Laundry treating appliance with integrated dynamic balancer

• US 9,534,335 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Haslanger, Mark R., Borlin, Christopher L., Erickson, Donald E., Malheiros, George W., Ostdiek, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): TATE-SIMS, CRISTI J
• Application Number:
  US14/273,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20150322615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/04 for assembling or disassembling parts
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/225 Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets
• 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 37/265 Counterweights mounted to the tub; Mountings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/266 Gaskets mounted between tub and casing around the loading opening
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49828 Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49948 Multipart cooperating fastener [e.g., bolt and nut]

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance includes a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load. The rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a metal cover at one end thereof, the metal cover having an annular groove formed by a first wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, a third wall extending between the first and second walls, and a fourth wall extending from the second wall. A first land is secured to the third wall and has a leg extending toward the second wall adjacent to the third wall, and a second land is secured to the fourth wall. A non-metal adjoining piece is coupled with the first and second land. A hollow annular raceway is defined by the second wall, the leg, the first adjoining wall, and the second adjoining wall and includes a moveable mass disposed therein.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance with an integrated dynamic balancer comprising:

a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load wherein the rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a metal cover at one end thereof, the metal cover having an annular groove formed by a first wall adjacent to the cylindrical wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, a third wall extending between the first and second walls, and a fourth wall having at least a portion thereof extending from the second wall generally normal to the longitudinal axis;

a first land secured to the third wall and having a leg extending toward the second wall adjacent to the third wall, and a second land secured on the fourth wall;

a non-metal adjoining piece having a first adjoining wall coupled with the first land and a second adjoining wall coupled with the second land;

wherein a hollow annular raceway is defined only by the second wall, the leg, the first adjoining wall, and the second adjoining wall; and

a mass disposed in the hollow annular raceway and movable therein.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the first adjoining wall has a support flange extending to the first wall.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the second adjoining wall includes an extending flange that attaches to the second land.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 3 comprising a chamfer at the extending flange that abuts the second wall.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the third wall comprises a first rank of discontinuities and the fourth wall comprises a second rank of discontinuities, wherein each discontinuity comprises a perforation in the metal cover.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5, further comprising a sound dampener having a first portion extending through each perforation of the first rank of discontinuities to the other side of the cover to which the first land is secured and a second portion extending through each perforation of the second rank of discontinuities to the other side of the cover to which the second land is secured.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, further comprising a sound dampener coupled with the metal cover on a side of the metal cover opposite the hollow annular raceway.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the first land has one of a ridge and a groove and the first adjoining wall has the other of a ridge and a groove configured to accept the one of the ridge and the groove of the first land.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the second land has one of a ridge and a groove and the second adjoining wall has the other of a ridge and a groove configured to accept the one of the ridge and the groove of the second land.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the cover is a front cover having an opening through which the laundry load can be received.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the mass includes at least one of balls, viscous fluid, or water.

12. A laundry treating appliance with an integrated dynamic balancer comprising:

a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load wherein the rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a metal cover at one end thereof, the metal cover having an annular groove formed by a first wall adjacent to the cylindrical wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, a third wall extending between the first and second walls, and a fourth wall having at least a portion thereof extending from the second wall generally normal to the longitudinal axis;

a non-metal adjoining piece having a first adjoining wall coupled with the third wall and a second adjoining wall coupled with the fourth wall;

wherein a hollow annular raceway is defined only by the second wall, the third wall, the first adjoining wall, and the second adjoining wall;

a first gasket disposed between the first adjoining wall and the third wall and a second gasket disposed between the second adjoining wall and the fourth wall; and

a mass disposed in the hollow annular raceway and movable therein.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the first and second gaskets comprise a compressed foam.

14. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the adjoining piece is overmolded onto the first and second gaskets.

15. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the first and second adjoining walls are coupled to the third and fourth walls, respectively, by a plurality of fasteners.

16. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the third wall comprises a first rank of discontinuities and the fourth wall comprises a second rank of discontinuities and further comprising a fastener provided at each of the first and second ranks of discontinuities and extending through the first and second adjoining walls, respectively.

17. The laundry treating appliance of claim 16 wherein each discontinuity of the first and second ranks of discontinuities is a perforation in the cover.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12, further comprising a sound dampener coupled with the metal cover on a side opposite the hollow annular raceway.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 18 wherein the sound dampener is coupled with the metal cover such that a sound insulating gap is formed between the sound dampener and the second and third walls.

20. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12, wherein the first adjoining wall has a support flange extending to the first wall.

21. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the mass includes at least one of balls, viscous fluid, or water.