Technical Field

The present invention relates to built-in washing machines with a control panel by which user commands are received.

Prior Art

Washing machines generally comprise an outer body; a drum rotatable about an axis in this body; a drive device for rotating the drum; a heating element for adjusting the temperature of water used in a cleaning operation; a circulation pump for circulating the water in the drum and a drain pump for draining the water out of the drum.

There is provided a control unit in washing machines for the control thereof, having different operation algorithms for different cleaning operations to be carried out therein. For example, washing machines may perform various cleaning operations such as pre-washing, main washing, rinsing, spinning, draining, and in each of these cleaning operations, the number and speed of rotation of the drum, the temperature of the water used in the respective operation, the operation mode of the circulation pump and/or the operation time of the discharge pump may be different from each other. Therefore, for each cleaning operation, the operation of the components in the washing machine is regulated separately and saved in the control unit.

Washing machines also have a control panel by which various user commands for an intended cleaning operation are received and transmitted to the controller. This control panel has at least one button, whereby a user can transmit various commands to the controller via this control panel, such as the selection of a cleaning operation, the selection of temperature, starting a cleaning operation, etc. In common implementations of washing machines in question, the control panels are located in an upper region of the outer body and a top table covering the top surface of the outer body is connected to the control panel by one side thereof. In this way, deflection problems that may occur at the upper edge of the control panel and gaps that may occur between the control panel and the outer body are eliminated (due to these gaps, liquid may leak into the control unit and the washing machine may fail). However, in built-in washing machines, the use of a top table is not preferred, as the dimensions thereof are desired to be smaller than conventional washing machines. In this case, the aforementioned deflection problems and the formation of a gap between the outer body and the control panel cannot be eliminated.

Brief Description of Invention

The washing machine developed according to the present invention comprises at least one outer body having at least one base surface suitable to be located on a floor, at least one top surface opposite the base surface, and at least one front edge extending between the base surface and the top surface; at least one control unit controlling and regulating the operation thereof by commands received from a user; at least one control panel located in an upper region of the front edge of said outer body close to the top surface, comprising at least one first front wall in the form of a plate extending substantially parallel to said front edge and at least one control element for transmitting user commands to the control unit; at least one carrier part to which said control unit is mounted, itself being located in a rear side of said control panel facing the center of the outer body and having at least one second front wall extending substantially parallel to the first front wall; at least one upper edge connected by one side thereof to the first front wall and extending such that a mounting space suitable for the placement of the carrier part is created between itself and the side of the first front wall facing the center of the outer body; at least one mounting extension extending from the upper edge toward the mounting space and fitted to the carrier part; and at least one mounting part connected by one side thereof to the second front wall, having at least one receptacle into which the mounting extension is placed, and supporting the mounting extension from the sides and bottom when the mounting extension is placed into said receptacle.

Thanks to the washing machine developed according to the present invention, water leakage and deflection problems minimized by the use of a top table in the washing machines known from the prior art can also be minimized for situations where the top table is not used. Therefore, these problems, which are frequently encountered in built-in washing machines where the top table is not used due to size constraints, can be solved easily and practically. Thus, a reliable and durable washing machine can be obtained, which has a low production cost and is simple, easy and practical to install.

Object of Invention

The object of the present invention is to develop a built-in washing machine with a control panel.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a built-in washing machine in which deflection problems that may arise at the upper edge of the control panel are minimized.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a built-in washing machine in which the gaps that may occur behind the control panel are minimized.

A further object of the present invention is to develop a reliable and durable washing machine.

Illustrative embodiments of a washing machine according to the present invention are shown in the accompanying figures, wherein

Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a control panel of a washing machine developed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a carrier part included in the washing machine developed according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the assembled control panel and carrier part in the washing machine developed according to the present invention.

The parts in the figures are individually assigned reference numbers and designated as following:

Control panel (1)

First front wall (1a)

Mounting space (1b)

Upper edge (1c)

Mounting extension (1d)

First straight edge (1 e)

Inclined edge (1f)

Second straight edge (1g)

Carrier part (2)

Second front wall (2a)

Mounting part (2b) of Invention

Washing machines generally comprise an outer body; a control unit regulating the operation of the respective washing machine; a control panel located in the outer body and comprising at least one control element (e.g. button, touch screen etc.) for transmitting user commands to the control unit, and a top table covering the top surface of the outer body. Said control panel is generally located in an upper region of the outer body so as to be located between the outer body and the top table. Said control unit, in turn, is located on an inner surface of the control panel facing the center of the outer body. In said washing machines, the top table is connected to an upper part of the control panel so that any deflection problems that may arise on this upper part of the control panel are minimized. It also closes the upper part of the control panel and minimizes the formation of gaps that may cause fluid leakage into the control unit located in the control panel. However, the use of this top table is not preferred in built-in washing machines, especially due to size problems. In this case, deflection and gap problems cannot be minimized and may cause the washing machine to fail prematurely. In this context, a built-in washing machine is developed according to the present invention for solving these problems.

The washing machine developed according to the present invention of which some exemplary views are given in Figures 1 to 3 comprises at least one outer body having at least one base surface suitable for positioning on a floor, at least one top surface opposite the base surface, and at least one front edge extending between the base surface and the top surface; at least one control unit controlling and regulating the operation of the washing machine by commands received from a user (e.g., start command, cleaning operation information etc.); at least one control panel (1) located in an upper region of the front edge of said outer body close to the top surface, comprising at least one first front wall (1a) in the form of a plate extending substantially parallel to the front edge and at least one control element (e.g. button, touchscreen etc.) for transmitting user commands to the control unit; and at least one carrier part (2) to which said control unit is mounted, itself being located in a rear side of said control panel (1) facing the center of the outer body and having at least one second front wall (2a) extending substantially parallel to the first front wall (1a). The washing machine developed according to the present invention further comprises at least one upper edge (1c) connected by one side thereof to the first front wall (1a) and extending such that a mounting space (1b) suitable for the placement of the carrier part (2) is created between itself and the side of the first front wall (1a) facing the center of the outer body, and that it preferably covers from above at least one part of the carrier part (2) (and that it preferably extends substantially perpendicular to the first front wall (1a)); and at least one mounting extension (1d) extending from the upper edge (1c) toward the mounting space (1b), fitted to the carrier part (2), and having preferably a plate or a block form extending along the upper edge (1c); and at least one mounting part (2b) connected to the second front wall (2a) by one side thereof, having at least one receptacle into which the mounting extension (1d) is placed, supporting the mounting extension (1d) from the sides and bottom when the mounting extension (1d) is placed into said receptacle, and preferably having an L-shaped rib structure.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control panel (1) is mounted on an upper part of the outer body. The control unit that regulates the operation of the washing machine is fitted to the carrier part (2), and the carrier part (2) is mounted on the part of the control panel (1) facing the center of the outer body in such a way that it becomes located in said mounting space (1b). The upper edge (1c) provided in the control panel (1) extends to cover at least a portion of the upper side of the carrier part (2). In this way, it is possible to prevent the formation of a gap on the control unit that might cause water leakage and thus to minimize the failure possibility of the control unit. During the assembly of the carrier part (2) and the control panel (1), the mounting extension (1d) provided in the control panel (1) fits into the receptacle in the mounting part (2b) provided in the carrier part (2). In this way, the mounting extension (1d) is supported from the sides and bottom and the deflection problem that might occur at the upper edge (1c) can be minimized. In conventional washing machines, water leakage and deflection problems can be minimized by using a top table. However, in built-in washing machines where the top table is not used, these problems can be frequently experienced. Thanks to the built-in washing machine developed according to the present invention, both the water leakage problem and the resulting control unit failures are minimized and any deflection problems that may occur during the prevention of the leakage problem can be minimized. Thus, a washing machine can be obtained which is easily produced and installed, is practical, reliable and has a long service life.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of at least a portion of said mounting extension (1d) (this thickness is from the upper edge (1c) towards the mounting space (1b)) decreases as it extends away from the first front wall (1a). In this embodiment, preferably the portion of the mounting extension (1d) closer to the part of the thickness that begins to decrease fits into the receptacle in the mounting part (2b). In this way, the carrier part (2) can be inserted into the control panel (1) more easily and practically, while at the same time reducing the use of raw materials and obtaining a control panel (1) resistant against possible impacts. In this embodiment, the mounting extension (1d) preferably comprises at least one first straight edge (1e) extending substantially parallel to the upper edge (1c) as it extends away from the first front wall (1a) and at least one inclined edge (1f) connected by one side thereof to the first straight edge (1e), extending from the first straight edge (1e) to the upper edge in such a way that the thickness of the mounting extension (1d) decreases. Preferably, the portion to which the first straight edge (1e) and the inclined edge

(lf) are connected has a curved form. This provides an easy mounting. In another embodiment, the mounting extension (1d) preferably comprises at least one second straight edge (1g), being connected to another side of the inclined edge (1f) and extending substantially parallel to the upper edge (1c) as it extends away from the first front wall (1a). Together with the first straight edge (1e), the inclined edge (1f) and the second straight edge

(lg), a mounting area is created which facilitates the mounting of the carrier part (2), allows the assembly to other equipment, and at the same time reduces the amount of required raw material.

Thanks to the washing machine developed according to the present invention, water leakage and deflection problems minimized by the use of a top table in the washing machines known from the prior art can also be minimized for situations where the top table is not used. Therefore, these problems, which are frequently encountered in built-in washing machines where the top table is not used due to size constraints, can be solved easily and practically. Thus, a reliable and durable washing machine can be obtained, which has a low production cost and is simple, easy and practical to install.