Patent Publication Number: US-10774457-B2

Title: Washing machine

Description:
The present application is a national phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/CN2016/102271, filed on Oct. 17, 2016, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-204223, filed on Oct. 16, 2015, the entire disclosures of which applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a washing machine. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the past, a drawer type washing machine, in which a cabinet with an open top is accommodated in a housing opened toward the front side so that the cabinet can be pulled out from the front side and a washing tub capable of storing washing water and used for carrying out washing and dewatering is provided in the cabinet, is proposed (see Patent Document 1). The washing tub is supported on a bottom surface of the cabinet via a hanger bracket having a buffer function. Furthermore, the cabinet can linearly move back and forth by means of a sliding portion provided between the cabinet and the housing. 
     In such a drawer type washing machine, the resistance inside the sliding portion, that is, the resistance between a roller and a guiding rail in the configuration of Patent Document 1, is reduced as much as possible so as to easily pull the cabinet out of the housing. However, in the case that the cabinet can easily move back and forth with respect to the housing, the cabinet tends to vibrate violently in the front-rear direction if vibration of the washing tub generated during dewatering is not completely absorbed by the hanger bracket and is transferred to the cabinet. 
     Generally, a latch is mounted between a front surface of the closed cabinet, namely a door portion, and a front surface of the housing to lock the door portion. However, a certain end play is provided in the latch. Therefore, when the cabinet violently vibrates in the front-rear direction, a minute collision occurs repeatedly between the door portion and the front surface of the housing, thereby generating noises or damaging the door portion. 
     RELATED LITERATURE 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-119786 
     SUMMARY 
     Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure 
     The present disclosure is made in view of the above problems, and aims to suppress noises and damages to a door portion generated in a washing machine, in which a washing tub may be pulled out of an outer casing, due to a minute collision repeatedly occurred between the door portion and the outer casing. 
     Solution to the Technical Problem 
     The washing machine according to a main aspect of the present disclosure includes an outer casing, where an entrance is provided on a front surface of the outer casing; a washing tub in which washings are washed and dewatered, where the washing tub enters into or exits from the outer casing through the entrance; a holding portion disposed below the washing tub and configured to support the washing tub via a hanger bracket; a door portion fixed to the holding portion in front of the washing tub, and the entrance is blocked by door portion when the washing tub is accommodated in the outer casing; a sliding mechanism provided between the holding portion and the outer casing and configured to linearly move the holding portion together with the washing tub and the door portion in a front-rear direction, and a connecter for connecting the hanger bracket with the holding portion, and the connecter includes a vibration absorber configured to prevent vibrations of the washing tub in the front-rear direction from being transferred to the holding portion via the hanger bracket. 
     According to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress vibrations of the holding portion in the front-rear direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a minute collision occurred between the door portion and the outer casing due to the vibrations of the washing tub, and suppress occurrence of noises and the damages to the door portion. 
     In the washing machine according to this aspect, the vibration absorber includes: a moving path provided on the holding portion; and a movable member provided on the hanger bracket and moving on the moving path in the front-rear direction. In such a case, a frictional force generated when the movable member moves on the moving path is smaller than the frictional force generated when the holding portion is caused to move by the sliding mechanism. 
     By means of the above structure, since the movable member moves more easily in the front-rear direction than the holding portion, the vibrations of the holding portion in the front-rear direction can be effectively inhibited by the vibration absorber. 
     In the above configuration, the movable member is configured to be guided by the moving path and does not move in the left-right direction. 
     With such a configuration, the washing tub does not vibrate sharply in the left-right direction as compared with the front-rear direction, and the size of the outer casing in the left-right direction will not be too large. 
     In the washing machine according to this aspect, the door portion is configured to be fixed to the holding portion via a buffer member. 
     According to the above configuration, since vibrations of the holding portion are absorbed by the buffer member, vibrations are less likely to be transferred to the door portion, and a minute collision between the door portion and the outer casing is hardly to occur. 
     Effect of the Present Disclosure 
     The present disclosure can suppress noises and damages to a door portion generated in a washing machine, in which a washing tub may be pulled out of an outer casing, due to a minute collision repeatedly occurred between the door portion and the outer casing. 
     The effect or significance of the present disclosure will be further clarified by the description of embodiments described below. It is to be noted that the following embodiments are merely examples for implementing the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1( a )  is a perspective view as viewed from front illustrating a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment, and  FIG. 1( b )  is a perspective view as viewed from front illustrating two fully automatic washing machines stacked vertically according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view as viewed from rear illustrating a fully automatic washing machine with a washing tub being pulled out toward the front of an outer casing according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine, taken along line A-A′ in  FIG. 1( a ) , according to an embodiment. 
         FIGS. 4( a ) to 4( c )  illustrate configurations of a hanger bracket and a connecter according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view illustrating main parts of the configuration of a fully automatic washing machine according to modification I. 
         FIGS. 6( a ) and 6( b )  illustrate a configuration of a holding plate according to another modification, and  FIG. 6( c )  illustrates a configuration of a cabinet according to another modification. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a configuration of a vibration absorber according to another modification. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       1 : Fully automatic washing machine (washing machine);  10 : Outer casing;  20 : Washing tub;  60 : Hanger bracket;  70 : Connecter;  80 : Holding plate (holding portion);  90 : Door portion;  100 : Sliding guiding rail (Sliding mechanism);  110 : Buffer member;  500 : Vibration isolating device (vibration absorber);  510 : Slider (movable body);  520 : Guiding rail (moving path);  530 : Movable block (movable body);  540 : Guiding rail (moving path) 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, a fully automatic washing machine  1  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1( a )  is a perspective view viewed from front illustrating a fully automatic washing machine  1 , and  FIG. 1( b )  is a perspective view as viewed from front illustrating two fully automatic washing machines  1  stacked vertically.  FIG. 2  is a perspective view as viewed from rear illustrating the fully automatic washing machine  1  with a washing tub  20  being pulled out toward the front of an outer casing  10 .  FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of the fully automatic washing machine  1  taken along line A-A′ in  FIG. 1( a ) . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the fully automatic washing machine  1  includes an outer casing  10 , a washing tub  20 , a driving unit  30 , a drain unit  40 , a water supply unit  50 , four hanger brackets  60  (i.e., a left front hanger bracket, a right front hanger bracket, a left rear hanger bracket, a right rear hanger bracket), four connectors  70  (i.e., a left front connector, a right front connector, a left rear connector, a right rear connector), two holding plates  80  (i.e., a left holding plate and a right holding plate), a door portion  90 , and a pair of sliding guiding rails  100  (i.e., a left sliding guiding rail and a right sliding guiding rail). The holding plates  80  correspond to a holding portion of the present disclosure, and the sliding guiding rails  100  correspond to a sliding mechanism of the present disclosure. 
     The fully automatic washing machine  1  is a so-called drawer type washing machine. A user pulls the washing tub  20  forward out of the outer casing  10 , throws washings into the washing tub  20  being pulled out from above, and withdraws the washing tub  20  to the outer casing  10  to wash the washings. As shown in  FIG. 1( b ) , since two fully automatic washing machines  1  can be installed on the floor of a washroom or the like by stacking one of them on the top of the other, the space can be effectively used so that the washings can be washed separately. 
     The outer casing  10  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and nearly the entire front surface thereof is opened as an entrance  11 . On left and right inner side surfaces of the outer casing  10 , an engaging portion  12  is provided at the upper part in the vicinity of the entrance  11 . On the rear surface of the outer casing  10 , a water supply connection port  13  is formed at the upper portion, and a drain connection port  14  is formed at the lower portion. A drain joint  15  is provided at the drain connection port  14 . Further, on the bottom surface of the outer casing  10 , a leg  16  is provided at each of four corners. 
     The washing tub  20  includes an outer tub  21  and a washing/dewatering tub  22 . A loading port  23  is formed on the upper surface of the outer tub  21 , and a water inlet  24  is formed at the rear of the loading port  23 . The loading port  23  is covered with an openable and closable inner lid  25 . Hanger bracket mounting portions  26  are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tub  21  at a right/left end on the front side thereof and a right/left end on the rear side thereof, respectively. The hanger bracket mounting portions  26  may be either formed integrally with the outer tub  21  or formed separately from the outer tub  21  and fixed to the outer tub  21 . It is noted that, in the outer casing  10 , a gap between the washing tub  20  and the outer casing  10  is larger in the front-rear direction than that in the left-right direction. 
     The washing/dewatering tub  22  is disposed in the outer tub  21 . The washing/dewatering tub  22  rotates about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction in the outer tub  21 . A plurality of dewatering holes  22   a  are formed throughout an entire inner peripheral surface of the washing/dewatering tub  22 . A balance ring  27  is provided on the upper portion of the washing/dewatering tub  22 . Further, a pulsator  28  is provided on the bottom of the washing/dewatering tub  22 . A plurality of blades  28   a  are provided radially on the surface of the pulsator  28 . 
     The driving unit  30  and the drain unit  40  are disposed on the outer bottom of the outer tub  21 . The driving unit  30  is configured to generate torques for driving the washing/dewatering tub  22  and the pulsator  28 . The driving unit  30  includes a driving motor  31  and a transmission mechanism  32 . The transmission mechanism  32  includes a clutch mechanism. Through switching operations made by the clutch mechanism, the torque of the driving motor  31  is only transferred to the pulsator  28  to merely rotate the pulsator  28  during a washing process and a rinsing process, and the torque of the driving motor  31  is transferred to the pulsator  28  and the washing/dewatering tub  22  to integrally rotate the pulsator  28  and the washing/dewatering tub  22  during a dewatering process. 
     The drain unit  40  includes a drain valve  41 , a drain pipe  42 , and an internal drain hose  43 . An end of the drain valve  41  is connected to the drain pipe  42 , and the other end of the drain valve  41  is connected to the internal drain hose  43 . The drain pipe  42  is connected to a drain port (not shown) formed at the bottom of the outer tub  21 . The internal drain hose  43  is connected to the drain joint  15  of the drain connection port  14  from the inside of the washing machine. An external drain hose (not shown) is connected to the drain joint  15  from the outside of the washing machine. When the drain valve  41  is opened, water stored in the washing/dewatering tub  22  and the outer tub  21  is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain pipe  42 , the internal drain hose  43 , and the external drain hose. 
     When the washing tub  20  is accommodated in the outer casing  10 , the internal drain hose  43  is configured to meander left and right and fit in the rear portion of the outer casing  10 . When the washing tub  20  is pulled out of the outer casing  10 , the inner drain hose  43  is pulled by the washing tub  20  and deforms from a meandering state to a straight state. 
     The water supply unit  50  is provided at the upper rear part in the outer casing  10 . The water supply unit  50  includes a water supply valve  51 , a water supply pipe  52 , and a connection pipe  53 . An end of the water supply valve  51  is connected to the water supply pipe  52 , and the other end of the water supply valve  51  is connected to the connection pipe  53 . When the washing tub  20  is accommodated in the outer casing  10 , an outlet  52   a  of the water supply pipe  52  faces the water inlet  24  of the outer tub  21 . The connecting pipe  53  faces the outside in the water supply connection port  13 , and is connected to a water supply hose (not shown) extending from a water tap. When the water supply valve  51  is opened, the tap water is supplied into the outer tub  21  through the water supply pipe  52  and the water inlet  24 . 
     The washing tub  20  is held on the left holding plate  80  and the right holding plate  80  below the washing tub  20  via the four hanger brackets  60  (i.e., a left front hanger bracket, a right front hanger bracket, a left rear hanger bracket, a right rear hanger bracket). An upper end of each of the hanger brackets  60  is fixed to one of the hanger bracket mounting portions  26  of the washing tub  20 , and a lower end of each of the hanger brackets  60  is fixed to the holding plate  80  via one of the connecters  70 . The hanger brackets  60  support the washing tub  20  in a buffer manner. Each of the holding plates  80  is elongated in the front-rear direction, the right holding plate  80  carries two hanger brackets  60  on the right side (i.e., the right front and right rear hanger brackets), and the lest holding plate  80  carries two hanger brackets  60  at the left side (i.e., the left front and left rear hanger brackets). By having the vibration isolating device  500 , the connecter  70  is capable of preventing the vibrations of the washing tub  20  in the front-rear direction from being transferred to the holding plate  80  via the hanger bracket  60 . 
     The detailed configuration of each of the hanger brackets  60  and the connecters  70  will be described later. 
     The door portion  90  is fixed to the front end of the left/right holding plate  80  by a L-shaped metal mounting member  81 . A locking device  91  is provided on the upper portion of the door portion  90  for holding the door portion  90  in a closed state with respect to the outer casing  10 . 
     The locking device  91  includes a lever  92 , a link mechanism  93 , and two latches  94  (i.e., a left latch and a right latch). As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the door portion  90  is closed, each of the latches  94  is engaged with an engaging portion  12  of the outer casing  10 . When the door portion  90  is to move forward, each of the latches  94  catches on the engaging portion  12 , and the door portion  90  is held in a closed state. When the user operates the lever  92  in a releasing direction, the latch  94  moves upward by the actions of the link mechanism  93 , and the engagement between the latch  94  and the engaging portion  12  is released. As a result, the washing tub  20  and the door portion  90  are brought into a state where both of them can be pulled out of the outer casing  10 . It is noted that a certain clearance is provided between the latch  94  and the engaging portion  12  as end play when the latch  94  is engaged with the engaging portion  12 . 
     The left and right holding plates  80  linearly move in the front-rear direction together with the washing tub  20  and the door portion  90  by the left and right sliding rails  100 , respectively. Each of the sliding rails  100  includes a fixed guiding rail  101  and a movable guiding rail  102  which are elongated in the front-rear direction. The fixed guiding rail  101  is fixed to the lower part of the inner side surface of the outer casing  10 , and the movable rail  102  is fixed to a surface of the holding plate  80 , which is opposed to the inner side surface of the outer casing  10 . A roller (not shown) is provided inside the fixed guiding rail  101 , and the movable rail  102  is transmitted by the roller so as to move in the front-rear direction within the fixed guiding rail  101 . As a result, the holding plate  80  fixed to the movable rail  102  smoothly moves in the front-rear direction together with the washing tub  20  and the door portion  90 . 
     The fully automatic washing machine  1  performs a washing operation of various operation modes. During the washing operation, a washing process, an intermediate dewatering process, a rinsing process and a final dewatering process are sequentially executed. 
     In the washing process and the rinsing process, the pulsator  28  rotates rightward and leftward while water is stored in the washing/dewatering tub  22 . A water flow is generated in the washing/dewatering tub  22  by the rotation of the pulsator  28 . In the washing process, the washings are washed by the water flow generated and detergent contained in the water. In the rinsing process, the washings are rinsed by the water flow generated. 
     In the intermediate dewatering process and the final dewatering process, the washing/dewatering tub  22  and the pulsator  28  rotate integrally at a high speed. The washings are dewatered by the centrifugal force generated in the washing/dewatering tub  22 . 
     Next, detailed configurations of the hanger bracket  60  and the connecter  70  will be described. 
       FIGS. 4( a ) to 4( c )  illustrate configurations of the hanger bracket  60  and the connecter  70 .  FIG. 4( a )  is a perspective view of the right front hanger bracket  60  and the right front connecter  70  as viewed from the rear, and  FIG. 4( b )  is a front sectional view of the hanger bracket  60  and the connecter  70  cut at the center in the front-rear direction.  FIG. 4( c )  is a side sectional view of the vibration isolating device  500  provided in the connecter  70 . In  FIGS. 4( a )  and  4 ( b ), the hanger bracket mounting portion  26  at the front right of the outer tub  21  is drawn, and the other portions of the outer tub  21  are not shown. 
     The hanger bracket  60  includes a damper portion  200  and a spring portion  300 . The damper portion  200  includes a damper  210 , an upper attachment portion  220 , and a lower attachment portion  230 . 
     The damper  210  includes a cylinder  211 , a piston rod  212 , and an upper rod  213 . Oil is enclosed in the cylinder  211 . The piston rod  212  has a piston (not shown) at its upper end. When the piston rod  212  moves up and down, the piston moves up and down in the cylinder  211  and slides on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder  211 . The upper rod  213  is provided integrally with the cylinder  211  at the upper end of the cylinder  211 . Although the damper  210  is a hydraulic damper in which the oil is enclosed in the cylinder  211  in the present embodiment, the damper  210  may be an air damper in which the air is enclosed in the cylinder  211 . 
     The upper attachment portion  220  includes a first upper buffer body  221 , a second upper buffer body  222 , and an upper attachment plate  223 . The first upper buffer body  221  and the second upper buffer body  222  have a substantially cylindrical shape, and are formed of an elastic material such as rubber. The first upper buffer body  221  and the second upper buffer body  222  are fixed to the upper attachment plate  223  from above and below to sandwich the upper attachment plate  223  between the first upper buffer body  221  and the second upper buffer body  222 . The upper rod  213  is fixed to the upper attachment plate  223  via the first upper buffer body  221  and the second upper buffer body  222 . 
     The lower attachment portion  230  includes a first lower buffer body  231 , a second lower buffer body  232 , and a lower attachment plate  233 . The first lower buffer body  231  and the second lower buffer body  232  have a substantially cylindrical shape, and are formed of an elastic material such as rubber. The first lower buffer body  231  and the second lower buffer body  232  are fixed to the lower attachment plate  233  from above and below to sandwich the lower attachment plate  233  between the first lower buffer body  231  and the second lower buffer body  232 . The lower end of the piston rod  212  is fixed to the lower attachment plate  233  via the first lower buffer body  231  and the second lower buffer body  232 . 
     The spring portion  300  includes a coil spring  301 , an upper receiving portion  302 , and a lower receiving portion  303 . The upper receiving portion  302  is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder  211  to receive the upper end of the coil spring  301 . The lower receiving portion  303  is fixed to the piston rod  212  at the upper end of the lower attachment portion  230  to receive the lower end of the coil spring  301 . 
     The connecter  70  includes a mounting base  400  and the vibration isolating device  500 . The mounting base  400  is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat vertically, and has a cylindrical receiving hole  401  in the center thereof. 
     The vibration isolating device  500  includes a slider  510  and a guiding rail  520 . The vibration isolating device  500  corresponds to a vibration absorber of the present disclosure, the slider  510  corresponds to a moving body of the present disclosure, and the guiding rail  520  corresponds to a moving path of the present disclosure. 
     The slider  510  is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat vertically. The slider  510  has a groove  511 , which has a rectangular cross section and extends in the front-rear direction, at the center of the lower surface of the slider  510 . The mounting base  400  is fixed to the upper surface of the slider  510  by a screw  402 . At four positions in the vicinity of the groove  511  in the slider  510 , four balls  512  are rotatably arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. A part of the balls  512  are exposed into the groove  511 . 
     The guiding rail  520  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the front-rear direction. The dimension of the guiding rail  520  in the front-rear direction is longer than that of the slider  510 . The guiding rail  520  is fixed to the upper surface of the holding plate  80  by a screw  521 . 
     When the groove  511  of the slider  510  is fitted into the guiding rail  520 , the four balls  512  abut against the left/right side surfaces and the upper surface of the guiding rail  520 . As a result, when the slider  510  moves on the guiding rail  520  in the front-rear direction, the balls  512  in contact with the guiding rail  520  roll, so that frictional force between the slider  510  and the guiding rail  520  becomes small. It is noted that the frictional force between the slider  510  and the guiding rail  520  is set to be smaller than the frictional force generated between the movable guiding rail  102  and the fixed guiding rail  101  when the movable guiding rail  102  moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the fixed guiding rail  101 . Further, since the guiding rail  520  is fitted into the groove  511 , the slider  510  is guided in the front-rear direction by the guiding rail  520  and cannot move in the left-right direction. 
     The upper end of the hanger bracket  60  is fixed to the hanger bracket mounting portion  26  by fastening the upper attachment plate  223  to the lower surface of the hanger bracket attachment portion  26  via screws  240 . A cylindrical receiving hole  26   a  is formed in the hanger bracket mounting portion  26 , and the upper portion of the upper attachment portion  220  is accommodated in the receiving hole  26   a . The lower end of the hanger bracket  60  is fixed to the connecter  70  by fastening the lower attachment plate  233  to the upper surface of the attachment base  400  via screws  250 . At this time, the lower portion of the lower attachment portion  230  is accommodated in the receiving hole  401  of the mounting base  400 . 
     The hanger bracket  60  resiliently supports the washing tub  20  by the spring portion  300 , and attenuates the vibration of the spring portion  300  by the damper portion  200 . In the dewatering process, although the washing tub  20  vibrates in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction and the up-down direction due to the bias of the washings in the washing/dewatering tub  22 , etc., such vibrations of the washing tub  20  are absorbed by the hanger bracket  60 . However, vibrations cannot be absorbed completely by the hanger bracket  60 , and some vibrations are transferred to the connecter  70  via the hanger bracket  60 . 
     As described above, the vibration isolating device  500  is provided in the connecter  70 , so that vibrations transferred to the connecter  70  in the front-rear direction are absorbed as the slider  510  moves in the front-rear direction on the guiding rail  520  due to the vibrations. As a result, the vibrations in the front-rear direction are prevented from being transferred to the holding plate  80 . Here, the frictional force between the slider  510  and the guiding rail  520  is smaller than the frictional force between the movable guiding rail  102  and the fixed guiding rail  101  of the sliding guiding rail  100 , thus the slider  510  moves more easily in the front-rear direction compared to the movable guiding rail  102 . As a result, the vibrations that are absorbed by the vibration isolating device  500  and then transferred to the holding plate  80  become a force with which the movable guiding rail  102  cannot be moved. Therefore, no matter whether the holding plate  80  is attached to the sliding guiding rail  100 , the holding plate  80  hardly vibrates in the front-rear direction as the washing tub  20  vibrates. In this way, in the fully automatic washing machine  1 , the case where minute collisions occur repeatedly between the door portion  90  fixed to the holding plate  80  and the peripheral edge of the entrance  11  of the outer casing  10  due to the vibration of the washing tub  20  is avoided. 
     Effect of the Embodiment 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vibration isolating device  500  provided in the connecter  70  prevents the vibration in the front-rear direction of the washing tub  20  from being transferred to the holding plate  80  through the hanger bracket  60 . Therefore, vibrations of the holding plate  80 , which easily moves by the sliding guiding rail  100 , in the front-rear direction can be suppressed. This makes it possible to prevent repeated collisions between the door portion  90  and the outer casing  10  due to the vibration of the washing tub  20 , and it is possible to suppress occurrences of noises and damages to the door portion  90 . 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the vibration isolating device  500  includes the guiding rail  520  and the slider  510  that moves on the guiding rail  520  in the front-rear direction, and the frictional force between the slider  510  and the guiding rail  520  is smaller than the frictional force between the movable guiding rail  102  and the fixed guiding rail  101 . Therefore, the slider  510  is more easily to move in the front-rear direction than the movable guiding rail  102 , thereby effectively suppressing vibrations in the front-rear direction of the holding plate  80  by the vibration isolating device  500 . 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the vibration isolating device  500  is configured such that the slider  510  is guided by the guiding rail  520  and does move in the left-right direction. Therefore, the washing tub  20  does not vibrates more dramatically in the left-right direction than in the front-rear direction, and the size of the outer casing  10  in the left-right direction will not be too large. 
     Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited by the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than the above are also applicable to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     &lt;Modification I&gt; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view illustrating main parts of the configuration of a fully automatic washing machine  1  according to modification I. It is noted that illustration of the hanger bracket  60  and the connecter  70  are omitted in  FIG. 5 . 
     In the above embodiment, the door portion  90  is directly attached to the front ends of the left and right holding plates  80  via the metal mounting member  81 . In contrast, in this modification I, the door portion  90  is fixed to the left and right holding plates  80  via a buffer member  110  formed of an elastic material such as rubber. More specifically, in the case that the buffer member  110  is sandwiched between the front surface of the metal mounting member  81  fixed to the holding plates  80  and the rear surface of the door portion  90 , the metal mounting member  81  and the door portion  90  are fixed together via a stepped screw  120 . 
     With such a configuration, vibrations of the holding plate  80  can be absorbed by the buffer member  110 , so that vibrations are hardly to be transferred to the door portion  90 , and the minute collisions between the door portion  90  and the peripheral edge of the entrance  11  of the outer casing  10  are less likely to occur. 
     Furthermore, in this modification, a buffer member  130  formed of an elastic member such as rubber is provided between the rear surface of the door portion  90  and the peripheral portion of the entrance  11  on the front surface of the outer casing  10 . 
     With such a configuration, even if a slight collision occurs between the door portion  90  and the peripheral edge of the entrance  11  of the outer casing  10 , the impact on the door portion  90  and the outer casing  10  is remitted by the buffer member  130 , so that noises and damages are less likely to occur. 
     OTHER MODIFICATIONS 
     In the above embodiment, the washing tub  20  is held by the left and right holding plates  80 . However, a holding portion for holding the washing tub  20  is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6( a ) , a structure, in which four holding plates  80 A are provided (i.e., a left front holding plate, a left rear holding plate, a right front holding plate and a right rear holding plate) and the movable guiding rail  102  on the left side is attached at the two holding plates  80 A on the left side (i.e., the left front holding plate and the left rear holding plate), is adopted. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6( b ) , a structure, in which one holding plate  80 B is provided and the left and right movable guiding rails  102  are attached at the left and right sides of the holding plate  80 B respectively, is adopted. Further, as the holding portion, as shown in  FIG. 6( c ) , a structure in which an open top cabinet  80 C is provided and the movable rail  102  is attached to the lower portion of the left and right side surfaces of the cabinet  80 C, can also be adopted. 
     Further, in the above embodiment, the vibration isolating device  500  is composed of the slider  510  and the guiding rail  520 . However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. As shown in  FIG. 7 , in the vibration isolating device  500 , a moving block  530  having a roller  531  is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting base  400 , and the moving block  530  moves on a groove-shaped guiding rail  540  in the front-rear direction. In this case, the frictional force between the roller  531  and the guiding rail  540  is smaller than the frictional force generated between the movable guiding rail  102  and the fixed guiding rail  101  as the movable guiding rail  102  moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the fixed guiding rail  101 . 
     Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sliding guiding rail  100  including the fixed guiding rail  101  and the movable guiding rail  102  is used to make the holding plate  80  for holding the washing tub  20  move in the front-rear direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the sliding mechanism also can use the following structure: rollers are provided at the lower portions of the left and right inner side surfaces of the outer casing  10 , and the rollers contact with the guiding rail provided on the bottom surfaces of the left and right holding plates  80  and rotate. As a result, the guiding rail is transported in the front-rear direction. 
     Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the hanger bracket  60  is constituted by the damper portion  200  and the spring portion  300 . However, the hanger bracket  60  may be constituted only by the damper portion  200  or the spring portion  300 . 
     Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the fully automatic washing machine  1  has been illustrated, but the present disclosure can also be applied to a fully automatic washing/drying machine having a drying function in addition to the washing function. 
     Further, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.