CN115341364A

CN115341364A - Door for washing appliance

Info

Publication number: CN115341364A
Application number: CN202210513430.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 穆赫辛·M·阿塔尔; 小罗伊·爱德华·马斯特斯; 贾森·R·斯皮尔斯; 洛根·R·乌尔班斯基; 迈克尔·弗里泽马
Original assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Current assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-12
Filing date: 2022-05-12
Publication date: 2022-11-15
Also published as: US20220364291A1; EP4089227A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an appliance, such as a washer, washer/dryer combination appliance, or the like, having a door assembly to close an opening to a drum and tub assembly positioned inside a housing unit. The door assembly includes an outer door and an inner door. The inner door seals the door assembly from the drum and tub assembly. The inner door includes mating profiles that mate with corresponding profiles on a panel member attached to the front ring of the drum and tub assembly.

Description

Door for washing appliance

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a door assembly for an appliance, such as a washer, combined washer/dryer appliance, and more particularly, to a door assembly including an inner door and an outer door.

Background

In prior art washer and washer/dryer combination appliances, there is a problem of lint and detergent accumulating along the bellows seal. The bellows is a seal between the door and the movable drum and tub assembly. The bellows is affected by the lint and the detergent, and both the lint and the detergent are accumulated on the bellows. Therefore, the bellows tends to be worn by the accumulation. Further, in some types of commercial washing machines, a door is attached to the tub. Accordingly, the door moves together with the tub and the suspension of the drum assembly. This is not ideal for the consumer as the door will move with the suspension; however, it does eliminate the need for bellows.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a door that eliminates a bellows seal between the door and the drum and tub assembly. The present disclosure provides a door assembly having an inner door and an outer door that enables the elimination of a bellows seal. The door assembly may include a fixed or floating inner door that engages the tub opening access configuration.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a door assembly for an appliance, such as a washer, washer/dryer combination appliance, or the like, includes a door assembly for a housing unit. The door assembly closes an opening to the housing unit that enables access to the drum and tub assembly. The door assembly includes an outer door and an inner door. The inner door seals the door assembly from the drum and tub assembly inside the housing unit. The inner door includes mating profiles associated with the drum and tub assembly openings. The inner door may be fixedly positioned on the drum and tub assembly. Alternatively, the inner door may be floatably positioned relative to the outer door. A panel member is coupled to the drum and tub assembly and defines an opening to the drum and tub assembly. The panel member has a corresponding profile that mates with a mating profile on the inner door. A flexible coupling secures the outer door to the inner door. The flexible coupling may be an elastomeric sleeve, a spring, or a bumper. An aesthetic film is positioned between the housing unit and the drum and tub assembly to prevent access to the space between the housing unit and the drum and tub assembly.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a combined washer/dryer appliance is provided that includes a housing unit, a drum and tub assembly located inside the housing unit, and a door assembly. The drum and tub assembly has an opening into which access can be gained to the drum and tub assembly, and the door assembly is positioned to close the opening of the drum and tub assembly. The door assembly includes an outer door and an inner door. The inner door seals the door assembly from the drum and tub assembly. The drum and tub assembly includes a ring assembly defining an opening of the drum and tub assembly. The ring assembly includes a panel member. The inner door includes a mating profile capable of mating with the drum and tub assembly opening, and the panel member includes a corresponding profile defining the drum and tub assembly opening. According to this aspect of the disclosure, the mating profile on the inner door has a stepped cross-section and the corresponding profile on the panel member is stepped to match the mating profile of the inner door. Accordingly, the mating profile of the inner door interacts with the opening of the drum and tub assembly to enable the inner door to seal in the opening, thereby eliminating the need for a bellows seal.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a seal may be positioned on the panel member and configured to contact the stepped cross-section of the mating profile of the inner door to provide a watertight seal with respect to the inner door.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the drum and tub assembly includes a tub, and the ring assembly includes a front ring attached to the tub. According to this aspect of the disclosure, the panel member generally covers the front ring and may be configured to define a cavity between the panel member and the front ring. Additionally, a seal may be positioned between the front ring and the tub to seal the front ring from the tub.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the inner door includes a hinge secured to the front ring.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the inner door may be fixedly positioned on the tub.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an aesthetic film may be positioned between the housing unit and the tub to prevent entry into a gap between the housing unit and the tub.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a washer/dryer combination appliance may include a flexible coupling that secures an outer door with an inner door while allowing the inner door to float relative to the outer door. According to this aspect of the disclosure, the flexible coupling may include one or more of: an elastomeric sleeve, a spring, and/or a bumper.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing appliance according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 with the door opened;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6A and 6B are additional embodiments of the present disclosure; and is

Fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of the inner door of fig. 6A.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Turning to the drawings, a washing appliance, such as a washing machine or a combined washer/dryer appliance, is illustrated and designated by the reference numeral 10. The machine 10 includes a housing unit 12 that houses a drum and tub assembly 14. The door assembly 16 covers the exit into the drum and tub assembly 14. The door assembly 16 includes an outer door 18 and an inner door 20. The outer door 18 is fixed to the case unit 12 via a hinge. The outer door 18 includes a latch assembly 60 to enable the outer door 18 to be locked with the housing unit 12 during operation. The inner door 20 is fixedly secured to the drum and tub assembly 14. The inner door 20 includes a seal 22, the seal 22 providing a heat seal with the drum and tub assembly 14. The inner door 20 has a mating profile 24 with a stepped cross-section, the mating profile 24 being capable of mating with an opening 26 of the drum and tub assembly 14. Thus, the mating profile 24 interacts with the opening 26 to enable the inner door 20 to seal in the opening 26, thereby eliminating the need for a bellows seal. The inner door 20 includes a hinge 30 secured to the drum and tub assembly 14.

The drum and tub assembly 14 includes a ring assembly 40 defining the opening 26. The ring assembly 40 includes a front ring 42 attached to a tub 44. The front ring 42 is fixed to the tub 44 by clamping, welding, or the like. A seal 46 is positioned between the front ring 42 and the tub 44 to seal the front ring 42 from the tub 44. Hinge 30 is secured to front ring 42.

Ring assembly 40 includes a panel member 48 that covers front ring 42. The panel member 48 and the front ring 42 define a cavity 54 therebetween. The panel member 48 includes a corresponding contour 50 that defines the opening 26. The corresponding profile 50 is stepped to match the mating profile 24 of the inner door 20. A seal 52 is positioned on the panel member 48 to provide a watertight seal with respect to the inner door 20. The seal 52 contacts the stepped cross section of the mating profile 24 of the inner door 20, thereby sealing the seal 52 and the mating profile 24 of the inner door 20 from water exiting the tub 44 during operation. The latch assembly 60 is also mounted on the front ring 42 to cooperate with a striker pin 62 or door hook on the inner door 20 to enable the inner door 20 to be self-locking with the drum and tub assembly 14. The drum and tub assembly 14 is mounted in the housing unit 12 by conventional elements such as springs, dampers, etc.

In addition, a recirculation inlet 68 passes through the cavity 54 between the panel member 48 and the front ring 42. This enables the water in the tub 44 to be recirculated during the wash cycle.

Turning to fig. 5-7, additional embodiments are shown.

Fig. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the present disclosure. As such, the same reference numerals are identified. The housing unit 12 houses the drum and tub assembly 14 and includes a door assembly 16. The door assembly 16 includes an outer door 18 and an inner door 20. The inner door 20 floats relative to the outer door 18.

The inner door 20 may include a spring 80 and a damper 82 that secure the inner door to the outer door 18. Further, the inner door 20 includes a mating profile 24 that mates with a corresponding profile 50 of the drum and tub assembly 14. The floating inner door 20 with the spring 80 and the damper 82 enables the inner door 20 to move together with the drum and tub assembly 14 during the washing/drying operation. The inner door 20 is sealed with respect to the drum and tub assembly 14 to prevent water from exiting the drum and tub assembly 14. Thus, spring 80 and damper 82 provide a suspension that enables inner door 20 to rock with drum and tub assembly 14 during the wash and dry, if present, cycle, while enabling outer door 18 to remain fixedly positioned on the housing unit. This enables the inner door 20 to seal against the drum and tub assembly 14 during operation.

In an additional design as shown in fig. 6A and 6B, a flexible elastomer or rubber sleeve 90 may replace the spring 80 and damper 82 shown in fig. 5. Such a folded flexible elastomeric sleeve 90 would be strong enough that it would hold the inner door 20 in its proper position relative to the outer door 18. The flexible elastomeric sleeve 90 enables the inner door 20 to suspend and move or rock with the drum and tub assembly 14 during the wash and dry, if any, cycle. A flexible elastomeric sleeve 90 provides a suspension to hold the inner door 20 relative to the outer door 18. The flexible elastomeric sleeve 90 may be sufficiently rigid to maintain the inner door 20 in contact with the opening of the tub and drum assembly 14. Alternatively, a spring 80 may be disposed between the inner door 20 and the outer door 18 to ensure that the inner door 20 remains in contact with the opening of the drum and tub assembly 14 during the wash cycle. In another solution, a second electronic latch and lock are attached to the inner door 20. When the existing outer door lock is engaged at the beginning of the wash cycle, the additional door lock will also engage the inner door 20 and lock the inner door 20 with the tub 44.

Fig. 7 illustrates the inner door 20. The door here includes a single door latch striker 62 to keep the inner door 20 closed during the wash or dry cycle. No biasing means, such as spring 80, is required to maintain pressure between the inner door 20 and the drum and tub assembly 14. In addition, the hook 110 is fixed to the inner door 20 at an opposite side of the inner door 20. The hook 110 passes through an aperture or slot in a hook receiving portion 112 of the drum and tub assembly 14. The hook receiving portion 112 includes a cavity to receive the hook 110. The hook 110 passes through the slot into the cavity to provide a floating attachment point for the inner door 20 to the drum and tub assembly. Accordingly, the inner door 20 can be removed from the drum and tub assembly 14 during assembly and provide a hingeless type connection with the drum and tub assembly 14, as the inner door 20 is not permanently fixed with the drum and tub assembly 14.

With the bellows seal 52 removed, there is a gap 98 between the bucket 44 and the housing unit or cabinet 12 into which a consumer may reach the cabinet or housing unit 12. Accordingly, an aesthetic film 100 is positioned between the housing unit 12 and the tub 44 to eliminate the gap 98. The membrane 100 may be made of a rubber or silicone material or any other type of material to prevent objects from entering between the housing unit 12 and the bucket 44. Additionally, the membrane 100 does not come into contact with water during the wash cycle. This is due to the fact that the inner door 20 will be in contact with the tub opening 26 and sealed with respect to the tub opening 26. Thus, the aesthetic film 100 closes the gap 98 and does not provide a seal as does the rubber bellows seal on current prior art gaskets.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The various elements or features of a particular embodiment may also be varied in a number of ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A combined washer/dryer appliance comprising:

a housing unit;

a drum and tub assembly having an opening accessible into the drum and tub assembly located inside the housing unit; and

a door assembly for closing the opening of the drum and tub assembly, the door assembly comprising an outer door and an inner door sealing the door assembly with respect to the drum and tub assembly,

wherein the drum and tub assembly comprises a ring assembly defining the opening of the drum and tub assembly,

wherein the ring assembly comprises a panel member, the inner door comprises a mating profile capable of mating with the opening of the drum and tub assembly, and the panel member comprises a corresponding profile defining the opening of the drum and tub assembly.

2. The combination washer/dryer appliance of claim 1, wherein the mating profile on the inner door has a stepped cross section and the corresponding profile on the panel member is stepped to match the mating profile of the inner door.

3. The combination washer/dryer appliance of claim 2, wherein a seal is positioned on the panel member and configured to contact the stepped cross-section of the mating profile of the inner door to provide a watertight seal with respect to the inner door.

4. The combined washer/dryer appliance of any preceding claim, wherein the mating profile of the inner door interacts with the opening of the drum and tub assembly to enable the inner door to seal in the opening, thereby eliminating the need for a bellows seal.

5. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 1 or 2, wherein the drum and tub assembly comprises a tub and the ring assembly comprises a front ring attached to the tub.

6. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 5, wherein the panel member covers the front ring and defines a cavity between the panel member and the front ring.

7. The washer/dryer combination of claim 5, wherein a seal is positioned between the front ring and the tub to seal the front ring relative to the tub.

8. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 5, wherein the inner door includes a hinge fixed to the front ring.

9. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 5, wherein the inner door is fixedly positioned on the tub.

10. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 5, wherein an aesthetic film is positioned between the housing unit and the tub to prevent entry into a gap between the housing unit and the tub.

11. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 1, wherein the inner door is configured to float relative to the outer door.

12. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 11, wherein a flexible coupling secures the outer door and the inner door.

13. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 12, wherein the flexible coupling is an elastomeric sleeve.

14. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 12, wherein the flexible coupling is a spring.

15. The combined washer/dryer appliance of claim 12, wherein the flexible coupling is a bumper.