US-20260125931-A1 - HOME APPLIANCE DOOR LOCK DEVICE

US20260125931A1US 20260125931 A1US20260125931 A1US 20260125931A1US-20260125931-A1

Abstract

door lock device comprising a main body cover in which a space is formed and a motor installed inside the main body cover to provide driving force, according to an embodiment of the present invention, includes a locker, a locker shaft, a rack slide, a pinion gear, a damper, a side plate, a release cam, a release elastic member, a rotary, and a bridge, wherein the side plate comprises a first movement track for inducing up-down and left-right movement of the locker shaft and the release cam includes, on one side surface or the other side surface thereof, a second movement track for inducing left-right movement of the locker shaft.

Inventors

Jang-Joo LIM
Sang-Won Suh
Jung Gil LEE
HEE CHANG KIM

Assignees

DUE POWER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251128
Priority Date: 20230614

Claims (6)

1 . A door lock device comprising a body cover having a space formed therein and a motor installed inside the body cover to provide driving force, the door lock device comprising: a locker that is coupled to or separated from a hook introduced from the outside through rotation; a locker shaft having one end connected to the locker and formed at a rotation center of the locker; a rack slide that provides rotational force of the motor to a rotary; a pinion gear that transmits the rotational force of the motor to the rack slide; a damper connected to one end of the locker shaft; a side plate connected to both ends of the locker shaft; a release cam in which the locker is accommodated, one side of which is penetrated by one end of the locker shaft to be connected to the damper, and the other side of which is penetrated by the other end of the locker shaft to be connected to the side plate, and which performs arc movement around a rotation axis coupled to the body; a release elastic member accommodated inside the release cam to provide elastic force upward; a rotary that moves the release cam in a direction opposite to the elastic force acting on the release cam by the release elastic member; and a bridge that connects the rack slide and the rotary to each other and rotates the rotary by movement of the rack slide, wherein the side plate includes a first movement track that guides vertical and horizontal movement of the locker shaft, and one side and the other side of the release cam include a second movement track that guides horizontal movement of the locker shaft.
2 . The door lock device of claim 1 , wherein the rack slide comprises: a track hole, which is a space formed in a predetermined area at one end for the bridge to rotate; and a rack gear that engages with the pinion gear in a predetermined area at the other end.
3 . The door lock device of claim 2 , further comprising a slide spring having one end coupled to the body cover and the other end connected to the rack slide to linearly move the rack slide in the locker direction.
4 . The door lock device of claim 1 , further comprising a locker lock slide inserted into a lower portion of the rotary to block rotation of the rotary.
5 . The door lock device of claim 1 , wherein the pinion gear comprises a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear that share a rotation center and are coupled in a longitudinal direction, and the second pinion gear has gear teeth formed only in a predetermined area of an outer circumferential surface.
6 . The door lock device of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises: a damper cover directly connected to the locker shaft; and a damper body connected to the damper cover to generate a load.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This present application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2024/003402, filed on Mar. 19, 2024, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0076202 filed on Jun. 14, 2023. The disclosures of the above-listed applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in there entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a door lock device for home appliances, and more particularly, to a door lock device mounted on washing machines, dryers, and the like. RELATED ART Various home appliances exist in daily life. In particular, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, microwave ovens, and the like, which are used by loading contents, are equipped with doors so that the loaded contents can be isolated from the outside, and a locking device for opening and closing the door is an essential component constituting the home appliance. Various technologies related to door lock devices have been developed until recently. Representative inventions include Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1667916 (Push and Push Door Lock Device), Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1915250 (Manual Door Lock Device), and the like. The push and push door lock device discloses a door lock device in which the door is automatically opened without the user opening the door when the operation of the home appliance is completed. The push and push door lock device is installed inside the main body and includes a driving unit that selectively controls door holding, door locking, and automatic door opening operations by a release button that releases the restraining force of a fixing member by a sliding operation to release the locking of the locker, and by a rotation operation of a rotating shaft provided with a cam protrusion on one side. Unlike the conventional method operated electronically by a solenoid, the manual door lock device discloses a door lock device that has a simple structure and can be operated manually. As an automatic door lock device, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2356893 (Jan. 25, 2022) “Auto-Open Door Lock Device for Home Appliances” patent (hereinafter referred to as “the '893 patent”) describes an auto-open door lock device having a structure in which the door lock is automatically released and the door opens when the operation of a washing machine, dryer, or the like is completed. However, until now, there has only been discussion about whether to manually or automatically open the door lock when the operation of the device is completed, and it is difficult to find a device that implements a soft door lock that automatically locks the door lock. Door lock devices attached to drum washing machines, dishwashers, and the like are mostly divided into a fully locked state and a closed state. In particular, the state in which the door is closed is a state in which a rotating cam is caught on a hook, and in the aforementioned auto-open door lock device, the cam automatically rotates to create a state in which the door opens. In this case, the user closes the door with force, applying shock to the door lock device, which can cause malfunction. Furthermore, when the door lock is not fully locked, the washing machine, dishwasher, or the like may operate, which can cause water leakage or malfunction. Therefore, the function of automatically closing and locking the door must be mounted on the device as an essential function of the door lock device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Technical Subject An object of the present invention is to provide a door lock device capable of soft closing. Technical Solution A door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a door lock device including a body cover having a space formed therein and a motor installed inside the body cover to provide driving force, comprising: a locker that is coupled to or separated from a hook introduced from the outside through rotation; a locker shaft having one end connected to the locker and formed at the rotation center of the locker; a rack slide that provides rotational force of the motor (20) to the rotary; a pinion gear that transmits the rotational force of the motor (20) to the rack slide; a damper connected to one end of the locker shaft; a side plate connected to both ends of the locker shaft; a release cam in which the locker is accommodated, one side of which is penetrated by one end of the locker shaft to be connected to the damper, and the other side of which is penetrated by the other end of the locker shaft to be connected to the side plate, and which performs arc movement around a rotation axis coupled to the body; a release elastic member accommodated inside the release cam to provide elastic force upward; a rotary that moves the release cam in a direction opposite to the elastic force acting on the release cam by the release elastic member; and a bridge that connects the rack slide and the rot