JP3967600B2 - Lid lock device for washing machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lid lock device for a washing machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a fully automatic one-tub washing machine suspends an outer tub in an outer box 1 so as to be freely slidable and has a rotary blade 2 at the bottom in the outer tub. The water tub 3 is rotatably arranged, the peripheral portion of the upper opening of the outer box 1 is covered with a top cover 4, and the upper opening of the washing and dewatering tub 3 is closed with a lid 5 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes a water supply valve, and 7 denotes an operation panel provided at the front portion of the top cover 4 and provided with setting buttons for setting operation details and the like.
[0003]
The lid 5 uses a washing machine and a clothes dryer integrally, and in that case, since the clothes dryer is often installed above the washing machine, the lid 5 is required to have a low height. The front cover 5a and the front cover 5b are divided into two parts before and after the cover, and are folded at the center hinge part. A handle 25 for opening and closing is attached to the rear part of the front cover 5b. .
[0004]
In the washing machine having such a structure, the whole process of water supply, washing, rinsing, and dehydration proceeds automatically. In the dehydration process, the washing and dewatering tub 3 rotates at a high speed in order to blow away moisture of the laundry by centrifugal force. . For this reason, it is necessary to close the lid 5 and prevent the lid 5 from being easily opened during the dehydration operation.
[0005]
As a structure for this purpose, as shown in FIG. 9, a lid switch 21 for detecting the opening / closing of the lid 5 and a lid locking device 24 are provided on the operation panel 7 side of the lid front 5b, for example, and the lid closing signal from the lid switch 21 is well known. The dehydration operation is started after it is confirmed that the lid 5 is closed by being output to the operation control unit by the microcomputer, and the lid 5 is prevented from being opened by the lid lock device 24 during the dehydration operation.
[0006]
The lid locking device 24 has a mechanical structure, and is configured by, for example, a combination of a locking claw 24a and a locking recess 24b. A locking recess 24b integrally formed on the lid 5 side is provided on the operation panel 7 side. The formed locking claw 24a is locked.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The lid locking device 24 having such a mechanical structure has a complicated structure in order to prevent the lid from being reliably opened. And the complexity of the structure also affects the reliability.
[0008]
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the inconvenience of the conventional example, and to use an electric simple structure without using a complicated mechanism and to reliably lock the lid, to improve the reliability and to reduce the manufacturing cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a lid lock device for a washing machine that can handle the above.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention firstly supports an outer tub swingably supported in an outer box, and a washing / dehydrating tub provided with a rotary blade at the bottom is rotatable in the outer tub. A washing machine that is installed and covered with a top cover that has a clothing inlet to the washing and dewatering tank on the top of the outer box, a lid is provided to open and close the clothing inlet, and the lid is locked so that it cannot be opened during dehydration operation In the lid lock device, the lid lock device is composed of a slider having a tip as a lid locking portion and a permanent magnet fixed to an intermediate portion, and an electromagnet having a yoke that moves the slider to a locking position and a releasing position. Then, by arranging these at a right angle position , the slider is moved to the locking position and the release position by the magnetic circuit formed by the electromagnet, and after moving to the locking position and the release position, the permanent magnet is moved to the electromagnet. Because it is attracted to the yoke and held in that position Without complicated mechanical structure and can lock the cover by utilizing the suction force of the magnet.
[0010]
Secondly, the slider is moved by forward and reverse energization to the electromagnet, and after the electromagnet is de-energized, the permanent magnet fixed to the slider is attracted to the electromagnet yoke and locked to the lid lock or release position. Therefore, the slider surely moves in the direction of the locking position or the release position, and after moving to the locking position or the release position, the slider is attracted to the yoke of the electromagnet in the non-excited state of the electromagnet. Locked. Therefore, the lid is securely locked during the dehydration operation, and when the washing / dehydration tub stops rotating after the dehydration operation is completed, the lid lock is released and the lid can be freely opened and closed.
[0011]
Furthermore, even if the outlet of the washing machine is disconnected during the dehydration operation, power is cut off due to a power failure, or the control function of the control device is lost, the slider is held in the locked position by the suction force of the yoke. The lid lock state during the dehydration operation can be maintained and safety can be ensured.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a lid locking device for a washing machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal front view of the same, and the overall configuration of the washing machine in which the lid locking device of the present invention is arranged is shown in FIG. Since this is the same as the conventional example shown, detailed description thereof is omitted here.
[0013]
In the washing machine provided with the lid lock device of the present invention, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 6, the lid switch 21 for detecting the opening and closing of the lid 5 is provided on the side in contact with the operation panel 7 at the front position of the lid front 5b. Further, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 6 and the longitudinal sectional front view of FIG. 7, the lid locking device 8 is fixed to the lower surface of the top cover 4 with a mounting screw at the rear side position of the front side 5b.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the lid lock device 8 is basically composed of a combination of an electromagnetic coil fixed to the yoke and a permanent magnet fixed to the slider, and the center position of the bottom of the U-shaped yoke 10. The iron core 11 is fixed in the vertical direction with the mounting screws 12, and the electromagnetic coil 9 is wound around the iron core 11.
[0015]
A guide hole 15 of a slider 14 of a non-magnetic material, which will be described later, is provided on both side walls of the yoke 10 above the upper surface of the electromagnetic coil 9, and the permanent magnet 13 is provided in the center of the lower surface of the guide hole 15. Both ends of the slider 14 to which is attached are movably inserted, and the end of the slider 14 positioned on the front lid 5b side is used as a lid locking portion 14a.
[0016]
In this case, the slider 14 is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and the concave portion formed on the lower surface is used as the insertion portion of the permanent magnet 13. The lower portion of the permanent magnet 13 is below the slider 14 while being inserted in the concave portion. It protrudes slightly to form the protruding portion 13a.
[0017]
In this state, the permanent magnet 13 is disposed horizontally with a gap above the vertically disposed electromagnetic coil 9, and both are disposed at right angles. Further, the permanent magnet 13 is attached to the slider 14 so that the N poles or S poles at both ends are located at positions where the permanent magnet 13 is opposed to the upper part of the electromagnetic coil 9.
[0018]
On the other hand, a locking hole 19 into which a lid locking portion 14a formed at the end of the slider 14 is inserted is provided on the side wall of the front lid 5b.
[0019]
FIG. 4 shows an energization circuit of the electromagnetic coil 9. The controller 17 connected to the lid switch 21, the rotation detecting unit 20 of the washing and dewatering tub 3, and the electromagnetic coil 9 are connected in parallel to the commercial power supply 16, A bidirectional thyristor 18 is connected in series to the coil 9.
[0020]
Next, the operation of the lid lock device of the present invention in the dehydration operation will be described. When the washing process proceeds, the process proceeds to the dehydration process, the lid 5 is closed and the output from the lid switch 21 is input to the control device 17, the electromagnetic coil 9 of the lid lock device 8 is energized by the output from the control device 17. Is done. At this time, the control device 17 sends a trigger signal to the gate circuit of the bidirectional thyristor 18 so that only the positive side of the AC waveform in FIG. 5A is energized. ) Is supplied to the electromagnetic coil 9.
[0021]
When a current having such a waveform is supplied to the electromagnetic coil 9, the iron core 11 facing the north pole of the permanent magnet 13 is magnetized to the north pole as shown in FIG. 2, and the yoke on the south pole side of the permanent magnet 13. 10 is oppositely magnetized to the S pole, the magnetic pole surface is in a repulsive state, and the slider 14 starts to move in the direction of the left arrow in FIG.
[0022]
When the center of the permanent magnet 13 moves to the upper part of the iron core 11, the attracting state is reversed. Therefore, the slider 14 further moves in the direction of the left arrow, and as shown in FIG. The stopper 14 a is inserted into the locking hole 19 formed in the front lid 5 b and the lid 5 is locked by the slider 14.
[0023]
Thereafter, the timer of the control device 17 is operated and the gate signal is cut off, so that the bidirectional thyristor 18 is turned off, the energization to the electromagnetic coil 9 is cut off, and the permanent magnet 13 fixed to the slider 14 is moved to the yoke on the lid 5 side. 10 and is fixed to this locking position.
[0024]
At the same time, the dehydration mechanism is energized to start the dehydration operation, and the washing / dehydration tank 3 and the rotary blade 2 rotate at high speed. During this dehydration operation, the permanent magnet 13 is attracted to the yoke 10 on the lid 5 side even if the outlet is disconnected, a power failure occurs, or the control capability of the control device 17 is lost. Therefore, the lid 5 cannot be opened and closed, and safety during the dehydration operation can be secured. In this case, the protruding portion 13a of the permanent magnet 13 abuts on the yoke 10, functions as a stopper, and prevents further movement, so that the permanent magnet 13 is held at this attracting position.
[0025]
When the dehydration process proceeds as described above and reaches a predetermined time, the operation of the dehydration mechanism is stopped by the output from the control device 17, and the dehydration operation is terminated. At this time, even if the power supply to the dewatering mechanism is cut off, the washing and dewatering tub 3 containing a lot of laundry continues to rotate due to inertia. Therefore, this rotation is detected by the rotation detection unit 20, and the lid locking state shown in FIG. 3 is maintained until it is confirmed that the washing and dewatering tub 3 has stopped rotating.
[0026]
Thereafter, when it is confirmed that the washing / dehydrating tub 3 has stopped rotating, a reverse current having a waveform as shown in FIG. 5C opposite to that when the lid is locked is supplied from the control device 17 to the electromagnetic coil 9. Thereby, a repulsive magnetic field is generated between the permanent magnet 13 fixed to the slider 14 and the electromagnetic coil 9, and the slider 14 moves in the direction of the right arrow in FIG. It comes out of the hole 19 and the locking of the lid 5 is released. Therefore, the opening / closing operation of the lid 5 by the handle 25 can be performed.
[0027]
In this way, the state of FIG. 2 is obtained again. Even if the energization of the electromagnetic coil 9 is stopped in this state, the right protruding portion 13a of the permanent magnet 13 in FIG. The slider 14 does not move even if there is an external impact or the like.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the lid lock device for a washing machine according to the present invention firstly suspends the outer tub in a swingable manner in the outer box, and has a washing and wrapping machine equipped with a rotary blade at the bottom in the outer tub. A dehydrating tub is rotatably arranged, covered with a top cover that has a clothing input to the washing and dehydrating tub on the top of the outer box, a lid is provided to open and close the clothing input, and the lid is opened during the dehydration operation In a lid lock device of a washing machine that locks impossible , the lid lock device includes a slider having a tip as a lid locking portion and a permanent magnet fixed to an intermediate portion, and a yoke that moves the slider to a locking position and a releasing position. By arranging them at right-angle positions , the slider moves to the locking position and the release position by the magnetic circuit formed by the electromagnet, and after moving to the locking position and the release position The permanent magnet is attracted to the electromagnet yoke and its position Since held, without complicated mechanical structure and can lock the cover by utilizing the suction force of the magnet.
[0029]
Second, the slider moves by forward and reverse energization of the electromagnet, and after the electromagnet is de-energized, the permanent magnet fixed to the slider is attracted to the yoke of the electromagnet and locked to the lid lock or release position. Therefore, the slider surely moves in the direction of the locking position or the release position, and after moving to the locking position or the release position, the slider is attracted to the yoke of the electromagnet in the non-excited state of the electromagnet. Locked. Therefore, the lid is securely locked during the dehydration operation, and when the washing / dehydration tub stops rotating after the dehydration operation is completed, the lid lock is released and the lid can be freely opened and closed.
[0030]
Furthermore, even if the outlet of the washing machine is disconnected during a dehydration operation, the power supply is cut off due to a power failure, or the control function of the control device is lost, the slider is moved to the locked position by the suction force of the yoke. It can be held, and the lid lock state during the dehydration operation can be maintained to ensure safety.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a lid lock device for a washing machine of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal front view in a released state showing an embodiment of a lid lock device for a washing machine of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal front view of a locked state showing an embodiment of a lid lock device for a washing machine of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram for energizing an electromagnetic coil of the lid lock device of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a waveform diagram of a current supplied to an electromagnetic coil of the lid lock device of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a washing machine provided with a lid lock device of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway front view of a washing machine provided with a lid lock device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a washing machine.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a washing machine provided with a conventional lid lock device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer box 2 ... Rotary blade 3 ... Washing and dewatering tank 4 ... Top cover 5 ... Lid 5a ... After lid 5b ... Before lid 6 ... Water supply valve 7 ... Operation panel 8 ... Lid lock device 9 ... Electromagnetic coil 10 ... Yoke 11 ... Iron core 12 ... Mounting screw 13 ... Permanent magnet 13a ... Projection 14 ... Slider 14a ... Lid locking part 15 ... Guide hole 16 ... Commercial power supply 17 ... Control device 18 ... Bidirectional thyristor 19 ... Locking hole 20 ... Rotation detection Part 21: Lid switch 24 ... Lid lock device 25 ... Handle 24a ... Locking claw 24b ... Locking recess

Claims (2)

The outer tub is swingably supported in the outer box, and a washing / dehydration tub having a rotary blade at the bottom is rotatably arranged in the outer tub, and the washing / dehydration tub is placed on the upper portion of the outer box. Cover with a top cover with a clothing inlet, and provide a lid to open and close the clothing inlet, and lock the lid to the unopenable state during dehydration operation
In a lid lock device of a washing machine, the lid lock device includes a slider having a tip as a lid locking portion and a permanent magnet fixed to an intermediate portion, and an electromagnet including a yoke that moves the slider to a locking position and a release position. A lid lock device for a washing machine, characterized in that these are arranged at right angles .   The slider is moved by forward and reverse energization of the electromagnet, and after the electromagnet is de-energized, the permanent magnet fixed to the slider is attracted to the electromagnet yoke and locked to the lid locking or releasing position. 2. The lid lock device for a washing machine according to claim 1, wherein

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