Disclosure of Invention
In order to solve the above problems in the prior art, that is, to solve the problems of the prior art that the shock absorbing effect of the shock absorber is poor during the working process, and the shock absorber is easy to fail due to the abrasion of the friction ring, the invention provides a shock absorber for a clothes treating device, comprising a sleeve, wherein the sleeve is provided with a first chamber; a plunger having a second chamber, the plunger slidably inserted into the first chamber; the first chamber is also provided with a throttling element which is partially inserted into the second chamber, the throttling element is provided with a plurality of damping holes, a part of the plurality of damping holes is in an opening/closing state along with the sliding of the plunger, and the first chamber and the second chamber are communicated with each other through the damping holes in the opening state; the sleeve is further provided with a first limiting structure, a second limiting structure is formed on the throttling element, and the first limiting structure is connected with the second limiting structure in a matched mode, so that the throttling element and the sleeve cannot move relatively.
In a preferred technical scheme of the shock absorber, a liquid bag is arranged in the first chamber, an open end of the liquid bag is fixedly connected with the plunger, fluid is filled in an inner cavity of the liquid bag and/or the second chamber, and the throttling element is arranged in the liquid bag.
In a preferred technical solution of the above shock absorber, the throttling element includes a base and a tube structure integrally formed or fixedly connected with the base, the base is disposed at an end of the liquid bag away from the plunger, and the tube structure is inserted into the second chamber.
In a preferred embodiment of the shock absorber, the damping holes are disposed on an outer wall of the tube structure along an axial direction of the tube structure.
In a preferred embodiment of the above shock absorber, the shock absorber further includes at least one elastic member, and the at least one elastic member is disposed in such a manner as to prevent the plunger from sliding.
In a preferred technical solution of the above shock absorber, a sealing member is further disposed between the orifice member and the plunger, an annular sealing groove is disposed on an outer wall of the pipe structure or an inner wall of the plunger, and the sealing member is embedded in the annular sealing groove.
In a preferred technical solution of the above shock absorber, the first limit structure is an annular protrusion formed on an inner wall of the sleeve.
In a preferred embodiment of the above shock absorber, the annular protrusion is formed on the sleeve by roll forming.
In the preferable technical scheme of the shock absorber, the second limiting structure is an annular groove or an annular chamfer which is arranged along the circumferential direction of the base and is matched and connected with the annular bulge.
The invention also provides a clothes treatment device, which comprises a shell and a washing drum arranged in the shell, wherein the washing drum is supported in the shell through a plurality of shock absorbers, and at least one of the shock absorbers is the shock absorber in any one of the above aspects.
As can be understood by those skilled in the art, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a damper for a laundry treating apparatus includes a sleeve having a first chamber; a plunger provided with a second chamber, the plunger being slidably inserted into the first chamber; a liquid sac is arranged in the first chamber, the open end of the liquid sac is fixedly connected with the plunger, and fluid is filled in the inner cavity of the liquid sac and/or the second chamber. The liquid bag is also internally provided with a throttling piece, the throttling piece comprises a bottom plate and a pipe structure, and the pipe structure is inserted into the second chamber. The tube structure is provided with a plurality of damping holes, a part of the plurality of damping holes is in an open/close state along with the sliding of the plunger, and the liquid sac and the second chamber are communicated with each other by means of the damping holes in the open state. The sleeve is further provided with a first limiting structure in a rolling forming mode, a second limiting structure is formed on the throttling element, the first limiting structure is connected with the second limiting structure in a matched mode, and therefore the throttling element and the sleeve do not move relatively.
Through the arrangement of the throttling element, the number of the damping holes in the opening state is correspondingly changed along with the change of the stroke of the plunger in the sleeve, and further the damping force is correspondingly changed. Specifically, when the plunger performs a compression movement, the fluid in the sac flows to the second chamber, and the damping holes in the opened state are fewer and fewer, so that the difficulty of the fluid entering the second chamber is gradually increased, and the fluid in the first chamber needs a larger force to enter the second chamber, so that the damping force generated by the shock absorber is larger. When the plunger does stretching movement, the fluid in the second chamber flows into the liquid bag, and meanwhile, the damping holes in the opening state are more and more, so that the difficulty of the fluid entering the liquid bag through the damping holes is gradually reduced, the fluid in the second chamber is rapidly reduced, the negative pressure in the second chamber is increased, and the damping force applied to the fluid in the second chamber entering the liquid bag is increased. Therefore, in the shock absorber of the present invention, as the stroke of the plunger in the sleeve increases, the damping force to which the plunger is subjected increases. That is, the larger the vibration of the washing machine, the larger the damping force provided by the shock absorber, and compared with the existing damper for the washing machine, the damping force of the shock absorber of the present invention is variable at any time, and the shock absorber can be automatically adjusted according to the vibration frequency of the washing machine to form the damping force matched with the vibration, thereby reducing the vibration and noise.
Furthermore, the first limiting structure and the second limiting structure are connected in a matched mode in a rolling forming mode, when the plunger piston does reciprocating motion, particularly stretching motion, the throttling element does not move along with the stretching of the plunger piston, namely, no relative motion exists between the throttling element and the sleeve, the problem that the fluid damping force of the shock absorber is reduced due to the fact that the throttling element moves along with the motion of the plunger piston in the sleeve is solved, and the shock absorption effect of the shock absorber is guaranteed.
Furthermore, a sealing element is arranged between the throttling element and the plunger, and the sealing element is fixedly connected with the throttling element/the plunger. The shock absorber further comprises at least one resilient member, the at least one resilient member being arranged in a manner to resist sliding of the plunger. The sealing element arranged between the throttling element and the plunger can realize the sealing between the tube structure and the inner wall of the plunger, ensure that fluid does not flow through a gap, but only flows between the liquid bag and the second chamber through the damping hole, and avoid the problem that the matching gap between the tube structure and the plunger is too large due to the processing precision, abrasion and the like, and further the damping force of the shock absorber is greatly reduced due to the fact that the fluid flows through the gap.
The at least one elastic element is arranged in a mode of preventing the plunger from sliding, so that when the plunger reciprocates, particularly compresses, the elastic force generated by the elastic element can provide additional damping force for the shock absorber, so as to further counteract the shock generated by the washing machine and enhance the shock absorption effect of the shock absorber.
Detailed Description
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only for explaining the technical principle of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, although described in the context of hydraulic oil, it is apparent that the invention may take the form of other fluids having a certain viscosity, provided that the fluid itself does not corrode the plunger and the sac.
It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms of direction or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are merely for convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.
Referring first to fig. 1, 2 and 3, wherein fig. 1 is a schematic view of an installation position of a damper for a drum washing machine according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic external view of a damper for a drum washing machine according to the present invention; fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a damper for a drum washing machine according to the present invention.
As shown in fig. 1, the damper 1 for a drum washing machine of the present invention has one end connected to a casing 2 of the drum washing machine and the other end connected to the bottom of a drum 3, and when the drum 3 vibrates during operation, the damper 1 can support the drum 3 and dissipate the vibration energy generated from the drum 3. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the shock absorber 1 mainly includes a sleeve 11, a first fixing portion 111 fixedly connected to a first end of the sleeve 11 (a left end of the sleeve 11 shown in fig. 3), a plunger 12, and a second fixing portion 121 fixedly connected to a first end of the plunger 12 (a right end of the plunger 12 shown in fig. 3). Wherein the sleeve 11 has a first chamber 112 and the plunger 12 has a second chamber 122 disposed therein. In the assembled state, the second end of the plunger 12 (the left end of the plunger 12 shown in fig. 3) is slidably inserted into the first chamber 112 of the sleeve 11 from the second end of the sleeve 11 (the right end of the sleeve 11 shown in fig. 3). Preferably, the outer wall of the plunger 12 is slidably in close engagement with the inner wall of the sleeve 11. The first fixing portion 111 is for connection to the drum 3 of the washing machine, and the second fixing portion 121 is for connection to the housing 2 of the washing machine. Of course, it is understood that the first fixing portion 111 may be connected to the housing 2 of the washing machine and the second fixing portion 121 may be connected to the drum 3 of the washing machine.
Referring to fig. 3, a sac 14 is provided in the first chamber 112, and a throttle 13 is provided in the sac 14. The closed end of the sac 14 (the left end of the sac 14 shown in fig. 3) abuts in the first chamber 112 of the sleeve 11, preferably in fixed connection with the sleeve 11. The open end of the sac 14 (the right end of the sac 14 as viewed in fig. 3) is sealingly and tightly coupled to the second end of the plunger 12. The throttling element 13 comprises a base 131 and a tube structure 132 fixedly connected with the base 131, the base 131 is arranged at the closed end of the sac 14, and the tube structure 132 is inserted into the second chamber 122. The tube structure 132 is provided with a plurality of damping holes 133, the inner cavity of the sac 14 and/or the second chamber 122 is filled with hydraulic oil 4, when the plunger 12 slides in the first chamber 112 of the sleeve 11, a part of the plurality of damping holes 133 is in an open/closed state, and the hydraulic oil 4 can flow back and forth in the sac 14 and the second chamber 122 through the damping holes 133 in the open state.
Preferably, the sac 14 is made of an elastic or flexible material, such as polyurethane, silicone, rubber, etc. The base 131 is integrally formed with the tube structure 132, a plurality of damping holes 133 are disposed on an outer wall of the tube structure 132 along an axial direction of the tube structure 132, and an axis of the damping holes 133 forms an included angle with an axis of the tube structure 132. It is further preferable that two rows of damping holes 133 are arranged along the axial direction of the pipe structure 132, and the included angle between the axis of the damping holes 133 and the axis of the pipe structure 132 is 90 °, that is, the damping holes 133 are arranged perpendicular to the horizontal direction (according to the orientation shown in fig. 3). The outer edge of the base 131 in the circumferential direction matches the inner wall of the first chamber 112, for example, the first chamber 112 is a cylindrical cavity, the base 131 is a cylindrical structure, and the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical structure is approximately equal to the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical cavity.
From the above description it can be seen that: on one hand, because the open end of the liquid bag 14 is fixedly connected with the plunger 12, and the closed end of the liquid bag 14 is fixedly connected with the sleeve 11, during the reciprocating motion of the plunger 12, the plunger 12 can stretch or compress the liquid bag 14, and further, the liquid bag 14 can provide an elastic damping force, and along with the increase of the stroke of the plunger 12 deviating from the balance position in the sleeve 11, the elastic damping force received by the plunger 12 is increased, so that the shock absorption effect of the shock absorber 1 is enhanced. More importantly, on the other hand, since the orifice 13 is provided in the liquid bag 14 and the tube structure 132 of the orifice 13 is inserted into the second chamber 122, the number of the damping holes 133 in the opened state is changed at any time during the reciprocating movement of the plunger 12, and the damping force generated through the damping holes 133 is correspondingly changed, thereby further enhancing the shock absorbing effect of the shock absorber 1. Furthermore, since the sac 14 is provided in the first chamber 112 and one end of the sac 14 is sealingly connected to the plunger 12, the hydraulic oil 4 flows only between the sac 14 and the second chamber 122 during the sliding of the plunger 12 relative to the sleeve 11, avoiding the problem of the shock absorber 1 failing due to the leakage of the hydraulic oil 4. The circumferential outer edge of the base 131 is matched with the inner wall of the first chamber 112, and the base 131 can limit the horizontal position of the tube structure 132, so that the sliding between the plunger 12 and the throttling element 13 is smoother and more stable, and the occurrence of the failure of the shock absorber 1 caused by the offset phenomenon of the tube structure 132 of the throttling element 13 in the working process of the throttling element 13 is avoided.
In other words, compared with the conventional damper for a drum washing machine using friction for damping, the damping force generated by the damper 1 of the present invention is not a constant damping force at any time, but varies with the amplitude of the vibration, and the larger the amplitude of the vibration is, the larger the damping force generated by the damper 1 to resist the vibration is. And the shock absorber 1 of the invention can not cause the shock absorber 1 to lose efficacy after working for a period of time because of phenomena such as abrasion, etc., thus effectively solving the problem that the damping force can not be continuously changed in the prior art, greatly enhancing the shock absorption effect of the shock absorber 1 and improving the user experience of using the drum washing machine by users.
It should be noted here that the number and diameter of the damping holes 133 are not limited in this embodiment, and the number and diameter of the damping holes 133 are different for different models of shock absorbers 1. For example, for a relatively small shock absorber 1, the diameter of the damping hole 133 may be in the thickness range of a few tenths of a millimeter to a few millimeters; whereas for a relatively large shock absorber 1, the diameter of the damping hole 133 may be in the thickness range of several millimeters to ten and several millimeters.
It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the preferred arrangement of the orifice member 13 is merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which can be modified in any manner by those skilled in the art to suit a more specific application without departing from the principles of the present invention. For example, the cross-section of the orifice 133 may also be elliptical or rectangular; the base 131 and the tube structure 132 can be fixedly connected in a threaded manner; the angle between the axis of the damping hole 133 and the axis of the tube structure 132 may be any angle, for example, the angle between the axis of the damping hole 133 and the axis of the tube structure 132 in the horizontal left direction is 45 °.
Reference is next made to fig. 2, 3 and 4, wherein fig. 4 is an enlarged partial schematic view of fig. 3 at a.
In a more preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the sleeve 11 is further formed with a first limiting structure 15, the base 131 of the orifice 13 is formed with a second limiting structure 1311, and the first limiting structure 15 is embedded in the second limiting structure 1311 to limit the orifice 13, so that there is no relative movement between the orifice 13 and the sleeve 11. Referring to fig. 4, the first stopper structure 15 is preferably an annular pointed protrusion, and it may be preferably formed by roll forming, after which the outer wall of the sleeve 11 is formed into a pointed protrusion toward the first cavity 112, and a pointed recess corresponding to the annular pointed protrusion is left outside the sleeve 11. Preferably, the second position-limiting structure 1311 is an annular groove formed on the base 131 and corresponding to the first position-limiting structure, and the annular groove may be formed by roll forming, but may also be formed by other methods, such as die casting or machining. In this way, the throttling element 13 is retained by the first retaining structure 15 and the second retaining structure 1311, and is fixed in the sleeve 11 without relative movement with respect to the sleeve 11.
The setting mode has the advantages that: the first limiting structure 15 and the second limiting structure 1311 are connected in a matched manner, so that when the plunger 12 reciprocates, particularly, stretches, the throttling element 13 does not move along with the plunger 12, that is, the throttling element 13 does not move relative to the sleeve 11, so that the problem that the fluid damping force of the shock absorber 1 is reduced due to the fact that the throttling element 13 moves along with the plunger 12 in the sleeve 11 is solved, and the shock absorption effect of the shock absorber 1 is guaranteed.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the first limit stop 15 is not exclusive and any arrangement that allows no relative movement between the choke 13 and the sleeve 11 without departing from the principles of the invention is within the scope of the invention. For example, referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a second limiting structure of a damper for a drum washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In another preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the first position-limiting structure 15 is still a pointed protrusion formed by rolling, and the second position-limiting structure 1311 may also be an annular chamfer disposed along the outer edge of the base 131, and the annular chamfer abuts against the pointed protrusion of the first position-limiting structure 15, so as to achieve the function of limiting the position of the pointed protrusion on the throttling element 13.
With further reference to fig. 3, in a more preferred embodiment, the shock absorber 1 further comprises at least one elastic member arranged in such a way as to prevent the plunger 12 from sliding. Preferably, the shock absorber 1 may be provided with one elastic member 16, and the elastic member 16 may be configured to have compression deformation when the plunger 12 performs a compression movement and to have tension deformation when the plunger 12 performs a tension movement. In the orientation shown in fig. 3, the ends of the resilient member 16 are in abutting engagement with the right annular face of the tubular structure 132 and the right end face of the second chamber 122, respectively. In particular, the elastic member may be a spring, a plate spring, or an elastic block.
The advantages of this arrangement are: the elastic force generated by the elastic member 16 when the plunger 12 reciprocates can further counteract the vibration generated by the washing machine, and further enhance the damping effect of the damper 1, which is particularly significant when the plunger 12 performs a compression motion.
Of course, the number and arrangement of the elastic members are not exclusive, and those skilled in the art can make corresponding adjustments to adapt to more specific application scenarios. If only two elastic members are provided, one is provided in the second chamber (e.g. elastic member 16), and the other is provided in the sac 14, and both ends are respectively connected with the right annular surface of the base 131 and the second end of the plunger 12 in an abutting manner, the arrangement can also achieve the effect of counteracting the vibration by the elastic force.
Referring now to fig. 6 and 7, fig. 6 is an enlarged partial schematic view at B of fig. 3; fig. 7 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a second embodiment of a sealing member of a damper for a drum washing machine according to the present invention.
In a more preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, a seal 17 may be further provided between the orifice 13 and the plunger 12 in order to further enhance the damping effect of the damper 1. Preferably, the sealing element 17 is an O-ring, and a first annular sealing groove 134 matching the diameter of the O-ring is provided on the pipe structure 132 of the throttle element 13, and the O-ring is embedded in the first annular sealing groove 134.
As can be seen from the above description, the arrangement of the O-ring can realize the sealing between the tube structure 132 and the inner wall of the plunger 12, and ensure that the hydraulic oil 4 does not flow through the gap between the plunger 12 and the tube structure 132, but only flows between the sac 14 and the second chamber 122 through the damping hole 133, thereby avoiding the problem that the fit gap between the tube structure 132 and the plunger 12 is too large due to the machining precision, wear, and the like, and further the damping force of the shock absorber 1 is greatly reduced due to the flow of the hydraulic oil 4 through the gap, and further improving the damping effect of the shock absorber 1.
Obviously, the form and the position of the sealing element 17 are not constant, and as shown in fig. 7, an annular second annular sealing groove 123 may be formed on the inner wall of the second chamber 122, and the sealing element 17 may be embedded in the second annular sealing groove 123. Further, the form of the seal 17 may be any other form as long as it satisfies the condition capable of sealing the gap between the plunger 12 and the orifice 13, such as the seal 17 may be a seal ring or the like.
The operation of the damper 1 for a drum washing machine according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to fig. 3.
When the plunger 12 is forced to slide leftwards as shown in the orientation of fig. 3, the volume of the sac 14 is reduced, the damping holes 133 in the opening state on the throttling element 13 which does not move relative to the sleeve 11 are reduced, the hydraulic oil 4 is squeezed, the inner cavity of the sac 14 generates positive pressure, the hydraulic oil 4 only flows to the second chamber 122 through the damping holes 133 in the opening state due to the existence of the sealing element 17, and the hydraulic oil 4 generates a damping force to the right on the plunger 12 when flowing to the second chamber 122. Meanwhile, the elastic piece 16 is compressed to generate larger elastic force, and together with the damping force, the leftward movement of the plunger 12 is slowed down, so that the shock absorption effect is achieved; when the plunger 12 is forced to slide rightwards, the volumes of the second chamber 122 and the liquid bag 14 are increased, the damping hole 133 in an open state on the throttling element 13 which does not move relative to the sleeve 11 is increased, the hydraulic oil 4 is stretched, the inner cavity of the liquid bag 14 generates negative pressure, the hydraulic oil 4 only penetrates through the damping hole 133 to enter the inner cavity of the liquid bag 14 due to the existence of the sealing element 17, the hydraulic oil 4 generates leftward damping force on the plunger 12 when flowing to the inner cavity of the liquid bag 14, leftward movement of the plunger 12 is slowed down, a shock absorption effect is achieved, and meanwhile the elastic element 16 has elasticity due to stretching deformation and prevents the throttling element 13 from moving rightwards along with the plunger 12.
Referring back to fig. 1, in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine including a housing 2 and a drum 3 disposed in the housing 2, the drum 3 being supported on the housing 2 by two dampers 1, preferably, both dampers 1 are the aforementioned damper 1 for a drum washing machine of the present invention. Of course, the number of the dampers 1 in the drum washing machine is not constant, three, four or more dampers 1 may be provided in the drum washing machine, and at least one of the dampers 1 may be the damper 1 of the present invention.
In addition, it should be noted that although the above preferred embodiment is described by taking a drum washing machine as an example, this is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can also be applied to other clothes treatment devices besides the drum washing machine, such as a pulsator washing machine, a clothes dryer, a shoe washing machine, and the like, which have the same or similar damping structure.
So far, the technical solutions of the present invention have been described in connection with the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, but it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Equivalent changes or substitutions of related technical features can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle of the invention, and the technical scheme after the changes or substitutions can fall into the protection scope of the invention.