CN112160118A

CN112160118A - Washing machine and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN112160118A
Application number: CN202010940837.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伊茂聪; 陈贺; 毕波; 闫卓; 柳宗超
Original assignee: Hisense Shandong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Shandong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-09
Filing date: 2020-09-09
Publication date: 2021-01-01

Abstract

The invention provides a washing machine and a control method thereof, relates to the technical field of washing machines, and aims to solve the problem that the washing machine in the related art has relatively large water consumption. The washing machine comprises a box body, an outer barrel, an inner barrel, a steam generating device, a first pipeline, a second pipeline and a water suction pump, wherein the outer barrel is arranged in the box body, and a water suction port communicated with the inside of the outer barrel is formed in the outer barrel; the inner barrel is arranged in the outer barrel, a gap is formed between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and the gap is communicated with the water suction port; the steam generating device is provided with an inlet and an outlet; the first pipeline is connected between the inlet and the water suction port; the first end of the second pipeline is communicated with the outlet, and the second end of the second pipeline is communicated with the inside of the outer barrel; the water suction pump is arranged on the first pipeline. The invention can be used in washing machines.

Description

Washing machine and control method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of washing machines, in particular to a washing machine and a control method thereof.

Background

The washing machine is a device for washing clothes by utilizing the principle of converting electric energy into mechanical energy, and is suitable for meeting the requirements of wrinkle removal, sterilization and odor removal of the clothes.

A washing machine of the related art includes a steam generating device having an outlet connected to a washing tub through a first pipe and an inlet connected to a water inlet valve through a second pipe. In operation, water enters the steam generating device from the second conduit to become steam, and then enters the tub through the first conduit to steam the laundry.

The inventor of the present application has found that the above steam generating device needs to consume a part of water additionally when in operation, which is not favorable for saving water for the washing machine.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a washing machine and a control method thereof to solve a problem in the related art that water consumption of the washing machine is relatively large.

In order to achieve the above object, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a washing machine, including a box, an outer tub, an inner tub, a steam generating device, a first pipeline, a second pipeline, and a water suction pump, wherein the outer tub is disposed in the box, and the outer tub is provided with a water suction port communicated with an inside of the outer tub; the inner barrel is arranged in the outer barrel, a gap is formed between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and the gap is communicated with the water suction port; the steam generating device has an inlet and an outlet; the first pipeline is connected between the inlet and the water suction port; a first end of the second pipeline is communicated with the outlet, and a second end of the second pipeline is communicated with the inside of the outer barrel; the water suction pump is arranged on the first pipeline.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a washing machine for the first aspect, including: when the steam generating device needs to work, the heating element is controlled to heat, the water suction pump is started, the water inflow of the water suction pump into the shell in unit time is controlled, and the water inflow is smaller than or equal to the evaporation capacity of the heating element to water in the shell in unit time.

According to the washing machine and the control method thereof provided by the embodiment of the invention, as the inlet of the steam generating device is communicated with the water suction port through the first pipeline, water required by the steam generating device during operation is sucked from the gap between the inner barrel and the outer barrel by the water suction pump, so that the steam generating device can take rinsing water in the gap as a water supply source, secondary utilization of the rinsing water is realized, the water inflow of the washing machine is not required to be additionally consumed, and the water consumption of the washing machine is further saved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a washing machine in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a washing machine in other embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a steam generating device in some embodiments of the invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of the arrangement of a heating element within a housing in some embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

The terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; the term "coupled" may refer to a direct connection, an indirect connection through intervening media, or a connection between two elements; the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a washing machine according to some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1. The washing machine is a drum type washing machine, and includes a cabinet 1, an outer tub 21, an inner tub 22, a steam generating device 3, a first pipe 41, a second pipe 42, a third pipe 43, a suction pump 5 (also referred to as a suction motor), and a water inlet valve 6.

The box body 1 is approximately rectangular, the outer barrel 21 is arranged in the box body 1, the inner barrel 22 is arranged in the outer barrel 21, a gap 23 is formed between the inner barrel and the outer barrel 21, and a water suction port 211, a steam nozzle 212 and a water inlet 213 which are communicated with the gap 23 are arranged on the outer barrel 21.

Wherein, the steam nozzle 212 is disposed on the top of the outer tub 21, which makes the steam nozzle 212 less prone to be submerged by water in the outer tub 21, thereby facilitating the steam nozzle 212 to spray steam into the gap 23.

The steam generating device 3 is provided with an inlet 31 and an outlet 32, a first pipeline 41 is connected between the inlet 31 and a water suction port 211, a first end of a second pipeline 42 is communicated with the outlet 32, a second end is communicated with a steam nozzle 212, and a water suction pump 5 is arranged on the first pipeline 41; the third pipe 43 is connected between the feed valve 6 and the inlet 213.

When the washing machine needs steam ironing, the steam generating device 3 and the water suction pump 5 work, the water in the gap 23 between the inner barrel 22 and the outer barrel 21 is sucked into the steam generating device 3 through the first pipeline 41 by the water suction pump 5 and is converted into steam, then the steam enters the gap 23 through the second pipeline 42 and the steam nozzle 212, and then enters the inner barrel 22 through the through hole on the wall of the inner barrel so as to steam and iron clothes.

In the washing machine, because the inlet 31 of the steam generating device 3 is communicated with the water suction port 211 through the first pipeline 41, water required by the steam generating device 3 during operation is sucked from the gap 23 between the inner barrel 22 and the outer barrel 21 by the water suction pump 5, so that the steam generating device 3 can use rinsing water in the gap 23 as a water supply source, secondary utilization of the rinsing water is realized, extra consumption of water inflow of the washing machine is not needed, and water consumption of the washing machine is saved.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic view of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. The second end a of the second pipeline 42 is disposed at the bung of the outer barrel 21 and is communicated with the inner barrel 22. Through the design, the water vapor generated by the steam generating device 3 can enter the inner barrel 22 from the barrel opening of the outer barrel 21 very smoothly, the obstruction that the water vapor enters the inner barrel 22 from the second pipeline 42 is reduced, the loss amount of the water vapor is reduced, and the steaming efficiency of the washing machine can be improved.

In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the water sucking pump 5 to maximally suck the water in the gap 23 between the outer tub 21 and the inner tub 22, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the water sucking port 211 is disposed at the bottom of the outer tub 21. By setting the water suction port 211 at a lower position, the water suction pump 5 can still draw water from the gap 23 between the outer tub 21 and the inner tub 22 when the water level in the outer tub 21 is low, so that the water resource in the outer tub 21 can be utilized to the maximum.

The structure of the steam generating device 3 is not exclusive, and in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 3, fig. 3 is an exploded view of the steam generating device 3 in the embodiment of the present invention. The steam generator 3 includes a housing 33 and a heating member 34, the housing 33 is substantially rectangular, the inlet 31 and the outlet 32 are provided on the housing 33, and the heating member 34 is provided on the bottom wall of the housing 33. In operation of the steam generating device 3, the heating element 34 heats water entering the housing 33 so that the water is converted into steam and discharged from the outlet 32.

Of course, the housing 33 may be a column shape, instead of a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is not particularly limited herein.

In other embodiments, the steam generating device 3 comprises a housing 33 and a laser disposed on the housing 33. When the steam generating device 3 works, the laser emits laser to irradiate the water entering the shell 33, so that the water is heated and converted into water vapor to be discharged from the outlet 32. The steam generating device 3 shown in fig. 3 is simpler in structure, lower in cost, and more efficient in converting water into steam by the heating member 34 than the steam generating device 3 including a laser.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, fig. 4 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the heating element 34 within the housing 33. The heating element 34 is a serpentine heating tube. Through the design, the heating area of the heating element 34 is enlarged, so that the water in the shell 33 is heated more uniformly, the heating effect of the heating element 34 can be improved, and the efficiency of converting the water in the shell 33 into steam is improved.

Of course, the heating element 34 may be a heating plate laid on the bottom wall of the housing 33, besides the serpentine heating pipe, and the type of the heating element 34 may be determined according to actual conditions.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the housing 33 includes a housing body 331 and a cover plate 332, the housing body 331 has an opening 3311 at a top end thereof, and the cover plate 332 is detachably disposed at the opening 3311; the inlet 31 and the outlet 32 are provided on the case body 331, and the heating member 34 is provided on the bottom wall of the case body 331. By providing the housing 33 with the detachable housing body 331 and the cover plate 332, when the heating element 34 is damaged, the cover plate 332 can be detached from the housing body 331, so as to facilitate replacement of the heating element 34.

The cover plate 332 may be detachably connected to the case body 331 through a fastener such as a screw, or may be detachably connected to the case body 331 through a buckle, which is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the outlet 32 is disposed on the cover plate 332 such that the outlet 32 is at a higher position and is less likely to be submerged in water in the housing 33, thereby facilitating the removal of water vapor from the housing 33.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the inlet 31 is disposed on the cover 332, so that the inlet 31 is at a high position and is not easily submerged by water in the housing 33, which not only facilitates the water to enter the housing 33, but also prevents the water in the housing 33 from easily flowing back to the first pipeline 41.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the housing 33 further includes a gasket 333, and the gasket 333 is disposed at the opening 3311 and stacked with the cover plate 332. By providing the gasket 333, the sealing property between the cover plate 332 and the case body 331 is improved, and water can be more effectively prevented from leaking out from the gap between the case body 331 and the cover plate 332.

When the inlet 31 and the outlet 32 are both disposed on the cover 332, in order to ensure that the inlet 31 smoothly enters the housing 33 and that the steam in the housing 33 smoothly exits from the outlet 32, as shown in fig. 3, a first avoidance port 3331 and a second avoidance port 3332 are formed on the gasket 333, the first avoidance port 3331 is disposed opposite to the inlet 31, and the second avoidance port 3332 is disposed opposite to the outlet 32.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the steam generating device 3 further comprises a thermostat 35, and the thermostat 35 is disposed on the housing 33 and is used for acquiring the temperature inside the housing 33. Through the temperature controller 35, the temperature controller 35 can acquire the temperature in the casing 33, if the temperature acquired by the temperature controller 35 is higher and reaches an upper limit value, for example, when the heating element 34 has less water in the casing 33 and the heating element 34 is dry-burned, the temperature controller 35 can feed back the temperature value in the casing 33 to the controller of the washing machine, and the controller can stop heating the heating element 34 to prevent the heating element 34 from being burned out.

As shown in fig. 4, the thermostat 35 includes a main body 351 and a temperature sensing probe 352, and the temperature sensing probe 352 extends into the housing 33.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a control method for the washing machine in the first aspect, including:

when the steam generating device 3 needs to work, the heating element 34 is controlled to heat, the water suction pump 5 is started, and the water inflow Q of the water suction pump 5 into the shell 33 in unit time is controlled₁Less than or equal to the evaporation amount Q of the heating element 34 to the water in the housing 33 in unit time₂。

The above steps may be performed by a controller of the washing machine, and the heating member 34 evaporates the amount Q of water in the housing 33 per unit time₂It can be obtained through experimental means, for example, the heating element 34 can be turned on, the evaporation amount Q of the heating element 34 to the water in the housing 33 in the time period t is Q, and then the evaporation amount Q of the heating element 34 to the water in the housing 33 in the unit time is Q₂Is q/t.

By controlling Q₁Less than or equal to Q₂Therefore, the water inflow and the evaporation capacity in the shell 33 can be matched, so that the steam generating device 3 is ensured to continuously output steam into the inner barrel 22, and the situation that water in the shell 33 enters the inner barrel 22 along with the steam when the water inflow is large to reduce the steaming effect of the steam is avoided.

In some embodiments, in order to protect the steam generator 3 from overheating, the heating element 34 is controlled to stop heating when the temperature inside the housing 33 reaches a set upper limit value.

This step may be performed by a controller of the washing machine, and the temperature inside the housing 33 may be obtained by the thermostat 35.

By setting this step, not only the heating member 34 can be prevented from being damaged due to the excessive temperature, but also the case 33 of the steam generating device 3 can be prevented from being damaged due to the excessive temperature, such as the cable and the like, which are in contact with the case 33.

The same or similar features of the embodiment of the control method of the washing machine as those of the embodiment of the product of the washing machine may be referred to the description of the embodiment of the product of the washing machine, and are not repeated herein.

The washing machine in the embodiment of the present invention may be a pulsator washing machine, in addition to a drum washing machine, and is not limited specifically herein.

In the description herein, particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all the changes or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized by comprising:

a box body;

the outer barrel is arranged in the box body, and a water suction port communicated with the inside of the outer barrel is formed in the outer barrel;

the inner barrel is arranged in the outer barrel, a gap is formed between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and the gap is communicated with the water suction port;

a steam generating device having an inlet and an outlet;

a first conduit connected between the inlet and the suction port;

a second pipeline having a first end communicated with the outlet and a second end communicated with the inside of the outer tub;

the water suction pump is arranged on the first pipeline.

2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1,

the steam generating device includes:

a housing, the inlet and the outlet both disposed on the housing;

a heating member disposed on the bottom wall of the housing.

3. A washing machine according to claim 2,

the heating element is a serpentine heating tube.

4. A washing machine according to claim 2,

the shell comprises a shell body and a cover plate, an opening is formed in the top end of the shell body, and the cover plate is detachably covered at the opening;

the inlet with the outlet all set up in on the shell body, the heating member set up in on the diapire of shell body.

5. A washing machine according to claim 4,

the outlet is arranged on the cover plate, and/or the inlet is arranged on the cover plate.

6. A washing machine according to claim 4,

the casing still includes sealed the pad, sealed pad set up in the opening part, and with the apron is range upon range of and is set up.

7. A washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

the steam generating device further comprises a temperature controller, wherein the temperature controller is arranged on the shell and is used for acquiring the temperature in the shell.

8. A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the water suction port is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel.

9. A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the second end of the second pipeline is arranged at the opening of the outer barrel and communicated with the inner barrel;

or the top of the outer barrel is provided with a steam nozzle communicated with the gap, and the second end of the second pipeline is communicated with the steam nozzle.

10. A control method for a washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized by comprising:

when the steam generating device needs to work, the heating element is controlled to heat, the water suction pump is started, the water inflow of the water suction pump into the shell in unit time is controlled, and the water inflow is smaller than or equal to the evaporation capacity of the heating element to water in the shell in unit time.

11. The control method of a washing machine according to claim 10,

and when the temperature in the shell reaches a set upper limit value, controlling the heating element to stop heating.