EP3748061B1

EP3748061B1 - Top-loading laundry treatment device, and cover opening/closing system thereof

Info

Publication number: EP3748061B1
Application number: EP19747196.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tao Chen; Kaiming Wang; Qingming ZHAI; Mingliang YU
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Drum Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Drum Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-02
Filing date: 2019-01-30
Publication date: 2024-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-30
Also published as: JP7049470B2; EP3748061C0; WO2019149221A1; EP3748061A4; JP2021519618A; EP3748061A1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the field of household appliances, and specifically provides a top-loading laundry treatment device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A top-loading drum washing machine mainly includes a box body, an outer drum and an inner drum. A top portion of the box body is provided with an upper cover, the outer drum is provided with an outer drum cover at a position aligned with the upper cover in a circumferential direction, and the inner drum is provided with an inner drum cover at a position corresponding to the outer drum cover in the circumferential direction. When the inner drum cover rotates to a top portion of the inner drum, the upper cover, the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover are aligned. The user can open the upper cover, the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover, and put laundry into the inner drum or take laundry out of the inner drum.
However, the top-loading drum washing machines in the related art require the user to operate the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover separately, so that the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover are opened or closed separately. The above-mentioned operation steps of the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover are cumbersome, which brings inconvenience to the user during use and results in poor user experience. Several prior art documents have disclosed different opening and/or closing structures of drum door of the top-loading washer. For example, US patent US6233981B1 discloses a washing machine equipped with an automatically opening drum door, wherein the opening of the door of the drum is automatically controlled by an unlocking actuator installed on the external access door or on a retractable support able to take the place of the latter door when it is open, and wherein the two leaves of the drum door are guided, during opening. European patent application EP1298242A1 also discloses improvements for opening the drum of a top-loading washing machine, wherein a drum opening with a drum door composed of a double door opening frontward and backward is formed in the peripheral wall of the drum, wherein the drum door is held in a closed position by an engagement of a claw and an engagement hole, and wherein when a user rotates an operation lever for latching or unlatching the tub door, the drum door open/close mechanism functions to make two rods project or withdraw, whereby the drum door is brought into an engaged or unengaged state. Chinese patent application CN1886545A1 discloses a drum-type washing machine including a drum provided in a water tub, wherein a drum cover provided on a body portion of the drum in such an arrangement that an opening formed on the body portion of the drum can be opened and closed, and wherein a driving source for outputting a driving force of closing the drum cover, and an automatic closing unit automatically closes the drum cover based on the driving source. Another European patent application EP1422333A1 also discloses an drum opening system for top-loading washing machines provided with a releasable locking means for locking the doors in the closed position, a stop means for locking the drum in a stop position, a release means for releasing the releasable locking means in the stop position of the drum, and an operating element which operates the release means. The third European patent application EP1688527A1 discloses a door opening system for a top-loading washer which comprises a release mechanism, an actuator and two drum positioners, wherein the first drum positioner enables the drum to be positioned opposite the actuator, and the second positioner positions the drum opening opposite the casing aperture, and wherein the release mechanism actuator and positioners are motorized. These structures still can be improved.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new top-loading drum washing machine in the art to solve the above problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem in the related art, that is, to solve the problem of complicated opening operations of the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover of the existing top-loading drum washing machines, the present disclosure provides a top-loading laundry treatment device as set out in independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.
It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in the preferred technical solutions of the present invention, the cover-opening lock is disposed on the box body or the outer drum, so that the cover-opening lock tongue of the cover-opening lock can abut against the cover-opening button on the inner drum cover, and with the further extension of the cover-opening lock tongue, the cover-opening button can be pressed to unlock the inner drum cover. The unlocked inner drum cover can be automatically opened under the action of its own return spring. Therefore, the inner drum cover of the washing machine can be automatically unlocked and opened. Preferably, the inner drum cover is automatically opened at the same time or after the user opens the outer drum cover. Therefore, the cover opening system of the present disclosure reduces the user's operation of manually opening the inner drum cover and optimizes the user experience during use.
According to the invention, the cover-opening lock is further provided with the cover-opening positioning lock tongue, and the inner drum cover is provided with the stopper. After the washing machine completes the washing task, the inner drum is first positioned by a positioning lock to a position where the inner drum cover is aligned with the outer drum cover. Then, a lock tongue of the cover-opening positioning lock is retracted, the inner drum is driven by the drive motor to rotate, and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue is extended. When the inner drum rotates to the position where the cover-opening positioning lock tongue abuts against the stopper, the inner drum stops rotating. The cover-positioning lock tongue is extended to unlock and open the inner drum cover. After the inner drum cover is unlocked and opened, both the cover-positioning tongue and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue are retracted. The inner drum rotates again to the position where the inner drum cover is aligned with the outer drum cover, and the inner drum is locked by the positioning lock. Finally, the upper cover and the outer drum cover are opened. After the outer drum cover is opened, the inner drum cover is automatically opened under the action of its own return spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with a top-loading drum washing machine. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an overall effect view of an outer drum and an inner drum of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a cover opening system of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of steps when an inner drum cover of the present disclosure is opened;
FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a cover closing system of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of steps when the inner drum cover of the present disclosure is closed.

List of reference signs:

1: outer drum; 2: inner drum; 21: first inner drum cover; 211: cover-opening button; 212: first stopper; 22: second inner drum cover; 221: second stopper; 3: pulley; 4: belt; 5: drive motor; 6: cover-opening lock; 61: cover-opening lock tongue; 62: cover-opening positioning lock tongue; 7: cover-closing lock; 71: cover-closing lock tongue; 72: cover-closing positioning lock tongue.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments in this section are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. For example, the positioning device of the present disclosure can be applied not only to a top-loading drum washing machine, but also to a top-loading clothes dryer and a top-loading washer-dryer. Those skilled in the art may make an adjustment to the present disclosure as required so as to be adapted to specific application occasions, provided the technical solutions after the adjustment will still fall within the scope of protection of the present claims.
It should be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, directional or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner" and "outer" are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are merely used for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element involved must have a specific orientation, or be configured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore they should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, terms "first", "second" and "third" are used for descriptive purpose only, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms "install", "connect" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense; for example, the connection may be a fixed connection, or may also be a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection implemented through an intermediate medium, or it may be an internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific situations.
As shown in FIG. 1, the top-loading drum washing machine of the present disclosure mainly includes, from outside to inside, a box body (not shown in the figure), an outer drum 1 and an inner drum 2 in sequence. A top portion of the box body is provided with an upper cover (not shown in the figure), a top portion of the outer drum 1 is provided with an outer drum cover (not shown in the figure) at a position aligned with the upper cover, and the inner drum 2 is provided with an inner drum cover at a position corresponding to the outer drum cover in a circumferential direction. When the inner drum cover rotates to a top portion of the inner drum 2, the upper cover, the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover are aligned. The user can open the upper cover, the outer drum cover and the inner drum cover, and put laundry into the inner drum 2 or take the laundry out of the inner drum 2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner drum cover includes a first inner drum cover 21 and a second inner drum cover 22 that are opposite to each other, and the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 can be tightly locked to each other after being closed. A first return spring (not marked in the figure) is disposed between the first inner drum cover 21 and the inner drum 2, and the first return spring is configured to automatically open the first inner drum cover 21 from a closed state. A second return spring (not marked in the figure) is disposed between the second inner drum cover 22 and the inner drum 2, and the second return spring is configured to automatically open the second inner drum cover 22 from a closed state.
Further, although not shown in the figure, there is a linkage mechanism between the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22, and the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 can be opened or closed synchronously through the linkage mechanism. Since the linkage mechanism that realizes the synchronous opening and synchronous closing of the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 is a relatively common mechanism in the top-loading drum washing machine, no further description will be given herein.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cover-opening button 211 is provided on the first inner drum cover 21. When the cover-opening button 211 is pressed, the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 that are tightly locked to each other can be unlocked. After the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 are unlocked, they can be automatically opened under the action of the first return spring and the second return spring.
With continued reference to FIG. 1, the top-loading drum washing machine of the present disclosure further includes a pulley 3, a belt 4, and a drive motor 5. The pulley 3 is disposed on an outer side of the outer drum 1 and fixed coaxially with the inner drum 2. The drive motor 5 is disposed in the box body, and those skilled in the art can fix the drive motor 5 to the box body or the outer drum 1 as required. An output shaft of the drive motor 5 is drivingly connected to the pulley 3 through the belt 4, so that the belt 4 can drive the pulley 3 to rotate when the drive motor 5 rotates, thus further driving the inner drum 2 to rotate.
Further, although not shown in the figure, the top-loading drum washing machine of the present disclosure further includes a positioning lock, which is disposed on the outer drum. When the inner drum 2 rotates to a position where the inner drum cover is aligned with the outer drum cover, a lock tongue of the positioning lock can be captured into a lock groove disposed on the pulley 3 after the lock tongue is extended, thereby locking the inner drum 2 and the pulley 3 together to the current position.
With continued reference to FIG. 1, the top-loading drum washing machine of the present disclosure further includes a cover opening/closing system including at least one of a cover opening system and a cover closing system. The cover opening system mainly includes a cover-opening lock 6 for automatically opening the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 after the washing machine completes washing. The cover-closing system mainly includes a cover-closing lock 7 for automatically closing the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 before the washing machine starts to wash.
The cover opening system of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover-opening lock 6 of the present disclosure is provided on the outer drum 1, and is disposed near an outer drum opening. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also dispose the cover-opening lock 6 on the box body as required. Furthermore, the cover opening system of the present disclosure further includes a first stopper 212 disposed on the first inner drum cover 21. The first stopper 212 cooperates with the cover-opening lock 6 to automatically open both the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 that are in a closed state. Those skilled in the art can understand that the first stopper 212 of the present disclosure may be any feasible structure, for example, a hook, a plate-like structure, a column-like structure, and the like.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cover-opening lock 6 of the present disclosure mainly includes a cover-opening lock body (not marked in the figure), a cover-opening lock tongue 61 as a first lock tongue, a cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 as a second lock tongue, and a driving member (not shown in the figure). The cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 are slidably connected to the cover-opening lock body along the directions of their own axes. The driving member is configured to drive the cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 to slide along the directions of their own axes. Preferably, there are two cover-opening positioning lock tongues 62, which are separately placed on both sides of the cover-opening lock tongue 61 to prevent the first inner drum cover 21 from being deformed when the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 abuts against the first stopper 212. Correspondingly, there are also two first stoppers 212 provided. When the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 is extended, the first stopper 212 can abut against the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 as the inner drum 2 rotates. When the first stopper 212 abuts against the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62, the cover-opening lock tongue 61 can just abut against the cover-opening button 211 after being extended. It should be noted that under the premise of ensuring that the cover-opening lock tongue 61 can abut against the cover-opening button 211, the number of the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 is not limited to two as shown in FIG. 4, and it can be any number, for example, one, three, four, etc. Further, under the premise of ensuring that the cover-opening lock tongue 61 can abut against the cover-opening button 211, those skilled in the art can also omit the arrangement of the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 and the first stopper 212 as required; for example, an angle sensor is disposed on the inner drum 2, and the inner drum 2 is accurately rotated to a position where the cover-opening button 2 is aligned with the cover-opening lock tongue 61 with the aid of the angle sensor.
Although not shown in the figure, the cover opening system of the present disclosure further includes a controller, which is configured to control actions of the positioning lock, the drive motor 5 and the cover-opening lock 6.
Main steps of opening the inner drum cover by the cover opening system of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 5.
As shown in step S11, when a washing operation of the washing machine is completed, the controller controls the drive motor 5 to rotate the pulley 3 to a position where the lock groove is aligned with the lock tongue of the positioning lock, and then the lock tongue of the positioning lock is inserted into the lock groove to lock the inner drum 2 to a position where the inner drum cover is aligned with the outer drum cover.
As shown in step S12, after the pulley 3 is locked by the positioning lock (for example, after a 5-second interval), the controller controls the drive motor 5 to cause the pulley 3 to drive the inner drum 2 to rotate reversely and cause the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 of the cover-opening lock 6 to extend.
As shown in step S13, when the first stopper 212 on the first inner drum cover 21 abuts against the extended cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62, the controller stops the drive motor 5 from rotating, thereby causing the inner drum 2 also to stop rotating. Further, the controller controls the cover-opening lock tongue 61 of the cover-opening lock 6 to extend. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also make the cover-opening lock tongue 61 extend at the same time the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 extends, as required.
As shown in step S14, the cover-opening lock tongue 61 can abut against the cover-opening button 211 on the first inner drum cover 21 as it extends, and press the cover-opening button 211 to unlock the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22. After the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 are unlocked, the controller controls the cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 to retract so that the drive motor 52 drives the inner drum 2 to rotate forward.
Those skilled in the art can understand that after the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 are unlocked, free ends of the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 will press tightly against an inner wall of the outer drum 1 or an inner side of the outer drum cover under the actions of the first return spring and the second return spring.
As shown in step S15, when the inner drum 2 rotates again to the position where the inner drum cover is aligned with the outer drum cover, the controller stops the drive motor 5 from rotating, and causes the lock tongue of the positioning lock to be inserted into the lock groove on the pulley 3 so that the inner drum 2 and the pulley 3 are locked.
Therefore, the cover opening system of the present disclosure reduces the user's operation of manually opening the inner drum cover and optimizes the user experience during use.
It should be noted that corresponding to step S13, a sensor is provided in the cover-opening lock 6 for detecting whether the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 abuts against the first stopper 212. Those skilled in the art can understand that the sensor may be any feasible sensor, such as a pressure sensor provided at a bottom end of the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62, a proximity switch provided at a top end of the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62, a switch that can be triggered by the first stopper 212, etc.
In addition, it should also be noted that corresponding to step S14, an extension stroke of the cover-opening lock tongue 61 is set such that the cover-opening lock tongue 61 can just press the cover-opening button 211 after the cover-opening lock tongue 61 is fully extended, thus unlocking the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22. Moreover, after the cover-opening lock tongue 61 is fully extended, the controller controls the cover-opening lock tongue 61 to retract.
Further, in order to avoid abrasion of the cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62, those skilled in the art may also provide rollers on the free ends of the cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 respectively as required. The cover-opening lock tongue 61 and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue 62 respectively abut against the cover-opening button 211 and the first stopper 212 through respective rollers.
The cover closing system of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 7.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover-closing lock 7 of the present disclosure is provided on the outer drum 1, and is disposed near the outer drum closing. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also dispose the cover-closing lock 7 on the box body as required. Furthermore, the cover closing system of the present disclosure further includes a second stopper 221 disposed on the second inner drum cover 22. The second stopper 221 cooperates with the cover-closing lock 7 to automatically close both the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 that are in an open state. Those skilled in the art can understand that the second stopper 221 of the present disclosure may be any feasible structure, for example, a hook, a plate-like structure, a column-like structure, and the like.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover-closing lock 7 of the present disclosure mainly includes a cover-closing lock body (not marked in the figure), a cover-closing lock tongue 71, a cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, and a driving member (not shown in the figure). The cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 are slidably connected to the cover-closing lock body along the directions of their own axes. The driving member is configured to drive the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 to slide along the directions of their own axes. Preferably, there are two cover-closing positioning lock tongues 72, which are separately placed on both sides of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 to prevent the second inner drum cover 22 from being deformed when the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 abuts against the second stopper 221. Correspondingly, there are also two second stoppers 221 provided. When the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 is extended, the second stopper 221 can abut against the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 as the inner drum 2 rotates. When the second stopper 221 abuts against the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22 after being extended. It should be noted that under the premise of ensuring that the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22, the number of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 is not limited to two as shown in FIG. 7, and it can be any number, for example, one, three, four, etc. Further, under the premise of ensuring that the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22, those skilled in the art can also omit the arrangement of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 and the second stopper 221 as required; for example, an angle sensor is disposed on the inner drum 2, and the inner drum 2 is accurately rotated to a position where the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22 with the aid of the angle sensor.
Although not shown in the figure, the cover closing system of the present disclosure further includes a controller, which is configured to control actions of the positioning lock, the drive motor 5 and the cover-closing lock 7. Those skilled in the art may also make the cover closing system and the cover opening system share one controller as required.
Main steps of closing the inner drum cover by the cover closing system of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 8.
As shown in step S21, the controller controls the positioning lock to retract the lock tongue from the lock groove on the pulley 3, and controls the drive motor 5 to cause the pulley 3 to drive the inner drum 2 to rotate forward and cause the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 of the cover-closing lock 7 to extend.
As shown in step S22, when the second stopper 221 on the second inner drum cover 22 abuts against the extended cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, the controller stops the drive motor 5 from rotating, thereby causing the inner drum 2 also to stop rotating. Further, the controller controls the cover-closing lock tongue 71 of the cover-closing lock 7 to extend. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also make the cover-closing lock tongue 71 be extended at the same time the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 is extended, as required.
As shown in step S23, the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22 as it extends. Since there is a linkage mechanism between the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22, while the second inner drum cover 22 is being closed, the first inner drum cover 21 is also being closed. After the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 are closed, the controller retracts the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72.
As shown in step S24, after step S23 is completed, the controller controls the washing machine to start the washing operation.
Therefore, the cover closing system of the present disclosure reduces the user's operation of manually closing the inner drum cover and optimizes the user experience during use.
It should be noted that corresponding to step S22, a sensor is provided in the cover-closing lock 7 for detecting whether the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 abuts against the second stopper 221. Those skilled in the art can understand that the sensor may be any feasible sensor, such as a pressure sensor provided at a bottom end of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, a proximity switch provided at a top end of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, a switch that can be triggered by the second stopper 221, etc.
In addition, it should also be noted that corresponding to step S23, an extension stroke of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is set such that the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can just close the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 after the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is fully extended. Moreover, after the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is fully extended, the controller controls the cover-closing lock tongue 71 to retract.
Further, in order to avoid abrasion of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, those skilled in the art may also provide rollers on the free ends of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 respectively as required. The cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 respectively abut against an outer side of the second inner drum cover 22 and the second stopper 221 through respective rollers.
Those skilled in the art can understand that in addition to the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 arranged to be opposite to each other in the above preferred embodiment, the inner drum cover of the present disclosure may be any feasible inner drum cover. For example, the inner drum cover is composed of only one cover body, and the cover body can be pivotally connected to the inner drum 2 or slidably connected to the inner drum 2.
Further, those skilled in the art can also understand that for the top-loading washing machine of the present disclosure, in addition to providing the upper cover and the outer drum cover separately as described in the above preferred embodiment, the upper cover and the outer drum cover may also be configured as one piece, so that when the cover is closed, laundry inlets on both the outer drum and the box body can be closed.
Hitherto, the technical solutions of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or replacements will fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
Although not shown in the figure, the cover closing system of the present disclosure further includes a controller, which is configured to control actions of the positioning lock, the drive motor 5 and the cover-closing lock 7. Those skilled in the art may also make the cover closing system and the cover opening system share one controller as required.
Main steps of closing the inner drum cover by the cover closing system of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 8.
As shown in step S21, the controller controls the positioning lock to retract the lock tongue from the lock groove on the pulley 3, and controls the drive motor 5 to cause the pulley 3 to drive the inner drum 2 to rotate forward and cause the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 of the cover-closing lock 7 to extend.
As shown in step S22, when the second stopper 221 on the second inner drum cover 22 abuts against the extended cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, the controller stops the drive motor 5 from rotating, thereby causing the inner drum 2 also to stop rotating. Further, the controller controls the cover-closing lock tongue 71 of the cover-closing lock 7 to extend. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also make the cover-closing lock tongue 71 be extended at the same time the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 is extended, as required.
As shown in step S23, the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can close the second inner drum cover 22 as it extends. Since there is a linkage mechanism between the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22, while the second inner drum cover 22 is being closed, the first inner drum cover 21 is also being closed. After the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 are closed, the controller retracts the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72.
As shown in step S24, after step S23 is completed, the controller controls the washing machine to start the washing operation.
Therefore, the cover closing system of the present disclosure reduces the user's operation of manually closing the inner drum cover and optimizes the user experience during use.
It should be noted that corresponding to step S22, a sensor is provided in the cover-closing lock 7 for detecting whether the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 abuts against the second stopper 221. Those skilled in the art can understand that the sensor may be any feasible sensor, such as a pressure sensor provided at a bottom end of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, a proximity switch provided at a top end of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, a switch that can be triggered by the second stopper 221, etc.
In addition, it should also be noted that corresponding to step S23, an extension stroke of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is set such that the cover-closing lock tongue 71 can just close the first inner drum cover 21 and the second inner drum cover 22 after the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is fully extended. Moreover, after the cover-closing lock tongue 71 is fully extended, the controller controls the cover-closing lock tongue 71 to retract.
Further, in order to avoid abrasion of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72, those skilled in the art may also provide rollers on the free ends of the cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 respectively as required. The cover-closing lock tongue 71 and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue 72 respectively abut against an outer side of the second inner drum cover 22 and the second stopper 221 through respective rollers.
Further, those skilled in the art can also understand that for the top-loading washing machine of the present disclosure, in addition to providing the upper cover and the outer drum cover separately as described in the above preferred embodiment, the upper cover and the outer drum cover may also be configured as one piece, so that when the cover is closed, laundry inlets on both the outer drum and the box body can be closed.
Hitherto, the technical solutions of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the scope of the claims, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to relevant technical features.

Claims

A top-loading laundry treatment device comprising a box body, an outer drum (1) disposed inside the box body, an inner drum (2) pivotally disposed inside the outer drum, and a cover opening system,
wherein the inner drum (2) is provided with an inner drum cover that includes a first inner drum cover (21) and a second inner drum cover (22); wherein the first inner drum cover (21) and the second inner drum cover (22) are opposite to each other and tightly locked to each other after being closed through a linkage mechanism; and wherein the cover opening system comprises a cover-opening lock (6) which is disposed on the box body or the outer drum (1);

wherein the cover-opening lock (6) is provided with a cover-opening lock tongue (61), when the cover-opening lock tongue (61) is extended, it can abut against a cover-opening button (211) disposed on the first inner drum cover (21) so that the inner drum cover is opened, characterized in that the cover-opening lock (6) is further provided with a cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) and when the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) is extended, it can abut against the inner drum cover, thereby further enabling the cover-opening lock tongue (61) to abut against the cover-opening button (211);

wherein a first stopper (212) is disposed on the first inner drum cover (21) and cooperates with the cover-opening lock (6) to automatically open the first inner drum cover (21) and the second inner drum cover (22) when they are in a closed state, and the inner drum cover abuts against the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) by means of the first stopper (212);

wherein a drive motor (5) is disposed in the box body, and the drive motor (5) is drivingly connected with the inner drum (2) for driving the inner drum (2) to rotate to a position where the first stopper (212) is aligned with the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62); and

wherein the cover opening system further comprises a controller, which is controllingly connected to the cover-opening lock (6) and the drive motor (5) respectively;
and wherein the controller is configured for controlling the cover-opening lock (6) to cause the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) to extend, controlling the drive motor (5) to drive the inner drum (2) to rotate to the position where the first stopper (212) is aligned with the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62), and controlling the cover-opening lock (6) to cause the cover-opening lock tongue (61) to extend so that the inner drum cover is opened.
The top-loading laundry treatment device according to claim 1, wherein a free end of the cover-opening lock tongue (61) is provided with a first roller, and the cover-opening lock tongue (61) abuts against the cover-opening button (211) through the first roller; and/or
a first return spring is disposed between the first inner drum cover (21) and the inner drum (2), and when the cover-opening lock tongue (61) abuts against the cover-opening button (211), the first return spring can automatically open the first inner drum cover (21).
The top-loading laundry treatment device according to claim 1, wherein a free end of the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) is provided with a second roller, and the cover-opening positioning lock tongue (62) abuts against the first stopper (212) through the second roller.
The top-loading laundry treatment device according to any one of claims 1-3 further comprising a cover closing system, wherein the cover closing system comprises a cover-closing lock (7) which is disposed on the box body or the outer drum (1), wherein the cover-closing lock (7) is provided with a cover-closing lock tongue (71) and a cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72), when the cover-closing lock tongue (71) is extended, it can abut against the inner drum cover so that the inner drum cover is closed, when the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72) is extended, it can abut against the inner drum cover, thereby further enabling the cover-closing lock tongue (71) to abut against the inner drum cover and close the inner drum cover,
wherein a second stopper (221) is disposed on the second inner drum cover (22) and cooperates with the cover-closing lock (7) to automatically close both the first inner drum cover (21) and the second inner drum cover (22) when they are in an open state, and the inner drum cover abuts against the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72) by means of the second stopper (221); and

wherein the controller is controllingly connected to the cover-closing lock (7), and wherein the controller is configured for controlling the cover-closing lock (7) to cause the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72) to extend, controlling the drive motor (5) to drive the inner drum (2) to rotate to the position where the second stopper (221) is aligned with the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72), and controlling the cover-closing lock (7) to cause the cover-closing lock tongue (71) to extend so that the inner drum cover is closed.
The top-loading laundry treatment device according to claim 4, wherein a free end of the cover-closing lock tongue (71) is provided with a third roller, and the cover-closing lock tongue (71) abuts against the inner drum cover through the third roller; and/or
a second return spring is disposed between the inner drum cover and the inner drum (2), and the second return spring causes the inner drum cover to have a tendency of opening so that the inner drum cover can be slowly closed when the cover-closing lock tongue (71) abuts against the inner drum cover.
The top-loading laundry treatment device according to claim 4, wherein a free end of the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72) is provided with a fourth roller, and the cover-closing positioning lock tongue (72) abuts against the second stopper (221) through the fourth roller.