass of the door.

15. The component of claim 14, wherein the door gasket comprises:

a gasket body disposed inside the opening;

a gasket fixing portion integrally formed with the gasket body and located on an outside of the opening and surrounds an edge of the opening of the front panel.

a receiving portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the gasket fixing portion and for receiving a ring clamp;

a front protrusion protruding from an edge of the gasket fixing portion toward an edge of the laundry inlet of the cover and extending along a circumference of the door gasket;

an elastic protrusion protruding at an angle toward the door and between the front protrusion and the gasket body and extending along the circumference of the door gasket; and

a waist portion formed integrally with a connection point located between the elastic protrusion and the gasket body and being thinner than the elastic protrusion, and

wherein, when the door is closed, the elastic protrusion generates a bending force by bending when contacting the door glass on the door.

16. The component of claim 15, wherein the gasket fixing portion of the door gasket comprises a gasket extension extending over a length corresponding to a thickness of the annular end, from the gasket fixing portion to a connection point located between the front protrusion and the gasket body, and further contacts the annular end which corresponds to the edge of the opening.

17. The component of claim 16, wherein the door gasket is disposed on the annular end and maintains a gap between a surface of the cover and the gasket extension of the door gasket when the cover and the front panel are coupled together.

18. The component of claim 17, wherein the gap in the door gasket extends to a space located between the surface of the cover and the gasket fixing portion of the door gasket.

19. The component of claim 18, wherein the gap in the door gasket further extends to a space between the surface of the cover and a bottom surface of the front protrusion of the door gasket.