Abstract:
A drum type washing machine capable of preventing/reducing damage to a damper fixing unit provided on a bottom plate for securing a damper at a fixed position by a reinforced rigidity of the damper fixing unit. The drum type washing machine includes a water tub installed in a body, at least one damper to support the water tub, and a damper fixing unit provided on the bottom plate of the body to secure the damper at a fixed position. The damper fixing unit is formed via cutting of the bottom plate and has a reinforced rigidity by a reinforcing portion formed around each cut portion of the bottom plate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0081292, filed on Sep. 1, 2005 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a washing machine, and, more particularly, to a washing machine capable of preventing damage to a damper fixing unit to which a damper is coupled. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Japanese Patent Publication No. Heisei 5-253387 discloses a drum type washing machine comprising at least one damper for supporting a lower portion of a water tub and reducing vibration and shaking caused in the water tub. The damper has an upper end coupled to the lower portion of the water tub and a lower end secured to a bottom plate of a washing machine body, and acts to reduce vibration and shaking caused in the water tub by a flexible action thereof. 
   The disclosed washing machine comprises a damper fixing unit disposed on the bottom plate of the body and adapted to secure the lower end of the damper. The lower end of the damper and the damper fixing unit are coupled to each other by use of fixing bolts. 
   The damper fixing unit is conventionally attached to the bottom plate of the body by welding, or formed by cutting a portion of the bottom plate. For the fastening of the fixing bolts penetrated through the lower end of the damper, the damper fixing unit includes first and second fixing pieces extending from the bottom plate of the body to opposite sides of the lower end of the damper, respectively, each fixing piece having a bolt penetrating hole. 
   The damper fixing unit of the conventional washing machine having the above described configuration, however, has a problem in that a portion thereof connected to the bottom plate of the body is fragile, and therefore, the damper fixing unit and the peripheral region thereof may be damaged by repetitive vibration and shock applied thereto after the lapse of a long time. 
   In particular, in a case where the damper fixing unit is formed by cutting a portion of the bottom plate of the body, a boundary between the cut portion of the bottom plate and the damper fixing unit is fragile, thus having a high risk of damage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems. It is an aspect of the invention to provide a drum type washing machine capable of preventing damage to a damper fixing unit by a reinforced strength of the damper fixing unit. 
   Consistent with one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a drum type washing machine comprising a body, a water tub installed in the body, at least one damper to support the water tub, and a damper fixing unit arranged on a bottom plate of the body to secure the damper at a fixed position, wherein the damper fixing unit is formed via cutting of the bottom plate, and has a reinforced rigidity by a reinforcing portion formed around each cut portion of the bottom plate. 
   The reinforcing portion may be formed by bending a peripheral portion around the cut portion to have a height larger than a thickness of the bottom plate, and may be integrally formed with the damper fixing unit. 
   The reinforcing portion mat be bent from a periphery of the cut portion to protrude upward from an upper surface of the bottom plate, and may be integrally formed with the damper fixing unit. 
   The damper fixing unit may comprise first and second fixing pieces, which are cut from the bottom plate and bent upward to support opposite sides of a lower end of the damper, each fixing piece having a hole for the penetration of a fixing bolt. 
   Reinforcing ribs may be formed at connecting portions between the first and second fixing pieces and the bottom plate, respectively 
   Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view showing the configuration of a washing machine consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the configuration of a damper included in the washing machine consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the configuration of a damper fixing unit included in the washing machine consistent with the present invention; and 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view showing the damper fixing unit of  FIG. 3 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiment of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  illustrating a drum type washing machine consistent with the present invention, the washing machine comprises a drum-shaped water tub  11  installed in a body  10  to receive wash water therein, and a rotating drum  12  rotatably installed in the water tub  11 . 
   The water tub  11  is obliquely installed in the body  10  such that a front surface portion of the water tub  11  having an entrance opening  11   a  is positioned higher than a rear surface portion of the water tub  11 . The rotating drum  12  is also obliquely installed in the water tub  11  by the same inclination as that of the water tub  11 . To rotatably support the rotating drum  12 , a rotary shaft  13  is coupled to the center of a rear surface portion of the rotating drum  12  while being rotatably supported by the rear surface portion of the water tub  11 . A motor  15  is mounted to the rear surface portion of the water tub  11  to rotate the rotating drum  12 . The rotating drum  12  is perforated, throughout a peripheral portion thereof, with a plurality of holes  12   b  for the passage of wash water. Also, a plurality of lifters  14  are provided at an inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum  12  and adapted to cause lifting and falling of laundry during rotation of the rotating drum  12 . 
   The body  10  is formed, at a front surface portion thereof, with an entrance opening  16  to put or take laundry into or out of the rotating drum  12 . The entrance opening  16  is positioned to correspond to the entrance opening  11   a  of the water tub  11  and an entrance opening  12   a  of the rotating drum  12 . A door  17  is provided to open and close the entrance opening  16 . 
   A water supply control valve  18  and water supply pipes  19   a  and  19   b , which are used to control the supply of wash water, and a detergent supply device  20 , which is used to supply a detergent into the water tub  11  during a water supply course, are arranged above the water tub  11 . Also, a drainage device  21 , which is used to drain the water inside the water tub  11 , is arranged below the water tub  11 . The drainage device  21  includes a drain pipe  21   a , drain valve  21   b  and drain motor  21   c.    
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the water tub  11  is supported by use of a plurality of dampers  30  supporting a lower portion of the water tub  11  and a plurality of shock-absorbing springs  25  supporting an upper portion of the water tub  11 . As a result of supporting the water tub  11  with the dampers  30  and shock-absorbing springs  25 , it is possible to prevent/reduce shaking and vibration of the water tub  11  caused during a wash course from being transmitted to the body  10 . 
   Each of the dampers  30 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , has an upper end to be secured, by use of a fixing bolt (not shown), to an associated one of damper fixing members  31  arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the water tub  11 . Also, a lower end of each damper  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , is secured, by use of a fixing bolt  41 , to an associated one of damper fixing units  50  arranged on a bottom plate  40  of the body  10 . 
   Each damper fixing unit  50  on the bottom plate  40  of the body  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , has a first fixing piece  51  and a second fixing piece  52 . Specifically, the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  are cut from an obliquely raised supporting portion  42  of the bottom plate  40  and bent upward to support opposite sides of a lower end of the associated damper  30 . The first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  are perforated with holes  51   a  and  52   a , respectively, to allow an associated one of the fixing bolts  41 , which is used to secure the lower end of the damper  30  to the damper fixing unit  50 , to penetrate and supported by the holes  51   a  and  52   a.    
   To provide the first fixing piece  51  and second fixing piece  52  with a reinforced strength, reinforcing portions  55  and  56  are provided along peripheries of cut portions  53  and  54  of the bottom plate  40  remaining after cutting the fixing and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  form the bottom plate  40 . The reinforcing portions  55  and  56 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , are formed by bending peripheral portions around the cut portions  53  and  54  of the bottom plate  40  to protrude upward from an upper surface of the supporting portion  42 . The reinforcing portions  55  and  56  are integrally connected to lower end portions of the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52 . Specifically, the reinforcing portions  55  and  56  are continuously formed along the peripheries of the cut portions  53  and  54  to have a larger height than the thickness of the bottom plate  40  while being connected to the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52 , respectively. In an alternate embodiment, the height of the reinforcing portions  53  and  54  may be substantially equal to the thickness of the bottom plate  40 . In another alternate embodiment, the reinforcing portions  55  and  56  are provided along a portion of the peripheries of the cut portions  53  and  54 . 
   Provision of the reinforcing portions  55  and  56  can reinforce rigidity of the bottom plate  40  around the cut portions  53  and  54 . Accordingly, even if a relatively large load or shock is applied to the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  by the damper  30 , there is little risk of damage to peripheral regions around the cut portions  53  and  54 . Furthermore, by integrally connecting the reinforcing portions  55  and  56  to opposite sides of the respective lower end portions of the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  connected to the bottom plate  40 , the rigidity of the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  can be significantly reinforced. 
   The connecting portions between the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52  and the bottom plate  40 , more particularly, the bent portions of the first and second fixing pieces  51  and  52 , are centrally provided with reinforcing ribs  57  to achieve an increase in the rigidity of the connecting portions. The reinforcing ribs  57  in the present embodiment is shaped in the form of a pyramid however, various other shapes such as quarter of a sphere or half cylinder may be utilized. Accordingly, even after the lapse of long period of time, the drum type washing machine of the present invention has little risk of damage to connecting regions between the damper fixing units  50  and the bottom plate  40  or peripheral regions around the cut portions  53  and  54  of the bottom plate  40 . 
   The reinforcing portions  55  and  56  and reinforcing ribs  57  can be simultaneously formed in the course of forming the damper fixing unit  50  to the bottom plate  40  by a conventional press machining process, and therefore, can be fabricated without an additional fabrication process therefor. This has the effect of significantly reinforcing the rigidity of peripheral regions around the damper fixing units  50 . 
   As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a drum type washing machine in which each cut portion of a bottom plate of a washing machine body remaining after forming a damper fixing unit is provided, along a periphery thereof with a reinforcing portion, thereby achieving an increase in a rigidity around the cut portion of the bottom plate as well as the damper fixing unit. Accordingly, even if a relatively large load or shock is applied to the damper fixing unit, it is possible to prevent damage to the damper fixing unit and a surrounding region thereof. 
   Further, as a result of integrally forming the reinforcing portion around the cut portion in the course of forming the damper fixing unit to the bottom plate of the body, it is possible to achieve an improved reinforcement in the rigidity around the damper fixing unit without additional fabrication process and costs. 
   The present invention may be applied to other types of washing machines, drying machines or machines having both the washing and drying capabilities as well as the disclosed drum type washing machine. 
   Although the embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.