JP7735293B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine having a detergent dispenser case.

In recent years, washing machines equipped with a detergent dispenser case for storing detergent to be dispensed during washing have become widespread. Washing machines are often provided with a detergent dispenser case inside the washing machine for design reasons (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 2018-42704 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-363

The drum-type washing machine described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a detergent dispenser, which includes a detergent dispenser case into which detergent is dispensed and a detergent lid for opening and closing the detergent dispenser case. Because the detergent lid covers the detergent dispenser case, it is prone to detergent stains. Therefore, the detergent lid is often made of resin for chemical resistance, which limits the design possibilities of the washing machine.

The drum-type washing machine described in Patent Document 2 includes a front frame with an opening and a detergent dispenser case stored in a storage compartment of the front frame. The detergent dispenser case has a decorative panel that forms part of the front surface of the main body. In this drum-type washing machine, the decorative panel is designed to engage with a box provided in the detergent dispenser case, and because it must be formed into a complex shape, there is an issue in that the materials that can be used for the decorative panel are limited.

Detergent lids are often part of the exterior of the housing, and it is possible to use a glass plate to enhance the design of the housing. However, when a glass plate is attached to the detergent dispenser case that is removed from the washing machine, there are concerns that the glass plate itself will be subjected to more impacts and may break.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and aims to provide a washing machine that can prevent component defects such as breakage or scratches on the glass section.

The washing machine of the present invention is a washing machine having a detergent dispenser case that can be pulled out forward from the washing machine body, and the detergent dispenser case has a case body and a glass portion attached to the front of the case body, the glass portion having a C-shaped portion on the outer periphery of the end, and the case body having a cover portion shaped to fit the C-shaped portion.

The washing machine of the present invention may be configured such that at the front end of the detergent dispenser case, the cover portion protrudes downwardly below the glass portion, and when the detergent dispenser case is placed on a support surface, the glass portion does not contact the support surface, but the cover portion does contact the support surface.

In the washing machine of the present invention, the C-surface portion may be configured to be the same size around the entire edge of the glass portion.

In the washing machine of the present invention, the glass section may be attached at an angle so that its lower end protrudes forward, and a chamfered portion that is smaller than the C-surface portion may be provided on the outer periphery of the end of the surface opposite the holding surface that contacts the cover section.

In the washing machine of the present invention, the cover portion may have an abutment portion that abuts against the C-surface portion, a buffer portion provided along the abutment portion, and an adhesive portion that is adhered to the glass portion, and the buffer portion may be configured to have a gap between it and the glass portion.

According to the present invention, by providing a C-surface at the end, there are no sharp edges in the glass part, preventing component defects such as breakage or scratches. In addition, by protecting the end, it is possible to prevent the intrusion of detergents, water, etc., and to avoid separation between the glass part and the cover part.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the detergent dispenser case of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 is pulled out. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the front loading portion of the detergent dispenser case. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the cover portion as seen from the front. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the detergent dispenser case near the front loading section. FIG.

Below, a washing machine relating to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is an oblique view showing the appearance of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an oblique view showing the state in which the detergent dispenser case of the washing machine shown in Figure 1 has been pulled out.

The washing machine 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a drum-type washing machine having an inlet (not shown) for loading laundry on the front of the washing machine main body 11, and a front door 12 is provided to cover the inlet. An operation panel 13 and a detergent dispenser case 20 are also provided on the upper front surface of the washing machine main body 11 (above the front door 12). The operation panel 13 and the detergent dispenser case 20 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the washing machine 10.

The operation panel 13 accepts operation inputs from the user for the washing machine 10, and a touch panel is used here. The front of the operation panel 13 is a glass surface.

The detergent dispenser case 20 is designed to be pulled out forward relative to the washing machine body 11, allowing detergent and fabric softener to be refilled in the pulled-out state. In this embodiment, the detergent dispenser case 20 is push-open, and in the stored state shown in FIG. 1, this state is maintained by a locking mechanism. When the user pulls out the detergent dispenser case 20, they push the front of the detergent dispenser case 20 backward, thereby releasing the lock provided by the locking mechanism. When the user then releases the detergent dispenser case 20, the detergent dispenser case 20 automatically moves forward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the detergent dispenser case 20 is slightly pulled out from the washing machine body 11 in the pulled-out state. The user can easily pull the detergent dispenser case 20 forward by, for example, hooking their finger in it. Furthermore, if the detergent dispenser case 20 in the pulled-out state is pushed backward and then released, it returns to the stored state and is locked. For ease of explanation, the direction in which the detergent dispenser case 20 is pulled out and stored relative to the washing machine body 11 may be referred to as the insertion/removal direction H.

Figure 3 is a top view of the detergent dispenser case, and Figure 4 is a side view of the detergent dispenser case.

The detergent dispenser case 20 has a case body 30 and a glass portion 40 attached to the front of the case body 30. The glass portion 40 is located at the front end in the insertion/removal direction H. The case body 30 is provided with three detergent storage chambers 31 for storing detergent, and a cover portion 32 for holding the glass portion 40. The detergent storage chambers 31 are arranged in three rows in the left-right direction behind the cover portion 32. Note that the arrangement of the detergent storage chambers 31 is not limited to this, and the number and arrangement of the detergent storage chambers 31 may be changed. The glass portion 40 is affixed to the front side of the cover portion 32 with double-sided tape, adhesive, etc. The glass portion 40 is also attached at an angle so that the bottom end protrudes forward.

The detergent dispenser case 20 is designed to be removable from the washing machine main body 11 for cleaning, etc. The dashed-dotted line in Figure 4 represents the mounting surface 100 on which the detergent dispenser case 20 is placed when removed from the washing machine main body 11. In this embodiment, the detergent dispenser case 20 contacts the mounting surface 100 at the front mounting portion 30a, which is the front lower end in the insertion/removal direction H, and the rear mounting portion 30b, which is the rear lower end in the insertion/removal direction H. The front mounting portion 30a is part of the cover portion 32, and the rear mounting portion 30b is part of the case main body 30. However, this is not limited thereto, and the case main body 30 may further have a portion that contacts the mounting surface 100, as long as the front mounting portion 30a does not move away from the mounting surface 100.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view showing the area near the front loading section of the detergent dispenser case.

As shown in Figure 5, near the front loading section 30a of the detergent dispenser case 20, the lower end of the cover portion 32 is in contact with the loading surface 100, while the lower end of the glass portion 40 (more specifically, the lower end surface 40b) is not in contact with the loading surface 100. In other words, near the front loading section 30a, the cover portion 32 protrudes slightly downward more than the glass portion 40. In this way, when the detergent dispenser case 20 is removed from the washing machine body 11 and placed on the washing machine, the cover portion 32 comes into contact with the loading surface 100, preventing the glass portion 40 from coming into contact with the loading surface 100 and becoming scratched or broken.

Figure 6 is a side view showing the glass portion.

Figure 6 shows only the glass portion 40 separated from the cover portion 32, viewed from the side. The glass portion 40 has a holding surface 40c (on the right in Figure 6) that contacts and is held by the cover portion 32, and a surface 40a (on the left in Figure 6) that faces the holding surface 40c and corresponds to the front surface of the detergent dispenser case 20. The lower end surface of the glass portion 40 is sometimes referred to as the bottom end surface 40b.

The glass portion 40 has a chamfered surface 40d on the outer periphery of its end. Specifically, the chamfered surface 40d is formed on the holding surface 40c side. The chamfered surface 40d is the same size around the entire edge of the glass portion 40. By making the chamfered surface 40d the same size, processing becomes easier and errors during processing can be prevented. Furthermore, it becomes easier to align the glass portion 40 and the cover portion 32, improving productivity.

In addition, the surface 40a side of the glass portion 40 has a chamfered portion 40e that is smaller than the C-surface portion 40d. In this way, by providing the chamfered portion 40e on the surface 40a, which is easily touched by the user's hands, it is possible to prevent the user's hands from being injured and the glass portion 40 from being broken. Furthermore, by making the flat portion as large as possible on the surface 40a side of the glass portion 40, the glass portion 40 appears larger and the cover portion 32 becomes less visible, thereby improving the design.

Figure 7 is a front view showing the cover portion from the front.

Figure 7 shows only the cover portion 32 with the glass portion 40 separated, viewed from the front. The cover portion 32 has an abutment portion 32a that abuts against the C-surface portion 40d, a buffer portion 32b provided along the abutment portion 32a, an adhesive portion 32c that is adhered to the glass portion 40, and a holding portion 32d that holds the holding surface 40c of the glass portion 40. The positional relationship between each portion of the cover portion 32 and the holding surface 40c of the glass portion 40 will be explained with reference to Figure 8 below.

The abutting portion 32a is provided around the entire outer periphery of the end of the cover portion 32. The buffer portion 32b is provided inside the abutting portion 32a when viewed from the front, and is provided to surround the adhesive portion 32c located further inside. Furthermore, the retaining portion 32d is provided in the center of the cover portion 32 when viewed from the front. In other words, the abutting portion 32a and the buffer portion 32b are provided along the outer periphery of the cover portion 32, and the adhesive portion 32c and the retaining portion 32d occupy a wide area in the center of the cover portion 32. Note that within the area occupied by the adhesive portion 32c and the retaining portion 32d, the adhesive portion 32c is provided along the buffer portion 32b so as to surround the outside. Inside, the retaining portion 32d may be divided and positioned, with the adhesive portion 32c provided between the divided retaining portions 32d. A double-sided sticker or adhesive may be attached to the adhesive portion 32c for adhesion to the glass portion 40.

Figure 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the detergent dispenser near the front loading section.

Figure 8 shows a cross section of the detergent dispenser case 20 with the glass portion 40 attached to the cover portion 32. The abutment portion 32a has a slope on the front side that corresponds to the curved surface 40d. In other words, the abutment portion 32a is shaped to fit the curved surface 40d, and almost the entire curved surface 40d contacts the abutment portion 32a. By providing the curved surface 40d at the end, sharp edges on the glass portion 40 are eliminated, preventing component defects such as breakage or scratches. Protecting the end prevents the intrusion of detergent, water, etc., and prevents separation between the glass portion 40 and the cover portion 32. A gap is provided between the buffer portion 32b and the glass portion 40. Specifically, the gap between the buffer portion 32b and the holding surface 40c of the glass portion 40 is approximately 0.2 mm. A gap is provided between the adhesive portion 32c and the glass portion 40, but this gap can be filled with, for example, double-sided tape or adhesive. The gap between adhesive portion 32c and holding surface 40c of glass portion 40 is approximately 0.7 mm, and is recessed further rearward than buffer portion 32b. Holding portion 32d contacts holding surface 40c of glass portion 40.

However, when bonding to the glass portion 40, variations in adhesive thickness and bending can cause distortion around the periphery. If, instead of providing buffer portion 32b, a portion were provided outside adhesive portion 32c that directly contacted the glass portion 40, the glass portion 40 could be pushed by that portion and separated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distortion caused by bonding to the glass portion 40 is alleviated by the gap in buffer portion 32b, preventing separation between contact portion 32a and C-face portion 40d and ensuring reliable retention of the glass portion 40.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-158705, filed on September 23, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, all references cited in this specification are specifically incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Washing machine 11 Washing machine body 20 Detergent dispenser case 30 Case body 31 Detergent storage chamber 32 Cover portion 32a Contact portion 32b Buffer portion 32c Adhesion portion 32d Holding portion 40 Glass portion 40a Surface 40b Lower end surface 40c Holding surface 40d C-surface portion 40e Chamfered portion 100 Placement surface H Insertion/removal direction

Claims (4)

A washing machine having a detergent dispenser case that can be pulled out forward relative to the washing machine body,
The detergent dispenser case has a case body and a glass portion attached to the front surface of the case body,
The glass portion has a C-surface portion on the outer periphery of the end portion,
the case body has a cover portion shaped to fit along the C-surface portion,
the cover portion has a contact portion that contacts the C-surface portion, a buffer portion provided along the contact portion, and an adhesive portion that is adhered to the glass portion,
A gap is provided between the buffer portion and the glass portion.
A washing machine characterized by: The washing machine according to claim 1,
At a front end of the detergent dispenser case, the cover portion protrudes downward beyond the glass portion,
When the detergent dispenser case is placed on a placement surface, the glass portion does not contact the placement surface, and the cover portion contacts the placement surface. The washing machine according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The washing machine is characterized in that the C-surface portion has the same size around the entire edge of the glass portion. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The glass part is attached at an angle so that its lower end protrudes forward, and a chamfered part that is smaller than the C-face part is provided on the outer periphery of the end of the surface that faces the holding surface that contacts the cover part.