U.S. patent application number 11/504627 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-14 for drum type washing machine and method for assembling shaft system.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Sung Wook Kang, Geun Ho Lee, Jun Young Lee.
Application Number | 20070131001 11/504627 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37808127 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070131001 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Geun Ho ; et
al. |
June 14, 2007 |
Drum type washing machine and method for assembling shaft
system
Abstract
A drum type washing machine reducing damage of a shaft system,
and a method for assembling the shaft system are disclosed. The
shaft system comprises a flange shaft coupled to a rear side of the
drum to transmit the rotational force of the motor to the drum. A
buffering material is provided between the drum and the flange
shaft to distribute or absorb load or vibration transmitted from
the drum to the flange shaft. The buffering material comprises a
material having a liquid phase initially and changing to a solid
phase having elasticity a predetermined period of time after
contacting air. The buffering material is applied to a rear side of
the drum or to a rear side of the shaft flange when assembling the
shaft system.
Inventors: |
Lee; Geun Ho; (Gyeonggi-Do,
KR) ; Lee; Jun Young; (Gyeonggi-Do, KR) ;
Kang; Sung Wook; (Seoul, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
37808127 |
Appl. No.: |
11/504627 |
Filed: |
August 16, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/140 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 37/04 20130101;
D06F 37/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
068/140 |
International
Class: |
D06F 23/00 20060101
D06F023/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 13, 2005 |
KR |
2005-0122761 |
Claims
1. A drum type washing machine comprising: a drum, a motor to
rotate the drum, and a flange shaft coupled to a rear side of the
drum to transmit rotational force of the motor to the drum, wherein
a buffering material is provided between the drum and the flange
shaft to distribute or absorb load or vibration transmitted from
the drum to the flange shaft.
2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the buffering
material fills up a gap formed between the drum and the flange
shaft to bond the drum and the flange shaft.
3. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the buffering
material comprises a material having a liquid phase initially and
changing to a solid phase having elasticity a predetermined period
of time after contacting air.
4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the buffering
material comprises a silicon material.
5. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the flange
shaft is formed with a recess to be filled with the buffering
material.
6. A method for assembling a shaft system of a drum type washing
machine, the shaft system comprising a flange shaft installed at a
rear side of a drum to transmit rotational force of a motor to the
drum, and a drum rotating shaft, the method comprising: applying a
buffering material to a portion at the rear side of the drum
corresponding to an installation position of the flange shaft; and
installing the flange shaft to the drum having the buffering
material applied thereto.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the buffering material
comprises a material having a liquid phase initially and changing
to a solid phase having elasticity a predetermined period of time
after contacting air.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the buffering material
comprises a silicon material.
9. A method for assembling a shaft system of a drum type washing
machine, the shaft system comprising a flange shaft installed at a
rear side of a drum to transmit rotational force of a motor to the
drum, and a drum rotating shaft, the method comprising: applying a
buffering material to a surface of the flange shaft brought into
contact with the drum; and installing the flange shaft having the
buffering material to the drum.
10. A washing machine comprising: a container for holding a load of
clothes for washing; a motor providing a rotational driving force;
and a flange shaft coupled to said motor and said container for
transmitting the rotational driving force of said motor to said
container; wherein a buffering material is provided between said
container and said flange shaft.
11. The washing machine as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a
shaft for coupling said motor to said flange shaft.
12. The washing machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein said washing
machine is a drum type.
13. The washing machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein said flange
shaft has a plurality of arms extending outwardly from a center
portion of said flange shaft.
14. The washing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein said
buffering material is provided between said container and at least
one of said extending arms.
15. The washing machine as claimed in claim 14 wherein said
buffering material fills up a gap formed between said container and
said flange shaft.
16. The washing machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein said
buffering material bonds said container and said flange shaft.
17. The washing machine as claimed in claim 16 wherein said
buffering material has a substantial elasticity for absorbing
shock.
18. The washing machine as claimed in claim 17 wherein said
buffering material comprises of a material having a liquid phase
initially and changing to a solid phase a predetermined period of
time after contacting air.
19. The washing machine as claimed in claim 18 wherein said
buffering material comprises of silicon material.
20. The washing machine as claimed in claim 19 wherein said flange
is formed with a recess to be filled with said buffering
material.
21. The washing machine as claim in claim 10 wherein said flange
shaft has a recess for receiving said buffering material.
22. The washing machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein said
buffering material is a silicon material.
23. The washing machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein said washing
machine is a drum type and said container is a drum.
24. The washing machine as claimed in claim 23 wherein said
buffering material has a substantial elasticity for absorbing
vibration generated by said drum.
25. The washing machine as claimed in claim 23 wherein said
buffering material provides distribution of load to various
portions of the flange shaft.
26. The washing machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein said flange
shaft has a plurality of arms extending away from a center portion
of said flange shaft.
27. The washing machine as claimed in claim 26 wherein said flange
shaft has a fastener on said arms for fixing said flange shaft to
said container.
28. The washing machine as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a
water closet, wherein said container is disposed within said water
closet.
29. The washing machine as claimed in claim 28 wherein said
container has a plurality of perforations for allowing water to be
moved between said container and said water closet.
30. The washing machine as claimed in claim 29 wherein said flange
shaft is directly coupled to said container so as to rotate in
unison.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.A.
.sctn.119 of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0122761, filed on
Dec. 13, 2005 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a drum type washing
machine, and, more particularly, to a drum type washing machine,
which can reduce damage of a shaft system serving to transmit
rotational force of a motor to a drum, and a method for assembling
the shaft system thereof.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus which washes
laundry using electric power. The washing machine can be generally
classified into a vertical type washing machine which has a
rotating tub installed vertically in a body, and a drum type
washing machine which has the rotating tub installed horizontally
therein. The drum type washing machine comprises a drum positioned
horizontally therein such that, as the drum rotates alternately in
the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction, laundry
can be washed while moving up and down along with water in the
inner portion of the rotating tub.
[0006] The drum type washing machine generally comprises a motor to
supply power to rotate the drum, and a shaft system to transmit
rotational force of the motor to the drum. FIG. 1 is a perspective
view illustrating a drum, and a shaft system of a conventional drum
type washing machine. As shown in FIG. 1, a shaft system 1 of the
drum type washing machine comprises a flange shaft 3 installed at a
rear side of a drum 2, and a drum rotating shaft 4 inserted into
and integrally formed with the center of the flange shaft 3. Here,
the flange shaft 3 comprises a plurality of wings 3a, each of which
extends radially from the center, and has a distal end fixed to the
drum 2 by means of a fastening member such as a bolt 5.
[0007] Accordingly, when the drum rotating shaft 4 is rotated by a
motor (not shown), rotational force is transmitted to the flange
shaft 3 integrally formed with the drum rotating shaft 4, and is
then delivered to the drum 2 connected with the flange shaft 3 via
the bolts 5, so that the drum rotating shaft 4, the flange shaft 3,
and the drum 2 perform the same rotational movement.
[0008] However, since the flange shaft 3 is assembled at the distal
end of each wing 3a to the drum only by the bolts 5 in the
conventional washing machine, there is a problem in that load of
the laundry is concentrated on a specific portion of the shaft
system of the washing machine instead of being adequately
distributed. Additionally, if the laundry is biased to one side of
the drum while the drum is rotated, a centrifugal force is invoked
by the rotating laundry, applying unequal load to the drum. The
unequal load is transmitted to the shaft system 1 via fastening
portions of the bolts at the distal end of the flange shaft 3, and
concentrated on a portion where the flange shaft 3 is coupled to
the drum rotating shaft 4, so that the flange shaft 3 and the drum
rotating shaft 4 are damaged due to fatigue. Furthermore, since the
shaft system 1 of the conventional washing machine does not have a
self-buffering system to allow reduction of vibration by itself,
the shaft system 1 is damaged due to vibration and/or noise is
generated therefrom. Such problem is especially evident when the
drum rotates at high speeds and/or when the laundry load is
heavy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to
provide a drum type washing machine, which can reduce damage of a
shaft system caused by load applied thereto, and a method for
assembling the shaft system thereof.
[0010] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the
drum type washing machine, which can reduce damage and noise of the
shaft system due to vibration being generated upon rotation of a
drum, and the method for assembling the shaft system thereof.
[0011] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by
practice of the invention.
[0012] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention are
achieved by providing a drum type washing machine, comprising a
drum, a motor to rotate the drum, and a flange shaft coupled to a
rear side of the drum to transmit rotational force of the motor to
the drum, wherein a buffering material is provided between the drum
and the flange shaft to distribute or absorb load or vibration
transmitted from the drum to the flange shaft.
[0013] The buffering material may fill up a gap formed between the
drum and the flange shaft to bond the drum and the flange
shaft.
[0014] The buffering material may comprise a material having a
liquid phase initially and changing to a solid phase having
elasticity a predetermined period of time after contacting air. The
buffering material may comprise a silicon material.
[0015] The flange shaft may be formed with a recess to be filled
with the buffering material.
[0016] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method for assembling a shaft system of a drum
type washing machine in which the shaft system comprises a flange
shaft installed at a rear side of a drum to transmit rotational
force of a motor to the drum, and a drum rotating shaft, the method
comprising: applying a buffering material to a portion at the rear
side of the drum corresponding to an installation position of the
flange shaft; and installing the flange shaft to the drum having
the buffering material applied thereto.
[0017] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method for assembling a shaft system
of a drum type washing machine in which the shaft system comprises
a flange shaft installed at a rear side of a drum to transmit
rotational force of a motor to the drum, and a drum rotating shaft,
the method comprising: applying a buffering material to a surface
of the flange shaft brought into contact with the drum; and
installing the flange shaft having the buffering material to the
drum.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a drum, and a
shaft system of a conventional drum type washing machine;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a
drum type washing machine in accordance with the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating the
construction of the drum type washing machine;
[0022] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of Part A of FIG. 3 for
illustrating a gap between a drum and a flange shaft excluding a
buffering material; and
[0023] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating a shaft
system assembled to the drum of the washing machine in accordance
with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of
the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings. The embodiments are described below to
explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a
drum type washing machine in accordance with the present invention,
and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating the construction
of the drum type washing machine.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a drum type washing machine
according to the present invention comprises a housing 10 defining
an outer appearance of the washing machine, a water tub 11
installed in the housing 10 to contain water for washing laundry,
and a drum 12 rotatably installed in the water tub 11 to receive
the laundry which will be washed by operation of the washing
machine therein. The housing 10 has a door 13 attached to a front
side thereof to open or close an opening through which the laundry
is accessed, and a control panel 14 provided at the front side to
control the operation of the washing machine.
[0027] The housing 10 is provided at an upper portion therein with
a water supply pipe 15 and a detergent supply device 16 to supply
water and detergent to the tub 11, respectively, and provided at a
lower portion therein with a water discharge pump 17 and a water
discharge pipe 18 to discharge water from the tub 11 to an outside
of the housing 10.
[0028] The housing 10 is further provided with a motor 20 at an
outside of the tub 11 to rotate the drum 12 in the clockwise
direction or the counterclockwise direction, and a shaft system 30
at an outside of a rear side 12a of the drum 12. The shaft system
30 comprises a flange shaft 31, and a drum rotating shaft 32 to
transmit rotational force of the motor 20 to the drum 12. The drum
rotating shaft 32 is coupled to the center of the flange shaft 31,
and extends outwardly from the tub 11 so as to engage with the
motor 20. The flange shaft 31 has a plurality of wings 33, each of
which extends radially from the center of the flange shaft 31
coupled to the drum rotating shaft 32, and has a distal end fixed
to the drum 12 by means of a fastening member such as a bolt
34.
[0029] A cylindrical bearing housing 21 is provided at the rear
side of the tub 11, and has bearings 22 on the drum rotating shaft
32 such that the drum rotating shaft 32 can be rotatably supported
thereby.
[0030] Accordingly, as the drum rotating shaft 32 is rotated by the
motor 20, the flange shaft 31 coupled to the drum rotating shaft 32
is also rotated, so that the drum 12 coupled to the flange shaft 31
is rotated, causing the laundry to be washed or extracted of water
therein. In the meantime, if unequal load is applied because the
laundry is biased to one side of the drum 12 during rotation of the
drum 12, or if vibration is generated due to high speed rotation of
the drum 12, the load and vibration are transmitted to the shaft
system 30, and accumulate fatigue on the flange shaft 31 and the
drum rotating shaft 32.
[0031] In this regard, the drum type washing machine of the present
invention comprises a buffering material 40 between the drum and
the flange shaft 31 to distribute or absorb the load or the
vibration transmitted from the drum 12 to the flange shaft 31.
[0032] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of Part A of FIG. 3 for
illustrating a gap between a drum and a flange shaft excluding a
buffering material, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views
illustrating a shaft system assembled to the drum of the washing
machine in accordance with the present invention.
[0033] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a buffering material 40 serves to
allow the drum 12 and the flange shaft 31 to be bonded to each
other over a wide contact area by filling up a gap G created
between the drum 12 and the flange shaft 31 when assembling the
shaft system 30. Then, when load is transmitted from the drum 12 to
the shaft system 30, the load is transmitted in a distributed state
over the wide contact area via the buffering material 40 rather
than in a concentrated state on a bolt fastening portion 35 of the
flange shaft 31, thereby reducing stress applied to the flange
shaft 31 due to the load. In addition, when vibration is
transmitted to the shaft system 30 due to the rotation of the drum
12, the buffering material 40 absorbs the vibration between the
drum 12 and the shaft system 30, thereby reducing damage or noise
of the shaft system due to the vibration. Although preferably, the
entire gap portion is filled with the buffering material, certain
portions may be left empty.
[0034] In consideration of the structural characteristics or the
weight of the flange shaft 31, a recess 36 is formed on the flange
shaft 31, and filled with the buffering material 40 such that the
flange shaft 31 and the drum 12 are bonded to each other over the
wide contact area via the buffering material 40.
[0035] In order to allow the buffering material 40 to effectively
fill up the gap G between the drum 12 and the flange shaft 31 while
allowing the buffering material 40 to effectively reduce the
vibration transmitted from the drum 12 therethrough, the buffering
material 40 is preferably composed of a material, which has a
liquid phase initially, i.e., before being applied to the recess
36, and changes to a solid phase with a predetermined elasticity in
a state of contacting air. For example, such a material includes
silicon materials such as a silicon bond, a silicon rubber, and the
like. However, the buffering material 40 is not limited to the
silicon materials, but any other types of material having the
properties as described above may be used for the buffering
material 40.
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, when assembling the shaft system
30 to the drum 12, the buffering material 40 is applied to a
portion at the rear side 12a of the drum 12 corresponding to an
installation position of the flange shaft 31. Then, the flange
shaft 31 is mounted to the drum 12 having the buffering material 40
applied thereto such that the buffering material 40 fills up the
gap between the drum 12 and the flange shaft 31.
[0037] Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, it is possible to
assemble the shaft system 30 to the drum 12 in such a manner that,
after applying the buffering material 40 to a rear surface 31a of
the flange shaft 31, that is, a surface of the flange shaft 31
which will be brought into contact with the drum 12, the flange
shaft 31 having the buffering material 40 applied thereto is
mounted to the drum 12.
[0038] As apparent from the above description, the present
invention has an advantageous effect in that, when the buffering
material applied to the drum or the flange shaft of the shaft
system, it causes the load to be distributed and absorbs the
vibration transmitted from the drum to the shaft system upon
rotation of the drum, thereby reducing damage or noise of the shaft
system.
[0039] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that various modifications, additions and substitutions
may be made in these embodiments without departing from the
principle and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is
defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *