FIELD
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The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and more particularly to a water tank and a household appliance.
BACKGROUND
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A household appliance is a compact and portable air conditioner without need of installation.
SUMMARY
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The present invention aims at solving one of technical problems in the related art at least to some extent.
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To this end, embodiments of the present invention propose a water tank, the water tank has a receiving structure, liquid such as condensate may be received to the tank body by means of the receiving structure, thereby avoiding a situation in which liquid such as condensate directly falling into the tank body is prone to generating a ticking sound, and thus playing an effect of muffling sound and reducing noise.
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Embodiments of the present invention also propose a household appliance including the water tank above mentioned.
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According to a first aspect of the present invention, the water tank of embodiments of the present invention includes: a tank body having an opening at a top of the tank body; a receiving structure located in the tank body and arranged at a side wall of the tank body, wherein the receiving structure extends towards the opening and is configured to receive liquid entering the opening and hold the liquid to the side wall of the tank body to prevent splashing of the liquid.
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Optionally, the receiving structure has a groove communicated with an exterior of the tank body.
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Optionally, the receiving structure includes a handle portion connected to the side wall of the tank body, and the groove is arranged within the handle portion.
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Optionally, a depth direction of the groove is inclined upwards.
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Optionally, the receiving structure includes an extension portion arranged at an end of the receiving structure away from the side wall of the tank body, and the extension portion is bent and extends towards the opening to receive the liquid.
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Optionally, the receiving structure includes: a handle portion connected to the side wall of the tank body and protruding towards an inner side of the tank body; and a receiving portion arranged at the handle portion and extending towards the opening.
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Optionally, an upper surface of the handle portion is an oblique surface inclined downwards along a direction towards the side wall, and the receiving portion is arranged at the upper surface of the handle portion.
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Optionally, the handle portion extends horizontally on the side wall, and a plurality of the receiving portions are arranged at intervals along an extension direction of the handle portion.
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Optionally, the receiving portion includes a plurality of ribbed plates, first ends of the plurality of ribbed plates are connected to each other, and second ends of the plurality of ribbed plates are arranged at intervals along a peripheral direction of the handle portion.
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Optionally, the water tank includes an outer decorative plate, and the tank body is arranged at an inner side of the outer decorative plate, and in an in-out direction, a projection of the tank body is located within a range of a projection of the outer decorative plate, at least a part of the outer decorative plate forms one side wall of the tank body, and the receiving structure is arranged to the outer decorative plate.
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Optionally, the tank body includes an inner side wall opposite to the outer decorative plate, and the inner side wall has an avoidance groove arranged at a side of the inner side wall facing away from the outer decorative plate.
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Optionally, a flap is arranged at a bottom of the outer decorative plate, and the flap is bent towards a side where the tank body is and is configured to be snap-fitted with a housing of an air conditioner.
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According to a second aspect of the present invention, the household appliance of embodiments of the present invention includes the water tank as described in any of the above embodiments.
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Optionally, the household appliance includes a duct assembly, wherein the duct assembly includes a water tray configured to receive the liquid, the water tray is located above the receiving structure, and the water tray has a drain opening configured to discharge the liquid to the receiving structure.
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Optionally, the household appliance further includes a support member, the support member is arranged at an inner side of the water tank, the support member has a liquid reservoir at a top of the support member, the liquid reservoir is located between the opening and the water tray and configured to receive liquid discharged from the drain opening, and a bottom of the liquid reservoir has an overflow hole arranged opposite to the receiving structure in an up-down direction.
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Optionally, a projection of the overflow hole is located within a range of a projection of the receiving structure in the up-down direction.
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Optionally, the household appliance is a portable air conditioner including an evaporator, a condenser, a fan, an upper duct assembly and a lower duct assembly, and the upper duct assembly and the evaporator are arranged above the lower duct assembly, the condenser is arranged within the lower duct assembly or at an air inlet of the lower duct assembly, and a part of the fan is arranged within the upper duct assembly and another part of the fan is arranged within the lower duct assembly; or, the household appliance is a dehumidifier.
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The beneficial technical effect is that according to the water tank and household appliance of embodiments of the present invention, the water tank has the receiving structure, liquid such as condensate may be received into the tank body by means of the receiving structure, thereby avoiding the situation in which liquid such as condensate falling directly into the tank body is prone to generating a ticking sound, and thus playing an effect of muffling sound and reducing noise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water tank of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a water tank of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a water tank of another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a top view of a water tank of another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a line A-A in FIG. 4.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a household appliance of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a first longitudinal sectional view of a household appliance of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an airflow direction in a household appliance during operation of the embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line B-B in FIG. 7.
- FIG. 10 is a second longitudinal sectional view of a household appliance of the embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. Embodiments described below by reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative and are intended to explain the present invention and are not to be construed as a limitation of the present invention.
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The portable air conditioner generates condensate when in use, and in order to enhance the water storage capacity, some portable air conditioners additionally include a container such as a water tank in addition to a water tray. However, in an actual use process, ticking sounds and other noises are generated through a process of condensate transported to the water tank, reducing the using experience of the portable air conditioner.
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As shown in FIG. 1, a water tank 100 of an embodiment of the present invention includes a tank body 1 and a receiving structure 2.
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The tank body 1 has an opening 11 at a top of the tank body 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the tank body 1 may be made of plastic and may be processed and molded by one-piece injection molding, and the top of the tank body 1 may be open and have the opening 11. When in use, liquid such as condensate generated by an air conditioner may flow into the tank body 1 via the opening 11, thus storage capacity for liquid may be enhanced by means of the tank body 1 to meet a use need of large-capacity storage for liquid.
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The receiving structure 2 is located in the tank body 1 and arranged at a side wall of the tank body 1, the receiving structure 2 extends towards the opening 11, and the receiving structure 2 is configured to receive the liquid entering the opening 11 and hold the liquid to the side wall of the tank body 1.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the receiving structure 2 is entirely located within an inner cavity of the tank body 1, and the receiving structure 2 may be arranged at the side wall of the tank body 1 by one-piece injection molding. The receiving structure 2 generally extends upwards, for example, the receiving structure 2 as a whole may be bent and extend towards the opening 11, and the receiving structure 2 may also be straight and obliquely extend towards the opening 11.
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When in use, the liquid falling from above the tank body 1 will directly drip onto the receiving structure 2, and then the liquid will flow downwards along the receiving structure 2 to the side wall of the tank body 1, and finally may flow along the side wall to a bottom of the tank body 1, thereby realizing an effect of receiving the liquid.
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The water tank 100 of embodiments of the present invention having the receiving structure 2 may receive the liquid such as condensate into the tank body 1 by means of the receiving structure 2, thereby avoiding a situation in which the liquid such as condensate falling directly into the tank body 1 are prone to generating a ticking sound, and thus playing an effect of muffling sound and reducing noise.
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In some embodiments, the receiving structure 2 has a groove 211, the groove 211 is in communication with an exterior of the tank body 1 to be inserted by a hand. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving structure 2 may be a hollow structure, the receiving structure 2 may be hollowed out and form the groove 211, the groove 211 may be a generally rectangular groove and located at the outer side of the tank body 1. When in use, the hand may insert into the groove 211 to mount, dismount and move the water tank 100 so that the receiving structure 2 also has a function as a handle.
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In some embodiments, the receiving structure 2 includes a handle portion 21 connected to the side wall of the tank body 1, and the groove 211 is arranged in the handle portion 21. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the handle portion 21 may be arranged at the side wall of the tank body 1 by one-piece injection molding, and the groove 211 may be arranged in the handle portion 21, i.e., a part of the side wall may protrude towards inside of the tank body 1 and form the above-mentioned groove 211 at the outer side of the tank body 1. The receiving structure 2 may be arranged with only the handle portion 21 and may realize a receiving effect by means of the handle portion 21.
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In some embodiments, a depth direction of the groove 211 is inclined upwards. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a depth direction of the groove 211 may be in a direction from an upper left to a lower right, so that a part of the handle portion 21 may be gripped by a hand and facilitate to apply a larger gripping force by the hand, further enhancing convenience of operation.
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In some embodiments, the receiving structure 2 includes an extension portion 23, the extension portion 23 is arranged at an end of the receiving structure 2 away from the side wall of the tank body 1, and the extension portion 23 bends and extends towards the opening 11 and is configured to receive the liquid.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving structure 2 may be integrally molded by injection molding, a right end of the receiving structure 2 may be connected to a right side wall of the tank body 1, the extension portion 23 may be integrally molded at a left end of the receiving structure 2, and the extension portion 23 may generally be bent and extend along a direction from the upper left to the lower right, and the extension portion 23 may be arranged to reduce a difference between the receiving structure 2 and the liquid that drips down from the above, thus facilitating receiving the liquid and helping to further muffle sound and reduce noise. In some embodiments, the receiving structure 2 includes a handle portion 21 and a receiving portion 22, the handle portion 21 is connected to the side wall of the tank body 1 and protrudes towards the inner side of the tank body 1, and the receiving portion 22 is arranged at the handle portion 21 and extends towards the opening 11.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the handle portion 21 may be integrally molded with the side wall of the tank body 1, the receiving portion 22 as a whole may be a columnar structure, the receiving portion 22 may be molded on a top side of the handle portion 21 by means of an integrated injection molding, and the receiving portion 22 may generally extend along the up-down direction, and a free end (i.e., a top end) of the receiving portion 22 may extend to be flushed with the opening 11.
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When in use, the liquid may first drop onto the receiving portion 22, then may flow along the receiving portion 22 to the handle portion 21, and finally may flow along the handle portion 21 to the side wall of the tank body. As a result, while making the receiving structure 2 also function as the handle, a local structure of the receiving structure 2 may also be simplified, thereby realizing an effect of reducing cost.
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In some embodiments, an upper surface of the handle portion 21 is an oblique surface 212, and the oblique surface 212 is inclined downwards along a direction toward the side wall of the tank, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the oblique surface 212 may be generally arranged inclinedly in a direction from the upper left to the lower right. The receiving portion 22 is arranged at the upper surface of the handle portion 21, and the receiving portion 22 may be arranged adjacent to a left side of the oblique surface 212.
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When in use, the liquid may first flow downwards along the receiving portion 22, and then the liquid may flow along the oblique surface 212 towards the side wall of the tank body 1, a flow direction of the liquid on the handle portion 21 may be restricted by the oblique surface 212, avoiding a situation which the liquid drips directly from a peripheral side of the handle portion 21 to the bottom of the tank body 1, and playing a role of further eliminating noise.
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In some embodiments, the handle portion 21 extends horizontally at the side wall of the tank, and a plurality of receiving portions 22 are provided, and the plurality of receiving portions 22 are arranged at intervals along an extension direction of the handle portion 21.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the handle portion 21 may be a substantially rectangular structure, and the handle portion 21 may extend along a front-rear direction, so that the handle portion 21 and the groove 211 therein have a certain width, meeting a use need for inserting the hand.
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Two receiving portions 22 may be provided, the two receiving portions 22 may extend in the up-down direction, and the two receiving portions 22 may be arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. As a result, the number of positions at which the receiving structure 2 is directly used to receive the liquid is increased, thereby satisfying a use need for receiving the liquid by a plurality of positions at the same time.
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In some embodiments, the receiving portion 22 includes a plurality of ribbed plates 221, a side of each of the plurality of ribbed plates 221 is connected to each other, and the plurality of ribbed plates 221 are arranged at intervals along a peripheral direction of the receiving portion 22.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a cross section of each receiving portion 22 may be cruciform, i.e., each receiving portion 22 may have four ribbed plates 221, each ribbed plate 221 may be a rectangular plate and may extend along the up-down direction, one longitudinal first ends of the four ribbed plates 221 may intersect and be connected at an axis of the receiving portion 22, and second ends of the four ribbed plates 221 may be arranged at equal intervals along the peripheral direction of the receiving portion 22, i.e., an angle formed by two ribbed plates 221 adjacent to each other is 90 degrees.
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The design of the plurality of ribbed plates 221 may on the one hand, play a role in increasing a surface area of the receiving portion 22, thereby meeting a use need for a large flow of liquid attached to a wall, and on the other hand, also play a role in diverting the liquid, which is conducive to further improving a noise reduction effect.
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In some embodiments, the water tank 100 includes an outer decorative plate 3, the tank body 1 is disposed on an inner side of the outer decorative plate 3, and in an in- out direction of the tank, a projection of the tank body 1 is located within a range of a projection of the outer decorative plate 3, at least a part of the outer decorative plate 3 forms one side wall of the tank body 1, and the receiving structure 2 is arranged to the outer decorative plate 3.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the in-out direction described above may be a left-right direction, and the outer decorative plate 3 may be a generally rectangular plate, the outer decorative plate 3 may be arranged at a right side (i.e., an outer side) of the tank body 1 by means of one-piece injection molding, and in the left-right direction, the projection of the tank body 1 is completely within an outline range of the projection of the outer decorative plate 3, so that when assembled, the outer decorative plate 3 may be shielded at the outer side of the tank body 1, and the outer decorative plate 3 may form a part of a housing of an air conditioner, so as to enhance the overall appearance of the air conditioner.
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A part of the outer decorative plate 3 may directly form a side wall of the tank body 1, specifically the right side wall of the tank body 1 as shown in FIG. 3, and the receiving structure 2 mentioned above may be molded at the inner side of the outer decorative plate 3 by means of one-piece injection molding.
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In some embodiments, the tank body 1 includes an inner side wall 12 arranged opposite to the outer decorative plate 3, and the inner side wall 12 has an avoidance groove 121 at a side of the inner side wall 12 facing away from the outer decorative plate 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the inner side wall 12 may be a left side wall of the tank body 1, and an outer side of the inner side wall 12 may have an avoidance groove 121, the avoidance groove 121 may be a circular arc groove, so that the avoidance groove 121 may play the role of avoiding a component such as a compressor when assembled, which therefore, on one hand, improves assembly compactness, and on the other hand, fully utilizes a space in the air conditioner, thereby improving the capacity of the tank body 1.
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In some embodiments, a bottom of the outer decorative plate 3 has a flap 31, and the flap 31 is folded towards a side where the tank body 1 is and is configured to be snap-fitted with the housing of the air conditioner. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the flap 31 may be integrally molded at the bottom of the outer decorative plate 3, and a cross section of the flap 31 may be of a quarter-circle arc. When assembled, as shown in FIG. 7, the flap 31 may be snap-fitted with a bottom side corner of the air conditioner and integrated with the housing of the air conditioner, thereby ensuring the overall appearance of the air conditioner. The flap 31 may also play a limiting effect for the water tank 100.
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The following describes a household appliance according to embodiments of the present invention.
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The household appliance of the present invention includes a water tank 100, and the water tank 100 may be the water tank 100 as described in any of the above embodiments. For example, the household appliance may be a portable air conditioner, as shown in FIG. 6, the portable air conditioner as a whole may be in a shape of a cuboid, a right side of the household appliance may have a snapping slot and the like, and the water tank 100 may be snap-fitted into the snapping slot. In some other embodiments, the household appliance may also be an appliance device, such as a dehumidifier, requiring installation of the water tank 100.
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In some embodiments, the household appliance is a portable air conditioner and includes an air duct assembly, the air duct assembly includes a water tray 401 configured to receive liquid, the water tray 401 is arranged above the receiving structure 2, and the water tray 401 has a drain opening 4011 configured to receive liquid to the receiving structure 2.
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As shown in FIG. 7, the portable air conditioner may include an upper duct assembly 500, a lower duct assembly 400, an evaporator 600 and a condenser 700, wherein the upper duct assembly 500 may be arranged above the lower duct assembly 400 and may be used matching with the evaporator 600 so as to satisfy a use need of supplying cold air, and the evaporator 600 may also be arranged above the lower duct assembly 400.
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The lower duct assembly 400 may be paired with the condenser 700, thereby satisfying a use need of supplying hot air, wherein the condenser 700 may be arranged substantially at an air inlet of the lower duct assembly 400. In some other embodiments, the condenser 700 may also be arranged within the lower duct assembly 400. The lower duct assembly of the embodiment may specifically be the lower duct assembly 400 as described above.
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It should be noted that the upper duct assembly 500 and the lower duct assembly 400 in this embodiment may have some duct walls, and the duct walls may be integrated into components such as the housing of the portable air conditioner, or may be arranged independently. As shown in FIG. 8, an area enclosed by an upper black block as shown in FIG. 8 may be regarded as the upper duct assembly 500, and an area enclosed by a lower black block as shown in FIG. 8 may be regarded as the lower duct assembly 400.
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When in use, an airflow may enter from an air inlet of the portable air conditioner below the portable air conditioner, and then may flow through the condenser 700 and the lower duct assembly 400, and finally may be discharged via an air outlet of the lower duct assembly 400. Another part of the airflow may enter from an air inlet of the portable air conditioner above the portable air conditioner, and may then flow through the evaporator 600 and the upper duct assembly 500, and may finally be discharged via an air outlet of the upper duct assembly 500.
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A bottom side of the lower duct assembly 400 may have a water tray 401, specifically as shown in FIG. 10, the condensate generated by the upper duct assembly 500, the evaporator 600, and the lower duct assembly 400 may be converged into the water tray 401 through a designed water path, thereby realizing the collection of condensate. The portable air conditioner further includes two fans 800, and the two fans 800 may be respectively assembled within the upper duct assembly 500 and the lower duct assembly 400 as described above, and when in use, an operation of the fan 800 may enable the upper duct assembly 500 and the lower duct assembly 400 to inhale an airflow and discharge an airflow as required.
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The water tank 100 as a whole may be located below the water tray 401, and a bottom side of the water tray 401 may have a plurality of drain openings 4011, and the plurality of drain openings 4011 may be located directly above the receiving structure 2 of the water tank 100. As a result, condensate collected within the water tray 401 may be discharged to the receiving structure 2 of the water tank 100 via the plurality of drain openings 4011, and may flow along a wall of the receiving structure 2 to a bottom of the water tank 100, thereby facilitating the receiving and storage of condensate to the water tank 100. In some embodiments, the household appliance includes a support member 200, the support member 200 is arranged at an inner side of the water tank 100, a liquid reservoir 201 is arranged at a top of the support member 200, the liquid reservoir 201 is located above the opening 11, a bottom of the liquid reservoir 201 has an overflow hole 2011, and the overflow hole 2011 is arranged opposite to the receiving structure 2 in the up-down direction.
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For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the support member 200 may be substantially a plate structure, and the support member 200 may be assembled at a bottom of the household appliance, and the support member 200 may play a supporting role for the duct located above, and then, the support member 200 may also play a role in shielding the inner side of the household appliance, thereby avoiding an exposure of the compressor and other components, and enhancing the overall appearance.
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An outer side of the support member 200 (i.e., a right side of the support member 200 as shown in FIG. 7) may have a snap slot or the like, and the above water tank 100 may be snap-fitted into the snap slot. As shown in FIG. 7, a top of the support member 200 may be integrally molded with a liquid reservoir 201. A bottom wall of the liquid reservoir 201 may have the overflow hole 2011, as shown in FIG. 9, the number of the overflow holes 2011 may be the same as the number of the above mentioned receiving portions 22, the overflow holes 2011 may be located directly above the receiving portions 22, and a bottom surface of the liquid reservoir 201 may be abutted with the receiving portion 22.
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When in use, the water tray 401 is arranges at a bottom side of the household appliance, the condensate generated by the household appliance may be collected in the water tray 401 and then may be pumped to the liquid reservoir 201 by a water pump 300, and finally may flow down along the receiving portion 22 form the overflow hole 2011 and ultimately be stored in the water tank 100, which plays a role of increasing the liquid storage capacity of the household appliance, reduces the situation that the noise is easily generated during transportation of the condensate, and improves the comfort of using the household appliance.
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In some embodiments, the liquid reservoir 201 may be arranged between the water tray 401 and the water tank 100 described above, an opening of the liquid reservoir 201 may be located directly below the drain opening 4011 of the water tray 401, and the plurality of overflow holes 2011 of the liquid reservoir 201 may be located directly above the receiving structure 2 of the water tank 100.
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When in use, the condensate in the water tray 401 may first be discharged into the liquid reservoir 201 via each drain opening 4011, and then the condensate may be guided to the receiving structure 2 via the plurality of overflow holes 2011, and ultimately may flow along a side wall of the water tank 100 to the bottom of the water tank 100, thereby realizing the storage and collection of the condensate.
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In some embodiments, the household appliance may also include a switch mechanism, the switch mechanism may include a switch motor and a guide member and other components, and the guide member may have a guide groove configured to receive condensate produced during operation, and the switch motor may be connected to the guide member and may drive the guide member to swing in the left-right direction.
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The water tray 401 may be integrally molded with a first groove, a second groove and the like, at this time, the first groove and the second groove may be located above the water tray 401 and may protrude upwards. The second groove may be located at a right side of the first groove. The second slot may be located above the liquid reservoir 201 as described above, and the first groove may be located above the condenser 700.
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When the guide groove swings to the left under an action of the switch motor, the condensate in the guide groove may flow toward left into the first groove, and then may drip down to the condenser 700 through a discharge hole at the first groove, and finally may converge into a bottom tray.
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When the guide groove swings toward right under the action of the switch motor, the condensate in the guide groove may flow toward right into the second groove, and then may be guided to the liquid reservoir through a discharge hole at the second groove, and finally may be discharged into the water tank 100 via the overflow hole of the liquid reservoir.
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In some embodiments, in the up-down direction, the projection of the overflow hole 2011 is located within the range of the projection of the receiving structure 2. For example, a plurality of overflow holes 2011 may be provided, each of the plurality of overflow holes 2011 may extend in the up-down direction, and each overflow hole 2011 may be a circular hole. The projections of the plurality of overflow holes 2011 in the up-down direction may be located within the range of the projection of the receiving structure 2 in the up-down direction, thereby the condensate flowing from each of the overflow holes 2011 may directly drop onto the receiving structure 2, facilitating the receiving structure 2 to receive the condensate, and further enhancing an effect of muffling sound and reducing noise.
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In some embodiments, the portable air conditioner may also include a pump body, a bottom of the portable air conditioner has the bottom tray, the bottom tray also has a function of storing condensate, the bottom tray and the liquid reservoir 201 mentioned above may be connected to each other through a pipeline, the pump body may be arranged in the pipeline, and the pump body may be mounted and fixed to an inner side of the support member 200 mentioned above.
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When a lot of condensate is on the bottom tray, the pump body may operate and may pump the condensate into the liquid reservoir 201, thereby enabling the transportation of the condensate in the bottom tray into the water tank 100 and the storage of the condensate in the water tank 100, thus fully satisfying the use need for the large-capacity storage of condensate in a cooling mode, a dehumidification mode and the like of the portable air conditioner.