CN113123076A

CN113123076A - Balancing assembly and household appliance

Info

Publication number: CN113123076A
Application number: CN201911415572.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张军歌; 伍叔云; 黄新建; 张肃; 王跃辉
Original assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea White Goods Technology Innovation Center Co Ltd
Current assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea White Goods Technology Innovation Center Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-31
Filing date: 2019-12-31
Publication date: 2021-07-16
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-31
Also published as: CN113123076B

Abstract

The invention discloses a balancing component and a household appliance, wherein the balancing component is used for the household appliance and comprises a balancing ring, a balancer, a mark piece and a first detection piece, a cavity is formed in the balancing ring, the balancer can be movably arranged in the cavity, the balancer comprises a rotating piece and a driving piece, the driving piece is connected with the rotating piece and is used for driving the rotating piece to rotate so as to drive the balancer to move in the cavity, the mark piece and the first detection piece move relatively under the condition that the balancer moves, the first detection piece is used for detecting the frequency of the mark piece passing through the first detection piece, and the frequency of the mark piece passing through the first detection piece is related to the position of the balancer. In the balancing assembly, the rotating member can drive the balancer to move in the chamber. The first detecting member may detect the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member, and the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member may be used to determine the position of the balancer.

Description

Balancing assembly and household appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a balance assembly and a household appliance.

Background

When the cavity of the household appliance rotates and the load is eccentric, more serious vibration can occur. In the related art, a balance ring is provided on a chamber, a movable balancer for balancing the eccentricity of a load is built in the balance ring, and vibration generated by the eccentricity of the load can be balanced by controlling the movement of the balancer in the balance ring. In order to achieve the above object, it is necessary to detect the position of the balancer.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a balance assembly and a household appliance.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a balancing assembly for a home appliance, the balancing assembly including:

a balancing ring formed with a chamber;

the balancer can be movably arranged in the cavity and comprises a rotating piece and a driving piece, and the driving piece is connected with the rotating piece and is used for driving the rotating piece to rotate so as to drive the balancer to move in the cavity;

an identification member; and

a first detecting member, the balancing assembly being configured such that the marking member and the first detecting member move relatively to each other when the balancer moves, the first detecting member being configured to detect a number of times the marking member passes the first detecting member, the number of times the marking member passes the first detecting member being related to a position of the balancer.

In the balancing assembly, the rotating member can drive the balancer to move in the chamber. The first detecting member may detect the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member, and the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member may be used to determine the position of the balancer.

In some embodiments, the rotating member is provided with the identification member, or the inner wall of the chamber is provided with the identification member.

In some embodiments, the rotatable member comprises a gear, the chamber comprises a first inner wall provided with a ring gear portion, the gear is in mesh with the ring gear portion, and the identifier is a tooth of the gear or a tooth of the ring gear portion.

In some embodiments, the first detecting member includes at least one of a light sensor, a hall sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

In some embodiments, the chamber is provided with an initial position, and the balancing assembly includes a controller electrically connected to the first sensing member, the controller being configured to determine the position of the balancer based on the number of times the identifier passes the first sensing member and the initial position.

In some embodiments, the balancer assembly includes a first guide provided at the balancer, the chamber includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposite to the first inner wall, and a second guide provided at the second inner wall, the first guide is connected with the second guide to guide movement of the balancer.

In some embodiments, the first guide comprises a roller coupled to the second guide.

In some embodiments, the balancing assembly includes a correcting element and a second detecting element, the balancing assembly is configured such that, when the balancer moves, the correcting element moves relative to the second detecting element, and the second detecting element is configured to detect the correcting element to eliminate a position error of the balancer.

In some embodiments, the first detecting element and the second detecting element are disposed on the balancer, the marking element is disposed on the rotating element, and the correcting element is disposed on an inner wall of the chamber.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a home appliance, including:

a cavity having an axis of rotation;

the balance assembly of any preceding embodiment, the balance assembly is mounted in the cavity, and a central axis of the balance ring and a rotation axis of the cavity are parallel or coincident.

In the household appliance, the rotating piece can drive the balancer to move in the cavity. The first detecting member may detect the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member, and the number of times the identification member passes the first detecting member may be used to determine the position of the balancer.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a counterbalance assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion X of the balance assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the detection principle of the first detecting member according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another detection principle of the first detecting member according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a balancer of an embodiment of the present invention in an initial position;

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a balancer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial block diagram of a balancing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a first guide member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a carrier according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the distribution of the correcting elements according to the embodiment of the invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the main element symbols:

a balancing assembly 100, a household appliance 200;

a balance ring 11, a balancer 13, an identifier 15, a first detector 17, a cavity 19, and an initial position 191;

the rotating member 21, the gear 22, the driving member 23, the first inner wall 25, the second inner wall 27, and the ring gear portion 29;

the first guide member 33, the second guide member 35, the mounting member 36, the connecting member 37, the elastic member 38, and the bracket 39;

a correcting member 41, a correcting portion 42, a second detecting member 43, a roller 45, a carrier 47, and a power supply device 48;

the device comprises a main controller 50, a cavity 51, an outer barrel 53, a vibration damping structure 54 and a mounting plate 55.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative only for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

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

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected unless otherwise explicitly stated or limited. Either mechanically or electrically. Either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

The disclosure herein provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different configurations of the invention. To simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. In addition, the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or uses of other materials.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a balance assembly 100 for a household appliance 200 (see fig. 11) is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. The balancing assembly 100 includes a balancing ring 11, a balancer 13, an identifier 15, and a first detector 17. The balancer ring 11 is formed with a cavity 19, and the balancer 13 is movably provided in the cavity 19. The balancer 13 includes a rotating member 21 and a driving member 23, and the driving member 23 is connected to the rotating member 21 and is used for driving the rotating member 21 to rotate so as to move the balancer 13 in the chamber 19. In the case where the balancer 13 moves, the flag 15 moves relative to the first detecting member 17, the first detecting member 17 detects the number of times the flag 15 passes the first detecting member 17, and the number of times the flag 15 passes the first detecting member 17 is correlated with the position of the balancer 13.

In the balancing assembly 100, the rotating member 21 drives the balancer 13 to move in the cavity 19. The first detecting member 17 may detect the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first detecting member 17, and the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first detecting member 17 may be used to determine the position of the balancer 13.

It is understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the case where the balancer 13 moves in the cavity 19, the marker 15 and the first detecting member 17 relatively move to pass through the first detecting member 17, and the number of times the marker 15 passes through the first detecting member 17 is related to the position of the balancer 13. Therefore, the moving distance of the balancer 13 can be determined by detecting the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first detection member 17, and the position of the balancer 13 can be determined in combination with the initial position 191 of the balancer 13. The initial position 191 may refer to a position of the balancer 13 before it starts moving within the chamber 19 or may refer to a position that can be determined during movement of the balancer 13.

In the illustrated embodiment, the balancer ring 11 forms a cavity 19 in the circumferential direction, and the balancer 13 is movable back and forth in the circumferential direction in the cavity 19, that is, the balancer 13 is movable in the circumferential direction in the cavity 19 of the balancer ring 11. Referring to fig. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the driving member 23 is connected to the rotating member 21, and the driving member 23 drives the rotating member 21 to rotate on the inner wall of the chamber 19, so as to drive the balancer 13 to move in the chamber 19.

In some embodiments, the rotating member 21 is provided with the identifier 15, or the inner wall of the chamber 19 is provided with the identifier 15. Thus, various detection modes for the identification member 15 can be provided, and the flexibility of the identification member 15 during installation is improved.

Further, referring to fig. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the rotating member 21 is provided with the identification member 15. Specifically, the rotating member 21 includes a gear 22. The chamber 19 comprises a first inner wall 25, the first inner wall 25 being provided with a rim portion 29. The gear 22 meshes with the ring gear portion 29. The identifier 15 is the teeth of the gear 22 or the teeth of the ring gear portion 29. In this way, the teeth of the gear 22 can be utilized as the marker 15, and there is no need to additionally provide the marker 15. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the flag 15 may also be a tooth of the ring gear portion 29.

The teeth of the gear 22 or the gear ring part 29 are provided with grooves, and the teeth and the grooves are uniformly distributed in a staggered manner. The gear 22 rotates in mesh with the ring gear portion 29, and when the gear 22 rotates, the balancer 13 is moved relative to the ring gear portion 29. In this case, the teeth of the gear 22 or the teeth of the ring gear portion 29 may serve as the identifier 15, and correspondingly, the first detector 17 may be mounted to the balancer 13. The first detecting member 17 includes a detecting surface facing the marker 15. The teeth of the gear 22 are used as the identification member 15, i.e., the rotating member 21 is provided with the identification member 15. The teeth of the toothed rim portion 29 provided on the first inner wall 25 are used as the markers 15, i.e. the first inner wall 25 of the chamber 19 is provided with the markers 15. In other embodiments, the identifier 15 may be disposed within the chamber 19 in a location other than the first interior wall 25.

Specifically, when the identification member 15 is the teeth of the gear 22, the first detection member 17 may be mounted on the balancer 13 at a position opposite to the teeth of the gear 22. When the gear 22 rotates, the first detecting member 17 is relatively stationary. When the indicator 15 is the teeth of the ring gear portion 29, the first detecting member 17 may be mounted on the balancer 13 at a position opposite to the teeth of the ring gear portion 29, and when the gear 22 rotates, the balancer 13 moves to drive the first detecting member 17 to move relative to the ring gear portion 29. During the rotation of the gear 22, the teeth of the gear 22 continuously pass through the first detecting member 17, and therefore, the number of times the teeth of the gear 22 pass through the first detecting member 17, that is, the number of teeth of the gear 22 passing through the first detecting member 17, can be detected.

In addition, the movement of the balancer 13 is driven by the engagement of the gear 22 with the ring gear portion 29, so that the balancer 13 is prevented from slipping during movement, and the stability of movement of the balancer 13 is ensured.

In some embodiments, the first detecting member 17 may include at least one of a light sensor, a hall sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor. Thus, the first detecting member 17 is optional and low in cost. The light sensor may be, for example, an infrared sensor or the like.

Specifically, when the first detecting member 17 includes one kind of sensor, one of an optical sensor, a hall sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor may be selected. When the first detecting member 17 includes a plurality of kinds of sensors, two or more kinds of optical sensors, hall sensors, and ultrasonic sensors may be selected. The data detected by two or more sensors may be averaged as the output data of the first detecting member 17, or the data may be calculated with different weights or ratios as the output data of the first detecting member 17.

It will be appreciated that as technology advances, the manufacturing process for light sensors, hall sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc. has matured considerably, which allows sensors of the type described above to be smaller in size, and inexpensive to manufacture, capable of mass production, and suitable for use in the balance assembly 100. The first detecting member 17 is a sensor of the type described above, and can achieve the detecting function of the marker 15 and reduce the manufacturing cost of the balancer assembly 100.

In the embodiment of fig. 3, the identification member 15 is a tooth of the gear 22 and the first detection member 17 is a light sensor that can emit and receive a light signal. Because the teeth and the grooves of the gear 22 are different from the optical sensor in distance, the intensity of the optical signal reflected by the teeth and the intensity of the optical signal reflected by the grooves received by the optical sensor are different from each other, regular pulse signals can be obtained through processing, and the number of the pulses, namely the number of the teeth rotated by the gear 22, can obtain the moving distance of the balancer 13, and then the position of the balancer 13 can be obtained by combining with the initial position 191 of the balancer 13. The light sensor may be an infrared sensor. The principle of the ultrasonic sensor is similar to that of the optical sensor, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the embodiment of fig. 4, the identification member 15 is a tooth of the gear 22 and the first detection member 17 is a hall sensor. The teeth and the grooves can influence the direction of magnetic lines of force of the Hall sensor, so that the density of the magnetic lines of force passing through the Hall sensor is changed. When the gear 22 rotates, the hall sensor outputs regular pulse signals, the number of teeth of the gear 22 can be calculated according to the pulse signals, the moving distance of the balancer 13 can be obtained, and the position of the balancer 13 can be obtained by combining the initial position 191 of the balancer 13.

In other embodiments, the marking member 15 may be a black and white stripe, and the first detecting member 17 may be a light sensor. The black and white stripes may be provided on the gear 22, or on a member rotating coaxially with the gear 22, or on the inner wall of the chamber 19 forming a ring and disposed concentrically with the rim portion 29, and the optical sensor may be mounted on the balancer 13 at a position facing the black and white stripes. Since the black stripes absorb light and the white stripes reflect light, and the black and white stripes pass through the photo sensor continuously in the moving process of the balancer 13, the number of times that the white stripes pass through the photo sensor, that is, the number of white stripes passing through the photo sensor can be detected. Regular pulse signals can be obtained from the light signals received by the light sensors, and the number of pulses, i.e., the number of white stripes through which the balancer 13 rotates, can be obtained. Since the widths of the white stripes and the black stripes are determined, the moving distance of the balancer 13 can be obtained, and the position of the balancer 13 can be obtained in combination with the initial position 191 of the balancer 13.

It should be noted that the identification member 15 may have other configurations, for example, the rotatable member 21 may be a wheel having a plurality of spaced spokes, and the identification member 15 may be a spoke of a wheel. The first detecting member 17 can detect the number of times the web strip passes the first detecting member 17. The specific detection principle is similar to the detection principle described above.

Referring to fig. 2 and 5, in some embodiments, the chamber 19 is provided with an initial position 191. The balancing assembly 100 includes a controller 31, and the controller 31 is electrically connected to the first detecting member 17. The controller 31 is configured to determine the position of the balancer 13 based on the number of times the flag 15 passes the first detecting member 17 and the initial position 191. In this way, the position where the balancer 13 is located is easily determined.

It will be appreciated that the initial position 191 of the balancer 13, in the absence of movement of the balancer 13, refers to a default position when the balancer 13 is stationary within the chamber 19. The controller 31 records an initial position 191, and determines the position of the balancer 13 by combining the distance moved by the balancer 13 when the balancer 13 starts to move from the default position. Specifically, the first detecting element 17 may output regular pulse signals according to the number of times that the identifier 15 passes through the first detecting element 17, the controller 31 receives the pulse signals output by the first detecting element 17, processes the pulse signals to obtain the moving distance of the balancer 13, and finally calculates the specific position of the balancer 13 by combining with the initial position 191 of the balancer 13. The controller 31 may be a controller of the balancer 13. The balancer 13 is mounted with a control board (not shown), and the controller 31 may be provided to the control board. The specific position of the balancer 13 may be transmitted to the main controller 50 of the home appliance 200 by wire or wirelessly. In other embodiments, the controller 31 may also be located outside the balancer 13, such as at other locations of the balancing ring 11.

It is understood that in another embodiment, the balancer 13 may also transmit the number of times the identifier 15 passes the first detecting member 17 to the main controller 50 of the home appliance 200 in a wireless manner or a wired manner, and the specific position of the balancer 13 is determined by the main controller 50. And is not particularly limited herein.

In embodiments of the invention, a plurality of home positions 191 may be provided within the chamber 19. In the case where there are a plurality of balancers 13 in the chamber 19, one balancer 13 is stopped at each home position 191. In one embodiment, two home positions 191 are provided in the chamber 19, and the number of balancers 13 is two. In the case where the two balancers 13 are not moved, each of the initial positions 191 is stationarily stopped with one of the balancers 13. Preferably, the two initial positions 191 are arranged 180 degrees symmetrically. Thus, the balance ring 11 can be kept in balance without the movement of the balancer 13. In the embodiment of fig. 5, an initial position 191a and an initial position 191b are provided within the chamber 19. The home position 191a and the home position 191b each have a balancer 13. In other embodiments, the number of the initial positions 191 may be one, three or other numbers, and the specific positions may be set according to the requirement, which is not limited herein.

Referring to fig. 2, 6-8, in some embodiments, the balancing assembly 100 includes a first guide 33 and a second guide 35, the first guide 33 is disposed on the balancer 13. The chamber 19 comprises a first inner wall 25 and a second inner wall 27 opposite the first inner wall 25, the second guide 35 being provided at the second inner wall 27. The first guide 33 is connected with the second guide 35 to guide the movement of the balancer 13. In this way, a guide function can be provided to the balancer 13, so that the movement of the balancer 13 is more smooth.

It is understood that the balancer 13 may be shaken while moving in the chamber 19, and the balancer 13 may be deviated from a moving track while moving at a high speed, thereby affecting the movement of the balancer 13. The first guide piece 33 and the second guide piece 35 are added, so that the balancer 13 can move along the second inner wall 27, the balancer 13 is guided, and the stability of the balancer 13 can be improved.

Referring to fig. 6-8, in some embodiments, the first guide member 33 includes a roller 45, and the roller 45 is connected to the second guide member 35. In this way, the balancer 13 can reduce the frictional force with the second guide 35 when moving.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second guide 35 is an annular rail disposed on the second inner wall 27. In the illustrated embodiment, the first guide member 33 includes two rollers 45, the two rollers 45 are connected by a rotating shaft 46, the two rollers 45 can roll on the guide rail, and the two rollers 45 can clamp the guide rail. Two first guides 33 are provided at both ends of the balancer 13 in the length direction of the balancer 13 to further improve the smoothness of movement of the balancer 13. In other embodiments, the first guide 33 and the second guide 35 may be connected to each other by fitting, engaging, or abutting, and may also function as a guide. Other embodiments are not limited thereto.

Further, the first guide member 33 includes a mounting member 36, a connecting member 37, and an elastic member 38. The mounting member 36 has a blind hole formed therein for receiving the elastic member 38, one end of the elastic member 38 is connected to the connecting member 37, and the other end of the elastic member 38 abuts against the bottom wall of the blind hole. The roller 45 is rotatably connected to the link 37. The first guide 33 is mounted on the balancer 13 by a mounting member 36. In the case that the roller 45 is coupled to the second guide 35, when the acting force between the roller 45 and the second guide 35 is too large, the roller 45 may elastically compress the elastic member 38 through the coupling member 37, so that the elastic member 38 generates an elastic force away from the second guide 35, and the acting force between the roller 45 and the second guide 35 is buffered, thereby reducing the friction force between the balancer 13 and the second guide 35, and also performing a vibration damping function. Meanwhile, the elastic member 38 may allow the roller 45 to be always coupled to the second guide 35. The first guide member 33 in the illustrated embodiment is provided with two elastic members 38 connected to the connecting member 37 so that the mounting member 36 can withstand a larger force.

Referring to fig. 9, the balancer 13 further includes a bearing 47. The carrier 47 is fixedly connected to the driving member 23 and serves to bear the centrifugal force of the balancer 13 in the circular motion. The carrier 47 has a sliding wheel, and the sliding wheel of the carrier 47 moves along the first inner wall 25 of the chamber 19 when the balancer 13 moves. In this way, the carrier 47 may abut the first inner wall 25, providing a supporting force of the first inner wall 25 against the balancer 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide function of the first guide 33 and the second guide 35 can be matched, and the friction between the balancer 13 and the first inner wall 25 can be reduced.

Further, the balancer 13 includes a bracket 39. Specifically, the balancer 13 may further include a power supply device 48, and the power supply device 48 may supply power to the balancer 13. The bracket 39 is designed as an arc-shaped structure along the circumferential direction of the chamber 19, and the first detecting member 17, the driving member 23, the controller 31, the first guiding member 33, and the power supply device 48 may be disposed on the bracket 39. In this way, the balancer 13 can move within the chamber 19 in cooperation with the annular structure of the balancing ring 11, avoiding collision with the inner wall of the chamber 19. The bracket 39 may be made of a thick stainless steel plate, and the bracket 39 is not deformed during the entire operation of the balancer 13. The power supply device 48 may use rechargeable batteries to power the balancer 13. Referring to fig. 2, 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the balancing assembly 100 includes a correcting member 41 and a second detecting member 43. The balancing assembly 100 is configured such that the correcting member 41 and the second detecting member 43 relatively move in a case where the balancer 13 moves, and the second detecting member 43 detects the correcting member 41 to eliminate a position error of the balancer 13. In this way, the calculation accuracy of the movement distance of the balancer 13 is improved.

It is understood that, since the balancer 13 moves for a long time, an accumulated error may occur when the first sensing member 17 senses information on the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first sensing member 17. Therefore, when the moving distance of the balancer 13 is calculated from the information of the number of times of error, an error occurs in the determined position of the balancer 13. Therefore, the position error of the balancer 13 can be eliminated by providing the correcting member 41 and the second detecting member 43.

Specifically, when the second detecting member 43 passes each correcting member 41, information that it detects the correcting member 41 is transmitted to the controller 31. Further, the controller 31 sets the position of the balancer 13 to 0, i.e., the moving distance of the balancer 13 is calculated again as the origin, so as to avoid the problem that the position of the balancer 13 cannot be accurately determined due to accumulated distance errors caused by long-time movement of the balancer 13. In this embodiment, after the second detecting element 43 passes through each of the calibrating elements 41, the information of the number of times that the first detecting element 17 passes through the identification element 15 is fed back to the controller 31 again from 0 by way of a pulse signal, and the moving distance of the balancer 13 by the controller 31 is calculated again, so as to obtain the precise position information of the balancer 13 in the balancing ring 11.

Referring to fig. 10, a plurality of correction pieces 41 are distributed and spaced apart from each other on an inner wall of the cavity 19, such as the second inner wall 27, and each correction piece 41 includes a different number of correction portions 42. The second detecting member 43 may be one of a light sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a hall sensor. The second detecting member 43 passes through different numbers of the correcting parts 42 to trigger different pulse signals, and the number of the pulses of the pulse signals is the same as that of the correcting parts 42, so that the balancer 13 passing through a certain correcting member 41 can be determined according to the pulse signals output by the second detecting member 43, and the specific position of the balancer 13 in the cavity 19 can be determined. In this manner, the position of the balancer 13 can be positioned within the chamber 19. In one example, the inner wall of the chamber 19 is provided with one correcting member 41 every 90 degrees, and the number of the correcting portions 42 is one, two, three, or four.

In the case where the second detecting member 43 includes a photo sensor, the correcting member 41 may be disposed on the second inner wall 27, and the correcting portion 42 may be a stripe between black and white. The light sensor may emit a light signal towards the second inner wall 27 and receive a light signal reflected on the second inner wall 27. In the case where the balancer 13 passes through the correcting member 41, the optical sensor passes through the stripes between black and white, so that the intensity of the received optical signal varies, thereby outputting pulse signals corresponding to the number of the correcting parts 42, and the number of the correcting parts 42 passing therethrough can be determined based on the pulse signals, thereby determining the current position of the balancer 13 based on the position of the correcting member 41. In other embodiments, the correction portion 42 may be a groove or a protrusion. The number of pulse signals corresponding to the number of correction units 42 can be obtained according to the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical sensor, and the current position of the balancer 13 can be finally determined. The principle of the ultrasonic sensor is similar to that of the optical sensor, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the case where the second detection member 43 includes a hall sensor, the correction portion 42 may be a protrusion structure made of a metal material. It is understood that in the case where the balancer 13 passes through the correcting member 41, the correcting member 41 affects the direction of the magnetic lines of force of the hall sensors, changes the density of the magnetic lines of force passing through the hall sensors, causes the hall sensors to output pulse signals corresponding to the number of the correcting portions 42, determines the number of the correcting portions 42 passing therethrough based on the pulse signals, and thus determines the current position of the balancer 13 based on the position of the correcting member 41.

The number and position of the correction pieces 41 and the number of the correction portions 42 of the correction pieces 41 may be adjusted according to the specific circumstances, and are not limited to the above embodiment.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 2, 6 and 7, the first detecting member 17 and the second detecting member 43 are disposed on the balancer 13, the marking member 15 is disposed on the rotating member 21, and the correcting member 41 is disposed on the inner wall of the chamber 19. Therefore, the installation is convenient and the structure is simplified.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rotary member 21 includes a gear 22, the indicator 15 is a tooth of the gear 22, the correcting member 41 is provided on the second inner wall 27, the correcting member 41 is a protrusion, the first detecting member 17 is mounted on the balancer 13 at a position facing the indicator 15, and the second detecting member 43 is mounted on the balancer 13 facing the second inner wall 27. The kind of the first detecting member 17 and the kind of the second detecting member 43 may be the same or different. For example, the first and second detecting

members

17 and 43 may each be a light sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a hall sensor.

Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the balancer 13 includes a controller 31. The controller 31 is connected with the first detecting member 17 and the second detecting member 43, and is used for performing centralized processing on the detection results of the first detecting member 17 and the second detecting member 43. Thus, the controller 31 can be directly provided on the balancer 13, and there is no need to additionally provide another controller 31 on the gimbal 11.

Referring to fig. 11, a household appliance 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The household appliance 200 comprises the cavity 51 and the balancing assembly 100 of any of the above embodiments. The cavity 51 has a rotation axis L, the balance assembly 100 is installed in the cavity 51, and the central axis of the balance ring 11 is parallel to or coincident with the rotation axis L of the cavity 51.

In the household appliance 200, the rotator 21 drives the balancer 13 to move in the cavity 19. The first detecting member 17 may detect the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first detecting member 17, and the number of times the identification member 15 passes the first detecting member 17 may be used to determine the position of the balancer 13.

It will be appreciated that the central axis of the balance ring 11 and the axis of rotation L of the chamber 51 are parallel or coincident to facilitate damping of the chamber 51 by the balancer 13.

In the present invention, the home appliance 200 may be provided with a vibration sensor (not shown) and the main controller 50. The vibration sensor may be used to detect vibration information of the cavity 51, or vibration information of other components connected to the cavity 51, and the main controller 50 may control the balancer 13 to move according to the vibration information to adjust a specific position of the balancer 13 in the cavity 19, so as to offset or reduce the vibration of the cavity 51.

Specifically, the main controller 50 may communicate with the controller 31 of the balancing assembly 100 in a wired manner, and may also communicate in a wireless manner to transmit a current state signal and a movement signal of the balancer 13, etc. The current status signal of the balancer 13 includes the current position of the balancer 13, whether the balancer 13 is in a moving state and a communication connection state, and the like. The main controller 50 may transmit the movement signal to the controller 31, and the controller 31 controls the movement of the balancer 13 according to the movement signal. The controller 31 may transmit a current state signal of the balancer 13 to the main controller 50, and the main controller 50 may analyze the current position, the movement state, the communication connection state, and the like of the balancer 13, upon receiving the current state signal of the balancer 13.

It should be noted that the household appliance 200 may be a laundry treatment appliance such as a washing machine, a dryer, or other household appliances 200 having a rotatable cavity 51. Referring to fig. 11, the household appliance 200 is a washing machine, and can be used for washing clothes. The cavity 51 is an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub 53. The clothes are placed in the inner barrel. When the washing machine works (such as a dewatering stage), the inner barrel rotates at a high speed, and clothes in the inner barrel can be unevenly distributed and have eccentric vibration. When the inner tub rotates at a high speed, the washing machine may generate a great vibration. Since the vibration of the inner tub is transmitted to the outer tub 53, it is determined whether the inner tub is in an eccentric vibration state by detecting the vibration information of the outer tub 53. The balance ring 11 is connected and fixed in the inner barrel and rotates together with the inner barrel. Therefore, the movement of the balancer 13 in the chamber 19 can be controlled according to the vibration information to offset or reduce the eccentric mass when the inner tub rotates.

In addition, in order to further reduce the vibration transmission from the inside of the home appliance 200 to the outside, the outer tub 53 may be connected to the mounting plate 55 through the vibration reduction structure 54, and the mounting plate 55 may be fixed to the case bottom plate of the home appliance 200. The damping structure 54 may adopt a spring, hydraulic pressure, or other damping methods.

In the description of the specification, references to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "certain embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A balancing assembly for a household appliance, characterized in that it comprises:

a balancing ring formed with a chamber;

an identification member; and

2. The counterbalance assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotational member is provided with the identifier or an inner wall of the chamber is provided with the identifier.

3. The counterbalance assembly of claim 2, wherein the rotating member includes a gear, the chamber includes a first inner wall provided with a ring gear portion, the gear is in mesh with the ring gear portion, and the indicator is a tooth of the gear or a tooth of the ring gear portion.

4. The counterbalance assembly of claim 1, wherein the first sensing member comprises at least one of a light sensor, a hall sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

5. The counterbalance assembly of claim 1, wherein the chamber has an initial position, the counterbalance assembly including a controller electrically connected to the first sensing member, the controller for determining the position of the counterbalance according to the number of times the identification member passes the first sensing member and the initial position.

6. The counterbalance assembly of claim 1, wherein the counterbalance assembly includes a first guide disposed at the counterbalance, the chamber includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposite the first inner wall, and a second guide disposed at the second inner wall, the first guide coupled to the second guide to guide movement of the counterbalance.

7. The counterbalance assembly of claim 6, wherein the first guide member includes a roller coupled to the second guide member.

8. The balance assembly according to claim 1, comprising a correcting member and a second detecting member, wherein the balance assembly is configured such that, in a case where the balancer is moved, the correcting member and the second detecting member are relatively moved, and the second detecting member detects the correcting member for eliminating a position error of the balancer.

9. The balance assembly of claim 8, wherein the first sensing member and the second sensing member are disposed at the balancer, the identification member is disposed at the rotating member, and the correction member is disposed at an inner wall of the chamber.

10. A household appliance, characterized in that it comprises:

a cavity having an axis of rotation;

the balance assembly of any of claims 1-9, wherein the balance assembly is mounted to the chamber with a central axis of the balance ring and an axis of rotation of the chamber being parallel or coincident.