Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023989-B2
Application number	US-201414337828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Jul 22, 2013
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus in which as an outer tub vibrates, a piston and a cylinder are relatively moved. When as the outer tub vibrates, the piston and the cylinder move relative to each other and a frictional member provides a frictional force between itself and the other one to attenuate vertical vibration of the outer tub. In particular, the piston and the cylinder are prevented from being separated from each other in the laundry treatment apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vibration attenuation device of a laundry treatment apparatus being provided with a casing and an outer tub suspended in the casing by a supporting rod, comprising:
a first connecting member connected with a support positioned outside of the outer tub,
wherein the support is one of the casing and the supporting rod;
a horizontal displacing part connected with the first connecting member and the outer tub, and being movable about the first connection member along a longitudinal direction of the first connection member,
wherein the horizontal displacing part is displaced with respect to the first connecting member corresponding to a horizontal movement thereof as the outer tub vibrates; and
a frictional member provided at any one of the first connecting member and the horizontal displacing part that provides a frictional force between itself and the other one,
wherein the horizontal displacing part includes a latching protrusion,
wherein the first connecting member includes a transverse-direction rib extending in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction, and
wherein the displacement of the horizontal displacing part with respect to the first connecting member is restricted as the latching protrusion is latched to the transverse-direction rib.

2. The vibration attenuation device of claim 1 , wherein the first connecting member includes a pair of ribs extending along the longitudinal direction, and wherein upon assembly of the first connecting member and the horizontal displacing part, after the latching protrusion is moved along the longitudinal direction through a section where no first transverse-direction rib is formed, the latching protrusion passes through a section where no transverse-direction rib is formed to be positioned between the pair of ribs.

3. The vibration attenuation device of claim 2 , wherein the first connecting member further includes a second transverse-direction rib spaced apart from the first transverse-direction rib in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the frictional member is disposed between the first transverse-direction rib and the second transverse-direction rib.

4. The vibration attenuation device of claim 3 , wherein the first connecting member comprises:
a piston,
wherein the horizontal displacing part includes a cylinder into which the piston is inserted, and
wherein the frictional member provides a frictional force between itself and an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder.

5. The vibration attenuation device of claim 4 , wherein any one of the pair of ribs protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the piston and extends along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the pair of ribs protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the piston and extend along a circumferential direction in a section except for a predetermined path in the longitudinal direction so that the latching protrusion may pass in the longitudinal direction.

6. The vibration attenuation device of claim 5 , further comprising a moving member, wherein the moving member is movable along the supporting rod and the piston is connected with the moving member.

7. The vibration attenuation device of claim 6 , wherein the first connecting member further comprises a moving member connecting part pivotably connected to the moving member, wherein the piston extends from the moving member connecting part, and wherein a gap is between the pair of ribs and the moving member connecting part and corresponds to a section where the pair of ribs are not formed.

8. A vibration attenuation device of a laundry treatment apparatus being provided with a casing and an outer tub suspended in the casing by a supporting rod, comprising:
a first connecting member connected with a support positioned outside the outer tub,
wherein the support is one of the casing and the supporting rod;
a horizontal displacing part connected to the first connecting member and the outer tub, that is movable about the first connecting member along a longitudinal direction of the first connecting member, and the horizontal displacing part being displaced with respect to the first connecting member corresponding to a horizontal movement thereof as the outer tub vibrates; and
a frictional member provided at any one of the first connecting member and the horizontal displacing part that provides a frictional force between itself and the other one,
wherein the horizontal displacing part includes a latching protrusion latched to the first connecting member while the horizontal displacing part moves in a direction away from the first connecting member along the longitudinal direction.

9. The vibration attenuation device of claim 8 , wherein the first connecting member comprises:
a piston,
wherein the horizontal displacing part includes a cylinder into which the piston is inserted and a restricting member having the latching protrusion and coupled with the cylinder.

10. The vibration attenuation device of claim 9 , wherein the restricting member includes a tube part through which the piston passes and couples with an opened end of the cylinder where the piston is inserted and the latching protrusion protrudes from an inner circumferential surface of the tube part.

11. The vibration attenuation device of claim 10 , wherein a coupling protrusion protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder, and the tube part has a coupling protrusion coupler through which the coupling protrusion is inserted.

12. The vibration attenuation device of claim 11 , wherein the coupling protrusion has a first inclined surface with a height decreasing in a direction along which the coupling protrusion is inserted into the coupling protrusion coupler.

13. The vibration attenuation device of claim 12 , wherein the restricting member includes a moving guidance groove formed along a path where the coupling protrusion is inserted from an end of the tube part to the coupling protrusion coupler and the moving guidance groove includes a second inclined surface corresponding to the first inclined surface.

14. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the restricting member includes a plurality of slits extending from a point spaced apart from an end of the tube part to another end along a length direction.

15. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the tube part includes side walls separated by the plurality of slits and a ring inserted therein restricts a degree at which the distance between the side walls increases.

16. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ring is formed of an elastic material.

17. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the restricting member includes a ring receiving recess extending from a circumferential surface of the tube part along a circumferential direction and the ring is received in the ring receiving recess.

18. A vibration attenuation device of a laundry treatment apparatus being provided with a casing and an outer tub suspended in the casing by a supporting rod, comprising:
a piston connected with any one of the outer tub and a support positioned outside the outer tub,
wherein the support is one of the casing and the supporting rod;
a cylinder into which the piston is inserted, connected with the other one of the outer tub and the support, and being movable relative to the piston along a longitudinal direction of the piston as the outer tub vibrates;
a frictional member provided at any one of the piston and the cylinder to provide a frictional f

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yu Insik
• Kim Youngjun
• Kim Youngjong

Classifications

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• F16F7/09

  in dampers of the cylinder-and-piston type · CPC title

• D06F37/24 Primary

  in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F37/265 Primary

  Counterweights mounted to the tub; Mountings therefor · CPC title

• D06F2222/00

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic