WASHING MACHINE

• US 20130036776A1
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SEO, Dong Pil, Kim, Sung Hoon, Park, Jae Ryong, Bang, Eun Suk, Lee, Ji Yu, Cho, Hwang Mook, Pyo, Sang Yeon
• Granted Patent: US 9,328,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 68/18.F
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 23/04 and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/12 adapted for rotation or oscillation about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/145 ribs or lifters having means for circulating the washing liquid
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/206 Mounting of motor
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/24 in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/245 Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/40 for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/083 Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/10 Filtering arrangements

Abstract

A washing machine includes a cabinet forming an external appearance of the washing machine, a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft vertically provided inside the cabinet and including a sidewall, which extends with inclination to have a diameter increasing from a lower side to an upper side of the washing machine, and at least one protrusion part, which protrudes from the sidewall with inclination to have a diameter increasing from an upper side to a lower side of the sidewall. A guide water filter is mounted on at least one protrusion part inside the rotary tub and provided at a rear surface thereof with a drain passage to discharge the washing water discharged from the balance ring to outside. A base is installed at the lower side of the rotary tub and includes a guide part and a support plate.

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet forming an external appearance of the washing machine;

a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft vertically provided inside the cabinet and comprising a sidewall, which extends with inclination to have a diameter increasing from a lower side to an upper side of the washing machine, and at least one protrusion part, which protrudes from the sidewall with inclination to have a diameter increasing from an upper side to a lower side of the sidewall;

a driving apparatus disposed at a lower side of the rotary tub to rotate the rotary tub;

a balance ring installed at an upper side of the rotary tub to store washing water, which is discharged from the rotary tub to outside during a spin-drying operation, and to discharge the stored washing water;

a guide water filter mounted on at least one protrusion part inside the rotary tub and provided at a rear surface thereof with a drain passage to discharge the washing water discharged from the balance ring to outside;

a base installed at the lower side of the rotary tub and comprising a guide part connected to the drain passage formed on the guide water filter; and

a support plate installed at the lower side of the rotary tub to support the rotary tub, to store the washing water discharged through the guide part, and to discharge the stored washing water to outside.

2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein a surface of the sidewall is blocked to prevent the washing water from being discharged to outside through the sidewall of the rotary tub when the rotary tub rotates in the spin-drying operation.

3. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein the protrusion part is integrally formed with the sidewall of the rotary tub.

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

5. The washing machine of claim 4, 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 a flange member is coupled to the lower side of the rotary tub to connect the driving shaft to the rotary tub such that a rotary force of the driving shaft is transferred to the rotary tub.

6. The washing machine of claim 5, wherein the flange member is provided at the 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 outside.

7. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the balance ring installed at the upper side of the rotary tub comprises a plurality of inlets to receive the washing water discharged from the rotary tub to outside when the rotary tub rotates during the spin-drying operation, and at least one outlet to discharge the washing water having been received through the plurality of inlets to outside.

8. The washing machine of claim 7, wherein the upper side of the drain passage of the guide water filter is connected to at least one outlet of the balance ring.

9. The washing machine of claim 7, wherein the lower side of the drain passage of the guide water filter is connected to the guide part of the base.

10. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the guide water filter is vertically installed on the rotary tub, and the drain passage of the guide water filter has an area increasing from the upper side to the lower side of the sidewall to correspond to an inclination surface of at least one protrusion part which inclining and protruding from the sidewall to have a diameter increasing from the upper side to the lower side of the sidewall.

11. The washing machine of claim 10, wherein the guide water filter comprises a water filter mounting part configured to mount a water filter that filters out foreign substances.

12. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the support plate stores the washing water discharged through the guide part of the base, and is provided with at the lower side thereof with a drain hole to discharge the washing water stored in the support plate.

13. The washing machine of claim 12, further comprising a suspension member configured to connect the support plate to the upper side of the cabinet such that vibration generated from the rotary tub is absorbed by the suspension member.

14. The washing machine of claim 13, wherein the support plate comprises at least one connecting bracket that connects to the suspension member.

15. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet forming an external appearance of the washing machine;

a rotary tub disposed to rotate around a driving shaft vertically provided inside the cabinet and comprising a sidewall, which extends with inclination to have a diameter increasing from a lower side to an upper side of the washing machine, and at least one protrusion part, which protrudes from the sidewall with inclination to have a diameter increasing from a upper side to a lower side of the sidewall;

a balance ring installed at a upper side of the rotary tub to store washing water, which is discharged from the rotary tub to outside during a spin-drying operation, and to discharge the stored washing water;

a guide water filter mounted on at least one protrusion part inside the rotary tub and comprising a drain passage having an area increasing from the upper side to the lower side of the sidewall to correspond to an inclination surface of at least one protrusion part which is inclining and protruding from the sidewall to have a diameter increasing from the upper side to the lower side of the sidewall;

a base installed at the lower side of the rotary tub and comprising a guide part connected to the drain passage formed on the guide water filter;

a support plate installed at the lower side of the rotary tub to support the rotary tub, store the washing water discharged through the guide part, and discharge the stored washing water to the outside.

16. The washing machine of claim 15, wherein a surface of the sidewall is blocked to prevent the washing water from being discharged to outside through the sidewall of the rotary tub when the rotary tub rotates during the spin-drying operation.

17. The washing machine of claim 16, wherein the protrusion part is integrally formed with the sidewall of the rotary tub.

18. The washing machine of claim 15, further comprising a driving apparatus disposed at the lower side of the rotary tub to rotate the rotary tub, wherein the driving apparatus comprises a clutch, which is configured to rotate the rotary tub and the pulsator rotatably disposed inside the rotary tub, and a driving motor configured to drive the clutch.

19. The washing machine of claim 15, wherein the balance ring installed at the upper side of the rotary tub comprises a plurality of inlets, which are configured to receive the washing water discharged from the rotary tub to outside when the rotary tub rotates during the spin-drying operation, and at least one outlet to discharge the washing water having been received through the plurality of inlets to outside.

20. The washing machine of claim 19, wherein the upper side of the drain passage of the guide water filter is connected to at least one outlet of the balance ring, and the lower side of the drain passage of the guide water filter is connected to the guide part of the base.

21. The washing machine of claim 20, wherein the guide water filter comprises a water filter mounting part configured to mount a water filter that filters out foreign substances.

22. The washing machine of claim 15, wherein the support plate stores the washing water discharged through the guide part of the base, and is provided with at the lower side thereof with a drain hole to discharge the washing water stored in the support plate.

23. The washing machine of claim 22, further comprising a suspension member configured to connect the support plate to the upper side of the cabinet such that vibration generated from the rotary tub is absorbed by the suspension member.

24. The washing machine of claim 23, wherein the support plate comprises at least one connecting bracket that connects to the suspension member.