U.S. patent application number 12/786691 was filed with the patent office on 2010-11-25 for suspension assembly for laundry machine.
Invention is credited to Jose Paulo De Angelo Sanchez, Adriano Tebaldi.
Application Number | 20100294006 12/786691 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43123641 |
Filed Date | 2010-11-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100294006 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tebaldi; Adriano ; et
al. |
November 25, 2010 |
SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY FOR LAUNDRY MACHINE
Abstract
The present invention refers to a suspension assembly for
laundry machines and, more specifically, to a suspension assembly
for laundry machine comprising a washing liquid-containing tank
suspended inside a structural housing. Said suspension assembly of
the present invention comprises at least a suspension rod coupled
to an upper portion of the inner wall of said housing and an lower
portion of the outer wall of said tank; and at least a radial
connection element with a first edge couplable to different
positions of the outer wall of said tank and a second edge
couplable to the suspension rod.
Inventors: |
Tebaldi; Adriano; (Rio
Claro, BR) ; De Angelo Sanchez; Jose Paulo; (Rio
Claro, BR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP
10 ST. JAMES AVENUE
BOSTON
MA
02116-3889
US
|
Family ID: |
43123641 |
Appl. No.: |
12/786691 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/212 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 37/268 20130101;
D06F 37/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
68/212 |
International
Class: |
D06F 37/02 20060101
D06F037/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 25, 2009 |
BR |
PI0901779-8 |
Claims
1. Suspension assembly for a laundry machine, comprising a washing
liquid-containing tank suspended inside the structural housing,
said suspension assembly comprising: at least a suspension rod
having a first edge articulately coupled to an upper portion of
housing inner wall and a second edge elastically coupled to lower
portion of the outer wall of said tank; and at least a radial
connection element having a first edge coupled to the outer wall of
said tank and a second edge coupled to said suspension rod;
characterized in that said first and second edges of the radial
connection element can be coupled in different positions of the
outer wall of said tank and suspension rod, respectively.
2. Suspension assembly, in accordance with claim 1, characterized
in that coupling of said connection element to the outer wall of
said tank and to said rod is carried out by movable fastening
means.
3. Suspension assembly, in accordance with claim 2, characterized
in that the outer wall of said tank comprises a fitting means to
receive one of the movable fastening means of said element.
4. Suspension assembly, in accordance with claim 3, characterized
in that said fitting means comprises an endless spindle, and said
movable fastening means comprises a nut fitted in said endless
spindle.
5. Suspension assembly, in accordance with any of claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that said movable fitting means coupling the
connection element to the rod is a sliding guide surrounding said
rod.
6. Suspension assembly, in accordance with any of claims 1 to 5,
characterized in that it further comprises means for adjusting the
radial extension of said radial connection element.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to a suspension assembly for
laundry machine and, more specifically, to a vertical shaft laundry
machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Vertical shaft laundry machines with upper loading, washing
tank is kept suspended inside a structural housing, and basket for
receiving a load of clothes is washed and mounted inside the
tank.
[0003] During a washing operation, a stirrer/impeller disposed
inside the gasket is used to move the load of clothes being washed
and the washing liquid inside the basket. During
centrifugation--which is an operation in which the remaining water
of the washing process is removed from the load of clothes--the
basket is rotated at a rotation speed generally higher than that
imposed to the basket or the stirrer/impeller during washing
operations.
[0004] This basket rotation operation creates an intense vibration
in the basket/tank assembly, which is transmitted to the structural
housing causing same to displace on the floor, thereby generating
an undesired phenomenon known as "walking" during washing and
centrifugation operations at high rotation.
[0005] In order to avoid this inconvenience, a suspension is
provided between the tank and structural housing. Such a suspension
is generally formed of metal sticks and rods, whose upper edge is
coupled to the structural housing upper portion and the lower edge
with the lower portion of the tank. The connection portion between
the rod and the tank is generally provided with a joint, and said
connection between said rod and said housing is generally provided
with an elastically deformable element. Said elastically deformable
element should then be designed so as to dissipate vibratory energy
coming from basket/tank assembly, whereby energy transmission to
the structural housing is avoided.
[0006] Although said suspension formed of rods and sticks are
widely used in laundry machines known from the art, it is
recognized that same alone is not capable of deadening and totally
dissipating vibratory energy generated by high rotation
centrifuging operations.
[0007] A suspension assembly was then developed which, in addition
to sticks, also uses a plurality of radial struts having an edge
coupled to a tank median lateral region and the other edge coupled
to a suspension stick or rod median region. This assembly, which is
described in details in BR Patent Application PI 0705172-7, allows
for part of the tank radial displacements to be transmitted to
sticks, thus causing flexion deformations in the latter or in the
struts themselves, whereby radial oscillations are attenuated.
[0008] Although the assembly proposed above has shown a
vibration-deadening capacity substantially higher than that known
from conventional machines, it has been noted that same has not the
ability to behave in an optimized manner under all machine
operational conditions.
[0009] In fact, once said machine can be used with different loads
of clothes and said basket/tank assembly can be moved at different
speeds, a suspension means having uniform suspension
characteristic, although more effective than the conventional ones,
is not capable of providing an optimal suspension, once there will
always be certain load and rotation speed conditions under which
the suspension uniform characteristic provided by the assembly is
not the most appropriate.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In view of the foregoing, an object of the invention is to
provide a suspension assembly for laundry machines capable of
providing an effective suspension for the basket/tank assembly
under machine operation conditions.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
suspension assembly for laundry machines having the ability to keep
a satisfactory performance for a wide range of loads of clothes to
be washed and rotation speeds of said basket/tank assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The objects of the present invention are achieved by means
of a laundry machine suspension assembly comprising a washing
liquid-containing tank suspended inside a structural housing. Said
suspension housing of the present invention comprises:
[0013] at least a suspension rod comprising a first edge
articulately coupled to an upper portion of the housing inner wall
and a second edge elastically coupled to a lower portion of the
tank outer wall; and
[0014] at least a radial connection element having a first edge
couplable to different positions in the tank outer wall and a
second edge couplable to different positions in the suspension
rod.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, coupling
of the connection element with the tank outer wall and with the rod
is carried out by movable fastening means.
[0016] Further in a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
said suspension assembly additionally comprises means to adjust a
radial extension of said radial connection element.
[0017] In said preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
tank outer wall comprises fitting means to receive one of the
movable fastening means of said element, wherein said fitting means
comprises an endless spindle receiving a nut disposed at the edge
of said radial connection element.
[0018] Further in said embodiment, the movable fitting means
coupling said connection element with the rod is a sliding guide
surrounding said rod.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figures show:
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified schematic cross-section view
of a laundry machine, showing its structural housing, washing
liquid-containing tank, and also a suspension assembly of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a suspension
assembly of the state of the art.
[0022] FIG. 2--illustrates a detailed view of a preferred
embodiment of a suspension assembly of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Next, the present application will be described in more
details based on working examples depicted in the drawings.
Although the description below exemplifies a suspension assembly
associated with a vertical shaft laundry machine with upper
loading, a person skilled in the art will promptly understand that
the present invention can be used in other types of machine such as
horizontal shaft machines with front loading.
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cut view of a laundry machine
comprising said suspension assembly of the present invention. Said
machine comprises a structural housing 10, which construction is
known from the state of the art. A washing liquid-containing tank
10 is disposed inside said housing. Said construction housing 10
and tank 50 are widely known from the state of the art, wherein,
for exemplary and descriptive purposes, it is used herein that
exemplary construction of BR Patent Application PI 0705172-7.
[0025] In this construction, illustrated in FIG. 2, a housing
basically comprises a polygonal structure (not shown) consisting of
metal sheets, wherein a support for receiving a suspension rod 30
is secured to the upper edge of the housing inner wall.
[0026] Said suspension rod 30 comprises an upper edge articulately
coupled to the housing support and an inner edge coupled to the
lower portion of tank 50. Said coupling between inner edge and tank
50 generally takes place by using an elastically deformable element
(not shown), wherein the preferred deformable element is a
spring.
[0027] Inside said tank 50, a basket for receiving a load of
clothes to be washed and a stirrer for stirring said washing liquid
and load of clothes are provided. Said basket and stirrer assembly
as well as a motor for actuating said structures is well known from
the art.
[0028] Suspension rods 30 are intended for absorbing at least part
of vibratory energy generated by oscillation of tank 50. To this
effect, they are designed as structures sufficiently thin in order
to transversely and medially bend when said tank oscillates during
washing and centrifugation operations.
[0029] Said suspension assembly illustrated in FIG. 2 and disclosed
in BR Patent Application PI 0705172-7 further comprises radial
struts 90. Each radial strut 90 comprises a first edge coupled to a
median region of tank 50 and a second edge 92 coupled to a median
region of suspension rod 30.
[0030] Said radial struts 90 may form wires, cables and strips of a
rigid and extensible material or they can even be made of any other
elastically deformable material. Said radial struts 90 enhance
transmission of kinetics energy generated by vibration and radial
displacement of said tank to said suspension rod 30 so that said
energy is absorbed by the deformation of suspension rod 30. In a
preferred embodiment in which they are made of elastically
deformable material, said radial struts 90 absorb part of the
kinetics energy generated by vibration and radial displacement of
said tank 50.
[0031] Although said radial struts 90 show a performance
improvement in relation to suspension means comprising only rods
30, their optimal performance depends on a specific machine
operation condition.
[0032] Oscillation characteristics of the basket/tank assembly
directly depend on distribution of the load of clothes in the
basket and volume of said load. Therefore, oscillatory behavior
substantially varies between washings. Moreover, said basked
rotation speed substantially varies during operation of a washer so
that suspension demands are not the same during all wash
phases.
[0033] Therefore, the suspension assembly of the present invention
proposes a solution that allows for an optimal performance of said
suspension under all conditions of a laundry machine.
[0034] Such a constant optimal performance of said suspension
assembly of the present invention is achieved by means of a
connection element 40 which can be adjusted in accordance with
operation conditions of a laundry machine.
[0035] Said connection element 40 comprises a structure similar to
that of radial strut 90 but comprising movable fastening means in
order to allow its position to be altered along the longitudinal
direction of said suspension rod. This position change in element
40 can be continuously or selectively made by means of
increments.
[0036] Therefore, the position of said connection element 40 can be
changed in accordance with the conditions of a machine operation
(load of clothes, basket rotation speed, etc.). For example, when
needing a greater restriction of tank movement, said connection
element can be disposed nearer the upper edge of rod 30.
Nevertheless, the connection element height should be selected in
order to ensure a sufficient high position to avoid shocks between
the tank and the housing but not so high that would cause the
washer to displace. This is due to the fact that if movement of the
tank is subjected to a huge restriction, an excessive force is
transmitted to the suspension rod, whereby this force is
transmitted to the housing, thus causing an undesirable
displacement thereof.
[0037] To obtain this ideal position, operational characteristics
should be taken into consideration mainly concerning the amount of
clothes in the basket.
[0038] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the length of
connection element 40 may also be adjustable so as to become more
strained or loose depending on the machine operation requirements.
Change in height of said element 40 can be continuously or
selectively effected by increments.
[0039] Therefore, when a higher restriction in the tank movement is
required, the length of element 40 can be set so as to render it
more strained but keeping a clearance sufficient to avoid
undesirable housing displacement.
[0040] Since this adjustment of the position and/or height of said
connection element can be incrementally or continuously made, the
assembly of the present invention allows for an optimal performance
of the suspension under different operational conditions of a
laundry machine.
[0041] FIG. 3 is an example of construction of a suspension
assembly in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen
in this Figure, element 40 comprises movable fastening means 41, 42
for securing said element 40 to tank 50 e to rod 3.
[0042] In the illustrated embodiment, said fastening means 41 is
secured to a corresponding fitting means 52 disposed in tank wall
50. Said fitting means 52 comprises an endless spindle 52 driven by
an electric motor 53, and said fastening means 52 takes the form of
a nut 43.
[0043] Preferably, the wall of said tank 50 may comprise
protrusions 54a, 54b receiving the edge of spindle 52, wherein said
protrusions 54a additionally serve as a support for said electric
motor 53.
[0044] As to the fastening means 42 intended for securing element
40 to rod 30, it comprises a sliding guide 44 surrounding said rod
30.
[0045] Therefore, in accordance with the laundry machine
operational conditions, said spindle 52 can be moved, thus varying
the position of element 40 in longitudinal direction to said
suspension rod 30.
[0046] It should be construed that the description supra based on
the figures above only refers to possible embodiments of the
suspension assembly of the present invention, the real scope of the
object of the invention being defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *