CN112376214A

CN112376214A - Washing machine outer barrel and washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN112376214A
Application number: CN202011191870.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱磊; 高久兴; 周椿浩
Original assignee: Wuxi Little Swan Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuxi Little Swan Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-30
Filing date: 2020-10-30
Publication date: 2021-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2040-10-30
Also published as: CN112376214B

Abstract

The invention provides an outer barrel of a washing machine and the washing machine, which relate to the technical field of household appliances and comprise a barrel body, wherein the top of the barrel body is provided with an exhaust hole; the defoaming component is arranged on the barrel body; the defoaming assembly is provided with an exhaust channel, the inlet end of the exhaust channel is communicated with the exhaust hole, and the outlet end of the exhaust channel is communicated with the outside; the blocking piece is arranged in the inner cavity of the exhaust passage. In the above technical scheme, based on the design structure that the vent holes are positioned at the top of the outer tub of the washing machine in the state that the outer tub of the washing machine is assembled, the highest water level of the washing water has a longer distance relative to the vent holes, so that the foam generated by the washing water is also far away from the vent holes, the foam generated by the washing water is reduced or avoided from the source to be discharged along the vent holes, and the problems of foam overflow and water overflow are reduced or avoided. Even if foam is discharged from the vent hole, a stopper capable of breaking the foam is provided in the vent passage communicating with the vent hole, and the long path structure of the vent passage is combined to break the foam.

Description

Washing machine outer barrel and washing machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to an outer barrel of a washing machine and the washing machine.

Background

Washing machines have become essential household appliances in life, and generally include pulsator washing machines and drum washing machines. Among the prior art, drum type washing machine is at work, because the rotation of interior bucket or detergent put in the excessive, can produce a large amount of foams in inside, when the foam volume produced when great, unnecessary foam spills over from the washing machine along exhaust structure easily, has the shortcoming of excessive bubble to produce the problem of polluted environment.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an outer barrel of a washing machine and the washing machine, and aims to solve the technical problem of bubble overflow of the drum washing machine in the prior art.

The invention provides an outer barrel of a washing machine, comprising:

the top of the barrel body is provided with an exhaust hole;

a defoaming assembly disposed on the tub body; the defoaming assembly is provided with an exhaust channel, the inlet end of the exhaust channel is communicated with the exhaust hole, and the outlet end of the exhaust channel is communicated with the outside;

a stopper disposed in the interior cavity of the vent passage for rupturing foam.

Further, the exhaust passage is a zigzag passage.

Furthermore, the tortuous passage comprises a plurality of sections of unit passages which are sequentially communicated end to end and are parallel to each other.

Furthermore, the defoaming assembly comprises a bottom shell and a cover body which are oppositely covered, and the cover body is provided with a through hole; the bottom of the bottom shell is vertically provided with a partition plate, and the partition plate, the wall of the bottom shell and the inner wall of the cover body form the tortuous passage.

Furthermore, the number of the partition plates is multiple, and the adjacent partition plates are respectively connected with the opposite cavity wall of the bottom shell and the opposite inner wall of the cover body to form the zigzag channel.

Further, the bottom of the bottom shell is obliquely arranged, and the inlet end of the exhaust channel is the lowest position of the exhaust channel.

Further, the bottom shell is square, the inlet end of the exhaust channel is located at one corner of the square, the outlet end of the exhaust channel is located at the other corner of the square, and the through hole is opposite to the outlet end.

Further, the washing machine outer barrel further comprises:

and the vent plug is arranged in the through hole.

Further, the washing machine outer barrel further comprises:

the exhaust funnel is arranged on the outer wall of the cover body and communicated with the through hole, and the exhaust plug is arranged in the exhaust funnel.

Further, the vent plug is a sponge plug.

Further, the bottom shell and the barrel body are integrally formed.

Further, the stopper is a plate-shaped member, and the stopper is obliquely arranged on the inner wall of the exhaust channel and faces the opposite direction of the airflow.

Furthermore, the number of the blocking pieces is multiple, and the blocking pieces are opposite to each other in pairs on the opposite inner walls of the exhaust channel.

Further, the two opposite stoppers are arranged in a staggered manner in the airflow direction of the exhaust channel.

Further, the exhaust passage extends in a height direction from an inlet end to an outlet end thereof.

The invention also provides a washing machine comprising the outer barrel of the washing machine.

In the above technical solution, based on the design structure that the vent hole is located at the top of the outer tub of the washing machine in the state of being assembled in the outer tub of the washing machine, when the washing water is injected into the inner tub assembled in the inner cavity of the outer tub of the washing machine, the highest water level of the washing water is far away from the vent hole, which can make the foam generated by the washing water far away from the vent hole, so that the foam generated by the washing water is reduced or avoided from the source to be discharged along the vent hole, and the problems of foam overflow and water overflow are reduced or avoided. Meanwhile, even if foam is discharged from the vent hole, a blocking piece capable of breaking the foam is arranged in the vent channel communicated with the vent hole, and the long path structure of the vent channel is combined to break the foam.

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, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an outer tub of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the outer tub of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the outer tub of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the outer tub of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of an exhaust passage provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is an assembly view of an outer tub of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1. a barrel body; 2. a defoaming assembly; 3. a stopper;

11. an exhaust hole;

21. an exhaust passage; 22. a bottom case; 23. a cover body; 24. a partition plate;

211. an inlet end; 212. an outlet end; 213. a unit channel;

231. a through hole; 232. a vent plug; 233. an exhaust funnel.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present invention. 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 should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

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; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected 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.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the present embodiment provides an outer tub of a washing machine, including:

the barrel comprises a barrel body 1, wherein the top of the barrel body 1 is provided with an exhaust hole 11;

the defoaming assembly 2 is arranged on the barrel body 1; the defoaming assembly 2 is provided with a gas exhaust channel 21, the inlet end 211 of the gas exhaust channel 21 is communicated with the gas exhaust hole 11, and the outlet end 212 is communicated with the outside;

a stopper 3, said stopper 3 being arranged in the cavity of said vent channel 21 for breaking foam.

Referring to fig. 1, in the outer tub of the washing machine, an exhaust hole 11 communicating with an inner cavity of the outer tub is opened at the top of the outer tub of the washing machine. That is, after the washing machine outer barrel is assembled on the washing machine, and the axis direction of the washing machine outer barrel faces to the front and back direction of the washing machine, i.e. the axis of the washing machine outer barrel is horizontal to the ground, when in a normal assembly state, the exhaust hole 11 is positioned at the top of the washing machine outer barrel.

The top position is located on the top of the washing machine outer barrel in the assembly state of the washing machine outer barrel, and the exhaust hole 11 is located on the side wall of the washing machine outer barrel separately relative to the washing machine outer barrel, so that the exhaust hole 11 needs to be located at the highest or higher position in the height direction when the washing machine outer barrel is assembled.

It can be seen that the vent 11 is located at the top of the washing machine tub, and is not located at an absolute top position of the washing machine tub with respect to the actual assembly state of the washing machine tub. For example, when the axis of the washing machine outer barrel forms a certain inclination with the ground, the exhaust hole 11 can also be adjusted to the top position of the current state according to the actual assembly state of the washing machine outer barrel, and the skilled person sets the actual position of the exhaust gas on the washing machine outer barrel according to the requirement, and the actual position is not limited to the sidewall of the washing machine outer barrel, even the bottom of the washing machine outer barrel, and the like, and is not limited herein.

Based on the design structure that the vent hole 11 is positioned at the top of the outer barrel of the washing machine in the state that the outer barrel of the washing machine is assembled, when washing water is injected into an inner barrel assembled in the inner cavity of the outer barrel of the washing machine, the highest water level of the washing water is far away from the vent hole 11, so that foam generated by the washing water is far away from the vent hole 11, the foam generated by the washing water is reduced or avoided from the source and is discharged along the vent hole 11, and the problems of foam overflow and water overflow are reduced or avoided.

For example, after the outer tub is assembled in the washing machine along a state that the axis of the outer tub is parallel to the ground, the inner tub assembled in the inner cavity of the outer tub is also in the same assembled state as the outer tub, i.e., the axis of the inner tub is also horizontal to the ground. At this time, the water level of the washing water in the inner tub is not only flush with the ground but also flush with the axis of the inner tub and the outer tub of the washing machine.

At this time, the air vent 11 of the outer tub of the washing machine is located at a higher position of the outer tub of the washing machine, for example, at the top of the outer tub of the washing machine in the assembled state, so that the water level of the washing water in the inner tub can be kept at a longer distance from the air vent 11, and the bubbles generated by the washing water can be kept at a longer distance from the air vent 11 in the state of limited space of the inner tub, thereby effectively reducing or avoiding the bubbles generated by the washing water from being discharged along the air vent 11, and reducing or avoiding the problems of overflowing bubbles and water overflow.

Besides, in order to avoid the foam from overflowing from the exhaust hole 11, the defoaming assembly 2 is connected to the outside of the exhaust hole 11, and the defoaming assembly 2 firstly forms an exhaust passage 21 in the exhaust passage 2, so that compared with the simple exhaust hole 11, the exhaust passage 21 further forms a long path in the process of exhausting gas and foam, and the long path can form a certain blocking effect in the process of exhausting foam, so that when the foam overflows in the long path formed by the exhaust passage 21, at least one part of the foam can be broken due to extrusion or friction with the inner wall of the exhaust passage 21, and the direct overflow of the foam is avoided.

Meanwhile, the stopper 3 for breaking foam is arranged in the exhaust channel 21, the stopper 3 effectively forms a barrier in the exhaust channel 21, so that when foam overflows in a long path formed by the exhaust channel 21, the foam not only can form extrusion or friction with the inner wall of the exhaust channel 21, but also further forms strong extrusion when passing through the stopper 3, or is directly punctured by the stopper 3, so that the foam is broken in a large amount or completely, and the overflow of the foam is effectively reduced or avoided. The stopper 3 may be a plate-like member, and the end position of the plate-like member may be provided with a spike structure.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, when assembling flights 3, it is possible to arrange said flights 3 obliquely to the inner walls of said exhaust channel 21 and ensure that flights 3 are facing the opposite direction of the air flow. Therefore, when the gas or foam enters the exhaust passage 21 along the exhaust hole 11 and moves along the airflow direction of the exhaust passage 21, the foam can directly impact the stopper 3 during the movement, so that a direct opposing force is generated with respect to the stopper 3, for example, when the foam directly impacts the spike structure of the stopper 3 during the movement, the spike structure of the stopper 3 can have a breaking effect on the foam.

In addition, when the stoppers 3 are provided, a plurality of stoppers 3 may be provided, and the plurality of stoppers 3 are opposite to each other in pairs on the opposite inner walls of the exhaust passage 21. Therefore, referring to fig. 4 and 5, when the two opposite stoppers 3 on the opposite inner walls of the exhaust channel 21 are in a fit relationship, a narrow gap is formed between the two opposite stoppers 3 in the exhaust channel 21 corresponding to the positions of the two opposite stoppers, the gap not only ensures the passage of gas but also effectively prevents the passage of foam, and the narrow gap not only can effectively prevent the discharge of foam due to the extrusion of foam, but also the rupture of foam by the two opposite stoppers 3, thereby having a good foam overflow preventing effect.

In addition, when two opposite stoppers 3 located on opposite inner walls of exhaust passage 21 are assembled, two opposite stoppers 3 may be alternately arranged in the airflow direction of exhaust passage 21. In this case, not only a narrow gap can be formed between two opposite stoppers 3, but also the gap between two stoppers 3 can be curved due to the inclined and staggered arrangement structure of the two opposite stoppers 3, thereby increasing the path length and the complexity of the path. Therefore, when a plurality of pairs of opposing stoppers 3 are arranged alternately in the air flow direction of exhaust passage 21, the path of exhaust passage 21 as a whole can be made longer and more complicated, and foam can be more easily broken when passing through the curved path.

As shown with continued reference to fig. 4 and 5, it is also possible for the structure of the exhaust passage 21 to provide the exhaust passage 21 itself as a meandering passage. Thus, the exhaust passage 21, which is itself a tortuous passage, may directly increase the path length of the airflow and also increase the complexity of the path. When the foam moves in the vent passage 21, it can be in contact with the inner wall of the vent passage 21 for a longer time, and also can improve the probability of breakage at a specific bent portion. For example, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the zigzag passage includes a plurality of sections of unit passages 213 which are connected end to end in sequence and are parallel to each other. At this time, the connection portion of the adjacent unit passages 213 is the maximum bending portion of the entire zigzag passage, and when the foam passes through the maximum bending portion, the foam is easily broken, thereby achieving the effect of effectively removing the foam.

Referring to fig. 1, in an embodiment, the defoaming assembly 2 includes a bottom case 22 and a cover 23 that are oppositely covered, and the cover 23 has a through hole 231; the partition plate 24 is vertically arranged at the bottom of the bottom shell 22, and the tortuous passage is formed between the partition plate 24 and the cavity wall of the bottom shell 22 as well as the inner wall of the cover 23. When the cover 23 and the bottom case 22 are assembled relatively, a sealing ring may be disposed at a connecting edge of the bottom case 22 and the cover 23, so as to improve the sealing performance of an inner space formed between the cover 23 and the bottom case 22. Therefore, the exhaust channel 21 is formed by the partition plate 24 located in the bottom of the bottom housing 22, wherein the partition plate 24 is vertically installed in the bottom of the bottom housing 22, and the bottom end of the partition plate 24 is connected to the bottom of the bottom housing 22, so that the inner cavity of the bottom housing 22 can be divided into a plurality of parts, for example, when the number of the partition plates 24 is only one, the one partition plate 24 can divide the inner cavity of the bottom housing 22 into two parts, and at the same time, one side end of the one partition plate 24 is connected to the wall of the bottom housing 22, so that the "n" -shaped exhaust channel 21 can be formed in the inner cavity of the bottom housing 22, and at this time, the exhaust channel 21 has only one bending portion.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, when the number of the partition plates 24 is plural, the partition plates 24 can divide the inner cavity of the bottom shell 22 into plural parts. When the plurality of partition plates 24 are mutually matched, the adjacent partition plates 24 can be respectively connected with the opposite cavity walls of the bottom shell 22 and the opposite inner walls of the cover 23 to form the zigzag passage. For example, in the direction in which the plurality of partitions 24 are arranged with each other, one side end of one partition 24 may be connected to one side wall of the inner cavity of the bottom case 22, and the other side end of the other partition 24 adjacent to the one partition 24 may be connected to the opposite wall of the inner cavity of the bottom case 22. Analogize in proper order, the opposite side of adjacent baffle 24 is equallyd divide and is connected with the relative chamber wall of the inner chamber of drain pan 22, from this alright in order to constitute the tortuous passageway of constantly buckling in the inner chamber of drain pan 22, and this tortuous passageway has a plurality of positions of buckling, can all form the effect of breaking to the foam at a plurality of positions of buckling, and the foam need constantly pass through a plurality of positions of buckling when this tortuous passageway constantly moves, and the effectual excessive bubble of avoiding takes place.

It should be noted that the bottom shell 22 of the defoaming assembly 2 may be formed integrally with the barrel body 1, or may be formed as an assembly structure separated from the barrel body 1. When the bottom shell 22 is integrally formed with the barrel body 1, the bottom shell 22 is directly formed on the barrel body 1, and meanwhile, the corresponding portion of the outer wall of the barrel body 1 can form the cavity bottom of the bottom shell 22, that is, when the partition plate 24 in the bottom shell 22 forms the exhaust passage 21, the partition plate 24 can be directly connected to the corresponding outer wall of the barrel body 1, and the inner wall structure of the passage is formed by the outer wall of the barrel body 1, the inner wall of the cover 23, the partition plate 24 and the side wall of the bottom shell 22. Therefore, the integrally formed structure is more secure and stable as a whole.

Besides, when the bottom shell 22 of the defoaming assembly 2 and the barrel body 1 are assembled separately, the bottom shell 22 can be assembled on the barrel body 1 by a screw connection, a snap connection and other methods. In addition, when the bottom case 22 is detachably assembled with the barrel body 1, the bottom case 22, the cover 23, the partition 24, the stopper 3, and other components can also be assembled in a relatively detachable manner, so that the defoaming assembly 2 can be conveniently detached and maintained. The foam structure can be set by those skilled in the art according to the requirement, and is not limited herein.

Further, the bottom of the bottom case 22 is disposed obliquely, and the inlet end 211 of the exhaust passage 21 is the lowest position of the exhaust passage 21. When the gas in the inner tub is discharged from the gas discharge hole 11 of the outer tub of the washing machine to the outside, it may first pass through the gas discharge hole 11, then enter into the gas discharge channel 21 from the inlet end 211 of the gas discharge channel 21, move along the path of the gas discharge channel 21, and finally be discharged from the outlet end 212 of the gas discharge channel 21. At the same time, the foam moves along the path of the vent passage 21 as the gas enters the vent passage 21 from the inlet end 211 of the vent passage 21 through the vent hole 11, and is finally discharged from the outlet end 212 of the vent passage 21.

Therefore, since the inlet end 211 of the exhaust passage 21 is the lowest position in the path of the entire exhaust passage 21, the gas and bubbles are in a gradually rising state at least during the initial movement of the gas and bubbles from the inlet end 211 of the exhaust passage 21 to the outlet end 212 of the exhaust passage 21, and this antigravity movement state can effectively increase the movement resistance of the bubbles, and also can realize the back flow of the washing water, preventing a small amount of washing water from overflowing with the bubbles from the exhaust passage 21.

When the bottom shell 22 is integrally formed with the barrel body 1, at this time, when the cavity bottom of the bottom shell 22 is disposed in an inclined state, thickening processing may be performed at a corresponding position of the barrel body 1, so that the cavity bottom of the bottom shell 22 has an inclined structure. When this defoaming subassembly 2's drain pan 22 and bucket body 1 are the assembly structure of relative separation, at this moment, when being the inclined state setting with the chamber bottom of drain pan 22, can directly thicken at the chamber bottom of drain pan 22, perhaps also can directly adjust the inclination of drain pan 22 on bucket body 1 to make the chamber bottom of drain pan 22 possess the slope structure, the adjustment mode is more various.

In one embodiment, for the structure and specific inclined arrangement of the bottom case 22, the bottom case 22 may be configured as a square, the inlet end 211 of the air discharge duct 21 is located at one corner of the square, the outlet end 212 of the air discharge duct 21 is located at the other corner of the square, and the through hole 231 is opposite to the outlet end 212. At this time, the inlet end 211 of the exhaust passage 21 is located at the lowest position at one corner of the square, and the outlet end 212 of the exhaust passage 21 is located at the highest position at the other corner of the square, so that the direction from the inlet end 211 to the outlet end 212 of the exhaust passage 21 is in a generally gradually rising state, wherein at least two relative positions of the inlet end 211 of the exhaust passage 21 and the outlet end 212 of the exhaust passage 21 are in an absolutely rising state.

Further, the washing machine outer barrel further comprises an exhaust plug 232, and the exhaust plug 232 is arranged in the through hole 231. Therefore, the vent plug 232 allows the gas to be discharged, and has the effect of blocking the foam, so that a physical defoaming function is arranged at the final end of the foam overflowing, and a physical defoaming effect is achieved. The vent plug 232 may be selected to be a sponge plug. The outer tub of the washing machine further comprises an exhaust funnel 233, the exhaust funnel 233 is disposed on the outer wall of the cover 23 and is communicated with the through hole 231, and the exhaust plug 232 is disposed in the exhaust funnel 233. The exhaust funnel 233 may further increase the discharge path of the foam, thereby achieving a breaking effect on the foam.

In addition, unlike the structure in which the exhaust passage 21 is disposed in a substantially horizontal state, the exhaust passage 21 may extend in the height direction from the inlet end 211 to the outlet end 212 thereof. Therefore, the exhaust passage 21 disposed along the height direction has a structure in which the inlet end 211 gradually rises toward the outlet end 212, thereby effectively increasing the moving resistance of the bubbles, realizing the backflow of the washing water, and preventing the washing water from overflowing from the exhaust passage 21.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An outer tub for a washing machine, comprising:

the top of the barrel body is provided with an exhaust hole;

2. The washing machine tub according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust channel is a meandering channel.

3. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the zigzag channel comprises a plurality of sections of unit channels connected end to end in sequence and parallel to each other.

4. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the defoaming assembly comprises a bottom casing and a cover body which are oppositely covered, and the cover body is provided with a through hole; the bottom of the bottom shell is vertically provided with a partition plate, and the partition plate, the wall of the bottom shell and the inner wall of the cover body form the tortuous passage.

5. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the partition plates are plural, and adjacent partition plates are connected to the opposite walls of the bottom casing and the opposite inner walls of the cover respectively to form the zigzag passage.

6. The washing machine tub as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bottom of the bottom case is disposed obliquely, and the inlet end of the air exhaust channel is the lowest position of the air exhaust channel.

7. The washing machine tub as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bottom casing is square, the inlet end of the air exhaust channel is at one corner of the square, the outlet end of the air exhaust channel is at the other corner of the square, and the through hole is opposite to the outlet end.

8. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

and the vent plug is arranged in the through hole.

9. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

10. The washing machine tub as claimed in claim 8, wherein the vent plug is a sponge plug.

11. The washing machine tub as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, wherein the bottom shell is integrally formed with the tub body.

12. The outer tub of a washing machine according to any of claims 4 to 10, wherein the stopper is a plate-shaped member, and the stopper is obliquely disposed on the inner wall of the air exhaust channel and faces the opposite direction of the air flow.

13. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the blocking member is plural, and the plural blocking members are opposite to each other in pairs on the opposite inner walls of the air exhaust channel.

14. The outer tub of a washing machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the two opposite stoppers are disposed alternately in the air flow direction of the air exhaust channel.

15. The washing machine tub as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the exhaust channel extends in height from its inlet end to its outlet end.

16. A washing machine comprising a washing machine outer tub as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.