Front loading clothes washing machine

Abstract

 A front-loading clothes washing and/or drying machine (1) comprises a supporting and containing structure (2) with a front wall (3) containing a loading aperture (4). A door (5) is connected to the supporting structure (2) by at least one pivoting arm (8) positioned next to one side (9; 9') of the door (5) and connected, by a first end (10), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the door (5), and, by a second end (11), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the supporting structure (2). The pivoting arm (8) brings about a movement of the door (5) between a closed position, in which an inside surface (12) of the door (5) is against the loading aperture (4), thereby closing it, and an open position, in which the said inside surface (12) is against the front wall (3), thereby opening the loading aperture (4).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a front-loading clothes washing and/or drying machine.

[0002] As well known, front-loading clothes washing machines, especially those for domestic use, have a supporting and containing structure with a front wall in which an aperture allows loading and unloading of the washing. The said loading aperture is sealed shut by a door hinged to the front wall. The door opens and closes on the same principle as a side-hinged door, with the disadvantage of taking up a lot of room at the front when open and requiring a large space to open it.

[0003] In addition to their space requirements, clothes washing machines of the prior art expose, when opened, structural parts which are normally inside the appliance and ought not to be accessible to the user. These structural parts can be very hot and wet with washing water, or can be angular and therefore dangerous or at least annoying.

[0004] The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a front-loading clothes washing and/or drying machine having a closure system such as to obviate the problems mentioned with reference to the prior art.

[0005] This and other objects are achieved with a clothes washing and/drying machine according to Claim 1.

[0006] To enable the invention to be understood more clearly and its advantages appreciated, there now follows an illustrative, non-restrictive description of certain embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a clothes washing machine with a closure system according to the invention;

[0008] Figures 2a and 2b are sectional side views of the closure system seen in Figure 1, in the closed and open conditions, respectively;

[0009] Figure 3 is a plan view taken in section on III-III as marked in Figure 2a;

[0010] Figure 4 is a plan view taken in section on IV-IV as marked in Figure 2b;

[0011] Figure 5 shows a detail of a clothes washing machine in side view, taken in section on V-V as marked in Figure 6;

[0012] Figure 6 is a bottom view taken in section on VI-VI as marked in Figure 5; and

[0013] Figures 7a and 7b are sectional side views of the closure system of another embodiment.

[0014] Referring to Figure 1, a front-loading clothes washing machine is denoted 1 as a whole. The clothes washing machine 1 has a supporting and containing structure 2 with a front wall 3 containing a loading aperture 4.

[0015] A door 5, comprising a (preferably transparent) window 6 and a frame 7, is connected to the front wall 3 by two pivoting arms 8 positioned next to two opposite sides 9, 9' of the door 5 and connected rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, by a first end 10 to the door 5 and, by a second end 11 to the front wall 3 of the supporting and containing structure 2.

[0016] The said pivoting arms 8 rotate about a common axis substantially parallel to the front wall 3 and define a curved trajectory T of movement of the said first end 10. The said curved trajectory T is preferably an arc of a circle and comprises, during the opening of the door 5, an initial phase in which it moves away from the front wall defining the loading aperture 4 and a final phase in which it approaches the front wall 3, and, during the closing of the door 5, an initial phase in which it moves away from the front wall 3 and a final phase in which it approaches the loading aperture 4. Consequently the pivoting arms 8 cause, by rotation about the said common axis, a movement of the door 5 from a closed position, in which an inside surface 12 of the door 5 is against the loading aperture 4, thereby closing it, to an open position, in which the said inside surface 12 is against the front wall 3, thereby completely opening the loading aperture 4, as can be seen for example in Figures 2a and 2b.

[0017] Advantageously, in the opening position, the pivoting arms 8 define with the front wall 3 a very small angle and, in the closed position, they define with the plane of the loading aperture 4 a very small angle, in such a way as to describe, during the opening and closing of the door 5, an initial and final movement approximately perpendicular both to the front wall 3 and to the plane of the loading aperture 4.

[0018] In accordance with one embodiment, the door 5 defines a fixed angle with the front wall 3 during its movement from the closed position to the open position and vice versa.

[0019] In accordance with another embodiment, the door 5 can tilt with respect to the front wall 3, defining with the latter an angle of between a minimum value α_min and a maximum value α_max in which the said minimum value α_min is preferably -15° and the said maximum value α_max is preferably +15°.

[0020] The door 5 has at the top a hook 13 extending towards the front wall 3 and capable of engaging, in the closed position, with a corresponding catch 14 formed in the supporting structure 2. The said hook 13 may of course also be located at the bottom of the door 5, or on one of its lateral sides 9, 9'.

[0021] Referring to Figures 2a and 2b, the loading aperture 4 of a clothes washing machine 1 comprises a preferably circumferential gasket 15 made of resilient material, which, when the door 5 is closed, is in contact with the inside surface 12 of the window 6, forming both a watertight closure around the loading aperture 4, and an elastic preloading of the door 5 outwards away from the washing machine 1 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the aperture 4.

[0022] Formed on the front wall 3 are first abutment surfaces 16 capable of opposing one or more second abutment surfaces 17 formed on the inside surface 12 of the window 6, when the latter is in the open position. Alternatively, in the open position of the door 5, the frame 7 or the window 6 of the door 5 rest directly on the front wall 3.

[0023] The said abutment surfaces 16, 17 may be made of magnetic material so as to clamp the door, by acting for example on the metal frame 7, in the open position, adjacent to the front wall 3.

[0024] In accordance with another embodiment there are one or more additional catches 18 capable of snap-engagement with the said hook 13 of the door 5, when the door is in the open position. The said additional catches 18 are advantageously on the opposite side of the loading aperture 4 from the catches 14, so as always to be within the perimeter of the door 5 in front view and preferably allow use of the same hook 13 for locking the door 5 both in the closed position and in the open position.

[0025] Figures 3 and 4 show a possible embodiment of the connection of the door 5 to the supporting and containing structure 2. A support bracket 19 of angular shape composes a first, basically flat portion 19' with one or more through holes for fixing screws, and a second, basically flat portion 19'' defining with the said first portion 19' preferably a right angle. The first portion 19' of the bracket 19 is inserted through an aperture 20 in the front wall 3 and mounted on the said front wall 3 with the fixing screws so that only the second portion 19'' projects through the aperture 20, preferably at right angles to the front wall 3 and out of the washing machine 1. At the free end of the second portion 19'', a bush 21 is formed to accommodate rotatably, for example in a bearing, a spindle 22 integral with the end 11 of the pivoting arm 8. This produces the connection described earlier between the pivoting arm 8 and the supporting and containing structure 2, which is rotatable but such as to be integral in translational movement. Alternatively the end 11 of the pivoting arm 8 has a circular aperture taking a rotatable spindle integral with the free end of the bracket 19.

[0026] The second portion 19'' of the bracket 19 advantageously has a length such as to provide a sufficient distance between the front wall 3 and the pivoting arms 8 for the latter not to interfere, during their movement, with the said front wall 3.

[0027] In accordance with another embodiment, the pivoting arms 8 are attached directly to the front wall 3, without the intermediate bracket 19. In this version the front wall 3 may be flat or shaped in such a way as to produce the abovementioned distance between the pivoting arms 8 and the front wall 3.

[0028] To connect the pivoting arms 8 rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement to the door 5, a hinge connection is advantageous, whereby a spindle 23 integral with the end 10 of the pivoting arm 8 is housed rotatably, for example via a bearing, in a bush 24 connected integrally into the frame 7 of the door 5. Alternatively the end 10 of the pivoting arm 8 has a circular aperture housing a rotatable spindle integral with the door 5.

[0029] Advantageously, in the open and/or closed positions of the door 5, the door partly or completely houses, in special seats or cavities 25, both the pivoting arms 8 and the brackets 19.

[0030] In accordance with one embodiment, the two pivoting arms 8 are rotationally coupled to each other, for example by a shaft 26 connected so as to be integral with the ends 11 of two corresponding opposite pivoting arms 8. This coupling of the pivoting arms 8 creates a more or less rigid frame capable of limiting unwanted looseness or twisting of the door 5.

[0031] In accordance with another embodiment, the ends 10, connected rotatably to the door 5, are also rotationally coupled or synchronized in their rotational movement, for example by a continuous shaft or, if a continuous shaft is not wanted, by some other type of transmission of the rotary motion, preferably a mechanism involving gears.

[0032] The clothes washing and/drying machine 1 advantageously has balancing means to attenuate the movement of the door 5 between the closed position and the open position. The said balancing means are preferably in the form of one or more torsion springs 27 acting directly on the ends of the pivoting arms 8 or on the shaft 26 to push the pivoting arms 8 elastically towards the closed position. If the door opens essentially vertically, the said springs 27 are preferably set so as to balance the weight of the door 5.

[0033] In one particularly advantageous embodiment, the clothes washing and/or drying machine 1 has dampers interposed between the door 5 and the pivoting arms 8 and/or between the pivoting arms 8 and the supporting structure 2, to attenuate the speed of movement of the door 5 relative to the pivoting arms 8 and of the pivoting arms 8 relative to the supporting structure 2.

[0034] The figures also show that the front wall 3 advantageously has a cavity or seat 28 corresponding in shape to the door 5 and capable of at least partly housing the said door 5 when the door is in the closed position.

[0035] The pivoting arms 8 are advantageously situated on and attached to the front surface of the said cavity 28. Alternatively, they may also be situated on and attached to one or more of the lateral surfaces 29 of the cavity 28.

[0036] In accordance with another embodiment, shown in Figures 5 and 6, one or more cams 30 are connected to the pivoting arms 8 and have recesses 31 at points corresponding to stop positions of the said pivoting arms 8. The said cams 30 are associated with locking components, preferably elastically preloaded metal balls 32 capable of engaging in the said recesses 31 to produce a snap-locking of the pivoting arms 8 in the stop positions. The said cams 30 are advantageously rotationally coupled to the ends 10, 11 of the pivoting arms 8 and, still more advantageously, the ends 11 themselves of the pivoting arms 8 are formed into cams, to create the said cams 30.

[0037] In accordance with one embodiment, the pivoting arms 8 are connected to the surface of the door 5 that faces the front wall 3 and are situated within the perimeter of the door 5 in front view. This prevents access to sharp components and ensures a pleasing visual appearance.

[0038] Advantageously, the pivoting arms 8 have a length equal to or greater than one half of the dimension of the aperture 4 in the direction of opening, but less of one half of the dimension of the door 5 in the direction of opening. The said pivoting arms 8 are attached, via the second end 11, to the supporting structure 2, preferably to the front wall 3, outside of the loading aperture 4 in the direction of opening, and, via the said first end 10, to the door 5, preferably to the frame 7, at approximately one half of its dimension in the direction of opening. Owing to this configuration, although the pivoting arms 8 completely open the loading aperture 4 in the open position, they are always covered by the door 5, as can be seen for example in Figures 2a and 2b.

[0039] Figures 7a and 7b illustrate another embodiment, in which two lower pivoting arms 8 and two upper pivoting arms 33 are positioned next to the two opposite sides 9, 9' of the door 5 and connected rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, via their first ends 10, 34 to the door 5 and via their second ends 11, 35 to the supporting structure 2, preferably to the front wall 3, of the clothes washing machine.

[0040] In this embodiment, the pivoting arms 8 and 33, together with the door 5 and the supporting structure 2, form a hinged parallelogram.

[0041] In another version, the lower arms 8 are not the same length as the upper arms 33, so that the angles at which the door 5 is tilted are different in the open position and in the closed position, a provision which makes it possible for example to adapt the orientation of the door 5 exactly to suit a front wall 3 that is not flat.

[0042] Naturally, the embodiment with four pivoting arms 8, 33 is applicable in a similar way also to horizontal opening systems, and all the characteristics described with reference to the system with two pivoting arms 8 also refer to any other embodiments and opening trajectories of pivoting arms 33.

[0043] In accordance with one embodiment, the pivoting arms 8, 33 are operated by electric actuation means, such as one or more brushless motors, acting preferably on the shaft, for automatic controlled opening and closing of the door 5.

[0044] In a clothes washing and/or drying machine according to the invention, with downward opening, the height C of the supporting structure 2 is preferably between 750 mm and 950 mm, preferably 850 mm, the width B of the supporting structure 2 is between 550 mm and 650 mm, preferably 600 mm, and the height A of the door 5 is preferably equal to or greater than 336 mm and its width L is preferably equal to or greater than 430 mm. The distance D between the lower edge of the door 5 in the closed position and the lower edge of the supporting structure 2 is advantageously between 300 mm and 400 mm, preferably approximately 330 mm. Still more advantageously, the ratio L/A of the width of the door 5 to its height is equal to or greater than 7/6.

[0045] The operation of the clothes washing and/or drying machine according to the invention will now be described.

[0046] In the closed position, the door 5 is locked by the hook 13 and the catch 14. The gasket 15 is in contact with the inside surface 12 of the window 6, forming a watertight seal around the loading aperture 4. When the hook 13 is disengaged from the catch 14, for example by pressing a button 36 on a control panel, the door 5 unlocks and is pushed, by the resilient force of the gasket 15, from the closed position, away from the washing machine 1, the initial movement of the door 5 being roughly perpendicular to the plane of the loading aperture 4. In this half-open position, the movement of the pivoting arms 8, 33 is braked and/or damped by the torsion springs 27 which, in the case of a vertical movement, can be set to counterbalance the weight of the door 5. Furthermore the engagement of the metal balls 32 in the recesses 31 of the cams 30 elastically locks the pivoting arms 8, 33 in stop positions.

[0047] Next, the door 5 is moved into the open position, completely opening the loading aperture 4. This movement of the door 5 is accomplished, depending on the embodiment, by electrical actuation, gravitational force or manual actuation. In the open position the door 5 is locked by the snap-engagement of the hook 13 on the catch 18 or by engagement of the cam 30 by the ball 32.

[0048] The inventive concept obviously applies whether the opening movement is basically vertical or basically horizontal.

[0049] Closing the loading aperture is done in a similar way by pivoting the door 5 from the open position to the closed position, in which it is once again locked.

[0050] A clothes washing and/or drying machine 1 according to the invention has numerous advantages.

[0051] Irrespective of the position of the door 5, the washing machine takes up very little room and is therefore particularly suitable for domestic use.

[0052] Owing to the closure system according to the invention, no structural parts of the door that are hot, sharp or wet are ever exposed, so that the risk of accidents is minimized.

[0053] In a clothes washing and/or drying machine according to the invention, surfaces that are hot and/or that are wet with washing water are no longer exposed but always oriented towards the appliance itself and therefore effectively out of reach to the user and other parties, such as children.

[0054] All the parts of the closure system are located within the perimeter of the door and are therefore invisible to the user.

[0055] Because of the complete separation of the door 5 from the loading aperture 4, the electrical appliance is quick and easy to load and unload.

[0056] The closure system of the washing and/or drying machine according to the invention is also very secure and reliable.

[0057] Clearly, in order that any particular and specific requirements may be fulfilled, a person skilled in the art could apply to the washing and/or drying machine 1 according to the present invention other modifications and variants that would all still lie within the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. Front-loading clothes washing and/or drying machine (1) comprising

- a supporting and containing structure (2) with a front wall (3) containing a loading aperture (4); and

- a door (5) capable of closing the said loading aperture (4),

   characterized in that it comprises at least one pivoting arm (8) positioned next to one side (9; 9') of the door (5) and connected, by a first end (10), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the door (5), and, by a second end (11), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the supporting and containing structure (2) connecting the said door (5) to the said supporting structure (2) in such a way as to allow movement between a closed position, in which an inside surface (12) of the door (5) is against the loading aperture (4), thereby closing it, and an open position, in which the said inside surface (12) is against the front wall (3), thereby opening the loading aperture (4).

2. Machine (1) according to Claim 1, comprising two pivoting arms (8) positioned next to two opposite sides (9, 9') of the door (5) and connected, by a first end (10), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the door (5), and, by a second end (11), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the supporting and containing structure (2).

3. Machine (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the said pivoting arms (8) are attached to the front wall (3) of the supporting structure (2).

4. Machine (1) according to Claim 2 or 3, in which the said pivoting arms (8) are rotatable about a common axis substantially parallel to the front wall (3).

5. Machine (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the pivoting arms (8) define a curved trajectory (T) of movement of the said first end (10), comprising an initial phase in which it moves away from the loading aperture (4) and a final phase in which it approaches the front wall (3) and vice versa.

6. Machine (1) according to Claim 5, in which the said curved trajectory (T) is an arc of a circle.

7. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising two additional pivoting arms (33) positioned next to the two opposite sides (9, 9') of the door (5) and connected, by a first end (34), rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the door (5) and, by a second end (35) rotatably but so as to be integral in translational movement, to the supporting and containing structure (2) .

8. Machine (1) according to Claim 7, in which the said additional pivoting arms (33) are attached to the front wall (3) of the supporting structure (2).

9. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the orientation of the door (5) during its movement from the closed position to the open position, and vice versa remains substantially parallel to the front wall (3).

10. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the door (5) defines a fixed angle with the front wall (3) during its movement from the closed position to the open position and vice versa.

11. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the door (5) can tilt with respect to the front wall (3) during its movement from the closed position to the open position and vice versa.

12. Machine (1) according to Claim 11, in which the angle defined by the door (5) and the front wall (3) is between a minimum value α_min of approximately -15° and a maximum value α_max of approximately +15°.

13. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising locking means (13, 14) for locking the door (5) in the closed position.

14. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising additional locking means (13, 18) for locking the door (5) in the open position.

15. Machine (1) according to Claim 13 or 14, in which the said locking means (13, 14, 18) comprise a hook (13) connected to the said door (5) and capable of engaging, in the closed position and/or in the open position, with a corresponding catch (14; 18) formed in the supporting structure (2).

16. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising resilient push means (15) capable of pushing the door (5) from the closed position towards a position away from the loading aperture (4).

17. Machine (1) according to Claim 15, in which the said resilient push means (15) are provided by a gasket (15) of the loading aperture (4).

18. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the said pivoting arms (8, 33) are connected to that surface of the door (5) which is towards the front wall (3) and are positioned within the perimeter of the door (5) in front view.

19. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising stop means (16, 17, 30, 31, 32) for locking the said pivoting arms (8, 33) in predetermined positions.

20. Machine (1) according to Claim 19, in which the said stop means (16, 17, 30, 31, 32) comprise abutment surfaces (16, 17).

21. Machine (1) according to Claim 19, in which the said stop means (16, 17, 30, 31, 32) comprise

- one or more cams (30) connected to the pivoting arms (8, 33) and having recesses (31) corresponding to stop positions of the said pivoting arms (8, 33), and

- one or more elastically preloaded locking components (32) suitale to engage in the said recesses (31) to produce a snap-locking of the pivoting arms (8, 31) in the said stop positions.

22. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising balancing means (27) for balancing and/or damping the movement of the door (5) between the closed position and the open position.

23. Machine (1) according to Claim 22, in which the said balancing means (27) comprise one or more torsion springs (27) acting on the pivoting arms (8, 33).

24. Machine (1) according to Claim 22 or 23, in which the said balancing means comprises at least one damper interposed between the door (5) and the pivoting arms (8, 33).

25. Machine (1) according to one of Claims 22 to 24, in which the said balancing means comprise at least one damper interposed between the pivoting arms (8, 33) and the supporting structure (2).

26. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least two pivoting arms (8; 33) are rotationally coupled to each other.

27. Machine (1) according to Claim 26, in which the said rotational coupling is effected by a shaft (26) connected so as to be integral in rotation with the ends (10, 11, 31, 32) of two corresponding opposite pivoting arms (8; 33).

28. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the pivoting arms (8, 33) form with the door (5) and with the supporting structure (2) a hinged parallelogram.

29. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the said front wall (3) has a cavity (28) capable of at least partly accommodating the said door (5) in the closed position.

30. Machine (1) according to Claim 29, in which the pivoting arms (8, 33) are attached to the front surface of the said cavity (28).

31. Machine (1) according to Claim 30, in which the pivoting arms (8, 33) are attached to one or more lateral surfaces (29) of the cavity (28).

32. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, with vertical downward opening of the door (5), in which the height (C) of the supporting structure (2) is between 750 mm and 950 mm, the width (B) of the supporting structure (2) is between 550 mm and 650 mm, and the height (A) of the door (5) is equal to or greater than 336 mm and its width (L) is equal to or greater than 430 mm.

33. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the distance (D) between the lower edge of the door (5) in the closed position and the lower edge of the supporting structure (2) is between 300 mm and 400 mm.

34. Machine (1) according to Claim 33, in which the said distance (D) between the lower edge of the door (5) in the closed position and the lower edge of the supporting structure (2) is approximately 330 mm.

35. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the ratio L/A of the width to the height of the door (5) is equal to or greater than 7/6.

36. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the pivoting arms (8, 33) have a length equal to or greater than one half of the dimension of the loading aperture (4) in the direction of opening, but less than one half of the dimension of the door (5) in the direction of opening, and are attached to the front wall (3) outside of the loading aperture (4) in the direction of opening, and to the door (5) approximately half way down its dimension in the direction of opening.

37. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the opening of the door (5) is an essentially vertical movement.

38. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the opening of the door (5) is an essentially horizontal movement.

39. Machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the pivoting arms (8) are connected to one or more brushless motors for automatic and controlled opening and closing of the door (5).

Drawing