EP4733473A1

EP4733473A1 - Laundry treating apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP4733473A1
Application number: EP25210286.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Long YAN; Yinghua Chen; Jie Zhang; Jian Zhang
Original assignee: Xiaomi Smart Appliances Wuhan Co Ltd; Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd; Xiaomi Technology Wuhan Co Ltd
Current assignee: Xiaomi Smart Appliances Wuhan Co Ltd; Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd; Xiaomi Technology Wuhan Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-10-24
Filing date: 2025-10-22
Publication date: 2026-04-29
Also published as: CN223409898U

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treating apparatus, including: a cabinet having an opening; a first drum and a second drum, disposed in the cabinet, in which the first drum includes an outer drum and an inner drum, the inner drum has an inner drum opening, and the outer drum has an outer drum opening; a vibration-damping member connected between the cabinet and at least one of the first drum and the second drum; and a door seal disposed at the outer drum opening, in which a diameter of the first drum is smaller than a diameter of the second drum. By enabling the end of the protrusion of a door facing the inner drum to be located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat, projections of the protrusion and the inner drum in a radial direction do not overlap with each other. Consequently, the inner drum will not collide with the protrusion even if an eccentric vibration occurs in the inner drum.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliance, particularly to a laundry treating apparatus.

BACKGROUND

With the development of technology, people's functional demands for a laundry treating apparatus are becoming increasingly diverse. In related technologies, the laundry treating apparatus typically includes a cabinet and two drums (a large drum and a small drum) mounted within the cabinet. The two drums are connected with each other to form an integrated unit and share one vibration-damping member mounted on the large drum. However, during a high-eccentricity vibration such as spin-drying in the large drum, the small drum may follow the large drum in eccentric vibration and collide with the corresponding a door glass, posing a risk of damaging either the door glass or the small drum.

SUMMARY

To overcome the issue existing in the related art, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a laundry treating apparatus is provided, including:

a cabinet having an opening;
a first drum and a second drum, disposed in the cabinet, wherein the first drum includes an outer drum and an inner drum, the inner drum has an inner drum opening, and the outer drum has an outer drum opening;
a vibration-damping member connected between the cabinet and at least one of the first drum and the second drum; and
a door seal disposed at the outer drum opening, in which a diameter of the first drum is smaller than a diameter of the second drum.

Optionally, the laundry treating apparatus includes a door. The door has a protrusion, and an end of the protrusion facing the inner drum is located outside an accommodating space of the inner drum.
Optionally, the laundry treating apparatus includes a door. The door has a protrusion, and projections of the door and the inner drum in a radial direction do not overlap with each other.
Optionally, a linear distance D1 from the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum to the inner drum opening satisfies D1 ≤ 10 mm.
Optionally, in an axial direction of the inner drum, the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum is located between the inner drum opening and the outer drum opening.
Optionally, in an axial direction of the inner drum, the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum is located between the outer drum opening and a sealing pleat of the door seal.
Optionally, an inner drum ring is provided at the inner drum opening, and the inner drum ring includes an annular ring and a blocking ring,
wherein the annular ring is attached to an inner wall of the inner drum close to the inner drum opening, the blocking ring extends outward in a radial direction from an outer edge of the annular ring, and a rounded chamfer is formed between the blocking ring and the annular ring.
Optionally, the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum is located between an end face of the blocking ring on a side facing away from the inner drum and the sealing pleat of the door seal.
Optionally, the protrusion includes a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section connected to each other, and the large-diameter section is located on a side of the small-diameter section away from the inner drum.
Optionally, the sealing pleat of the door seal abuts against a step surface between the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section.
Optionally, the laundry treating apparatus further includes a blocking rib disposed on an outer periphery of the protrusion.
Optionally, the blocking rib is configured as a ring encircling the protrusion.
Optionally, a radial distance D2 from the blocking rib to the protrusion satisfies 5 mm ≤ D2 ≤ 10 mm.
Optionally, the blocking rib and the door seal are integrally formed.
Optionally, the blocking rib is located between the outer drum opening and the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum.
The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention may provide the following beneficial effects: the laundry treating apparatus provided in the present disclosure enables the end of the protrusion of the door facing the inner drum to be located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat, i.e., the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum is located outside the accommodation space of the inner drum. At this point, projections of the protrusion and the inner drum in a radial direction do not overlap with each other. Consequently, the inner drum will not collide with the protrusion even if an eccentric vibration occurs in the inner drum. The first drum with a relatively smaller diameter with a larger diameter follows the second drum and undergoes a particularly intense eccentric vibration. Furthermore, since the inner drum of the small drum has a smaller diameter, and is also closer to the protrusion, the end face of the protrusion of the door close to the opening being not beyond an end face of the inner drum where the opening is located can effectively avoid a risk of a collision between the inner drum and the protrusion.
It should be understood that the above general description and the subsequent detailed descriptions are merely illustrative and explanatory, and do not limit the scope of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification by reference and form part of this specification, illustrating embodiments complying with the present disclosure and serving, together with the description, to explain the principle of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a laundry treating apparatus shown according to an exemplary embodiment; and
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of portion A in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments will now be illustrated in detail, with the examples indicated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numerals in different drawing denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. On the contrary, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as fully described in the appended claims.
As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a laundry treating apparatus, which may be a double-drum laundry machine, a double-drum dryer, a double-drum washer-dryer combo, etc.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present disclosure exemplarily illustrates a laundry treating apparatus including a cabinet 1 having an opening 23, a first drum 2 and a second drum 3 disposed within the cabinet 1, a vibration-damping member connected between the cabinet 1 and at least one of the first drum 2 and the second drum 3, a door disposed at the opening 23, and a door seal 6. The first drum 2 and the second drum 3 are connected with each other, and specifically the connection may be achieved through a connecting member cooperated with a fastener, or the two may be directly welded together, etc. The connection method between the first drum 2 and the second drum 3 is not limited in the present disclosure. The first drum 2 includes an outer drum 21 and an inner drum 22. The inner drum 22 has an inner drum opening. The outer drum has an outer drum opening. The inner drum 22 and outer drum 21 are nested together. The outer drum 22 of the first drum 2 is connected to the second drum 3 (following vibration), and the inner drum 22 is mounted inside the outer drum 21 and may move with the outer drum 21. The door is located at the opening 23 to enable opening or closing of the opening 23. The door has a protrusion 4 facing the opening 23. The protrusion 4 may specifically configures as a transparent glass, a transparent plastic, etc. The door seal 6 is located at the outer drum opening. The door seal 6 has a sealing pleat 61. The protrusion 4 is sealed with and abuts against sealing pleat 61. Specifically, a portion of the protrusion 4 away from the inner drum 22 abuts against the sealing pleat 61. In an axial direction of the inner drum 22, an end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 is located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat 61. That is, the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 is located on a side of the inner drum opening away from a main body of the inner drum 22, i.e., the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 is located outside an accommodating space of the inner drum 22. Thereby, the inner drum 22 is prevented from colliding radially with the protrusion 4 during a radial eccentric motion of the inner drum 22.
It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the door seal 6 may be configured as an annular shape matching the outer drum opening. The door seal 6 is generally made of a rubber material. By providing the door seal 6, when the door is closed, it is possible to achieve a sealing effect as the protrusion 4 abuts against the door seal 6, and the door seal 6 prevents a rigid collision between the protrusion 4 and other components. Since the structure, the material, and the function of the door seal 6 are well-known to those skilled in the art, further details are omitted herein. Further, the sealing pleat 61 refers to a pleated structure formed on the door seal 6, serving the following functions: enhancing the sealing performance: the pleat increases the flexibility and elasticity of the door seal, such that it can be attached better to a door frame, thus improving sealing efficiency; extending a service life: by distributing stress, the pleat reduce the wear and tear on the door seal when opening or closing the door, extending its service life; enhancing thermal insulation: the pleat may forms a plurality of air layers, enhancing the thermal insulation; and adapting to deformation: the pleat allows the door seal 6 to deform under varying temperature and humidity conditions, ensuring great sealing performance on diverse environments.
In the present disclosure, the vibration-damping member generally includes a suspension spring and a damper. The suspension spring is suspended between the drum and the cabinet 1. The damper is supported between the drum and the cabinet 1. The vibration-damping member provided between the cabinet 1 and at least one of the first drum 2 and the second drum 3 in the present disclosure refers to that the first drum 2 and the second drum 3 share one vibration-damping member. Specifically, both the suspension spring and the damper may be disposed on either the first drum 2 or the second drum 3, or may be respectively disposed on the first drum 2 and the second drum 3. The first drum 2 and the second drum 3 sharing one vibration-damping member helps reduce adverse effects such as vibration superposition caused by each drum equipped with an independent damping member, thereby enhancing the vibration damping effect. Furthermore, the first drum 2 and the second drum 3 sharing one damping member also reduces the number of vibration-damping members required, simplifies the structure within the laundry treating apparatus, and lowers design and manufacturing costs.
It should be clarified that the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 refers to an end of the protrusion 4 closest to the inner drum 22, i.e., this end does not extend beyond the inner drum opening (is located outside the inner drum 22). Thus, it is ensured that the entire protrusion 4 does not extend beyond the inner drum opening (is located outside the inner drum 22) and is located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat 61.
By employing the above technical solution, the laundry treating apparatus provided in the present disclosure enables the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 to be located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat 61, i.e., the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 is located outside the accommodation space of the inner drum 22. At this point, projections of the protrusion 4 and the inner drum 22 in a radial direction do not overlap with each other. Consequently, the inner drum 22 will not collide with the protrusion 4 even if an eccentric vibration occurs in the inner drum 22. As an example, the first drum 2 has a relatively smaller diameter in the two drums, and it follows the second drum 3 with a larger diameter and undergoes a particularly intense eccentric vibration. Furthermore, since the inner drum 22 of the small drum has a smaller diameter, thus is closer to the protrusion 4, an end face of the protrusion 4 close to the opening 23 being not beyond an end face of the inner drum 22 where the opening 23 is provided can effectively avoid a risk of a collision between the inner drum 22 and the protrusion 4.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a linear distance D₁ from the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 to the inner drum opening may satisfy D₁ ≤ 10 mm. Specifically, the linear distance may be 1 mm, 5 mm or 10 mm. The purpose of setting an upper limit on the linear distance is to prevent the protrusion 4 from failing to retain the clothes inside the inner drum 22 due to the excessive distance from the inner drum opening. The clothes may otherwise fall from the inner drum 22 into a gap between the protrusion 4 and the inner drum 22. In other embodiments, the linear distance D₁ may also satisfy D₁ ≤ 8 mm, etc., and the specific value may be adaptively designed according to actual needs.
Further, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, in an axial direction of the inner drum 22, the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 may be located between the inner drum opening and the outer drum opening. Alternatively, the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 may be located between the outer drum opening and the sealing pleat 61, and the specific arrangement may be adaptively selected according to p actual needs.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner drum ring 5 may further be provided at the inner drum opening. The inner drum ring 5 may include an annular ring 51 and a blocking ring 52. The annular ring 51 may be attached to an inner wall of the inner drum 22 close to the inner drum opening. The blocking ring 52 may extend radially outward from the outer edge of the annular ring 51. A rounded chamfer may be formed between the blocking ring 52 and the annular ring 51. Since the inner drum 22 is made of a sheet metal, its end provided with the opening 23 is generally sharp. The rounded chamfer provided at this position prevents the sharp end of the inner drum 22 from protruding outward, thereby avoiding damage to clothing or injury to the user. Additionally, the inner drum ring 5 may provide mounting positions for other related components. The present disclosure does not limit the specific structure of the inner drum ring 5, which may be adaptively designed according to actual needs. The structure and the principle of the inner drum ring 5 are well-known to those skilled in the art.
It should be clarified that the "outer edge of the annular ring 51" herein refers to a side edge extending beyond the inner drum 22. During installation, the inner drum ring 5 is simply inserted from the outside of the inner drum 22 into the inside of the inner drum 22 (with the annular ring 51 extending inward). The blocking ring 52 is located on an outer side of the end face corresponding to the inner drum opening of the inner drum 22 and abuts tightly against the inner drum 22.
Further, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the end of protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 may be located between the end face on the side of the blocking ring 52 away from the inner drum 22 and the sealing pleat 61, i.e., the end of the protrusion 4 facing the inner drum 22 is located on the outside of the inner drum ring 5. This design may prevent the inner drum ring 5 from rotating with the inner drum 22 and colliding with the protrusion 4 when an eccentric vibration occurs in the inner drum 22.
Referring to FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the protrusion 4 may include a large-diameter section 41 and a small-diameter section 42 connected to each other. The large-diameter section 41 located on a side of the small-diameter section 42 away from the inner drum 22. The sealing pleat 61 may abut against a step surface between the large-diameter section 41 and the small-diameter section 42. It should be noted that each of the large-diameter section 41 and small-diameter section 42 may be configured with equal diameters, or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, as an expanding shape with a gradually increasing diameter in a direction away from the inner drum opening. This design of the expanding shape is beneficial for preventing the clothes from entering and being trapped in a space between the door seal 6 and the small-diameter section 42.
Referring to FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the laundry treating apparatus may further include a blocking rib 7 disposed on an outer periphery of the protrusion 4, which means that the blocking rib 7 is located on the outer periphery of the protrusion 4 rather than forming part of the protrusion 4. The blocking rib 7 extends inward toward the smaller-diameter section 42 in the radial direction. The blocking rib 7 prevents the clothes inside the inner drum 22 from moving into a gap between the door seal 6 and the small-diameter section 42.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking rib 7 may be configured as a ring encircling the protrusion 4. This allows the blocking rib 7 to be present at all positions in a peripheral direction, enhancing the aforementioned blocking (stopping) effect. In addition, in other embodiments, the blocking rib 7 may also be configured as a strip and a plurality of blocking ribs 7 may be provided. The plurality of blocking ribs 7 are uniformly arranged around the outer periphery of the small-diameter section 42 in the peripheral direction.
The present disclosure does not limit a radial distance from the blocking rib 7 to the small-diameter section 42. For example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radial distance D₂ from the blocking rib 7 to the protrusion 4 may satisfy 5 mm ≤ D₂ ≤ 10 mm, and may specifically be 5 mm, 7.5 mm, or 10 mm. The purpose of setting an upper limit on the radial distance D₂ is to ensure its blocking effect; and the purpose of setting a lower limit on the radial distance D₂ is to prevent an interference between the blocking rib 7 and the small-diameter section 42 during door opening/closing due to too close to the small-diameter section 42.
The present disclosure does not limit the manner in which the blocking rib 7 is formed. For example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking rib 7 and the door seal 6 may be integrally formed. This design can reduce the number of parts and simplify assembly, thereby lowering production costs. Additionally, in other embodiments, the blocking rib 7 and the door seal 6 may also be assembled to form an integrated unit. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking rib may be located between the outer drum opening and the end of the protrusion facing the inner drum.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the diameter of the first drum 2 may be smaller than the diameter of the second drum 3. That is, the first drum 2 serves as the small drum of the laundry treating apparatus, having a diameter in a range of 120 mm to 200 mm. In this case, the radial distance from the inner drum 22 to the protrusion 4 is relatively small. The second drum 3 serves as the large drum with greater vibrational energy. Therefore, when the second drum 3 undergoes eccentric vibration, it may drive the first drum 2 to perform a relatively intense eccentric motion, which is likely to cause the inner drum 22 to collide with the protrusion 4. Consequently, the technical solution of the present disclosure is particularly effective when applied to the first drum 2 having a smaller diameter.
Reference labels in the accompanying drawings
1- cabinet; 2- first drum; 21- outer drum; 22- inner drum; 23- opening; 3- second drum; 4-protrusion; 41- large-diameter section; 42- small-diameter section; 5- inner drum ring; 51- annular ring; 52- blocking ring; 6- door seal; 61- sealing pleat; 7- blocking rib.

Claims

A laundry treating apparatus, characterized by comprising:
a cabinet (1) having an opening (23);

a first drum (2) and a second drum (3), disposed in the cabinet (1), wherein the first drum (2) comprises an outer drum (21) and an inner drum (22), the inner drum (22) has an inner drum opening, and the outer drum (21) has an outer drum opening;

a vibration-damping member connected between the cabinet (1) and at least one of the first drum (2) and the second drum (3); and

a door seal (6) disposed at the outer drum opening, wherein a diameter of the first drum (2) is smaller than a diameter of the second drum (3).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a door, wherein the door has a protrusion (4), and an end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) is located outside an accommodating space of the inner drum (22).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a door, wherein the door has a protrusion (4), and projections of the door and the inner drum (22) in a radial direction do not overlap with each other.
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the door seal (6) has a sealing pleat (61);
the door has a protrusion (4) extending in a direction toward the inner drum (22);

in an axial direction of the inner drum (22), the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) is located between the inner drum opening and the sealing pleat (61).
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that a linear distance D₁ from the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) to the inner drum opening satisfies D₁ ≤ 10 mm.
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, in an axial direction of the inner drum (22), the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) is located between the inner drum opening and the outer drum opening.
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that, in an axial direction of the inner drum (22), the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) is located between the outer drum opening and a sealing pleat (61) of the door seal (6).
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that an inner drum ring (5) is provided at the inner drum opening, and the inner drum ring (5) comprises an annular ring (51) and a blocking ring (52),
wherein the annular ring (51) is attached to an inner wall of the inner drum (22) close to the inner drum opening, the blocking ring (52) extends outward in a radial direction from an outer edge of the annular ring (51), and a rounded chamfer is formed between the blocking ring (52) and the annular ring (51).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 8 when depending at least on claims 4 or 7, characterized in that the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22) is located between an end face of the blocking ring (52) on a side facing away from the inner drum (22) and the sealing pleat (61) of the door seal (6).
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the protrusion (4) comprises a large-diameter section (41) and a small-diameter section (42) connected to each other, and the large-diameter section (41) is located on a side of the small-diameter section (42) away from the inner drum (22).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 10 when depending at least on claims 4 or 7, characterized in that the sealing pleat (61) of the door seal (6) abuts against a step surface between the large-diameter section (41) and the small-diameter section (42).
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized by further comprising a blocking rib (7) disposed on an outer periphery of the protrusion (4).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the blocking rib (7) is configured as a ring encircling the protrusion (4).
The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that a radial distance D₂ from the blocking rib (7) to the protrusion (4) satisfies 5 mm ≤ D₂ ≤ 10 mm.
The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the blocking rib (7) and the door seal (6) are integrally formed, and/or the blocking rib (7) is located between the outer drum opening and the end of the protrusion (4) facing the inner drum (22).