Foot for household appliance and household appliance

• US 10,738,932 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. (Haier Group Company), Qingdao Haier Smart Technology R&D Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Zhao, Zhiqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Kimberly T
• Application Number:
  US15/753,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20190011075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/16 Self-levelling legs
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4253 Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or supporting legs
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/20 Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/125 Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/08 Foot or support base
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 7/00 Details of attaching or adjusting engine beds, frames, or supporting-legs on foundation or base; Attaching non-moving engine parts, e.g. cylinder blocks elastic or equivalent mounting for absorbing vibrations F16F, especially F16F15/04

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foot for household appliance and a household appliance. The foot comprises a hydraulic plate; a sheath, which is fixedly connected with the hydraulic plate; a regulating foot, which is arranged in the sheath and is axially movable relative to the sheath; an accommodation chamber, which is formed by the hydraulic plate, the sheath and the regulating foot; a hydraulic medium, which is arranged in the accommodation chamber and is compressed/expands depending on pressure changes to drive the regulating foot to axially move in the sheath for leveling; and a throttling structures, which is arranged in the hydraulic plate for slowing down flow velocity of the hydraulic medium. According to the foot provided by the present disclosure, the throttling structure is arranged in the hydraulic plate, so that the rapid flowing of the hydraulic medium is prevented, and a regulating process can be more stable.

Claims

1. A foot for a household appliance, comprising:

a hydraulic plate;

a sheath, fixedly connected with the hydraulic plate;

a regulating foot, which is arranged in the sheath and axially movable relative to the sheath;

an accommodation chamber formed by the hydraulic plate, the sheath and the regulating foot;

a hydraulic medium, which is in the accommodation chamber and having a volume depending on pressure changes to drive the regulating foot to axially move in the sheath for leveling; and

a throttling flow passage, arranged in the hydraulic plate;

a hydraulic nozzle is arranged on the hydraulic plate for allowing the hydraulic medium to flow out;

the throttling flow passage including a first throttling flow passage and a second throttling flow passage,

one end of the first throttling flow passage communicates with the accommodation chamber, another end of the first throttling flow passage communicates with the second throttling flow passage, and

the second throttling flow passage communicates with the hydraulic nozzle;

a diameter of the first throttling flow passage is greater than a diameter of the second throttling flow passage;

a throttling hole is formed at a connecting position of the first throttling flow passage and the second throttling flow passage, and a diameter of the throttling hole is smaller than the diameters of both the first throttling flow passage and the second throttling flow passage and the throttling hole is kept open.

2. The foot for household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the another end of the first throttling flow passage communicating with the second throttling flow passage is reduced in diameter to form the throttling hole;

or, one end of the second throttling flow passage communicating with the first throttling flow passage is reduced in diameter to form the throttling hole.

3. The foot for household appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible accommodation body for accommodating the hydraulic medium, the flexible accommodation body is arranged in the accommodation chamber;

the flexible accommodation body has an opening part, and

the opening part of the flexible accommodation body is fixedly mounted on the hydraulic plate and communicates with the first throttling flow passage.

4. The foot for household appliance according to claim 1, wherein a minimum diameter d of the first throttling flow passage is not more than 6 mm.

5. The foot for household appliance according to claim 4, wherein the minimum diameter d of the first throttling flow passage is not more than 2 mm.

6. The foot for household appliance according to claim 4, wherein the minimum diameter d of the first throttling flow passage is not more than 1 mm.

7. A household appliance including at least two feet, each of the at least two feet for the household appliance comprises:

a hydraulic plate;

a sheath, fixedly connected with the hydraulic plate;

a regulating foot, which is arranged in the sheath and axially movable relative to the sheath;

an accommodation chamber formed by the hydraulic plate, the sheath and the regulating foot;

a hydraulic medium, which is in the accommodation chamber and having a volume depending on pressure changes to drive the regulating foot to axially move in the sheath for leveling; and

a throttling flow passage, arranged in the hydraulic plate;

a hydraulic nozzle is arranged on the hydraulic plate for allowing the hydraulic medium to flow out;

the throttling flow passage includes a first throttling flow passage and a second throttling flow passage,

one end of the first throttling flow passage communicates with the accommodation chamber, another end of the first throttling flow passage communicates with the second throttling flow passage, and

the second throttling flow passage communicates with the hydraulic nozzle;

the at least two feet for household appliance are communicated with each other through a communicating member to allow the hydraulic medium to flow between the at least two feet for household appliance, wherein a diameter of the first throttling flow passage is greater than a diameter of the second throttling flow passage;

a throttling hole is formed at a connecting position of the first throttling flow passage and the second throttling flow passage, and a diameter of the throttling hole is smaller than the diameters of both the first throttling flow passage and the second throttling flow passage and the throttling hole is kept open.