Washing Machine

Abstract

A washing machine includes a cabinet, a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft, which is vertically provided inside the inner part of the cabinet, and comprising a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall slantingly extending from the bottom to have a diameter increasing toward an upper side of the rotary tub from the bottom, a driving apparatus disposed at a lower side of the rotary tub to rotate the rotary tub, a bracket plate connected to the rotary tub by the driving shaft at the lower side of the rotary tub and having the driving apparatus provided at a lower side thereof, a base disposed at a lower side of the bracket plate, and a suspension member having a lower side supported by the base and an upper side connected to the bracket plate at a lateral side of a center of gravity of the rotary tub.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0070395, filed on Jul. 15, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] 1. Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a washing machine and an apparatus for supporting a lower portion of a washing machine.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] A washing machine is designed to wash laundry by use of electricity. In general, the washing machine includes a tub to receive washing water, a rotary tub rotatably installed inside the tub, a pulsator rotatably installed at the bottom of the rotary tub, and a motor and a clutch that are configured to rotate the rotary tub and the pulsator.

[0006] As the rotary tub and the pulsator rotate in a state that laundry and detergent are introduced in the rotary tub, the pulsator stirs the washing water together with the laundry that is introduced into the rotary tub, thereby removing dirt from the laundry.

[0007] In order to increase the washing capacity of the washing machine, the rotary tub needs to be larger, that is, needs to increase the diameter or the height of the rotary tub. If the rotary tub has a larger size, a tub accommodating the rotary tub and a cabinet accommodating the tub also need to be enlarged along with the increase of the rotary tub.

[0008] The enlargement of the cabinet, which corresponds to the external appearance of the washing machine, is limited by the space of an area where the washing machine is installed. In addition, for a vertical shaft washing machine, the increased height of a washing machine causes a difficulty in loading and unloading laundry. Accordingly, there is a need for the washing machine having a structure capable of removing such an inconvenience.

[0009] In addition, in a case that a rotating body is supported by connecting a suspension to an upper side of a cabinet of a washing machine, a vibration is transmitted to the cabinet, thereby requiring the cabinet to have a sufficient strength to support the rotating structure.

[0010] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved structure capable of effectively absorbing the vibration of the rotating body without requiring a high strength of the cabinet.

SUMMARY

[0011] Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a washing machine having a supporting apparatus capable of supporting a rotary tub while effectively absorbing a vibration of the rotary tub.

[0012] In addition, it is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a washing machine having an improved structure capable of increasing the washing capacity without enlarging the external appearance of the washing machine.

[0013] Additional aspects of the disclosure 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 disclosure.

[0014] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a washing machine includes a cabinet, a rotary tub, a driving apparatus, a bracket plate, a base and a suspension member. The cabinet includes an outer part forming an external appearance of the washing machine, and an inner part which is provided in a cylindrical shape and connected to an inner surface of the outer part. The rotary tub is disposed to rotate around a driving shaft, which is vertically provided inside the inner part of the cabinet, and includes a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall slantingly extending from the bottom to have a diameter increasing toward an upper side of the rotary tub from the bottom. The driving apparatus is disposed at a lower side of the rotary tub to rotate the rotary tub. The bracket plate is connected to the rotary tub through the driving shaft at the lower side of the rotary tub and has the driving apparatus provided at a lower side thereof. The base is disposed at a lower side of the bracket plate. The suspension member has a lower side supported by the base and an upper side connected to the bracket plate at a lateral side of a center of gravity of the rotary tub so that vibration generated from the rotary tub is absorbed.

[0015] The outer part is integrally formed with the inner part, and the inner part makes contact with at least one inner surfaces of the outer part.

[0016] The sidewall is provided at an upper side thereof with at least one through-hole to discharge washing water to an outside when the rotary tub rotates.

[0017] The inner part includes a drain groove which is formed at a circumference of a lower end of the inner part while being bent toward an inside the inner part to store a washing water falling through the through-hole, and at least one drain hole which is formed at one side of the drain groove to guide the washing water accommodated in the drain groove to outside of the drain groove.

[0018] The rotary tub includes a guide rib which extends from a lower side of the sidewall by a predetermined length such that the washing water discharged through the through-hole is guided to be fallen to the drain groove.

[0019] The drain groove includes a first bending portion which is bent from the lower end of the inner part toward a center of the inner part, and a second bending portion which is bent from an end of the first bending portion in a direction perpendicular to a ground. The guide rib is disposed between the second bending portion and an inner circumferential surface of the inner part.

[0020] The driving apparatus includes a clutch configured to rotate the rotary tub and a pulsator rotatably disposed inside the rotary tub, and a driving motor configured to drive the clutch.

[0021] The clutch includes a housing and the driving shaft which is rotatably supported by a bearing coupled to an inner side of the housing. The lower side of the rotary tub is coupled to a flange member that is configured to connect the driving shaft to the rotary tub such that a rotary force of the driving shaft is transmitted to the rotary tub.

[0022] The flange member is provided at a center thereof with a first through-hole which allows the flange member to be coupled to the driving shaft, and is provided with at least one second through-hole formed around the first through-hole to guide the washing water stored inside the rotary tub to an outside.

[0023] The inner part includes a bottom surface which extends from an end portion of the drain groove to a center of the inner part. The rotary tub is disposed on a upper side of the bottom surface, and a base plate configured to fix the driving apparatus is disposed at a lower side of the bottom surface.

[0024] The bottom surface has a center portion higher than a periphery portion such that a washing water fallen from the sidewall or the bottom of the rotary tub flows toward the drain groove by gravity.

[0025] The bracket plate includes a base portion, an extension portion extending upward from the base portion to a vertical position of a center of the gravity of the rotary tub, and a connection portion formed at an upper side of the extension portion to be connected to the suspension member.

[0026] The driving apparatus is provided at a lower side of the base portion of the bracket plate, and the extension portion extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position in a range between about -100 mm and +100 mm from the center of the gravity of the rotary tub such that the connection portion formed on the upper side of the extension portion is connected to the suspension member at the lateral side of the center of the gravity of the rotary tub.

[0027] The extension portion includes a first extension portion which extends from the base portion toward the cabinet in parallel to the base portion, and a second extension portion which extends from the first extension portion upward while being inclined toward the cabinet.

[0028] The connection portion formed on the upper side of the second extension portion extends upward from the second extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

[0029] The suspension member is inclined with respect to the base toward the rotary tub such that the suspension member is perpendicularly connected to the connection portion.

[0030] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a lower side supporting apparatus for a washing machine including a cabinet and a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft vertically provided inside the cabinet is configured to support the rotary tub at a lower side of the rotary tub and includes a bracket plate, a base and a suspension member. The bracket plate includes a base portion which is connected to the rotary tub by the driving shaft at the lower side of the rotary tub, an extension portion which extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position of a center of the gravity of the rotary tub, and a connection portion formed at an upper side of the extension portion. The base is provided at a lower side of the bracket plate. The suspension member includes one side supported by the base and an opposite side connected to the connection portion of the bracket plate at a lateral side of a center of gravity of the rotary tub, thereby absorbing vibration generated from the rotary tub.

[0031] The driving apparatus is provided at a lower side of the base portion of the bracket plate, and the extension portion extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position in a range between about -100 mm and +100 mm from the center of the gravity of the rotary tub.

[0032] The extension portion includes a first extension portion which extends from the base portion toward the cabinet in parallel to the base portion, and a second extension portion which extends upward from the first extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

[0033] The connection portion formed on the upper side of the second extension portion extends upward from the second extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

[0034] The suspension member is inclined with respect to the base toward the rotary tub such that the suspension member is perpendicularly connected to the connection portion.

[0035] According to the present disclosure, a vibration of a rotary tub is effectively absorbed without a high strength of a cabinet.

[0036] In addition, the washing capacity is increased without enlarging the washing machine, so that a larger amount of laundry is washed at one time.

[0037] In addition, the washing machine according to the present disclosure implements the same washing capacity with a small external appearance, so that the washing machine is less limited by the space of an installation area than the conventional washing machine and the laundry is easily loaded, and thus the convenience of a user is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[0039] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a washing machine according an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the washing machine according the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating the washing machine according the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the washing machine according the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the washing machine according the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the washing machine of FIG. 6.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a washing machine having a tub according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1, a washing machine 1 includes a cabinet 10 forming an external appearance of the washing machine 1, a rotary tub 20 rotatably disposed inside the cabinet 10, and a driving apparatus 30 disposed at a lower side of the rotary tub 20 to rotate the rotary tub 20.

[0049] The cabinet 10 is provided at an upper side thereof with an upper cover 14 having a laundry inlet 13 through which laundry is loaded. A door 15 is provided on the upper cover 14 to open and close the laundry inlet 13.

[0050] The cabinet 10 is provided at a lower side thereof with a lower cover 17 which is coupled to a resting part 16 enabling the washing machine 1 to be rested on a floor.

[0051] The rotary tub 20 is rotatably disposed inside the cabinet 10. A plurality of through-holes 24 is formed through a circumference of an upper side of the rotary tub 20.

[0052] A pulsator 23 is rotatably installed at the bottom of the rotary tub 20. The pulsator 23 serves to stir washing water together with laundry that is loaded into the rotary tub 20.

[0053] A water supply apparatus 110 is installed on the upper side of the rotary tub 20 to supply washing water to the inside the rotary tub 20.

[0054] The water supply apparatus 110 includes a water supply valve 113 which controls the supply of water, and a water supply pipe 111 which connects the water supply valve 113 to a detergent dispensing apparatus 120 that is to be described later.

[0055] One side of the water supply pipe 111 is connected to an external water source (not shown) and the other side of the water supply pipe 111 is connected to the detergent dispensing apparatus 120.

[0056] The detergent dispensing apparatus 120 includes a case 121 which is provided inside the upper cover 14, and a detergent container 123 which is detachably mounted on the case 121 and contains detergent.

[0057] The case 121 is provided at a lower surface thereof with an outlet 125 to discharge washing water containing dissolved detergent.

[0058] The water supplied through the water supply pipe 111 is provided to the inside the rotary tub 20 together with detergent via the detergent dispensing apparatus 120.

[0059] The rotary tub 20 is provided at the lower side thereof with a first drain hose (H1) and a second drain hose (H2) that are configured to guide the washing water to the outside the cabinet 10 after a washing operation or a spin-drying operation is finished.

[0060] The driving apparatus 30 includes a clutch 31 which rotates the rotary tub 20 and the pulsator 23, and a driving motor 33 which drives the clutch 31.

[0061] The clutch 31 is connected to the driving motor 33 through a pulley 35 and a belt 37 to selectively transfer a driving force of the driving motor 33 to the rotary tub 20 or the pulsator 23.

[0062] Hereinafter, a configuration of the washing machine according to the present disclosure capable of increasing the washing capacity without enlarging the external appearance and effectively reducing the vibration of the rotary tub will be described in detail.

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the washing machine includes 1 the cabinet 10 forming an external appearance of the washing machine 1, the rotary tub 20 rotatably disposed inside the cabinet 10, the driving apparatus 30 disposed at the lower side of the rotary tub 20 to rotate the rotary tub 20, a bracket plate 40 connected to the rotary tub 20 by a driving shaft 31B at the lower side of the rotary tub 20, a base 60 disposed at a lower side of the bracket plate 40, and a suspension member 50 connected to the bracket plate 40 while being supported by the base 60 to absorb the vibration generated from the rotary tub 20.

[0064] The rotary tub 20 is directly disposed inside the cabinet 10 while being spaced apart from the cabinet 10.

[0065] That is, an additional structure for storing washing water is omitted at a portion between the cabinet 10 and the rotary tub 20.

[0066] The cabinet 10 includes an outer part 11 forming the external appearance of the washing machine 1 and an inner part 12 connected to an inner surface of the outer part 11.

[0067] The inner part 12 is provided in an approximate cylindrical shape. An outer circumferential surface of the inner part 12 is connected to at least one inner surface of the outer part 11 through a rib (not shown) or makes contact with at least one inner surface of the outer part 11.

[0068] In addition, for the sake of productivity, the outer part 11 and the inner part 12 are integrally formed with each other through injection molding. In this case, the cabinet 10 including the outer part 11 and the inner part 12 may be formed using ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PP (Poly Propylene) material.

[0069] A drain groove 12A is provided at a circumference of a lower end of the inner part 12.

[0070] The drain groove 12A includes a first bending portion 12a which is bent from the lower end of the inner part 12 toward the center of the inner part 12, and a second bending portion 12b which is bent from an end of the first bending portion in a direction perpendicular to a ground.

[0071] The first bending portion 12a serves as a bottom surface to receive water which is discharged and fallen to the outside the rotary tub 20 via the through-hole 24 formed in the upper side of the rotary tub 20, or water which flows along the outer circumferential surface of the rotary tub 20 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12. The second bending portion 12b forms a water passage in cooperation with a lower inner surface of the inner part 12 to drain the water fallen onto the bottom surface to an outside.

[0072] A drain hole 12B is formed at one side of the first bending portion 12a while communicating with the drain groove 12A to guide the water stored in the drain groove 12A to an outside.

[0073] One end of the drain hole 12B is connected to the second drain hose (H2), which has been described above. The water passing through the drain hole 12B is drained to the outside the cabinet 10 by sequentially passing the second drain hose (H2) and the first drain hose (H1) connected to the second drain hose (H2).

[0074] The rotary tub 20 is provided to enable a vertical rotation inside the inner part 12 of the cabinet 10.

[0075] The rotary tub 20 includes a bottom 21 and a sidewall 22 which is connected to the bottom 21 to form a water reserving space in cooperation with the bottom 21.

[0076] The sidewall 22 slantingly extends from the bottom 21 to have a diameter increasing toward an upper side of the rotary tub 20.

[0077] If the rotary tub 20 rotates at a high speed of about 280 rpm or above during a spin-dry operation, the water separated from the laundry reaches to the sidewall 22 through a centrifugal force and smoothly moves to the upper side of the rotary tub 20 along the inner circumferential surface of the sidewall 22 that is inclined.

[0078] The sidewall 22 is desired to form an inclination angle (.alpha.) of about 2 to 10 degrees with respect to a line (l) perpendicular to the bottom 21 of the rotary tub 20. If the inclination angle (.alpha.) is below 2 degrees, the water fails to smoothly move to the upper side of the rotary tub 20 along the inner circumferential surface of the sidewall 22, thereby degrading the spin-dry performance. If the inclination angle (.alpha.) is excessively large by exceeding above 10 degrees, the upper side of the rotary tub 20 is enlarged, so that the overall width of the cabinet 10 is increased.

[0079] The sidewall 22 is provided at an upper side thereof with the through-hole 24 to discharge water, which is separated during the spin-dry operation, to the outside the rotary tub 20.

[0080] The through-hole 24 is provided with at least one through-hole 24 along the circumference of the sidewall 22 at a vertical position corresponding to two third of the rotary tub 20.

[0081] The water discharged to the outside the rotary tub 20 through the through-hole 24 flows down along the outer circumferential surface of the rotary tub 20 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12 of the case 10. Alternatively, the water discharged to the outside the rotary tub 20 through the through-hole 24 may be directly fallen through a drain passage 27 formed between the sidewall 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12, and then flows into the drain groove 12A.

[0082] In addition, a guide rib 26 may be provided on the rotary tub 20 to guide the water, which is discharged to the outside the rotary tub 20 through the through-hole 24, to the drain groove 12A.

[0083] The guide rib 26 is disposed between the second bending portion 12b forming the drain groove 12A and the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12 of the case 10 while extending from the lower end of the sidewall 22 by a predetermined length. Accordingly, the guide rib 26 allows water flowing along the outer circumferential surface of the rotary tub 20 to be naturally introduced into the drain groove 12A while preventing the water from flowing into the center portion of the rotary tub 20, in which the clutch 31 and the driving motor 33 are disposed, via the bottom 21 of the rotary tub 20.

[0084] An interference preventing groove 28 is provided between a lateral side of the bottom 21 and the guide rib 26 in a predetermined depth to prevent interference between the rotary tub 20 and the second bending portion 12b due to the vertical vibration of the rotary tub 20 during operation of the washing machine 1.

[0085] The depth of the interference preventing groove 28 or the length by which the guide rib 26 extends from the lower end of the sidewall 22 is associated with the width of the vertical vibration of the rotary tub 20 during the washing or the spin-dry operation.

[0086] If the width of the vertical vibration of the rotary tub 20 is larger, the depth of the interference preventing groove 28 needs to be increased while decreasing the extension length of the guide rib 26.

[0087] In this regard, the guide rib 26 is disposed between the second bending portion 12b and the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12 while having the second bending portion 12b accommodated into the interference preventing groove 28, thereby reducing the overall height of the cabinet 10.

[0088] That is, by allowing the guide rib 26 and the second bending portion 12b to be accommodated into the drain groove 12A and the interference preventing groove 26, respectively, in consideration of the vertical vibration width of the rotary tub 20, the cabinet 10 is provided in a reduced height by the overlapping length of the guide rib 26 and the second bending portion 12b.

[0089] The lower side of the rotary tub 20 is coupled to the driving apparatus 30 that drives the rotary tub 20 or the pulsator 23 disposed inside the rotary tub 20.

[0090] The driving apparatus 30 includes the clutch 31, the driving motor 33, a flange member 130, and a base plate 140. The clutch 31 selectively rotates the rotary tub 20 and the pulsator 23. The driving motor 33 drives the clutch 31. The flange member 130 connects the driving shaft 31B of the clutch 31 to the bottom 21 of the rotary tub 20 to transfer a rotary force of the driving shaft 31B to the rotary tub 20. The base plate 140 is configured to fix the clutch 31 and the driving motor 33.

[0091] The rotary tub 20 is provided in the middle thereof with a shaft coupling portion 25 that is coupled to the flange member 130 to fix and support the flange member 130.

[0092] The shaft coupling portion 25 includes a shaft coupling wall 25A and a shaft inserting hole 25B. The shaft coupling wall 25A protrudes from the bottom 21 downward to the outside the rotary tub 20. The shaft inserting hole 25B is formed at the inner side of the shaft coupling wall 25A such that one end of the flange member 130 is inserted into the inside the rotary tub 20 through the shaft inserting hole 25B.

[0093] The flange member 130, which couples the driving shaft 31B to the rotary tub 20, is inserted into the shaft inserting hole 25B and fixed.

[0094] The flange member 130 includes a first through-hole 131 formed at the center of the flange member 130, and a second through-hole 133 formed around the circumference of the first through-hole 131. The first through-hole 131 enables the flange member 130 to be coupled to the driving shaft 31B.

[0095] The second through-hole 133 serves as a passage for the water stored in the rotary tub 20 to move to the outside the rotary tub 20 after a washing operation is finished.

[0096] The clutch 31 includes a housing 31A and the driving shaft 31B that is rotatably coupled to the center of the housing 31A.

[0097] The housing 31A accommodates various types of bearings that rotatably support the driving shaft 31B and decelerating apparatuses configured to decelerate the driving shaft 31B.

[0098] The driving shaft 31B is connected to the rotary tub 20 and the pulsator 23 after passing through the first through-hole 131 formed in the flange member 130.

[0099] The driving shaft 31B includes a first connection portion 31a coupled to the first through-hole 131 and a second connection portion 31b extending from the first connection portion 31a to be coupled to the pulsator 23.

[0100] The first connecting portion 31a and the second connecting portion 31b may separately or simultaneously rotate depending on whether the operation mode is a washing mode or the spin-dry mode. During the washing operation, the second connecting portion 31b rotates, thereby rotating the pulsator 23 that is coupled to the second connecting portion 31b. During the spin-dry operation, the first connecting portion 31a and the second connecting portion 31b simultaneously rotate, thereby rotating both of the rotary tub 20 and the pulsator 23.

[0101] An end of the driving shaft 31 B is coupled to the pulley 35 such that a driving force of the driving motor 33 is transferred to the clutch 31.

[0102] A base plate cover 141 is coupled between the flange member 130 and the base plate 140. The base plate cover 140 communicates with the second through-hole 133 to form a space for transporting the washing water introduced through the second through-hole 133 to a drain case 150.

[0103] In addition, a sealing member 143 is inserted between the flange member 130 and the base plate cover 141 and between the base plate cover 141 and the base plate 140 to prevent water leakage.

[0104] The base plate 140 is coupled at a lower side thereof to the drain case 150.

[0105] The drain case 150 accommodates the washing water, which is introduced after passing through the space formed by the base plate cover 141 and the base plate 140.

[0106] The drain case 150 is provided at one end with a drain pipe 151 to drain the washing water introduced into the drain case 150. The drain pipe 151 is connected to the first drain hose (H1) to guide the washing water to the outside the cabinet 10.

[0107] A drain valve 153 is provided on the drain pipe 151 to selectively drain the washing water contained in the rotary tub 20 during the washing operation.

[0108] The washing water having been used during the washing operation or the rinsing operation is introduced into the space formed between the base plate cover 141 and the base plate 140 via the second through-hole 133 of the flange member 130, and then is drained to the outside the cabinet 10 through the drain case 150 and the first drain hose (H1).

[0109] Meanwhile, as described above, the washing water separated from the laundry during the spin-dry operation is discharged to the outside the rotary tub 20 through the through-hole 24 and introduced to the drain groove 12A along the outer circumferential surface of the rotary tub 20 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner part 12. The water introduced to the drain groove 12A is drained to the outside the cabinet 10 through the drain hole 12B and the second drain hose (H2) connected to the drain hole 12B.

[0110] A lower side supporting apparatus for the washing machine 1 configured to support the rotary tub 20 at a lower side of the rotary tub 20 includes the bracket plate 40, the base 60, and the suspension member 50. The bracket plate 40 is connected at the lower side of the rotary tub 20 to the rotary tub 20 through the driving shaft 31B. The base 60 is provided at a lower side of the bracket plate 40. The suspension member 50 includes one side supported by the base 60 and an opposite side connected to the bracket plate 40 such that the vibration generated from the rotary tub 20 is absorbed.

[0111] The bracket plate 40 includes a base portion 41, an extension portion 43 extending upward from the base portion 41 to a vertical position of the center of the gravity (C) of the rotary tub 20, and a connection portion 45 formed at an upper side of the extension portion 43 to be connected to the suspension member 50.

[0112] The extension portion 43 of the bracket plate 40 includes a first extension portion 43A which extends from the base portion 41 toward the cabinet 10 in parallel to the base portion 41, and a second extension portion 43B which extends from the first extension portion 43A upward while being inclined toward the cabinet 10.

[0113] The second extension portion 43B formed on the first extension portion 43A upward extends up to a vertical position in a range between about -100 mm and +100 mm from the center of gravity of the rotary tub 20.

[0114] Such a configuration allows the upper side of the second extension portion 43B, at which the connection portion 45 is formed, to extend upward to the vertical position of the center of the gravity of the rotary tub 20, so the suspension member 50 is connected to the connection portion 45 at a position adjacent to a lateral side of the center of the gravity (C) of the rotary tub 20 Accordingly, the suspension member 50 effectively absorbs the vibration of the rotary tub 20.

[0115] The suspension member 50 supported by the base 60 is inclined with respect to the base 60 toward the rotary tub 20 such that the suspension member 50 is perpendicularly connected to the connection portion 45 that extends upward from the second extension portion 43B while being inclined.

[0116] Referring to FIG. 8, a lower side supporting apparatus may be applied to a washing machine 1' in which a tub 70 to store the washing water is provided outside the rotary tub 20.

[0117] In this case that the washing machine 1' includes the tub 70 provided outside the rotary tub 20, the lower side supporting apparatus directly supports the tub 70 at the lower side of the tub 70.

[0118] In a case that the tub 70 is provided outside the rotary tub 20, the lower side supporting apparatus includes a suspension member 50', which absorbs the vibration of the tub 70 generated from rotation of the rotary tub 20, and a base 60' supporting the suspension member 50'.

[0119] Similar to the above description in which the lower side supporting apparatus directly supports the rotary tub 20, the lower side supporting allows the lower side of the suspension member 50' to be supported by the base 60'.

[0120] However, the bracket plate of the lower side supporting apparatus is omitted, so the upper side of the suspension member 50' is directly connected to the tub 70.

[0121] The tub 70 A is provided at a lower side thereof with a connection member 71 to which the suspension member 50' is connected.

[0122] The connection member 71 is disposed at a lower side of the tub 70 to have a position adjacent to a lateral side of the center of the gravity of the rotary tub 20 disposed inside the tub 70. The suspension member 50' is directly connected to the connection member 71 to absorb the vibration of the tub 70 generated from rotation of the rotary tub 20.

[0123] The lower side of the suspension member 50' is supported by the base 60' and the upper side of the suspension member 50' is connected by the connection member 71 of the tub 70 at a region adjacent to a lateral side of the center of the gravity of the rotary tub 20 such that the tub 70 is supported from the lower side of the tub 70. Accordingly, the vibration of the tub 70 generated from rotation of the rotary tub 20 is effectively absorbed.

[0124] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure has the same configuration as the previous embodiment except for a bottom surface 210. Accordingly, the description of the same reference numerals will be omitted since they are used to denote identical elements having the same functions throughout the drawings.

[0125] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the cabinet 10 includes the bottom surface 210 that extends from an end portion of the second bending portion 12b of the drain groove 12A to the center of the inner part 12 of the cabinet 10.

[0126] The bottom surface 210 has a center portion higher than a periphery portion such that washing water fallen from the outer circumference of the sidewall 22 or from the bottom 21 of the rotary tub 20 flows toward the drain groove 12A by gravity.

[0127] In addition, the rotary tub 20 and the base plate 140 are partitioned by the bottom surface 210 into a upper side and a lower side, respectively, thereby preventing the washing water fallen from the bottom 21 of the rotary tub 20 from being introduced to the center of the rotary tub 20 on which the clutch 31 and the driving motor 33 are disposed.

[0128] Meanwhile, the bottom surface 210 is provided in the center thereof with a third through-hole 211 that allows the driving shaft 31B to pass therethrough and then to be coupled to the rotary tub 20 and the pulsator 23.

[0129] As described above, the suspension member 50 supports the rotary tub 20 at the lateral side of the center of the gravity (C) of the rotary tub 20, thereby effectively absorbing the vibration generated from the rotary tub 20.

[0130] In addition, an additional configuration to store the washing water is omitted between the cabinet 10 and the rotary tub 20, thereby maximizing the spatial efficiency inside the cabinet 10.

[0131] That is, the washing capacity can be increased by enlarging the rotary tub 20 without enlarging the cabinet 10. In addition, the same washing capacity can be implemented with a smaller cabinet without reducing the size of the rotary tub 20.

[0132] Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising: a cabinet comprising an outer part forming an external appearance of the washing machine, and an inner part which is provided in a cylindrical shape and connected to an inner surface of the outer part; a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft, which is vertically provided inside the inner part of the cabinet, and comprising a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall slantingly extending from the bottom to have a diameter increasing toward an upper side of the rotary tub from the bottom; a driving apparatus disposed at a lower side of the rotary tub to rotate the rotary tub; a bracket plate connected to the rotary tub through the driving shaft at the lower side of the rotary tub and having the driving apparatus provided at a lower side thereof; a base disposed at a lower side of the bracket plate; and a suspension member having a lower side supported by the base and an upper side connected to the bracket plate at a lateral side of a center of gravity of the rotary tub so that vibration generated from the rotary tub is absorbed.

2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the outer part is integrally formed with the inner part, and the inner part makes contact with at least one inner surfaces of the outer part.

3. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the sidewall is provided at an upper side thereof with at least one through-hole to discharge washing water to an outside when the rotary tub rotates.

4. The washing machine of claim 3, wherein the inner part comprises a drain groove which is formed at a circumference of a lower end of the inner part while being bent toward an inside the inner part to store a washing water falling through the through-hole, and at least one drain hole which is formed at one side of the drain groove to guide the washing water accommodated in the drain groove to outside of the drain groove.

5. The washing machine of claim 4, wherein the rotary tub comprises a guide rib which extends from a lower side of the sidewall by a predetermined length such that the washing water discharged through the through-hole is guided to be fallen to the drain groove.

6. The washing machine of claim 5, wherein the drain groove comprises a first bending portion which is bent from the lower end of the inner part toward a center of the inner part, and a second bending portion which is bent from an end of the first bending portion in a direction perpendicular to a ground, and the guide rib is disposed between the second bending portion and an inner circumferential surface of the inner part.

7. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the driving apparatus comprises a clutch configured to rotate the rotary tub and a pulsator rotatably disposed inside the rotary tub, and a driving motor configured to drive the clutch.

8. The washing machine of claim 7, wherein the clutch comprises a housing and the driving shaft which is rotatably supported by a bearing coupled to an inner side of the housing, and wherein the lower side of the rotary tub is coupled to a flange member that is configured to connect the driving shaft to the rotary tub such that a rotary force of the driving shaft is transmitted to the rotary tub.

9. The washing machine of claim 8, wherein the flange member is provided at a center thereof with a first through-hole which allows the flange member to be coupled to the driving shaft, and is provided with at least one second through-hole formed around the first through-hole to guide the washing water stored inside the rotary tub to an outside.

10. The washing machine of claim 4, wherein the inner part comprises a bottom surface which extends from an end portion of the drain groove to a center of the inner part, and wherein the rotary tub is disposed on a upper side of the bottom surface, and a base plate configured to fix the driving apparatus is disposed at a lower side of the bottom surface.

11. The washing machine of claim 10, wherein the bottom surface has a center portion higher than a periphery portion whereby a washing water that falls from the sidewall or the bottom of the rotary tub flows toward the drain groove by gravity.

12. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the bracket plate includes a base portion, an extension portion extending upward from the base portion to a vertical position of a center of the gravity of the rotary tub, and a connection portion formed at an upper side of the extension portion to be connected to the suspension member.

13. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the driving apparatus is provided at a lower side of the base portion of the bracket plate, and the extension portion extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position in a range between about .about.100 mm and +100 mm from the center of the gravity of the rotary tub such that the connection portion formed on the upper side of the extension portion is connected to the suspension member at the lateral side of the center of the gravity of the rotary tub.

14. The washing machine of claim 13, wherein the extension portion comprises a first extension portion which extends from the base portion toward the cabinet in parallel to the base portion, and a second extension portion which extends from the first extension portion upward while being inclined toward the cabinet.

15. The washing machine of claim 14, wherein the connection portion formed on the upper side of the second extension portion extends upward from the second extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

16. The washing machine of claim 15, wherein the suspension member is inclined with respect to the base toward the rotary tub such that the suspension member is perpendicularly connected to the connection portion.

17. A lower side supporting apparatus for a washing machine comprising a cabinet and a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft vertically provided inside the cabinet, the lower side supporting apparatus configured to support the rotary tub at a lower side of the rotary tub and comprising: a bracket plate comprising a base portion which is connected to the rotary tub by the driving shaft at the lower side of the rotary tub, an extension portion which extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position of a center of the gravity of the rotary tub, and a connection portion formed at an upper side of the extension portion; a base provided at a lower side of the bracket plate; and a suspension member comprising one side supported by the base and an opposite side connected to the connection portion of the bracket plate at a lateral side of a center of gravity of the rotary tub, thereby absorbing vibration generated from the rotary tub

18. The lower side supporting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the driving apparatus is provided at a lower side of the base portion of the bracket plate, and the extension portion extends upward from the base portion to a vertical position in a range between about -100 mm and +100 mm from the center of the gravity of the rotary tub.

19. The lower side supporting apparatus of claim 18, wherein the extension portion comprises a first extension portion which extends from the base portion toward the cabinet in parallel to the base portion, and a second extension portion which extends upward from the first extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

20. The lower side support apparatus of claim 19, wherein the connection portion formed on the upper side of the second extension portion extends upward from the second extension portion while being inclined toward the cabinet.

21. The lower side support apparatus of claim 20, wherein the suspension member is inclined with respect to the base toward the rotary tub such that the suspension member is perpendicularly connected to the connection portion.