CN215714060U - Liquid feeding pump, dispensing system and washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a dosing pump, a dosing system and a washing machine. The charge pump includes a pump body defining a hydraulic chamber and an inlet portion and an outlet portion in communication with the hydraulic chamber, the inlet portion allowing the first liquid to enter the hydraulic chamber and the outlet portion allowing the first liquid to exit the hydraulic chamber. The pump chamber assembly is disposed within the hydraulic chamber, has a pump chamber isolated from the hydraulic chamber, and a fixed end and a movable end defining the pump chamber, the fixed end being fixedly disposed relative to the pump body, the movable end being movable relative to the fixed end between a compressed position and an expanded position to vary a volume of the pump chamber. The charging pump also comprises a liquid inlet part and a liquid outlet part which are communicated with the pump cavity, wherein the liquid inlet part allows the second liquid to enter the pump cavity, and the liquid outlet part allows the second liquid to be pumped out of the pump cavity. The movable end is disposed downstream of the inlet portion in the hydraulic chamber and urges the movable end toward its compressed position when the first liquid enters the hydraulic chamber from the inlet portion to compress the pump chamber and thereby pump the second liquid out. The pump body is also provided with a liquid guide pipe which is communicated with the liquid outlet part and the water outlet part.

Description

Liquid feeding pump, dispensing system and washing machine

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a charge pump, a washing machine having the charge pump, and a method of controlling the charge pump.

Background

The existing washing machine or dish washer automatic quantitative liquid adding system mainly has the following two mainstream schemes, the first scheme adopts a displacement pump driven by a motor to carry out automatic quantitative liquid adding, and the second scheme adopts a venturi tube and is matched with a flowmeter to carry out quantitative liquid adding.

Among these, the solution using a volumetric pump driven by an electric motor has the following drawbacks. Firstly, the scheme drives the volume of the pump cavity to change regularly through the motor to generate alternate positive and negative pressure to realize liquid pumping, so the scheme needs to contain the motor, and the cost of a single product is high. Secondly, the motor needs to be provided with a special interface and a special control circuit, the matching finished product is high, and the transformation investment for upgrading old machine types is large. In addition, the number of motor parts is large, and potential failure points of the whole set of system are increased.

The venturi solution also has drawbacks. The venturi tube is driven by water pressure, an independent water inlet valve position is required to be arranged for supplying water, the venturi tube plays a role all the time in the water supply process, namely, solution is put in all the time, the matched water valve position only provides the water pressure of the venturi tube, other purposes are not available, water inlet of the washing machine needs to be separately matched with the water inlet valve position, and therefore the number of water inlet valve sets of the whole system is large, and the valve set cost is high. In addition, the single venturi tube can only realize the function of conveying the solution, but cannot realize the function of quantification, and needs to be matched with a flowmeter to carry out quantitative feeding, so that the cost of the flowmeter and the matched control cost are increased. And similarly, the transformation investment for upgrading and updating old machine types is large. Moreover, the scheme matched with the venturi relates to a water inlet valve and a flowmeter, and the number of parts of the whole system is large, so that potential failure points are increased.

In addition, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the existing automatic liquid adding pump are generally of independent structures, the liquid outlet of the pump is communicated with a water channel of a liquid adding system, and pumped solution is not premixed, so that the solution is easy to stagnate in a pipeline for a long time and the effect of pumping the solution is influenced. Meanwhile, the water inlet and the automatic liquid feeding pump in the prior art are also independently arranged, and the water inlet channel is provided with a one-way valve for preventing the mixed solution from reversely entering water, so that the material cost and the assembly cost are increased.

There is a need for a new automatic dosing device that does not have the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above-mentioned problems and needs, the present disclosure proposes a novel solution that solves the above-mentioned problems and brings other technical effects by adopting the following technical features.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a charge pump, comprising: a pump body defining a hydraulic chamber and an inlet portion and an outlet portion in communication with the hydraulic chamber, the inlet portion configured to allow a first liquid to enter the hydraulic chamber and the outlet portion configured to allow the first liquid to drain from the hydraulic chamber; a pump chamber assembly disposed within the hydraulic chamber, the pump chamber assembly having a pump chamber isolated from the hydraulic chamber and having a fixed end and a movable end defining the pump chamber, the fixed end fixedly disposed relative to the pump body, the movable end movable relative to the fixed end between a compressed position and an expanded position to vary a volume of the pump chamber; and the liquid inlet part is communicated with the pump cavity, the liquid inlet part is configured to allow the second liquid to enter the pump cavity, and the liquid outlet part is configured to allow the second liquid to be pumped out of the pump cavity. Wherein the moving end is disposed downstream of the inlet portion within the hydraulic chamber such that when a first liquid enters the hydraulic chamber from the inlet portion, the moving end is urged toward its compressed position to compress the pump chamber and thereby pump a second liquid out. Wherein, the pump body is also provided with a liquid guide pipe which is communicated with the liquid outlet part and the water outlet part.

According to the preferred scheme, the liquid adding pump comprises a pump cover, the liquid inlet portion and the liquid outlet portion are limited by the pump cover, the liquid outlet portion comprises a liquid outlet cavity limited by the pump cover, and an outlet of the liquid outlet cavity is opened towards a liquid guide pipe located on the pump body.

According to a preferred embodiment, the catheter outlet of the catheter is close to the water outlet portion, and the pump body is further formed with a mixing chamber located downstream of both the outlet of the catheter and the water outlet portion, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are mixed in the mixing chamber.

According to a preferred version, the mixing chamber is in the form of a mixing chamber duct formed by the pump body, and the outlet portion comprises an outlet portion duct arranged with its outlet aligned with the mixing chamber duct.

According to a preferred solution, the water outlet portion is located at a bottom position of the hydraulic chamber.

According to a preferable scheme, the cross-sectional area of the water outlet part is smaller than that of the water inlet part.

According to a preferred aspect, the pump chamber assembly includes a bellows, the interior of which forms the pump chamber.

According to a preferred aspect, the charge pump further comprises a reset member configured to bias the moving end of the pump chamber assembly towards its expanded position.

According to a preferred scheme, the reset piece is a spiral spring abutting against the moving end.

According to a preferred version, the charge pump further comprises a stop device, which is fixedly arranged with respect to the fixed end and is configured to limit the travel of the mobile end between the compressed position and the expanded position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the limiting device comprises a first limiting part and a second limiting part, the first limiting part defines the compression position of the moving end, and the second limiting part defines the expansion position of the moving end.

According to a preferable scheme, the distance between the first limiting part and the second limiting part is smaller than the deformation amount of the resetting piece when the minimum working water pressure of the liquid feeding pump is achieved.

According to the preferred scheme, the water inlet part comprises a water inlet part pipeline formed on the pump body, and the second limiting part is formed by one part of the water inlet part pipeline.

The present disclosure also provides a dosing system comprising a liquid storage box with an inner box and an outer box and a liquid feeding pump according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a liquid inlet of the liquid feeding pump is connected to the inner box to draw liquid from the inner box, and a liquid outlet and a water outlet of the liquid feeding pump are both connected to the outer box.

The present disclosure also proposes a laundry washing machine comprising a dosing pump as described in any one of the preceding claims or a dosing system as described in the preceding claims.

According to a preferable scheme, the water inlet part of the charging pump of the washing machine is connected to the outlet of the water inlet valve of the washing machine, the first liquid is water, and the second liquid is detergent.

The best modes for carrying out the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the features and advantages of the present disclosure can be readily understood.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly described below. The drawings are intended to depict only some embodiments of the disclosure, and not all embodiments of the disclosure are limited thereto.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exterior view of an exemplary embodiment of a hydraulic pump as set forth in the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a hydraulic pump as set forth in the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a hydraulic pump as set forth in the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate, respectively at different viewing angles and in the form of drawings, a pump cover that may be used with the hydraulic pump as taught by the present disclosure;

fig. 8-13 illustrate, in different views and forms of drawings, respectively, a pump body usable with the hydraulic pump proposed by the present disclosure, wherein fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 9, and fig. 11 is an enlarged view of region B of fig. 10;

FIG. 14 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a hydraulic pump as set forth in the present disclosure, and particularly illustrates one useful check valve;

15-17 illustrate, in various views and drawings, respectively, a pump chamber assembly that may be used with the hydraulic pump set forth in the present disclosure;

18-20 illustrate the hydraulic pump proposed by the present disclosure, and particularly the mounting location of the seal, from different perspectives and drawings, respectively;

FIG. 21 illustrates the hydraulic pump as it is being charged in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 22-25 illustrate the hydraulic pump of the present disclosure in its out-feed position at different viewing angles and drawings, respectively;

figure 26 shows the flow direction of the pump cap during priming and priming.

List of reference numerals

1 Pump cover

2 Pump body

3 one-way valve

4 Pump Chamber Assembly

5 reset piece

6 sealing element

7 fastener

8 pump chamber

9 Hydraulic chamber

10 water inlet part

11 water outlet part

12 liquid inlet part

13 liquid outlet part

14 fastener mounting section

15 one-way valve mounting part

16 mixing chamber

17 liquid guide tube

18 catheter inlet

19 catheter outlet

20 corrugated pipe

22 reset piece mounting seat

23 pressurizing plug

24 outlet of liquid outlet part

25 first limit part

26 second limit part

D distance between the first and second limiting parts

S seal installation position

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the described embodiments of the disclosure without any inventive step, are within the scope of protection of the disclosure.

Possible embodiments within the scope of the disclosure may have fewer components, have other components not shown in the figures, different components, differently arranged components or differently connected components, etc. than the embodiments shown in the figures. Further, two or more of the components in the drawings may be implemented in a single component, or a single component shown in the drawings may be implemented as a plurality of separate components.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in the description and claims of the present disclosure are not intended to indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Also, the use of the terms "a" or "an" and the like do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item listed before the word covers the element or item listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

Referring to fig. 1-3, which illustrate the general construction of a hydraulic pump as set forth in the present disclosure, wherein fig. 1 illustrates an external view of an exemplary hydraulic pump, fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view thereof, and fig. 3 illustrates an assembled cross-sectional view thereof.

In general, the hydraulic pump may include a pump cover 1, a pump body 2, and a pump chamber assembly 4. The pump cap 1 and the pump body 2 are tightly fitted to each other to form an overall architecture that houses the pump chamber assembly 4 and other components of the charge pump inside it. The pump cover 1 and the pump body 2 can be mounted together, for example, by means of screws, snap-on, welding, gluing, etc. The figures show the pump cap 1 and the pump body 2 mounted by fasteners 7, and fig. 5 shows the fastener mounting portion 14 of the pump cap 1. But this disclosure does not preclude other mounting means. In addition, the pump cover 1 and the pump body 2 may be formed integrally.

A preferred construction of the pump body 2 can be seen in figures 8-13. Wherein fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 9, and fig. 11 is an enlarged view of region B of fig. 10, which shows a boss type seal structure for sealing the hydraulic chamber 9. The pump body 2 defines a hydraulic chamber 9 housing the pump chamber and capable of generating hydraulic pressure. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the number of hydraulic chambers 9 and pump chambers is two each. The number of the hydraulic pressure chambers 9 and the pump chambers may be one or more according to actual needs. The pump body 2 also defines an inlet portion 10 and an outlet portion 11 communicating with the hydraulic chamber 9. The inlet portion 10 is configured to allow the first liquid to enter the hydraulic chamber 9, and the outlet portion 11 is configured to allow the first liquid to be discharged from the hydraulic chamber 9. Wherein, in the solution where the hydraulic pump is applied in a washing machine or a dishwasher, said first liquid is typically water, such as tap water.

The specific configuration of the inlet 10 and outlet 11 portions of the pump body 2 is not limited, but preferably, as shown in the drawings, includes a conduit or is entirely in the form of a tube, the conduit portions of which may be referred to as the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, respectively. Preferably, both the inlet 10 and the outlet 11 are located at the bottom of the pump body 2, and preferably so that the inlet conduit is higher than the outlet conduit. In the preferred solution shown in the figures, the outlet conduit is located at the bottom of the hydraulic chamber 9 of the pump body 2, so as to facilitate the drainage.

The pressurization mode of the hydraulic cavity 9 of the pump body 2 adopts one of the following two schemes, or is realized in two mutually matched modes: the sectional area of the water outlet part 11 is smaller than that of the water inlet part 10, the pressurizing plug 23 is arranged on the pump cavity assembly 4, the pressurizing plug 23 can extend into the water inlet part 10, and the volume of the pump cavity is driven to change by directly pressurizing the water inlet part 10.

The pump chamber assembly 4 is disposed in the hydraulic chamber 9 of the pump body 2, the pump chamber assembly 4 having a pump chamber isolated from the hydraulic chamber 9. In the preferred solution shown in the figures, the pump chamber is at least partly inside the hydraulic chamber 9. The pump cavity is a variable-volume chamber and is communicated with the liquid inlet part 12 and the liquid outlet part 13 of the hydraulic pump. When the pump chamber is expanded, the second liquid enters the pump chamber via the liquid inlet portion 12, and when the pump chamber is contracted, the second liquid is pumped out of the pump chamber via the liquid outlet portion 13. Wherein the second liquid is the liquid to be pumped, and can be laundry detergent, laundry softener, dish detergent and the like.

The pump chamber assembly 4 has a fixed end defining the pump chamber and a movable end, the fixed end being fixedly disposed relative to the pump body 2, the movable end being movable relative to the fixed end between a compressed position and an expanded position to vary the volume of the pump chamber. That is, when the movable end is in the compressed position closer to the fixed end, the pump chamber is compressed, and the second liquid in the pump chamber can be pumped out of the pump chamber through the liquid outlet portion 13. When the movable end is in the expanded position relatively far from the fixed end, the pump chamber expands and the second liquid can be drawn into the pump chamber through the liquid inlet portion 12.

The moving end of the pump chamber assembly 4 is located within the hydraulic chamber 9 of the pump body 2 and is disposed downstream of the intake section 10 such that when a first liquid enters the hydraulic chamber 9 from the intake section 10, the hydraulic pressure provided by the first liquid urges the moving end towards its compressed position to compress the pump chamber and thereby pump a second liquid out. When the supply of the first liquid is stopped, for example, when the water supply is stopped, the first liquid in the hydraulic pressure chamber 9 is discharged from the water outlet portion 11, the moving end of the pump chamber assembly 4 returns to its expanded position based on the force of gravity or the return assembly, so that the pump chamber is expanded, and thus the second liquid can be sucked into the pump chamber through the liquid inlet portion 12. Through such circulation, the liquid adding pump can repeatedly add liquid and discharge liquid.

The present disclosure does not limit the specific positions and structures of the liquid inlet portion 12 and the liquid outlet portion 13 mentioned above. In a preferred embodiment, however, both the liquid inlet 12 and the liquid outlet 13 are provided on the pump cover 1. A preferred construction of the pump cap 1 can be seen in fig. 4-7. The liquid inlet portion 12 may include a liquid inlet chamber disposed on the pump cover 1, and the liquid inlet chamber may include a liquid inlet chamber pipe. The liquid outlet 13 may include a liquid outlet chamber provided on the pump cap 1, and an outlet 24 of the liquid outlet chamber is located at the bottom of the pump cap 1, disposed toward the pump body 2, as shown in fig. 4, so as to communicate to the mixing chamber 16 through a liquid guide tube 17 to be described later.

The number of the liquid inlet part 12 and the liquid outlet part 13 of the pump cover 1 may be one or more, and the liquid inlet part and the liquid outlet part do not need to be paired, but can be set in corresponding numbers according to actual requirements. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the number of the liquid inlet part 12 and the liquid outlet part 13 is two.

According to a preferred embodiment, the pump chamber assembly 4 includes a bellows 20, and the fixed end and the movable end of the pump chamber assembly 4 are two ends of the bellows 20, respectively. The interior of the bellows 20 forms the pump chamber. The both sides of bellows 20 can set up solitary installed part and moving member respectively, and the installed part forms the stiff end of pump chamber subassembly 4 with pump body 2 rigid coupling, and the moving member forms the removal end. The moving end is located downstream of the water inlet portion 10. The bellows 20 internally forms a pump chamber isolated from the hydraulic chamber 9.

This solution has a number of advantages over plunger pumps by using bellows 20. The bellows 20 provides better sealing than a plunger pump and avoids friction, wear between the plunger and the pump chamber. The liquid adding pump adopting the corrugated pipe 20 has long service life, low requirement on the precision of the sealing size of the pump cavity and wider applicable water pressure range.

The pump chamber of the present solution is not limited to a bellows type, however, but may be of a piston, plunger or diaphragm type, as long as it provides a pump chamber that can be driven hydraulically to undergo a volume change.

According to a preferred scheme, the charging pump further comprises a resetting piece 5, and the resetting piece 5 is configured to bias the moving end towards the expansion position of the moving end so as to assist the pump cavity to return to the expansion position and realize the liquid pumping function. Fig. 15-16 show an overall view and an exploded view, respectively, of the reset element 5. Preferably, the return element 5 is a helical spring or other elastic element. The reset member 5 may abut between the fixed end and the movable end of the pump chamber assembly 4 to bias the movable end away from the fixed end. Alternatively, the reset member 5 may be disposed on the pump chamber assembly 4 at one end and on other fixed members at the other end, as long as it biases the moving end of the pump chamber assembly 4 away from the fixed end. Wherein the pump chamber assembly 4 may be provided with a reset member mounting seat 22 for mounting the reset member 5, as shown in fig. 16. However, other reset mechanisms, such as gravity reset, may be employed with the present disclosure.

The hydraulic pump may further comprise a check valve 3 for isolating the liquid inlet chamber, the pump chamber and the liquid storage chamber inside the liquid feeding pump system. Wherein the one-way valve 3 may be a combined one-way valve, such as shown in fig. 14, configured to communicate the inlet chamber and the pump chamber to allow the charge pump to draw liquid when the pump chamber is expanded, and to communicate the pump chamber with the outlet chamber to allow the charge pump to discharge liquid when the pump chamber is compressed. Alternatively, a first one-way valve may be provided between the liquid inlet chamber and the pump chamber, the first one-way valve being configured to allow liquid to enter the pump chamber from the liquid inlet chamber and prevent liquid from entering the liquid inlet chamber from the pump chamber when the pump chamber is deformed by expansion, and a second one-way valve may be provided between the pump chamber and the first one-way valve, the second one-way valve being configured to allow liquid to enter the liquid outlet chamber from the pump chamber and prevent liquid from entering the pump chamber from the liquid outlet chamber when the pump chamber is deformed by compression. The pump cover may be provided with a special check valve mounting portion 15 for mounting a check valve.

The charging pump can also comprise a sealing member 6, and the sealing member 6 is used for sealing the joints of various parts in the charging pump system. The pump body 2 and the pump cover 1 can be provided with corresponding sealing element installation parts. Fig. 18 to 20 show in particular the seal mounting position S at the pump body 2 and the pump cap 1. The present disclosure does not limit the specific installation position of the sealing member as long as the hydraulic pressure chamber 9, the pump chamber, and the like have good sealing.

According to a preferred solution, the liquid feeding pump further comprises a stop device, which is fixedly arranged with respect to the fixed end and defines the displacement position of the mobile end, i.e. the stroke of the mobile end is defined between the compressed position and the expanded position. That is, the limiting means limits the maximum compression position and the maximum return position of the pump chamber assembly 4. The limiting device is used for limiting the volume change of the pump cavity assembly 4 in the working process, so that the stability of single dosage can be ensured. Different water pressures are inconsistent in the power that hydraulic pressure chamber 9 produced to the pump chamber, if do not have limit structure, the deflection of pump chamber just can't be injectd, leads to the flow to throw in inaccurate.

Specifically, the limiting device comprises a first limiting part 25 and a second limiting part 26, wherein the first limiting part 25 defines a compression position of the moving end, and the second limiting part 26 defines an expansion position of the moving end. Wherein the first limit stop 25 may be a stop fixed to the pump body 2 or the pump chamber assembly 4, and the second limit stop 26 may be a part of a water inlet conduit, preferably as shown in fig. 10, the water inlet conduit being arranged generally horizontally and further comprising a vertically arranged conduit portion, which constitutes the second limit stop 26.

According to a preferred embodiment, the distance D between the first and second limiting portions 25, 26 is smaller than the distance that the movable end can move relative to the fixed end without the limiting portions at the minimum working water pressure. In the case of the reset member, the distance D between the first and second stopper portions 25 and 26 is smaller than the amount of deformation of the reset member at the minimum operating water pressure. That is, even under the minimum working water pressure, the moving end of the pump chamber assembly 4 can be ensured to move from the second limiting part 26 to the first limiting part 25 when the liquid is discharged by the liquid charging pump. The limitation can ensure that the volume change of the pump cavity under different working water pressures is constant every time, and the accuracy of single delivery flow is ensured.

According to a preferred version, the charge pump further comprises a pressurizing plug 23 extending from the mobile end of the pumping chamber assembly 4 into the hydraulic chamber 9, as shown in fig. 17. The pressurizing plug 23 moves with the moving end, and in a natural state, i.e. without hydraulic pressure, the pressurizing plug 23 extends into the water inlet portion 10 of the pump body 2, as shown in fig. 3. Wherein, the pressurizing plug 23 can directly realize pressurizing at the water inlet part 10 to drive the volume of the pump cavity to change. For the preferred embodiment, the intake portion 10 comprises an intake portion conduit formed in the pump body 2, the pressurizing plug 23 being arranged to be inserted into the intake portion conduit from a side wall thereof when the mobile end is in the expanded position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the pump body 2 is further formed with a liquid guide tube 17 communicating the liquid outlet portion 13 and the water outlet portion 11, as shown in fig. 10 and 12. Wherein the liquid guide tube 17 can be arranged with its liquid guide tube inlet 18 near the pump cover 1 to receive the second liquid from the liquid outlet pump and with its liquid guide tube outlet 19 near the water outlet portion 11 to guide the second liquid to the vicinity of the water outlet portion 11 for mixing. For this purpose, in a preferred embodiment, the pump body 2 is also formed with a mixing chamber 16 located downstream of both the outlet of the liquid guide tube 17 and the water outlet portion 11, the first liquid and the second liquid being mixed in the mixing chamber 16. In this way, the liquid guide 17 introduces the second liquid to be pumped to the outlet of the first liquid, so that the two can be mixed sufficiently inside the mixing chamber 16.

For solutions where the liquid inlet 12 and the liquid outlet 13 are located in the pump cap, the liquid outlet 13 may comprise or be formed as a liquid outlet lumen in the pump cap, the outlet of which is open towards a liquid guide 17 located in the pump body 2.

Preferably, the mixing chamber 16 is in the form of a mixing chamber duct formed by the pump body 2 itself, and the outlet portion duct is arranged with its outlet aligned with the mixing chamber duct. Thereby facilitating the mixing of the first liquid and the second liquid.

The working principle of the liquid feeding pump will be described below by taking the liquid feeding pump as an example applied to a washing machine. This is similar for the case of the charge pump applied to other electrical appliances.

Initial state:

the water inlet part 10 of the automatic liquid adding pump is connected with the water outlet of the water inlet valve of the washing machine, and the water inlet of the water inlet valve of the washing machine is connected with a tap water network. The water inlet valve is in a closed state in an initial state, no hydraulic pressure exists in the hydraulic cavity 9 of the automatic charging pump, the pump cavity assembly 4 is in the initial state under the action of the resetting piece, and the moving end of the pump cavity assembly 4 is in an expansion position at the moment.

The liquid pumping process comprises the following steps:

when the water inlet valve is opened, water flow enters the hydraulic cavity 9 through the water inlet part 10 of the automatic charging pump, power for compressing the pump cavity assembly 4 is generated in the hydraulic cavity 9 under the boosting action of the boosting plug 23 or the water outlet part of the pump body, the moving end of the pump cavity moves towards the compression position, and the pump cavity is compressed to store energy.

After the water inlet valve is closed, water in the hydraulic cavity 9 flows out through the water outlet part 11 of the pump body 2, the pump cavity releases energy storage under the action of an automatic resetting mechanism such as a resetting piece or power, the moving end of the pump cavity assembly 4 moves towards the expanding position of the pump cavity assembly, the volume of the pump cavity is increased, the pressure in the pump cavity is smaller than that of the liquid inlet cavity, and solution in the liquid inlet cavity enters the pump cavity through the one-way valve 3.

Wherein figure 21 illustrates the solution flow path during withdrawal with dark arrows and illustrates the movement of the pump chamber from the compressed position toward the expanded position by the reset member or other reset mechanism. At the moment, the water inlet valve is cut off, the water in the hydraulic cavity 9 naturally flows out to release the pressure, the hydraulic pressure for supporting the pump cavity assembly 4 disappears, and the pressurizing plug 23 falls back to the water inlet part 10 to prepare for pressurizing the next water inlet. In addition, the two arrows pointing upwards in fig. 26 show the direction of flow of the feed liquid.

And (3) liquid pumping process:

after the liquid pumping process is finished, the water inlet valve is opened again, water flow enters the hydraulic cavity 9 quickly through the water inlet part 10 of the automatic liquid feeding pump again, power for compressing the pump cavity assembly 4 is generated in the hydraulic cavity 9 due to the pressurization effect of the pressurization plug 23 or the water outlet part 11 of the pump body 2, the moving end of the pump cavity moves towards the compression position, the pump cavity is compressed, the pressure in the pump cavity is greater than the pressure in the liquid outlet cavity, and the solution in the pump cavity is pumped into the liquid outlet cavity from the pump cavity through the one-way valve 3.

Wherein figure 23 illustrates the flow path of the pumped second solution during tapping with dark arrows and the path of the water flow with light arrows. Fig. 22 shows a state where the water flow substantially fills the hydraulic chamber 9. Specifically, as the water is supplied to the water inlet valve, the hydraulic cavity 9 is instantly pressurized, the pressurizing plug 23 is lifted out by the water pressure, the pump cavity is driven to be compressed to the upper limit position of the pump cavity, the solution in the pump cavity is pumped, and meanwhile, the water flow of the water inlet valve enters the inner barrel of the washing machine through the water outlet part 11 of the pump body 2 for washing. Wherein the arrows pointing to the left and downwards and the arrows pointing downwards of fig. 26 show the flow of pumped liquid in the outlet lumen towards the catheter 17. Fig. 24 shows the drainage effect of the catheter 17 during tapping, and fig. 25 shows the flow direction and mixing of the two liquids.

In the water inlet process of the washing machine, if the water inlet valve is in a long-distance state, the pump cavity is in an energy storage state for a long time, the volume of the pump cavity cannot be changed alternately, and therefore liquid cannot be pumped continuously. At the moment, the water inlet valve is used for continuously feeding water into the inner barrel of the washing machine to provide washing water.

For the liquid charging pump proposed by the present disclosure, an automatic control method thereof may be provided. The method may include the following steps.

S1: a target amount of the second liquid to be pumped is determined. For example, when applied to a washing machine, the target amount of the second liquid, e.g., detergent or softener, may be determined according to the mode of the washing machine.

S2: and obtaining the target pumping times according to the target quantity and the pump cavity capacity of the liquid adding pump. The pump cavity capacity of the charging pump is the charging amount v when the charging pump is charged once. In the case of having the stopper portion, the single shot amount is also limited by the position of the stopper portion. If the total amount of the solution to be fed is V, the target feeding times are V/V times, namely the on-off times of the water inlet valve only need to be controlled to be V/V times. For the case that V/V is not an integer, the target putting times can be set to be the integer part times of V/V or the integer part plus 1 time according to the actual situation.

S3: the inlet portion 10 of the charge pump is controlled to open to allow the first liquid to enter the hydraulic chamber 9 of the charge pump from the inlet portion 10 and to push the moving end of the charge pump towards its compressed position to compress the pump chamber and thereby pump the second liquid out of the outlet portion 13 of the charge pump.

S4: after the mobile end has reached its compressed position, the inlet 10 is controlled to close to allow the mobile end to return to its expanded position, so that the second liquid enters the pump chamber from the inlet 12.

S5: and circulating the steps S3-S4 until the target pumping number is reached.

Exemplary embodiments of the proposed solution of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments, however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made to the specific embodiments described above, and that many combinations of the various technical features and structures presented in the present disclosure may be made without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A charge pump, comprising:

a pump body (2), the pump body (2) defining a hydraulic chamber (9) and an inlet portion (10) and an outlet portion (11) in communication with the hydraulic chamber (9), the inlet portion (10) being configured to allow a first liquid to enter the hydraulic chamber (9), the outlet portion (11) being configured to allow the first liquid to drain from the hydraulic chamber (9);

a pump chamber assembly (4) disposed within a hydraulic chamber (9), the pump chamber assembly (4) having a pump chamber (8) isolated from the hydraulic chamber (9) and having a fixed end fixedly disposed relative to the pump body (2) and a movable end movable relative to the fixed end between a compressed position and an expanded position to vary the volume of the pump chamber (8),

a liquid inlet portion (12) and a liquid outlet portion (13) in communication with the pump chamber (8), the liquid inlet portion (12) configured to allow a second liquid to enter the pump chamber, the liquid outlet portion (13) configured to allow the second liquid to be pumped out of the pump chamber;

wherein the moving end is arranged downstream of the inlet (10) in the hydraulic chamber (9) such that when a first liquid enters the hydraulic chamber (9) from the inlet (10) the moving end is pushed towards its compressed position to compress the pump chamber and thereby pump a second liquid out;

wherein, the pump body (2) is also provided with a liquid guide pipe (17) which is communicated with the liquid outlet part (13) and the water outlet part (11).

2. The charge pump according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pump cover (1), the liquid inlet (12) and the liquid outlet (13) being defined by said pump cover, said liquid outlet (13) comprising a liquid outlet chamber defined by said pump cover (1), the outlet of said liquid outlet chamber being open towards a liquid conduit (17) located in said pump body (2).

3. The filler pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid duct outlet (19) of the liquid duct (17) is close to the water outlet portion (11), and in that the pump body (2) is further formed with a mixing chamber (16) downstream of both the outlet of the liquid duct (17) and the water outlet portion (11), the first liquid being mixed with the second liquid within the mixing chamber (16).

4. The refill pump according to claim 3, characterised in that said mixing chamber (16) is in the form of a mixing chamber duct formed by said pump body (2) and said outlet portion (11) comprises an outlet portion duct arranged with its outlet aligned with said mixing chamber duct.

5. Filling pump according to claim 1, characterized in that said outlet portion (11) is located at the bottom position of said hydraulic chamber (9).

6. The charging pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-sectional area at the outlet of said outlet portion (11) is smaller than the cross-sectional area at the inlet of said inlet portion (10).

7. Filling pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump chamber assembly (4) comprises a bellows (20), the interior of the bellows (20) forming the pump chamber (8).

8. The charging pump according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a return member (5), said return member (5) being configured to bias the moving end of the pump chamber assembly towards its expanded position.

9. Filling pump according to claim 8, characterized in that said return element (5) is a helical spring abutting said mobile end.

10. The charge pump of claim 8, further comprising a stop fixedly disposed relative to said fixed end and configured to limit travel of said moving end between said compressed position and said expanded position.

11. Filling pump according to claim 10, wherein the stop means comprise a first stop (25) and a second stop (26), the first stop (25) defining a compressed position of the mobile end and the second stop (26) defining an expanded position of the mobile end.

12. Filling pump according to claim 11, characterized in that the distance (D) between the first stop (25) and the second stop (26) is smaller than the amount of deformation of the resetting piece (5) at the minimum operating water pressure of the filling pump.

13. The filler pump according to claim 11, characterized in that said water inlet portion (10) comprises a water inlet portion conduit formed in said pump body (2), said second stop portion (26) being constituted by a portion of said water inlet portion conduit.

14. A dispensing system comprising a reservoir with an inner and an outer box and a charge pump according to any of claims 1-13, wherein the charge pump has a liquid inlet connected to the inner box for drawing liquid from the inner box and a liquid outlet and a water outlet both connected to the outer box.

15. A washing machine, characterized in that it comprises a dosing pump according to any one of claims 1-13 or a dosing system according to claim 14.

16. Washing machine according to claim 15, characterized in that the inlet (10) of the priming pump is connected to the outlet of the inlet valve of the washing machine and in that the first liquid is water and the second liquid is detergent.

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