CN1458991A

CN1458991A - Laundry appliance

Info

Publication number: CN1458991A
Application number: CN01815692A
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·G·费顿; I·罗伯茨
Original assignee: DYSON Co Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Ltd
Priority date: 2000-09-16
Filing date: 2001-08-20
Publication date: 2003-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 2021-08-20
Also published as: AU2001279956B2; EP1319100B1; JP2004508854A; GB2366806A; AU7995601A; DE60116776T2; ATE316164T1; WO2002022936A1; MY130531A; EP1319100A1; ES2254460T3; DE60116776D1; CN1224749C; US20030172689A1; GB0022803D0

Abstract

A laundry appliance (10) comprises an outer casing (14) and a container (34) mounted inside the outer to permit movement of the container (34) in use. The container (34) has a door (42) for closing the opening in the container which moves with the container (34) during use of the applicance. A seal (80) is located between the outer casing (14) and the container (34). The seal (80) extends radially inwardly from the lip (85) of the opening in the outer casing (14) and lies against the front surface or the container (34). The seal has a rigid portion (81) with a channel (83) for receiving the lip (85) of the container and a flexible portion (82).

Description

A kind of laundry facilities

The present invention relates to a kind of laundry facilities, such as washing machine, laundry-drying plant or drumdrier.

Washing machine generally is made of the internal container of water-stop in shell and the fixed housing, and container often is called bucket again.The cylinder that has the hole generally is installed in internal tank, and cylinder can rotate relative to container.When operation, wash liquid is placed in the container, and clothing to be washed is placed in the cylinder with holes.Clothing slowly rotates by cylinder or stirs by the agitator that is positioned at cylinder.After clothing was washed, a part of wash liquid was discharged from interior cylinder, and other liquid throws away the wash liquid rotation by the quick rotation of the cylinder in the container from clothing.Throwing away also of washings realizes by similar fashion.When the cylinder quick rotation, can make the interior cylinder in the shell some vibrations occur by the uneven cylinder imbalance that causes that distributes of inevitable clothing.Shell for fear of this vibration transfer to washing machine, interior cylinder is fixing in the enclosure, and allows between container and the shell certain motion is arranged.In this respect, by tension spring interior cylinder is fixed on the shell usually, cylinder moves and impels container to get back to its equilbrium position in the tension spring available buffer.

The motion of cylinder opposite shell makes the sealing of washing machine in the door district meet difficulty in allowing, particularly in front under the situation of loading washer.Most situation is, door is fixed on the shell, and be arranged to when in the closed position can with body seal.Under the situation of loading washer, general door also forms the dish shape in front, and is inwardly outstanding towards inner pressurd vessel.The large-scale flexible bellows seal is arranged between inner pressurd vessel and door and the opening edge, overflows from inner pressurd vessel to prevent washings.Under the situation of top loading washer, door does not need to form the dish shape, with outstanding towards inner pressurd vessel, extends between container upper end and shell or door although flexible sealing can be set.Flexible sealing generally is designed to have enough flexibilities, can make the motion of inner pressurd vessel adjusted, can not cause too much pressure or infringement to the remainder of machine.

Above-described known mechanisms has common shortcoming, is exactly that the flexible sealing that relied on of inner pressurd vessel sealing is easy to wearing and tearing or damages very much.This be because, sealing must be charged into or around opening in the mode that not have supporting, and clothing will be put into cylinder by opening, general action is to use sizable power to make clothing pass through opening, this will twist, move and damage seals.If fixture is arranged on the clothing, as marching and/or button, will be quite big to the infringement of sealing.Another shortcoming of known front loaded design is, because sealing must be flexible, so that adapt to the motion of inner pressurd vessel, exist the very wisp in the clothing to fall the possibility at the folding of sealing or place, crack, will cause object not carry out suitable washing like this or be damaged.

For the front loaded washing machine, known to have the door that is installed in container itself.Goalkeeper's seal of vessel when door is closed.For traditional washing machine, container is positioned at the inside of shell, allows to have limited motion between container and the shell, but has removed necessity that big bellows seal is set between container and the shell from.Opening on the shell is aimed at container door so that can be near cylinder, but the panel hinge through be fixed to shell to cover opening.A kind of rubber seal is arranged on the space between container and the shell, and sealing is positioned at from the opening of the shell position of certain distance radially outward, forms liner between container and shell.In the washing machine of this form, exist object and fall into or be clipped in danger between shell and the container.

The present invention attempts to provide a kind of use laundry facilities more easily.

Therefore, the invention provides a kind of laundry facilities, comprise shell, be fixed on the container of described shell inboard, described container and described shell are spaced apart, so that described container can move when using, described shell and described container all are provided with opening, be used for clothing is put into described container, but also be provided with the door of closing containers split shed, when using laundry facilities, described door moves with described container, the space of seal between shell and container, seal extends from the flange on the opening of shell.

By the seal that extends from the flange of the opening of described shell is provided, the gap between shell and the container has obtained safe protection.Therefore, the user can not clamp hand, object can not fall into the space or be stuck in shell and container between.

Described seal preferably extends radially inwardly from the flange of shell.Be positioned at such position, even the gap between seal total energy protection container and the shell is when the container opposite shell is moved.

Described seal preferably is attached on the container further to reduce the user and clamps hand or object and fall into danger between shell and the container.Seal is subjected to fexible bias pressure, and it is attached on the described container.

Described seal preferably has enough flexibilities, when the container opposite shell moves, can exceedingly not retrain container.

Described seal is preferably concordant with the flange on the opening of shell.

Described seal preferably includes the part that is connected with the flange of the opening of shell, can have the form of groove, with the flange of the opening that holds shell.

Introduce just the embodiment of the invention referring now to accompanying drawing as example, wherein:

Fig. 1 is the perspective view according to washing machine of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the side view of washing machine shown in Figure 1, has schematically shown the internal part of washing machine;

Fig. 3 is the front view of washing machine shown in Figure 1, and external door is opened with the displaying contents device;

Fig. 4 is mounted in the front view of the seal between shell and the container;

Fig. 5 is the cutaway view of Fig. 3 washing machine front portion;

Fig. 6 shows the part of Fig. 5 section in greater detail;

Fig. 7 has shown the section identical with Fig. 6, and it has another embodiment of seal; With

Fig. 8 has shown the section identical with Fig. 6, and it has improved seal.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 have shown the laundry facilities with washing machine 10 forms.Washing machine 10 has the shell 12 that comprises panel 14, sidewall 16, top cover 18.The size of shell 12 can be installed in the standard device space it, as the device space that provides usually in European kitchen and the hovel.But, the size of washing machine 10 does not constitute content of the present invention, and size can change to adapt to various requirement.

Panel 14 comprises control panel 20, and control panel 20 is equipped with various control buttons or other device of proper handling washing machine 10.Panel 14 also comprises soap tray drawer 22, can be near the soap dish of placing cleaning agent by this drawer.Be positioned at the coin collecting chute 24 in addition on the panel, make it possible to the cavity of exotic greatly of not noting putting into washing machine 10 near being used for collecting.The design, operation and the relevant position that will be appreciated that control panel 20, soap tray drawer 22 and coin collecting chute 24 are not critical to the present invention, to the improvement of these features with change and do not break away from the present invention.

Be fixed on the panel 14 of shell 12 is first 26.Door 26 is supported on a side by hinge 28.Handle 30 is positioned on the door 26 away from the position of hinge 20, and it is worked in coordination with locking piece 32 (see figure 3)s that are fixed on the panel 14.

Inner pressurd vessel or bucket 34 are fixed on the inboard of shell 12 by tension spring and buffer 36.This method that bucket 34 is fixed on washing machine 10 is known.Rotatingcylindrical drum 38 is fixed on the inboard of bucket 34 by known methods, and is provided with motor 40, can make cylinder 38 around its longitudinal axis rotation.Cylinder 38 is provided with the hole, so that wash liquid in the bucket 34 and/or washings enter cylinder 38 by the hole inside.

Be arranged on for second 42 on the surface of cylinder 34, near and generally be the panel 14 that is parallel on the shell 12.Door 42 as fellow disciple 26, is supported in hinge 44 and can be pivoted (see figure 3) around it.Handle 46 also is arranged on the door 42 away from the position of hinge 44.Handle 46 can cooperate with the locking piece on being fixed on bucket 34.

In order to work as washing machine, be provided with the device (not shown) that water can be introduced bucket 34, this device can also discharge and be pumped into water out with water from bucket 34.These features are all known in the prior art, for this reason, do not add demonstration in the accompanying drawings, and this paper does not do any further introduction yet.

Washing machine 10 also comprises control device, can make washing machine 10 carry out suitable wash cycle.Typical wash cycle comprises to the inside of bucket 34 and discharging water and washing powder, to produce wash liquid; Heated scrub liquid is to the temperature that requires, and cylinder 38 rotates around its axis in bucket 34, stirs the clothing in the cylinder 38, discharges wash liquid from bucket 34; Carry out rinse cycle repeatedly, comprise to the inside of bucket 34 and place washings, water is discharged from bucket 34, the water in the clothing is thrown away by the fast rotational of cylinder 38 around its axis by the slow rotation of draining and cylinder 38.Other discussion about wash cycle can not carried out in this article.The control device 50 that washing machine 10 is operated also can be connected to locking piece 32 and locking piece 48 with pulling down, introduces as following.

Fig. 3 has shown the washing machine 10 with first structure, and wherein external door 26 is opened, and inside door 42 is closed.External door 26 comprises it generally being circular panel 52, and it is supported on the side by hinge 28.Hinge 28 is positioned at the position of close sidewall 16 on the panel 14.Hinge 28 is tried one's best near sidewall 16, so that round panel 52 has big as far as possible diameter.Round panel 52 is at its side bearing handle 30 away from hinge 28.

Round panel 52 usefulness transparent materials are made.In shown embodiment, material therefor is a Merlon, can certainly use other material transparent.Can see through door 26 like this and see door 42.The position of door 42 dots in Fig. 3.

Door 26 size and being provided with makes it can close opening 54 in the panel 14.When door 26 was in the closed position, the flange 56 on the round panel 52 passed the opening 54 outstanding inside that enter shell on the panel 14.Seal 58 is positioned on round panel 52 edges from flange 56 radially outer positions, and when door was in detent position, seal 58 was compressed between the edge of the opening 54 of round panel 52 and panel 14.Therefore, when door 26 was closed, shell 12 had firm deadend in the zone of opening 54.

The opening 54 of panel 14 is enough big, and when door 26 was opened, inside door 42 can therefrom pass through.Door 42 is bearing on the bucket 43 by hinge 44.When bucket 34 was in the equilbrium position, hinge 44 was bigger than hinge 28 apart from the distance of sidewall 16.Can guarantee like this, when door 42 when hinge 44 rotates, door 42 can pass through opening 54.

Door 42 comprises the marginal portion 60 of annular, and the lateral support of marginal portion is on hinge 44.On the marginal portion 60 that handle 46 is positioned at away from a side of hinge 44.Marginal portion 60 centers on and supports dish-shaped part 62, and this part is to make with transparent material, as glass or Pyrex glass.Other transparent material also can use.When door 42 was positioned at the closed position, dish shape part 62 was given prominence to the into inside of bucket 34.

Door 42 position and shape make it can close opening 64 near shell 12 panels 14 the bucket 34.Opening 64 is circular, and its diameter is less than the diameter of opening 54.Seal 66 is positioned at the edge that centers on the opening 64 on bucket 34 outer surfaces, and when door 42 was closed, seal 66 was pressed in marginal portion 60.In this way, bucket 34 seals in the mode of water-stop when door 42 is positioned at the closed position.

Each

handle

30,46 cooperates with corresponding locking piece 32,48 by known methods.In the closed position, can operate each locking piece 32,48 and be positioned at the closed position to keep

door

26,42, open up to each

handle

30,46 of operation.In this way, therefore the position that each

door

26,42 remains on each

seal

58,66 by compression can form the sealing that anti-sealing leaks.

Be provided with two doors that separate, be fixed on the shell 12 first 26 and be fixed on the bucket 34 second 42, mean at bucket 34 and be fixed between the door 26 on the shell 12 to there is no need to be provided with very flexible seal.The door of closing bucket 34 42 directly is fixed on the bucket, and the seal 66 that therefore can guarantee bucket 34 water-stops is not easy, and bucket 34 is inner to wear and tear and/or damage because clothing is sent into by opening 64.Seal 66 can be made for a short time and be compact, and satisfied support is arranged.In addition, the seal 58 that is arranged between panel 14 and the door 26 also is subjected to supporting completely, thereby is not easy to damage or wearing and tearing, is not very crucial although have realized that seal 58 for the operation of washing machine 10.

When washing machine 10 in when operation, two

doors

26 and 42 are all closed.Yet the user of washing machine still can see the inside of bucket 34 by two transparent doors 26,42.Therefore, the user can be by the cycle stage of watching washing machine 10 internal judgment washing machines 10 to arrive in any specific time.

Fig. 3 to 6 has shown seal 80, and seal is between panel 14 and bucket 34.The effect of seal 80 is the zones between protection bucket 34 and the panel 14.Bucket 34 and panel 14 must keep certain intervals in case use during washing machine bucket 34 can move.Seal 80 can prevent that user's hand is clipped between bucket 34 and the panel 14.

Fig. 4 has shown seal itself.Seal 80 comprises the first 81 and the flexible more second portion 82 that can be connected to panel 14.First 81 is radially outermost portions of seal, is to constitute by having the material that enough rigidity can encase the flange 85 on the opening of panel 14, as polypropylene.Circular trough 83 forms in rigid element 82 and extends around whole seal.The second portion 82 of seal 80 is the radially penetrale of seal, is to be formed by better elasticity material, as thermoplastic elastomer.The character of second kind of material should be, (i) has enough rigidity so that the shape that keeps cooperating with tub assembly, the (ii) enough firm CONTACT WITH FRICTION that tolerates with tub assembly, and (iii) enough flexibilities can bend when panel moves at tub assembly.If the seal rigidity is too big, can find unnecessarily to limit the proper motion of tub assembly.First and second parts, 81,82 molded forming have formed the single part of making.Molded can being undertaken by the dual shot molded method is molded into the part 81 of rigidity more with the flexible portion 82 of seal.The radius of the penetrale of seal 80 is 88,89 increases in the zone, with placement hinge 44 and door handle, and the handle 46 of inside door 42.Therefore, the action of handle and hinge is not subjected to the influence of seal 80.In these zones, seal is still concordant with bucket 34.As a kind of undesirable selection, seal 80 can be severed in

zone

88,89 simply.

Fig. 5 shows along the cutaway view of Fig. 3 midship section A-A`.Fig. 6 illustrates in greater detail zone C among Fig. 5.As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the rigid element 81 of seal 80 is stuck on the flange 85 of panel 14, encases the both sides of flange 85.Seal 80 extends radially inwardly from the flange of panel.It has concave on seal 80 sections, in lip 92 end of circle.Circular lip 92 helps to keep the shape of seal.Lip 92 is concordant with the front surface 90 of bucket 34 basically.By this set, the gap between seal 80 total energy protection panels and the tub assembly is even in washing machine uses, under the situation that the gap changes.The motion of bucket 34 is shown by arrow line 100 that in Fig. 6 the corresponding sports of seal is shown by arrow line 110.When bucket 34 motions, the flexible portion 82 of seal 80 slides with bending and along the surface 90 of bucket 34 as can be seen.Will be near the zone between panel 14 and the bucket 34, the user need lift the interior lip of seal 92.This will be unusual difficulty to consider the rigidity of seal 80 and elasticity.The inner surface 93 of seal 80 that is exposed to the user is concordant with the flange 85 of panel 14 basically.This concordant installation makes this part of washing machine be easy to clean and improved the outward appearance of washing machine.Although it is fine that said structure proof work gets, wherein elastically deformable part 82 is attached to bucket 34 front surface 90, the inner edge of seal can also be fixed on the bucket 34.Fig. 7 has shown another kind of embodiment, and wherein the lip 92` farthest of seal axially extends towards bucket 34, so that hold and be fixed in the groove 120 of front 90 of bucket 34.Carry out the installation of this type seal, at first the lip 92` of seal 80 is compressed into the groove 120` of bucket 34, then the flange 85 of facing plate is seated in the groove 83 of the other end of seal 80.Fixing seals 80 is clearly for the technical staff in described field to bucket other modes of 34 after reading this explanation.

Fig. 6 has shown that seal 80 is installed to the mode of panel 14.Circular groove 83 forms and extends around whole seal at rigid element 81.The shape of groove 83 can cooperate with the flange 85 of panel 14.The width of groove 83 is towards the inlet point constriction of groove 83, and in a single day big flange 85 of panel 14 compresses into groove 83 like this, will keep securely in groove.In another embodiment, the groove that holds the flange of panel 14 does not need to extend around the whole circumference of seal.The mode that seal 80 is fixed to panel 14 does not need to utilize groove 83.The mode of other realization interference fit can be used, and the mechanical means of other types can be adopted.For example, seal 80 can bond on the panel 14 in the zone of flange 85.

Fig. 8 has shown that the another kind to seal 80 improves.The radially penetrale of seal 80 is provided with reinforcing section 130.Reinforcing section 130 can prevent that the flexible portion 82 of seal from extremely in the motion flexing taking place at bucket 34, have more the surface in life-span and improved the life-span of seal by being provided with in the zones that a lot of wearing and tearing take place, and the minimum cut that prevents to adopt the bucket surface of flexible material more to cause.Reinforcing section 130 can be molded on the flexible portion 82.

As previously explained, the control device 50 of washing machine can be disconnected to be connected to locking piece 32 and locking piece 48.By suitably programming, control device 50 can be designed so that the moment of the washing procedure that each

door

26,42 is just carried out at washing machine 10 opens.For example,, close the door 42 of bucket 34 and open when not wishing in bucket 34, a lot of wash liquids or washings to be arranged, cause water to overflow in a large number as knowing.Therefore be provided with sensor determining to contain in the bucket 34 liquid level of liquid, when liquid level is the same with the bottom of the opening 64 of bucket 34 at least when high, door 42 can not be opened.Also have, at any time when appearance bucket 34 possibility opposite shell 12 moved, door 26 can not be opened.This situation most probable occurs in some part of wash cycle, and at this moment cylinder 38 just rotates with high speed in bucket 34.Therefore, the program of control device 50 should prevent to discharge when cylinder 38 from rotating locking piece 32.Because the amount of movement between bucket 34 and the shell 12 can corresponding raising when the rotating speed of cylinder 38 improves, control device 50 can also be arranged in and prevent under certain rotating condition that door 26 from opening, as when cylinder 38 rotates with 800rpm or higher rotating speed.

Will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the detail in the

foregoing description.Door

26,42 and opening 54,64 can be designed to any shape easily.Unnecessary certain employing is circular.In addition, be fully transparent basically although

door

26,42 demonstrates in this article, by on each door, transparent part being set, and transparent part is aimed at, the user can see the inside of bucket 34, also can realize advantage of the present invention.It is that have a color or painted can also making the material of making

door

26,42, although preferred mode is a not colored of

door

26,42.

Claims

1. laundry facilities, comprise shell, be fixed on the container of described shell inboard, described container and described shell are spaced apart, so that described container can move when using, described shell and described container all are provided with opening, be used for clothing is put into described container, can close the door of opening described in the described container in addition, when using laundry facilities, described door moves with described container, the space of seal between described shell and described container, and described seal extends from the flange on the described opening of described shell.

2. equipment according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described seal extends radially inwardly from the described flange of the described opening of described shell.

3. equipment according to claim 1 and 2 is characterized in that described seal is attached on the described container.

4. equipment according to claim 3 is characterized in that described seal is subjected to fexible bias pressure, and it is attached on the described container.

5. according to each described equipment in the claim of front, it is characterized in that described seal is flexible.

6. equipment according to claim 5 is characterized in that described seal comprises first, can connect the flange of the rigid material formation of described shell; With the second portion that extends towards described container, described second portion is formed by more flexible material.

7. according to claim 5 or 6 described equipment, it is characterized in that the described seal part of close described container is to be formed by the material bigger than the flexible portion rigidity of described seal.

8. according to each described equipment in the claim of front, it is characterized in that described seal is concordant with the described flange of the described opening of described shell.

9. according to each described equipment in the claim of front, it is characterized in that described seal comprises the part of the described flange of the described opening that connects described shell.

10. equipment according to claim 9 is characterized in that described seal is provided with groove, can hold the described flange of the described opening of described shell.

11., it is characterized in that described seal comprises the part that connects described container according to each described equipment in the claim of front.

12., it is characterized in that described laundry facilities comprises another door according to each described equipment in the claim of front, be used to close the described opening of described shell.

13. each described equipment in the front claim with washing machine form.

14. a laundry facilities, the feature and the structure that have basically as introduced with reference to the accompanying drawings.