EP3733955A1

EP3733955A1 - Drying system, integrated washing and drying machine, and control method therefor

Info

Publication number: EP3733955A1
Application number: EP18898614.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yuzhou YAO; Can HE; Bin GENG; Bo Chen
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2018-01-02
Filing date: 2018-12-05
Publication date: 2020-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-05
Also published as: EP3733955B1; EP3733955A4; WO2019134478A1; JP2021508568A; CN108085941A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drying system, a washing and drying integrated machine and a control method thereof. The drying system is applied to a washing and drying integrated machine including a first drum and a second drum disposed in parallel. The drying system includes an air duct assembly, and an air duct control device is disposed in the air duct assembly to conduct or cut off at least one of communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum and communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, so that a drying airflow is fed into the first drum or the second drum alone, or simultaneously fed into the first drum and the second drum. The drying system provided by embodiments of the present invention can be shared by two drums of a double-drum washing and drying integrated machine, which can increase drying capacity of a single washing and drying integrated machine, and reduce manufacturing costs and space occupation of the washing and drying integrated machine.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of washing machine technologies, particularly to a drying system, a washing and drying integrated machine and a control method thereof.

BACKGROUND

With the improvement of people's consumption level, people have higher and higher requirements for quality of life. Generally, clothes are usually dried by natural drying after washing. However, in seasons with poor air quality, clothes that are dried outside are susceptible to secondary pollution by bacteria and dust, which affects people's health. In this case, a clothes drying device or a washing and drying integrated machine is more and more popular in the market. However, the more common clothes drying device currently on the market is generally a single drying model, which needs to be matched with a single washing model. Therefore, a user needs to buy two different machines to be used together, not only occupying more home space due to a large volume, but also increasing purchase costs of the user. At present, due to the need to take into account washing functions, the more common washing and drying integrated machine on the market has a relatively small drying capacity, generally 50%-60% of a washing capacity, and when a user washes more clothes, he has to divide them to be dried in two or more times. Since a single drying time is generally more than 2 hours, this model not only causes inconvenience to user's operations, but also leads to waste of user's time. In addition, there are also double-drum washing and drying integrated machines on the market. However, since each of two drums needs a set of drying system, manufacturing costs of the washing and drying integrated machine are high and a space occupied by the washing and drying integrated machine is large.

SUMMARY

At least some embodiments of the present invention provide a drying system applied to a double-drum washing and drying integrated machine, which at least partially solves problems of high manufacturing costs and large space occupation of a double-drum washing and drying integrated machine provided in the related technologies, wherein the problems are resulted from each of two drums needs a set of drying system.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a drying system is provided, which is applied to a washing and drying integrated machine including a first drum and a second drum disposed in parallel. The drying system includes an air duct assembly. An air duct control device is disposed in the air duct assembly to conduct or cut off at least one of communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum and communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, so that a drying airflow is fed into the first drum or the second drum alone, or simultaneously fed into the first drum and the second drum.
In an alternative embodiment, the drying system includes a fan assembly and a drying assembly. The fan assembly is configured to generate an airflow, so as to feed heat generated by the drying assembly into at least one of the first drum and the second drum via the air duct assembly.
In an alternative embodiment, the air duct assembly includes an air outlet duct, a first air inlet duct and a second air inlet duct, the air outlet duct is communicated with an air outlet portion of the fan assembly, the first air inlet duct is configured to communicate the air outlet duct and the first drum, and the second air inlet duct is configured to communicate the air outlet duct and the second drum;
and/or, the air duct assembly includes a first air returning duct and a second air returning duct, the first air returning duct is configured to communicate the first drum and an air returning portion of the fan assembly, and the second air returning duct is configured to communicate the second drum and the air returning portion of the fan assembly.
In an alternative embodiment, the air duct control device includes a plate-shaped reversing structure disposed at an intersection of the air outlet duct, the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct;
or, the air duct control device includes switch elements disposed on the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct respectively.
In an alternative embodiment, when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a first position, the plate-shaped reversing structure blocks an entrance of the second air inlet duct, so that the air outlet duct is communicated with the first air inlet duct; when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a second position, the plate-shaped reversing structure blocks an entrance of the first air inlet duct, so that the air outlet duct is communicated with the second air inlet duct; and when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a position between the first position and the second position, the air outlet duct is communicated with the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct.
In an alternative embodiment, at least a part of at least one of the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct is a bellows;
and/or, at least a part of at least one of the first air returning duct and the second air returning duct is a bellows.
In an alternative embodiment, the drying assembly includes a heat pump system, and an evaporator and a condenser in the heat pump system are sequentially arranged in the air duct assembly along a flow direction of the drying airflow;
or, the drying assembly includes an electric heating device, which is at least partially installed in the air duct assembly.
In an alternative embodiment, in the flow direction of the drying airflow, the heat pump system is arranged on an upstream side of the fan assembly;
or, in the flow direction of the drying airflow, the electric heating device is arranged on a downstream side of the fan assembly.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a washing and drying integrated machine is provided, including a first drum and a second drum disposed in parallel, and the drying system according to any one of embodiments described above.
In an alternative embodiment, the washing and drying integrated machine further includes a negative ion sterilization assembly. The negative ion sterilization assembly is at least partially installed in the air duct assembly, so as to supply negative ions to at least one of the first drum and the second drum via the air duct assembly;
and/or, the first drum and the second drum are arranged in parallel in a vertical direction.
In an alternative embodiment, the washing and drying integrated machine further includes a damping system configured to provide buffering and damping for at least one of the first drum and the second drum.
In an alternative embodiment, the damping system includes at least one of: a damping shock absorber disposed below the first drum, a damping shock absorber disposed below the second drum, a damping spring disposed above the first drum, and a damping spring disposed above the second drum.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the washing and drying integrated machine according to any one of embodiments described above is provided, including steps:

S100. detecting working modes of the first drum and the second drum after receiving a request to enter a drying mode;
S200. performing following operations according to a detection result:
- if the first drum is in the drying mode and the second drum is in a non-drying mode, conducting, by the air duct control device, communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while cutting off communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum;
- if the first drum is in the non-drying mode and the second drum is in the drying mode, cutting off the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while conducting, by the air duct control device, the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum; and
- if the first drum and the second drum are in the drying mode, simultaneously conducting, by the air duct control device, the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, and the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum; and
S300. controlling the drying system to perform a drying operation.

A drying system provided in at least some embodiments of the present invention can be shared by two drums of a double-drum washing and drying integrated machine, which can increase drying capacity of a single washing and drying integrated machine, and reduce manufacturing costs and space occupation of the washing and drying integrated machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Hereinafter, alternative embodiments of a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first state of an air duct assembly of a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second state of an air duct assembly of a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third state of an air duct assembly of a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of a drying system using a heat pump system as a drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of a drying system using an electric heating device as a drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, considering the actual needs of users for drying clothes, in an embodiment of the present invention, a washing and drying integrated machine is provided, which includes a driving mechanism (such as a main motor 10), a first drum and a second drum. The first drum may be a washing and drying drum, i.e., a washing and drying integrated drum. The first drum may include a first outer drum 3 and a first inner drum 4 located inside the first outer drum 3. The second drum may be a washing and drying drum, i.e., a washing and drying integrated drum, or it may be a single drying drum. The second drum may include a second outer drum 1 and a second inner drum 2 located inside the second outer drum 1. The first drum and the second drum are disposed in parallel. In an alternative embodiment, the first drum and the second drum are arranged in parallel in a vertical direction. The first drum is located below the second drum. Both the first drum and the second drum are connected to the driving mechanism so as to rotate under the driving of the driving mechanism.
A washing and drying integrated machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention adopts a double-drum design, and the first drum and the second drum can perform a drying operation, thereby improving drying capacity of a whole machine, so that a user can dry all washed clothes at one time, which saves the user's time and the user's purchase costs. The user does not need to have two devices, thereby saving home space.
For example, if washing capacity of the first drum is 10 kg, drying capacity of the first drum may reach 6 kg, and if washing capacity of the second drum is 10 kg, drying capacity of the second drum may also reach 6 kg. Therefore, for a washing and drying integrated machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention, effects of washing 20 kg and drying 12 kg may be achieved. Normally, users do not need to wash 20kg of clothes at one time. For example, 10kg of clothes need to be washed, in this case, the 10kg of clothes may be washed in the first drum, and then distributed in the first drum and the second drum to be dried at the same time, thereby drying the clothes washed together at one time and saving time.
For the washing and drying integrated machine mentioned above, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a drying system. The drying system includes an air duct assembly. An air duct control device is disposed in the air duct assembly to conduct or cut off at least one of communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum and communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, so that a drying airflow is fed into the first drum or the second drum alone, or simultaneously fed into the first drum and the second drum. In other words, the air duct assembly is connected to both the first drum and the second drum, but whether it is communicated with the first drum and the second drum is controlled by the air duct control device as required.
Therefore, in a drying system provided by an embodiment of the present invention can support drying requirements of the first drum and the second drum of the washing and drying integrated machine simultaneously. In other words, it is sufficient to provide a set of drying system for the washing and drying integrated machine (i.e., a set of core components required for drying functions, such as a drying assembly, a fan assembly, etc.), which can reduce costs and space occupation, thereby reducing manufacturing costs of the corresponding washing and drying integrated machine, and reducing volume of the washing and drying integrated machine.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a drying system provided in an embodiment of the present invention further includes a fan assembly 14 and a drying assembly 13. The fan assembly 14 is configured to generate an airflow. Since the air duct assembly is connected to the first drum and the second drum, i.e., communicated with the inner space of the drums, the airflow generated by the fan assembly 14 can transfer heat generated by the drying assembly 13 into at least one of the first drum and the second drum via the air duct assembly, so as to form the drying airflow. In an alternative embodiment, the fan assembly 14 and the drying assembly 13 are both disposed between the first drum and the second drum. For example, in a vertical direction, the fan assembly 14 and the drying assembly 13 are both disposed at a middle position in a box 100, for example, fixed to a fixing bracket (not shown) in the box 100 by bolts.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the air duct assembly includes an air outlet duct 15, a first air inlet duct 18 and a second air inlet duct 16. The air outlet duct 15 is communicated with an air outlet portion of the fan assembly 14. The first air inlet duct 18 is configured to communicate the air outlet duct 15 and the first drum, and the second air inlet duct 16 is configured to communicate the air outlet duct 15 and the second drum. In other words, one end of the first air inlet duct 18 is connected to the air outlet duct 15, and the other end of the first air inlet duct 18 leads to an inside of the first drum (specifically, the first outer drum 3). One end of the second air inlet duct 16 is connected to the air outlet duct 15, and the other end of the second air inlet duct 16 leads to an inside of the second drum (specifically, the second outer drum 1). As an optional implementation manner, one end of the first air inlet duct 18, one end of the second air inlet duct 16, and one end of the air outlet duct 15 intersect with each other.
In an alternative embodiment, a first air inlet (not shown in the figures, specifically, referring to an airflow circulation path shown by arrows in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is disposed on an upper portion of the first drum, and the first air inlet duct 18 is connected to the first air inlet. Since the fan assembly 14 is located above the first drum, it is beneficial to simplify an arrangement of the air duct assembly and reduce a length of the first air inlet duct 18 by disposing the first air inlet at the upper portion of the first drum.
In an alternative embodiment, a second air inlet (not shown in the figures, specifically, referring to the airflow circulation path shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is disposed on a lower portion of the second drum, and the second air inlet duct 16 is connected to the second air inlet. Since the second drum is located above the fan assembly 14, it is advantageous to dispose the second air inlet at a bottom of the second drum, which can reduce a length of the second air inlet duct 16.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air duct assembly further includes a first air returning duct 19 and a second air returning duct 20. The first air returning duct 19 is configured to communicate the first drum and an air returning portion of the fan assembly 14. The second air returning duct 20 is configured to communicate the second drum and the air returning portion of the fan assembly 14. In an alternative embodiment, the drying assembly 13 is disposed on an upstream side of the fan assembly 14, therefore, the first air returning duct 19 and the second air returning duct 20 are both connected to the drying assembly 13 before being communicated to the air returning portion of the fan assembly 14, so that the airflow returned in the first air returning duct 19 and the second air returning duct 20 may be heat-exchanged with the drying assembly 13 before being sent to the corresponding drum by the fan assembly 14.
In an alternative embodiment, a first air outlet (not shown in the figures, specifically, referring to the airflow circulation path shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is disposed on the upper portion of the first drum, and the first air returning duct 19 is connected to the first air outlet. In order to ensure that a flow path of the drying airflow in the first drum is as long as possible to ensure drying effects, the first air outlet and the first air inlet should be separated by a large distance as much as possible. Therefore, one side (for example, a rear side) of an upper portion of the first outer drum 3 in a front-rear direction is provided with the first air inlet, and the other side (for example, a front side) of that is provided with the first air outlet.
In an alternative embodiment, a second air outlet (not shown in the figures, specifically, referring to the airflow circulation path shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is disposed on the upper portion of the second drum, and the second air returning duct 20 is connected to the second air outlet. In other words, the drying airflow may enter from a bottom of the second drum and flow out from a top of the second drum, thereby ensuring a sufficiently long flow path to ensure the drying effects.
In an alternative embodiment, the air duct control device includes a plate-shaped reversing structure 17 disposed at the intersection of the air outlet duct 15, the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 may be driven by a driving motor, and when the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 rotates to different angles, air blown by the fan assembly 14 may enter into the second drum alone, the first drum alone, or both of them, which may be seen from FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 for details. In a first state shown in FIG. 3, the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 rotates to a first position, for example, upward to a position perpendicular to an axis of the second air inlet duct 16, completely blocking an entrance of the second air inlet duct 16, while an entrance of the first air inlet duct 18 is completely open. In other words, the air outlet duct 15 is communicated with the first air inlet duct 18, so the air blown by the fan assembly 14 may enter the first drum alone. In a second state shown in FIG. 4, the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 rotates to a second position, for example, downward to a position perpendicular to an axis of the first air inlet duct 18, completely blocking the entrance of the first air inlet duct 18, while the entrance of the second air inlet duct 16 is completely open. In other words, the air outlet duct 15 is communicated with the second air inlet duct 16, so the air blown by the fan assembly 14 may enter the second drum alone. In a third state shown in FIG. 5, the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 rotates to a position (which may be referred to as an intermediate position) between the first position and the second position, and the entrances of the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16 are both open. In other words, the air outlet duct 15 is communicated with both the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16, so the air blown by the fan assembly 14 may enter the first drum and the second drum simultaneously.
In an alternative embodiment, the air duct control device may include switch elements, such as valves, disposed on the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16 respectively, so as to separately conduct or cut off the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16.
In an alternative embodiment, at least a part of at least one of the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16 is a bellows. Similarly, at least a part of at least one of the first air returning duct 19 and the second air returning duct 20 is a bellows. For example, the first air inlet duct 18 and the second air inlet duct 16 each include a small section of bellows, and the first air returning duct 19 and the second air returning duct 20 each include a small section of bellows, such as the bellows 201 shown in FIG. 1. The bellows has certain flexibility, so that the corresponding air inlet duct and air returning duct can self-compensate under the condition of the corresponding drum shaking (or vibration) to prevent their own destruction.
In an alternative embodiment, the air duct assembly may be a combination of a plastic member and a rubber member. The plastic member is configured to provide a passage for airflow, such as every air inlet duct and air returning duct. The rubber member is configured to provide a connection between a static plastic member and a dynamic drum, and the rubber member may be designed into a corrugated shape to provide good flexibility. In an alternative embodiment, the plastic member may be manufactured by using a blow molding process, a material may be selected from PP, etc., and the rubber member may be made from an EPDM material.
In an alternative embodiment, the drying assembly 13 described in the present invention may include a heat pump system, so that heating functions may be conveniently achieved. As shown in FIG. 6, the heat pump system includes a compressor 61, a condenser 62, a throttling device 63 and an evaporator 64. In an alternative embodiment, the evaporator 64 and the condenser 62 are sequentially arranged in the air duct assembly along a flow direction of the drying airflow. In other words, the drying airflow first flows through the evaporator 64 to be cooled and dehumidified to become a dry and cold airflow, and then the dry and cold airflow flows through the condenser 62 to be heated to become dry and hot air, which may then enter the corresponding drum for drying.
In an alternative embodiment, the heat pump system is arranged on the upstream side of the fan assembly 14 in the flow direction of the drying airflow. In other words, the drying airflow sequentially flows through the evaporator 64, the condenser 62, and the fan assembly 14. With reference to FIG. 6, a specific drying process is as follows. Wet and hot air in a corresponding drum is discharged from the drum under the driving of the fan assembly 14, the wet and hot air is first cooled into dry and cold air through the evaporator 64, and condensed water is separated out to achieve cooling and dehumidification. The condensed water falls to a water receiving device (not shown in the figure) at a bottom of the evaporator 64, and flows to a bottom of the washing and drying integrated machine by gravity, and then is discharged through a drainage element. Then, the dry and cold air is heated by the condenser 62 to become dry and hot air, and the dry and hot air is blown into the corresponding drum from at least one of a bottom of the second drum and a rear of the first drum through the fan assembly 14, so as to contact and exchange heat with wet clothes to take away moisture in the wet clothes to form wet and hot air. Then, the wet and hot air flows out from a corresponding air outlet by a suction force of the fan assembly 14, and then is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 64. Such cycle is repeated to achieve a purpose of drying the clothes.
In an alternative embodiment, the drying assembly 13 includes an electric heating device 71. As shown in FIG. 7, the electric heating device 71 is at least partially installed in the air duct assembly, so that an airflow directly flows through the electric heating device 71 to be heated into a hot airflow.
In an alternative embodiment, in the flow direction of the drying airflow, the electric heating device 71 is arranged on a downstream side of the fan assembly 14. In other words, the fan assembly 14 is installed in front of the electric heating device 71. With reference to FIG. 7, a specific drying process is as follows. Wet and hot air in a corresponding drum is discharged from the drum under the driving of the fan assembly 14, and passes through at least one of the first air outlet duct 19 and the second air outlet duct 20. Cooling water is introduced into an inner wall of a corresponding air outlet duct. The cooling water contacts with the wet and hot air to cool it into dry air, so as to achieve cooling and dehumidification. Formed condensed water flows to a bottom of the washing and drying integrated machine by gravity and then is discharged through a drainage element. The dehumidified dry air is blown to the electric heating device 71 by the fan assembly 14, and the dry air becomes high temperature dry air after being heated, which is blown into the corresponding drum from at least one of a bottom of the second drum and a rear of the first drum, so as to contact and exchange heat with wet clothes to take away moisture in the wet clothes to form wet and hot air. Then, the wet and hot air flows out from a corresponding air outlet by a suction force of the fan assembly 14, and then is dehumidified by the cooling water introduced into the corresponding air outlet duct. Such cycle is repeated to achieve a purpose of drying the clothes.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in a washing and drying integrated machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the second drum is arranged above the first drum. The first drum is, for example, arranged at a position near a bottom of the box 100, and the second drum is, for example, arranged at a position near a top of the box 100. The box 100 is a housing of the washing and drying integrated machine, and is configured to support components such as the first drum and the second drum. In this way, similar to a conventional washing and drying integrated machine, the washing and drying integrated machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention can maintain a small area of occupation.
In an alternative embodiment, the box 100, the second inner drum 2, and the first inner drum 4 may be made of a metal material to provide sufficiently strength. In particular, the second inner drum 2 and the first inner drum 4 may be made of a stainless steel material to provide good corrosion resistance. The box 100 may be a sheet metal part. The first outer drum 3 and the second outer drum 1 may be made of a plastic material, such as glass fiber reinforced PP, to reduce production costs as much as possible while providing the same strength.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the driving mechanism (for example, the main motor 10) is arranged at a position between the first drum and the second drum, for example, in a vertical direction, the driving mechanism is fixed at a middle position in the box 100, thereby facilitating transmission connection with the first drum and the second drum at the same time.
In an alternative embodiment, the driving mechanism and the first drum are connected through a first transmission mechanism, and the first transmission mechanism may include a first transmission clutch 11, as shown in FIG. 2. And/or, the driving mechanism and the second drum are connected through a second transmission mechanism, and the second transmission mechanism may include a second transmission clutch 12, as shown in FIG. 2.
For example, in an illustrated embodiment, the first transmission clutch 11 is disposed between the main motor 10 and the first drum. The first transmission clutch 11 has both a clutch function and a transmission function to meet different rotation speed requirements of the first inner drum 4 during washing, dewatering, and drying. By controlling the clutch function of the first transmission clutch 11, a driving force of the first motor 10 to the first drum may be turned on and off, thereby controlling or stopping rotation of the first drum.
Similarly, the second transmission clutch 12 is disposed between the main motor 10 and the second drum. The second transmission clutch 12 has both a clutch function and a transmission function to meet different rotation speed requirements of the second inner drum 2 during washing, dewatering, and drying. By controlling the clutch function of the second transmission clutch 12, a driving force of the first motor 10 to the second drum may be turned on and off, thereby controlling or stopping rotation of the second drum.
As shown in FIG. 2, the first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are arranged on a same side of the main motor 10, thereby facilitating installation and realization of the clutch functions of both. In an alternative embodiment, the main motor 10, the first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are all fixed to a fixing bracket (not shown in the figure) in the box 100 by bolts.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a first transmission shaft 22 is disposed on the first drum, and the first transmission mechanism is connected to the first transmission shaft 22 so as to transmit power to the first transmission shaft 22. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first transmission shaft 22 is connected to the first inner drum 4 of the first drum at a rear of the first drum through a first tripod 23. The first transmission shaft 22 is provided with a first pulley 9. A first transmission belt 8 connects the first pulley 9 and the first transmission clutch 11, so as to transmit power of an output end of the first transmission clutch 11 to the first inner drum 4 to rotate the first inner drum 4.
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a second transmission shaft 26 is provided on the second drum, and the second transmission mechanism is connected to the second transmission shaft 26 so as to transmit power to the second transmission shaft 26. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the second transmission shaft 26 is connected to the second inner drum 2 of the second drum at a rear of the second drum through a second tripod 27. The second transmission shaft 26 is provided with a second pulley 25. A second transmission belt 7 connects the second pulley 25 and the second transmission clutch 12, so as to transmit power of an output end of the second transmission clutch 12 to the second inner drum 2 to rotate the second inner drum 2.
Through the above-mentioned illustrative structures, a scheme in which two drums are driven by one main motor 10 may be realized conveniently, and simultaneous operation of the two drums or operation of one of the two drums may be realized through an automatic switching function of the respective clutches, so that the washing and drying integrated machine may realize many different working modes.
In a washing and drying integrated machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the first drum and the second drum share a driving mechanism, thereby forming an organic whole, which makes a whole machine compact in structure, and reduces manufacturing costs of the washing and drying integrated machine.
In an alternative embodiment, a washing and drying integrated machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention further includes a negative ion sterilization assembly 21, which is configured to supply negative ions to the first drum and/or the second drum, so as to perform operations such as sterilization, deodorization, etc. on at least one of clothes and the corresponding drums. In an alternative embodiment, the negative ion sterilization assembly 21 includes a negative ion generator, which may be installed in the air duct assembly, and may also be installed in the air outlet duct 15, as shown in FIG. 2. When the negative ion generator is in operation, water molecules in air can be ionized, so as to generate strong oxidizing OH^- ions. The strong oxidizing OH^- ions are sent into the corresponding drum through the air duct assembly to achieve purposes of sterilization and deodorization.
In an alternative embodiment, a washing and drying integrated machine provided an embodiment of the present invention further includes a damping system configured to provide buffering and damping for at least one of the first drum and the second drum. In particular, the damping system may also provide suspension, support or both for at least one of the first drum and the second drum, so as to assist in maintaining a position of at least one of the first drum and the second drum in the box 100.
In an alternative embodiment, the damping system includes at least one of the followings: a damping shock absorber 6 disposed below the first drum, a damping shock absorber 6 disposed below the second drum, a damping spring 24 disposed above the first drum, and a damping spring 5 disposed above the second drum. For example, an upper and a middle portions of the box 100 are designed with suspension structures configured to suspend the damping springs 5 and 24. In an illustrated embodiment, the damping system at least includes a set of damping springs 5 (at least two) located above the second drum, a set of damping springs 24 (at least two) located above the outer drum 3 of the first drum, and at least two damping shock absorber 6 located at a bottom of the outer drum 3, so that the first drum and the second drum may be effectively damped.
In an alternative embodiment, the first outer drum 3 and the second outer drum 1 are structurally connected together, for example, may be connected and assembled by bolt(s).
In the following, various working states of a washing and drying integrated machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
In a state where the second drum is working for drying alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of ventilating the second drum, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 is turned off and the second transmission clutch 12 is turned on. The main motor 10 drives the second drum to rotate to achieve a mode in which the second drum is working for drying alone and the first drum does not work.
In a state where the first drum is working for drying alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of ventilating the first drum, and the main motor 10 operates. The second transmission clutch 12 is turned off and the first transmission clutch 11 is turned on. The main motor 10 drives the first drum to rotate to achieve a mode in which the first drum is working for drying alone and the second drum does not work.
In a state where the first drum is working for washing alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 do not operate, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 is turned on, and the second transmission clutch 12 is turned off. The main motor 10 drives the first drum to rotate, and the transmission ratio of a transmission in the first transmission clutch 11 is automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the first inner drum 4 during washing and dewatering of the first drum. At this time, an entire system related to the drying function (such as the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14) and the second drum do not work.
A state where the first drum is working for washing and drying alone is that, on the basis of the state where the first drum is working for washing alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 are additionally turned on, and at the same time, the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to ventilate the first drum for drying. The second drum does not work.
In a state where the second drum is working for washing alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 do not operate, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 is turned off, and the second transmission clutch 12 is turned on. The main motor 10 drives the second drum to rotate, and the transmission ratio of a transmission in the second transmission clutch 12 is automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the second inner drum 2 during washing and dewatering of the second drum. At this time, an entire system related to the drying function (such as the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14) and the first drum do not work.
A state where the second drum is working for washing and drying alone is that, on the basis of the state where the second drum is working for washing alone, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 are additionally turned on, and at the same time, the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to ventilate the second drum for drying. The first drum does not work.
In a state where the first drum is working for washing and the second drum is working for drying, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are turned on. The main motor 10 simultaneously drives the first drum and the second drum to rotate. The transmission ratio of a transmission in the first transmission clutch 11 may be automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the first inner drum 4 during washing and dewatering of the first drum. At the same time, the transmission ratio of a transmission in the second transmission clutch 12 may be automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the second inner drum 2 during drying of the second drum. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to ventilate the second drum. At this time, the first drum is working for washing and the second drum is working for drying.
In a state where the first drum is working for drying and the second drum is working for washing, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are turned on. The main motor 10 simultaneously drives the first drum and the second drum to rotate. The transmission ratio of a transmission in the second transmission clutch 12 may be automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the second inner drum 2 during washing and dewatering of the second drum. At the same time, the transmission ratio of a transmission in the first transmission clutch 11 may be automatically adjusted through a program, so as to adjust a rotation speed of the first inner drum 4 during drying of the first drum. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to ventilate the first drum. At this time, the first drum is working for drying and the second drum is working for washing.
In a state where the first drum and the second drum are simultaneously working for drying, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate, and the main motor 10 operates. The first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are turned on. The main motor 10 simultaneously drives the first drum and the second drum to rotate. The plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of simultaneously ventilating the first drum and the second drum. At this time, the first drum and the second drum are simultaneously working for drying.
In a state where one or both of the second drum and the first drum are sterilized or deodorized, the drying assembly 13 does not operate, the negative ion generator operates, and the fan assembly 14 operates. According to working states of the first drum and the second drum, the respective clutches are correspondingly switched, and the state of the corresponding plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted. If the second drum is sterilized and deodorized alone, the first transmission clutch 11 is turned off, the second transmission clutch 12 is turned on, and the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of ventilating the second drum. If the first drum is sterilized and deodorized alone, the first transmission clutch 11 is turned on, the second transmission clutch 12 is turned off, and the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of ventilating the first drum. If the first drum and the second drum are sterilized and deodorized simultaneously, the first transmission clutch 11 and the second transmission clutch 12 are turned on, and the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is adjusted to be in a state of simultaneously ventilating the first drum and the second drum.
Based on the above works, in an embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the aforementioned washing and drying integrated machine is provided, including steps of:

S100. detecting working modes of the first drum and the second drum after receiving a request to enter a drying mode;
S200. performing following operations according to a detection result:
- if the first drum is in the drying mode and the second drum is in a non-drying mode, conducting communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while cutting off communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, by the air duct control device;
- if the first drum is in the non-drying mode, the second drum is in the drying mode, cutting off the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while conducting the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, by the air duct control device; and
- if the first drum and the second drum are in the drying mode, simultaneously conducting the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, and the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, by the air duct control device; and
S300. controlling the drying system to perform a drying operation. In other words, the drying assembly 13 and the fan assembly 14 operate.

In an alternative embodiment, a control flow of a control method provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8.
The control method is started after at least one drum enters the drying mode, and when at least one drum enters the drying mode, step S1 is started. Subsequently, running states of the first drum and the second drum are detected, i.e., step S2 is executed. The running state of one of the drums is first detected (for example, the state of the second drum located at an upper side is first detected), i.e., step S3 is executed. Regardless of whether the running state of the drum detected first is in the drying mode, the running state of the other drum is to be detected next (for example, the running state of the first drum located at a lower side is detected later), i.e., step S4 or step S8 is executed respectively.
When the detection result is that the second drum is in the drying mode and the first drum is in the non-drying mode, the driving motor of the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is controlled by a program, so as to adjust the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 to be in the second state (as shown in FIG. 4), i.e., step S10 is executed. At this time, the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum is cut off, the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum is conducted, and the second drum is working for drying.
When the detection result is that the second drum is in the non-drying mode and the first drum is in the drying mode, the driving motor of the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is controlled by a program, so as to adjust the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 to the first state (as shown in FIG. 3), i.e., step S11 is executed. At this time, the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum is conducted, the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum is cut off, and the first drum is working for drying.
When the detection result is that the second drum and the first drum are both in the drying mode, the driving motor of the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is controlled by a program, so as to adjust the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 to be in the third state (as shown in FIG. 5), i.e., step S9 is executed. At this time, the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum and the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum are both conducted, and both the first drum and the second drum are working for drying.
When the detection result is any one of the above three situations, after the adjustment of the plate-shaped reversing structure 17 is completed (i.e., after steps S9, S10, or S11 are executed), a running condition of the drying assembly 13 is then detected, i.e., step S12 is executed. If the detection result is that the drying assembly 13 is not running, the drying assembly 13 is turned on, i.e., step S13 is executed. If the detection result is that the drying assembly 13 has been run, no operation is performed.
Next, a running condition of the fan assembly 14 is detected, i.e., step S14 is executed. If the detection result is that the fan assembly is not running, the fan assembly is turned on, i.e., step S15 is executed. If the detection result is that the fan assembly has been run, no operation is performed.
During an entire drying process, the above procedures are repeatedly executed. When the detection result is that both the first drum and the second drum are in the non-drying mode, the drying assembly 13 is turned off, i.e., step S5 is executed, and the fan assembly 14 is turned off, i.e., step S6 is executed. The procedures end here, i.e., step S7.
When the fan assembly 14 is turned on, the negative ion generator may be turned on or off.
It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above optional schemes may be freely combined and superimposed without conflict.
It should be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative rather than restrictive. Without departing from the basic principles provided by the embodiments of the present invention, various obvious or equivalent modifications or substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the above details will be included in the scope of claims provided by the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

A drying system, applied to a washing and drying integrated machine comprising a first drum and a second drum disposed in parallel, the drying system comprising an air duct assembly, an air duct control device being disposed in the air duct assembly to conduct or cut off at least one of communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum and communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum, so that a drying airflow is fed into the first drum or the second drum alone, or simultaneously fed into the first drum and the second drum.
The drying system according to claim 1, wherein the drying system comprises a fan assembly and a drying assembly, wherein the fan assembly is configured to generate an airflow, so as to feed heat generated by the drying assembly into at least one of the first drum and the second drum via the air duct assembly.
The drying system according to claim 2, wherein the air duct assembly comprises an air outlet duct, a first air inlet duct and a second air inlet duct, the air outlet duct is communicated with an air outlet portion of the fan assembly, the first air inlet duct is configured to communicate the air outlet duct and the first drum, and the second air inlet duct is configured to communicate the air outlet duct and the second drum;
and/or, the air duct assembly comprises a first air returning duct and a second air returning duct, the first air returning duct is configured to communicate the first drum and an air returning portion of the fan assembly, and the second air returning duct is configured to communicate the second drum and the air returning portion of the fan assembly.
The drying system according to claim 3, wherein the air duct control device comprises a plate-shaped reversing structure disposed at an intersection of the air outlet duct, the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct;
or, the air duct control device comprises switch elements disposed on the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct respectively.
The drying system according to claim 4, wherein when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a first position, the plate-shaped reversing structure blocks an entrance of the second air inlet duct, so that the air outlet duct is communicated with the first air inlet duct; when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a second position, the plate-shaped reversing structure blocks an entrance of the first air inlet duct, so that the air outlet duct is communicated with the second air inlet duct; and when the plate-shaped reversing structure rotates to a position between the first position and the second position, the air outlet duct is communicated with the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct.
The drying system according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of at least one of the first air inlet duct and the second air inlet duct is a bellows;
and/or, at least a part of at least one of the first air returning duct and the second air returning duct is a bellows.
The drying system according to claim 2, wherein the drying assembly comprises a heat pump system, and an evaporator and a condenser in the heat pump system are sequentially arranged in the air duct assembly along a flow direction of the drying airflow;
or, the drying assembly comprises an electric heating device, which is at least partially installed in the air duct assembly.
The drying system according to claim 7, wherein in the flow direction of the drying airflow, the heat pump system is arranged on an upstream side of the fan assembly;
or, in the flow direction of the drying airflow, the electric heating device is arranged on a downstream side of the fan assembly.
A washing and drying integrated machine, comprising a first drum and a second drum disposed in parallel, and the drying system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The washing and drying integrated machine according to claim 9, further comprising a negative ion sterilization assembly, wherein the negative ion sterilization assembly is at least partially installed in the air duct assembly, so as to supply negative ions to at least one of the first drum and the second drum via the air duct assembly;
and/or, the first drum and the second drum are arranged in parallel in a vertical direction.
The washing and drying integrated machine according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a damping system configured to provide buffering and damping for at least one of the first drum and the second drum.
The washing and drying integrated machine according to claim 11, wherein the damping system comprises at least one of: a damping shock absorber disposed below the first drum, a damping shock absorber disposed below the second drum, a damping spring disposed above the first drum, and a damping spring disposed above the second drum.
A method for controlling the washing and drying integrated machine according to any one of claims 9 to 12, comprising steps:
S100. detecting working modes of the first drum and the second drum after receiving a request to enter a drying mode;

S200. performing following operations according to a detection result:
if the first drum is in the drying mode and the second drum is in a non-drying mode, conducting, by the air duct control device, communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while cutting off communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum;

if the first drum is in the non-drying mode and the second drum is in the drying mode, cutting off the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, while conducting, by the air duct control device, the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum; and

if the first drum and the second drum are in the drying mode, simultaneously conducting, by the air duct control device, the communication between the air duct assembly and the first drum, and the communication between the air duct assembly and the second drum; and

S300. controlling the drying system to perform a drying operation.