CN116516628A

CN116516628A - Clothes treating apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN116516628A
Application number: CN202310121425.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘玉伟; 王莹莹; 柳宗超
Original assignee: Hisense Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-02-15
Filing date: 2023-02-15
Publication date: 2023-08-01

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a clothes treatment device, and relates to the technical field of household appliances. The laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet, a drum, and a steam generator. The roller is arranged in the shell; the steam generator is arranged in the shell; the steam generator comprises an evaporation cavity and at least one heating body; the inlet of the evaporation cavity is used for communicating with an external water source; the outlet of the evaporation cavity is communicated with the roller; at least one heating body for heating water located in the evaporation cavity; at least a portion of each of the at least one heating body is located within the evaporation cavity; each heating body of the at least one heating body comprises a carrier and a superconductive heating layer; at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer covers the surface of the carrier. The clothes treatment device can be used for removing bacteria, stains and residual detergent on clothes.

Description

Clothes treating apparatus

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of household appliances, and more particularly, to a laundry treatment apparatus.

Background

The steam generator is widely applied to household appliances such as washing machines, dry cleaning machines, clothes care machines and the like to realize the steam ironing-free function.

Currently, a heating pipe structure is mostly used for a steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus with a steaming function. Because of the large volume of the heating pipe, the steam generator is limited in the overall layout of the laundry treatment apparatus.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a laundry treating apparatus, which is small in size, solving the problem that a steam generator is greatly limited in the overall layout of the laundry treating apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following technical solutions:

a laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet, a drum, and a steam generator. The roller is arranged in the shell; the steam generator is arranged in the shell; the steam generator comprises an evaporation cavity and at least one heating body; the inlet of the evaporation cavity is used for communicating with an external water source; the outlet of the evaporation cavity is communicated with the roller; at least one heating body for heating water located in the evaporation cavity; at least a portion of each of the at least one heating body is located within the evaporation cavity; each heating body of the at least one heating body comprises a carrier and a superconductive heating layer; at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer covers the surface of the carrier.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a laundry treatment apparatus, which uses a superconducting heating layer as a heat source, and covers at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer on a surface of a carrier to form a heating body of a steam generator, and is capable of generating heat after being energized. Thus, the volume of the heating part of the steam generator is effectively reduced, and the volume of the steam generator is further reduced, so that the matching degree with the clothes treating device is higher. And an evaporation cavity is arranged at the outer side of the heating body and used for storing water to be heated. The water enters the evaporation cavity, and under the action of the heating body, steam is instantaneously gasified in the evaporation cavity to be generated, and the steam is led into clothes of the roller to carry out steam care on the clothes.

Optionally, the superconducting heating layer is formed on the side wall of the carrier by superconducting materials; one side of the superconducting heating layer far away from the carrier is provided with an insulation structure for insulation between the superconducting heating layer and water in the evaporation cavity.

Further, the insulating structure includes a jacket; at least a portion of the jacket covering a surface of the superconducting heating layer remote from the carrier; the inner cavity of the jacket is filled with a heat-conducting insulating material for insulating between the superconducting heating layer and water in the evaporation cavity.

Further, the heat-conducting insulating material filled in the inner cavity of the jacket is magnesium powder.

Optionally, each of the at least one heating body further comprises two electrodes; the two electrodes are positioned at the two end parts of the superconducting heating layer and between the insulating structure and the carrier; the two electrodes are electrically connected with the superconducting heating layer.

Optionally, the thickness of the superconducting heating layer near the inlet side of the evaporation chamber is greater than the thickness of the jacket near the outlet side of the evaporation chamber.

Optionally, the laundry treating apparatus further comprises: the pressure relief pipe and the pressure relief valve; the pressure relief pipe is communicated with the evaporation cavity; the relief valve is installed in the middle part of relief pipe.

Further, the laundry treating apparatus further includes a protective case; the protective shell is positioned in the inner cavity of the shell; the steam generator is positioned in the inner cavity of the protective shell; the pressure release pipe runs through the protective housing.

Optionally, the laundry treatment apparatus further comprises a layer of insulating material; the heat insulating material layer is positioned between the protective shell and the steam generator.

Optionally, the laundry treatment apparatus further comprises a water inlet device; the water inlet device is positioned in the protective shell; the water inlet device comprises a water suction pump and a nozzle; the inlet of the water suction pump is communicated with an external water source; the outlet of the water suction pump is communicated with the inlet of the nozzle; the outlet of the nozzle is communicated with the evaporation cavity.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the drawings that need to be used in some embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly described below, and it is apparent that the drawings in the following description are only drawings of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, the drawings in the following description may be regarded as schematic diagrams, not limiting the actual size of the products, the actual flow of the methods, the actual timing of the signals, etc. according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a laundry treating apparatus provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a block diagram of a laundry treating apparatus according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a structural view of a steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one A-A' of the structure shown in FIG. 4;

fig. 6 is a structural view of a steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of one B-B' of the structure shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 7 at C;

fig. 9 is a structural view of a heating body of a laundry treating apparatus provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a structural view of a steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present application will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present application, it should 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 the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present application and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present application.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, 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 defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise indicated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, for example; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in a specific context.

It should be noted that, in the drawings of the present application, for example, 11 to 1 indicates that the component 11 belongs to the component 1, for example, 121 to 12 indicates that the carrier 121 belongs to the heating body 12, and other similar reference numerals appearing in the drawings also follow the above description.

At present, the clothes treatment device has become an indispensable household appliance in people's daily life, and it can help the user clean clothing, reduces user's housekeeping time, improves user's work efficiency.

The clothes treating apparatus includes casing, throwing port, door, washing tub/dewatering tub, pedestal, motor, valve, control panel and power source. The casing is hollow and is used for accommodating and protecting the washing/dewatering barrel, the base, the motor, the valve device and the control panel. The delivery port is arranged on the shell. The door body is rotationally connected with the casing, and clothes can be put into the washing/dewatering barrel through the putting opening after the door body is opened. The base is positioned on one side of the washing tub/dewatering tub, which needs to be supported, and is convenient for installing the washing tub/dewatering tub, etc. The clothes are contained in the washing drum/the dewatering drum, and the motor is in transmission connection with the washing drum/the dewatering drum so as to drive the washing drum/the dewatering drum to rotate. The control panel is connected with the motor to control the operation of the motor. The valve device is used for controlling the connection or disconnection of the external water source and the clothes treatment device, and can adjust the water inflow. The power supply is used to power a control panel, motor, etc.

After receiving the washing command, the clothes treating apparatus drives the washing tub/dewatering tub to rotate via the motor via the driving mechanism, such as driving belt and belt wheel, to rotate the clothes inside the washing tub/dewatering tub, and the washing tub/dewatering tub rubs and collides with the clothes to simulate the manual washing effect, so as to wash away the dirt from the clothes.

When the clothes treating apparatus is in a washing working state, the washing drum/dewatering drum rotates at a low speed under the drive of the motor, clothes tumble in the washing drum/dewatering drum, friction is generated between the clothes and the inner wall of the washing drum/dewatering drum and between the clothes and the lifting ribs during tumbling, the lifting ribs can bring the clothes to the water level, and the clothes fall back into water under the action of gravity after reaching a certain height, so that the washing degree of the clothes is improved. When the clothes treatment device is in a dehydration working state, the washing tub/dehydration barrel is driven by the motor to rotate at a high speed, water adsorbed on clothes is thrown out under the centrifugal effect generated by the high-speed rotation of the washing tub/dehydration barrel, and the thrown water flows out through the drain hole of the washing tub/dehydration barrel.

When the clothes treatment device is used for washing clothes, the clothes are firstly put into the washing drum/dewatering drum through the putting opening, then water and detergent are injected, and the detergent and the water can be mixed in the washing drum/dewatering drum and fully contact with the clothes to be washed. When the water level in the washing/dehydrating tub reaches the set water level, the washing/dehydrating tub is rotated to wash the laundry.

As described in the background art, with the development of technology, the market demands for steam washing and steam ironing-free functions are becoming stronger, so that the steam generator is becoming more widely used in home appliances such as washing machines, dry cleaners, and clothes care machines. When the steam generator is applied to the clothes treatment device, the clothes treatment device can be selected to be in a steam washing mode, and the steam generated by the steam generator can effectively remove bacteria, stains and residual detergent on clothes.

It is understood that the control panel of the laundry treating apparatus is also electrically connected to the control key. The user can adjust the washing mode of the control panel through the control keys, thereby controlling the operation mode of the motor and the washing mode of the washing tub/dehydrating tub, so that the laundry treating device can be switched between the modes of washing with water, washing with steam, etc., and thus efficiently and stably wash laundry. When the clothes treating apparatus is in a washing mode, the valve device is communicated with the washing tub/dewatering tub; when the laundry treating apparatus is in a steam washing mode, the valve means is in communication with an inlet of the steam generator, and an outlet of the steam generator is in communication with the tub/dehydrating drum.

As described in the background art, the steam generator of the current laundry treating apparatus with the steam washing function mostly uses a heating pipe structure. The heating pipe structure comprises, for example, a pipe body made of cast aluminum material, magnesium powder filled in the pipe body, and a heating wire (also called a resistance wire) positioned in the pipe body and inserted into the magnesium powder. The heating principle of this heating pipe structure does: the heating wire generates heat after being electrified, the heat is transferred to the surface of the pipe body through magnesium powder, water outside the pipe body is heated, and the water absorbs the heat and is gasified to generate steam. The steam generator adopting the heating pipe structure has high output efficiency and high energy consumption, and the heating pipe has large volume and large occupied space, so that the steam generator is limited in the whole layout of the clothes treatment device, and the whole cost of the clothes treatment device is increased.

Based on this, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a laundry treating apparatus, which may be a washing machine, a dry cleaning machine, a drying and washing integrated machine, a laundry care machine, or the like. Hereinafter, a dry cleaning machine will be described as an example.

Referring to fig. 1 to 2, a laundry treating apparatus 1000 includes a cabinet 200, a drum 300, and a steam generator 100; the drum 300 is disposed in the cabinet 200; the steam generator 100 is disposed in the cabinet 200.

Referring to fig. 4 to 7 and 10, the steam generator 100 includes an evaporation chamber 11 and at least one heating body 12; the inlet 111 of the evaporation cavity is used for communicating with an external water source; the outlet 112 of the evaporation cavity is communicated with the roller 300; at least one heating body 12 for heating the water located in the evaporation chamber 11; at least a portion of each heating body 12 of the at least one heating body 12 is located within the evaporation cavity 11. Each heating body 12 of the at least one heating body 12 comprises a carrier 121, a superconducting heating layer 122; at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer 122 covers the surface of the carrier 121.

The laundry machine 1000 is referred to as a state in use, the opening direction of the dispensing opening is referred to as a front side, and the direction away from the dispensing opening is referred to as a rear side. The up, down, left, and right directions of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 are hereinafter referred to as up, down, left, and right directions.

Referring to fig. 1 to 2, the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further includes a door 400, a base 500, a control panel 600, and a blower device 700. The description of the door body 400, the base 500, and the control panel 600 refers to the door body 400, the base 500, and the control panel 600 of the laundry treating apparatus described above, and will not be repeated herein. The fan apparatus 700 is installed at the rear side of the cabinet 200, and may perform an air cooling function for reducing the temperature of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 during operation.

Referring to fig. 1 to 2, the casing 200 is hollow and is used for accommodating and protecting the drum 300 and the steam generator 100; it should be noted that, some embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the relative positions of the drum 300 and the steam generator 100. The steam generator 100 may be positioned at an upper side of the drum 300, or may be positioned at a side of the drum 300, at an upper side of the base 500, for example. For example, referring to fig. 1, the casing 200 is square.

The drum 300 is a tub of the laundry treatment apparatus 1000 for accommodating laundry, and the description of the drum 300 refers to the tub of the laundry treatment apparatus and is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, a tub of a laundry treatment apparatus includes an outer tub and an inner tub. In other embodiments, referring to fig. 1, the laundry treating apparatus 1000 includes only an inner tub (i.e., drum 300).

Please refer to fig. 4-7 and 10; the steam generator 100 includes an evaporation chamber 11; the inlet 111 of the evaporation cavity is used for communicating with an external water source; the outlet 112 of the evaporation cavity is communicated with the roller 300; it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the inlet 111 of the evaporation chamber is connected to an external water source, the outlet 112 of the evaporation chamber is connected to the drum 300, the water to be heated flows through the evaporation chamber 11, and the gasification process is completed within the evaporation chamber 11.

For example, please refer to fig. 4-7; the evaporation chamber 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Illustratively, the material of the evaporation cavity 11 is a metallic material.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 4-7; the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further includes a steam introduction pipe 800; the inlet of the steam introduction pipe 800 communicates with the outlet 112 of the evaporation chamber, and the outlet of the steam introduction pipe 800 communicates with the drum 300. By the above-described steam introduction pipe 800, heat generated by the steam generator 100 can be reliably transferred to the evaporation chamber 11, avoiding leakage of steam.

For example, please refer to fig. 1; the steam generator 100 is located at the side of the drum 300, at the upper side of the base 500, the inlet end of the steam introduction pipe 800 is located at the lower side, and the outlet end of the steam introduction pipe 800 is located at the upper side; the steam introduction pipe 800 is located between the door 400 and the drum 300, and an opening of the steam introduction pipe 800 faces the drum 300.

The at least one heating body 12 is used for heating water in the evaporation cavity 11; at least a portion of each heating body 12 of the at least one heating body 12 is located within the evaporation cavity 11. It will be appreciated that at least a portion of each heating body 12 of the at least one heating body 12 is disposed within the evaporation cavity 11, and when the heating body 12 is heated, water to be heated contacts the heating body 12 of high temperature and absorbs heat, instantaneously gasifying, generating steam.

Please refer to fig. 4-7; each heating body 12 of the above-mentioned at least one heating body 12 includes a carrier 121, a superconducting heating layer 122; at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer 122 covers the surface of the carrier 121. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the carrier 121, i.e., the carrier 121 of the superconducting heating layer 122, may provide a coverage space for the superconducting heating layer 122. It should be noted that, some embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the shape and the material of the carrier 121. Illustratively, the carrier 121 is hollow cylindrical (i.e., tubular) or sheet-shaped in shape. Illustratively, the material of the carrier 121 is a metallic material, glass. When the material of the evaporation cavity 11 is glass, the surface is smoother than the tube body made of cast aluminum material, so that the scaling speed of the contact part of the carrier 121 and water is slow, the service life of the steam generator 100 is prolonged, and in some embodiments, the service life of the steam generator 100 can reach more than 1000 hours.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a laundry treatment apparatus 1000, which uses a superconducting heating layer 122 as a heat source, and covers at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer 122 on a surface of a carrier 121 to form a heating body 12 of a steam generator 100, and has high output efficiency and low energy consumption. In this way, the volume of the heating part of the steam generator 100 is effectively reduced, the volume of the steam generator 100 is reduced, the matching degree with the clothes treating apparatus 1000 is higher, and the overall cost of the clothes treating apparatus 1000 is reduced to a certain extent; in some embodiments, the overall cost of the laundry treatment apparatus 1000 may be reduced by about one third. Furthermore, an evaporation chamber 11 is provided outside the heating body 12 for storing water to be heated. The water to be heated enters the evaporation cavity 11, and is instantaneously gasified in the evaporation cavity 11 under the action of the heating body 12 to generate steam, and the steam is led out of the evaporation cavity 11 and enters the roller 300 to be fully contacted with the clothes in the roller 300, so that the clothes are cleaned or nursed.

When the clothes treatment device 1000 is used for washing clothes, firstly, the clothes are put into the washing/dehydrating barrel through the putting port, and the detergent is injected; then the steam generator 100 is turned on by the control button, the superconducting heating layer 122 is heated to generate heat, and part of the generated heat is directly transferred to the water in the evaporation cavity 11; the other part is firstly transferred to the carrier 121 and then is transferred to the water in the evaporation cavity 11, which is contacted with the carrier 121, by the carrier 121; the water in the evaporation chamber 11 absorbs the heat and instantaneously gasifies to generate steam. The generated steam is introduced into the drum 300 to be sufficiently contacted with the laundry to be washed, thereby removing bacteria, stains and residual detergent from the laundry.

For example, please refer to fig. 4-8 and 9; the number of the heating bodies 12 is two, and the two heating bodies 12 are placed in parallel. Placing two heating bodies 12 in parallel can reduce the length of the heating bodies 12 and thus the volume of the steam generator 100.

The heating body 12 may be in contact with the inner wall of the evaporation chamber 11, or a gap may be left between the heating body 12 and the inner wall of the evaporation chamber 11.

For example, referring to fig. 4 to 5, the first end of the heating body 12 penetrates the evaporation chamber 11 to support the first end of the heating body 12; a supporting block is fixed on the inner wall of the evaporation cavity 11 and is used for supporting the part of the heating body 12 positioned in the evaporation cavity 11; a sealing ring 124 is arranged between the heating body 12 and the evaporation cavity 11. In this way, a gap is left between the heating body 12 and the inner wall of the evaporation chamber 11, and local overheating of the wall of the evaporation chamber 11 can be prevented. The portion of the heating body 12 penetrating the evaporation chamber 11 and the portion of the heating body 12 extending to the outside of the evaporation chamber 11 are not covered with the superconducting heating layer 122 to prevent heat loss.

For example, referring to fig. 6 to 7, the heating body 12 is entirely accommodated in the inner cavity of the evaporation cavity 11, and at least one supporting block is fixed on the inner wall of the evaporation cavity 11 for limiting the movement of the heating body 12. In this way, a gap is left between the heating body 12 and the inner wall of the evaporation chamber 11, and local overheating of the wall of the evaporation chamber 11 can be prevented.

The superconducting heating layer 122 may be made of a variety of different types of materials. Illustratively, the material of the superconducting heating layer 122 is a material that satisfies the following conditions: under the same value of voltage/current, the heat value generated by the superconducting heating layer 122 per unit volume is larger than the heat value generated by the heating wire per unit volume. That is, when the heat demand value is the same, the volume of the superconducting heating layer 122 to be configured is smaller than the volume of the heating wire to be configured, so that the volume of the heating portion of the steam generator 100 is effectively reduced, the volume of the steam generator 100 is further reduced, the matching degree with the laundry treatment device 1000 is higher, and the overall cost of the laundry treatment device 1000 is reduced to a certain extent.

In other implementations, the steam generator 100 of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 is an ultrasonic steam generator 100 or a drying heating tube type steam generator 100, and these steam generators 100 have a problem of small steam amount in use, and cannot meet the requirement of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 for the steam amount.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 4-8; the superconducting heating layer 122 is formed of a superconducting material on the side wall of the carrier 121; the side of the superconducting heating layer 122 remote from the carrier 121 is provided with an insulation structure for insulation between the superconducting heating layer 122 and water located in the evaporation chamber 11.

The material of the superconducting heating layer 122 is a superconducting material, such as a titanium-nickel alloy, an aluminum-chromium alloy, a nickel-chromium alloy, or a semiconductor nanomaterial. On the one hand, the superconducting material can generate heat after being electrified, and has high output efficiency and low energy consumption, and in some embodiments, the heat output efficiency of the steam generator can reach 95%, so that the steam generation amount in unit time can be increased to meet the requirement of the clothes treatment device 1000 on the steam amount; on the other hand, the superconducting material has the advantage of fast temperature rise, and in some embodiments, the superconducting heating layer 122 can reach the set temperature within 5 seconds, so that the phenomenon of water entrainment during initial power-on can be avoided; in yet another aspect, the superconducting material has the advantage of a fast cooling rate, i.e., no heat is generated when the power is off, and accumulation of excessive heat is avoided, and in some embodiments, the surface of the superconducting heating layer 122 returns to normal temperature 2-3 seconds after the power is off.

In consideration of the overall arrangement form of the laundry treating apparatus 1000, the above-mentioned superconducting material is formed on the sidewall of the carrier 121 to increase the coverage area of the superconducting material, thereby reducing the volume of the steam generator 100, having a higher degree of matching with the laundry treating apparatus 1000, and reducing the overall cost of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 to some extent.

Illustratively, the process of forming the superconducting heating layer 122 on the sidewalls of the carrier 121 is: a superconducting material is electroplated on the sidewalls of the carrier 121 using an electroplating process to form the superconducting heater layer 122.

It should be noted that, when the material of the carrier 121 is a metal material, an insulating layer covering the surface of the carrier 121 is disposed between the carrier 121 and the superconducting heating layer 122, so as to realize insulation between the metal material and the superconducting heating layer 122, and prevent the superconducting heating layer 122 from being conducted with the carrier 121, so as to affect the safety of the laundry treatment apparatus 1000 during use.

Please refer to fig. 4-8; the side of the superconducting heating layer 122, which is far from the carrier 121, is provided with an insulation structure, thereby preventing the superconducting heating layer 122 from being conducted with water to be heated, affecting the safety of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 in use.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 4-8; the insulating structure comprises a jacket 13; at least a portion of the jacket 13 covers a surface of the superconducting heating layer 122 remote from the carrier 121; the inner cavity of the jacket 13 is filled with a thermally conductive insulating material for insulation between the superconducting heating layer 122 and the water located in the evaporation chamber 11.

It can be appreciated that the superconducting heating layer 122, i.e. the charged portion of the heating body 12, covers at least a portion of the jacket 13 on the surface of the superconducting heating layer 122 away from the carrier 121, so as to realize insulation between the charged portion of the heating body 12 and the water to be heated, thereby preventing the superconducting heating layer 122 from being conducted with the water to be heated to affect the safety of the laundry treatment apparatus 1000 in use.

The inner cavity of the jacket 13 is filled with heat conducting and insulating materials, so that heat generated by the heating body 12 can be safely and efficiently transferred to water to be heated, and the heat output efficiency of the heating body 12 is improved.

For example, please refer to fig. 8; the jacket 13 includes a sealing case 131 covering the side of the superconducting heating layer 122 remote from the carrier 121, and a heat conductive insulating material filling layer 132 filled between the sealing case 131 and the superconducting heating layer 122.

By the sealing case 131 described above, an insulating effect can be formed between the superconducting heating layer 122 and water, and between the heat conductive insulating material filling layer 132 and water. The sealing shell 131 can also play a sealing role, prevent the heat conducting and insulating material from leaking into water, and prevent water from entering the jacket 13 to influence the use of the jacket 13. Illustratively, the material of the sealing case 131 is stainless steel.

When the clothes treatment device 1000 is used for washing clothes, firstly, the clothes are put into the washing/dehydrating barrel through the putting port, and the detergent is injected; then the steam generator 100 is turned on by controlling the key, the superconducting heating layer 122 is conducted with an external power supply, under the action of current/voltage, the superconducting heating layer 122 is rapidly heated to generate heat, and part of the generated heat is sequentially transferred to the heat-conducting insulating material filling layer 132 and the sealing shell 131, and then transferred to water in the evaporation cavity 11; the other part of heat is firstly transferred to the carrier 121 and then is transferred to the water in the evaporation cavity 11, which is contacted with the carrier 121, by the carrier 121; the water in the evaporation chamber 11 absorbs the heat and instantaneously gasifies to generate steam. The generated steam is introduced into the drum 300 to be sufficiently contacted with the laundry to be washed, thereby removing bacteria, stains and residual detergent from the laundry.

In one embodiment, the material of the carrier 121 is a glass tube and the jacket 13 surrounds the entire carrier 121. Therefore, the water body can be prevented from directly contacting the high-temperature glass tube, and further, the glass tube is prevented from being broken by tube explosion.

Illustratively, the jacket 13 is cylindrical in shape.

In some embodiments, the thermally conductive and insulating material filling the interior cavity of jacket 13 is magnesium powder.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the magnesium powder has a better insulation property, and the magnesium powder is filled in the inner cavity of the jacket 13, so that insulation between the charged portion of the heating body 12 and the water to be heated can be realized, thereby preventing the superconductive heating layer 122 from being conducted with the water to be heated to affect the safety of the laundry treatment device 1000 in use; meanwhile, the magnesium powder has higher heat conducting property, so that heat generated by the heating body 12 can be safely and efficiently transferred to water to be heated, and the heat output efficiency of the heating body 12 is improved.

The superconducting heating layer 122 may be directly electrically connected to an external power source, or may be indirectly electrically connected to an external power source.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 9; each heating body 12 of the at least one heating body 12 further comprises: two electrodes 125; two electrodes 125 are positioned at both ends of the superconducting heating layer 122 and between the insulating structure and the carrier 121; the two electrodes 125 are electrically connected to the superconducting heating layer 122.

When in use, the two electrodes 125 are respectively electrically connected with the positive electrode and the negative electrode of an external power supply, so that power can be supplied to the superconducting heating layer 122, and the current of the electrodes 125 is uniformly conducted into the superconducting heating layer 122, so that the superconducting heating layer 122 uniformly heats, the temperature of the superconducting heating layer 122 is balanced, and the local temperature of the superconducting heating layer 122 is prevented from being overhigh.

The two electrodes 125 are positioned between the insulating structure and the carrier, thereby preventing the two electrodes 125 from being conducted with water to be heated, and affecting the safety of the laundry treating apparatus 1000 when in use.

The electrodes 125 are ring-shaped conductive material layers, and the two electrodes 125 are respectively sleeved at two ends of the superconducting heating layer 122. In this way, the uniformity of heat generation of the superconducting heating layer 122 is further improved, so as to balance the temperature of the superconducting heating layer 122 and prevent the local temperature of the superconducting heating layer 122 from being too high.

Illustratively, the material of electrode 125 is pure silver.

To further increase the heat utilization of the steam generator 100, in some embodiments, please refer to fig. 10; thickness L of superconducting heating layer 122 on inlet 111 side close to evaporation cavity ₁ Greater than the thickness L of the jacket 13 on the side of the outlet 112 close to the evaporation chamber ₂ 。

It will be appreciated that in the above-described steam generator 100, the water near the inlet 111 side of the evaporation chamber is liquid, and more heat is required to achieve the purpose of vaporization, and most of the water near the outlet 112 side of the evaporation chamber is steam, and the vaporization process is completed. Therefore, when the thickness of the superconducting heating layer 122 near the inlet 111 side of the evaporation cavity is greater than the thickness of the jacket 13 near the outlet 112 side of the evaporation cavity, the heat generated by the superconducting heating layer 122 near the inlet 111 side of the evaporation cavity is greater than the heat generated by the superconducting heating layer 122 near the outlet 112 side of the evaporation cavity, so that the heat generated by the superconducting heating layer 122 can be matched with the heat demand of water, and the heat utilization rate is further improved.

When the steam generator 100 is in use, a large amount of steam is generated on one side of the evaporation cavity 11 near the outlet, so that the pressure of the evaporation cavity 11 is increased, and therefore, when the pressure in the evaporation cavity 11 reaches the pressure threshold, the connection between the evaporation cavity 11 and an external water source is disconnected, so that the explosion of the evaporation cavity 11 caused by the overlarge pressure in the evaporation cavity 11 is avoided.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 3, 4 and 6; the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further comprises a pressure relief pipe 14 and a pressure relief valve (not shown in the drawings); the pressure release pipe 14 is communicated with the evaporation cavity 11; the relief valve is mounted in the middle of the relief tube 14.

It can be understood that the pressure release pipe 14 is communicated with the evaporation cavity 11, and a pressure release valve is installed on the pressure release pipe 14, when the pressure in the evaporation cavity 11 is greater than the pressure threshold, the control panel 600 can control the pressure release valve to be opened, so that the redundant steam is led out from the pressure release pipe 14, and the purpose of releasing the pressure in the evaporation cavity 11 is achieved.

The steam generator 100 may be directly mounted to the inner cavity of the cabinet 200, for example, by connecting the evaporation chamber 11 to the upper surface of the base 500.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 3-7; the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further comprises a protective case 15; the protective shell 15 is positioned in the inner cavity of the shell 200; the steam generator 100 is positioned in the inner cavity of the protective shell 15; the pressure relief tube 14 penetrates the protective shell 15.

The protective case 15 is located in the inner cavity of the casing 200, and the steam generator 100 is located in the inner cavity of the protective case 15, that is, the protective case 15 may wrap the steam generator 100 to provide a protection function for the steam generator 100.

Illustratively, the protective shell 15 is a square protective shell 15, the evaporation chamber 11 is placed in the inner cavity of the protective shell 15, and the pressure relief tube 14 is routed through one of the walls of the protective shell 15. In this way, when the pressure of the evaporation cavity 11 reaches the pressure threshold, the control panel 600 can control the pressure release valve to open, and guide out the excessive steam to the protecting shell 15 through the pressure release pipe 14, so as to achieve the purpose of releasing the pressure of the protecting shell 15.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 3; the wall of the protective shell 15 is also penetrated with a connecting terminal 151, and the connecting terminal 151 is electrically connected with an external power supply; the connection wires of the two electrodes 125 pass through the jacket 13 and are connected to the connection terminals 151. By the structure of the connection terminal 151, the connection structure of the electrode 125 and the external power source is simplified, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the steam generator 100. The connection method between the connection terminal 151 and the external power supply is not limited herein, and for example, a power line is connected between the power supply and the connection terminal 151, and the power line is plugged into the connection terminal 151.

For example, please refer to fig. 3; the protective case 15 includes an upper case 152, a lower case 153, and the upper case 152 is detachably connected with the lower case 153; for example, the upper case 152 is rotatably coupled to one side of the lower case 153, and the other side is coupled by at least one buckle 154. The upper housing 152 is detachably connected with the lower housing 153, so that the protective housing 15 is conveniently opened for maintenance or replacement of the steam generator 100.

Illustratively, the material of the protective shell 15 is plastic.

To reduce heat dissipation from the steam generator 100, in some embodiments, please refer to fig. 4, 6, and 7; the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further comprises a layer of insulating material 16; a layer 16 of insulating material is located between the protective shell 15 and the steam generator 100.

The heat insulation material layer 16 can realize the heat insulation function, prevent excessive heat generated by the heating pipe from being dissipated to the protective shell 15, reduce the heating efficiency and increase the energy consumption of the steam generator 100 while affecting the service life of the protective shell 15.

The heat insulating material layer 16 may be connected to the inner wall of the protective case 15, may be connected to the outer surface of the evaporation chamber 11, or may be disposed between the protective case 15 and the evaporation chamber 11, and is not limited herein.

When the laundry treating apparatus 1000 is in the steam washing mode, the valve device is in communication with an inlet of the steam generator 100, and an outlet of the steam generator 100 is in communication with the tub/dehydrating drum. Illustratively, the valve assembly includes a water inlet conduit 173 and a solenoid valve that is opened to allow communication between a source of water external to the steam generator 100.

In some embodiments, please refer to fig. 4-6; the laundry treating apparatus 1000 further comprises a water inlet device 17; the water inlet device 17 is positioned in the protective shell 15; the water inlet device 17 comprises a water suction pump 171 and a nozzle 172; an inlet of the suction pump 171 communicates with an external water source; an outlet of the suction pump 171 communicates with an inlet of the nozzle 172; the outlet of the nozzle 172 communicates with the evaporation chamber 11.

For example, please refer to fig. 2, 4 and 6; the inlet of the suction pump 171 communicates with an external water source through a water inlet pipe 173.

When the laundry treating apparatus 1000 is used to wash laundry, water from an external water source flows through the water inlet pipe 173, the water suction pump 171 and the nozzle 172 in sequence, and is then sprayed to the inner cavity of the evaporation cavity 11 through the nozzle 172, thereby achieving the purpose of supplying water to the steam generator 100.

Through the water suction pump 171, water to be heated can stably flow into the evaporation cavity 11 at a set speed, and is better matched with heat generated by the heating body 12, so that the steam output of the steam generator 100 is stable, and the heat utilization rate is improved.

It can be appreciated that the nozzle 172 can uniformly spray water into the evaporation cavity 11, so that the surface of the heating body 12 can contact with the water, and the heat utilization rate is further improved.

The description of the above-described laundry treating apparatus 1000, including the structure, materials, uses, effects, etc., is equally applicable to laundry treating apparatuses such as washing machines, drying and washing integrated machines, laundry care machines, etc., and will not be repeated herein.

The foregoing is merely a specific embodiment of the disclosure, but the protection scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art who is skilled in the art will recognize that changes or substitutions are within the technical scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a roller; the roller is arranged in the shell;

a steam generator; the steam generator is arranged in the shell; the steam generator comprises an evaporation cavity and at least one heating body;

the inlet of the evaporation cavity is used for communicating with an external water source; the outlet of the evaporation cavity is communicated with the roller;

the at least one heating body is used for heating water in the evaporation cavity; at least a portion of each of the at least one heating body is located within the evaporation cavity;

each heating body of the at least one heating body comprises a carrier and a superconducting heating layer;

at least a portion of the superconducting heating layer covers the surface of the carrier.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the superconducting heating layer is formed of a superconducting material at a side wall of the carrier; an insulating structure is arranged on one side of the superconducting heating layer, which is far away from the carrier, and is used for insulating between the superconducting heating layer and water in the evaporation cavity.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insulating structure comprises a jacket;

at least a portion of the jacket covering a surface of the superconducting heating layer remote from the carrier; the inner cavity of the jacket is filled with a heat-conducting insulating material for insulating between the superconducting heating layer and water in the evaporation cavity.

4. A laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thermally conductive and insulating material filled in the inner cavity of the jacket is magnesium powder.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the at least one heating body further comprises:

two electrodes; the two electrodes are positioned at two ends of the superconducting heating layer and are positioned between the insulating structure and the carrier; the two electrodes are electrically connected with the superconducting heating layer.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a thickness of the superconducting heating layer near an inlet side of the evaporation chamber is greater than a thickness of the jacket near an outlet side of the evaporation chamber.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the pressure relief pipe and the pressure relief valve;

the pressure relief pipe is communicated with the evaporation cavity;

the pressure release valve is arranged in the middle of the pressure release pipe.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a protective shell; the protective shell is positioned in the inner cavity of the shell; the steam generator is positioned in the inner cavity of the protective shell;

the pressure relief pipe penetrates through the protective shell.

9. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a layer of insulating material; the heat insulating material layer is located between the protective shell and the steam generator.

10. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a water inlet device; the water inlet device is positioned in the protective shell;

the water inlet device comprises a water suction pump and a nozzle;

an inlet of the water suction pump is communicated with an external water source; the outlet of the water suction pump is communicated with the inlet of the nozzle;

the outlet of the nozzle is communicated with the evaporation cavity.