KR20210108659A - Folw path conversion pump - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a flow path conversion pump, comprising: an inlet pipe leading a flow of water; an impeller housing having an impeller therein and including a first housing outlet and a second housing outlet; a first flow path including a first inlet communicating with the first housing outlet and a first outlet communicating with the first inlet; a second flow path including a second inlet communicating with the second housing outlet and a second outlet communicating with the second inlet; a Venturi flow path connecting the first flow path and the second flow path to each other; and a motor connected to the impeller to transmit a power. The present invention can provide the flow path conversion pump, capable of minimizing a flow loss of wash water caused by rotation of the impeller.

Description

Euro Conversion Pump {FOLW PATH CONVERSION PUMP}

The present invention relates to a flow path conversion pump that forms two or more water streams with a single motor, and relates to a pump mainly disposed in an electronic device such as a clothes treatment device and used for draining or circulating washing water.

BACKGROUND ART In general, a laundry treatment apparatus is a device that not only washes contaminated laundry, but also supplies hot air to laundry in a state in which washing is completed and a dehydration process is completed to evaporate moisture from the laundry to dry the laundry. In other words, the clothes processing apparatus is a device capable of performing both a washing machine and a dryer role.

The laundry treatment apparatus is divided into a top loading method and a front loading method based on a method of putting laundry into a drum. A front-loading type laundry treatment apparatus is generally referred to as a drum washing machine.

The washing process of the drum washing machine may include an operation of circulating water in the drum and a draining operation of discharging the washed water. A circulation pump and a drain pump are provided for the circulation operation and the drainage operation, respectively. Conventionally, it has been common to configure pumps for circulation and drainage through separate motors, respectively. In this case, the installation space is limited, and since a plurality of motors are required, there is a problem in that it is not efficient in terms of cost.

The present invention is intended to solve this problem, and it is possible to provide a flow path conversion pump capable of minimizing the flow loss of wash water caused by the rotation of the impeller.

In addition, it is possible to provide a flow path conversion pump capable of minimizing the number of parts to facilitate assembly while minimizing the reverse flow of washing water toward another flow path.

The flow path conversion pump according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inlet pipe for inducing the flow of water, is connected to the inlet pipe to receive water introduced from the inlet pipe, and has an impeller therein, and the impeller rotates. An impeller housing including a first housing outlet and a second housing outlet formed in parallel to the tangential direction of the impeller rotation corresponding to the direction, a first inlet communicating with the first housing outlet, and a first communicating with the first inlet A first flow path including a first outlet, a second flow path including a second inlet communicating with the second housing outlet, and a second outlet communicating with the second inlet, the first flow path and the second flow path communicating with each other The venturi passage may include a motor that is connected to the impeller and transmits power.

In addition, the first housing outlet and the second housing outlet may be formed toward the same direction.

In addition, an end diameter of the first housing outlet may be smaller than an inner diameter of the first inlet.

In addition, an end diameter of the second housing outlet may be smaller than an inner diameter of the second inlet.

In addition, the venturi flow path communicates the first flow path and the second flow path, and a point between the first inlet and the first outlet and a point between the second inlet and the second outlet may communicate with each other. .

In addition, the position of the venturi flow path may at least partially overlap with the position of the end of the first housing outlet.

In addition, the end of the first housing outlet may be located in the center of the venturi flow path.

In addition, the position of the venturi flow path may at least partially overlap with the position of the end of the second housing outlet.

Also, an end of the outlet of the second housing may be located at the center of the venturi flow path.

In addition, at least one of the first outlet and the second outlet may be formed to be positioned on the same line as at least one of the first inlet and the second inlet.

Also, when the motor rotates the impeller clockwise, a water flow may be formed in the first flow path, and a portion of the water flow formed in the second flow path may be supplied to the first flow path by the venturi flow path.

In addition, when the motor rotates the impeller counterclockwise, a water flow is formed in the second flow path, and a portion of the water flow formed in the first flow path may be supplied to the second flow path by the venturi flow path. .

The flow path conversion pump according to various embodiments of the present invention may minimize the flow loss of wash water by forming a flow path in the tangential direction of the rotation of the impeller.

The flow path conversion pump according to various embodiments of the present invention can minimize the wash water flowing into the venturi flow path in an unintended direction.

The flow path conversion pump according to various embodiments of the present invention may be easily assembled by minimizing the number of parts.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a washing machine to which a flow path conversion pump according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an interior view of a washing machine including a flow path conversion pump according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a flow path conversion pump according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3 .

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have a meaning or role distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including an ordinal number, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that the other component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no other element is present in the middle.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a clothes processing apparatus 100 to which a flow path conversion pump according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 2 is an interior view of the clothes processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the appearance.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the clothing processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may include a main body 101 , a drum 110 (refer to FIG. 2 ), a tub 120 (refer to FIG. 2 ), and a door 102 . have.

The main body 101 according to an exemplary embodiment forms the outer shape of the clothes processing apparatus 100 , includes a drum 110 and a tub 120 therein, and includes a driving motor for rotation of the drum 110 , and various other types. parts can be embedded.

The drum 110 according to an embodiment is rotatably installed inside the main body 101, and laundry can be put therein. The drum 110 may be rotatably supported by a supporter (not shown) in front and rear.

The tub 120 according to an embodiment includes a drum 110 therein, and may serve to separate the drum 110 and the inner space of the main body 101 . It is possible to prevent the washing water flowing into the drum 110 from leaking into the inside of the main body 101 during the washing process.

The door 102 according to an embodiment is rotatably installed on the front surface of the main body 101 and can open and close the front of the drum 110 . For example, the door 102 may have a disk shape, and may be hinged to the front surface of the main body 101 .

In addition to this, a storage container (not shown) that accommodates detergent and fabric softener and can be withdrawn to the outside of the main body 101, a plurality of elastic members for supporting the drum 110 and suppressing vibration ( (not shown), a damper (not shown), and a driving motor (not shown) for rotating the drum 110 may be provided.

On the lower side of the drum 110 according to an embodiment, a flow path conversion pump ( 200) may be provided. A plurality of legs 103 may be disposed at a lower portion of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 to be supported by being spaced apart from the ground by a predetermined height.

The laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may include a heat exchanger, a fan motor 150 , a compressor 160 , and a compressor support (not shown) for supporting the compressor 160 . Also, the clothes treatment apparatus 100 includes a flow path conversion pump 200 , a drain hose 140 , and a drain connection pipe (not shown).

The flow path conversion pump 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be located below the clothes processing apparatus 100 . The flow path conversion pump 200 pumps wash water to the first housing outlet 221 (refer to FIG. 3), the first inlet 231a (refer to FIG. 3) and the first outlet 231b by driving the motor 240 (refer to FIG. 3). , see FIG. 3) to perform a circulation process to move toward the tub 120, or to transfer wash water to the second housing outlet 223 (refer to FIG. 3), the second inlet 233a (refer to FIG. 3) and the second outlet (233b, see FIG. 3) It is possible to perform the draining process of discharging to the outside by a single motor 240.

3 is a perspective view of a flow path conversion pump 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3 .

In describing the flow path conversion pump 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a direction may be defined and used for better understanding. For example, the first direction is a direction that simultaneously looks at the motor 240 and the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223, and refers to a direction toward the lower left corner based on the illustrated state of FIG. 3 . can The second direction may mean a direction perpendicular to the first direction and facing upward based on the illustrated state of FIG. 3 . The third direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and may mean a lower right direction based on the illustrated state of FIG. 3 .

The above direction definition is intended to help the understanding of the present invention and is not absolute, and if any one direction reference is changed, the other direction reference may also be changed in response thereto.

3 to 4 , the flow path conversion pump 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an inlet pipe 210 , an impeller housing 220 , a flow path converter 230 , and a motor 240 . can

The inlet pipe 210 according to an embodiment may deliver or store water for recirculation to the tub 120 (see FIG. 2 ) or water to be drained after washing is completed to the impeller housing 220 . As such, water supplied to the inlet pipe 210 may be collectively defined as washing water. The inlet pipe 210 has a pipe shape, and one side may be supplied with wash water from the tub 120 or the outside, and the other side may be closed with an openable and openable stopper 211 . The stopper 211 may be opened or closed by a user's selection, and by removing the stopper 211 , washing water accumulated in the inlet pipe 210 may be removed or foreign substances may be removed. A hole may be formed in the outer circumferential surface of the inlet pipe 210 to communicate with the impeller housing 220 . A hole for connecting to the impeller housing 220 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inlet pipe 210 , thereby breaking the inflow path of the wash water. Through this, it is possible to prevent foreign substances that may be mixed with the wash water from being directly introduced into the impeller 225 (refer to FIG. 4 ) and being damaged. More specifically, when the inflow path of the wash water is broken once, the heavy foreign substances among the foreign substances introduced with the flow of the wash water move toward the stopper 211 due to inertia and prevent the inflow into the impeller housing 220 side. It can act as a structural filter.

The impeller housing 220 according to an exemplary embodiment communicates with a hole formed in an outer circumferential surface of the inlet pipe 210 and may receive wash water through the hole. The impeller housing 220 may include an impeller 225 connected to the motor 240 and rotating in an arbitrary direction. For example, the impeller 225 may rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the rotation direction of the motor 240 . According to the rotation direction of the impeller 225 as described above, the flow of wash water in the flow path conversion pump 200 may be changed. In addition, by controlling the rotation direction and speed of the motor 240, it is operated at a high speed in the draining process to quickly discharge water, and in the circulation process, it is operated at a relatively low speed compared to the draining process to prevent unnecessary noise and power consumption. can do.

The impeller housing 220 according to an embodiment may include a first housing outlet 221 and a second housing outlet 223 . The first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 may be formed in parallel with the rotation direction of the impeller 225 in a tangential direction. For example, if the first housing outlet 221 is formed side by side with respect to the tangential direction when the impeller 225 rotates clockwise, the first housing outlet 221 is formed in parallel with respect to the tangential direction when the impeller 225 rotates counterclockwise. The two housing outlets 223 may be formed side by side. The flow loss of wash water generated by the impeller 225 can be minimized by disposing the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 in a tangential direction with respect to the rotation direction of the impeller 225 . . Diameters of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 may vary as they extend from the impeller housing 230 . More specifically, the diameter of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 may be formed to be smaller than the diameter of the other end of the other end facing the impeller housing 220 side. As the diameters of the other ends of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 are formed to be smaller, the flow rates of the wash water discharged from the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 are will rise

In other words, a pressure higher than a certain level is required to supply the wash water to the flow path converter 230 to be described later. That is, wash water can be smoothly supplied to the flow path converter 230 only when the washing water is supplied at a pressure higher than a certain level by the rotation of the impeller 225 . This allows washing water to be supplied only to the flow path of the flow path converter 230 intended according to the rotation direction of the impeller 225 , and it is possible to minimize the supply of washing water in an unintended direction in the opposite direction.

The first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 according to an embodiment may be disposed to face the same direction. By disposing the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 to face in the same direction, it is easy to connect to the flow path converter 230 and to introduce wash water, which will be described later, and to reduce the volume of the flow path converter 230 . can

The flow path converter 230 according to an embodiment may include a first flow path 231 , a second flow path 233 , and a venturi flow path 235 .

The first flow path 231 according to an embodiment may include a first inlet 231a and a first outlet 231b. The first inlet 231a according to an embodiment may be coupled to communicate with the first housing outlet 221 , and extends along the direction in which the first housing outlet 221 is formed, and the water flow generated by the impeller 225 . It minimizes flow loss and can receive wash water. Wash water introduced through the first inlet 231a may be discharged to the first outlet 231b.

The second flow path 233 according to an embodiment may include a second inlet 233a and a second outlet 233b. The second inlet 233a according to an embodiment may be coupled to communicate with the second housing outlet 223 , and extends along the direction in which the second housing outlet 221 is formed, and the water flow generated by the impeller 225 . It minimizes flow loss and can receive wash water. Wash water introduced through the second inlet 233a may be discharged to the second outlet 233b.

The venturi flow path 235 according to an embodiment may communicate the first flow path 231 and the second flow path 233 with each other. More specifically, the venturi flow path 235 may communicate a point between the first inlet 231a and the first outlet 231b and a point between the second inlet 233a and the second outlet 233b. . For example, the first flow passage 231 and the second flow passage 233 may communicate with each other in the third direction based on the illustrated state of FIG. 3 .

The position of the venturi flow path 235 according to an exemplary embodiment may be formed to overlap other ends of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 . In particular, the ends of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 may be positioned at the center of the venturi flow path 235 .

As described above, the diameter of the other end of the first housing outlet 221 and the second housing outlet 223 of the impeller housing 220 is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the one end, so that the first passage 231 and the second passage Wash water flowing into (233) can be distinguished. However, depending on the rotation speed of the impeller 225 and the amount of wash water, wash water may still flow into an unintended flow path. For example, even though the impeller 225 rotates clockwise to supply wash water to the first flow path 231 , some wash water may be introduced into the second flow path 233 . In this case, the venturi flow path 235 may allow the wash water flowing into the second flow path 233 to flow into the first flow path 231 . More specifically, since the wash water flowing inside the first flow path 231 is supplied with the washing water according to the rotation of the impeller 225 , the flow rate may flow faster than the wash water flowing inside the second flow path 233 . In this case, at the other end of the first housing outlet 221 , the flow velocity may be formed the fastest and the pressure may be formed low due to the venturi effect. Due to the lowered pressure, the wash water in the second flow path 233 may be introduced into the first flow path 231 along the venturi flow path 235 .

The reverse case may be similar. When the impeller 225 rotates counterclockwise to supply wash water to the second flow path 233 , the flow velocity at the other end of the second housing outlet 223 may be the fastest. At the same time, since the pressure at the other end of the second housing outlet 223 is low, the wash water flowing into the first flow path 231 may flow back into the second flow path 233 . Through this, it is possible to prevent the washing water from being supplied to an unintended flow path.

As described above, by supplying wash water by generating different water flows in the two flow paths according to the rotation direction of the impeller 225 , one motor 240 can serve as two pumps. For example, when the first outlet 231b is connected to a circulation pipe (not shown) connected to the tub 120, it can serve as a circulation pump, and the second outlet 233b is connected to the drain hose 140 (see FIG. 2). When connected to, it can act as a drain pump.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the present invention.

The above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

200: euro conversion pump 210: inlet pipe
220: impeller housing 221: first housing outlet
223: second housing outlet 225: impeller
230: euro converter 231: first euro
233: 2nd Euro 235: Venturi Euro
240: motor

Claims (12)

an inlet pipe leading to a flow of water;
A first housing outlet and a first housing connected to the inlet pipe to receive the water introduced from the inlet pipe, to have an impeller built therein, and to be formed in parallel with the tangential direction of the impeller rotation corresponding to the direction in which the impeller rotates an impeller housing including a two-housing outlet;
a first flow path including a first inlet communicating with the first housing outlet and a first outlet communicating with the first inlet;
a second flow path including a second inlet communicating with the second housing outlet and a second outlet communicating with the second inlet;
a venturi flow path connecting the first flow path and the second flow path to each other; and
A flow path conversion pump comprising a; a motor connected to the impeller to transmit power. According to claim 1,
The first housing outlet and the second housing outlet are formed to face the same direction. 3. The method of claim 2,
An end diameter of the first housing outlet is smaller than an inner diameter of the first inlet. 4. The method of claim 3,
The end diameter of the second housing outlet is smaller than the inner diameter of the second inlet. According to claim 1,
The venturi flow path communicates the first flow path and the second flow path, and a point between the first inlet and the first outlet and a point between the second inlet and the second outlet are in communication with each other. 6. The method of claim 5,
A position of the venturi flow path at least partially overlaps with a position of an end of the first housing outlet. 7. The method of claim 6,
The end of the first housing outlet is located in the center of the venturi flow path conversion pump. 6. The method of claim 5,
The position of the venturi flow path at least partially overlaps with the position of the end of the outlet of the second housing. 9. The method of claim 8,
The end of the second housing outlet is located in the center of the venturi flow path conversion pump. According to claim 1,
At least one of the first outlet and the second outlet is formed to be positioned on the same line as at least one of the first inlet and the second inlet. According to claim 1,
When the motor rotates the impeller clockwise, a water flow is formed in the first flow path, and a portion of the water flow formed in the second flow path is supplied to the first flow path by the venturi flow path. According to claim 1,
When the motor rotates the impeller counterclockwise, a water flow is formed in the second flow path, and a portion of the water flow formed in the first flow path is supplied to the second flow path by the venturi flow path.

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