Patent Application
20160289883
The present invention relates generally to the field of washing machines, and more particularly, to a washing machine for automatically feeding additives and a method for automatically feeding additives in the washing machine.
With the continuous development of functional diversification and intelligentization of washing machines, higher standards on operational convenience and feeding precision of detergent feeding are required. In terms of operational convenience, although intelligent feeding washing machines that store a large amount of laundry detergent at a time for multiple washing cycles are available in the market and reduce operational troubles for users to some extent, an user still needs to purchase laundry detergent in different packing manners, such as in bags or in bottles, from the market and feed proper amounts of the detergent into a detergent accommodating trough of a washing machine irregularly. In other words, the laundry detergent of a bottle or a bag still needs to be fed at multiple times.
The feeding precision of a detergent is mainly represented by a feeding manner thereof, and detergent feeding methods available in the market include a suction pump manner, a gear pump squeezing manner, and a constant volume feeding manner. Because of blockage problems caused by coagulation of an additive, a pump-powered detergent feeding manner gradually disappears from the market of high-end products. The constant volume feeding manner is a relatively popular detergent feeding control manner at present, but still has some disadvantages.
In addition, the existing intelligent detergent feeding structure still has the following disadvantages: (1) after all, a detergent accommodating trough is not a dedicated detergent accommodating container and cannot ensure sealability, and long-term placement would lead to deterioration; (2) for a fixed machine, accommodating troughs thereof have a determinate structure and number and usually include a main washing trough, a pre-washing trough, and a softener trough, if a disinfectant needs to be used, the disinfectant needs to be placed into the softener trough, in this way, it is extremely easy to mix up different detergents and affect use effects of the detergents, and moreover, detergents of the same type and of different brands also need to use a same accommodating trough, which also causes mix-up of detergents; (3) an existing intelligent detergent feeding box usually does not have a dedicated detergent feeding box, that is, if a powder detergent needs to be used, it is necessary to directly pour the powder detergent onto clothes in a washing drum before washing, and the powder detergent not only injures the clothes but also cannot be dissolved easily; and (4) it is difficult to clean the detergent.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention is provided herein.
One of the objectives of the present invention is to overcome disadvantages of the prior art, by providing a washing machine for automatically feeding one or more additives, where long-term placement of the additives in additive accommodating boxes would not cause deterioration and coagulation, a number of times that a user adds the additives is reduced, and additive feeding convenience is improved; a constant volume control process is omitted, additive feeding precision is improved, and waste of an additive is reduced; a problem of which blades of a metering apparatus cannot be effectively actuated to rotate to meter the additive because the viscosity of an additive is avoided, and meanwhile a blockage of the metering apparatus caused by coagulation of an additive is also avoided; and an unfavorable washing effect caused by mix-up of different types of additives is also avoided.
Another objective of the present invention is providing a method of the foregoing washing machine for automatically feeding one or more additives.
To achieve the objectives, the present invention utilizes the following technical solutions.
In one aspect of the invention, a washing machine for automatically feeding an additive, including an additive automatic feeding apparatus and at least one additive accommodating box for accommodating at least one liquid additive. Each additive accommodating box is an independently sealed cartridge-type structure. A washing machine casting is provided with at least one opening. Each additive accommodating box is disposed inside its corresponding opening in a pull and push manner, and operably is or is not in communication with the additive automatic feeding apparatus.
In one embodiment, the washing machine is provided with at least two openings, the at least one additive accommodating box configured to accommodate the at least one liquid additive is disposed inside the at least one opening, a powder detergent accommodating box configured to accommodate a solid detergent is disposed inside one of the at least two openings. Preferably, the washing machine is provided with a powder detergent accommodating box for accommodating a powder detergent and a corresponding opening, and multiple additive accommodating boxes for respectively accommodating a liquid detergent, a liquid softener, and a liquid disinfectant and their corresponding openings.
In one embodiment, wherein the washing machine is provided with a base, the base is provided with at least one additive accommodating box opening, each opening is an independent chamber, or multiple openings are chambers having interiors in communication with each other, and a positioning slideway of the additive accommodating box is disposed inside the opening.
In one embodiment, the base is further provided with at least one powder detergent accommodating box opening, an upper part of the opening is in communication with a water inlet of the washing machine, a lower part of the opening is provided with a water outlet in communication with a washing drum, and the powder detergent accommodating box opening is an independent sealed chamber and is isolated from the additive accommodating box opening.
In one embodiment, a side, provided with an opening, of the base is provided with a decorative baffle, a side edge of the decorative baffle plate is hingedly connected to the washing machine and/or base, or the decorative cover plate is connected to the washing machine and/or base in a push and pull manner.
In one embodiment, the washing machine is further provided with an additive stock warning apparatus, the additive accommodating box is provided with a liquid level detecting apparatus, the liquid level detecting apparatus controls, according to a detected liquid level signal, the warning apparatus to issue an alarm, and the additive stock warning apparatus is an additive stock display lamp and/or a buzzer.
In one embodiment, the additive accommodating box is provided with a liquid outlet, the liquid outlet is provided with a pressure opening/closure valve, a press pop-out switch is disposed inside the opening, when the additive accommodating box is completely pushed into an interior of the opening, the pressure opening/closure valve is opened, and the liquid outlet is in communication with the additive automatic feeding apparatus, and when the additive accommodating box is further pressed forcefully, the additive accommodating box is popped out by specific displacement, the pressure opening/closure valve is closed, and the additive accommodating box can be pulled out from the opening.
In one embodiment, the liquid outlet is located on an end surface, facing the opening, of the additive accommodating box and is located at a bottom of the end surface, the liquid outlet is provided with a one-way valve merely provided for an additive to flow out, the one-way valve is provided with a sealing member for controlling whether a liquid detergent can flow out, a control module capable of controlling the sealing member to move to enable the liquid detergent to flow out from the additive accommodating box is disposed at a position, corresponding to the sealing member, inside the opening, the control module includes an electromagnetic module and a piston rod connected to the electromagnetic module, another end of the piston rod is located on the sealing member, and the electromagnetic module drives the piston rod to move to actuate the sealing member to move to control the one-way valve to open and close.
In one embodiment, the opening is located on a side wall of the washing machine, and the additive accommodating box is horizontally disposed, or the opening inclines downward from outside to inside, and the additive accommodating box is inclinedly disposed, or the opening is located on a top surface of the washing machine, and the additive accommodating box is vertically disposed.
In one embodiment, the additive automatic feeding apparatus is an apparatus that generates negative pressure by using an inlet water flow to extract a liquid additive and performs quantitative feeding, the apparatus includes a negative pressure generator located on an water inlet pipeline of the washing machine, a negative pressure region of the negative pressure generator is in communication with a metering apparatus, the negative pressure generator is further provided with a discharge liquid circulation passage, and the metering apparatus is also separately in communication with a first opening of an ink cartridge-type additive box and the discharge liquid circulation passage of the negative pressure generator.
In one embodiment, the metering apparatus includes a liquid passing chamber, at least two inlets and at least one outlet that are in communication with the liquid passing chamber and, a rotatable impeller disposed inside the liquid passing chamber, and a counting sensor disposed outside the liquid passing chamber to detect an impeller rotation angle, liquid throughput is calculated by means of measuring the impeller rotation angle, one of the inlets is in communication with a liquid outlet of the ink cartridge-type additive box, another inlet is in communication with the discharge liquid circulation passage, and the outlet is in communication with the washing drum.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of The washing machine for automatically feeding additives is provided, where the washing machine is started, a main control board determines, according to a program, an additive that needs to be fed, if the additive is a liquid additive, the main control board controls an electromagnetic module corresponding to an additive accommodating box that accommodates the liquid additive to be powered on to drive a corresponding piston rod to squeeze the sealing member, a gap is generated around the sealing member, and the additive is extracted out by using negative pressure that is generated when the washing machine intakes water, and after the additive inside the additive accommodating box is used up, the additive accommodating box is pressed, the additive accommodating box is popped out, the additive accommodating box is pulled out from the opening, the one-way valve and sealing member are taken off to pour a corresponding additive into the interior thereof, and further the additive accommodating box is inserted into the corresponding opening. The pulled-out additive accommodating box is replaceable with a portable additive accommodating box containing the additive of the type. For example, the user may directly purchase the portable additive accommodating box containing the additive of the type from the market, mount the one-way valve and sealing member onto the additive accommodating box, and then insert the additive accommodating box into the corresponding opening.
According to the technical solutions of the present invention, the invention has the following beneficial effects.
1. The washing machine of the present invention uses sealed additive accommodating boxes, where long-term placement of additives in an interior thereof would not cause deterioration and coagulation. In addition, the additive accommodating boxes can be pulled out, and the additives can be added into the corresponding additive accommodating boxes at one time, thereby reducing a number of times that a user adds the additive. The additive accommodating box can be replaced entirely and conveniently, thereby improving additive feeding convenience.
2. An additive is sucked by means of negative pressure, a metering apparatus is disposed to greatly improve additive feeding precision, by means of the effect of negative pressure, a dosage of the additive is controlled by metering an additive diluent that flows through the metering apparatus, and a constant volume control process is omitted, thereby greatly improving additive dosage feeding precision, which may reach ±5%, and reducing waste of the additive.
3. Fresh water or a mixed liquid is sucked while an additive is sucked in the metering apparatus to dilute the additive, thereby avoiding a problem of which blades of a metering apparatus cannot be effectively actuated to rotate to meter the additive because the viscosity of an additive, and a blockage of the metering apparatus caused by coagulation of the additive.
4. Multiple liquid additive accommodating boxes separately accommodate different types of additives, thereby avoiding an unfavorable washing effect caused by mix-up of the different types of additives.
5. After the additive reaches a feeding amount, fresh water is continuously sucked in to flush the metering apparatus, to prevent the additive from congealing and blocking the metering apparatus, and meanwhile, in negative pressure generated in the continuation can suck the diluent in the metering apparatus completely, thereby avoiding a residue.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Elements and their reference numerals: 1—opening, 2—additive accommodating box, 3—liquid outlet, 4—powder detergent accommodating box, 5—base, 6—decorative baffle plate, 7—additive stock display lamp, 8—one-way valve, 9—sealing member, 10—piston rod, 11—electromagnetic module, 12—washing machine water inlet pipeline, 13—negative pressure generator, 14—metering apparatus, 15—water inlet, 16—water outlet, 17—discharge liquid circulation passage, 18—additive accommodating box opening, 19—powder detergent accommodating box opening, 20—first detergent trough, 21—second detergent trough, 22—first electromagnetic valve, 23—first water inlet valve, 24—second electromagnetic valve, 25—second water inlet valve, 26—constant volume chamber, 31—front panel, 32—top surface, 33—program selection knob.
As shown in
Preferably, each additive accommodating box 2 is a regular columnar chamber and is provided with a liquid outlet 3. The liquid outlet 3 is provided with a pressure opening/closure valve. A press pop-out switch is disposed inside the opening 1. When the additive accommodating box 2 is completely pushed into an interior of the opening, the pressure opening/closure valve is opened, and the liquid outlet is in communication with the additive automatic feeding apparatus. When the additive accommodating box 2 is further pressed forcefully, the additive accommodating box 2 is popped out by specific displacement, the pressure opening/closure valve is closed, and the additive accommodating box 2 can be pulled out from the opening. When the additive accommodating box 2 is inserted into the opening and pressed inward, the additive accommodating box 2 is locked, and when being further pressed, the additive accommodating box 2 is popped out. In operation, a liquid additive is placed into the additive accommodating box 2 at a time, the additive accommodating box 2 is pressed into the interior of the opening 1, and when the washing machine needs to add the additive, the additive is sucked from the corresponding additive accommodating box 2 and after being dissolved, enters the washing drum. After the additive in the additive accommodating box 2 is used up, the additive accommodating box may be taken out, and an additive is added into the additive accommodating box at a time, thereby reducing a number of times that a user adds the additive, or the additive accommodating box can be replaced entirely, and such replacement is convenient. Because the additive accommodating box 2 is a sealed box body, long-term placement of an additive in an interior thereof would not cause deterioration and coagulation.
As shown in
A control module capable of controlling the sealing member 9 to move to enable the liquid detergent to flow out from the additive accommodating box 2 is disposed at a position, corresponding to the sealing member 9, inside the opening 1. The control module includes an electromagnetic module 11 and a piston rod 10 connected to the electromagnetic module 11, another end of the piston rod 10 is located on the sealing member 9, and the electromagnetic module 11 drives the piston rod to move to actuate the sealing member 9 to move to control the one-way valve 8 to open and close. The electromagnetic module 11 is powered on to drive the corresponding piston rod 10 to squeeze the sealing member 9, and a gap is generated around the sealing member 9, and the additive in the interior can flow out through the gap. Alternatively, the electromagnetic valve may be disposed to control connection or disconnection of a pipeline between the additive accommodating box 2 and the metering apparatus 14.
The washing machine is provided with at least two openings 1. The at least one additive accommodating box 2 is disposed inside at least one opening 1. A powder detergent accommodating box 4 configured to accommodate a solid detergent is disposed inside one opening 1. When a user uses the washing machine for washing, a powder detergent may be placed into the powder detergent accommodating box 4. A powder detergent washing mode is started, a washing machine water inlet pipeline 12 feeds water into a washing drum, and by means of flushing of running water, the powder detergent is fully dissolved and uniformly enters the washing drum, thereby preventing directly feeding the powder detergent onto clothes from injuring the clothes.
The washing machine may be provided with a powder detergent accommodating box 4 for accommodating a powder detergent and a corresponding powder detergent accommodating box opening 10 or may be provided with multiple powder detergent accommodating boxes 4 for accommodating a powder detergent and corresponding powder detergent accommodating box openings 19, so as to separately accommodate a powder detergent used when a main washing program, a pre-washing program, or another program runs. Meanwhile, the washing machine may be provided with multiple additive accommodating boxes 2 for separately accommodating a liquid detergent, a liquid softener, and a liquid disinfectant, and corresponding additive accommodating box openings 18. The additive may be added at a time and used for many times, and it is unnecessary to add the additive each time washing is performed. In addition, different additives are separately accommodated in different additive accommodating boxes 2, thereby avoiding mix-up of additives because the multiple types of additives share one additive accommodating box and preventing an effect from being affected.
As shown in
The base 5 is further provided with at least one powder detergent accommodating box opening 19, where an upper part of the opening is in communication with a washing machine water inlet 15, and a lower part of the opening is provided with a water outlet 16 in communication with the washing drum. The powder detergent accommodating box opening is an independent sealed chamber and is isolated from an accommodating box-type additive accommodating box opening 15, and a powder detergent in an interior thereof is directly flushed and dissolved by a water flow that enters through the water inlet 15, and then the water enters the washing drum through the water outlet 16. Isolation from an additive accommodating box opening 18 may prevent a powder detergent solution from entering a chamber inside the additive accommodating box opening 18.
To prevent the opening 1 and additive accommodating box 2 on the base 5 from exposing to the outside of the washing machine, a side, provided with the opening 1, of the base 5 is provided with a decorative baffle plate 6, and a side edge of the decorative baffle plate 6 is hingedly connected to the washing machine and/or base 5. In certain embodiments, when an operation needs to be performed on the additive accommodating box 2 or powder detergent accommodating box 4 inside the opening 1, the decorative baffle plate 6 may rotate upward, downward, or toward one side around a pivot, so as to expose the opening. Alternatively, the decorative cover plate 6 is connected to the washing machine and/or base 5 in a push and pull manner. In certain embodiments, when an operation needs to be performed on the additive accommodating box 2 or powder detergent accommodating box 4 inside the opening 1, the decorative baffle plate 6 is pushed toward one side, so as to expose the opening 1.
The washing machine is further provided with an additive stock warning apparatus, the additive accommodating box is provided with a liquid level detecting apparatus, the liquid level detecting apparatus is in a signal connection with a main control board, the main control board is in a signal connection with the additive stock warning apparatus, the liquid level detecting apparatus controls, according to a detected liquid level signal, the warning apparatus to issue an alarm, and the additive stock warning apparatus is an additive stock display lamp 7 and/or a buzzer. The liquid level detecting apparatus may be a photoelectric sensor or a liquid level sensor, when detecting that the stock of the additive is less, the liquid level detecting apparatus sends a signal to the main control board, main control board sends a signal to the additive stock display lamp and/or buzzer to control the additive stock display lamp and/or buzzer to issue a sound and light alarm to prompt a user to add the additive in time or replace the additive accommodating box 2 in time.
The opening 1 is located on a front panel 31 of the washing machine and may be located on an upper-left or upper right part of the washing drum. The additive accommodating box 2 may be pulled out toward a front side (a side of a door body) of the washing machine, the additive accommodating box 2 is horizontally disposed, a liquid level of the additive inside the additive accommodating box 2 is also horizontal, and the additive accommodating box 2 is made of a transparent material, so that a user may directly and clearly observe a volume of the additive in the interior. Alternatively, the opening 1 inclines downward from outside to inside, and the interior of the additive accommodating box is inclinedly disposed downward. In this way, it can be ensured that when less additive remains, the additive gathers to the lowest corner, and the liquid outlet 3 is just located at this position. Therefore, the additive in the interior can be fully used, and residue is avoided.
Alternatively, the opening 1 is located on a top surface 32 of the washing machine, the additive accommodating box 2 is vertically disposed and can be pulled out upward, and the liquid outlet 3 is located at the lowest part of the additive accommodating box 2.
The additive automatic feeding apparatus may be a feeding apparatus of any form. Preferably, the additive automatic feeding apparatus is an apparatus that generates negative pressure by using an inlet water flow to extract a liquid additive and performs quantitative feeding. As shown in
The metering apparatus 14 includes a liquid passing chamber, at least two inlets and at least one outlet that are in communication with the liquid passing chamber and, a rotatable impeller disposed inside the liquid passing chamber, and a counting sensor disposed outside the liquid passing chamber to detect an impeller rotation angle, liquid throughput is calculated by means of measuring the impeller rotation angle, one of the inlets is in communication with an outlet of the additive accommodating box 2, another inlet is in communication with the discharge liquid circulation passage 17, and the outlet is in communication with the washing drum.
In one aspect of the invention, a method for automatically feeding an additive is provided. When the washing machine is started, a main control board determines, according to a program, whether an additive needs to be fed; in a case of a powder detergent washing mode, a water flow of running water that enters from a water inlet 15 through a washing machine water inlet pipeline 2 flushes and dissolves a powder detergent in the interior and then enters a washing drum through a water outlet 16; in a case of an additive washing mode, an electromagnetic module 11 corresponding to an additive accommodating box 2 that accommodates the additive is controlled to be powered on to drive a corresponding piston rod 10 to squeeze a sealing member 9, a gap is generated around the sealing member 9, meanwhile, water is fed into the washing drum through the washing machine water inlet pipeline 2, and the additive inside the additive accommodating box 2 is sucked into a metering apparatus 14 by using negative pressure that is generated when the water flow passes through a negative pressure generator 13, and meanwhile, a part of the water flow inside the negative pressure generator 13 enters the metering apparatus 14 through a discharge liquid circulation passage 17, the additive mixes with the water flow inside the metering apparatus 14 to form a liquid additive mixture, which flows into the negative pressure generator 13 and then enters the washing drum through the washing machine water inlet pipeline 12. Accordingly, the problem of which blades of a metering apparatus cannot be effectively actuated to rotate to meter the additive because the viscosity of an additive is avoided, and a blockage of the metering apparatus 14 caused by coagulation of an additive is also avoided at the same time. A constant volume control process is omitted, thereby greatly improving additive dosage feeding precision, which may reach ±5%, and reducing waste of the additive.
By means of a counting sensor disposed outside the liquid passing chamber to detect an impeller rotation angle, liquid throughput is calculated by means of measuring the impeller rotation angle. After the additive reaches a feeding amount, the electromagnetic module 11 is controlled to be powered off, the piston rod 10 returns, and the sealing member 9 seals the one-way valve 8. At this time, the additive cannot be sucked into the metering apparatus 14, the water flow inside the negative pressure generator 13 continuously flows into metering apparatus 14 through the discharge liquid circulation passage 17 to clean the metering apparatus 14, to prevent the additive from congealing and blocking the metering apparatus 14, and meanwhile, in negative pressure generated in the continuation can suck the diluent in the metering apparatus 14 completely, thereby avoiding a residue.
After the additive inside the additive accommodating box 2 is used up, the additive accommodating box 2 is pulled out from the opening, the one-way valve 8 and sealing member 9 are taken off to pour a corresponding additive into the interior thereof, and further the additive accommodating box 2 is inserted into the corresponding opening 1, or a user may directly purchase an additive accommodating box 2 of the type, mount the one-way valve 8 and sealing member 9 onto the additive accommodating box, and then insert the additive accommodating box 2 into the corresponding opening 1.
While there has been shown several and alternate embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that certain changes can be made as would be known to one skilled in the art without departing from the underlying scope of the present invention as is discussed and set forth above and below including claims. Furthermore, the embodiments described above and claims set forth below are only intended to illustrate the principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the disclosed elements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201310606972.0 | Nov 2013 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2014/071095 | 1/22/2014 | WO | 00 |
