LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE WITH HELICAL DRIVE MECHANISM

• US 20180105970A1
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: BASHEER, MOHAMED
• Granted Patent: US 10,465,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/00 Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4214 Water supply, recirculation or discharge arrangements; Devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/44 Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants
• 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 39/028 Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/08 Liquid supply or discharge arrangements supply of soap or other washing agents D06F39/02

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance includes a tub defining an interior, a basket with a spin tube located within the interior and rotatably mounted within the tub, a motor having a first drive shaft, a clothes mover rotatably mounted within the basket and having a second drive shaft, and a clutch having a helical drive mechanism including a helical sun gear driven by the first drive shaft, at least one helical planet gear driven by the helical sun gear, a planet carrier driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the planet carrier selectively coupled to the second drive shaft to rotate the clothes mover, and an outer helical ring gear driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the outer helical ring gear operably coupled to the spin tube to rotate the basket.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance, comprising:

a tub defining an interior;

a basket with a spin tube located within the interior and rotatably mounted within the tub;

a motor having a first drive shaft;

a clothes mover rotatably mounted within the basket and having a second drive shaft; and

a clutch having a helical drive mechanism comprising;

a helical sun gear driven by the first drive shaft;

at least one helical planet gear driven by the helical sun gear;

a planet carrier driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the planet carrier selectively coupled to the second drive shaft to rotate the clothes mover; and

an outer helical ring gear driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the outer helical ring gear operably coupled to the spin tube to rotate the basket;

wherein meshes formed by teeth between the helical sun gear, the at least one helical planet gear, or the helical ring gear have differing mesh phasing.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein at least one of the helical planet gears has differing mesh phasing with the helical sun gear from another of the helical planet gears.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the meshes comprise the helical sun gear, the helical planet gears, and the helical ring gear each defining a plurality of teeth that mesh with the teeth of the other gears to define the mesh phasing.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the helical drive mechanism further comprises a carrier washer provided above the planet carrier, the carrier washer comprising polyetheretherketone based resin.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the polyetheretherketone based resin further comprises at least one of a nylon or a polytetrafluoroethylene filler.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the nylon filler is an aramid.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the polytetrafluoroethylene filler is Teflon™

.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the helical drive mechanism further comprises an upper cover provided circumferentially about the spin tube.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 8 wherein the carrier washer is provided between the planet carrier and the upper cover.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 9 wherein the carrier washer damps or prevents contact between the planet carrier and the upper cover.

11. A laundry treating appliance, comprising:

a tub defining an interior;

a basket with a spin tube located within the interior and rotatably mounted within the tub;

a motor having a first drive shaft;

a clothes mover rotatably mounted within the basket and having a second drive shaft; and

a clutch having a helical drive mechanism comprising;

a helical sun gear driven by the first drive shaft;

at least one helical planet gear driven by the helical sun gear;

a planet carrier driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the planet carrier selectively coupled to the second drive shaft to rotate the clothes mover; and

an outer helical ring gear driven by the at least one helical planet gear, the outer helical ring gear operably coupled to the spin tube to rotate the basket;

wherein meshes formed by teeth between one of the helical sun gear, helical planet gears, or helical ring gear define a total contact ratio greater than 3.

12. The laundry treating appliance of claim 11 wherein the meshes comprise the helical sun gear, the helical planet gears, and the helical ring gear each defining a plurality of teeth that mesh with the teeth of the other gears.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the teeth of the helical sun gear, the helical planet gears, and the helical ring gear are provided at an angle relative to an axis of rotation of the basket.

14. The laundry treating appliance of claim 13 wherein the total contact ratio is a function of the angle of the teeth of the helical sun gear, the helical planet gears, or the helical ring gear relative to the axis of rotation.

15. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the total contact ratio defines an effective number of teeth between any two of the helical sun gear, the helical planet gears, or the helical ring gear that are in mesh at the same time.

16. The laundry treating appliance of claim 11 wherein the total contact ratio is the sum of a gear transverse contact ratio and an overlap ratio.

17. The laundry treating appliance of claim 16 wherein the gear transverse contact ratio of at least one of the helical sun gear and the helical planet gears or the helical planet gears and the helical ring gear is greater than or equal to 1.1.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 16 wherein the overlap ratio of at least one of the helical sun gear and the helical planet gears or the helical planet gears and the helical ring gear is greater than or equal to 2.0.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 11 wherein the helical drive mechanism reduces a sound power level during operation of the laundry treating appliance at a gear grinding frequency relative to a spur gear drive mechanism.

20. The laundry treating appliance of claim 11 wherein contacts between the helical sun gear, the at least one helical planet gear, or the helical ring gear have differing mesh phasing to reduce vibration within the helical drive mechanism.