CN107923107B

CN107923107B - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN107923107B
Application number: CN201680049026.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佐藤弘树; 川村保; 间宫春夫; 吉田贤司; 中西隆; 中川亘
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Asia Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-08-25
Filing date: 2016-08-25
Publication date: 2020-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-25
Also published as: CN107923107A; EP3342918A4; JP2017042328A; EP3342918A1; US20180245261A1; KR20180042390A; WO2017032327A1

Abstract

A washing machine is capable of restraining the washing barrel arranged in a machine case from vibrating and colliding with the machine case. A washing machine (100) comprises: a housing (1); a washing tub (2) having a rotatable inner tub (4) for accommodating laundry and an outer tub (3) for accommodating the inner tub (4), and disposed in the cabinet (1); four support members (7) formed in a rod shape suspended from the cabinet (1) and elastically supporting the washing tub (2); and a receiving part (18) which is installed at the lower part of each supporting member (7) one by one and connects the supporting member (7) to the washing tub (2). All the receiving portions (18) are arranged at the same height position, and among the four support members (7), the length of one pair of front support members (7A) is different from that of the other pair of rear support members (7B).

Description

Washing machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a washing machine.

Background

In the washing machine described in patent document 1, an outer tub is supported by four hanger bars inside a frame, a washing and dewatering tub is rotatably supported inside the outer tub, and a pulsator for agitating laundry is disposed at the bottom of the washing and dewatering tub. The rotary power of the motor installed on the lower surface of the outer barrel is transmitted to the washing and dehydrating barrel and the impeller. The lower end of the hanging rod is fixed on a mounting piece protruding from the bottom wall of the outer barrel, and the upper end is held by a hanging rod receiving metal piece fixed on the mounting piece protruding inwards from the frame. The vibration of the outer tub is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of a compression spring as a vibration-proof body provided at the top end of the hanging rod in the case of a dehydration process or the like during the washing operation.

The washing machine described in patent document 1 has the following hidden troubles: when the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tub is braked to stop the dehydrating process, the outer tub vibrates greatly due to the bias of the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub, and the vibration of the outer tub cannot be completely inhibited by the four hanging rods, so that the outer tub collides with the cabinet of the washing machine.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001 and 137592

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that can suppress the occurrence of a situation in which a washing tub disposed in a cabinet vibrates and collides with the cabinet.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention provides a washing machine, comprising: a housing; a washing tub having a rotatable inner tub for receiving laundry and an outer tub for receiving the inner tub, and disposed in the cabinet; four supporting members formed in a bar shape suspended from the cabinet to elastically support the washing tub; and receiving portions attached one by one to lower portions of the respective support members to connect the support members to the washing tub, all of the receiving portions being disposed at a same height position, wherein a length of one pair of the support members is different from a length of another pair of the support members among the four support members.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the washing tub is rotatable in a manner crossing a vertical direction.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, four support members formed in a bar shape suspended from the cabinet are connected to the washing tub by receiving portions attached one by one to respective lower portions, thereby elastically supporting the washing tub disposed in the cabinet. All the receiving portions are arranged at the same height position, and of the four support members, one pair of support members is different in length from the other pair of support members. When this structure is adopted, the vibration of the washing tub can be effectively suppressed by the four support members, both in the case where the inner tub of the washing tub is rotating during the spinning process of the washing operation, and in the case where the rotation of the inner tub is braked in order to stop the spinning process. Therefore, the washing tub can be prevented from vibrating and colliding with the machine shell.

Further, according to the present invention, the washing tub can be rotated in a manner crossing the vertical direction, and even in the washing machine of this structure, the vibration of the washing tub can be effectively suppressed by the four supporting members, and thus the occurrence of the case where the washing tub vibrates and collides with the cabinet can be suppressed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a left side view of a main part of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a main portion of a supporting member of the washing machine and a peripheral portion thereof.

Fig. 3 is a schematic left side view of a main part of the washing machine.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between the amplitude of vibration generated in the outer tub of the washing tub according to the rotation of the inner tub during the spin-drying process and the length difference between the front and rear support members.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between the amplitude of vibration generated in the outer tub as the rotation of the inner tub is stopped at the end of the spinning process and the length difference between the front and rear support members.

Fig. 6 is a left side view of a washing machine of a modification.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a housing; 2: a washing tub; 3: an outer tub; 4: an inner barrel; 7: a support member; 7A: a front side supporting member; 7B: a rear side support member; 18: a receiving section; 100: a washing machine; z: and (4) the up-down direction.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a left side view of a main part of a washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vertical direction in fig. 1 is referred to as a vertical direction Z of the washing machine 100, the horizontal direction in fig. 1 is referred to as a front-rear direction Y of the washing machine 100, and a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in fig. 1 is referred to as a horizontal direction X. The up-down direction Z is also the vertical direction. Among the vertical directions Z, the upper side is referred to as an upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as a lower side Z2. In the front-rear direction Y, the right side of fig. 1 is referred to as a front side Y1, and the left side of fig. 1 is referred to as a rear side Y2. In the left-right direction X, the front side of the drawing sheet of fig. 1 is referred to as a left side X1, and the back side of the drawing sheet of fig. 1 is referred to as a right side X2.

Although the washing machine 100 includes a washing and drying machine having a drying function, the washing machine 100 will be described below by taking as an example a washing machine that does not have a drying function and performs only a washing operation. The washing operation includes a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process. The washing machine 100 includes a cabinet 1 constituting an outer case thereof. In the cabinet 1, the washing tub 2, that is, the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4 constituting the washing tub 2, the motor 5, the transmission mechanism 6, and the support member 7 are disposed.

The casing 1 includes a metal outer frame 10 and a decorative cover 11, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape as a whole, wherein the outer frame 10 constitutes a skeleton of the casing 1, and the decorative cover 11 is fixed to the outer frame 10 so as to cover the outer frame 10 from the outside. In fig. 1, for convenience of explanation, the outer frame 10 is shown by a broken line, and at least a part of the decorative cover 11 is shown by a one-dot chain line (the same applies to fig. 6 described later).

The outer frame 10 integrally includes: a total of four vertical supports 12 arranged one by one at four corners of the housing 1 in a plan view from the upper side Z1 and extending in the vertical direction Z; an upper lateral support 13 which is erected between upper end portions of two longitudinal supports 12 arranged side by side in the front-rear direction and extends in the front-rear direction Y; and a lower lateral support 14 extending in the front-rear direction Y and extending between lower ends of the two longitudinal supports 12 arranged in the front-rear direction. Although not shown, the outer frame 10 further includes a cross brace that is disposed between two vertical braces 12 arranged side by side in the left-right direction and extends in the left-right direction X.

Each of the vertical pillars 12 does not necessarily have to extend straight in the vertical direction Z, and may be bent or curved in a crank shape at a middle portion. Similarly, the upper cross brace 13 and the lower cross brace 14 do not necessarily have to extend straight in the front-rear direction Y, and may be bent or curved in a crank shape at some point. In the present embodiment, each of the pair of left and right upper lateral stays 13 includes: a front portion 13A extending from the upper end of the longitudinal pillar 12 of the front side Y1 to the rear side Y2, a middle portion 13B extending from the rear end of the front portion 13A to the upper side Z1, and a rear portion 13C extending from the upper end of the middle portion 13B to the rear side and connected to the upper end of the longitudinal pillar 12 of the rear side Y2 are bent in a crank shape as a whole.

The decorative cover 11 is plate-shaped, and covers the outer frame 10 at least from the left side X1, the right side X2, the front side Y1, the rear side Y2, and the upper side Z1. A portion of the decorative cover 11 covering the outer frame 10 from the upper side Z1 is provided with an access opening (not shown) for putting laundry into and taking laundry out of the washing machine 100.

The outer tub 3 is made of, for example, resin, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The tub 3 is disposed inside the outer frame 10. Water can be stored inside the outer tub 3. The outer tub 3 has a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall 15 arranged along the vertical direction Z, and a disk-shaped bottom wall 16 that closes the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 15 from the lower side Z2. The circumferential wall 15 has an opening 15A defined by an upper end edge thereof. The opening 15A is located directly below the above-described opening (not shown) of the decorative cover 11, and communicates the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 15 with the opening.

A plurality of ribs 17 that protrude radially outward R of the circumferential wall 15 and reinforce the circumferential wall 15 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 15. The ribs 17 include longitudinal ribs 17A extending in the vertical direction Z and lateral ribs 17B extending in the circumferential direction S of the tub 3. At the lower end portions of two vertical ribs 17A adjacent in the circumferential direction S, receiving portions 18 are provided. Four receiving portions 18 are provided integrally at the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the circumferential wall 15 so as to be arranged at four corners of the casing 1 in plan view. Two receiving portions 18 located on the front side Y1 are referred to as front receiving portions 18A, and the remaining two receiving portions 18 located on the rear side Y2 are referred to as rear receiving portions 18B. The two front receiving portions 18A are disposed at a position farther to the left and right than the front portion 13A of the upper lateral support 13 toward the lower side Z2. The two rear receiving portions 18B are disposed farther to the left and right than the rear portion 13C of the upper cross brace 13 toward the lower side Z2.

Each receiving portion 18 integrally includes a plate-shaped base portion 19 that is stretched between two adjacent vertical ribs 17A and is curved so as to bulge outward in the radial direction R, and a dome-shaped engaging portion 20 that is formed so as to bulge upward Z1 from the upper end of the base portion 19. A space enclosed by the lower end portions of two adjacent longitudinal ribs 17A, the receiving portion 18 provided so as to straddle these longitudinal ribs 17A, the engaging portion 20 at the upper end of the receiving portion 18, and the outer peripheral surface of the circumferential wall 15 is referred to as an accommodation space 21. The housing space 21 is a recess recessed upward Z1 toward the engaging portion 20, and is exposed downward Z2 from the lower end of the base portion 19. The receiving portion 18 is formed with a through hole 18C penetrating the upper end portion of the engaging portion 20 along the vertical direction Z, and a slit 18D extending continuously from the through hole 18C to the lower side Z2 and bisecting the entire receiving portion 18 in the circumferential direction S. The through hole 18C and the slit 18D are in a state of communicating with the housing space 21.

A plurality of ribs 22 protruding downward Z2 to reinforce the bottom wall 16, a drain passage 23 for draining the water accumulated in the tub 3 to the outside, and the like are provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall 16.

The inner tub 4 shown by a two-dot chain line in fig. 1 is made of, for example, metal, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape one turn smaller than the outer tub 3, and is coaxially housed in the outer tub 3. The inner tub 4 can accommodate laundry therein. An opening 4A communicating with the opening 15A of the outer tub 3 from right below is formed in the upper surface of the inner tub 4. The user of the washing machine 100 puts laundry into and takes laundry out of the inner tub 4 through the opening (not shown) of the decorative cover 11, the opening 15A, and the opening 4A. The inner tub 4 is formed with a plurality of through holes, not shown, through which water in the outer tub 3 can flow between the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4. Therefore, the water level in the outer tub 3 is identical to the water level in the inner tub 4. A rotating shaft 4B protruding downward Z2 is provided on a portion of the bottom wall of the inner barrel 4 that coincides with the center of the inner barrel 4. The rotation shaft 4B is rotatably supported by the bottom wall 16 of the tub 3. Accordingly, the inner tub 4 may rotate about the rotation shaft 4B.

The motor 5 is an electric motor such as a frequency converter motor. The motor 5 is fixed to the bottom wall 16 of the outer tub 3 from the lower side Z2. The motor 5 has an output shaft (not shown) projecting to the upper side Z1. The transmission mechanism 6 is sandwiched between the output shaft of the motor 5 and the rotating shaft 4B of the inner tub 4. A known mechanism is used as the transmission mechanism 6. The transmission mechanism 6 transmits the driving force output from the output shaft of the motor 5 to the rotary shaft 4B. Thereby, the inner tub 4 rotates. In particular, in the dehydration process, the inner tub 4 is rotated at a high speed in order to apply a centrifugal force to the laundry to perform dehydration efficiently. A pulsator (not shown) is provided in the inner tub 4 to rotate for agitating the laundry, and the driving force of the motor 5 is transmitted from the transmission mechanism 6 to the pulsator.

The support member 7 is a member formed in a rod shape and is also called a hanger, and is disposed in the housing 1 in a vertically long state. Four support members 7 are provided, one at each of four corners of the housing 1. Of the four support members 7, the pair of left and right support members 7 positioned on the front side Y1 is referred to as a front support member 7A, and the other pair of left and right support members 7 positioned on the rear side Y2 is referred to as a rear support member 7B. Fig. 1, and later-described fig. 3 and 6 show the front support member 7A and the rear support member 7B positioned on the left side X1 one by one, and the front support member 7A and the rear support member 7B positioned on the right side X2 are not shown. However, the pair of left and right front side supporting members 7A are located at positions overlapping when viewed in the left-right direction X, and the pair of left and right rear side supporting members 7B are located at positions overlapping when viewed in the left-right direction X.

As an example of the support member 7, a friction damper may be cited. Of course, other known dampers such as a hydraulic damper can be used as the support member 7. The support member 7 in the case of the friction damper includes a rod 28 elongated vertically and linearly extending, and a hollow housing 29 that houses a lower end portion of the rod 28. Referring to fig. 2, which is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a main portion of the support member 7 and its peripheral portion, the support member 7 includes a disc-shaped damper member 30 connected to a lower end portion of the rod 28 in the case 29, and an urging member 31 such as a coil spring disposed in the case 29. The rod 28 is relatively movable with respect to the housing 29, and by this relative movement, the support member 7 is entirely retractable. Further, since the biasing member 31 biases the damper member 30 to the lower side Z2 in the housing 29, the entire support member 7 can elastically expand and contract.

Referring to fig. 3, which is a schematic left side view of the main part of the washing machine 100, the pair of left and right upper lateral supports 13 of the outer frame 10 are provided with one connection portion 32 (see also fig. 1) at each of the front portion 13A and the rear portion 13C in conjunction with the lever 28. In other words, the joint portions 32 are present in four in total. Each coupling portion 32 is formed in a plate shape made of metal and thin in the vertical direction Z. The connection portion 32 may be provided integrally with the upper lateral support 13, or may be fixed to the upper lateral support 13 by a screw or the like as an independent member. Coupling portion 32 of upper lateral support 13 provided at left side X1 is disposed so as to protrude from upper lateral support 13 toward right side X2 of washing tub 2. Coupling portion 32 (not shown) of upper lateral support 13 provided on right side X2 is disposed so as to protrude from upper lateral support 13 toward left side X1 of washing tub 2. In each of the upper lateral supports 13, the coupling portion 32 provided in the front portion 13A is referred to as a front coupling portion 32A, and the coupling portion 32 provided in the rear portion 13C is referred to as a rear coupling portion 32B (see also fig. 1). Each of the coupling portions 32 is formed with a through hole 32C penetrating the coupling portion 32 in the vertical direction Z. The inner circumferential surface 32D defining the through hole 32C in the coupling portion 32 is formed in a spherical shape that narrows toward the lower side Z2.

A hemispherical upper engaging portion 28A bulging toward the lower side Z2 is provided at the upper end portion of the lever 28. The upper engaging portion 28A of each front support member 7A is fitted into the through hole 32C of the front coupling portion 32A located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the upper side Z1, and thereby is engaged with the front coupling portion 32A from the upper side Z1. The upper engaging portion 28A of each rear support member 7B is fitted into the through hole 32C of the rear coupling portion 32B located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the upper side Z1, and thereby is engaged with the rear coupling portion 32B from the upper side Z1. Each upper engaging portion 28A is in spherical contact with an inner peripheral surface 32D of the coupling portion 32 defining a through hole 32C.

The housing 29 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with its long side in the long side direction of the rod 28. The upper end of the housing 29 is formed in a hemispherical shape bulging upward Z1 as a lower engagement portion 29A. The rod 28 vertically penetrates the upper end 29B of the lower engaging portion 29A and projects toward the upper side Z1. The lower engaging portion 29A of each front support member 7A is fitted into the accommodating space 21 of the front receiving portion 18A located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the lower side Z2, and thereby engaged with the engaging portion 20 of the front receiving portion 18A from the lower side Z2. The lower engaging portion 29A of each rear support member 7B is fitted into the accommodating space 21 of the rear receiving portion 18B located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the lower side Z2, and thereby is engaged with the engaging portion 20 of the rear receiving portion 18B from the lower side Z2. In this way, the four receiving portions 18 are attached one by one to the lower engaging portion 29A located below each support member 7. When the lower engagement portion 29A is fitted into the housing space 21, the rod 28 passes through the slit 18D of the receiving portion 18.

In each support member 7, the lower engaging portion 29A is in spherical contact with an inner peripheral surface 20A (see fig. 2) defining the housing space 21 in the engaging portion 20, and the rod 28 protrudes upward Z1 from the through hole 18C at the upper end of the receiving portion 18. The rod 28 may be disposed in an attitude extending vertically along the vertical direction Z, or may be disposed in an attitude inclined in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y with respect to the vertical direction Z. In the present embodiment, the rod 28 of the front support member 7A is disposed obliquely so as to be deviated to the front side Y1 as it goes to the upper side Z1, and the rod 28 of the rear support member 7B is disposed obliquely so as to be deviated to the rear side Y2 as it goes to the upper side Z1.

Each support member 7 is suspended from a coupling portion 32 provided in the upper side cross brace 13 of the outer frame 10 (see also fig. 1). The lower engaging portion 29A of the casing 29 located at the lower end of the support member 7 is coupled to the outer tub 3 of the washing tub 2 via the receiving portion 18. Since each of the support members 7 is elastically stretchable, the four support members 7 are in a state of suspending and elastically supporting the washing tub 2, the motor 5 fixed to the outer tub 3, and the transmission mechanism 6 (see also fig. 1). Therefore, vibration generated by the washing tub 2 in accordance with the rotation of the inner tub 4 during the washing operation can be prevented from being transmitted to the cabinet 1 through the connection portion 32.

Further, in each support member 7, since the damper member 30 moves together with the lower end portion of the rod 28 when the support member 7 expands and contracts, and at this time, rubs against the inner circumferential surface 29C (see fig. 2) of the housing 29, a frictional force is generated between the damper member 30 and the inner circumferential surface 29C of the housing 29. By this frictional force, the vibration generated by the washing tub 2 is attenuated. Since each support member 7 is in a state where the upper engaging portion 28A is in spherical contact with the coupling portion 32 and the lower engaging portion 29A is in spherical contact with the engaging portion 20 of the receiving portion 18 as described above, the support member 7 can freely change the inclination with respect to the vertical direction Z so that a forcible force due to the vibration of the washing tub 2 does not act on the support member 7 itself or the cabinet 1.

The four receiving portions 18 are all disposed at the same height position, and in particular, the through holes 18C of the four receiving portions 18 are located at the same position in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the housings 29 of the four support members 7 fitted into the housing spaces 21 of the receiving portions 18 from the lower side Z2 are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction Z. Specifically, the upper ends 29B of the lower engaging portions 29A of the housings 29 of the four support members 7 exposed from the through holes 18C are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction Z.

On the other hand, among the four coupling portions 32 with which the upper lateral strut 13 of the housing 1 engages with the upper engagement portion 28A of the engagement support member 7, the front coupling portion 32A provided on the front portion 13A is located at a position lower than the rear coupling portion 32B provided on the rear portion 13C located at a position higher than the front portion 13A (see also fig. 1). In this case, among the four support members 7, the pair of front support members 7A having the upper engagement portion 28A engaged with the front coupling portion 32A are equal in length to each other, and the other pair of rear support members 7B having the upper engagement portion 28A engaged with the rear coupling portion 32B are equal in length to each other. However, the pair of front side supporting members 7A and the pair of rear side supporting members 7B are different in length, and strictly speaking, the front side supporting members 7A are shorter than the rear side supporting members 7B. Here, the length of the support member 7 is, for example, the length of a line segment L extending along the rod 28 by connecting a portion 28B of the upper engagement portion 28A that coincides with the lower surface of the connection portion 32 and the upper end 29B of the lower engagement portion 29A in a state where the operation of the washing machine 100 is stopped. The length of the line segment L is the length of the portion of each support member 7 ranging from the receiving portion 18 to the coupling portion 32, in other words, the length of the portion of the support member 7 that has a positive effect on damping vibration. Of course, as another example, the entire length of the lever 28 and the entire length of the support member 7 may be defined as the length of the support member 7.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between the amplitude of vibration generated in the outer tub 3 of the washing tub 2 according to the rotation of the inner tub 4 and the length difference between the front side supporting member 7A and the rear side supporting member 7B during the spin-drying process. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between the amplitude of vibration generated in the outer tub 3 as the rotation of the inner tub 4 is stopped at the end of the spinning process and the length difference between the front support member 7A and the rear support member 7B. In fig. 4 and 5, the horizontal axis indicates the difference in length between the front support member 7A and the rear support member 7B when the front support member 7A is shorter than the rear support member 7B. On the other hand, the vertical axis of fig. 4 represents the amplitude of vibration generated in the outer tub 3 during the rotation of the inner tub 4 during the spinning process, and the vertical axis of fig. 5 represents the amplitude of vibration generated when the outer tub 3 stops rotating when the inner tub 4 is braked as the spinning process ends. The unit of the length difference and the amplitude is, for example, mm.

As the braking of the rotation of the inner tub 4, the duty ratio may be controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the washing machine 100 to rapidly and abruptly stop the rotation of the motor 5, or a separate braking device (not shown) may be provided to rapidly and abruptly stop the rotation of the motor 5 by operating the braking device by the control unit.

When the four receiving portions 18 for receiving the lower end portions of the supporting members 7 are all disposed at the same height position, as shown in fig. 4, even if the length difference between the front supporting member 7A and the rear supporting member 7B is increased, the amplitude of the vibration of the outer tub 3 during the rotation of the inner tub 4 during the spinning process hardly changes. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5, when the difference in length between the front side support member 7A and the rear side support member 7B becomes large, the amplitude of the vibration generated when the rotation of the outer tub 3 is stopped along with the inner tub 4 by braking becomes small. In other words, it is considered that the vibration of the outer tub 3 generated by the stop of the rotation of the inner tub 4 is effectively attenuated due to the difference in length of the front and rear supporting

members

7A and 7B.

Therefore, when the structure is adopted in which the pair of front side support members 7A and the other pair of rear side support members 7B are different in length and the four receiving portions 18 are all disposed at the same height position, even if a brake is applied to the rotation of the inner tub 4 in order to stop the spinning process while the inner tub 4 is rotating during the spinning process, the vibration of the outer tub 3 can be effectively suppressed by the four support members 7. Thereby, the outer tub 3 of the washing tub 2 in the cabinet 1 is prevented from vibrating and colliding with the cabinet 1.

Fig. 6 is a left side view of the washing machine 100 of a modification. In fig. 6, the same portions as those described in fig. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Although washing machine 100 described with reference to fig. 1 to 3 has washing tub 2 always arranged vertically, washing machine 100 according to the modification shown in fig. 6 can change the posture of washing tub 2.

Specifically, the washing machine 100 of the modified example further includes: a support frame 50, a rotating portion 51, a lock release mechanism 52, and a drive mechanism 53.

The support frame 50 includes a pair of left and right side plates 54 and a bridging member (not shown) that bridges between the pair of side plates 54. In fig. 6, only the side panel 54 of the left side X1 is illustrated. Each side plate 54 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the left-right direction X, and is thin in the left-right direction X. Between the pair of side plates 54, the washing tub 2 is disposed.

Metal rotation shafts 55 protruding outward in the left-right direction X are provided one by one on the left and right side surfaces of the outer tub 3 of the washing tub 2 at the same positions as viewed in the left-right direction X. The rotation shaft 55 of the outer tub 3 projecting to the left side X1 penetrates the side plate 54 of the left side X1 and is rotatably supported by the side plate 54 of the left side X1 via a bearing (not shown). The rotation shaft 55 (not shown) of the tub 3 projecting to the right side X2 penetrates the side plate 54 of the right side X2 and is rotatably supported by the side plate 54 of the right side X2 via a bearing (not shown). Thus, the washing tub 2 having the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4 (not shown) is supported by the support frame 50 and is rotatable about the rotation shaft 55 so as to intersect the vertical direction Z. Specifically, as the washing tub 2 rotates, the central axes J of the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 4 are inclined in the front-rear direction Y with respect to the vertical direction Z. The rotation direction of the washing tub 2 is referred to as rotation direction K.

An acute intersection angle between the imaginary reference axis M extending in the vertical direction Z and the central axis J is a rotation angle θ of the washing tub 2 with respect to the reference axis M. As rotation angle θ becomes smaller, washing tub 2 is closer to the upright posture, and as rotation angle θ becomes larger, washing tub 2 is inclined toward front side Y1 so that opening 15A of outer tub 3 faces front side Y1. The rotation angle θ can be changed in five stages of, for example, 5 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees. The rotation angle θ of fig. 6 is 60 degrees. Further, in fig. 6, the moving locus of the end surface on the opening 15A side of the outer tub 3 when the washing tub 2 rotates between 5 degrees and 60 degrees is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

As an example of application to the washing machine 100 of the modified example, when laundry is put into the washing tub 2 at the start of the washing operation, the rotation angle θ is set to 45 degrees so that the laundry can be easily put into the washing tub. In the casing 1 of the washing machine 100 according to the modified example, a coupling surface 1C that couples the front surface 1A and the top surface 1B and descends toward the front side Y1 is provided, and the above-described entrance (not shown) is formed so as to straddle the front surface 1A and the coupling surface 1C. In addition, the rotation angle θ is set to 5 degrees when the load amount of the laundry is detected or the water is supplied to the outer tub 3 after the laundry is input. Then, in the washing and rinsing processes, the rotation angle θ is set to vary between 5 degrees and 60 degrees in order to facilitate the position alternation of the laundry in the inner tub 4 to achieve efficient washing and rinsing.

In a region of the side plate 54 on the left side X1 on the lower side Z2 with respect to the pivot shaft 55, an opening 54A penetrating the side plate 54 in the left-right direction X is formed. The opening 54A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y.

The rotating portion 51 is a metal plate that is thin in the left-right direction X and is formed in a substantially fan shape bulging toward the front side Y1 when viewed in the left-right direction X. The rotating portion 51 has an outer peripheral edge 51A formed in an arc shape along the rotating direction K and bulging toward the front side Y1. A through hole 51B penetrating the rotating portion 51 in the left-right direction X is formed in the rotating portion 51 at a position coinciding with the center of curvature of the outer peripheral edge 51A. A plurality of, here five, recesses 51C are formed in the outer peripheral edge 51A. These concave portions 51C are recessed in the through holes 51B, penetrate the rotating portion 51 in the left-right direction X, and are arranged in parallel in the rotating direction K. The interval between adjacent recesses 51C may be constant or may vary depending on the position of the rotating portion 51. In the present embodiment, in the rotating portion 51 in the posture of fig. 1, two recesses 51C located on the rearmost side Y2 and the positions immediately before the rearmost side Y2 are spaced apart by 10 degrees in the rotating direction K, that is, in the circumferential direction around the through hole 51B, and the other adjacent recesses 51C are uniformly spaced apart by 15 degrees, corresponding to the rotation angle θ set at 5 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees.

The rotating portion 51 is disposed closer to the left side X1 than the side plate 54 of the left side X1. The rotation shaft 55, which protrudes to the left side X1 of the outer tub 3 and penetrates the side plate 54 of the left side X1, is inserted through the through hole 51B of the rotation unit 51 and fixed to the rotation unit 51. Thus, the rotation part 51 is integrally rotatably connected to the outer tub 3 via the rotation shaft 55.

In the rotating portion 51 in the posture of fig. 6, an extension portion 51D protruding to the lower side Z2, specifically, to the outer side in the radial direction T of the rotating portion 51 centering on the through hole 51B is integrally provided at the rear end of the outer peripheral edge 51A. The extension portion 51D is formed with a guide hole 51E that is long in the radial direction T and penetrates the extension portion 51D in the left-right direction X. The guide hole 51E is located at the same position in the vertical direction Z as the opening 54A of the side plate 54 of the left side X1, and always faces the opening 54A from the left side X1.

The lock release mechanism 52 is fixed to the left side surface of the side plate 54 of the left side X1. The unlocking mechanism 52 includes a main body portion 56 provided with an actuator (not shown) such as a solenoid, and a lock portion 57 formed in a convex shape protruding toward the rear side Y2. The lock portion 57 is supported by the main body portion 56 slidably in the front-rear direction Y. The actuator of the main body portion 56 operates to slide the lock 57 between an entry position entering the rearmost side Y2 and a withdrawal position withdrawing the foremost side Y1. The lock portion 57 of fig. 6 is located at the entry position, and is in a state of being fitted into the recess 51C at the same position in the rotational direction K. Thereby, the rotation of the rotating part 51 and the washing tub 2 is locked. In this state, when the locking portion 57 is retracted to the retracted position, the locking portion 57 is separated from the recess 51C, and thus the locking of the rotating portion 51 and the washing tub 2 is released.

The drive mechanism 53 includes: frame 58, a pair of receiving portions 59, threaded shaft 60, motor 61, coupling 62, nut member 63, and sensor 64.

The frame 58 is formed by bending a metal plate into a crank shape, for example, and is fixed from the right side X2 to the side plate 54 of the left side X1 so as to cover the opening 54A of the side plate 54 from the right side X2. The pair of receiving portions 59 are fixed to the frame 58 in a state of being spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction Y, and project from the frame 58 toward the left side X1. The screw shaft 60 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in an elongated manner in the front-rear direction Y, and a screw thread 60A extending in a spiral shape is formed almost over the entire outer peripheral surface thereof. The threaded shaft 60 is rotatably supported at both ends by bearings (not shown) provided in the pair of front and rear receiving portions 59.

The motor 61 is a general electric motor, and has an output shaft 65 projecting toward the rear side Y2 and disposed coaxially with the screw shaft 60. The front end portion of the threaded shaft 60 and the output shaft 65 are integrally rotatably coupled by a coupling 62. Therefore, when the motor 61 is driven and the output shaft 65 rotates, the screw shaft 60 rotates integrally with the output shaft 65. The nut member 63 has an annular nut having a screw thread (not shown) extending in a spiral shape formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, and is externally fitted to the screw shaft 60 so that the screw thread is screwed with the screw thread 60A of the screw shaft 60. When the screw shaft 60 is rotated by the driving of the motor 61, the nut member 63 moves as a whole in the axial direction of the screw shaft 60, i.e., the front-rear direction Y, in accordance with the rotation of the screw shaft 60. The nut member 63 is coupled to the rotating portion 51 via a coupling pin 66 by fixing the coupling pin 66 inserted into the extending portion 51D of the rotating portion 51. Therefore, when the nut member 63 moves in the front-rear direction Y with the rotation of the screw shaft 60, the rotating portion 51 is pulled in the front-rear direction Y by the nut member 63, thereby rotating with the washing tub 2.

The sensor 64 is a sensor for detecting the rotation angle θ of the washing tub 2 from the position of the nut member 63 in the front-rear direction Y, and an optical sensor such as an optical sensor can be used as the sensor 64. In this case, the sensors 64 are provided in the same number as the recesses 51C of the rotating portion 51, and are fixed to the frame 58 in a state of being arranged in the front-rear direction Y. Each sensor 64 is formed with a groove 64A penetrating the sensor 64 in the front-rear direction Y, and the sensor 64 is in a state where the detection light crosses the groove 64A in the up-down direction Z. The nut member 63 is provided with a rod-shaped detection section 63A called a stopper section. When the rotation angle θ is any one of 5 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees, the detection section 63A fits into the groove 64A of any one of the sensors 64 and blocks the detection light of the groove 64A. Therefore, the five sensors 64 collectively detect which of the rotation angles θ is 5 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees.

In the washing machine 100 of the modified example, a pair of left and right vertical plates 71 protruding outward in the front-rear direction Y are provided at the front end edge and the rear end edge of each side plate 54 of the support frame 50, respectively. One receiving portion 18 is provided in each of the pair of vertical plates 71, and is integrated with the vertical plate 71. As in the above-described embodiment (see fig. 1 to 3), four receiving portions 18 are provided, and are arranged one at each of four corners of the housing 1 in a plan view. Of the four receiving portions 18, two front receiving portions 18A are disposed apart from each other in the left-right direction at positions closer to the lower side Z2 than the front portion 13A of the upper lateral support 13, and two rear receiving portions 18B are disposed apart from each other in the left-right direction at positions closer to the lower side Z2 than the rear portion 13C of the upper lateral support 13.

The base portion 19 of the front receiving portion 18A is formed in a plate shape curved so as to extend between two vertical plates 71 provided at the front end edge of the side plate 54 and to bulge out toward the front side Y1. The base portion 19 of the rear receiving portion 18B is formed in a plate shape curved so as to extend between two vertical plates 71 provided at the rear end edge of the side plate 54 and to bulge out toward the rear side Y2. The housing space 21 is a space surrounded by two adjacent vertical plates 71, the base portion 19, and the engaging portion 20.

In the washing machine 100 of the modified example, four support members 7 are provided, one at each of four corners of the cabinet 1. In the washing machine 100 of the modified example, as shown in fig. 3 as well, among the four support members 7, the upper engagement portions 28A of the two front support members 7A are engaged with the front coupling portions 32A located at the same positions in the left-right direction X from the upper side Z1, and the upper engagement portions 28A of the two rear support members 7B are engaged with the rear coupling portions 32B located at the same positions in the left-right direction X from the upper side Z1. The lower engaging portion 29A of each front support member 7A is fitted into the accommodating space 21 of the front receiving portion 18A located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the lower side Z2, and thereby is engaged with the engaging portion 20 of the front connecting portion 32A from the lower side Z2. The lower engaging portion 29A of each rear support member 7B is fitted into the accommodating space 21 of the rear receiving portion 18B located at the same position in the left-right direction X from the lower side Z2, and thereby is engaged with the engaging portion 20 of the rear connecting portion 32B from the lower side Z2. The lower engaging portion 29A is in a state where the engaging portion 20 is in spherical contact with an inner peripheral surface 20A (see fig. 2) defining the housing space 21, and the lever 28 is in a state where it protrudes upward Z1 from the through hole 18C at the upper end of the receiving portion 18.

Each support member 7 is suspended from a coupling portion 32 provided in the upper cross brace 13 of the outer frame 10. The four receiving portions 18 are attached one by one to the lower engaging portion 29A located below each support member 7. Thus, as shown in fig. 6, each support member 7 is coupled to the outer tub 3 of the washing tub 2 via the side plate 54 of the support frame 50 by the receiving portion 18. Since each of the support members 7 is elastically stretchable, the four support members 7 suspend and elastically support the washing tub 2, the motor 5 and the transmission mechanism 6 (see fig. 1) fixed to the outer tub 3, the support frame 50, the rotating portion 51, the lock release mechanism 52, and the driving mechanism 53.

In the washing machine 100 according to the rotatable modification of the washing tub 2, all the receiving portions 18 for receiving the lower end portions of the support members 7 are arranged at the same height position, the pair of front support members 7A and the pair of rear support members 7B are different in length, and strictly speaking, the front support members 7A are shorter than the rear support members 7B (see also fig. 3). In this case, as explained with reference to fig. 4 and 5, since the vibration of the outer tub 3 is effectively suppressed by the four supporting members 7, it is possible to suppress the outer tub 3, that is, the washing tub 2 from vibrating and colliding with the cabinet 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

For example, although the pair of front side supporting members 7A is shorter than the other pair of rear side supporting members 7B in the four supporting members 7, the pair of rear side supporting members 7B may be shorter than the pair of front side supporting members 7A. Instead of the structure in which the pair of support members 7 on the front side Y1 and the pair of support members 7 on the rear side Y2 are different in length, the four support members 7 may be configured such that the pair of support members 7 on the left side X1 and the pair of support members 7 on the right side X2 are different in length.

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising:

a housing;

a washing tub having a rotatable inner tub for receiving laundry and an outer tub for receiving the inner tub, and disposed in the cabinet;

four supporting members formed in a bar shape suspended from the cabinet to elastically support the washing tub; and

a receiving part which is installed at the lower part of each supporting component one by one and connects the supporting component to the washing barrel,

all the receiving portions are arranged at the same height position, and the length of one pair of the four supporting members is different from that of the other pair of the four supporting members;

the washing machine further includes:

a support frame including a pair of left and right side plates and a bridging member bridging between the pair of side plates, the washing tub being disposed between the pair of side plates, a metal rotating shaft protruding outward in a left-right direction being provided one by one at a same position on left and right side surfaces of an outer tub of the washing tub as viewed in the left-right direction, the washing tub being supported by the support frame and being rotatable around the rotating shaft so as to intersect with the up-down direction, a rotation direction of the washing tub being referred to as a rotation direction K, and an opening penetrating through the side plates in the left-right direction being formed in a region of the left side plate located below the rotating shaft;

a rotation portion having an outer peripheral edge formed in an arc shape along the rotation direction K and bulging forward, a through hole penetrating the rotation portion in a left-right direction being formed at a position of the rotation portion coinciding with a curvature center of the outer peripheral edge, a plurality of recesses being formed at the outer peripheral edge, the plurality of recesses being recessed toward the through hole and penetrating the rotation portion in the left-right direction being arranged side by side along the rotation direction K, the rotation portion being integrally rotatably connected to the tub via the rotation shaft; an extension portion protruding outward in a radial direction of the rotating portion around the through hole is integrally provided at a rear end of the outer peripheral edge of the rotating portion, a guide hole that is long in the radial direction and penetrates the extension portion in a left-right direction is formed in the extension portion, and the guide hole is located at the same position as the opening of the left side plate in the vertical direction and always faces the opening from the left side;

a lock releasing mechanism including a main body portion provided with an actuator including a solenoid and a lock portion formed in a convex shape protruding rearward, the lock portion being supported by the main body portion so as to be slidable in a front-rear direction, the actuator of the main body portion being operated so as to slide the lock portion between an entry position entering the rearmost side and a withdrawal position withdrawing the foremost side, the lock portion being fitted into the recess at the same position in the rotational direction K when the lock portion is located at the entry position, rotation of the rotating portion and the washing tub being locked, the lock portion being separated from the recess when the lock portion is withdrawn to the withdrawal position, and locking of the rotating portion and the washing tub being released;

a drive mechanism including a frame formed by bending a metal plate into a crank shape and fixed to the left side plate from the right side so as to cover the opening of the side plate from the right side, a pair of second receiving portions fixed to the frame in a state of being spaced apart in the front-rear direction and protruding to the left side from the frame, a pair of second receiving portions formed in a cylindrical shape extending in an elongated manner in the front-rear direction and having a screw thread extending in a spiral shape formed in almost the entire region of the outer periphery thereof, a motor, a coupling, a nut member, and a sensor, the screw shaft being supported by both rotatable ends of bearings provided in the pair of front and rear second receiving portions; the motor has an output shaft projecting rearward and disposed coaxially with the screw shaft, a front end portion of the screw shaft and the output shaft are connected together by the coupling so as to be rotatable integrally, the nut member has an annular nut having a screw thread extending spirally on an inner peripheral surface thereof, the nut member is screwed to the screw thread of the screw shaft by the screw thread and is fitted around the screw shaft, and the nut member is connected to the rotating portion by the connecting pin via a connecting pin fixed to an extension portion inserted into the rotating portion; the sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of the washing tub according to a position of the nut member in a front-rear direction.