CN116791335A

CN116791335A - Washing machine and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN116791335A
Application number: CN202210271429.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘凯; 许升; 吕艳芬
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-18
Filing date: 2022-03-18
Publication date: 2023-09-22
Also published as: WO2023173978A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a washing machine and a control method thereof, wherein the washing machine comprises: a water holding cylinder; the water inlet end and the water outlet end of the circulating filter pipeline are respectively communicated with the water containing cylinder; the filtering device is arranged on the circulating filtering pipeline and is provided with a water inlet, a filtered water outlet and a sewage outlet; the sewage discharging pipeline is communicated with a sewage discharging outlet of the filtering device; also included is a control valve assembly comprising: the first valve body is arranged between the water containing cylinder and the water inlet of the filtering device, and a first valve plug for controlling the on-off between the water containing cylinder and the water inlet is arranged in the first valve body; the second valve body is arranged on the sewage drain pipeline, and a second valve plug for controlling the on-off of the sewage drain pipeline is arranged in the second valve body; the driving piece is in transmission connection with the first valve plug and the second valve plug alternatively to drive one of the first valve plug and the second valve plug to move. In the invention, one of the first valve plug and the second valve plug can be alternatively driven to move by one driving piece in the control valve assembly, so that the on-off of two independent waterways is respectively controlled, the structure is simple, and the cost is reduced.

Description

Washing machine and control method thereof

Technical Field

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

Background

In the process of washing clothes by the washing machine, the clothes can generate filings to fall off and be mixed into washing water due to friction between the clothes and friction between the clothes and the washing machine. If the lint in the washing water cannot be removed, the lint is likely to adhere to the surface of the laundry after the washing is completed, and the washing effect of the laundry is likely to be affected. For this reason, a filter for filtering lint is installed in the conventional washing machine, and the lint is removed from the washing water by passing the washing water through the filter continuously during the washing process.

The filter of the existing washing machine is generally arranged inside the inner tub or the drain pump for filtering filings and impurities in the washing water. However, after the washing machine is used for a long time, the filter is filled with thread scraps and sundries, the filtering effect of the filter is affected, the drain valve/drain pump is blocked, bacteria are very easy to breed, the bacteria are required to be cleaned in time, otherwise, the pollution of washing water is caused, secondary pollution is caused to clothes, and the health of a user is affected. Most washing machines require manual cleaning by removing the filter by a user, and are inconvenient to operate.

For this reason, a filtering device having a self-cleaning function is proposed in the prior art, but a corresponding pipe structure is required to be added in order to realize the discharge of the sewage after cleaning. In addition, to the scheme that the filter is arranged inside the drainage pump or outside the outer cylinder, in order to realize the circulating filtration of the washing water, a circulating pipeline for circulating the washing water is also required to be arranged in the washing machine, so that the internal waterway structure of the washing machine is more complex, even the internal waterway structure of the washing machine occupies a larger space, and the volume of clothes which can be contained in the washing machine is influenced.

Meanwhile, the complexity of the waterway structure is improved, and the on-off control of the waterway is more complicated and complicated. If a control valve is respectively arranged on each waterway to be controlled, the control valve needs to be driven to be opened and closed, so that the number of driving devices on the washing machine needs to be increased, and the production cost is increased. On the other hand, the wiring in the washing machine is more complex for each control valve to be independently controlled, the difficulty of assembly is increased, and the control logic is more complex.

In view of this, the present invention has been made.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome the defects of the prior art, and provides a washing machine and a control method thereof, wherein a control valve assembly is arranged, so that the on-off between a water containing cylinder and a water inlet of a filtering device and the on-off of a sewage discharge pipeline can be respectively controlled by one driving piece, and the control structure of a waterway is simplified.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts the basic conception of the technical scheme that:

a washing machine, comprising:

a water holding cylinder;

the water inlet end and the water outlet end of the circulating filter pipeline are respectively communicated with the water containing cylinder;

the filtering device is arranged on the circulating filtering pipeline and is provided with a water inlet, a filtered water outlet and a sewage outlet;

The sewage discharging pipeline is communicated with a sewage discharging outlet of the filtering device;

also included is a control valve assembly comprising:

the first valve body is arranged between the water containing cylinder and the water inlet of the filtering device, and a first valve plug for controlling the on-off between the water containing cylinder and the water inlet is arranged in the first valve body;

the second valve body is arranged on the sewage drain pipeline, and a second valve plug for controlling the on-off of the sewage drain pipeline is arranged in the second valve body;

the driving piece is in transmission connection with the first valve plug and the second valve plug alternatively to drive one of the first valve plug and the second valve plug to move.

Further, the control valve assembly also includes a first follower coupled to the first valve plug and a second follower coupled to the second valve plug, the driver alternatively driving the first follower and the second follower.

Further, the first follower comprises a first follower gear and the second follower comprises a second follower gear; the driving piece comprises a driving wheel, meshing teeth are arranged along the periphery of the driving wheel partially, and the meshing teeth can be meshed with the first driven gear and the second driven gear;

preferably, the driving wheel is arranged between the first driven gear and the second driven gear, the rotation centers of the driving wheel, the first driven gear and the second driven gear are collinear, and the meshing teeth cover half circumference at most along the periphery of the driving wheel.

Further, the first valve body is provided with a water inlet communicated with the water containing cylinder and a circulating water outlet communicated with the water inlet; the first valve plug is arranged in the first valve body in a reciprocating manner, and is used for switching on/off the communication between the water inlet and the circulating water outlet; the control valve assembly further comprises a first traction piece, one end of the first traction piece is connected with the first valve plug, and the other end of the first traction piece is eccentrically connected to the first driven gear;

and/or the second valve body is provided with a sewage inlet and a sewage outlet, the second valve plug is arranged in the second valve body in a reciprocating manner, and the communication between the sewage inlet and the sewage outlet is conducted/disconnected; the control valve assembly further comprises a second traction piece, one end of the second traction piece is connected with the second valve plug, and the other end of the second traction piece is eccentrically connected to the second driven gear.

Further, the washing machine further comprises an external drainage pipeline for draining water to the outside, and the first valve body is further provided with a drainage outlet communicated with the external drainage pipeline; the first valve plug is used for conducting the water inlet and the circulating water outlet, and the drainage outlet is blocked by the first valve plug; the first valve plug is used for disconnecting the communication between the water inlet and the circulating water outlet, and the drainage outlet is communicated with the water inlet.

Further, the first valve body has a certain extension length along the movement direction of the first valve plug, the drainage outlet is arranged on the end wall of the first valve body, and the water inlet and the circulating water outlet are arranged on the side wall of the first valve body; the water inlet is positioned between the circulating water outlet and the drainage outlet along the length extending direction of the first valve body.

Further, a first elastic piece is arranged in the first valve body and used for keeping the first valve plug at a position for conducting the water inlet and the circulating water outlet; and/or a second elastic piece is arranged in the second valve body and used for keeping the second valve plug at a position for disconnecting the communication between the sewage inlet and the sewage outlet.

Further, the first valve body has a certain extension length along the movement direction of the first valve plug, and the first traction piece penetrates through the end wall of the first valve body and is connected with the first driven gear; the first valve plug is provided with a first sealing part which is in sliding sealing contact with the inner side of the side wall of the first valve body; the water inlet and the circulating water outlet are positioned on the same side of the first sealing part, and the first traction piece is positioned on the other side of the first sealing part;

and/or the second valve body has a certain extension length along the movement direction of the second valve plug, and the second traction piece penetrates through the end wall of the second valve body and is connected with the second driven gear; the second valve plug is provided with a second sealing part which is in sliding sealing contact with the inner side of the side wall of the second valve body; the sewage inlet and the sewage outlet are positioned on the same side of the second sealing part, and the second traction piece is positioned on the other side of the second sealing part.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method of the above-mentioned washing machine, wherein the circulating pump is disposed on the circulating filter pipeline, and the control method includes:

in the initial state, the first valve plug is communicated with the water containing cylinder and the water inlet, and the second valve plug is used for cutting off a sewage pipeline;

the circulating pump operates, water in the water containing cylinder enters the filtering device through the first valve body to be filtered, and the filtered water returns to the water containing cylinder;

the driving piece is in transmission connection with the first valve plug to drive the first valve plug to move, so that the communication between the water containing cylinder and the water inlet is disconnected, and water in the water containing cylinder stops entering the filtering device;

the driving piece is in transmission connection with the second valve plug to drive the second valve plug to move, the sewage discharge pipeline is conducted, and sewage in the filtering device is discharged into the sewage discharge pipeline.

Further, the washing machine further comprises an outer discharge pipeline for discharging water to the outside, and the first valve body is provided with a water inlet communicated with the water containing cylinder, a circulating water outlet communicated with the water inlet and a water discharge outlet communicated with the outer discharge pipeline; the first valve plug moves in the first valve body to enable the water inlet to be selectively communicated with the circulating water outlet and the drainage outlet;

the control method further includes:

in the initial state, the first valve plug is communicated with the water inlet and the circulating water outlet, and the second valve plug is used for cutting off a sewage pipeline;

The driving piece is in transmission connection with the first valve plug to drive the first valve plug to move, the water inlet and the water outlet are communicated, the circulating pump operates, water in the water containing barrel enters the outer discharge pipeline through the first valve body, and the water is discharged out of the washing machine.

By adopting the technical scheme, compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects.

According to the invention, the control valve assembly is arranged in the washing machine, and can respectively control the on-off of the water containing cylinder and the water inlet of the filtering device and the on-off of the sewage pipeline connected with the sewage outlet of the filtering device, and the control valve assembly controls the on-off of the two independent waterways through one driving piece, so that the control structure of the waterways in the washing machine can be simplified, and the production cost is reduced.

In the invention, the meshing teeth are only partially arranged on the periphery of the driving wheel, so that the meshing teeth can only mesh with one of the first driven gear and the second driven gear at the same time, and further the driving wheel can independently drive the two driven gears, and the structure is simple and easy to realize.

According to the invention, the first valve plug and the second valve plug are respectively reciprocated in the first valve body or the second valve body to control the on-off of the waterway, and the space where the first traction piece and the second traction piece are positioned is respectively separated from water flow by the arrangement of the first sealing part and the second sealing part, so that the phenomenon that the filtering impurities such as wire scraps carried in the water flow are wound with the first traction piece or the second traction piece to influence the smooth movement of the first valve plug and the second valve plug and prevent the problem that a control valve assembly is invalid due to the winding of the wire scraps can be avoided.

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention. It is evident that the drawings in the following description are only examples, from which other drawings can be obtained by a person skilled in the art without the inventive effort. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the communication structure between a filter device and a control valve assembly (cyclic filtration process) in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the communication structure between the filter device and the control valve assembly (blowdown process) in an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the communication structure between the filter device and the control valve assembly (drain process) in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the structure of a control valve assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of a structure of a washing machine in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure: 10. a case; 100. a water holding cylinder; 110. a window pad; 210. a drainage pipeline; 220. a circulation line; 230. a water return line; 231. a backwater control valve; 240. a sewage discharge pipeline; 250. an outer line; 260. a water drum drain pipe; 400. a circulation pump; 500. a recovery device; 510. a housing; 520. a filter assembly; 531. a first chamber; 532. a second chamber; 600. a filtering device; 610. a filter cavity; 6101. a water inlet; 6102. a filtered water outlet; 6103. a sewage outlet; 620. a filtering mechanism; 621. a water outlet joint; 660. a driving mechanism; 680. cleaning the particles; 690. a baffle;

900. A control valve assembly; 910. a first valve body; 9101. a water inlet; 9102. a circulating water outlet; 9103. a drain outlet; 911. a first valve plug; 9111. a switching section; 9112. a first connection portion; 9113. a first sealing part; 912. a first traction member; 913. a first elastic member; 914. a first driven gear; 920. a second valve body; 9201. a sewage inlet; 9202. a sewage outlet; 921. a second valve plug; 9211. a blocking part; 9212. a second connecting portion; 9213. a second sealing part; 922. a second traction member; 923. a second elastic member; 924. a second driven gear; 930. a driving wheel; 931. meshing teeth; 940. and a housing.

It should be noted that these drawings and the written description are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concept in any way, but to illustrate the inventive concept to those skilled in the art by referring to the specific embodiments.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and the following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying 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 thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, 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. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention will be understood in specific cases by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Example 1

As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the washing machine according to the present embodiment includes:

a water drum 100;

the water inlet end and the water outlet end of the circulating filter pipeline are respectively communicated with the water containing cylinder 100;

The filtering device 600 is arranged on the circulating filtering pipeline and is provided with a water inlet 6101, a filtered water outlet 6102 and a sewage drain 6103;

the drain line 240 communicates with a drain 6103 of the filter device 600.

The washing machine includes a control valve assembly 900, and the control valve assembly 900 specifically includes:

the first valve body 910 is disposed between the water containing tube 100 and the water inlet 6101 of the filtering device 600, and a first valve plug 911 is disposed therein for controlling the on/off between the water containing tube 100 and the water inlet 6101;

the second valve body 920 is arranged on the sewage pipeline 240, and a second valve plug 921 for controlling the on-off of the sewage pipeline 240 is arranged inside the second valve body 920;

the driving member is in alternative transmission connection with the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 to drive one of the two to move.

In this embodiment, a circulation pump 400 is further disposed between the water inlet end of the circulation filter line and the control valve assembly 900. The control method of the washing machine comprises the following steps:

in the initial state, the first valve plug 911 is connected to the water container 100 and the water inlet 6101, and the second valve plug 921 is connected to the drain pipe 240;

the circulation pump 400 operates, water in the water containing cylinder 100 enters the filtering device 600 through the first valve body 910 for filtering, and the filtered water returns to the water containing cylinder 100;

the driving piece is in transmission connection with the first valve plug 911 to drive the first valve plug 911 to move, so as to disconnect the communication between the water containing cylinder 100 and the water inlet 6101, and water in the water containing cylinder 100 stops entering the filtering device 600;

The driving element is in transmission connection with the second valve plug 921 to drive the second valve plug 921 to move, so as to conduct the sewage discharge pipeline 240, and sewage in the filtering device 600 is discharged into the sewage discharge pipeline 240.

In the above-mentioned scheme, the control valve assembly 900 only includes one driving element, so that the movement of the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 can be controlled, and then the on-off between the water containing tube 100 and the water inlet 6101 of the filtering device 600 can be controlled, and the on-off of the sewage drain pipeline 240 can be controlled, so that whether sewage in the filtering device 600 can be discharged or not can be controlled. The on-off of two independent waterways in the washing machine can be controlled by one driving piece, which is beneficial to reducing the number of driving devices in the washing machine, such as motors, so as to save cost. Meanwhile, the control structure of the washing machine on the waterway is simplified, and the control logic of the on-off of the waterway is simpler.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, to achieve the alternative drive connection between the driving member and the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921, the control valve assembly 900 further includes a first driven member connected to the first valve plug 911 and a second driven member connected to the second valve plug 921, where the driving member alternatively drives the first driven member and the second driven member to move, and thus can drive one of the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 to move at the same time.

Specifically, the first follower includes a first driven gear 914 and the second follower includes a second driven gear 924. The driving member includes a driving wheel 930, and engaging teeth 931 are provided along a portion of the outer circumference of the driving wheel 930, the engaging teeth 931 being engageable with both the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924. The driving wheel 930 is connected with a driving motor, and can rotate under the driving of the driving motor.

In the above-described scheme, the engaging teeth 931 are provided only in a partial region of the outer periphery of the driving wheel 930, and when the driving wheel 930 is rotated until the engaging teeth 931 engage with the first driven gear 914, the driving wheel 930 is not provided with teeth near the partial outer periphery of the second driven gear 924. This is the case. The first driven gear 914 is rotated by the rotation of the driving wheel 930, and the second driven gear 924 is kept stationary at the same time.

Similarly, when the drive wheel 930 is rotated to the point where the engagement teeth 931 engage with the second driven gear 924, the drive wheel 930 has no teeth near a partial periphery of the first driven gear 914. At this time, the driving wheel 930 rotates to drive the second driven gear 924 to rotate, while the first driven gear 914 remains stationary.

In a preferred version of the present embodiment, the driving wheel 930 is disposed between the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924, and the rotation centers of the driving wheel 930, the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924 are collinear. The engagement teeth 931 cover a half-circumferential extent along the outer periphery of the drive wheel 930.

In the above-described aspect, the rotation centers of the driving wheel 930, the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924 are arranged in line, so that the overall size of the control valve assembly 900 in the longitudinal direction shown in fig. 1 to 5 can be reduced to the greatest extent, and the space occupied by the control valve assembly in the interior of the washing machine can be reduced.

When the control valve assembly 900 is in the initial state as shown in fig. 1, the driving wheel 930 is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the engaging tooth 931 is engaged with the first driven gear 914 on the left side, so as to drive the first valve plug 911 to move to disconnect the water containing tube 100 from the water inlet 6101. During this time, the second driven gear 924 remains stationary, and the second valve plug 921 remains in a state of shutting off the drain pipe 240.

If the driving wheel 930 is controlled to rotate anticlockwise from the initial state, the engaging teeth 931 engage with the second driven gear 924 on the right side to drive the second valve plug 921 to move to conduct the sewage drain 240. At this time, the first driven gear 914 is kept stationary, and the first valve plug 911 is kept in a state of conducting the water containing cylinder 100 and the water inlet 6101.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the first valve body 910 is provided with a water inlet 9101 communicating with the water containing tube 100, and a circulating water outlet 9102 communicating with the water inlet 6101. The first valve plug 911 is reciprocatingly provided inside the first valve body 910, and opens/closes communication between the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102. The control valve assembly 900 further includes a first pulling member 912, the lower end of the first pulling member 912 being coupled to the first spool 911 and the upper end being eccentrically coupled to the first driven gear 914.

Similarly, the second valve body 920 is provided with a sewage inlet 9201 and a sewage outlet 9202, and the second valve plug 921 is reciprocatingly provided inside the second valve body 920, turning on/off communication between the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202. The control valve assembly 900 further includes a second traction member 922, wherein a lower end of the second traction member 922 is connected to the second valve plug 921, and an upper end is eccentrically connected to the second driven gear 924.

In the above-described scheme, in the initial state, the upper ends of the first traction member 912 and the second traction member 922 are both located at the lowest position. The first driven gear 914 or the second driven gear 924 rotates to drive the upper end of the first traction member 912 or the second traction member 922 to move upwards, so as to pull the corresponding first valve plug 911 or second valve plug 921 to move, thereby realizing the switching of the on-off state of the waterway.

Specifically, the first valve body 910 and the second valve body 920 each have a certain extension length, the first valve plug 911 reciprocates along the length extension direction of the first valve body 910, and the second valve plug 921 reciprocates along the length extension direction of the second valve body 920.

The lower end of the first valve plug 911 has a switching portion 9111, and the switching portion 9111 is in sealing contact with the inner side of the side wall of the first valve body 910 in the circumferential direction and is slidable along the length extending direction of the first valve body 910. The water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102 are both disposed on a side wall of the first valve body 910, and are distributed at intervals along a length extending direction of the first valve body 910. In the initial state, the switching portion 9111 of the first valve plug 911 abuts against the lower end wall of the first valve body 910, and the water inlet 9101 is kept in communication with the circulating water outlet 9102. The first valve plug 911 moves upward until the switching portion 9111 is positioned between the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102, and the communication between the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102 can be disconnected.

The sewage inlet 9201 is provided on a side wall of the second valve body 920, and the sewage outlet 9202 is provided on a lower end wall of the second valve body 920. The lower end of the second valve plug 921 is provided with a blocking portion 9211, and in an initial state, the blocking portion 9211 abuts against the lower end wall of the second valve body 920 to block the sewage outlet 9202, thereby maintaining the shut-off state of the sewage drain pipe 240. The second valve plug 921 moves upward to open the sewage outlet 9202. When the outer circumference of the blocking portion 9211 is in sealing contact with the inner wall of the second valve body 920, the blocking portion 9211 moves above the sewage inlet 9201, and the sewage inlet 9201 communicates with the sewage outlet 9202, so that the drain pipe 240 can be conducted.

In a specific aspect of this embodiment, the filtering apparatus 600 includes:

the filter cavity 610 has a water inlet 6101, a filtered water outlet 6102, and a drain 6103;

a filter mechanism 620 rotatably disposed within the filter cavity 610;

the driving mechanism 660 is connected with the filtering mechanism 620 and is used for driving the filtering mechanism 620 to rotate in the filtering cavity 610.

The filter mechanism 620 divides the interior of the filter cavity 610 into an outer cavity and an inner cavity, wherein the water inlet 6101 is communicated with the outer cavity, and the filtered water outlet 6102 is communicated with the inner cavity. When the control valve assembly 900 is in the initial state, water in the water containing cylinder 100 enters the outer cavity through the water inlet 6101 under the action of the circulating pump 400, and enters the inner cavity through the filtering mechanism 620 to realize filtering, and thread scraps carried in the water are attached to the outer wall of the filtering mechanism 620, so that the circulating filtering process of the washing machine is realized.

The driving mechanism 660 drives the filtering mechanism 620 to rotate, so that the water flow in the filtering cavity 610 can be stirred, and the thread scraps attached to the outer wall of the filtering mechanism 620 are peeled off under the dual actions of centrifugal force and agitating water flow and are mixed into the water in the filtering cavity 610. When the driving wheel 930 rotates counterclockwise from the initial state, and thus drives the second valve plug 921 to move upward, the sewage outlet 9202 is opened to conduct the sewage drain 240, and the sewage carrying the filtered impurities can be discharged into the sewage drain 240 from the sewage drain 6103, so as to realize the sewage draining process of the filtering device 600.

In detail, the circulating filter pipeline of the washing machine in this embodiment specifically includes:

a water drum drain pipe 260 connecting the water drum 100 with the water inlet end of the circulation pump 400;

a drain pipe 210 having one end connected to a water outlet end of the circulation pump 400 and the other end connected to a water inlet 9101 of the control valve assembly 900;

the circulating pipeline 220, one end of which is connected with the circulating water outlet 9102 of the control valve assembly 900, and the other end of which is connected to the water inlet 6101 of the filtering device 600;

the water return pipe 230 has one end connected to the filtered water outlet 6102 of the filter device 600 and the other end connected to the water container 100, and conveys the filtered water to the water container 100.

In this embodiment, the water return pipe 230 is specifically connected to the window pad 110 at the mouth of the water container 100.

Preferably, a water return control valve 231 is disposed on the water return pipeline 230 for controlling the on-off of the water return pipeline 230. The driving wheel 930 in the control valve assembly 900 drives the second driven gear 924 to rotate, so that the second valve plug 921 opens the sewage outlet 9202 upwards, and simultaneously closes the water return control valve 231 to cut off the water return pipeline 230, so as to ensure that water in the filter cavity 610 cannot flow out from the filtered water outlet 6102, and be favorable for fully discharging residual filtered impurities in the filter device 600.

In a further aspect of the present embodiment, the washing machine further includes an outer drain pipe 250 for draining water to the outside, and the first valve body 910 is further provided with a drain outlet 9103 communicating with the outer drain pipe 250. When the first valve plug 911 is connected to the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102, the drain outlet 9103 is blocked by the first valve plug 911. The first valve plug 911 disconnects the water inlet 9101 from the circulating water outlet 9102, and the drain outlet 9103 is connected to the water inlet 9101.

Specifically, the drain outlet 9103 is provided on a lower end wall of the first valve body 910, and the water inlet 9101 is located between the circulating water outlet 9102 and the drain outlet 9103 along a length extending direction of the first valve body 910.

Accordingly, the control method of the washing machine includes:

In the initial state, the first valve plug 911 is connected to the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102, and the second valve plug 921 is connected to the sewage pipe 240, i.e. the connection between the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202 is cut off;

in the circulating filtering process of the washing machine, the circulating pump 400 operates, water in the water containing cylinder 100 enters the first valve body 910 from the water inlet 9101, flows out from the circulating water outlet 9102 and enters the filtering device 600 for filtering, and the filtered water returns to the water containing cylinder 100;

in the sewage discharging process of the filtering device 600, the driving element is in transmission connection with the second valve plug 921 to drive the second valve plug 921 to move, and the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202 are communicated, so that sewage in the filtering device 600 is discharged into the sewage discharging pipeline 240;

in the water draining process of the washing machine, the driving member is in transmission connection with the first valve plug 911 to drive the first valve plug 911 to move, the water inlet 9101 and the water draining outlet 9103 are communicated, the circulating pump 400 operates, and water in the water containing cylinder 100 enters the outer drain pipeline 250 through the first valve body 910 and is discharged out of the washing machine.

Specifically, the washing machine performs circulation filtration during washing/rinsing, the control valve assembly 900 maintains an initial state, and opens the return water control valve 231, and opens the circulation pump 400 to pump out water in the water tub 100, and the water is discharged from the circulation water outlet 9102 through the first valve body 910 of the control valve assembly 900, enters the filtering apparatus 600 to remove filtered impurities, and is returned to the water tub 100 through the return water pipe 230.

After the washing/rinsing is finished, the sewage draining process of the filtering device 600 is performed, the driving wheel 930 rotates to enable the meshing teeth 931 to mesh with the second driven gear 924, the second valve plug 921 is driven to move, the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202 are communicated, and sewage in the filtering device 600 is discharged into the sewage draining pipeline 240. During this time, the circulation pump 400 is preferably turned on, and the operation of the circulation pump 400 provides a driving force for the discharge of the sewage in the filtering apparatus 600, thereby ensuring more sufficient discharge of the filtered impurities.

When the washing machine drains, the driving wheel 930 rotates to enable the meshing teeth 931 to mesh with the first driven gear 914 to drive the first valve plug 911 to move, the water inlet 9101 and the drain outlet 9103 are conducted, the circulating pump 400 operates, water in the water containing barrel 100 enters the first valve body 910 and is drained from the drain outlet 9103, and then the water is drained from the washing machine through the drain pipeline 250.

In the above scheme, the circulation pump 400 may provide driving force for the circulation filtering process, the sewage discharging process and the water discharging process, respectively, reducing the number of water pumps, thereby saving the installation space inside the washing machine. The first valve body 910 of the control valve assembly 900 is provided with the circulating water outlet 9102 and the drain outlet 9103 respectively, and the circulating water outlet 9102 and the drain outlet 9103 are selectively communicated with the water inlet 9101 through the motion control of the first valve plug 911, so that the circulating filtration process and the drain process of the washing machine share the drain pipeline 210, the waterway structure inside the washing machine is simplified, and the installation space occupied by arranging waterways is reduced.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, a first elastic member 913 is further disposed in the first valve body 910, for maintaining the first valve plug 911 at a position where the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102 are connected. A second elastic member 923 is provided in the second valve body 920 for maintaining the second valve plug 921 at a position of disconnecting the communication between the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202.

Specifically, the first elastic member 913 and the second elastic member 923 are both compression springs. The upper end of the first elastic member 913 abuts against the upper end wall of the first valve body 910, and the lower end abuts against the first valve plug 911. The upper end of the second elastic member 923 abuts against the upper end wall of the second valve body 920, and the lower end thereof abuts against the second valve plug 921. The first and second elastic members 913 and 923 are always in a compressed state, keeping the first valve plug 911 stopped inside the lower end wall of the first valve body 910 and the second valve plug 921 stopped inside the lower end wall of the second valve body 920.

By adopting the above structure, the first elastic member 913 is compressed when the first valve plug 911 moves upward, and when the driving wheel 930 rotates such that the engaging teeth 931 thereon are no longer engaged with the first driven gear 914, the elastic force of the first elastic member 913 can push the first valve plug 911 to automatically return downward. Similarly, the second resilient member 923 may also push the second valve plug 921 downward to automatically reset when the engagement teeth 931 are separated from the second driven gear 924.

In this way, the driving wheel 930 can always rotate along the same direction and alternately drive the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924 to rotate, without reversely rotating the driving wheel 930 to drive the first valve plug 911 or the second valve plug 921 to reset, so that the control logic is simpler.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, a first traction member 912 is coupled to a first driven gear 914 through an upper end wall of the first valve body 910. The upper end of the first valve plug 911 has a first sealing portion 9113, and the outer periphery of the first sealing portion 9113 is in slidable sealing contact with the inner side of the side wall of the first valve body 910. The first valve plug 911 reciprocates up and down in the first valve body 910, the water inlet 9101 and the circulating water outlet 9102 are always located at the lower side of the first sealing portion 9113, and the first traction member 912 is located at the upper side of the first sealing portion 9113.

The second traction member 922 is connected to the second driven gear 924 through the upper end wall of the second valve body 920. The second valve plug 921 has a second sealing portion 9213, and the second sealing portion 9213 is in slidable sealing contact with the inside of the side wall of the second valve body 920. The second valve plug 921 reciprocates up and down in the second valve body 920, the sewage inlet 9201 and the sewage outlet 9202 are always located at the lower side of the second sealing portion 9213, and the second traction member 922 is located at the upper side of the second sealing portion 9213.

Specifically, the first valve plug 911 further includes a columnar first connection portion 9112, a side surface of the first connection portion 9112 is disposed at an interval from an inner surface of a sidewall of the first valve body 910, and the first sealing portion 9113 and the switching portion 9111 are disposed at upper and lower ends of the first connection portion 9112, respectively. The lower end of the first drawing member 912 is connected to the upper side of the first sealing portion 9113.

The first valve body 910 is internally divided into an upper space and a lower space which are not communicated with each other by the first sealing part 9113, so that water cannot enter the space above the first sealing part 9113, and water leakage of the upper end wall of the first valve body 910 at the position where the first traction piece 912 penetrates out is avoided. Meanwhile, the installation environment of the first traction member 912 and the first elastic member 913 is a non-water environment, so that the problem that the first traction member 912 or the first elastic member 913 is entangled by the filtering impurities such as the thread scraps in the water, thereby affecting the smooth movement of the first valve plug 911 in the first valve body 910 can be avoided.

Similarly, the second valve plug 921 further includes a second connecting portion 9212 having a cylindrical shape, the second sealing portion 9213 and the blocking portion 9211 are disposed at upper and lower ends of the second connecting portion 9212, respectively, and a lower end of the second traction member 922 is connected to an upper side of the second sealing portion 9213.

The second sealing portion 9213 divides the interior of the second valve body 920 into an upper space and a lower space which are not communicated with each other, so that no water exists in the space above the second sealing portion 9213 all the time, and water leakage of the upper end wall of the second valve body 920 at the position where the second traction member 922 penetrates out is avoided. Meanwhile, the installation environments of the second traction element 922 and the second elastic element 923 are anhydrous, so that the problem that the second valve plug 921 moves smoothly in the second valve body 920 due to the fact that thread scraps in water cause winding to the second traction element 922 or the second elastic element 923 is avoided.

The control valve assembly 900 of the present embodiment further includes a casing 940, where the casing 940 integrally covers the driving wheel 930, the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924, which may play a role in protection.

In this embodiment, a control valve assembly 900 for controlling the water path communication mode is disposed inside the washing machine, only a driving wheel 930 is required to be controlled to rotate in the control valve assembly 900, and the driving wheel 930 can drive the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924 on both sides to rotate respectively, so as to control the water in the water containing tube 100 to be transported to the filtering device 600 or transported to the discharge pipeline 250, and whether the sewage in the filtering device 600 can be discharged through the sewage discharge pipeline 240. The circulation filtering process and the drainage process of the washing machine and the pollution discharge process of the filtering device 600 are controlled by the same control valve assembly 900, so that the internal waterway structure of the washing machine is simplified, the space is saved, and the cost is reduced.

By only partially arranging the engagement teeth 931 on the outer periphery of the driving wheel 930, the driving wheel 930 can only drive one of the first driven gear 914 and the second driven gear 924 to rotate at the same time, and thus the movements of the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 are not interfered with each other. The on-off of two different waterways in the washing machine is controlled by the same control structure, the on-off states of the two waterways are mutually independent, and the control logic is simple and easy to realize.

Example two

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, this embodiment is further defined as the first embodiment, in which the engaging teeth 931 cover a half-circumferential range along the outer periphery of the driving wheel 930, and the mating relationship between the tooth shape of the engaging teeth 931 and the tooth shape of the first driven gear 914/second driven gear 924 satisfies: the driving wheel 930 rotates for half a revolution, and the first driven gear 914/second driven gear 924 can be driven to rotate for one revolution by the engaging teeth 931.

In this embodiment, when the first driven gear 914 or the second driven gear 924 rotates for a complete circle, the corresponding first valve plug 911 or second valve plug 921 can be driven to complete a complete up-down reciprocating motion. That is, the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 may reciprocate once from the respective initial positions and eventually return to the initial positions.

In the above-mentioned scheme, if the driving wheel 930 rotates for half a cycle, the first driven gear 914 or the second driven gear 924 can be driven to rotate for one cycle, and each half of the rotation of the driving wheel 930 can be used as a working cycle when the control valve assembly 900 is operated. When the driving wheel 930 continuously rotates in the same direction, the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 can be alternately driven. Meanwhile, even if the first elastic member 913 or the second elastic member 923 fails, accurate resetting of the first valve plug 911 and the second valve plug 921 can be ensured without affecting the operation effect of the control valve assembly 900.

Example III

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, this embodiment is further defined as the first or second embodiment, and the washing machine further includes a recovery device 500 in communication with the drain line 240.

Specifically, the water outlet end of the sewage drain line 240 communicates with the recovery device 500, and the sewage discharged from the filtering device 600, carrying filtered impurities, enters the recovery device 500.

The main component in the filtered impurities is clothing fiber which falls off when the clothing is washed, and along with the popularization of chemical fiber fabrics, the fallen clothing fiber contains a large amount of micro plastics, and the micro plastics can seriously harm ecological environment and human health when entering a natural water environment.

In this embodiment, after the sewage carrying the filtered impurities in the filtering device 600 is discharged from the sewage outlet 6103, the sewage can enter the recycling device 500 to be collected, and the sewage can not flow into the drainage water to directly discharge the washing machine. The problems that the micro plastics in the filtered impurities are discharged along with water flow and enter the ecological cycle, and harm is brought to the ecological environment and human health are avoided through the mode.

The recovery device 500 of the present embodiment specifically includes:

a housing 510 having a recovery chamber therein;

a filter assembly 520 is disposed within the recovery chamber, dividing the recovery chamber into a first chamber 531 and a second chamber 532.

The sewage drain pipe 240 is communicated with the first chamber 531, sewage carrying filtered impurities enters the first chamber 531, filtered by the filter component 520 and enters the second chamber 532, and the filtered impurities are collected in the first chamber 531.

In the above-described aspect, the recovery device 500 is provided with the filter assembly 520 for filtering the sewage discharged from the filter device 600, and separating the filtered impurities therein from the water. The recovery device 500 is internally divided into a first chamber 531 and a second chamber 532 by the filter assembly 520, and the filtered impurities in the sewage are blocked by the filter assembly 520, so that the filtered impurities are collected on the upper surface of the filter assembly 520 in the first chamber 531, and the filtered clean water is collected in the second chamber 532. The user can directly collect the filtration impurity that separates out and handle, has avoided filtering impurity to mix in aqueous, can't carry out the condition of effective handling to it.

Specifically, the filter assembly 520 may be a frame horizontally disposed at a height within the recovery chamber and a screen laid on the frame. After the contaminated water carrying the filtered impurities enters the first chamber 531, the water may enter the second chamber 532 through the filter assembly 520, and the filtered impurities are blocked by the filter screen and remain on the upper surface of the filter assembly 520.

Specifically, a housing 510 of the recovery device 500 is provided on the casing 10 to be insertable/withdrawable, and an upper side of the housing 510 has an opening. When the user withdraws the housing 510 from the case 10, the filtered foreign substances attached to the upper surface of the filter assembly 520 can be cleaned through the opening of the upper side of the housing 510. The filter assembly 520 is preferably removably coupled to the housing 510, and a user may remove the filter assembly 520 from the interior of the housing 510 and remove it for cleaning, thereby facilitating operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a water outlet is provided in the second chamber 532 for discharging the filtered clean water. By providing the water outlet on the second chamber 532, the clean water entering the second chamber 532 can be timely discharged out of the recovery device 500, so that the recovery device 500 is prevented from overflowing when the sewage amount discharged by the filtering device 600 is large. Otherwise, the capacity of the second chamber 532 needs to be increased, that is, the volume of the recovery device 500 needs to be increased, which causes that it occupies a large space inside the washing machine, which is not beneficial to miniaturization of the whole volume of the washing machine.

On the other hand, the water in the second chamber 532 can be automatically discharged from the water outlet, so that the user only needs to clean the filtered impurities on the filter assembly 520 when cleaning the recovery device 500, and does not need to manually pour out the clean water in the second chamber 532. When the filter assembly 520 is detachably installed in the housing 510, a user does not even need to completely remove the housing 510 from the cabinet 10 of the washing machine, and only needs to take out the filter assembly 520 for cleaning, thereby facilitating the operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the water outlet of the second chamber 532 is communicated with the water containing cylinder 100, and the water collected into the second chamber 532 is transferred to the water containing cylinder 100. For example, the water outlet of the second chamber 532 may be in communication with the return line 230, or directly in communication with the cartridge 100 via a line.

Since the sewage entering the recovery apparatus 500 is filtered by the filter assembly 520 in the recovery apparatus 500, the filtered impurities therein are removed, and the filtered impurities-free clean water is collected in the second chamber 532. The water is sent into the water containing cylinder 100, so that the part of clean water can be recycled, the water inflow required by the continuous running of the washing machine is reduced, and the purpose of saving the water consumption of the washing machine can be realized.

In another preferred version of this embodiment, the water outlet of the second chamber 532 may be directly or indirectly open to the outside of the washing machine. For example, the water outlet of the second chamber 532 is connected to the drain pipe 250 via a pipe, and the water collected in the second chamber 532 is discharged out of the washing machine via the drain pipe 250.

Since the clean water without filtering impurities is collected in the second chamber 532, it is directly discharged without causing a problem that the micro plastics enter the ecological cycle.

In this embodiment, the recycling device 500 is arranged inside the washing machine to receive the sewage discharged by the filtering device 600, so that the filtering impurities carried in the sewage can be collected, and the problem that the micro plastics in the filtering impurities directly collect into the drainage water flow and enter the ecological cycle is avoided.

Example IV

As shown in fig. 1 to 5, this embodiment is a further limitation of the above-described embodiment. The filter cavity 610 is further provided with cleaning particles 680 for rubbing against the inner wall of the filter cavity 610 and the outer wall of the filter mechanism 620 along with water flow.

In this embodiment, in the circulating filtration process, the cleaning particles 680 continuously rub against the inner wall of the filtration cavity 610 and the outer wall of the filtration mechanism 620 along with flowing water flow, so that the attached filtration impurities fall off, thereby preventing the filtration impurities from depositing too quickly, and avoiding the filtration mechanism 620 from being covered by the filtration impurities very quickly, thereby affecting the filtration efficiency. On the other hand, the problems that the thickness of the attached filtered impurities is large after the filtration is finished, the adhesion between the inner wall of the filter cavity 610 or the outer wall of the filter mechanism 620 is too firm, and the attached filtered impurities are difficult to remove when the drive mechanism 660 drives the filter mechanism 620 to rotate are avoided.

In this embodiment, the shape of the cleaning particles 680 includes, but is not limited to, spherical, ellipsoidal, elliptical cylindrical, and the like. The surface of the cleaning particles 680 may be a smooth surface or a non-smooth surface. Cleaning particles 680 with non-smooth surfaces are preferred to increase friction with the inner walls of the filter cavity 610 and the outer walls of the filter mechanism 620, and to provide better removal of filtered impurities.

The cleaning particles 680 are preferably made of a wear resistant elastomeric material to avoid the cleaning particles 680 from easily wearing during use. The rebound resilience of the cleaning particles 680 is preferably 0% to 50%, and the cleaning particles 680 are made of an elastic material that deforms easily when being stressed, so as to avoid the cleaning particles 680 from being stuck during the rotation of the filter mechanism 620, and even to cause damage to the filter device 600.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, a baffle 690 is disposed in the filter cavity 610, where a first space is formed on the left side of the baffle 690 and a second space is formed on the right side of the baffle 690. The water inlet 6101 and the cleaning particles 680 are provided on the left side of the baffle 690, and the filtered water outlet 6102 and the drain 6103 are provided on the right side of the baffle 690.

The baffle 690 is provided with a plurality of water passing holes which are communicated with the first space and the second space, but the cleaning particles 680 are limited in the first space by the baffle 690 and cannot enter the second space. Thus, the cleaning particles 680 are prevented from being discharged from the filtered water outlet 6102 or the sewage outlet 6103 along with water flow, or accumulated at the filtered water outlet 6102 or the sewage outlet 6103 to cause blockage.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the density of the cleaning particles 680 is less than that of water, and after the water flows into the filter cavity 610, the cleaning particles 680 can float in the water, so that the cleaning particles 680 can move in the first space of the filter cavity 610 under the driving of the water flow more easily, and thus friction collision occurs, so that the filtered impurities fall off. Thus, the situation that the cleaning particles 680 are deposited at the bottom of the filter cavity 610 and cannot play an effective role when the impact force of the water flow is insufficient is avoided.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the filtering mechanism 620 includes a water outlet connector 621 extending along the rotation axis to the filtered water outlet 6102, wherein one end of the water outlet connector 621 is connected to the main body of the filtering mechanism 620 and located on the left side of the baffle 690, and the other end passes through the baffle 690 and is rotatably inserted in the filtered water outlet 6102. The baffle 690 is provided with a through hole for the water outlet connector 621 to pass through, and the through hole is in clearance fit with the outer wall of the water outlet connector 621.

In the above-mentioned scheme, the water filtered inside the filter mechanism 620 flows out through the water outlet connector 621, and the outer wall of the water outlet connector 621 is not in contact with the inner wall of the through hole on the baffle 690, so that the baffle 690 and the water outlet connector 621 have friction to generate resistance when the filter mechanism 620 rotates, and the smooth rotation of the filter mechanism 620 is affected.

In this embodiment, the cleaning particles 680 are disposed in the filter cavity 610, so that excessive deposition of the filtered impurities can be prevented by friction between the cleaning particles 680 and the inside of the filter cavity 610 and the outer wall of the filter mechanism 620, and the stripping efficiency of the filtered impurities can be improved when the filter mechanism 620 rotates, so as to improve the self-cleaning effect of the filter device 600.

The foregoing description is only illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, but is to be construed as limiting the invention to any and all simple modifications, equivalent variations and adaptations of the embodiments described above, which are within the scope of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A washing machine, comprising:

a water holding cylinder;

characterized by further comprising a control valve assembly comprising:

2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control valve assembly further includes a first follower coupled to the first valve plug, and a second follower coupled to the second valve plug, the driving member alternatively driving the first follower and the second follower.

3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first follower includes a first follower gear, and the second follower includes a second follower gear; the driving piece comprises a driving wheel, meshing teeth are arranged along the periphery of the driving wheel partially, and the meshing teeth can be meshed with the first driven gear and the second driven gear.

4. A washing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first valve body is provided with a water inlet communicating with the water containing cylinder and a circulating water outlet communicating with the water inlet; the first valve plug is arranged in the first valve body in a reciprocating manner, and is used for switching on/off the communication between the water inlet and the circulating water outlet; the control valve assembly further comprises a first traction piece, one end of the first traction piece is connected with the first valve plug, and the other end of the first traction piece is eccentrically connected to the first driven gear;

5. The washing machine as claimed in claim 4, further comprising an outer drain pipe for draining water to the outside, the first valve body further providing a drain outlet communicating with the outer drain pipe; the first valve plug is used for conducting the water inlet and the circulating water outlet, and the drainage outlet is blocked by the first valve plug; the first valve plug is used for disconnecting the communication between the water inlet and the circulating water outlet, and the drainage outlet is communicated with the water inlet.

6. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first valve body has a certain extension length in a movement direction of the first valve plug, the drain outlet is provided on an end wall of the first valve body, and the water inlet and the circulating water outlet are provided on a side wall of the first valve body; the water inlet is positioned between the circulating water outlet and the drainage outlet along the length extending direction of the first valve body.

7. The washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a first elastic member is further provided in the first valve body for maintaining the first valve plug in a position to communicate the water inlet with the circulating water outlet; and/or a second elastic piece is arranged in the second valve body and used for keeping the second valve plug at a position for disconnecting the communication between the sewage inlet and the sewage outlet.

8. The washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first valve body has an extension length in a movement direction of the first valve plug, and the first traction member is connected to the first driven gear through an end wall of the first valve body; the first valve plug is provided with a first sealing part which is in sliding sealing contact with the inner side of the side wall of the first valve body; the water inlet and the circulating water outlet are positioned on the same side of the first sealing part, and the first traction piece is positioned on the other side of the first sealing part;

9. A control method of a washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a circulation pump is provided on the circulation filter pipe, the control method comprising:

10. The control method of a washing machine according to claim 9, wherein the washing machine further comprises an outer drain pipe for draining water to the outside, the first valve body is provided with a water inlet communicating with the water containing cylinder, a circulating water outlet communicating with the water inlet, and a drain outlet communicating with the outer drain pipe; the first valve plug moves in the first valve body to enable the water inlet to be selectively communicated with the circulating water outlet and the drainage outlet;

the control method further includes: