Washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10954622-B2
Application number	US-201615766658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2016
Priority date	Oct 8, 2015
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a washing machine including an inner tub assembly for accommodating laundry, a pulsator rotatably provided to an inner lower portion of the inner tub assembly, a blade installed at a lower portion of the pulsator to be rotatable independently from the pulsator, the blade being configured to pump wash water to raise the wash water to an upper end of the inner tub assembly, a drive motor for providing rotational power to the pulsator and the blade, and a power transmission unit for transmitting power of the drive motor to the pulsator and the blade, respectively. The power transmission unit transmits power such that a direction of rotation of the pulsator is opposite to a direction of rotation of the blade.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
an inner tub assembly configured to accommodate laundry;
a pulsator rotatably provided to an inner lower portion of the inner tub assembly;
a blade installed below the pulsator to be rotatable independently from the pulsator, the blade being configured to pump wash water to raise the wash water to an upper end of the inner tub assembly;
a drive motor configured to provide rotational power to the pulsator and the blade;
a washing shaft configured to transmit the rotational power of the drive motor; and
a power transmission unit configured to transmit power of the drive motor to the pulsator and the blade, respectively,
wherein the power transmission unit is configured to transmit power such that a direction of rotation of the pulsator is opposite to a direction of rotation of the blade, the power transmission unit comprising:
a sun gear connected to the washing shaft and configured to integrally rotate with the washing shaft,
a planetary gear configured to engage with an outer circumferential surface of the sun gear and rotating around the sun gear,
a carrier that is fixed to the inner tub assembly and that connects the planetary gear using a planetary gear connection shaft, the planetary gear connection shaft being coupled with the planetary gear by penetrating a center portion of the planetary gear, and
a ring gear having an inner side engaged with the planetary gear, and

wherein the pulsator is configured to integrally rotate with one of the sun gear and the ring gear, and
wherein the blade is configured to integrally rotate with the other one of the sun gear and the ring gear.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein, when viewed from an upper side of the pulsator, the blade is disposed to be fully hidden.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a wash water circulation module guiding the wash water moved by the blade to an upper side of the inner tub assembly to spray the wash water.

4. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a gearbox housing accommodating the sun gear, the planetary gear, the ring gear and the carrier,
wherein the ring gear is fixed to the gearbox housing,
wherein the blade is fixed to the gearbox housing such that a rotational speed of the blade is lower than a rotational speed of the drive motor.

5. The washing machine according to claim 4 , wherein the carrier is coupled with and fixed to a bottom surface of the inner tub assembly.

6. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a gearbox housing accommodating the sun gear, the planetary gear, the ring gear and the carrier,
wherein the gearbox housing is fixed to the inner tub assembly,
wherein the carrier is fixed to the gearbox housing.

7. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a ring gear support member for fixing the ring gear,
wherein the ring gear support member rotates,
wherein the pulsator is fixed to the ring gear support member such that a rotational speed of the pulsator is lower than a rotational speed of the drive motor.

8. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the ring gear support member forms an upper connection shaft transmitting power to the pulsator.

9. The washing machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a first bevel gear coupled with the washing shaft and rotating about the washing shaft;
a second bevel gear engaged with the first bevel gear and rotating about a rotation shaft having an axis of rotation intersecting with the washing shaft; and
a third bevel gear engaged with the second bevel gear and rotating about the washing shaft in a direction opposite to a direction of rotation of the first bevel gear.

10. The washing machine according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a support member supporting the second bevel gear,
wherein the support member is fixed to the inner tub assembly,
wherein the pulsator integrally rotates with one of the first bevel gear and the third bevel gear, and
wherein the blade integrally rotates with the other one of the first bevel gear and the third bevel gear.

11. The washing machine according to claim 10 , wherein the support member comprises:
a support portion defining a shaft accommodation hole allowing a rotational shaft of the second bevel gear to be inserted thereinto.

12. The washing machine according to claim 11 , wherein the support member comprises:
a support body having an upper side connected to the support portion and a lower side fixedly coupled with a bottom surface of the inner tub assembly.

13. The washing machine according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a jig provided between the pulsator and the blade and extending from an outer circumferential portion of the power transmission unit in a radial direction of the inner tub assembly, the jig being fastened to an inner bottom surface of the inner tub assembly,
wherein the support member comprises:
a support body connecting the support portion, the support body being fixed to the jig.

14. The washing machine according to claim 10 , wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a gearbox housing accommodating the first bevel gear, the second bevel gear and the third bevel gear,
wherein the third bevel gear is fixed to the gearbox housing,
wherein the blade is fixed to the gearbox housing and integrally rotates with the third bevel gear, and
wherein the pulsator is fixed to the washing shaft and integrally rotates with the first bevel gear.

15. The washing machine according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a plurality of lugs and lug accommodation grooves disposed between the third bevel gear and the gearbox housing and spaced from each other in a circumferential direction, the lugs and lug accommodation grooves transmitting, to the gearbox housing, rotational power by rotation of the third bevel gear,
wherein the lugs are formed on one of the third bevel gear and the gearbox housing, and
wherein the lug accommodation grooves are formed on the other one of the third bevel gear and the gearbox housing such that the lug accommodation grooves face the lugs.

16. The washing machine according to claim 10 , wherein the power transmission unit comprises:
a gearbox housing accommodating the first bevel gear, the second bevel gear and third bevel gear, the gearbox housing being fixed to the inner tub assembly, and
wherein the support member is fixed to the gearbox housing.

17. The washing machine according to claim 16 , wherein the power transmission unit further comprises a third bevel gear support member rotating independently from the gearbox housing and fixing the third bevel gear,
wherein the pulsator is configured to integrally rotate with the third bevel gear support member, and
wherein the blade is configured to integrally rotate with the first bevel gear.

18. The washing machine according to claim 17 , wherein the third bevel gear support member forms an upper connection shaft transmitting power to the pulsator.

19. A washing machine comprising:
an inner tub assembly configured to accommodate laundry;
a pulsator rotatably provided to an inner lower portion of the inner tub assembly;
a blade installed below the pulsator to be rotatable independently from the pulsator, the blade being configured to pump wash water to raise the wash water to an upper end of the inner tub as

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Youngjun
• Kim Youngjong
• Kim Dongcheol
• Yu Insik

Classifications

• D06F17/10

  Impellers · CPC title

• D06F17/08

  Driving arrangements for the impeller · CPC title

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F39/085

  Arrangements or adaptations of pumps · CPC title

• D06F39/10

  Filtering arrangements · CPC title