Electricity: magnetically operated switches – magnets – and electr – Electromagnetically actuated switches – Contact-actuating means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-29
2003-08-05
Barrera, Ramon M. (Department: 3627)
Electricity: magnetically operated switches, magnets, and electr
Electromagnetically actuated switches
Contact-actuating means
C335S185000, C070S277000, C070S278700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06603377
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door lock switch assembly in a drum type washing machine, and more particularly, to a door lock switch assembly which has a simple structure and an improved operation reliability in locking and unlocking a door.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, the drum type washing machine washes laundry by using friction between a drum rotated by a driving force from a motor and laundry under a state detergent, washing water, and the laundry are introduced in the drum. The drum type washing machine has advantages in that the laundry is almost not involved in damage and tangling between the laundry, and in that washing effects obtainable by beating and rubbing the laundry can be provided.
A related art drum type washing machine will be explained with reference to FIGS.
1
~
5
.
FIG. 1
illustrates an outside view of a related art drum type washing machine. Referring to
FIG. 1
, a tub, a water storage tank, is provided inside of a body
13
, and a drum
14
is fixed at a center of the tub to be rotated by the driving motor. The drum type washing machine has a door at the front of the body
13
, for introducing and taking out the laundry. And, since the detergent, washing water and laundry will gush out of the door
15
to make a floor dirty if the door
15
is opened in the middle of washing unintentionally, the related art drum type washing machine has a door lock for preventing the unintentional opening of the door
15
before it happens. The door lock has a door lock switch assembly on an inside of a front side of the body
13
, and a latch
16
at a front end of an opposite side of a hinge of the door
15
.
Meanwhile, as shown in
FIG. 2
to
FIG. 5
, the related art door lock switch assembly is provided with a switch case
100
, a switch cover
200
fitted to the switch case
100
, a latch holder
300
, a slide
400
, a solenoid assembly, a switching terminal, and an operating lever
17
. The latch holder
300
is rotatably fitted to the front of the switch case
100
to exert a restoring force in door unlocking direction, wherein a left side on the drawing is referred to the front and a right side thereon is referred to the rear in
FIG. 2
to
FIG. 4
c.
The slide
400
is fitted to the rear of the latch holder
300
in a state tilted at an angle to enable forward and backward movement perpendicular to an axis direction of the latch holder
300
. The solenoid assembly has a plunger
6
press fitted inside of a clamp part
100
a
in a central portion of the switch case
100
for being drawn into a solenoid
5
to retract the slide
400
in a right direction on the drawing when the solenoid
5
is turned on. The solenoid assembly further has a compression spring
7
fitted to an outer circumference of the plunger
6
to push the plunger forward. The switching terminal has ‘
’ or ‘
’ shape, and is fitted to the rear of the switch cover
200
to place a contact point at a side of the solenoid assembly. The operating lever
17
is hinge-coupled to a lower side of the switch cover
200
to unlock the door by manual backward moving of the slide
400
.
The slide
400
has a plurality of stoppers (i.e., a first stopper
400
a,
a second stopper
400
b
and a third stopper
400
c
) at its sloped front, for arresting the latch holder
300
to prevent the latch holder
300
from returning to its original position when the door is locked. The latch holder
300
has a plurality of projections (i.e., a first projection
300
a.
a second projection
300
b.
and a third projection
300
c
) at its front end, for positioning the stoppers when the door is locked, respectively. The latch holder
300
has slots
300
d
and
300
e
between the first projection
300
a
and the third projection
300
c
of the front end of the latch holder
300
, for avoiding, interference with the second stopper
400
b
and the third stopper
400
c
on the slide
400
when the latch holder
300
is rotated by a pushing force of the latch
16
as the door
15
is closed, and a slot
300
f
below the second projection
300
b
just below the upper slot
300
d
(an upper part on the drawing is referred to as an upper direction) for fitting to the second stopper
400
b
on the slide
400
when the door is locked. The latch holder
300
also has a sloped projection
300
g
at a top of the front end thereof, for pushing the slide
400
upward to tilt the slide
400
in a horizontal direction, to open a contact point of the switch in a door opening, and the slide
400
has a sloped projection
400
e
at a top of the first stopper
400
a
as a unit with the first stopper
400
a,
for being pushed by the sloped projection
300
g
on the latch holder
300
in an door opening, to tilt the slide
400
in the horizontal direction. That is to say, the latch holder
300
is provided with the sloped projection
300
g
, the first projection
300
a,
the upper slot
300
d,
the second projection
300
b
with the slot
300
f
, the lower slot
300
e
, and the third projection
300
c
formed at the front end thereof from the top to the bottom, and the slide
400
is provided with the sloped projection
400
e
, the first stopper
400
a,
the second stopper
400
b
, and the third stopper
400
b
formed at the front end thereof from the top to the bottom.
Meanwhile, there is a compression spring
18
between one point of an upper sidewall
400
f
of the slide
400
and one point at the rear of the switch case
100
higher than the one point of the upper sidewall
400
f
, for pressing the upper sidewall
400
f
of the slide
400
downward on the drawing when the slide
400
moves forward in a door locking to bring the slide
400
into a horizontal posture. The slide
400
also has a pad
400
g
below the upper sidewall
400
f
of the slide
400
, for pushing a movable contact
800
to isolate from a fixed contact
900
as the slide
400
is tilted when the door lock is released.
The operating lever
17
has a knob
170
for latching a strap
12
, a plurality of resilient pieces
171
, and a push rod
173
. When the strap
12
is pulled, the plurality of resilient pieces
171
are deformed as the resilient pieces are brought into contact with an outer surface of the switch case
100
. If a force pulling the strap
12
is removed, the resilient pieces
171
return the operating lever
17
to its original position. As the resilient pieces
171
are deformed by the force applied to the strap
12
, the push rod
173
rotates around a hinge shaft
172
and pushes one side of the slide
400
to the rear.
The operation of the aforementioned related art door lock switch assembly will be described. First, a door locking operation from a state the door
15
is opened will be described with reference to
FIG. 1
to
FIG. 2
b.
In the door opened state as shown in
FIG. 1
, the door lock switch assembly is in a state as shown in
FIG. 2
a
. That is to say, in the door opened state, the slide
400
is pushed upward by the sloped projection
300
g
at the top of the front end of the latch holder
300
, so that the slide
400
is in a state tilted at an angle &thgr; with respect to the horizontal direction as shown in
FIG. 2
a
. In the state the door is opened thus, if the door is closed by rotating the door around the hinge shaft, the latch
16
at the front end of the door pushes the latch holder
300
, so that the latch holder
300
is rotated around the hinge shaft
210
as a torsion spring
19
is deformed, elastically. As the latch holder
300
rotates thus, the sloped projection
300
g
at the top of the front end of the latch holder
300
slides along a surface of the sloped projection
400
e
of the slide
400
. In this instance, as the sloped projection
300
g
leaves away from the sloped projection
400
e
gradually, the slide
400
moves in a direction the slide
400
takes a horizontal posture as the compression spring
7
pushes the upper sidewall
400
f
of the slide
400
. At the same time, the second stopper
400
b
and the third stopper
400
b
pro
Cho Ki Chul
Choi Seung Bong
Barrera Ramon M.
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
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