Patent Application
20230407541
The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of clothing washing, and specifically provides a ventilation control method for a clothing washing apparatus.
A clothing washing apparatus is a clothing treatment apparatus capable of washing, rinsing, spin-drying and/or drying the clothing.
Taking a drum washing machine and a drum washing-drying integrated machine as an example, they are designed according to the principle of striking clothing with a bar hammer, and have many advantages such as low wear, no entanglement, washability of cashmere and real silk fabrics, and large capacity, etc. After the clothing is washed, an interior of a drum assembly is very damp, and the damp environment makes it very easy to breed bacteria inside the drum assembly and will produce odor. However, just opening the door cannot eradicate this situation. When users use the washing machine again, secondary pollution will also be caused to the newly added clothing, which is not advantageous for use by users and will affect user's normal experience.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new ventilation control method for a clothing washing apparatus in the art to solve the above problems.
In order to solve the above problems in the prior art, that is, to solve the problems in existing clothing washing apparatuses that the interior of the drum assembly thereof is very damp after the clothing is washed, which makes it easy to breed bacteria and produce odor, and that secondary pollution will be caused to the clothing to be washed subsequently, the present disclosure provides a ventilation control method for a clothing washing apparatus; the clothing washing apparatus includes a drum assembly, a clothing treatment agent dispenser and a water inflow pipe; an inlet of the water inflow pipe is communicated with the clothing treatment agent dispenser, and an outlet of the water inflow pipe is communicated with the drum assembly; the clothing washing apparatus further includes an air inflow pipe communicating the outside with the drum assembly, and a siphon device connected with the water inflow pipe; an air inflow fan is arranged in the air inflow pipe, and the siphon device is arranged to be capable of discharging water in the water inflow pipe when the water in the water inflow pipe reaches a siphoning height, so that the water inflow pipe is communicated with the outside; the ventilation control method includes: acquiring a present current of the air inflow fan when the air inflow fan is turned on; injecting water into the water inflow pipe if the present current of the air inflow fan reaches a preset current value, so as to trigger the siphon device to discharge the water in the water inflow pipe and then ventilating the drum assembly; and directly ventilating the drum assembly if the present current of the air inflow fan does not reach the preset current value.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the water inflow pipe is a U-shaped water inflow pipe, the siphon device is a siphon pipe, and a siphoning trigger position of the siphon pipe is located between a height position of the inlet of the U-shaped water inflow pipe and a height position of the outlet of the U-shaped water inflow pipe.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the siphon pipe is communicated with a bottom of a horizontal section of the U-shaped water inflow pipe.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the drum assembly includes an outer cylinder, an inner drum rotatably arranged in the outer cylinder, and a window gasket connected with the outer cylinder, and the air inflow pipe is communicated with a wrinkle part of the window gasket.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the air inflow pipe is communicated with a top of the wrinkle part of the window gasket.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the drum assembly includes an outer cylinder, an inner drum rotatably arranged in the outer cylinder, and a window gasket connected with the outer cylinder, and the air inflow pipe is communicated with the outer cylinder.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the air inflow pipe is communicated with a top of the outer cylinder.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the air inflow pipe is provided therein with a foam overflow prevention member.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the air inflow fan is arranged on an upstream side of the foam overflow prevention member in an air inflow direction of the air inflow pipe.
In a preferred technical solution of the above ventilation control method, the air inflow pipe is provided therein with an air filtering member.
It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in the preferred technical solutions of the present disclosure, the current of the air inflow fan is detected; if the current of the air inflow fan is too large, it indicates that a water seal is formed in the water inflow pipe, which hinders ventilation; by injecting water into the water inflow pipe and under the action of the air inflow fan, the water in the water inflow pipe can quickly reach the siphoning height, so that the water in the water inflow pipe is discharged by the siphon device to release the water seal, thus realizing ventilation; and if the current of the air inflow fan is not large, it indicates that there is no water seal formed in the water inflow pipe and ventilation is not hindered, so that ventilation can be directly achieved. Through this control method, the residual water inside the drum assembly can be air-dried after the clothing is washed, thus ensuring internal dryness of the drum assembly, and avoiding bacteria breeding and odor generation. Moreover, when the user uses the clothing washing apparatus to wash the clothing again, no secondary pollution will be caused to the clothing. In addition, there is no need to make significant structural changes to the clothing washing apparatus. The structure is simple, the production cost is saved, and the user experience is improved.
Further, the water inflow pipe is a U-shaped water inflow pipe, and the siphon device is a siphon pipe. When water flows into the U-shaped water inflow pipe, since the siphoning trigger position of the siphon pipe is higher than the outlet of the U-shaped water inflow pipe, the siphoning phenomenon will not be triggered during the inflow of water into the clothing washing apparatus, so that it is ensured the water in the U-shaped water inflow pipe can enter the drum assembly. When the clothing washing apparatus finishes washing and the ventilation program is executed, the air in the drum assembly enters the water inflow pipe, causing a water level of the water in the siphon pipe to continuously rise under the action of air pressure and water injection operation, until the siphon pipe is triggered to cause the siphoning phenomenon, so that the water in the water inflow pipe is discharged, and further the water inflow pipe is communicated with the outside to realize air discharge. Moreover, since the siphoning trigger position of the siphon pipe is lower than the inlet of the U-shaped water inflow pipe, the water in the U-shaped water inflow pipe will not flow back to the clothing treatment agent dispenser and overflow, thus ensuring the safe operation of clothing washing apparatus.
Further, the siphon pipe is communicated with the bottom of the horizontal section of the U-shaped water inflow pipe, so that when the clothing washing apparatus executes the ventilation program, the siphon pipe can completely drain the water in the U-shaped water inflow pipe, avoiding water residue in the U-shaped water inflow pipe.
Further, the arrangement of the foam overflow prevention member in the air inflow pipe can prevent foam from overflowing to the outside from the air inflow pipe if too much foam is generated in the washing process of the clothing washing apparatus, prevent water and foam from overflowing from the clothing washing apparatus, avoid affecting the indoor environment, and further improve the user experience.
Further, by arranging the air inflow fan on the upstream side of the foam overflow prevention member in the air inflow direction of the air inflow pipe, the air inflow fan can be prevented from being affected by foam and water, thus avoiding short circuit of the air inflow fan, and further improving the safety of the clothing washing apparatus.
Further, by arranging the air filtering member in the air inflow pipe, the air entering the drum assembly can be prevented from carrying impurities such as dust, thus ensuring that the interior of the drum assembly is not affected, and further improving the user experience.
Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with a drum washing machine, in which:
First, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principle of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. For example, although the present disclosure is explained and described in connection with a drum washing machine, the technical principle of the present disclosure is obviously also applicable to other apparatuses, such as drum washing-drying integrated machines and shoe washers. Such adjustments and changes to the application object do not constitute limitations to the present disclosure, and should all be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
It should be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, terms indicating directional or positional relationships, such as “in”, “above”, “below”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “inner”, “outer” and the like, are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used for ease of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed or operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be considered as limitations to the present disclosure.
In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms “arrange”, “connect” and “communicate” should be understood in a broad sense; for example, the connection may be a fixed connection, or may also be a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection implemented through an intermediate medium, or it may be internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be interpreted according to specific situations.
In view of the problems pointed out in the “BACKGROUND” that in existing drum washing machines, the interior of the drum assembly thereof is very damp after the clothing is washed, which makes it easy to breed bacteria and produce odor, and that secondary pollution will be caused to the clothing to be washed subsequently, the present disclosure provides a ventilation control method for a drum washing machine, which aims to air-dry the residual water inside the drum assembly after the clothing is washed, thus ensuring internal dryness of the drum assembly, and avoiding bacteria breeding and odor generation; moreover, when the user uses the clothing washing apparatus to wash the clothing again, no secondary pollution will be caused to the clothing, and there is no need to make significant structural changes to the clothing washing apparatus. The structure is simple, the production cost is saved, and the user experience is improved.
Specifically, as shown in
As shown in
In a possible situation, as shown in
In step S4, if there is clothing in the inner drum 3, air drying of the drum assembly can also be achieved at the same time of shaking the clothing for loosing.
In step S31, in addition to directly setting the opening duration of the water inflow valve, a water level sensor can also be arranged in the water inflow pipe to detect the water level in the water inflow pipe. When the detected water level in the water inflow pipe reaches the siphoning height, the water inflow valve is controlled to be closed.
In a case where the water seal is formed in the water inflow pipe, after the air inflow fan 8 is turned on, outside air can be introduced into the outer cylinder 2 through the air inflow pipe 7, and the air in the outer cylinder 2 will enter the water inflow pipe. Due to the presence of water in the water inflow pipe and the formation of water seal, the water level in the siphon device will rise under the action of air pressure after the air enters the water inflow pipe. Moreover, in cooperation with the operation of injecting water into the water inflow pipe, the water level in the water inflow pipe rises quickly until the siphon device is triggered to siphon. The siphon device can discharge the water in the water inflow pipe, thus releasing the water seal in the water inflow pipe. The air in the outer cylinder 2 can continue to enter the clothing treatment agent dispenser 5 after entering the water inflow pipe. Since the clothing treatment agent dispenser 5 is communicated with the outside, the interior of the outer cylinder 2 is communicated with the outside, so as to achieve ventilation under the action of the air inflow fan 8, so that the interior of the drum assembly is air-dried and the odor in the drum assembly is discharged at the same time, thus avoiding bacteria breeding and secondary pollution to subsequent clothing washing.
Preferably, as shown in
In addition, the air inflow pipe 7 can be communicated with the outer cylinder 2, and can also be communicated with a wrinkle part of the window gasket 4. Of course, it is most preferred that the air inflow pipe 7 is communicated with the wrinkle part of the window gasket 4. Through such an arrangement, the outside air can first enter the wrinkle part of the window gasket 4 before entering the outer cylinder 2, and can air-dry the wrinkle part of the window gasket 4 and the outer cylinder 2 at the same time, so that the interior of the drum assembly is air-dried with no dead corner, thus avoiding bacteria breeding inside the drum assembly. Moreover, there is no need for the user to repeatedly clean the drum assembly, and at the same time, secondary pollution to the clothing to be washed subsequently can be avoided. Further, when the air inflow pipe 7 is communicated with the outer cylinder 2, it is preferred that the air inflow pipe 7 is communicated with the top of the outer cylinder 2 to prevent the water in the outer cylinder 2 from flowing back into the air inflow pipe 7 during washing. When the air inflow pipe 7 is communicated with the wrinkle part of the window gasket 4, it is preferred that the air inflow pipe 7 is communicated with the top of the wrinkle part of the window gasket 4, which also prevents the water in the outer cylinder 2 from flowing back into the air inflow pipe 7 during washing.
Preferably, as shown in
Preferably, the air inflow pipe 7 is provided therein with an air filtering member. The air filtering member can be of a structure of a single-stage filter screen or a multi-stage filter screen, or be of other filtering structures, so as to prevent external dirt from entering the outer cylinder 2.
Hitherto, the technical solutions of the present disclosure have been described in connection with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to relevant technical features, and all the technical solutions after these changes or replacements will fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202011192315.2 | Oct 2020 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2021/123666 | 10/14/2021 | WO |
