US2505741A - Motorized washing machine drive unit - Google Patents

Description

V 2,505,741 NAME Apnl 25, 1950 NACHUMSOHN- I I NOW BY JUDICIALVCHANGE OF A I. NAXON MOTORIZED WASHING MACHINE DRIVE UNIT Filed Feb.

z w w W Z. WildlLZZZ-S'Ofilb Patented Apr. 25, 19st 2,505,141 Moromzso wasnnm monmn naive mvrr llrving Nachumsohn, Chicago, Ill, now by judicial change of name Irving Naxon Application February 9, HM, Serial No. 576,978

My invention relates to washing machines, and more particularly to means for driving the same, and one object is to provide a motorized drive which may be readily removed as a, unit in case of attention, repair or replacement. A further object is to provide a unit of the above character which is attachable directly to the base of the washing machine, making a 'removable connection with the agitator shaft of the machine.

Another object is to provide a unit of the above character which employs a pair of spaced horizontal plates as parts of a motor.

An additional object is to design the plate structure just referred to in a manner to constltute the upper plate as a base to which means are readily applicable to secure the unit to thebase of the washing machine.

An important object is to construct the novel unit along lines of compactness and simplicity.

With the'above objects in view and any others which may suggest themselves from the description to follow, a better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is a vertical section of the washing ma, chine, partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view oi the main portion;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the motor, partly broken away;

Fig. 4 is a section of a connector for the plate structure; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of the connection from the drive to the agitator.

In accordance with the foregoing, specific reference to the drawing indicates the tub of the washing machine at ill, its bottom at M, the base at it, the base apron at it, and the agitator at M.

The agitator is mounted over a, tubular central column it whose flanged base it is secured to the bottom ill of the tub. A shaft il' rises in the column it, terminating over a bushing Ila with a squared head ID. The latter fits a socket is in the agitator to actuate the latter when the shaft is in oscillatory rotation.

The driving source for the shaft I! is an electric motor suspended from the base I! of the washing machine. Specifically, the motor is formed with a top plate of rectangular or other suitable shape placed next underneath the base l2 and perforated at opposite points for the passage 0! screws 2| from such base. The screws 3 Claims. (Cl. 68-133) 2i receive wing nuts 22 below the plate, these securing the same to the base it.

The motor contains a second and somewhat smaller plate 23 located in downwardly spaced relation to the plate 20. The plates are fixed in this relation by a series of six posts, these being riveted with their upper ends in the plate 20, as indicated at 24. Two of these posts, marked 25, occurat one side of the shaft ll, while the re-- maining four, marked 26, are on the other side thereof. The posts 25 extend with reductions 21 into the plate 23, and are tapped as indicated at 23 to receive screws 29 from below the plate 23, with washers 3U interposed. The posts 26 are arranged as a square and tapped to receive screws 3! of a set of posts 32 forming the corners of the motor stator 33. The'posts 32 are in turn tapped to receive bolts 34 securing the stator to the said posts 32. Thus, these posts primarily serve in the manner of the screws 29 to secure the plate 23 to the posts 26. However, the posts 32 also serve as supports for the motor stator 33.

The motor shaft 35 is housed in a tube 36 depending from the plate 20 and passing through the plate 23, .the connection between the tube and these plates being rigid, such as by'a very tight press fit. The tube 36 contains upper and lower sleeve bearings 31 and 38 for the motor shaft; and the upper portion of the shaft carries an end thrust collar 35a which rides on the bearing 37! to suspend the shaft and the rotor, 39 therefrom. It is noted that the latter is chambered in its upper half 39a to enable the tube 35 to form a long bearing support for the shaft 35 and eliminate the need of an additional support or bearin beyond the lower end of the rotor. Suitable lubricating means (not shown), such as oilsaturated felt washers above each bearing, may be provided.

Themotor shaft 35 carries a spur pinion 4|] with which an external gear I meshes, the tube 36 having an opening 36a for access by the gear ll to the pinion. Such gear is carried by a spindle 42 which is journaled between the plates 20 and 23; and the spindle carries a spur pinion 43 which transmits the motion of the gear M to a second gear 44. As indicated in Fig. 2, the gear I! is formed with a crank 45 whose outer end is pivotally connected to one end of a link 46 as indicated at 41. The agitator shaft 11 descends through an extension 49 of the tube l5 and terminates with a flat tip or key 5|]. The inner end of a crank 5| slidingly fits this key, while the outer end makes a pivotal connection at 52 with the other end of the link 48. It is very convenient.

3 now evident that a reduction drive is obtained by the above gearing for the crank 45; and the crank Si is made longer than the crank 45, in order that the rotation of the latter may 'serve to draw back and forth on the crank through the agency '01 the link 46. Therefore, the agitator l4 receives partial rotation in alternate directions as a result.

It will be evident from the above description that the motorized drive is applied as aunit to the base I: of the washing machine by receiving the bolts 2| through the plate 20 and the key 50 of the agitator shaft in the inner end of the crank 5|. The unit is made fast by the application of the-wing nuts 22 and is easily removed, without the need of skill or tools. Further, the motor is formed by a unique assembly of the plates 20 and 23 and the parts supported thereby. Thus, the plates not only fix the bearings for the rotor shaft, but also provide an independent support for the motor stator 33. This .support is formed by the posts 32 and the bottom bolts 34. When the latter are removed the stator alone drops while the corner posts 32 remain to maintain the plate 23 in rigid relation to the plate 20, so that the rotor and the drive gearing are in no way affected or disturbed by the removal of the stator.

Since most washing machines employ alternating current motors having squirrel-cage rotors conventionally made up of bare wires or bars, in the presence of comparatively little or no insulating material in the rotor there is seldom occasion (in the event of overheating) for deterioration of the rotor. The stators, however, do have comparatively finer windings than the rotors and insulation material which is susceptible to deterioration under excessive heat, moisture or other undesirable conditions. The motor illustrated is of the shaded-pole, which carries windings solely on the stator, while the rotor is of the squirrel-cage type requiring no fine or insulated windings. Thus, deterioration or burning-out of the insulation of the motor windings only affect the stator, and the easy method of removing the same makes inspection or repairs Moreover, the absence of a bearing at the lower end of the rotor leaves the stator free to be lowered clear of the rotor when disconnected as described.

On the subject of bearings, it should be noted the tube 36 makes possible an improved motor construction. Thus, one of the most diflicult tasks in motor assembly is to procure the exact alinement of bearings for the rotor shaft while maintaining a relatively accurate magnetic gap between the rotor and the stator. In the novel assembly the exact alinement of the-bearings is assured by disposing them in the tube 36. Moreover, by making this tube independent of the motor stator or supporting frame, both bearings may be line-reamed in a single operation before inserting the tubular support in the rest of the structure. This makes it possible to pre-align the bearings more accurately and with greater ease when held in an independent tube as compared to being disposed in a more cumbersome structure. Thus, for example, it is possible to efiect line reaming with great precision and economy by rotating the tubes in the collet of a lathe or hand screw-machine while the reamer is passed through the bearings.

A motorized drive unit is thus had which is readily applicable to the washing machine to be supported thereby and procure a driving connecpairmen, making it convenient and economical to secure the inspection and repair of the motorized drive whenever the impaired performance of the washing machine is traceable to the same, While, for purposes of illustration I have shown the base l2 as formed of asheet metal independent of the bottom of the tub I I, it is obvious that both plates II and I! may comprise a single wall of material. Therefore, all reference herein to a base as such, and especially in the claims,

' should be construed to mean not only either or both of these elements or the equivalents there-,

of but also any base or equivaientsupporting member in a washing machine or other device.

While I have described the invention along specific lines, various minor changes or refinements may be made therein without departing from its principle, and I desire to consider all such changes and refinements as coming within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A powerdrive for a washing machine having a base and a clothes-agitating unit carried by the same, such unit having one component of a power coupling; comprising an inner plate removably secured to the base, an outer plate disposed in spaced relation to the inner one, spacing posts directed from the inner plate to the outer one, a motor on the outer side of the outer plate and presenting frame posts to the latter at points opposite said spacing posts, reductions of the frame posts passing through the outer plate and threading into the related spacing posts to secure said outer plate and the motor frame to the spacing posts, and a gearing from the motor and having -the other component of said power coupling in engagement with the first-mentioned component, such other component being automatically separable from the first-mentioned component on the removal of said inner plate from the washing machine base.

2. A power drive for a washing machine having a base and a clothes-agitating unit carried by the same, such unit having one component of a power coupling; comprising an inner plate removably secured to the base, an outer plate disposed in spaced relation to the inner one, spacing posts directed from the inner plate to the outer one, a motor on the outer side of the outer plate and presenting a driving element inwardly of the outer plate, outer spacing means and a center tube between the plates, a bearing fbr said driving element in the center tube, and a gearing from said driving element and having the other component of said power coupling in engagement with the first-mentioned component, such other component being automatically separable from the first-mentioned component on the removal of said inner plate from the washing machine base.

3. A power drive for a washing machine having a base and a clothes-agitating unit carried by the same, such unit having one component of a power coupling; comprising an inner plate removably secured to the base, an outer plate secured in spaced relation to the inner one, a motor remov- 5 ably secured to the outer side of the outer plate and directing a drive shaft through a medial opening in the outer plate into the space between the plates. a tube directed from the inner plate through the outer one and surrounding the drive shaft, longitudinally-spaced bearings in the tube for the drive shaft, and a gearing from the drive shaft and having the other component 01 said power coupling in engagement with the firstmentioned component, such other component be ing outwardly separable from the first-mentioned component on the removal or said inner plate from the washing machine base.

mvmo NACHUMSOHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the me of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS- Name Date Graemiger July 17, 1917 Warren May 22, 1923 Marx Sept. 18, 1923 Apple Aug. 30, 1932 Miluiasek July 18, 1933 Brotz July 18, 1933 Book Feb. 5, 1935 Hume Nov. 19, 1935 Spanel Oct. 18, 1938 Kessel Oct, 25, 1938 Brinda Oct. 17, 1939 Kellermann Mar. 5, 1940 Dyer Apr. 11, 1944 Haydon July 11, 1944

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