WASHING MACHINE HAVING DAMPING APPARATUS

Abstract

A washing machine having a structure in which a drum can stably rotate. The washing machine includes a cabinet including an outer frame that constitutes an exterior, an inner frame connected to an inner side of the outer frame, and a lower frame coupled to a lower part of the outer frame; a drum rotatably disposed in the inner frame; a base plate coupled to a lower part of the drum; a driving unit coupled to the base plate and driving the drum; and a damping apparatus that connects the base plate and the lower frame so as to absorb vibration occurring while the drum rotates.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0039204, filed on Apr. 16, 2012 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a washing machine having a damping apparatus that absorbs vibration occurring while a drum of the washing machine rotates.

2. Description of the Related Art

A washing machine as a machine that washes clothes using power, generally includes a tub in which washing water is stored, a drum rotatably installed in the tub, a pulsator rotatably installed at the bottom of the drum, and a motor and a clutch for rotating the drum and the pulsator.

In general, the washing machine performs a washing operation of removing dirt from laundry and a dehydration operation of removing moisture of laundry.

In the washing operation, the pulsator rotates in a state in which laundry and detergent water are put in the drum, and laundry put into the drum is stirred with washing water so that dirt can be removed from laundry. In the dehydration operation, the drum rotates to remove moisture that remains in laundry.

In the dehydration operation, since the drum rotates in a state in which detergent water used in the washing operation is discharged from the drum, when laundry is put eccentrically into the drum, the drum eccentrically rotates and vibrates. Such a phenomenon may occur more remarkably, in particular, in a section in which revolutions per minute (rpm) of the drum is increased to reach rpm required for the dehydration operation (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘transition section’).

Also, when force is applied to the drum due to movement between the drum and a cabinet, the drum eccentrically rotates and vibrates in a section in which the drum rotates at rpm required for the dehydration operation after passing through the transition section (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘normal status section’).

Vibration caused by eccentric rotation of the drum in the transition section or normal status section may cause collision between the drum and the tub or between the drum and the cabinet. Thus, a solution thereof is required.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a washing machine having an improved structure in which a drum may be stably rotated while the washing machine performs a dehydration operation.

Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a washing machine including: a cabinet including an outer frame that constitutes an exterior, an inner frame connected to an inner side of the outer frame and a lower frame coupled to a lower part of the outer frame; a drum rotatably disposed in the inner frame; a base plate coupled to a lower part of the drum; a driving unit coupled to the base plate and configured to rotate the drum; and a damping apparatus configured to connect the base plate and the lower frame so as to absorb vibration occurring while the drum rotates.

The damping apparatus may include: a support bracket coupled to a bottom surface of the base plate; and a plurality of dampers having ends connected to the support bracket and the other ends connected to the lower frame.

The plurality of dampers may be disposed in a radial form centering on a rotation central axis of the drum.

The plurality of dampers may include a first damper and a second damper that are adjacent to each other, and an angle between a virtual first extension line that extends from one end of the first damper toward the rotation central axis of the drum and a virtual second extension line that extends from one end of the second damper toward the rotation central axis of the drum may be between 45° and 135°.

At least one of the plurality of dampers may have one end connected to the support bracket and the other end connected to a corner of the lower frame.

An angle between a virtual third extension line that extends from one end of at least one of the plurality of dampers toward a ground and the ground may be between 5° and 30°.

The support bracket may include: a body that surrounds at least a portion of the driving unit; a fixing part that is bent from an upper side of the body toward an outer side of the body and has at least one fixing hole through which the support bracket is fixed to the bottom surface of the base plate; and a plurality of fastening parts that protrude from sides of the body and connect the plurality of dampers to the support bracket.

The plurality of dampers may be rotatably coupled to the support bracket and the lower frame.

Position of the plurality of dampers may be biased toward one of a front and rear of a virtual first division plane that divides the cabinet in front and rear directions while passing through a rotation central axis of the drum.

Position of the plurality of dampers may be biased toward one of a right and left of a virtual second division plane that divides the cabinet in right and left directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a washing machine including: a cabinet; a tub disposed in the cabinet and configured to store washing water; a drum rotatably disposed in the tub; a pulsator rotatably disposed in the drum; a motor disposed in a lower part of the tub and configured to provide power for rotating the drum; a clutch configured to selectively transfer power of the motor to the drum or pulsator; a base plate configured to fix the clutch and the motor and coupled to a lower part of the tub; and a damping apparatus configured to connect the base plate and the lower frame so as to absorb vibration occurring while the drum rotates, wherein the damping apparatus includes: a support bracket coupled to a bottom surface of the base plate; and a plurality of dampers having ends connected to the support bracket and the other ends connected to a lower part of the cabinet and disposed in a radial form centering on a rotation central axis of the drum.

The plurality of dampers may be rotatably coupled to the support bracket and the lower part of the cabinet.

The plurality of dampers may include a first damper and a second damper that are adjacent to each other, and an angle between the first damper and the second damper centering on the rotation central axis of the drum may be between 45° and 135°.

An angle between the first damper and the second damper and a ground may be between 5° and 30°.

Position of the plurality of dampers may be biased toward one of front and rear of a virtual first division plane that divides the cabinet in front and rear directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

Position of the plurality of dampers may be biased toward one of right and left of a virtual second division plane that divides the cabinet in right and left directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

The support bracket may include a collision prevention surface for preventing the motor and the clutch from colliding with the lower part of the cabinet while the drum rotates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the washing machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the combination relationship of a damping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 5 at a different angle; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the damping apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the washing machine 1 includes a cabinet 10 that constitutes the exterior, a drum 30 that is rotatably disposed in the cabinet 10, and a driving unit that is disposed in a lower part of the drum 30 so as to rotate the drum 30.

An upper frame 15 in which a laundry port 14 through which laundry may be inserted into the drum 30 is formed, is disposed in an upper part of the cabinet 10. A door 16 is disposed on the upper frame 15 so as to open/close the laundry port 14.

A lower frame 18 is disposed in a lower part of the cabinet 10, and a mounting portion 19 on which the washing machine 1 may be mounted on a bottom surface, is coupled to the lower frame 18.

Suspension members (see 21 of FIG. 2) are connected to the upper part of the cabinet 10 so as to suspend and support the drum 30 in the cabinet 10.

The drum 30 is rotatably disposed in the cabinet 10, and a plurality of through holes 36 are formed in an upper part of the drum 30 along the circumference of the drum 30.

A pulsator 35 is rotatably installed at the bottom of the drum 30. The pulsator 35 stirs laundry put into the drum 30 together with washing water.

A water supply unit 50 for supplying washing water into the drum 30 is installed at the upper part of the drum 30. The water supply unit 50 includes a water supply valve 53 that regulates the supply of water and a water supply pipe 51 that connects the water supply valve 53 and a detergent supply unit 60.

One side of the water supply pipe 51 is connected to an external water supply source (not shown), and the other side of the water supply pipe 51 is connected to the detergent supply unit 60.

The detergent supply unit 60 includes a case 61 disposed in the upper frame 15 and a detergent container 63 which is detachably mounted on the case 61 and accommodates each detergent. A discharge hole 65 through which washing water in which detergent is dissolved is discharged, is formed at the bottom of the case 61.

Water supplied via the water supply pipe 51 is supplied into the drum 30 together with detergent via the detergent supply unit 60.

A first draining hose 82 and a second draining hose 84 are disposed in the lower part of the drum 30 and guide washing water toward an outer side of the cabinet 10 after a washing or dehydration operation is completed.

The driving unit includes a clutch 120 that selectively rotates the drum 30 and the pulsator 35, a driving motor 150 that drives the clutch 120, a flange member 140 that transfers rotational force of a driving shaft 124 of the clutch 120 to the drum 30 by connecting the driving shaft 124 of the clutch 120 to a bottom 32 of the drum 30, and a base plate 160 on which the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150 are fixed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the washing machine 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4, the drum 30 is directly disposed in the cabinet 10 at a predetermined interval with the cabinet 10. That is, an additional configuration which is disposed between the cabinet 10 and the drum 30 and in which washing water is stored, is omitted.

The cabinet 10 includes an outer frame 10a that constitutes an exterior of the washing machine 1 and an inner frame 10b that is connected to an inner side of the outer frame 10a.

The inner frame 10b may be configured in an approximately cylindrical form. An outer circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b may be connected to an inner side of at least a portion of the outer frame 10a via a rib (not shown) or may contact the inner side of at least a portion of the outer frame 10a.

The inner frame 10b is inclined toward a direction in which the radius of the inner frame 10b increases from the lower part of the inner frame 10b. Most of the water that is discharged from the drum 30 via the plurality of through holes 36 in the dehydration operation falls along an inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b and flows into a draining groove 22. Since the inner frame 10b is inclined in such a way that water discharged from the drum 30 slowly flows along an inclined surface of the inner frame 10b, a phenomenon that water splashes toward an outer side of the draining groove 22 while flowing into the draining groove 22, does not occur.

Also, the inner frame 10b may have the same inclination angle as an inclination angle a of each of sidewalls 34 so as to be disposed in parallel to the sidewalls 34. When the drum 30 rotates, the drum 30 moves not only in a vertical direction but also in its radial direction. A gap between the drum 30 and the cabinet 10 is necessary so as to prevent interference with the inner frame 10b of the cabinet 10 caused by movement of the drum 30 in the radial direction of the drum 30. The inner frame 10b and the sidewall 34 are disposed in parallel to each other so that space utility of the cabinet 10 can be maximized and simultaneously a predetermined gap between the drum 30 and the cabinet 10 can be maintained.

The outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b may be formed integrally with each other using injection molding so as to improve productivity. In this case, the cabinet 10 including the outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b may be formed of a material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polypropylene (PP). The reason why the cabinet 10 may be manufactured using injection molding in this way is that the cabinet 10 includes the outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b and thus its strength is increased. That is, after an injection molding material, such as ABS or PP, is injected into a mold and is solidified so as to manufacture the cabinet 10 using injection molding, the cabinet 10 is not damaged while the mold is separated from the cabinet 10.

The outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b may be formed of different materials and may be coupled to each other. That is, in order to increase the strength of the cabinet 10, the outer frame 10a may be formed of metal, the inner frame 10b may be formed of plastic, and the outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b are coupled to each other, thereby forming the cabinet 10.

The draining groove 22 is bent along the circumference of the inner frame 10b and is formed in a lower end of the inner frame 10b.

The draining groove 22 includes a first bent part 22a that is bent from the lower end of the inner frame 10b in its central direction and a second bent part 22b that is bent from an end of the first bent part 22a in a direction perpendicular to the ground.

The first bent part 22a serves as a bottom surface on which water discharged from the drum 30 via the through holes 36 formed in the upper part of the drum 30 in the dehydration operation and directly fallen or flowing along the outer circumferential surface of the drum 30 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b is received. The second bent part 22b constitutes a flow passage on which water fallen to the bottom surface together with the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the inner frame 10b is stored and then is discharged outward.

A draining hole 24 which communicates with the draining groove 22 and through which water stored in the draining groove 22 is guided to the outer side of the draining groove 22, is formed on one side of the first bent part 22a. The above-described second draining hose 84 is connected to an end of the draining hole 24, and water that passes through the draining hole 24 is finally discharged from the cabinet 10 via the second draining hose 84 and the first draining hose 82 connected to the second draining hose 84.

The drum 30 is disposed in the inner frame 10b so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

The drum 30 includes the bottom 32 and the sidewalls 34 that are connected to the bottom 32 and constitute a space in which washing water is stored.

A plurality of ribs 32a are formed on the bottom 32. The plurality of ribs 32a form an air flow in the radial direction of the drum 30, i.e., in a direction from a center of the drum 30 to the inner frame 10b of the cabinet 10 and prevent water that is fallen along the outer circumferential surface of the drum 30 from moving to a center of the drum 30, in which the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150 are disposed, along the bottom 32 of the drum 30.

The sidewalls 34 extend from the bottom 32 and are inclined in a direction in which the diameter of the drum 30 increases. If the drum 30 rotates at a high speed of about 280 rpm or more during the dehydration operation, water dehydrated from the laundry may reach the sidewalls 34 due to a centrifugal force and then may smoothly move to the upper part of the drum 30 along an inner circumferential surface of the inclined sidewall 34.

The inclination angle α between the sidewall 34 and a straight line l perpendicular to the bottom 32 may preferably be about 2° to 10°. If the inclination angle α is excessively small, that is, less than 2°, water may not smoothly move to the upper part of the drum 30 along the inner circumferential surface of the sidewall 34, and thus dehydration performance may be degraded. If the inclination angle α is excessively large, that is, greater than 10°, the upper part of the drum 30 is widened so that the entire width of the cabinet 10 may be increased.

The through holes 36 through which water dehydrated from laundry may be discharged from the drum 30 are formed in upper parts of the sidewalls 34.

At least one through hole 36 may be formed in a circumferential direction of the sidewalls 34, and a height at which the through hole 36 is formed, may be approximately half or more of the height of the drum 30 because washing water in the drum 30 should be prevented from flowing out through the through hole 36 in the washing operation.

Water that is discharged from the drum 30 through the through hole 36 flows downward along the outer circumferential surface of the drum 30 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b or directly falls through a discharge flow passage 33 formed between the sidewall 34 and the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b and flows into the draining groove 22.

Also, the drum 30 may further include a guide rib 38 that guides water discharged from the drum 30 through the through hole 36 toward the draining groove 22.

The guide rib 38 is disposed between the second bent part 22b that constitutes the draining groove 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b, extends from a lower end of the sidewall 34 to a predetermined length, in particular, prevents water that falls along the outer circumferential surface of the drum 30 from moving to the center of the drum 30, in which the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150 are disposed, along the bottom 32 of the drum 30, and simultaneously naturally guides introduction of water to the draining groove 22.

An interference prevention groove 39 is formed between the side of the bottom 32 and the guide rib 38 to a predetermined depth and prevents interference between the drum 30 and the second bent part 22b due to vertical vibration of the drum 30 while the washing machine 1 operates.

The depth of the interference prevention groove 39 or a length at which the guide rib 38 extends from the lower end of the sidewall 34, is related to a width at which the drum 30 vibrates in the vertical direction during the washing or dehydration operation. As the width at which the drum 30 vibrates in the vertical direction increases, the depth of the interference prevention groove 39 should be increased, whereas the length at which the guide rib 38 extends from the lower end of the sidewall 34, should be decreased.

In this way, the guide rib 38 may be positioned between the second bent part 22b and the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b, and the second bent part 22b may be accommodated in the interference prevention groove 39 so that the entire height of the cabinet 10 can be reduced. That is, in consideration of the width at which the drum 30 vibrates in the vertical direction, the guide rib 38 is accommodated in the draining groove 22 and the second bent part 22b is accommodated in the interference prevention groove 39 while the drum 30 vibrates, so that the height of the cabinet 10 can be reduced by a length at which the guide rib 38 and the second bent part 22b overlap each other.

The driving unit for driving the drum 30 or the pulsator 35 disposed in the drum 30 is coupled to the lower part of the drum 30.

The driving unit includes the clutch 120 that selectively rotates the drum 30 and the pulsator 35, a driving motor 150 that drives the clutch 120, a flange member 140 that connects the driving shaft 124 of the clutch 120 and the bottom 32 of the drum 30 and transfers rotational force of the driving shaft 124 to the drum 30, and a base plate 160 that fixes the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150.

A shaft coupling portion 31 is formed at the center of the bottom 32 of the drum 30, is coupled to the flange member 140, and fixes and supports the flange member 140. The shaft coupling portion 31 includes a shaft coupling wall 31a that protrudes from the bottom 32 toward the outer side of the drum 30 downward, and a shaft insertion hole 31 b that is formed in the inner side of the shaft coupling wall 31a so that one end of the flange member 140 may be inserted into the inner side of the drum 30 through the shaft insertion hole 31 b.

The flange member 140 is inserted in and fixed to the shaft insertion hole 31b and couples the driving shaft 124 and the drum 30.

The flange member 140 includes a first through hole 142 formed through the center of the flange member 140 so as to be coupled to the driving shaft 124, and a second through hole 144 formed in a circumferential direction of the first through hole 142.

The second through hole 144 serves as a movement path on which washing water stored in the drum 30 moves to the outer side of the drum 30 after the washing operation is completed.

The clutch 120 includes a housing 122 and a driving shaft 124 that is rotatably coupled to the center of the housing 122. Deceleration units that decelerate various bearings for rotating and supporting the driving shaft 124 and the driving shaft 124, are disposed in the internal space of the housing 122.

The driving shaft 124 penetrates the first through hole 142 formed in the flange member 140 and is connected to the drum 30 and the pulsator 35.

The driving shaft 124 includes a first connector 124a coupled to the first through hole 142 and a second connector 124b that extends from the first connector 124a and is coupled to the pulsator 35. The first connector 124a and the second connector 124b rotate simultaneously or individually depending on the washing or dehydration operation. In the washing operation, the second connector 124b rotates and allows the pulsator 35 coupled to the second connector 124b to rotate, and in the dehydration operation, the first connector 124a and the second connector 124b rotate simultaneously and allow the drum 30 and the pulsator 35 to simultaneously rotate. A pulley 134 is coupled to the other end of the driving shaft 124 so that rotational force of the driving motor 150 may be transferred to the clutch 120 via a driving belt 135.

A base plate cover 162 is coupled to a space between the flange member 140 and the base plate 160. The base plate cover 162 communicates with the second through hole 144 and forms a space 161 in which washing water introduced through the second through hole 144 together with the base plate 160 may be moved to a draining case 174. Also, sealing members 164 are inserted between the flange member 140 and the base plate cover 162 and between the base plate cover 162 and the base plate 160 so as to prevent leakage of washing water.

The draining case 174 is coupled to the lower part of the base plate 160. The draining case 174 accommodates washing water that is introduced after passing through the space 161 formed by the base plate cover 162 and the base plate 160. A draining pipe 176 that drains washing water flowing into the draining case 174, is disposed at one end of the draining case 174, and the first draining hose 82 is connected to the draining pipe 176 and guides washing water toward the outer side of the cabinet 10. A valve 178 is disposed on the draining pipe 176 so that washing water in the draining case 174 may be selectively drained during the washing operation.

Washing water used in the washing or rinsing operation is introduced into the space 161 between the base plate cover 162 and the base plate 160 via the second through hole 144 formed in the flange member 140, and then is drained to the outer side of the cabinet 10 via the draining case 174 and the first draining hose 82. As described above, washing water dehydrated from laundry in the dehydration operation is discharged from the drum 30 via the through hole 36, flows along the outer circumferential surface of the drum 30 or the inner circumferential surface of the inner frame 10b, is introduced into the draining groove 22, and then is drained to the outer side of the cabinet 10 via the draining hole 24 and the second draining hose 84 connected to the draining hole 24.

The base plate 160 is coupled to the upper part of the cabinet 10 using suspension members 21. At least two suspension members 21 are coupled to a corner of the cabinet 10 formed by the rectangular outer frame 10a and the cylindrical inner frame 10b, and support the drum 30. A coupling rib 10c is disposed at the corner of the cabinet 10 and supports and couples one end of the suspension member 21. The coupling rib 10c may be injection molded integrally with the outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b.

A connection bracket 180 is coupled to a space between the base plate 160 and the suspension members 21. The connection bracket 180 includes an avoidance groove 181 that is bent and formed in the lower end of the connection bracket 180 so as to prevent interference with the draining groove 22 while the washing machine 1 operates. The base plate 160 and the connection bracket 180 may be formed integrally with each other.

The drum 30 is connected to the clutch 120 and the base plate 160 that fixes the clutch 120 at the lower part of the drum 30. The base plate 160 is configured to be coupled to the upper part of the cabinet 10 via the suspension members 21, and a load applied to the drum 30 is transferred to the suspension members 21 via the base plate 160, and the suspension members 21 absorb vibration caused by the load applied to the drum 30.

As described above, the cabinet 10 is configured in a double structure including the outer frame 10a and the inner frame 10b and has enough strength to support a load applied to the drum 30, the clutch 120, and the driving motor 150 connected via the suspension members 21.

Hereinafter, a damping apparatus 200 that absorbs vibration occurring while the drum 30 rotates together with the suspension member 21 will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the combination relationship of the damping apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 5 at a different angle, and FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the damping apparatus 200 illustrated in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 7, the damping apparatus 200 is configured to connect the base plate 160 and the lower frame 18 and to absorb vibration occurring while the drum 30 rotates. The damping apparatus 200 includes a support bracket 210 coupled to a bottom surface of the base plate 160 and a plurality of dampers 220 and 240, of which ends 220a and 240a are connected to the support bracket 210 and the other ends 220b and 240b are connected to the lower frame 18.

The support bracket 210 includes a body 212 that surrounds at least a portion of the driving unit including the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150, a fixing part 214 that is bent from the upper side of the body 212 and toward the outer side of the body 212, and a plurality of first fastening parts 216 that protrude from sides of the body 312 and connect a plurality of dampers 220 and 240 to the body 212.

The body 212 is coupled to approximately the center of the base plate 160, and one side of the body 212 is open not to interfere with the driving belt 135 that connects the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150. A collision prevention surface 212a is disposed at the lower side of the body 212 so as to prevent the clutch 120 and the driving motor 150 from colliding with the lower part of the cabinet 10 while the drum 30 rotates.

At least one fixing hole 214a for fixing the support bracket 210 to the bottom surface of the base plate 160 is formed through the fixing part 214.

The plurality of first fastening parts 216 extend from the sides of the body 212 toward approximately the corner of the lower frame 18 to a predetermined length, and a pair of first fastening parts 216 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined gap in parallel so that one ends 220a and 240a of the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 may be accommodated in the pair of first fastening parts 216. First fastening holes 216a are formed through the first fastening parts 216 so that the dampers 220 and 240 may be rotatably coupled to the first fastening parts 216. The dampers 220 and 240 rotate around a virtual shaft S1 that connects centers of the first fastening holes 216a while the drum 30 rotates, and absorb vibration of the drum 30.

The plurality of dampers 220 and 240 are rotatably coupled to the support bracket 210 and the lower frame 18 and absorb vibration occurring while the drum 30 rotates, thereby stabilizing rotation of the drum 30 and preventing the drum 30 from colliding with the inner frame 10b.

The plurality of-dampers 220 and 240 may be disposed in a radial form centering on a rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 so as to effectively absorb vibration caused by eccentric rotation of the drum 30. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 7, one ends 220a and 240a of the dampers 220 and 240 may be directed toward the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30, and the other ends 220b and 240b of the dampers 220 and 240 may be directed toward the corner of the lower frame 18.

An angle (see β of FIG. 7) between a virtual first extension line L1 that extends from one end 220a of the first damper 220 toward the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30, and a virtual second extension line L2 that extends from one end 240a of the second damper 240 toward the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 may be between 45° and 135°.

In this way, the reason why the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 are disposed in such a way that the angle β between the first extension line L1 and the second extension line L2 is between 45° and 135°, is that, if the angle β between the first extension line L1 and the second extension line L2 is less than 45°, when the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 is eccentric to a direction that is closer to the y-axis than the x-axis while the drum 30 rotates, the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 may absorb vibration of the drum 30; however, when the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 is eccentric to a direction that is closer to the x-axis than the y-axis, the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 may not effectively absorb vibration of the drum. If the angle β between the first extension line L1 and the second extension line L2 is greater than 135°, when the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 is eccentric to a direction that is closer to the x-axis than the y-axis while the drum 30 rotates, the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 may absorb vibration of the drum 30; however, when the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 is eccentric to a direction that is closer to the y-axis than the x-axis, the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 may not effectively absorb vibration of the drum 30.

The plurality of dampers 220 and 240 may be disposed in such a way that angles γ1 and γ2 (see FIG. 3) between a virtual third extension line L3 and a virtual fourth extension line L4 that extend from the other ends 220b and 240b toward the ground, are between 5° and 30°.

In this way, the reason why the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 are disposed in such a way that angles γ1 and γ2 between the virtual third extension line L3 and the virtual fourth extension line L4 and the ground are between 5° and 30°, is that, if the angles γ1 and γ2 between the third extension line L3 and the fourth extension line L4 and the ground are less than 5° or greater than 30°, the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 may not effectively absorb vibration of the drum 30 that occurs in the z-axis direction.

Also, positions of the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 may be biased toward one of the front and rear of a virtual first division plane (see P1 of FIG. 2 or 7) that divides the cabinet 10 in front and rear directions while passing through the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30.

In this way, the reason why the positions of the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 are biased toward one of the front and rear of the first division plane P1 is that, when the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 are disposed in the front and rear of the cabinet 10 divided by the first division plane P1, as described above, when the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 is eccentric to a direction that is close to the x-axis or y-axis, the dampers 220 and 240 cannot effectively absorb vibration of the drum 30.

In the above principle, the positions of the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 may be biased toward one of the right and left of a virtual second division plane (see P2 of FIG. 2 or 7) that divides the cabinet 10 in right and left directions while passing through the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30.

As described above, a pair of dampers, i.e., the first damper 220 and the second damper 240 are used to absorb vibration caused by eccentric rotation of the drum 30. However, the number of dampers is not limited to a pair, and more dampers may be used. In such a case, as described above, an angle formed by a pair of dampers that are adjacent to each other, may be between 45° and 135°, and an angle between the damper and the ground may be between 5° and 30°.

A plurality of second fastening parts 226 are disposed on the lower frame 18 so as to connect the plurality of dampers 220 and 240 to the corner of the lower frame 18.

The plurality of second fastening parts 226 extend from the corner of the lower frame 18 toward approximately the rotation central axis Lc of the drum 30 to a predetermined length, and a pair of second fastening parts 226 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined gap in parallel so that the other ends 220b and 240b of the dampers 220 and 240 may be accommodated in the pair of fastening parts 226. Second fastening holes 226a are formed through the second fastening parts 226 so that the dampers 220 and 240 may be rotatably coupled to the second fastening parts 226. The dampers 220 and 240 are rotated around a virtual shaft S2 that connects centers of the second fastening holes 226a while the drum 30 rotates, and absorb vibration of the drum 30.

As described above, the damping apparatus 200 is disposed between the base plate 160 and the lower frame 18, thereby effectively absorbing vibration caused by eccentric rotation of the drum 30 that may occur both in a transition section and a normal status section. Thus, the drum 30 can be stably rotated without the fear of colliding with the cabinet 10.

It is apparent that the damping apparatus 200 may be disposed in the washing machine 1 of FIG. 1 having no additional configuration for storing washing water, although not shown, in a washing machine having an additional configuration for storing washing water, like a tub, so as to connect the lower part of the tub and the lower part of the cabinet 10 and may be used to absorb vibration of the drum 30.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a damping apparatus is installed between a drum and a lower frame so that vibration of the drum that may occur during dehydration can be reduced and the drum can be stably rotated.

Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet comprising an outer frame that constitutes an exterior, an inner frame connected to an inner side of the outer frame, and a lower frame coupled to a lower part of the outer frame;

a drum rotatably disposed in the inner frame;

a base plate coupled to a lower part of the drum;

a driving unit coupled to the base plate and configured to rotate the drum; and

a damping apparatus configured to connect the base plate and the lower frame so as to absorb vibration occurring while the drum rotates.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the damping apparatus comprises:

a support bracket coupled to a bottom surface of the base plate; and

a plurality of dampers having ends connected to the support bracket and the other ends connected to the lower frame.

3. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of dampers are disposed in a radial form centering on a rotation central axis of the drum.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of dampers comprise a first damper and a second damper that are adjacent to each other and an angle between a virtual first extension line that extends from one end of the first damper toward the rotation central axis of the drum and a virtual second extension line that extends from one end of the second damper toward the rotation central axis of the drum is between 45° and 135°.

5. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of dampers has one end connected to the support bracket and the other end connected to a corner of the lower frame.

6. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein an angle between a virtual third extension line that extends from one end of at least one of the plurality of dampers toward a ground and the ground is between 5° and 30°.

7. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the support bracket comprises:

a body configured to surround at least a portion of the driving unit;

a fixing part bent from an upper side of the body toward an outer side of the body and having at least one fixing hole through which the support bracket is fixed to the bottom surface of the base plate; and

a plurality of fastening parts configured to protrude from sides of the body and connect the plurality of dampers to the support bracket.

8. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of dampers are rotatably coupled to the support bracket and the lower frame.

9. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein positions of the plurality of dampers are biased toward one of front and rear of a virtual first division plane that divides the cabinet in front and rear directions while passing through a rotation central axis of the drum.

10. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein positions of the plurality of dampers are biased toward one of right and left of a virtual second division plane that divides the cabinet in right and left directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

11. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a tub disposed in the cabinet and configured to store washing water;

a drum rotatably disposed in the tub;

a pulsator rotatably disposed in the drum;

a motor disposed in a lower part of the tub and configured to provide power for rotating the drum;

a clutch configured to selectively transfer power of the motor to the drum or pulsator;

a base plate configured to fix the clutch and the motor and coupled to a lower part of the tub; and

a damping apparatus configured to connect the base plate and the lower frame so as to absorb vibration occurring while the drum rotates,

wherein the damping apparatus comprises a support bracket coupled to a bottom surface of the base plate; and a plurality of dampers having ends connected to the support bracket and the other ends connected to a lower part of the cabinet and disposed in a radial form centering on a rotation central axis of the drum.

12. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of dampers are rotatably coupled to the support bracket and the lower part of the cabinet.

13. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of dampers comprise a first damper and a second damper that are adjacent to each other and an angle between the first damper and the second damper centering on the rotation central axis of the drum is between 45° and 135°.

14. The washing machine according to claim 12, wherein an angle between the first damper and the second damper and a ground is between 5° and 30°.

15. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein positions of the plurality of dampers are biased toward one of front and rear of a virtual first division plane that divides the cabinet in front and rear directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

16. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein positions of the plurality of dampers are biased toward one of right and left of a virtual second division plane that divides the cabinet in right and left directions while passing through the rotation central axis of the drum.

17. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the support bracket comprises a collision prevention surface for preventing the motor and the clutch from colliding with the lower part of the cabinet while the drum rotates.

18. The washing machine according to claim 11, further comprising at least two suspension members to couple the base plate to an upper part of the cabinet.

19. The washing machine according to claim 18, wherein upper ends of the at least two suspension members are coupled to respective corners of the cabinet via a coupling rib disposed at each of the respective corners of the cabinet.

20. The washing machine according to claim 19, further comprising a connection bracket coupled to a space between the base plate and lower ends of the at least two suspension members,

wherein the connection bracket includes an avoidance groove that is bent and formed in the lower end of the connection bracket so as to prevent interference with a draining groove of the washing machine.