Flange shaft device and washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11136704-B2
Application number	US-201816617593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2018
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

A flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) is configured for rotatably supporting a drum ( 4 ) in a washing machine having such a flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ). The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) has a connecting flange ( 2 ) configured to be arranged against a drum base ( 41 ) of the drum ( 4 ) and attached to the drum ( 4 ), and a drive shaft ( 3 ) arranged in the center of the connecting flange ( 2 ) and connected thereto for connection to a drive motor. The connecting flange ( 2 ) has a main element ( 21 ) formed from a steel sheet and a supporting element ( 22 ) formed from a further steel sheet. The main element ( 21 ) and the supporting element ( 22 ) are arranged one on top of the other along a longitudinal axis (L) of the drive shaft ( 3 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) for rotatably supporting a drum ( 4 ) in a washing machine, the flanged shaft comprising:
a connecting flange ( 2 ) configured to be arranged against a drum base ( 41 ) of the drum ( 4 ) and to be attached to the drum ( 4 ), the connecting flange having a center configured to coincide with an axis of rotation of the drum, and
a drive shaft ( 3 ) arranged in the center of the connecting flange ( 2 ) and connected thereto for connecting the connecting flange to a drive motor,
wherein the connecting flange ( 2 ) includes a main element ( 21 ) formed from a steel sheet and a supporting element ( 22 ) formed from a further steel sheet, the main element ( 21 ) and the supporting element ( 22 ) being arranged offset from one another along a longitudinal axis (L) of the drive shaft ( 3 ).

2. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the main element ( 22 ) is star-shaped and has at least three arms, each of which extends radially outwards from the drive shaft ( 3 ) perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft ( 3 ) and along a respective associated arm axis (a, b, c).

3. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the arms ( 2 a ; 2 b ; 2 c ) has a hat-shaped cross section in a cross-sectional plane extending perpendicularly to its arm axis (a, b, c).

4. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the hat-shaped cross section is supplemented by the supporting element ( 22 ) to form a box-shaped cross section near the drive shaft ( 3 ).

5. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting flange ( 2 ) has a further supporting element ( 23 ) that is arranged on the supporting element ( 22 ) along the longitudinal axis in such a way that the main element ( 21 ), the supporting element ( 22 ) and the further supporting element ( 23 ) form a stack in parallel with the longitudinal axis.

6. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the drive shaft ( 3 ), the main element ( 21 ), and the supporting element ( 22 ) are soldered or welded together.

7. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein a hermetically sealed cavity ( 7 ) is formed between the main element ( 21 ) and the supporting element ( 22 ) by soldering or welding, wherein the cavity ( 7 ) extends around the longitudinal axis and is in part delimited by the drive shaft ( 3 ).

8. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a sheet thickness of the main element ( 21 ) increases along a radial axis towards the longitudinal axis.

9. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft ( 3 ), the main element ( 21 ), and the supporting element ( 22 ) form at least one substantially triangular structure in a sectional plane in which the longitudinal axis extends.

10. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 9 when dependent on claim 2 , characterized in that the sectional plane in which the triangular structure(s) are formed is defined by the longitudinal axis (L) and one of the arm axes (a; b; c).

11. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the main element ( 21 ) and the supporting element ( 22 ) are stamped bending elements.

12. A washing machine comprising a tub, a flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , and a drum ( 4 ) rotatably held in the tub by the flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ).

13. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the drive shaft ( 3 ), the main element ( 21 ), the supporting element ( 22 ) and the further supporting element ( 23 ) form at least one substantially triangular structure in a sectional plane in which the longitudinal axis extends.

14. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a combined sheet thickness of the main element and the supporting element of the connecting flange ( 2 ) increases along a radial axis towards the longitudinal axis.

15. The flanged-shaft apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein a total sheet thickness representing a sum of sheet thicknesses of the main element, of the supporting element, and of the further supporting element of the connecting flange ( 2 ) increases along a radial axis towards the longitudinal axis.

Assignees

• Miele & Cie

Inventors

• Lasner Steffen
• Fechtel Benedikt
• Scharmüller Michael
• Grausgruber Klaus

Classifications

• D06F37/40 Primary

  for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively {(D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence)} · CPC title

• D06F37/268

  for suspension devices · CPC title

• F16C3/02

  Shafts; Axles · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• D06F33/00

  Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers  (D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) · CPC title