Abstract:
A drum type washing machine is provided. The washing machine may include a tub fixed to a cabinet, a drum rotatably provided in the drum, a motor rotating the drum, bearings provided in a bearing housing to support a rotation shaft connecting the motor to the drum, and a suspension coupled between the bearing housings and the cabinet to mitigate vibration generated as the drum rotates. A bracket may be coupled to a rear side of the bearing housing to form a rear end of the tub, and a gasket may be installed between the bracket and the tub to form a seal therebetween and prevent transmission of vibration from the bracket to the tub. This arrangement may allow for an increased capacity drum within a fixed volume cabinet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/940,096 filed Nov. 5, 2010, which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/198,269 filed Aug. 26, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,434,334 which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/165,332 filed Jun. 24, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,326 which claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2004-56258, filed Jul. 20, 2004, which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine, and more particularly, to a drum type washing machine in which a tub is directly connected to a cabinet, and a drum in the tub and a motor for rotating the drum are supported in the cabinet by a suspension, and a bearing housing structure thereof. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     A conventional drum type washing machine, as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a rectangular box-shaped cabinet  1 , in which a door  2  is installed to the front side thereof, a tub  3  disposed in the cabinet in the horizontal direction to accommodate washing water, a spring  5  and a damper  6  for supporting the tub  3  in the cabinet  1  and for buffering shock, a drum  8  rotatably installed in the tub  3  for washing laundry, and a motor  10  installed at the rear side of the tub  3  to rotate the drum  8 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , reference numeral  21  is assigned to a gasket for preventing the washing water from leaking between the cabinet and the tub, and reference numerals  23  and  25  are assigned to a water supply and a drain device, respectively. 
       FIG. 2  is a partially sectional perspective view of the portion “A” in  FIG. 1 , and illustrates a structure in which the motor  10  is installed at the rear sides of the drum and the tub  3 . 
     Between the motor  10  and the drum  8 , a rotation shaft  12  for transmitting rotary power is installed to connect the motor  10  with the drum  8 , and the drum  10  includes a hub  13  installed at the rear side thereof, to which the rotation shaft  12  is connected. 
     The tub  3  includes a bearing housing  14 , installed at the rear side of the tub  3 , through which the rotation shaft  12  penetrates, and a bearing  15  for supporting the rotation shaft  12  is installed in the bearing housing  14 . 
     Here, the bearing housing  14  is made of steel or aluminum, such that stiffness sufficient to support the rotation shaft  12  can be maintained, and is fixed to the rear side of the tub  3  via insert molding. The bearing  15  is fixed in the bearing housing  14  by being compulsorily tightly fitted against the bearing housing  14 . 
     The motor  10  is an abduction motor in which a stator  10 S is positioned at the center of the motor  10  and a rotor  10   r  is positioned around the stator  10 S, wherein the stator  10 S is assembled with and fixed to the bearing housing  14  by bolts  17  and the rotor  10 R is fixed to the end of the rotation shaft  12 . 
     However, in the conventional drum type washing machine as described above, since the drum  8  and the motor  10  are supported by the tub  3 , the tub  3  is supported in the cabinet  1  by the spring  5  and the damper  6 , a predetermined space between the cabinet  1  and the tub  3  is required. Thus, there is also a limit to increase the size of the drum  8  performing washing process in the cabinet  1  with a predetermined volume. 
     Moreover, in the conventional drum type washing machine, since the drum  8 , the bearing  15 , and the motor  10  are vibrated together with the tub  3 , reaction force is generated by the bearing in proportion to the vibration, and a metal bearing housing  14  is fixed to the tub  3  via insert molding to securely fix the bearing  15  to the tub  3 . 
     However, since sizes of the tub  3  and the bearing housing  14  must be changed when volume of the conventional drum type washing machine is changed, the tub  3  and the bearing housing  14  cannot be used in common, and a tub  3  and a bearing housing  14  with different sizes must be manufactured. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above and/or other problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a drum type washing machine in which a tub is directly installed in a cabinet and vibration elements such as a drum and a motor are directly supported in the cabinet by a suspension such that there is no need for a separate clearance between the cabinet and the tub, causing an increase in the size of the drum to maximize volume of the drum type washing machine. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a drum type washing machine in which defective parts are conveniently repaired or replaced when a tub or a bearing housing malfunctions, by installing the bearing housing separately from the tub without fixing the bearing housing to the tub by the insert-molding, and only one of the tub and the bearing housing, which is not applicable to the drum type washing machine having the changed washing capacity, is selectively replaced. Thus parts can commonly used in various drum type washing machine having different volume. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the above and other aspects can be accomplished by the provision of drum type washing machine including a tub installed in a cabinet, a drum, disposed in the tub, in which washing is performed, a motor disposed at the rear side of the tub to rotate the drum, bearing housings disposed between the drum and the motor and respectively having bearings to support a rotation shaft, a suspension connected to the bearing housings and the cabinet to mitigate vibration generated during the rotation of the drum, a bracket installed to the front sides of the bearing housings to form the rear side of the tub, and a gasket installed between the bracket and the tub to seal the tub and to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the bracket, to the tub. 
     Preferably, the tub is fixed to the cabinet such that the front side of the tub is attached to the inner surface of the cabinet. 
     The bearing housings includes a main bearing housing fixed to the bracket, and a sub-bearing housing, coupled to the rear side of the main bearing housing, to which a stator of the motor is fixed. 
     The main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing are convex in opposite directions such that the central portions of the main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing, through which the rotation shaft penetrates, are spaced apart from each other. 
     The main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing are made of pressed metal plates. 
     The main bearing housing has a semi-circular upper side higher than a part through which the rotation shaft penetrates, and a rectangular lower side lower than the part through which the rotation shaft penetrates. 
     Preferably, the sub-bearing housing is circular. 
     The suspension is connected to the main bearing housing. 
     The bracket includes a seal member, installed at the intermediate portion thereof, for preventing washing water from leaking between the bracket and the rotation shaft. 
     The another object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of a structure of bearing housings ( 76  and  78 ) of a drum type washing machine including a rotation shaft penetrating through a tub to connect a drum and a motor for driving the drum, a main bearing housing fixed to a portion for forming the rear side of the tub to support a rotation shaft of the motor, a sub-bearing housing coupled with the rear side of the main bearing housing to support the rotation shaft. 
     The main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing are convex in opposite directions such that the central portions of the main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing, through which the rotation shaft penetrates, are spaced apart from each other. 
     Preferably, the main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing are made of pressed metal plates. 
     The bearing housings are supported on a cabinet forming the outer appearance of the drum type washing machine by a suspension to mitigate vibration generated during rotation of the drum. 
     The another object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of a drum type washing machine including a tub directly fixed in a cabinet, a drum, disposed in the tub, in which washing is performed, a motor disposed at the rear side of the tub to rotate the drum, a main bearing housing fixed to a portion for forming the rear side of the tub to support a rotation shaft of the motor, a sub-bearing housing coupled with the rear side of the main bearing housing to support the rotation shaft, and a suspension connected to the main bearing housing and the cabinet to mitigate vibration generated during the rotation of the drum. 
     Moreover, in the drum type washing machine according to the present invention, since the bearing housing is separated from the tub instead of being fixed to the tub by the insert molding, when one of the tub and the bearing housing malfunctions, only the malfunctioning component must be replaced. According to the present invention, when either the tub or the bearing housing of a drum type washing machine malfunctions, the malfunctioning component may be replaced using a drum or bearing housing designed for a drum type machine of a different volume. Thus, the parts are interchangeable among drum type washing machines with different volumes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional elevation view illustrating an inner structure of a conventional drum type washing machine; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially sectional perspective view of a portion “A” in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional elevation view illustrating an inner structure of a drum type washing machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a partially sectional perspective view illustrating main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a rear side view of a bearing housing installed in the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the drum type washing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Although several embodiments of the drum type washing machines are possible according to the present invention, hereinafter, only the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
       FIGS. 3 to 6  are views illustrating the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  FIG. 3  is a sectional elevation view illustrating an inner structure of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 4  is a partially sectional perspective view illustrating main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 6  is a rear side view of a bearing housing. 
     The drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a rectangular box-shaped cabinet  50  and a tub  55  directly connected to and installed in the cabinet  50  to accommodate washing water. In other words, although, in the conventional drum type washing machine, a tub is connected to a cabinet by a spring and a damper, but in the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tub  55  is directly fixed to the cabinet  50  without need for a damper. 
     As such, a drum  60 , in which the tub  55  is directly installed and the laundry is washed, and vibration elements, such as a motor  66  for rotating the drum  60 , are supported in the cabinet  50  by a suspension  90 , such that vibration generated when the drum  60  is rotated can be reduced. 
     Especially, the drum  60  is connected to the motor  66  by a rotation shaft  69  and is rotated by the motor  66 . Between the drum  60  and the motor  66 , a bearing housing  75  including bearings  71  and  72  for supporting the rotation shaft  69 , is installed. The suspension  90  is connected to the bearing housing  75  such that the vibration elements, such as the drum  60 , the motor  66 , and the like, are supported in the cabinet  50  by the bearing housing  75 . 
     In front of the bearing housing  75 , a bracket  80  is provided to form the rear side of the tub  55 , and a gasket  85  installed between the bracket  80  and the rear portion of the tub  55  is installed to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the vibration elements to the tub  55  and to prevent water accommodated in the tub  55  from leaking. 
     Main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, structured as described above, will be described as follows. 
     Preferably, the cabinet  50  takes the shape of a rectangular container like that of the conventional drum type washing machine, and has a door  52  installed at the front side thereof to open and close the tub  55 . 
     The tub  55  includes a tub main body  56  directly fixed to the front side of the cabinet  50 , with fastening protrusions  55   a  formed on the axial end wall of the tub  55  being coupled with fastening hooks  50   a  formed at the inner surface of the cabinet  50  by fasteners  25 . A ring-shaped tub cover  57 , which is installed at the rear side of the tub main body  56  and includes an intermediate part where the bracket  80  and the rear gasket  85  are positioned. 
     The drum  60  is supported, by connecting the rear part of the drum  60  to the rotation shaft  69 , and has a hub  65  to which the rotation shaft  69  is connected. The drum  60  includes a plurality of lifts  63  installed at the inner side thereof to raise and release the laundry in the drum  60 . The drum  60  further includes balancers  61  and  62  installed at the front and rear sides of the drum  60  to balance the drum  60  during the rotation of the drum  60 . 
     The motor  66  is an abduction motor and is mounted at the rear side of the bearing housing  75  such that a stator  67  is coupled with the bearing housing  75  by bolts and a rotor  68  is coupled with the rotation shaft  69  by bolts. 
     Especially, the bearing housing  75 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , includes a main bearing housing  76  in which the bracket  80  is fixed, and a sub-bearing housing  78  smaller than the main bearing housing  76  and coupled with the rear side of the main bearing housing  76  by bolts, in which the motor  66  is fixed. 
     Here, the main bearing housing  76  has a semi-circular upper side higher than a part through which the rotation shaft  69  penetrates, and a rectangular lower side lower than the part through which the rotation shaft  69  penetrates such that damper brackets  91  and  92  of the suspension  90  are connected to the lower side. 
     The circular sub-bearing housing  78  is similar in size to the stator  67  of the motor  66 . 
     The main bearing housing  76  and the sub-bearing housing  78  are convex in opposite directions to form a predetermined space therebetween. Thus, since the central portions of the bearing housings  76  and  78 , through which the rotation shaft  69  penetrates, are spaced apart from each other, the two bearings  71  and  72 , which are tightly fitted against the central portions of the bearing housings  76  and  78 , are fixed at a predetermined distance. Moreover, the bracket  80  and the stator  67  of the motor  66  closely contact and are fixed to the convex portions  76   a  and  78   a  of the bearing housings  76  and  78  by bolts, respectively. 
     The bearing housing  75  is preferably manufactured by drawing the convex portions  76   a  and  78   a  using a steel plate press. 
     Next, the bracket  80  is made of non-oxidizable synthetic resin and prevents water from entering the bearing housing  75  through the front side of the bearing housing  75 . The bracket  80  includes a water seal  83 , installed at the intermediate portion thereof and serving as a seal member, for preventing washing water from leaking between the bracket  80  and the rotation shaft  69 . 
     The bracket  80  includes a plurality of radial shaped or lattice-shaped ribs  81  to reinforce the bracket  80  and bolt holes  82  to couple the bracket  80  to the bearing housing  75  using bolts. 
     In  FIG. 6 , reference numeral  75   a  is assigned to bolt holes, communicated from the bolt hole of the main bearing housing  76  and the sub-bearing housing  78  to bolt holes  82  of the bracket  80 , through which bolts are fastened, and reference numeral  75   b  is assigned to bolt holes to couple the stator  67  using bolts, and reference numeral  75   c  is assigned to couple damper brackets  91  and  92  using bolts. 
     Meanwhile, in the suspension  90 , dampers  93  and  95  are installed between the damper brackets  91  and  92  connected to the main bearing housing  76  and a base of the cabinet  50 , in which a main damper  93 , positioned between the damper bracket  91  and the damper  95  as seen in  FIG. 3 , between the damper brackets  91  and  92  and the base of the cabinet  50 , is installed at an angle, and sub-dampers  95 , positioned at both sides of the main damper  93 , are vertically installed to absorb vibration generated by the vibration elements. 
     Operation of the drum type washing machine having the structure as described above according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. 
     According to the drum type washing machine in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the tub  55  is directly installed to the cabinet  50 , the size of the tub  55  can be increased when the cabinet  50  has the same volume as that of the cabinet in the conventional drum type washing machine. Thus, since the drum  60  installed in the tub  55  can also be relatively increased in size, the washing capacity of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be increased without increase of the size of the cabinet  50 . 
     The assembly of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with respect to the bearing housing  75  as follows. First, the main bearing housing and the sub-bearing housing  78 , in which the bearings  71  and  72  are respectively installed, contact each other and are assembled by bolts. 
     The bracket  80 , in which the water seal  83  is installed, is coupled with the front side of the assembly of the main bearing housing  76  by bolts, and the stator  67  of the motor  66  is coupled with the rear side of the sub-bearing housing  78  by bolts. 
     As such, after assembling the bracket  80 , the bearing housing  75 , and the stator  67 , the rotation shaft  69  connected to the hub  62  of the drum  60  penetrates the water seal  83  of the bracket  80 , the bearings  71  and  72  of the bearing housing  75 , and the stator  67 , and then the rotor  68  is coupled with an end of the penetrating rotation shaft  69 . 
     Meanwhile, after the suspension  90  is connected to the bearing housing  75 , the drum  60  is inserted into the rear side of the tub  55  directly fixed to the cabinet  50  and the suspension  90  is fixed to the base of the cabinet  50 , so that the bracket  80 , the bearing housing  75 , and the motor  66 , which are coupled with the drum  60 , are installed in the cabinet  50 . 
     Subsequently, the tub  55  and the bracket  80  are connected to each other via the gasket  85  so that assembly of the main parts of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is completed. 
     In the assembly of the drum type washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention as described above, since the bearing housing  75  is not installed to the tub by insert-molding, but can be separated from the tub, the bearing housing  75  can be installed in a drum type washing machine having a difference volume. 
     Moreover, since the bracket  80  is made of synthetic resin including plastic and is installed to the front side of the metal bearing housing  75  such that the bracket  80  and the gasket  85  form the rear side of the tub  55 , the bearing housing  75  is not easily eroded due to water even after extended use. Since the water seal  83  is installed at the intermediate portion of the bracket  80 , water is prevented from leaking so that the bearings  71  and  72  and the bearing housing  75  are prevented from being damaged. 
     As described above, according to the drum type washing machine of the present invention, since the tub is directly installed to the cabinet and the vibration elements, such as the drum, the motor, and the like, are supported on the cabinet by the suspension, volumes of the tub and the drum can be easily increased and the tub and the drum having the increased volumes can be installed in the cabinet without increasing the volume of the cabinet. 
     Moreover, in the drum type washing machine according to the present invention, since the bearing housing is separated from the tub instead of being fixed to the tub by the insert molding, when one of the tub and the bearing housing malfunctions, only the malfunctioning component must be replaced. According to the present invention, when either the tub or the bearing housing of a drum type washing machine malfunctions, the malfunctioning component may be replaced using a drum or bearing housing designed for a drum type machine of a different volume. Thus, the parts are interchangeable among drum type washing machines with different volumes. 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 
     The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Korean Application No. 10-2004-0056258, filed on Jul. 20, 2004, the contents of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.