Patent Application
20220145519
The present application relates to the field of electric appliance manufacturing technologies, and particularly to a rotary tub assembly for a washing machine and a washing machine having the same.
With a continuous development of washing machine technologies, a washing machine tends to have a large capacity which will inevitably increase an overall size thereof, and thus it is necessary to provide a washing machine having a small volume but a large capacity. Meanwhile, when the existing washing machine is washing, water is distributed in a rotary tub and a water tub. That is, water is also distributed between the water tub and the rotary tub, and water consumption is large, resulting in a waste of water resource. For the existing washing machine, dirt is prone to be left between the water tub and the rotary tub, which breeds bacteria; since the water is distributed between the water tub and the rotary tub, detergent is also used a lot, which causes a waste of the detergent and does not facilitate cost reduction.
To this end, in a related art, there is proposed a washing machine with the water tub omitted but only the rotary tub retained, and a water guide cover is provided at an inner circumferential wall surface of the rotary tub, and in a spinning process, the water in the rotary tub rises firstly under the action of a centrifugal force and then falls down and is discharged under gravity through the water guide cover. However, since the centrifugal force exists in the whole spinning process, consideration may not be given to influences of the centrifugal force on the water in the rising and falling processes, resulting in a poor spinning effect.
The present application seeks to solve at least one of the problems existing in a prior art. For this purpose, the present application proposes a rotary tub assembly for a washing machine, and the rotary tub assembly has the advantages of a good spinning effect, or the like.
The present application further proposes a washing machine having the rotary tub assembly for the washing machine.
According to embodiments of a first aspect of the present application, there is provided a rotary tub assembly for a washing machine, including: a rotary tub including a tub body having an inner diameter increasing gradually from a bottom to a top, a water guide cover mounting portion being formed at a circumferential wall of the tub body, the water guide mounting portion protruding towards an outer side of the tub body; and a water guide cover provided at the water guide cover mounting portion, located in the rotary tub and defining a water guide cavity having a water inlet and a water outlet, a liquid in the rotary tub rising under an action of a centrifugal force entering the water guide cavity via the water inlet and being discharged through the water outlet.
With the rotary tub assembly for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application, by setting the inner diameter of the tub body to be increased gradually from bottom to top, the water may be facilitated to rise to enter the water guide cover, having the advantages of the good spinning effect, or the like.
The rotary tub assembly for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application may further have the following additional features.
According to some embodiments of the present application, a distance between a contour line of the tub body at the water guide cover mounting portion in an up-down direction and a contour line of the tub body at any other position in the up-down direction increases from a top to a bottom.
According to some embodiments of the present application, an inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion at any one position is not less than an inner diameter of a portion of the water guide cover mounting portion located above the position.
Further, an inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion is consistent at each position in an up-down direction.
Further, an inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion increases from a top to a bottom.
According to some embodiments of the present application, the tub body and the water guide cover mounting portion are configured as an integrated part.
According to some embodiments of the present application, the water inlet is provided at the water guide cover, and the water outlet is provided at the water guide cover mounting portion and/or a bottom wall of the tub body.
Further, the water inlet is provided at an upper portion of the water guide cover, and the water outlet is provided at a lower portion of the water guide cover mounting portion.
Further, the water inlet is provided at an upper end of the water guide cover, and the water outlet is adjacent to the bottom wall of the tub body.
According to some embodiments of the present application, the water guide cavity of the water guide cover is defined merely by the water guide cover or by both the water guide cover and the water guide cover mounting portion.
According to some embodiments of the present application, a plurality of water guide cover mounting portions are provided and spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the tub body, and a plurality of water guide covers are provided at the plurality of water guide cover mounting portions respectively.
According to embodiments of a second aspect of the present application, a washing machine is provided, including: a cabinet; and the rotary tub assembly for the washing machine according to the embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, the rotary tub assembly being rotatably provided in the cabinet.
With the rotary tub assembly for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application has the advantages of the good spinning effect, or the like.
According to some embodiments of the present application, the washing machine further includes a balance ring provided at and connected to an upper end of the tub body, and being adjacent to or connected to an upper end of the water guide cover, the water inlet being provided at the upper end of the water guide cover.
According to some embodiments of the present application, the washing machine further includes a drain pan provided in the cabinet and having at least a part located below the rotary tub, the water guide cavity guiding a liquid spun out by the rotary tub to the drain pan via the water outlet.
Further, the washing machine further includes an impeller rotatably provided in the rotary tub.
Further, the washing machine further includes a drive unit configured to drive at least one of the rotary tub and the impeller to rotate and mounted at the drain pan.
Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the present application.
The above-mentioned and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions of the embodiments made with reference to the drawings, in which
Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present application, and the examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings, and the same or similar elements and the elements having same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the descriptions. The embodiments described herein with reference to drawings are illustrative, and merely used to explain the present application. The embodiments shall not be construed to limit the present application.
In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “radial”, and “circumferential” should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present application be constructed or operated in a particular orientation, thus cannot be construed to limit the present application. Furthermore, in the description of the present disclosure, the term “a plurality of” means two or more unless otherwise stated.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted”, “connected”, and “coupled” and the like are used broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical connections or electrical connections; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening structures; may also be inner communications of two elements.
A rotary tub assembly 200 for a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to accompanying drawings.
As shown in
The rotary tub 210 includes a tub body 250 having an inner diameter increased gradually from bottom to top, and having a water guide cover mounting portion 260 formed at a circumferential wall, the water guide mounting portion 260 protruding towards an outer side of the tub body 250. The tub body 250 has the inner diameter D increased gradually from bottom to top. That is, the tub body 250 may be configured into a shape of big end up cone. The water guide cover 220 is provided at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and located in the rotary tub 210, and defines a water guide cavity 240 having a water inlet 221 and a water outlet 211, and the liquid in the rotary tub 210 rising under the action of a centrifugal force enters the water guide cavity 240 via the water inlet 221 and is discharged from the water outlet 211.
With the rotary tub assembly 200 for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application, the water guide cover mounting portion 260 is configured at the inner circumferential wall of the tub body 250, the water guide cover 220 is mounted at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and located in the tub body 250, and when the tub body 250 is rotating, the water in the tub body 250 rises along the inner circumferential wall of the tub body 250 under the action of the centrifugal force, enters the water guide cavity 240 via the water inlet 221, flows downwards under gravity and is discharged from the water outlet 211, and a water tub is not required to be provided at the rotary tub 210, simplifying a structure of the rotary tub assembly 200. Furthermore, by setting the inner diameter of the tub body 250 to be increased gradually from bottom to top, the water may be facilitated to rise to enter the water guide cover 220, improving a spinning effect.
In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in
In some embodiments, an included angle α between the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and a vertical direction (i.e., the up-down direction) is less than an included angle between the circumferential wall of the tub body 250 and the vertical direction.
It should be appreciated that the circumferential wall of the tub body 250 obliquely extends inwards gradually from top to bottom relative to the vertical direction, and assuming that a positive included angle is present between the contour line formed by the circumferential wall of the tub body 250 from top to bottom and the vertical direction, the included angle α between the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and the vertical direction is less than the included angle between the circumferential wall of the tub body 250 and the vertical direction, including the cases where the included angle α between the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and the vertical direction is positive, zero and negative.
In the embodiments of the present application, both the contour line of the tub body 250 at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 in the up-down direction and the contour line of the tub body 250 at any other position in the up-down direction are straight lines, and since the tub body 250 is configured into the shape of big end up cone, the contour line of the tub body 250 at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 in the up-down direction may be formed into a vertical line extending in the up-down direction in
An inner diameter d of the water guide cover mounting portion 260 refers to the inner diameter of the tub body 250 at the water guide cover mounting portion 260, and both a measurement starting point and a measurement ending point of the inner diameter d herein are located at an inner side wall of the water guide cover mounting portion 260. The inner diameter D of the tub body refers to an inner diameter of a portion of the tub body 250 other than the water guide cover mounting portion 260, and both measurement starting and ending points of the inner diameter D herein are located at an inner side wall of the portion of the tub body 250 other than the water guide cover mounting portion 260. It should be noted that the inner diameter d shown in
In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in
According to some other embodiments of the present application, an inner diameter of at any one position is not less than an inner diameter of a portion located above the position. That is to say, the inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion 260 at each position is not less than the inner diameter of the portion of the water guide cover mounting portion 260 located above the position.
For example, as shown in
For another example, as shown in
It may be appreciated that in a cross section of the rotary tub assembly 200, the water guide cover mounting portion 260 has an arc shape concentric with the tub body 250, and thus the inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion 260 is a diameter of the arc where an inner side surface thereof is located.
The tub body 250 and the water guide cover mounting portion 260 are configured as an integrated part. That is, the tub body 250 and the water guide cover mounting portion 260 are integrally formed, which not only facilitates processing, but also has a better sealing performance and a higher structural strength.
The water guide cover 220 is provided at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and located in the rotary tub 210, and defines a water guide cavity 240 having a water inlet 221 and a water outlet 211. The liquid in the rotary tub 210 rising under the action of the centrifugal force enters the water guide cavity 240 via the water inlet 221 and is discharged from the water outlet 211.
Specifically, when the washing machine 1 is spinning, the rotary tub 210 rotates. That is, the water guide cover 220 rotates with the tub body 250, the liquid in the rotary tub 210 moves upwards under the action of the centrifugal force and enters the water guide cavity 240 via the water inlet 221, and the liquid entering the water guide cavity 240 is guided to the water outlet 211 by the water guide cover 220 and discharged from the water outlet 211.
According to some embodiments, the examples of
In the related art, usually, the rotary tub of a washing machine with an impeller is a straight drum having a consistent inner diameter or a drum having a shape of big end up cone, and since a portion with the larger inner diameter has the larger centrifugal force correspondingly when the rotary tub rotates, a portion with the smaller inner diameter has the smaller centrifugal force correspondingly. Thus, for the straight drum, the water rises difficultly during the spinning period, for the conical drum, the water falls down difficultly during the spinning period, and in both above-mentioned cases, the spinning effect is affected.
With the rotary tub assembly 200 for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application, by setting the inner diameter of the tub body 250 to be increased gradually from bottom to top, during the spinning period, the water in the rotary tub 210 rises more easily to enter the water guide cavity 240 via the water inlet 221, the included angle between the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and the vertical direction is less than the included angle between the circumferential wall of the tub body 250 and the vertical direction, and the inner diameter of the water guide cover mounting portion 260 at any one position is set to be not less than the inner diameter of the portion located above the position, and the water entering the water guide cavity 240 may flow out of the water outlet 211 smoothly, without being limited by the centrifugal force.
Thus, the rotary tub assembly 200 for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application may consider the influences of the centrifugal force on the water both in the rising and falling processes, having the advantages of the good spinning effect, or the like.
In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in
Specifically, the water outlet 211 is provided at the water guide cover mounting portion 260, and the water outlet 211 is covered with the water guide cover 220, and the lower end of the water guide cover 220 is only connected to the water guide cover mounting portion 260, which facilitates seal of the water guide cover 220. In one embodiment, the water outlet 211 in the present application may also be provided at the bottom wall of the tub body 250 and covered with the water guide cover 220, which facilitates increase in a spinning efficiency, has the good spinning effect, and may reduce splashed water from the water outlet 211 effectively. The water outlet 211 is provided at the water guide cover mounting portion 260 and the bottom wall of the tub body 250, which facilitates the seal of the water guide cover 220 and the increase in the spinning efficiency, and may prevent the water from being splashed from the water outlet 211 effectively.
Further, as shown in
Further, as shown in
In one embodiment, the water guide cavity 240 of the water guide cover 220 is defined merely by the water guide cover 220 or by both the water guide cover 220 and the water guide cover mounting portion 260. In other words, one integral water guide cavity 240 may be defined in the water guide cover 220, and a through hole is defined in the water guide cover 220 and enables the water guide cavity 240 to be in communication with the water outlet 211. Or, the water guide cavity 240 with an open side is defined in the water guide cavity 220, and when the water guide cover 220 is mounted at the water guide cover mounting portion 260, the open side of the water guide cavity 240 is sealed by the water guide cover mounting portion 260.
In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in
A washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
The rotary tub assembly 200 is rotatably provided in the cabinet 100.
The washing machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present application has a single drum. That is, only the rotary tub 210 is provided, without providing a water tub, and the water is in the rotary tub 210 during a washing period, which saves more water. By further providing the water guide cover 220 at an inner circumferential wall surface of the rotary tub 210 and defining the water guide cavity 240 having the water inlet 221 and the water outlet 211 in the water guide cover 220, the water in the rotary tub 210 rises under the action of the centrifugal force during the spinning period, enters the water guide cover 200 via the water inlet 221, and is guided by the water guide cover 220 to flow to the water outlet 211, being discharged from the water outlet 211. Thus, in the case of omitting the water tub to simplify the structure, increase a capacity, reduce dirt and bred bacteria and save water, the spinning effect may be improved.
In addition, the water guide cover 220 is connected onto the rotary tub 210, without providing an additional structure at the cabinet 100 or setting the cabinet 100 into a dual layer structure with an inner layer and an outer layer to guide the water in the spinning process, and no limitation is present on material selection of the cabinet 100. For example, the cabinet may be made of a material, such as a metal plate, or the like, improving an appearance greatly.
Furthermore, with the rotary tub assembly 200 according to the embodiment of the present application, consideration may be given to the influences of the centrifugal force on the water in the rising and falling processes, having the advantages of the good spinning effect, or the like.
In one embodiment, the rotary tub assembly 200 for the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a single drum washing machine or a dual drum washing machine, which is not limited in the present application.
In some examples of the present application, as shown in
The impeller 300 is rotatably provided in the rotary tub 210. The drain pan 400 is provided in the cabinet 100, has at least a part located below the rotary tub 210 and is configured to support the rotary tub 210 directly or indirectly. In the present embodiment, the drive unit 500 is mounted at the drain pan 400, for example, at a lower surface of the drain pan 400, and configured to drive at least one of the rotary tub 210 and the impeller 300 to rotate. The drive unit 500 is provided with a drive shaft assembly 501 penetrating through and connectedly fitted with the drain pan 400, and a support plate 502 connected to the drive shaft assembly 501 is provided between the drain pan 400 and the rotary tub 210, and connected to the rotary tub 210 fixedly. The water guide cavity 240 guides the liquid spun out of the rotary tub 210 to the drain pan 400 via the water outlet 211. A drain groove 410 may be provided in the drain pan 400, a drainage port is provided at the lowest position of the drain groove 410 for drainage; the drain pan 400 may also not be provided with the drainage port, and the water in the drain groove 410 is extracted through a conduit, or the like. The support damping assembly 600 is mounted in the cabinet 100 and connected to the drain pan 400.
Thus, the drain pan 400 may receive the liquid discharged from the water guide cavity 240, and the drive unit 500 and the support damping assembly 600 may be mounted at the drain pan 400, to realize the functions of bearing the drive unit 500 and supporting the rotary tub 210.
Further, as shown in
Other components and operations of the washing machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present application are also possible, and are not described in detail herein.
In the description of the present specification, reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “exemplary embodiment”, “example”, “specific example”, “some examples” or the like means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the specification, the schematic expressions to the above-mentioned terms are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201820346493.8 | Mar 2018 | CN | national |
| 201910083643.X | Jan 2019 | CN | national |
| 201920156920.0 | Jan 2019 | CN | national |
The present disclosure is a national phase application of International Application No. PCT/CN2019/077910, filed on Mar. 13, 2019, which claims the priority of Chinese Application No. 201820346493.8 filed in the Chinese Patent Office on Mar. 13, 2018, Chinese Application No. 201920156920.0 and 201910083643.X filed on Jan. 29, 2019, the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2019/077910 | 3/13/2019 | WO | 00 |
