WO2023194889A1

WO2023194889A1 - Laundry care appliance

Info

Publication number: WO2023194889A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/053387
Authority: WO
Inventors: Long YAN
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2022-04-06
Filing date: 2023-04-04
Publication date: 2023-10-12
Also published as: CN116926884A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a laundry care appliance. The laundry care appliance includes: a housing (10); a tub (20), mounted in the housing (10); a shock absorber (30), connected to the housing (10) and the tub (20), where the shock absorber (30) includes a sleeve (31) and a piston rod (32) movably inserted into the sleeve (31) in an axial direction; and a limiting unit (40), movably connected to the shock absorber (30), where the limiting unit (40) is constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber (30), so that the limiting unit (40) limits movement of the sleeve (31) relative to the piston rod (32) at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position. According to some embodiments of the present invention, components of the laundry care appliance are less likely to be damaged during transport of the laundry care appliance.

Description

LAUNDRY CARE APPLIANCE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of household appliances, and in particular, to a laundry care appliance.

BACKGROUND

A laundry care appliance inevitably jolts and shakes during transport. Therefore, components of the laundry care appliance may collide with each other due to swaying, causing damage to the components.

A drum washing machine is used as an example. The drum washing machine usually includes a housing. A laundry inlet configured to put in or take out laundry is arranged on a front panel of the housing. A door is arranged on the inlet to open or close the laundry inlet. A laundry disposal barrel assembly is arranged inside the housing, is connected to the housing by a spring and a shock absorber, and is in a suspended state. The laundry disposal barrel assembly mainly includes a liquid containing drum, a counterweight block mounted on the liquid containing drum to maintain balance of the liquid containing drum in an operating state of the laundry care appliance, and a drum mounted inside the liquid containing drum and driven by a motor to rotate about a horizontal axis or an inclined axis. An opening is provided on a side of the drum, and is connected to the laundry inlet through a sealing ring made of an elastic material.

The laundry disposal barrel assembly is suspended inside the housing through an elastic shock-absorbing device, and the laundry disposal barrel assembly is movable relative to the housing. In this way, the laundry disposal barrel assembly may hit the housing due to swaying during movement and transport of a washing machine, resulting in damage to the housing and the laundry disposal barrel assembly.

In order to reduce the occurrence of the damage, shock-absorbing foam may be used to support a lower side of the laundry disposal barrel assembly. The shock-absorbing foam is taken out after the washing machine reaches a place of use. However, such shock-absorbing foam is large and needs to occupy a relatively large mounting space. In addition, for normal operation of the washing machine, the shock-absorbing foam needs to be removed from the washing machine by using a complex operation. In addition, the shock-absorbing foam further has problems such as requiring a large storage space and being environmentally-unfriendly.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide a laundry care appliance, so that components of the laundry care appliance are less likely to be damaged during transport.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a laundry care appliance. The laundry care appliance includes: a housing; a tub, mounted in the housing; a shock absorber, connected to the housing and the tub, where the shock absorber includes a sleeve and a piston rod movably inserted into the sleeve in an axial direction; and a limiting unit, movably connected to the shock absorber, where the limiting unit is constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber, so that the limiting unit limits movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position.

The movement of the tub relative to the housing can be limited accordingly by using the limiting unit to limit the movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod at the first position during transport of the laundry care appliance, so as to prevent the tub from hitting against the housing, thereby preventing the damage to the components of the laundry care appliance. After the laundry care appliance is transported to a place of use, for example, transported to a home of a user, the limiting unit can be moved, through a simple operation, to a second position that allows normal operation of the laundry care appliance. In this way, a feasible solution for protecting the components of the laundry care appliance during the transport is provided. In particular, in addition to the laundry care appliance that uses shock-absorbing foam, another alternative feasible solution is provided. The limiting unit has a small structure and does not require an additional large mounting space. In addition, the limiting unit is simple to operate and environmentally friendly.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the limiting unit includes: a support, movably connected to the piston rod, so that the support is movable relative to the piston rod to realize the movement of the limiting unit between the first position and the second position; and a blocking member attached to the support, where the blocking member is constructed to block the sleeve to limit the movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position, and to release the limitation on the sleeve in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position. The limiting unit is simple in structure and easy to manufacture. The support can reliably hold the blocking member.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the blocking member is formed as a cushion pad made of an elastic material. In this way, the blocking member can absorb motion energy while blocking the movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the sleeve has an upper end and a lower end opposite to each other, and the piston rod is inserted into the sleeve through the lower end of the sleeve and has a smaller outer diameter than the lower end of the sleeve. The blocking member abuts against the piston rod in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position, and the lower end of the sleeve abuts against the blocking member when the sleeve moves toward the piston rod. In this way, the limiting unit can reliably limit the movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod at the first position.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position, the support is adjacent to the housing, and the blocking member does not contact the piston rod and the sleeve. Therefore, it can be ensured that in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position, the normal operation of the laundry care appliance is not affected. In addition, the support does not need to be removed from the laundry care appliance.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the blocking member and the support each have a U-shaped cross section, and the support surrounds the blocking member, so that the blocking member and the support surround the piston rod in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position, and the piston rod leaves the blocking member and the support through a U-shaped opening when the limiting unit moves from the first position toward the second position. The limiting unit is simple in structure and easy to operate.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the support includes a first wall and a second wall arranged opposite to each other and a third wall connected between the first wall and the second wall, so as to form a U-shaped accommodating cavity configured to accommodate the blocking member. The first wall and the second wall each have a protrusion configured to prevent the blocking member from leaving the accommodating cavity, and the protrusion extends toward the accommodating cavity; and/or the first wall and the second wall each have a lug, and a connection structure configured to be connected to the piston rod is formed on the lug; and/or the third wall is arranged to abut against the housing in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position; and/or the support is formed of a sheet metal member. The blocking member can be stably attached to the support and reliably limit the movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod. The support can be connected to the piston rod through the lug. In a case that the limiting unit is at the second position, the third wall abuts against the housing, which can help stably hold the position of the limiting unit. In particular, the limiting unit is not easily displaced due to vibration during the operation of the laundry care appliance. The support formed as the sheet metal member can have sufficient strength and is easy to manufacture. The above structure of the support formed by using the sheet metal process is particularly advantageous.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care appliance further includes a shock absorber frame. The shock absorber frame, the support, and the piston rod are hinged rotatably relative to each other, and the movement of the limiting unit between the first position and the second position is realized through rotation of the support relative to the shock absorber frame and the piston rod. This design facilitates a reduction of the mounting space required for the limiting unit and direct application of the limiting unit in the existing laundry care appliance without needing to change the structure of the existing shock absorber and the shock absorber frame.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the limiting unit includes a positioning structure. The positioning structure is constructed to hold the limiting unit at the first position and/or the second position. This can help hold the limiting unit at the first position and/or the second position stably and reliably.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the positioning structure includes a first magnet. The first magnet is fixed to the support or formed as the support, and the piston rod includes a second magnet or is made of a second magnet. The first magnet and the second magnet are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support to approach the piston rod and to be held at the first position. In this way, the limiting unit can be held at the first position in a simple manner and can be switched between the first position and the second position through a simple operation of the user.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes a third magnet or is made of the third magnet. The first magnet and the third magnet are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support to approach the housing and to be held at the second position. In this way, the limiting unit can be held at the second position in a simple manner and can be switched between the first position and the second position through a simple operation of the user.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, an operating handle that protrudes outward is formed on the support, to enable the force driving the support to move between the first position and the second position to be applied to the operating handle. In this way, the user can operate the limiting unit more conveniently.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the shock absorber is connected to the tub from below, and the limiting unit is arranged to limit downward movement of the tub relative to the housing in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position. This helps prevent violent downward displacement of the tub relative to the housing during the transport of the laundry care appliance.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the shock absorber and the limiting unit are connected to a bottom plate of the housing through a hinge structure. The limiting unit is arranged to be adjacent to the bottom plate in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position. In this way, the limiting unit is easy to operate.

According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care appliance further includes a transport bolt configured to fix the tub to a back plate of the housing. Relative positions of the tub and the housing can be fixed at least to a certain extent by using the transport bolt. A combination of the transport bolt and the limiting unit is particularly advantageous, which can protect the components of the laundry care appliance more reliably during the transport. The limiting unit can particularly reduce the force applied to the transport bolt. According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care appliance is a washing machine, a drying machine, or a washing and drying machine. The limiting unit can be applied to various types of laundry care appliances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The principles, features, and advantages of the present invention can be better understood by describing the present invention in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings include:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a laundry care appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 , where a limiting unit is at a second position.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 schematically show three-dimensional views of a shock absorber and a limiting unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a shock absorber and a limiting unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals:

10. Housing

20. Tub

30. Shock absorber

31. Sleeve

32. Piston rod

40. Limiting unit

41. Support

411. First wall

412. Second wall

413. Third wall

414. Protrusion

415. Lug

416. Operating handle

42. Blocking member

43. First magnet 44. Second magnet

50. Shock absorber frame

90. Shock-absorbing foam

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects to be solved in the present invention clearer, the present invention is to be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, but not to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

First, for ease of understanding, according to the description in the background, a laundry care appliance in the prior art has problems such as being prone to component damage during transport, shock-absorbing foam used for protection being bulky and complicated to operate, and the like.

For at least one of the above technical problems or other possible technical problems, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a laundry care appliance. The laundry care appliance includes: a housing; a tub, mounted in the housing; a shock absorber, connected to the housing and the tub, where the shock absorber includes a sleeve and a piston rod movably inserted into the sleeve in an axial direction; and a limiting unit, movably connected to the shock absorber, where the limiting unit is constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber, so that the limiting unit limits movement of the sleeve relative to the piston rod at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position.

For better understanding of the present invention, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before the specific description is started, it should be noted that directional terms used in the description refer to the conventional use state of the laundry care appliance, for the convenience of description, but cannot be understood as the absolute limitation on the corresponding features.

In the embodiment, the laundry care appliance is implemented as a washing machine. It can be seen from FIG. 1 that the washing machine includes a housing 10 and a tub 20 mounted in the housing 10. The tub 20 may be constructed as a liquid containing drum configured to accommodate a washing liquid, and for example, is suspended in the housing 10 through an elastic suspension unit. FIG. 1 schematically shows a laundry care appliance implemented as a drum washing machine. The drum washing machine may further include a drum rotatably arranged in the tub 20. The drum is arranged to accommodate to-be-disposed laundry and may be arranged to rotate, for example, driven by a motor, particularly about a substantially horizontal axis. A person skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of washing machines, for example, a pulsator washing machine. In addition, the laundry care appliance according to the present invention may also be implemented as a drying machine, a washing and drying machine, or the like.

It can be seen from FIG. 1 that the washing machine further includes a shock absorber 30. The shock absorber 30 is connected to the housing 10 and the tub 20 and is constructed to at least reduce transmission of vibration between the housing 10 and the tub 20. During the operation of the washing machine, the rotation of the drum causes vibration of the tub 20 and other components of the washing machine. Such vibration may lead to the life loss of an electrical component or a rubber part of the washing machine, cause unpleasant noise, and affect user experience. The shock absorber 30 connected between the housing 10 and the tub 20 can help achieve shock absorption. The shock absorber 30 may include a sleeve 31 and a piston rod 32 movably inserted into the sleeve 31 in an axial direction. The "axial direction" herein is for the sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32. The sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32 may be directly or indirectly connected to the tub 20 and the housing 10 respectively, and the vibration is absorbed and eliminated by means of relative movement between the sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32. For example, a friction plate may be arranged between the sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32, so as to provide a damping force and consume vibration energy through frictional movement. Alternatively or additionally, other damping structures that can provide the damping force may be arranged between the sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32, for example, a spring, and the like.

The washing machine may shake due to inevitable bumping during the transport of the washing machine. This may cause the tub 20 to hit the housing 10, resulting in damage to the parts of the washing machine. Known from the prior art, a position of the tub 20 may be fixed through the shock-absorbing foam 90 (shown schematically in dashed lines in FIG. 1 ) arranged at a bottom of the tub 20 during the transport of the washing machine. As described above, this manner has many disadvantages.

Therefore, a limiting unit 40 is arranged on the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 , especially instead of the shock-absorbing foam 90, so as to protect components of the washing machine during the transport of the washing machine. The limiting unit 40 is movably connected to the shock absorber 30 and constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber 30, so that the limiting unit 40 limits movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position. FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 , where a limiting unit 40 is at a second position.

In this way, the limiting unit 40 may be at the first position during the transport of the washing machine, so as to limit the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32. Correspondingly, the movement of the tub 20 relative to the housing 10 is also limited. Therefore, the limiting unit 40 at the first position can prevent violent displacement of the tub 20 relative to the housing 10 and prevent the tub 20 from hitting the housing 10. After the washing machine is transported to the place of use, for example, transported to the home of the user, the limiting unit 40 may be caused to move from the first position to the second position and release the limit. Therefore, the shock absorber 30 can realize the shock absorption function through the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 during normal operation of the washing machine. In the process, the limiting unit 40 does not need to be disassembled, and the operation is simple. The limiting unit 40 has a small structure and does not require an additional large mounting space. In addition, compared with the use of the shock-absorbing foam 90, the limiting unit 40 is more environmentally friendly.

Additionally, the laundry care appliance further includes a transport bolt, which is configured to fix the tub 20 to a back plate of the housing 10. The transport bolt may be removed after the laundry care appliance is transported to the place of use and before the normal operation. The combination of the transport bolt and the limiting unit 40 can particularly help prevent violent displacement of the tub 20 relative to the housing 10 during the transport of the washing machine, thereby protecting the components of the washing machine. In a case that the tub 20 is fixed to the back plate of the housing 10 through the transport bolt, a front end of the tub 20 away from the back plate still shakes obviously relative to the housing 10 when the washing machine shakes. On the one hand, this may cause the front end of the tub 20 to hit the housing 10, on the other hand, may also cause the transport bolt to bear a considerable force, and may even cause deformation or fracture of the tub 20, the housing 10, or the transport bolt. The use of the limiting unit 40 can effectively prevent the tub 20 from hitting the housing 10 and can reduce the force applied to the transport bolt, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the tub 20, the housing 10, or the transport bolt of the washing machine. The limiting unit 40 may be particularly connected to the shock absorber 30 located at the front end of the tub 20, which can particularly help protect the components of the washing machine through fitting with the transport bolt.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the shock absorber 30 may be connected to the tub 20 from below, and the limiting unit 40 is arranged to limit downward movement of the tub 20 relative to the housing 10 in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position. In this way, this may help prevent violent downward displacement of the tub 20 relative to the housing 10 during the transport of the washing machine. This design is particularly advantageous in a case that the tub 20 and other components such as a counterweight block mounted on the tub 20 have a relatively large weight. In particular, this further helps reduce the force applied to the transport bolt.

The shock absorber 30 and the limiting unit 40 may be connected to the housing 10 through a hinge structure, for example, a bottom plate or a side plate of the housing 10. The limiting unit 40 may rotate from the first position to the second position through the hinge structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the limiting unit 40 is arranged to be adjacent to the bottom plate or the side plate when the limiting unit is at the second position. During the normal operation of the washing machine, the limiting unit 40 is still arranged in the washing machine without the need for disassembly. In a case that the washing machine needs to be transported again, the limiting unit 40 may be moved from the second position to the first position to protect the washing machine during the transport.

The present invention is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 schematically show three-dimensional views of a shock absorber 30 and a limiting unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

It may be seen from FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 that the sleeve 31 of the shock absorber 30 and the piston rod 32 inserted into the sleeve 31 may be arranged coaxially with respect to each other. An axial direction is schematically shown by dot dash lines in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The limiting unit 40 may be, for example, relatively rotatably connected to the shock absorber 30 and constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber 30, so that the limiting unit 40 limits movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position. The limiting unit 40 at the first position is shown in FIG. 3 and the limiting unit 40 at the second position is shown in FIG. 4. It should be understood that "limiting the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32" does not mean completely prohibiting the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32. For example, the relative movement between the sleeve 31 and the piston rod 32 may have a certain free stroke, and the limiting unit 40 hinders the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 only in the case of exceeding the free stroke.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the limiting unit 40 includes: a support 41 , movably connected to the piston rod 32, so that the support 41 is movable relative to the piston rod 32 to realize the movement of the limiting unit 40 between the first position and the second position; and a blocking member 42 attached to the support 41 , where the blocking member 42 is constructed to block the sleeve 31 to limit the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the first position, and to release the limitation on the sleeve 31 in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the second position. The support 41 can reliably hold the blocking member 42. The limiting unit 40 is simple in structure and easy to manufacture.

The sleeve 31 may have an upper end and a lower end opposite to each other. The piston rod 32 is inserted into the sleeve 31 through the lower end of the sleeve 31 and has a smaller outer diameter than the lower end of the sleeve 31 . The blocking member 42 may abut against the piston rod 32 in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the first position, and the lower end of the sleeve 31 can abut against the blocking member 42 when the sleeve 31 moves toward the piston rod 32. In this way, the limiting unit 40 can reliably limit the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32 at the first position. Optionally, in a case that the washing machine is in a stationary state and the limiting unit 40 is at the first position, the blocking member 42 may be separated from the lower end of the sleeve 31 by a certain spacing, for example, 3 mm to 5 mm. Correspondingly, when the sleeve 31 moves down relative to the piston rod 32 and crosses the spacing, the lower end of the sleeve 31 abuts against the blocking member 42, and further downward movement of the sleeve 31 may be blocked by the blocking member 42. The spacing may cause the limiting unit 40 to move more freely relative to the shock absorber 30.

The blocking member 42 may be formed as a cushion pad made of an elastic material. For example, the cushion pad may be made of a material such as silicone or polyurethane. The cushion pad may absorb motion energy while hindering the movement of the sleeve 31 relative to the piston rod 32.

The laundry care appliance further includes, for example, a shock absorber frame 50. The shock absorber frame 50, the support 41 , and the piston rod 32 are hinged rotatably relative to each other, and the movement of the limiting unit 40 between the first position and the second position is realized through rotation of the support 41 relative to the shock absorber frame 50 and the piston rod 32. For example, the hinged connection of the shock absorber frame 50, the support 41 , and the piston rod 32 can be achieved through a shaft shoulder screw extending through through holes of the support 41 , the shock absorber 30, and the piston rod 32, so that any two of the shock absorber frame, the support, and the piston rod can rotate relative to each other. This design helps reduce the mounting space required for the limiting unit 40. In addition, this design further allows the limiting unit 40 to be directly applied in the existing washing machine without the need to change the structure of the existing shock absorber 30 and shock absorber frame 50. The shock absorber frame 50 may be fixed to the housing 10, for example, fixed to the bottom plate or the side plate of the housing 10 by riveting, threaded connection, or the like. A person skilled in the art should understand that the limiting unit 40 may also be mounted in other manners. For example, the limiting unit 40 may be directly mounted to the housing 10 or the piston rod 32, and/or may be mounted through translation.

After the support 41 rotates relative to the shock absorber frame 50 and the shock absorber 30 so that the limiting unit 40 is at the second position shown in FIG. 4, the support 41 may be adjacent to the housing 10. In this case, the blocking member 42 does not contact the piston rod 32 and the sleeve 31 . Therefore, in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the second position, the shock absorber 30 can realize the shock absorption function, and the normal operation of the washing machine is not affected.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a shock absorber 30 and a limiting unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The limiting unit 40 is at the first position, and a section is perpendicular to an axial direction of the shock absorber 30.

It may be seen from FIG. 5 that the blocking member 42 and the support 41 may each have a U-shaped cross section, and the support 41 surrounds the blocking member 42. The blocking member 42 and the support 41 can surround the piston rod 32 in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the first position. When the limiting unit 40 moves from the first position toward the second position, the piston rod 32 can leave the blocking member 42 and the support 41 through a U-shaped opening. The limiting unit 40 is simple and stable in structure and easy to operate. the support 41 may include a first wall 411 and a second wall 412 arranged opposite to each other and a third wall 413 connected between the first wall 411 and the second wall 412, so as to form a U-shaped accommodating cavity configured to accommodate the blocking member 42. The first wall 411 and the second wall 412 may each have a protrusion 414 configured to prevent the blocking member 42 from leaving the accommodating cavity, and the protrusion 414 extends toward the accommodating cavity. In this way, the blocking member 42 can be attached to the support 41 stably and reliably. The first wall 411 and the second wall 412 may be respectively provided with a plurality of protrusions 414. The plurality of protrusions 414 can prevent the blocking member 42 from leaving the accommodating cavity through the U-shaped opening in a direction away from the third wall 413, and also prevent the blocking member 42 from shifting downward due to being pressed by the sleeve 31 (refer to FIG. 3).

Still referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, it may be seen that the first wall 411 and the second wall 412 have a lug 415 extending downward, and a connection structure configured to be connected to the piston rod 32 is formed on the lug 415. For example, the lug 415 may have a through hole for a shaft shoulder screw to extend through.

The third wall 413 is arranged to abut against the housing 10 in a case that the limiting unit 40 is at the second position. This helps stably hold the position of the limiting unit 40. In particular, the limiting unit 40 is not easily displaced due to the vibration during the operation of the washing machine.

An operating handle 416 that protrudes outward may be formed on the support 41 , to enable the force driving the support 41 to move between the first position and the second position to be applied to the operating handle 416.

The support 41 is formed of a sheet metal member, for example. In this way, the support 41 has sufficient strength and is easy to manufacture. The above structure of the support 41 formed by using the sheet metal process is particularly advantageous.

In an exemplary embodiment, the limiting unit 40 may include a positioning structure. The positioning structure is constructed to hold the limiting unit 40 at the first position and/or the second position.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the positioning structure may include a first magnet 43 fixed to the support 41 or formed as the support 41 , and the piston rod 32 includes a second magnet 44. The first magnet 43 and the second magnet 44 are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support 41 to approach the piston rod 32 and to be held at the first position. In this way, the limiting unit 40 can be held at the first position in a simple manner and can be easily switched between the first position and the second position through a simple operation of the user. The first magnet 43 and the second magnet 44 may be formed by a magnet or respectively by a magnet and a metal material that can be attracted by the magnet. For example, the first magnet 43 may be embedded in the third wall 413 of the support 41 , and the second magnet 44 may be embedded in the piston rod 32 at a position corresponding to the first magnet 43.

The piston rod 32 may also be made of the second magnet 44. For example, the piston rod 32 is made of the metal material that can be attracted by the magnet, and the first magnet 43 is made of the magnet.

Optionally, the housing 10 may include a third magnet or is made of the third magnet. The first magnet 43 and the third magnet are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support 41 to approach the housing 10 and to be held at the second position. For example, the third magnet may be embedded in a bottom plate of the housing 10 adjacent to the shock absorber frame 50. In this way, the limiting unit 40 can be held at the second position in a simple manner and can be easily switched between the first position and the second position through a simple operation of the user.

A person skilled in the art should understand that the positioning structure may also be implemented in other forms, for example, in the forms of adhesive bonding, snap connection, threaded connection, and the like.

Although specific implementations have been described above, these implementations are not intended to limit the scope disclosed in the present invention, even if a single implementation is described only with respect to specific features. The feature examples provided in the present invention are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, unless otherwise stated. During specific implementation, a plurality of features can be combined with each other according to the actual needs when technically feasible. In particular, features in different embodiments may also be combined with each other.

Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, various alternatives, changes, and modifications can also be conceived.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1 . A laundry care appliance, characterized by comprising: a housing (10); a tub (20), mounted in the housing (10); a shock absorber (30), connected to the housing (10) and the tub (20), wherein the shock absorber (30) comprises a sleeve (31 ) and a piston rod (32) movably inserted into the sleeve (31 ) in an axial direction; and a limiting unit (40), movably connected to the shock absorber (30), wherein the limiting unit (40) is constructed to be movable between a first position and a second position relative to the shock absorber (30), so that the limiting unit (40) limits movement of the sleeve (31 ) relative to the piston rod (32) at the first position and releases the limitation at the second position.

2. The laundry care appliance according to claim 1 , characterized in that the limiting unit (40) comprises: a support (41 ), movably connected to the piston rod (32), so that the support (41 ) is movable relative to the piston rod (32) to realize the movement of the limiting unit (40) between the first position and the second position; and a blocking member (42) attached to the support (41 ), wherein the blocking member (42) is constructed to block the sleeve (31 ) to limit the movement of the sleeve (31 ) relative to the piston rod (32) in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the first position, and to release the limitation on the sleeve (31 ) in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the second position.

3. The laundry care appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the blocking member (42) is formed as a cushion pad made of an elastic material.

4. The laundry care appliance according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sleeve (31 ) has an upper end and a lower end opposite to each other, and the piston rod (32) is inserted into the sleeve (31 ) through the lower end of the sleeve (31 ) and has a smaller outer diameter than the lower end of the sleeve (31 ); and the blocking member (42) abuts against the piston rod (32) in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the first position, and the lower end of the sleeve (31 ) abuts against the blocking member (42) when the sleeve (31 ) moves toward the piston rod (32). The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the second position, the support (41 ) is adjacent to the housing (10), and the blocking member (42) does not contact the piston rod (32) and the sleeve (31 ). The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the blocking member (42) and the support (41 ) each have a U-shaped cross section, and the support (41 ) surrounds the blocking member (42), so that the blocking member (42) and the support (41 ) surround the piston rod (32) in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the first position, and the piston rod (32) leaves the blocking member (42) and the support (41 ) through a U-shaped opening when the limiting unit (40) moves from the first position toward the second position. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the support (41 ) comprises a first wall (411 ) and a second wall (412) arranged opposite to each other and a third wall (413) connected between the first wall (411 ) and the second wall (412), so as to form a U-shaped accommodating cavity configured to accommodate the blocking member (42), wherein the first wall (411 ) and the second wall (412) each have a protrusion (414) configured to prevent the blocking member (42) from leaving the accommodating cavity, and the protrusion (414) extends toward the accommodating cavity; and/or the first wall (411 ) and the second wall (412) each have a lug (415), and a connection structure configured to be connected to the piston rod (32) is formed on the lug (415); and/or the third wall (413) is arranged to abut against the housing (10) in a case that the limiting unit (40) is at the second position; and/or the support (41 ) is formed of a sheet metal member. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 7, characterized by further comprising a shock absorber frame (50), wherein the shock absorber frame (50), the support (41 ), and the piston rod (32) are hinged rotatably relative to each other, and the movement of the limiting unit (40) between the first position and the second position is realized through rotation of the support (41 ) relative to the shock absorber frame (50) and the piston rod (32). The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the limiting unit (40) comprises a positioning structure, wherein the positioning structure is constructed to hold the limiting unit (40) at the first position and/or the second position. The laundry care appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the positioning structure comprises a first magnet (43), wherein the first magnet (43) is fixed to the support (41 ) or formed as the support (41 ), the piston rod (32) comprises a second magnet or is made of a second magnet (44), the first magnet (43) and the second magnet (44) are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support (41 ) to approach the piston rod (32) and to be held at the first position. The laundry care appliance according to claim 10, characterized in that the housing (10) comprises a third magnet or is made of the third magnet, wherein the first magnet (43) and the third magnet are arranged to mate with each other to generate a magnetic attraction force that drives the support (41 ) to approach the housing (10) and to be held at the second position. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 2 to 11 , characterized in that an operating handle (416) that protrudes outward is formed on the support (41 ), to enable the force driving the support (41 ) to move between the first position and the second position to be applied to the operating handle (416).

13. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the shock absorber (30) is connected to the tub (20) from below, and the limiting unit (40) is arranged to limit downward movement of the tub (20) relative to the housing (10) in a case that the limiting unit is at the first position; and/or the shock absorber (30) and the limiting unit (40) are connected to a bottom plate of the housing (10) through a hinge structure, wherein the limiting unit (40) is arranged to be adjacent to the bottom plate in a case that the limiting unit is at the second position.

14. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized by further comprising: a transport bolt, configured to fix the tub (20) to a back plate of the housing (10).

15. The laundry care appliance according to any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the laundry care appliance is a washing machine, a drying machine, or a washing and drying machine.