Hydraulic Bushing For A Top Load Washing Machine

The present disclosure relates generally to laundry appliances and more particularly to a hydraulic bushing that limits travel of a wash unit tub/hung mass inside a cabinet of a top load/vertical axis washing machine.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Laundry appliances (i.e., laundry and/or washing machines) are prolific in both residential and commercial settings, where they are used to clean laundry, such as clothes, towels, and bedding.

Many laundry appliances, such as laundry and/or washing machines, have a top-load configuration, where the washing machine includes an appliance housing with a top appliance opening that is accessed by a top-mounted appliance door. Such laundry appliances typically have a wash unit tub that is hung within the appliance housing by multiple suspension rods, which allow the wash unit tub to move and oscillate to some degree inside the appliance housing. As a result, the wash unit tub is sometimes referred to as the “hung mass” of the laundry appliance. A drum is positioned inside the wash unit tub and is rotatable with respect to both wash unit tub and the appliance housing about a vertical axis of rotation. As a result, laundry appliances of this configuration are sometimes referred to as vertical axis washing machines.

A motor housed within the appliance housing rotates the drum. The drum typically has an upper drum end with a drum opening that provides access to a laundry compartment inside the drum and a lower drum end that is coupled to the motor. During wash cycles, a mixture of wash water and detergent is introduced into the laundry compartment as the drum rotates to clean the laundry located inside the laundry compartment. The degree to which the wash unit tub oscillates inside the appliance housing can increase when a heavy and/or uneven load of laundry is placed inside the laundry compartment. This degree of oscillation of the wash unit tub often transmits unwanted travel and/or vibration and/or noise from the wash unit tub to the appliance housing and thereby, generally, to the laundry appliance. As a result, solutions for eliminating or decreasing the unwanted travel, vibration, and/or noise during operation of laundry appliance is desirable.

This section provides a general summary of at least one enabling embodiment of the present disclosure and is not comprehensive of all aspects or configurations of the present disclosures that are within the full scope or all its features.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a suspension mount assembly for a laundry appliance is provided. The laundry appliance generally includes an appliance housing, a wash unit tub disposed inside the appliance housing, and a drum that is rotatably supported within the wash unit tub. In one aspect of the disclosure, the laundry appliance has a top-load configuration. Thus, the appliance housing includes an upper frame supporting an upper housing wall, a laundry compartment opening in the upper housing wall, and an appliance door that is pivotally mounted to the upper frame and/or upper housing wall to open and close the laundry compartment opening. The wash unit tub includes an upper tub end, a lower tub end, and a tub sidewall that extends between the upper and lower tub ends. The wash unit tub also includes a tub opening at the upper tub end, where the tub opening is aligned with the laundry compartment opening in the upper housing wall. The drum is rotatably supported within the wash unit tub for rotation about a substantially vertical axis. As such, the laundry appliance may generally be characterized as a vertical axis washing machine. It should therefore be appreciated that the drum includes a laundry compartment that is accessible through the laundry compartment opening in the upper housing wall.

The laundry appliance includes a plurality of suspension rod assemblies that extend between the upper frame of the appliance housing and the wash unit tub. The wash unit tub is hung from and supported by these suspension rod assemblies. Each suspension rod assembly includes a suspension rod that extends from an upper rod end to a lower rod end. A plurality of upper suspension mount assemblies pivotally couple upper rod ends of the suspension rods to the upper frame of the appliance housing. Each upper suspension mount assembly includes a socket that is disposed in the upper frame of the appliance housing, and a bushing. The upper rod end extends through the bushing and all or part of the bushing is received in the socket in the upper frame of the appliance housing. As a result, the bushing is positioned between the socket and the upper washer.

The bushing is made of a resilient material. As such, the bushing permits relative movement between the upper rod end and the socket in the upper frame of the appliance housing. The bushing is configured to reduce and dampen vibrations transmitted between the upper rod end and the upper frame of the appliance housing. It should be appreciated that rotation of the drum during operation of the laundry appliance (e.g., during wash and/or spin cycles) can cause the wash unit tub to vibrate or oscillate. These vibrations and/or oscillations can be particularly noticeable or severe when there is a heavy and/or unbalanced load of laundry inside the laundry compartment. Advantageously, the bushings of the present disclosure reduce and/or dampen the vibrations and oscillations that the suspension rods transmit from the wash unit tub to the appliance housing to reduce the amount of noise and vibration that is perceivable from outside the laundry appliance.

The bushing of the present disclosure has a hydraulic passageway that allows and facilitates fluid flow between two chambers disposed inside the bushing. The hydraulic passageway is open to a pumping chamber at a first hydraulic opening and is open to a compensation chamber at a second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passageway operates as a fluid mass channel that is configured to allow a mass of fluid to travel from the pumping chamber to the compensation chamber. The hydraulic passageway may extend between the first hydraulic opening and the second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passageway may have a diameter. The hydraulic passageway may extend helically, about a first axis, from the first hydraulic opening to the second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passageway may extend through a chamber dividing wall that is positioned between the pumping and compensation chambers. In addition, the hydraulic passageway may form a partial helix with an arc length that is more than 90 degrees and less than 360 degrees. The hydraulic passageway has a diameter and a length that may be configured to define a particular channel resonance frequency, which can be tuned for a specific laundry appliance to eliminate noise and vibration at specific frequencies. The hydraulic passageway has a diameter, a length, or an arc length, or a pitch that may be configured to define a channel resonance frequency.

During operation of the laundry appliance (e.g., during wash and/or spin cycles) the wash unit tub vibrates and oscillates. These vibrations and/or oscillations can be particularly noticeable or severe at a resonant frequency of the wash unit tub when there is a heavy and/or unbalanced load of laundry inside the laundry compartment. The resilience of the bushings reduce and dampens the vibrations transmitted between wash unit tub and the laundry appliance. Specifically, the undesirable vibration and/or oscillation of wash unit tub causes the one or more suspension rods to move in a vertical direction relative to the appliance housing, thereby transmitting compression forces to upper rod ends.

The vibrations and/or oscillations of wash unit tub transmits a frequency of forces to the bushings. When the forces applied to bushings are at or above a resonance frequency, the bushings become stiffer. At or above the resonance frequency, fluid flows through the hydraulic passageway from the pumping chamber to the compensation chamber, causing the stiffness of the bushing to increase. When forces are applied below the resonance frequency, the stiffness of the bushing remains relatively constant. Below the resonance frequency, fluid flow through the hydraulic passageway is delayed due to the helical configuration of the hydraulic passageway about the first axis.

A plurality of lower suspension mount assemblies couple the lower rod ends to the wash unit tub and more specifically to the tub sidewall. Each lower suspension mount assembly includes a lower suspension mount receptacle that is positioned along the tub sidewall and an upper spring seat that is positioned on the suspension rod. Exemplary lower suspension mount assemblies having lower bushings are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0212806, which is incorporated herein by reference.

It should be appreciated that the upper and lower suspension mount assemblies of the present disclosure may be incorporated into the laundry appliance separately or together on opposing ends of each suspension rod. In other words, the upper suspension mount assemblies described herein may be incorporated into a laundry appliance without inclusion of the lower suspension mount assemblies disclosed herein. Alternatively, the lower suspension mount assemblies described herein may be incorporated into a laundry appliance without inclusion of the upper suspension mount assemblies disclosed herein.

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, an exemplary laundry appliancehaving a hydraulic bushing that limits travel of a wash unit tub/hung mass inside a cabinet of a top load/vertical axis laundry appliance is disclosed.

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

For purposes of description herein the terms “up,” “down,” “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the orientations shown in.

The laundry applianceillustrated inhas a top-load configuration and includes an appliance housingthat is rectangular in shape. A top appliance door (not shown) may be pivotally connected to the laundry applianceto open and close a laundry compartment openingin the appliance housing. The laundry applianceincludes a wash unit tubthat is mounted inside the appliance housing. The wash unit tubis generally cylindrical in shape but does not rotate relative to the appliance housing. The wash unit tubis supported within the appliance housingby four suspension rod assembliesthat give the wash unit tuba limited degree of freedom, which allows the wash unit tubto move/oscillate relative to the appliance housingduring the wash and spin cycles of the laundry appliance. More details regarding the suspension rod assembliesis provided below. The wash unit tubincludes a tub openingthat leads to a tub cavityinside the wash unit tub.

A drumis positioned inside the tub cavityand is rotatably supported within the wash unit tubsuch that the drumis rotatable with respect to the wash unit tubabout an axis. Because the laundry appliancein the illustrated examples has a top-load configuration, it should be appreciated that the axisextends substantially vertically (i.e., at an angle that is 80-100 degrees from horizontal). As such, the laundry appliancemay generally be characterized as a vertical axis washing machine. The drumhas a top end, a bottom end (not shown), and a cylindrical shape. A drum openingat the top endof the drumprovides access to a laundry compartmentinside the drum. Thus, it should be appreciated that in use, laundry (e.g., clothes, towels, and bedding) is placed inside the laundry compartmentwhere it is cleaned during a wash cycle. A drive shaft (not shown) is fixedly coupled to the bottom end of the drumsuch that the drive shaft and the drumrotate together as a single unit within the wash unit tub. A motor (not shown) is positioned in the appliance housing, beneath the drum, and is coupled to the drive shaft. The motor drives rotation of the drive shaft and the drumrelative to the wash unit tuband the appliance housingduring operation of the laundry appliance, such as during wash and spin cycles.

The wash unit tubincludes an upper tub end, a lower tub end, and a tub sidewallthat extends longitudinally between the upper tub endand the lower tub end. The tub sidewallis generally cylindrical and includes four suspension support brackets. The suspension support bracketsmay be fixed to or integrated in the tub sidewallto provide an attachment point for the suspension rod assemblies, which support the wash unit tubwithin the appliance housing.

The appliance housingincludes an upper framesupporting an upper housing wall (removed in). The appliance door (not shown) may be pivotally mounted to the upper frameand/or upper housing wall to open and close the laundry compartment opening. The appliance housingmay also include a lower frameand one or more vertical wallsthat extend between the upper and lower frames,to form the outside surfaces of the appliance housing.

The wash unit tubis hung from and supported by the suspension rod assemblies, which extend between the upper frameof the appliance housingand the wash unit tub. Each suspension rod assemblyincludes a suspension rodthat extends from an upper rod endto a lower rod end. With additional reference to, the upper rod enddefines a hooked end. The hooked endis defined by an approximately 90-degree bend in the suspension rod. It is contemplated that the bend of the suspension armmay be less than or greater than 90 degrees to form the hooked end.

A plurality of lower suspension mount assemblies couple the lower rod endsto the wash unit tuband more specifically to the tub sidewall. Each lower suspension mount assembly includes a lower suspension mount receptacle that is positioned in the suspension support bracketson the tub sidewall. Exemplary lower suspension mount assemblies having lower bushings is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0212806, which is incorporated herein by reference.

A plurality of upper suspension mount assembliespivotally couple the upper rod endsof the suspension rodsto the upper frameof the appliance housing. Each upper suspension mount assemblyincludes a cup-shaped socketthat is disposed in the upper frameof the appliance housing, a bushingthat is positioned on the upper rod end. More specifically, the upper frameof the appliance housingincludes four corner gussetsand each corner gussetincludes one of the cup-shaped sockets.

As will become apparent further below, bushingmay be referred to as hydraulic bushing. The bushinghas a resiliency. The bushingis made of a resilient material, such as rubber (e.g., ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) or a like rubber) or an elastomer, for example. The bushingmay be formed by an injection molding process. The bushingmay define a generally spherical shape, however, may also define other shapes such as semi-spherical shape, an apple, pear, oval, square, rectangular, triangular or any other shape. With reference to, bushinghas an outer wall, an inner walland a chamber dividing wall. The inner walldefines a first channelthat extends, along a central axis, through bushing. The outer wall, inner wall, and chamber dividing walldefine and form a pumping chamberand a compensation chamberwithin the bushing. The pumping and compensation chambers,are filled with fluid. The fluid may be an incompressible fluid, such as ethylene glycol or similar fluid. The pumping and compensation chambers,may each contain the same volume or mass of fluid or differing volume or mass of fluid.

The bushingfurther defines an upper slotand a lower slot. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated in, the bushingmay not have an upper slot. The outer walldefines an outer wall slothaving a depth. The depth of the outer wall slotmay differ among the various embodiments of the bushing. The slotmay receive a ring. The outer wall slotmay alternatively be configured to receive a portion of the upper frameand therefore may couple the bushingto the upper frame. In other words, the outer wall slotmay receive a portion of a corner gussetsor the cup-shaped socketto couple the bushingto the upper frame. Ringis made of a ridged material that has a stiffness and/or hardness and/or density greater than the material comprising the bushing. In one embodiment, ringmay be formed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) or like material. In another embodiment, ringmay be formed of a resilient material having a stiffness and/or hardness and/or density greater than the resilient material comprising the bushing.

A suspension rod supportis disposed in the first channelin the bushing. The suspension rod supporthas an upper flangeand a lower flange. The suspension rod supporthas a sleeveextending between the upper and lower flanges,. The sleevedefines a second channelthat extends, along the central axisand coaxially with the first channel, through the suspension rod support. The suspension rodextends through the second channelin the sleevein a sliding fit.

The upper and lower flanges,extend radially outward away from the central axisand are generally perpendicular to the sleeveand parallel to each other. The flanges,extend radially outward away from the central axisat an angle of ninety (90) degrees or at an angle between eighty (80) and one hundred (100) degrees. The upper and lower flanges,, extend radially outward a distance from the central axisto a flange end, defining a length of each respective flange,. The respective length of the upper and lower flanges,may differ or be the same. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated in, the upper flangehas a length greater than the length of the lower flange. In other embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated in, the lower flangehas a length greater than the length of the upper flange. The length of the upper and lower flanges,may be configured relative to the shape, size, desired resistance, desired deflection, or any other characteristic of the bushingor the suspension rod.

The upper flangeis positioned in and engages the upper slotand the lower flangeis positioned in and engages the lower slot. The upper and lower flanges,engage the upper and lower slots,to couple the suspension rod supportto the bushing. The suspension rod support, generally, is formed of a material that has a stiffness and/or hardness and/or density greater than the material comprising the bushing. In one embodiment, the suspension rod supportmay be formed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) or like material. In another embodiment, the suspension rod supportmay be formed of a resilient material having a stiffness and/or hardness and/or density greater than the resilient material comprising the bushing.

The bushingis positioned on the upper rod endand the second channelreceives the upper rod end. The upper flangeabuts and supports the hooked endof the suspension rod, such that the hooked endmay contact and/or rest against an upper surface of the upper flange. The upper rod endextends through the suspension rod supportand at least part of the bushingis received in the cup-shaped socketin the upper frameof the appliance housing. In some embodiments, the outer wall slotmay receive a portion of a corner gussetsor the cup-shaped socketto couple the bushingto the upper frame. In other embodiments, ringmay engage, rest, or otherwise couple to the corner gussetor the cup-shaped socket. In yet other embodiments, the lower flangeand a surface of the bushingmay rest on or couple to a portion of a corner gussetsor the cup-shaped socket.

With reference to, the chamber dividing walldefines a first hydraulic passagewaythat extends between and fluidly connects the pumping and compensation chambers,. The hydraulic passagewaypermits fluid flow between the pumping and compensation chambers,. The first hydraulic passagewayis open to the pumping chamberat a first hydraulic openingand is open to the compensation chamberat a second hydraulic opening. Hydraulic passagewayis a fluid mass channel configured to allow a mass of fluid to travel from the pumping chamberto the compensation chamber. The hydraulic passagewayhas a diameter and extends helically, about the central axis, from the first hydraulic openingto the first hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passagewayhas a diameter and an arc length of 180 degrees so as to form a partial helix. It should be appreciated that the hydraulic passagewayin this embodiment is a bore that extends entirely within the chamber dividing walland that the arc length of the hydraulic passagewaymay vary from 90 degrees to less than 360 degrees.

During operation of the laundry appliance(e.g., during wash and/or spin cycles) the wash unit tubvibrates and oscillates. These vibrations and/or oscillations can be particularly noticeable or severe at a resonant frequency of the wash unit tubwhen there is a heavy and/or unbalanced load of laundry inside the laundry compartment. The resilience of the bushingsreduce and dampen the vibrations transmitted between wash unit tuband the laundry appliance. Specifically, the undesirable vibration and/or oscillation of wash unit tubcauses suspension rodsto move in a vertical direction relative to the appliance housing, thereby transmitting compression forces to upper rod ends.

The compression forces transmitted to upper rod endsare than transmitted to the bushings, compressing the bushingsand causing fluid to flow from the pumping chamber, through hydraulic passageway, into the compensation chamber. The flow of fluid through the hydraulic passagewaybetween the pumping and compensation chambers,, among other factors, provides additional resilience to the bushings. Advantageously, the resilience of the bushingsreduces and/or dampens the vibrations and oscillations between upper rod endsand the upper frameof the appliance housing. Ultimately, the resilience of bushingsreduces the amount of noise and vibration that can be perceived from outside the laundry appliance.

The vibrations and/or oscillations of wash unit tubtransmits a frequency of forces to the bushings. When the forces applied to the bushingsare at or above a resonance frequency, the bushingsbecome stiffer. At or above the resonance frequency, fluid flows through the hydraulic passagewayfrom the pumping chamberto the compensation chamber, causing the stiffness of the bushingsto increase. In some embodiments, as the stiffness of the bushingsincrease, the outer wallmay bulge. When forces are applied below the resonance frequency, the stiffness of the bushingsremain relatively constant. Below the resonance frequency, fluid flow through the hydraulic passagewayis limited due to the helical configuration of the hydraulic passagewayabout the central axis.

The hydraulic passagewaydefines a channel resonance frequency, wherein the channel resonance frequency acts as an on-off switch allowing fluid to pass through the hydraulic passagewaybetween the pumping and compensation chambers,. The channel resonance frequency is defined by the diameter or taper angle, length, and pitch (relative to the hydraulic passagewayextending helically about the central axis) of the hydraulic passageway. The channel resonance frequency is configured to match the resonance frequency of the vibrations and/or oscillations of wash unit tubsuch that the hydraulic passagewayopens, allowing fluid to pass between the pumping and compensation chambers,, such that the bushingbecomes stiffer when the resonance frequency of the wash unit tubis met or exceeded. In turn, the bushingsreduce the amount of noise and vibration that can be perceived from outside the laundry applianceby becoming stiffer and preventing undesired transfer for vibration or oscillation from the wash unit tubto the appliance housing.

With reference to, the chamber dividing wallcontains a hydraulic passagewaythat extends helically about the central axis, forming a coil shape having two coils. The coils have a constant radius measured radially from the central axisto the hydraulic passageway. The hydraulic passagewayextends through said chamber dividing wallbetween a first hydraulic openingthat communicates with the pumping chamberand a second hydraulic openingthat communicates with the compensation chamber. The hydraulic passagewayhas a greater length than hydraulic passageway, causing hydraulic passagewayto have a channel resonance frequency different than the channel resonance frequency of the hydraulic passageway. As a result, the chamber dividing wallin this embodiment has a variable thickness to accommodate the greater height of the hydraulic passageway.

With reference to, the chamber dividing wallcontains a hydraulic passagewaythat extends helically about the central axis, forming a coil shape having three coils. The hydraulic passagewayextends through said chamber dividing wallbetween a first hydraulic openingthat communicates with the pumping chamberand a second hydraulic openingthat communicates with the compensation chamber. The coils have a variable radius that is measured radially from the central axisto the hydraulic passageway, which gradually decreases moving from the first hydraulic openingto the second hydraulic opening. However, it should be appreciated that this arrangement could be inverted, where the variable radius gradually increases moving from the first hydraulic openingto the second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passagewayhas a greater length than hydraulic passageways,, causing hydraulic passagewayto have a channel resonance frequency different than the channel resonance frequency of hydraulic passageways,.

With reference to, the chamber dividing wallcontains a hydraulic passagewaythat extends about the central axisin a partial helix from a first hydraulic openingto a second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passagewayhas a greater length and a smaller diameter than hydraulic passageways, causing hydraulic passagewayto have a channel resonance frequency different than the channel resonance frequency of hydraulic passageways.

With reference to, the chamber dividing wallextends radially inwardly from the outer wall, but ends before reaching the inner wall, creating an annular gap between inner walland the chamber dividing wallthat defines hydraulic passageways.

With reference to, the chamber dividing wallsincludes multiple hydraulic passagewaysthat extend longitudinally through the chamber dividing wall. In accordance with this embodiment, the hydraulic passagewayshave an hour-glass shape.

With reference to, hydraulic passagewayis a tubular, straw-like structure that extends about the central axisin in a partial helix from a first hydraulic openingto a second hydraulic opening. The hydraulic passagewayextends from the pumping chamber, through the chamber dividing wall, and into compensation chambersuch that portions of the hydraulic passagewayprotrude from and are positioned within the pumping and/or compensation chambers,. In the compensation chamber, the hydraulic passagewaymay be spaced from the chamber dividing wallas the hydraulic passagewayextends helically about axis. The hydraulic passagewaymay be integrally formed with the bushingor may be a separate straw-like component.

Many modifications and variations of the apparatus and assemblies described in the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility.