WO2020088856A1

WO2020088856A1 - A washer/dryer comprising a shock absorber

Info

Publication number: WO2020088856A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/075967
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yunus Emre AYDOGDU; Mert GOLDELI; Daghan GUNHAN; Ali MENSUR; Kenan Yüce SANLITURK
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2018-11-02
Filing date: 2019-09-26
Publication date: 2020-05-07
Also published as: EP3874082B1; EP3874082A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a washer/dryer (1) comprising a body; a tub (3) which is disposed into the body; a drum (2) which is disposed in the tub (3), which rotates around its own axis and wherein the laundry is placed; and at least one shock absorber (6) which is fixed to the tub (3) from one end and to the body from the other end, the shock absorber (6) having a cylinder (4), a piston (5) which moves linearly in the piston (4), a casing (7) which is coaxial with the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) and which at least partially surrounds both elements, at least one friction element (8) which is positioned between the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) so as to completely enclose the piston (5), a retainer (9) which prevents the friction element (8) from being detached from the piston (5).

Description

A WASHER/DRYER COMPRISING A SHOCK ABSORBER

The present invention relates to a washer/dryer comprising at least one shock absorber which absorbs the vibrational movements of the tub.

In washer/dryers, the drum wherein the laundry is loaded rotates inside a tub and the tub makes oscillation and vibrational movements depending on the amount of laundry loaded and the rotational speed. The base of the tub is connected to the base of the washer/dryer via shock absorbers. The shock absorbers absorb the vibrations of the tub and prevent the same from being transmitted to the body, thus serving as an energy transfer member which delivers the vibrations to the body. During the transition from the washing step to the spin-drying step in the washer/dryer, the tub and the drive group vibrate at maximum amplitude at the resonance region. Almost the entire kinetic energy of the drive group and the tub is transferred to the body, which causes noises disturbing the user. The shock absorbers absorb said high-amplitude vibrations and prevent the tub from hitting the body. In the spin-drying step, the vibration amplitude decreases, and if a single acting shock absorber is used, the shock absorber, of which the friction force is adjusted according to high-amplitude vibrations, generally transfers the low-amplitude vibrations to the body without absorbing the same. Single acting dry friction shock absorbers provide the same effect at all vibration amplitudes, in other words in all the displacements of the shock absorber cylinder with respect to the piston.

The shock absorbers used in the washer/dryers are elements which convert the mechanical energy to thermal energy and are used in a passive/active/semi-active manner in order to control the vibration amplitudes. The characteristics of the shock absorber and selecting the proper one significantly affect the performance, vibration and noise, and the efficiency of the washer/dryer.

In the state of the art European Patent Application No. EP2615202, an household appliance is disclosed, comprising a damper wherein at least two elements are connected to each other and at least two sensors control the positions thereof, thus adjusting the forces thereof.

Other state of the art documents are the United States Patent Applications No. US2006010935 and US2005188472. In said documents, a damper which uses magnetic forces and a washing machine wherein said dampers are used are disclosed.

Another state of the art embodiment is disclosed in the Korean Patent Application No. KR20130010798. In this document, a washing machine is disclosed, comprising a damper of which the friction characteristic changes depending on the density of the fluid which is affected by the magnetic field.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a washer/dryer comprising a shock absorber which absorbs the vibrations of the tub and which convert sudden changes in force to smooth transition.

The washer/dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises one or more than one shock absorber which is fixed to the tub from one end and to the body from the other end, the shock absorber having a cylinder, a piston which moves linearly in the piston, a casing which is coaxial with the cylinder and the piston and which at least partially surrounds both elements, at least one friction element which is positioned between the cylinder and the piston so as to completely enclose the piston, a retainer which prevents the friction element from being detached from the piston, a first magnet group which is positioned in the casing so as to at least partially surround the retainer, and a second and third magnet groups which bear against the two opposite sides of the casing at both sides of the retainer parallel to the first magnet group.

While the first magnet group is positioned on the retainer holding the friction element so as to completely enclose the retainer and hence the friction element, other magnets, which are the second and third magnet groups, are positioned in the casing concentrically with the piston and parallel to the first magnet group, which is placed onto the friction element and the retainer, so as to bear against the two short edges of the casing and so as to be distanced from the first magnet group. While the piston moves inside the cylinder, the friction element, the retainer and the first magnet group thereon also move. In addition to the absorption effect of the friction element against the movement, the second and third magnet groups magnetically repel the first magnet group and create a second absorption effect. As the distance between the second and third magnet groups and the first magnet group decreases, the repelling force increases.

By means of the present invention, it is provided that the shock absorber force is increased depending on the increasing displacement in the resonance frequencies of the washer/dryer, thus approaching the viscous damping characteristic. Consequently, the maximum drive group displacements at the vibration amplitudes at the start step are decreased. The "soft start" type shock absorber used in the washer/dryer gains the properties of a shock absorber which operates according to the dry friction principle and which provides viscous damping effect, and the effect provided by a spring in the state of the art is obtained by means of magnets and a simple shock absorber production is mechanically realized without providing a semi-active/active system control.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third magnet groups are neodymium.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third magnet groups are ring-shaped magnets.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sides of the second and third magnet groups facing the first magnet group have the same pole. Thus, in case the first magnet group gets close to the second or third magnet group, the same poles repel each other.

By means of the present invention, a simple shock absorber is realized wherein the absorption characteristic in varying displacements can be changed without using an additional control mechanism. Moreover, contrary to spring-based shock absorbers, the dry friction shock absorber gains stiffness based on the magnetic field thanks to the magnetic effect.

A washer/dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the front schematic view of a washer/dryer.

Figure 2 - is the front view of a shock absorber.

Figure 3 - is the view of the cross section A-A in Figure 2.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Washer/dryer
Drum
Tub
Cylinder
Piston
Shock absorber
Casing
Friction element
Retainer
First magnet group
Second magnet group
Third magnet group
Cover
Body
Toothed locking mechanism

The washer/dryer (1) comprises a body; a tub (3) which is disposed into the body; a drum (2) which is disposed in the tub (3), which rotates around its own axis and wherein the laundry is placed; and at least one shock absorber (6) which is fixed to the tub (3) from one end and to the body from the other end, the shock absorber (6) having a cylinder (4), a piston (5) which moves linearly in the piston (4), a casing (7) which is coaxial with the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) and which at least partially surrounds both elements, at least one friction element (8) which is positioned between the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) so as to completely enclose the piston (5), a retainer (9) which prevents the friction element (8) from being detached from the piston (5), a first magnet group (10) which is positioned in the casing (7) so as to at least partially surround the retainer (9), and a second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) which bear against the two opposite sides of the casing (7) at both sides of the retainer (9) parallel to the first magnet group (10) (Figure 1 and Figure 3).

While the first magnet group (10) is positioned on the retainer (9) holding the friction element (8) so as to completely enclose the retainer (9) and hence the friction element (8), other magnets, which are the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12), are positioned in the casing (7) concentrically with the piston (5) and parallel to the first magnet group (10), which is placed onto the friction element (8) and the retainer (9), so as to bear against the two opposite short edges of the casing (7) and so as to be distanced from the first magnet group (10). While the piston (5) moves inside the cylinder (4), the friction element (8) and the retainer (9) also move. In addition to the absorption effect of the friction element (8) against the movement, the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) repel the first magnet group (10) and create a second absorption effect. As the distance between the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) and the first magnet group (10) decreases, the repelling force increases.

By means of the present invention, the sudden force changes of a shock absorber (6), which operates based on dry friction principle, are converted to smooth transition changes. By using the magnetic forces created by the magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) which are used as magnetic members, the shock absorber (6) structure, which is closest to the ideal absorption characteristic, is obtained without any step transition. Moreover, as the distances between the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) can be adjusted, the shock absorbers (6) with absorption characteristics adjusted according to the parameters of the washer/dryer (1) are used. Furthermore, a "soft start" type shock absorber (6) is mechanically obtained with low cost and labor without any active control. The number, type, size and in-between distance of the magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) allow the adjustment of the friction force of the shock absorber (6). In addition, the same friction characteristic is provided in various positions of the piston (5) without being affected by the load status of the washer/dryer (1).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the friction element (8) is produced from elastomeric material in the form of a ring which peripherally contacts the piston (5). In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the friction element (8) is felt.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) are neodymium.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) are ring-shaped magnets.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) are coaxially positioned in the casing (7).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sides of the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) facing the first magnet group (10) have the same pole. Thus, in case the first magnet group (10) gets close to the second or third magnet group (11 and 12), the same poles repel each other.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the casing (7) comprises a cover (13) and a body (14). The cover (13) and the body (14) are fitted over each other by means of a toothed locking mechanism (15). By rotating the cover (13) and the body (14) with respect to each other over the toothed locking mechanism (15), the distance between the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) can be easily changed (Figure 2).

By means of the present invention, the force of the shock absorber (6) is reduced at high rpms, which in turn reduces the forces transmitted to the body via the shock absorber (6) especially in the spin-drying step, and thus the body is enabled to be affected less by the vibrations of the tub (3), decreasing the noise level at the spin-drying step. Moreover, by reducing the forces transmitted to the body, the washer/dryer (1) is prevented from moving. Furthermore, since the body-tub (3) displacement is reduced, the gap between the tub (3) and the body can be decreased while the volume of the tub (3) and the drum (2) can be increased.

Claims

A washer/dryer (1) comprising a body; a tub (3) which is disposed into the body; a drum (2) which is disposed in the tub (3), which rotates around its own axis and wherein the laundry is placed; and at least one shock absorber (6) which is fixed to the tub (3) from one end and to the body from the other end, the shock absorber (6) having a cylinder (4), a piston (5) which moves linearly in the piston (4), a casing (7) which is coaxial with the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) and which at least partially surrounds both elements, at least one friction element (8) which is positioned between the cylinder (4) and the piston (5) so as to completely enclose the piston (5), a retainer (9) which prevents the friction element (8) from being detached from the piston (5), characterized by the shock absorber (6) having a first magnet group (10) which is positioned in the casing (7) so as to at least partially surround the retainer (9), and a second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) which bear against the two opposite sides of the casing (7) at both sides of the retainer (9) parallel to the first magnet group (10).
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the first magnet group (10) which is positioned on the retainer (9) holding the friction element (8) so as to completely enclose the retainer (9) and hence the friction element (8).
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1 and 2, characterized by the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) which are positioned in the casing (7) concentrically with the piston (5) and parallel to the first magnet group (10) so as to bear against the two opposite short edges of the casing (7) and so as to be distanced from the first magnet group (10).
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the friction element (8) which is produced from elastomeric material in the form of a ring which peripherally contacts the piston (5).
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 4, characterized by the friction element (8) which is felt.
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) which are neodymium.
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the first, second and third magnet groups (10, 11 and 12) which are ring-shaped magnets.
A washer/dryer (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the second and third magnet groups (11 and 12) of which the sides facing the first magnet group (10) have the same pole.
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the casing (7) comprising a cover (13) and a body (14) which are fitted over each other by means of a threaded locking mechanism (15).