WO2018121847A1

WO2018121847A1 - A washing machine and a method of operating a washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2018121847A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/082742
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ahmet Burak TOP; Seyhun BAKIRHAN; Taha CALISKAN
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2016-12-28
Filing date: 2016-12-28
Publication date: 2018-07-05
Also published as: TR201715643A2

Abstract

A laundry washing machine comprising: a cabinet having a front aperture; a door (1 ) mounted on the cabinet for closing the aperture and having an annular frame (2) and an internal cover (3) and an external cover (4) supported by the annular frame (2) and delimiting between them an intermediate volume (5), a tub placed in the cabinet and a drum rotatably placed inside the tub and accessible through the aperture for allowing loading and unloading laundry into and from the drum.

Description

A WASHING MACHINE AND A METHOD OF OPERATING A WASHING MACHINE

The present invention relates to a laundry washing machine, in particular to a front loading washing machine, and to a method of operating such washing machine. More in detail the present invention refers both to simple laundry washing machines, not having the drying function, and to combo washer dryers, i.e. laundry washing machines having also the drying function.

A front loading laundry washing machine generally comprises a cabinet with a front aperture closable by means of a door, a tub suspended in the cabinet and a drum rotatably placed inside the tub and accessible through the front aperture for allowing the user to load/unload the laundry to be washed into/from the drum. The drum is rotatable in the tub so that water and detergent held in a lower part of the tub are used for washing the laundry.

The washing machines generally available on the market comprise a locking mechanism which prevents the door from being opened by the user once the washing program has started, in order to avoid water spilling out of the tub and in order to avoid that the user, during certain steps of the washing program, could be burned by the hot air or vapor from the tub. Because of it, when the user forgets to include a garment in the laundry load, he/she cannot introduce it in the drum once the washing program has been started.

In order to obviate such problem, in recent years washing machines have been developed which allow a later introduction of garments in the drum.

An example of such a washing machine is given in the European application n. EP 2930263 A1. The washing machine therein disclosed comprises a subsidiary door arranged on the upper portion of the door to be freely opened and closed independently of the door during a washing program.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a laundry washing machine allowing the user to introduce in an easy and secure manner a garment into the drum, also after a washing program has been started, without entailing any waste of water and without any hazard for the user. A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating a washing machine to be applied by a user whenever a mistakenly forgotten garment should be added to the laundry load after the washing program has been started.

These objectives have been achieved by the washing machine as defined in claim 1 and the operating method as defined in claim 14. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.

In the washing machine of the present invention the door comprises an internal cover and an external cover provided respectively with a first aperture and a second aperture which are selectively alignable in order to provide access to the drum and hence allow the user to introduce a forgotten garment or disalignable in order to isolate the interior of the drum from the external environment. More in detail the external cover is slidingly mounted on an annular frame of the door so as to be rotated by the user toward a loading position in which its second aperture is aligned with the first aperture. This allows the user to easily and securely introduce in the drum one or more forgotten garments after the washing program has been started without needing to interrupt the program, nor to open the door.

In order to avoid that water might spill out of the apertures when aligned to introduce forgotten garments, the first aperture on the internal cover is advantageously located at the upper part of the internal cover.

In an embodiment the external cover is manually rotatable by the user and, to this aim, it advantageously comprises grasping means. In this manner the user can very easily and intuitively move the external cover to align the apertures and insert the garment through them. Moreover no extra electric energy consumption is request for moving the external cover.

In another embodiment, the door comprises a separator which divides the intermediate volume into a loading chamber, wherein the garment to be introduced in the drum are to be inserted and designed to communicate with the first aperture at least when the external cover is in the loading position, and a complementary chamber. In a version of this embodiment, the separator is rigidly joined to the external cover so as to be rotatable together with it. The separator define a smaller volume inside the intermediate volume, in which the garment can be introduced and easily manipulate by the user in order to push them into the drum.

In order to avoid water to spill into the intermediate volume while the washing machine is performing a washing program, especially during spinning steps of the program, the door preferably comprises closing means for closing the first aperture.

The closing means can comprise for instance a spring loaded flap, a sliding plate or a panel rigidly joined to the separator so as to be rotatable together with it and with the external cover and are preferably manually openable by the user.

In an embodiment, the washing machine comprises blocking means for preventing the rotation of the external cover toward the loading position, which is activateable and deactivateable by a control unit of the washing machine. In particular the control unit is designed to deactivate the blocking means once the user gives an add-garment input, for instance through an user interface of the washing machine, if the step of the washing program being performed by the washing machines is suitable for inserting further garments in the drum, i.e. does not entail any water spilling or security problem upon alignment of the apertures on the covers of the door.

The present invention comprises also a method of operating the washing machine which envisages, rotating the external cover until bringing it to the loading position, inserting the desired garment or garments through the aligned second aperture and first aperture, and rotating back the external cover to a resting position where the two apertures are not aligned.

Additional advantages of the washing machine and of the operating method of the present invention will become more apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front perspective view and a rear perspective view of a door of a washing machine according to the present invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are front views of the door of Figures 1 and 2, with an external cover of the door respectively in a resting position and in a loading position.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the door, according to three different embodiments, taken along the line A-A of Figure 3.

The following numerals are assigned to different parts demonstrated in the drawings:

1) Door

2) Annular frame

3) Internal cover

4) External cover

5) Intermediate volume

6) First aperture

7) Second aperture

8) Grasping means

9) Separator

10) Loading chamber

11) Complementary chamber

12) Closing means

R) Resting position

L) Loading position

The present invention relates to a laundry washing machine and in particular to a front load washing machine, with or without the drying function, which comprises a cabinet with a front aperture, a door 1 mounted on the cabinet for closing the aperture, a tub suspended in the cabinet and a drum rotatably placed inside the tub and accessible through the aperture for allowing to load and unload the laundry into and from the drum.

The drum is rotatable in the tub such that water and detergent held in a lower part of the tub are typically used to perform washing of the laundry whereby dirt attached to the laundry is removed as a result of mechanical interaction of cloth items with each other and with the drum surfaces.

The washing machine further comprises a control unit to control the operation of the washing machine and locking means activateable by the control unit for locking the door 1 in the closed position when the washing machine is operated during the washing cycle and deactivateable by the control unit for allowing the user to open the door 1 when the washing cycle finished.

The door 1 has an annular frame 2 and an internal cover 3 and an external cover 4 supported by the annular frame 2 and delimiting between them an intermediate volume 5. The intermediate volume 5 is in particular an empty volume. The internal cover 3 is preferably a glass cover, while the external cover 4 can be made of glass or plastic. Advantageosly the covers are at least partially transparent in order to allow the user to see into the drum.

According to the present invention, the internal cover 3 of the door 1 has a first aperture 6 and the external cover 4 has a second aperture 7. The external cover 4 is slidably mounted on the annular frame 2, in particular with its peripheral border mounted on the frame 2 so as to slide within it. The external cover 4 is rotatable with respect to the annular frame 2 between at least one resting position R, in which the second aperture 7 is not aligned with the first aperture 6 of the internal cover 3, and a loading position L in which the second aperture 7 is aligned with the first aperture 6 thus allowing the user to introduce a garment into the drum through the aligned first aperture 6 and second aperture 7 without the need to open the door 1. More in detail the external cover 4 is rotatable substantially parallel to the frame, sliding and when it is disposed in the loading position L its second aperture 7 at least partially overlaps with the first aperture 6 on the internal cover 3, so that a garment can be inserted through them.

In the loading position L the first aperture 6 and the second aperture 7 are preferably properly aligned, in order to render easier for the user to insert the garment, however they could be also slightly offset, without departing from the scope of the present application, as far as the garment can be introduced through them. Advantageously, stopping means can be provided on the annular frame 2 in order to stop the rotation of the external cover 4 when it reaches the optimal loading position L and/or when it reaches the optimal resting position R (with the first aperture 6 and second aperture 7 at maximum offset).

The presence of the apertures selectively alignable in the internal cover 3 and in the external cover 4 ensures an optimal containment of the water in the tub during the normal functioning of the washing machine, while it allows to easily introduce a forgotten garment in the drum through the first and second aperture when needed, simply bringing them in alignment and pushing the garment through them, into the drum.

In a preferred embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the first aperture 6 is located on the internal cover 3 so as to remain above the maximum level reachable by the water when loaded in the tub. To this aim, the first aperture 6 could be placed at a level above the rotation axis of the drum, since, generally, the tub is fed with water up to a level below the rotation axis of the drum. Preferably the first aperture 6 is therefore located on an upper part of the internal cover 3, i.e. more clearly, ideally dividing the door 1 into two halves separated by a horizontal plane, the first aperture 6 is preferably arranged on the upper half of the door 1 and hence of the internal cover 3. This ensures that no water spills out of the door 1 through the first and second apertures when the latters are aligned in order to allow the introduction of a garment.

In an embodiment, illustrated in the attached Figures 1, 3 and 4, the external cover 4 is manually rotatable with respect to the annular frame 2 by the user. To this aim the external cover 4 is advantageously provided with grasping means 8, such as for instance a knob as illustrated in the above mentioned figures, to be grasped by the user in order to rotate the external cover 4. The fact that the external cover 4 is manually rotatable renders the washşng machine according to the invention constructionally simple to be realized, thus limiting its production costs.

In an embodiment, the door 1 further comprises a separator 9 arranged in the intermediate volume 5 and dividing such volume 5 into a loading chamber 10, designed to communicate with the first aperture 6 at least when the external cover 4 is in the loading position L, and a complementary chamber 11. In the version of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 5-7, the loading chamber 10 and the complementary chamber 11 have substantially the same volume. The presence of the separator 9 allows the user to comfortably insert the garment through the first aperture 6 and second aperture 7, sustaining the garment and avoiding that the latter could fall down at the bottom of the internal volume 5, thus rendering difficult for the user to pick it up.

In a version of this embodiment, the separator is rigidly joined to the external cover so as to be rotatable together with it. In this manner the loading chamber 10 is rotatable together with the external cover 4 so that the user can introduce the garment in the loading chamber 10 when the external cover 4 is still in a resting position R and move it together with the loading chamber 10 by means of the rotation of the external cover 4. Moreover this version ensures a better security in use.

According to an embodiment, the door 1 further comprises closing means 12 for closing the first aperture 6 of the internal cover 3. The closing means 12 avoids that water could spill from the tub into the intermediate volume 5 during functioning of the washing machine 1 and in particular during spinning steps of the washing program. Preferably, the closing means 12 are manually openable by the user.

In an embodiment, illustrated in Figure 7, the closing means 12 comprises a spring loaded flap, which is openable by the user by simply pushing it toward the intern of the drum and which is closable by means of the elastic force exerted by the spring. In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, the closing means 12 comprises a sliding plate which is movable by the user to be opened and closed.

In a further embodiment, illustrated in Figure 6, wherein the door 1 of washing machine comprises a separator 9 rigidly joined to the external cover 4, the closing means 12 comprises a panel rigidly joined to the separator 9 so as to be rotatable together with it and with the external cover 4. In particular, the panel extends from the separator 9 in the complementary chamber 11 so as to be positioned in front of the first aperture 6 when the external cover 4 is in a resting position R and to be rotated away from the first aperture 6 when the external cover is rotated toward the loading position L.

In an embodiment, the washing machine further comprises blocking means connected to the control unit, selectively activateable and deactivateable by the control unit respectively for blocking the external cover 4 in a resting position R and for allowing the external cover 4 to be moved to the loading position L. The blocking means, when activated, avoid that the external cover 4 could be rotated by the user during certain steps of the washing programs, such as for instance the spinning steps or the steps in which the temperature of the air or vapor in the drum is higher than a selected threshold temperature, since water could be spilled out of through the aligned apertures or it could be dangerous for the user to have access to the drum.

The washing machine further comprises a user interface, which is provided on the cabinet and is connected to the control unit for allowing the user to select the washing program or, more in general, the operational parameters of the washing machine. In an embodiment, the user interface is usable by the user for providing a predetermined add-garment input to the control unit and the control unit is programmed to deactivate the blocking means upon receiving the add-garment input from the user interface. In a preferred version of this embodiment, the control unit is programmed in order not to deactivate the blocking means during preset steps of the washing program, identified by the producer and memorized in the control unit, such as for instance the spinning steps and the high temperature steps mentioned above. More in detail, a list of banned steps of the washing programs preset by the producer are memorized in the control unit, during which steps the user should not have access to the drum, i.e. the external cover 4 should not be rotated toward the loading position L. In this manner the access to the drum through the aligned first aperture 6 and second aperture 7 is controlled in order to avoid possible risks for the user.

The user interface 7 may comprise a dedicated button or a touching command for allowing the user to provide the add-garment input. Differently the add-garment input could be provided by the user through a button or a touching command already available in the washing machine 1, such as for instance a pause button.

In an embodiment, the washing machine further comprises warning means activateable by the control unit for informing the user on the status of the blocking means. More in detail the warning means, which can be acoustical and/or visual, are designed to inform the user that the blocking means have been deactivated by the control unit or that the blocking means cannot be deactivated due to the particular step of the washing program being performed.

It is an object of the present invention also a method of operating a laundry washing machine as above described.

The method comprises starting a washing program, once the selected washing program and/or the operating parameters have been input by the user through the user interface and after advantageously the door 1 of the washing machine has been locked in the closed position by means of the locking means.

The washing program is started with the external cover 4 of the door 1 in a resting position R.

The method further comprises rotating the external cover 4 with respect to the annular frame 2 and with respect to the internal cover 3, in order to bring it to the loading position L with its second aperture 7 aligned to the first aperture 6 on the internal cover 3.

Once the external cover 4 is in the loading position L, a garment, i.e. in particular the forgotten garment, is inserted into the drum through the aligned second aperture 7 and first aperture 6. The external cover 4 is hence rotated back with respect to the annular frame 2 and the internal cover 3, bringing it to a resting position R.

The steps of rotating the external cover 4, inserting the garment in the drum and rotating back the external cover are performed without the need to stop the washing program, thus saving time and energy.

Once the washing program ends, the control unit commands the deactivation of the locking means so that the door 1 can be opened by the user to extract the clean garments contained in the drum.

In a version of the method, the steps of rotating the external cover 4 bringing it to the loading position L and of rotating back the external cover 4 bringing it to a resting position R are performed manually by the user, so that no additional electric energy consumption is required.

In a further version, when the washing machine comprises blocking means connected to the control unit and selectively activateable and deactivateable by the control unit respectively for blocking the external cover 4 in a resting position R and for allowing the external cover 4 to be moved to the loading position L and comprises warning means for informing the user on the status of the blocking means, the method further comprises, before the step of rotating the external cover 4 toward the loading position L, providing an add-garment input to the control unit through the user interface, detecting, by means of the control unit, the step of the washing program being performed, confronting the detected step of the washing program with a list of banned steps memorized in the control unit and deactivating the blocking means by means of the control unit if the detected step does not correspond to any of the banned steps or activating the warning means if the detected step corresponds to any of the banned steps.

The washing machine and the method of operating the washing machine according to the invention allow therefore the user to introduce forgotten garments into the drum of the washing machine in an easy and safe manner, without requiring any interruption of the washing program and without any hazard for the user. Therefore the washing machine and the method according to the invention are environment friendly, since no waste of water or energy occurs in order to allow the user to introduce a forgotten garment in the drum.

Claims

A laundry washing machine comprising:

- a cabinet having a front aperture;

- a door (1) mounted on the cabinet for closing the aperture and having an annular frame (2) and an internal cover (3) and an external cover (4) supported by the annular frame (2) and delimiting between them an intermediate volume (5);

- a tub placed in the cabinet; and

- a drum rotatably placed inside the tub and accessible through the aperture for allowing loading and unloading laundry into and from the drum;

characterized in that the internal cover (3) of the door (1) has a first aperture (6) and the external cover (4) has a second aperture (7) and it is slidably mounted on the annular frame (2) so as to be rotatable with respect to the annular frame (2) between at least one resting position (R) in which the second aperture (7) is not aligned with the first aperture (6) of the internal cover (3) and a loading position (L) in which the second aperture (7) is aligned with the first aperture (6) thus allowing the user to introduce a garment in the drum through the aligned second aperture (7) and first aperture (6).
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 1, characterized in that the first aperture (6) is located on an upper part of the internal cover (3).
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the external cover (4) is manually rotatable with respect to the annular frame (2) by the user.
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 3, characterized in that the external cover (4) comprises grasping means (8) to be grasped by the user in order to rotate the external cover (4).
A laundry washing machine as in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the door (1) further comprises a separator (9) arranged in the intermediate volume (5), dividing the intermediate volume (5) into a loading chamber (10), designed to communicate with the first aperture (6) at least when the external cover (4) is in the loading position (L), and a complementary chamber (11).
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 5, characterized in that the separator (9) is rigidly joined to the external cover (4) so as to be rotatable together with it.
A laundry washing machine as in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the door (1) further comprises closing means (12) for closing the first aperture (6) of the internal cover (3), which closing means (12) are preferably manually openable by the user.
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 7, characterized in that the closing means (12) comprises a spring loaded flap.
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 6 and 7, characterized in that the closing means (12) comprises a panel rigidly joined to the separator (9) so as to be rotatable together with it and with the external cover (4).
A laundry washing machine as in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that it further comprises a control unit to control the operation of the washing machine and blocking means connected to the control unit, selectively activateable and deactivateable by the control unit respectively for blocking the external cover (4) in a resting position (R) and for allowing the external cover (4) to be moved to the loading position (L).
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises a user interface, connected to the control unit and usable by the user for providing a predetermined add-garment input to the control unit, the control unit being programmed to deactivate the blocking means upon receiving the add-garment input from the user interface.
A laundry washing machine as in Claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the control unit is programmed in order not to deactivate the blocking means during preset steps of the washing program
A laundry washing machine as in any of the Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that it further comprises warning means activateable by the control unit for informing the user on the status of the blocking means.
A method of operating a laundry washing machine according to any of the previous claims, comprising:

- starting a washing program with the external cover (4) of the door (1) in a resting position (R);

- rotating the external cover (4) with respect to the annular frame (2) and the internal cover (3) bringing it to the loading position (L) with the second aperture (7) aligned with the first aperture (6);

- inserting a garment into the drum through the aligned second aperture (7) and first aperture (6);

- rotating back the external cover (4) with respect to the annular frame (2) and the internal cover (3) bringing it to a resting position (R).
A method of operating a laundry washing machine as in Claim 14, wherein the steps of rotating the external cover (4) bringing it to the loading position (L) and of rotating back the external cover (4) bringing it to a resting position (R) are performed manually by the user.