JPH0133025Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field of the Invention> The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a structural improvement of a water level adjusting device for adjusting the water level in a washing tub.

<Prior art> This type of conventional water level adjustment device is equipped with an overflow pipe that can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction in the overflow chamber of a washing tub, and the water level is adjusted by moving the overflow pipe up and down. - There is one constructed as shown in FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a washing tub, 2 is an overflow cover that partitions the washing tub 1 into a laundry room and an overflow room, 3 is a slit formed vertically in the overflow cover 2, and 4 is a slit on the back side of the overflow cover 2. A pair of wavy locking portions 3 have vertically continuous wavy irregularities on both sides, and 5 is an operating body that is slidably attached to the slit 3, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A pair of locking pieces 5a that lock into the recesses of the wavy locking portion 4, and a holding portion 5b that holds the upper end of the overflow pipe 6 that is disposed within the overflow chamber and is freely expandable and contractable in the vertical direction.
and a knob 5c that protrudes from the slit 3 toward the laundry room.

In the water level adjustment device having such a configuration, the locking piece 5a on the operating body 5 side moves over the uneven portion of the wavy locking portion 4 on the overflow cover 2 side while the operating body 5 moves up and down, and the operating body 5 moves up and down to a desired height position. The locking piece 5a of the operating body 5 is locked in the recess of the wave-like locking part 4, and by this operation, the upper end opening of the overflow pipe 6 is positioned at a desired height, and the water level in the tip tank 1 is adjusted. .

However, such conventional water level adjusting devices have the following drawbacks. That is, (1) When moving the operating body 5 up and down, the locking piece 5a of the operating body 5 was forced to bend, so a certain amount of large force was required.

(2) When the locking piece 5a rides over the convex portion of the wavy locking portion 4 when the operating body 5 moves up and down, it makes an abnormal noise, causing noise and giving unpleasant vibrations to the hand.

(3) Since the wavy locking portion 4 extends in the width direction of the back surface of the overflow cover 2, there are many thick parts;
As a result, the cost of materials was high.

(4) The operating body 5 required a protruding locking portion that needed to be flexibly bent in addition to the knob function.

<Summary of the invention> The present invention was made to solve this problem by focusing on the conventional situation, and includes a slit extending vertically in the overflow cover, and a flexible member along both sides of the slit on the back side of the overflow cover. A locking band is provided with a plurality of rows of pin-shaped locking protrusions, and an operating member that is slidably attached to the slit is provided with a locking band having a plurality of rows of pin-shaped locking protrusions. The present invention is intended to eliminate the various drawbacks of the prior art by providing a stop portion and making use of the elasticity of the pin-shaped locking protrusion to allow the operating member to move up and down smoothly while maintaining moderation.

<Embodiment of the invention> Hereinafter, one embodiment of the invention will be described in detail based on the drawings from FIG. 5 onwards. Note that the same components as in the conventional example are given the same reference numerals to simplify the explanation.

In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a locking band integrally formed on the back surface of the overflow cover 2, which is formed in pairs along the slit 3 with a predetermined interval on both sides, and is flexible and has a pin-shaped locking band. A plurality of stop projections 7a are arranged in rows in the vertical direction to form a band shape.

Reference numeral 8 designates an operating knob main body as an operating member that is slidably attached to the slit 3. The main body 8
Specifically, reference numeral 8a denotes a pair of locking claws as a pair of projecting locking parts protruding from both sides of the main body 8 so as to lock each of the pair of locking bands 7 in a detachable manner, and 8b.
8c is a clamp that protrudes toward the overflow room and serves as a holding portion that holds the upper end of the overflow pipe 6; 8c is a knob that protrudes toward the laundry room and serves as an operation portion that moves the operating knob main body 8 up and down; and 8d is the aforementioned knob. slit 3
This is the insertion part that is inserted into the. In addition, the locking claw 8a
The dimension between both ends, that is, the dimension from the tip of one locking pawl 8a to the tip of the other locking pawl 8a, is slightly larger than the predetermined interval between the pair of locking bands 7.

According to this configuration, by moving the knob 8c up and down by hand, the operation knob main body 8 is moved up and down, and the upper end opening of the overflow pipe 7 that follows the up and down movement of the main body 8 is moved up and down, thereby smoothly The water level in the washing tub 1 can be adjusted accordingly.

At this time, the height of the upper end opening of the overflow pipe 7 is specified by locking the operating knob main body 8 at an arbitrary height, but the operation of moving the operating knob main body 8 up and down is As shown in the drawings and FIG. 10, the locking claw 8a moves while pushing down the locking protrusion 7a of the locking band 7 that comes into contact with it outward,
This is accomplished by supporting and locking the locking claws 8a between a pair of upper and lower locking protrusions 7a on both sides at an arbitrary position. At this time, since the locking protrusion 1a is flexible, when the locking claw 8a slides, it bends outward to widen the distance between it and the opposing locking protrusion 7a. After passing through, it returns to its original state due to its elasticity. Therefore, the distance between the pair of locking bands 7 is always kept constant at the portion where the locking claws 8a are not in contact.

According to the water level adjusting device as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, (1) The sliding operation of the operating knob body 8 can be performed by multiple locking operations without forcibly bending only the locking piece 5a on the operating body 5 side in the vertical direction relative to the surface of the overflow cover 2, as in the conventional case. This can be done by partially elastically deforming the locking band 7 consisting of the protrusion 7a in the left-right direction, so that smooth movement can be performed with a relatively small force, and the movement of the control knob body 8 from side to side is prevented. It can be prevented.

(2) When the operating knob body 8 is slid, it is possible to prevent the generation of unpleasant sounds and vibrations as in the conventional case, and to maintain an appropriate sense of moderation.

(3) The locking band 7 is attached to a large number of pin-shaped locking protrusions 7a.
Since the structure is such that it is only formed by protruding from the back surface of the overflow cover 2, the material cost can be reduced compared to the conventional thick corrugated locking part 4.

(4) Since the locking pawl 8a as a protruding locking portion is integrally formed on the operating knob body 8 itself, unlike the conventional operation body 5, there is no locking portion that flexes flexibly in addition to the knob function. Since there is no need to provide the locking piece 5a) and it is sufficient to simply protrude a relatively small locking claw 8a, the material cost can be reduced accordingly.

In FIGS. 11 to 13, mounting of the operating knob main body 8 to the slit 3 according to this embodiment will be explained. That is, a wide insertion opening is opened continuous with the upper end of the slit 3, and the insertion portion 8d of the operating knob body 8 is fitted into the end of the insertion opening, and the 11th
They are attached to the slit 3 in the order shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. After installation, the upper end of the insertion port and the upper end of the operating knob main body 8 come into contact with each other to prevent the operating knob from coming off, and also restricts the upward sliding of the operating knob main body 8, and prevents the operating knob main body 8 from sliding upward. The vertical movement of the operating knob body 8 is restricted as well as the sliding of the control knob.

<Effects of the invention> As explained above, according to the invention, the overflow cover is provided with a pin-shaped flexible locking protrusion in order to lock the operating member in the left and right direction of the slit with respect to the overflow cover surface. A pair of locking bands having a plurality of rows of locking bands are provided, and the operating member is provided with a pair of protruding locking portions that are freely attached to and detachable from the locking band, and the operating member can be freely slid into the slit. Since it is configured to be attached, it is possible to provide a water level adjustment device that uses the elasticity of the locking protrusion to smoothly and reliably slide the operating member with a relatively small force while maintaining appropriate moderation, and that can reduce material costs. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 4 show conventional water level adjustment devices,
Figure 1 is a sectional configuration diagram, Figure 2 is a rear view, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main parts, Figure 4 is a top view of Figure 3, and Figures 5 to 13 are the water level adjustment device of the present invention. 5 is a sectional configuration diagram, FIG. 6 is a rear view, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main parts, and FIG. 8 is a top view of FIG. 7.
Fig. 9 is a rear view illustrating the state in which the operating member is attached to the slit, Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken from Fig. 9, and Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are when the operating member is attached to the slit. It is a figure explaining operation of. 1... Washing tub, 2... Overflow cover, 3... Slit, 7... Locking band, 7a... Locking protrusion, 8...
Operation knob body, 8a...locking claw, 8b...clamper, 8c...knob, 8d...insertion portion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a water level adjustment device for a washing machine, which forms an overflow chamber separated from the laundry room by an overflow cover on the side wall of the washing tub, and is equipped with a vertically expandable overflow pipe that continuously adjusts the overflow water level in the overflow chamber. , a pin-shaped engagement comprising a slit opened in the vertical direction in the overflow cover, and a pair of flexible members formed on both sides of the slit on the side wall of the overflow chamber along the slit at a predetermined interval. a locking band having a plurality of rows of locking protrusions, one end of which serves as an operating portion protruding into the washing chamber, and the other end protruding into the overflow chamber as a holding portion for the overflow pipe; A water level adjustment device for a washing machine, comprising a locking protrusion of a tourniquet and a pair of projecting locking portions that can be freely engaged and detached, and an operating member that is slidably attached along the slit. .