Drying washing machine and inner barrel flange thereof

Abstract

The utility model provides a drying washing machine and an inner barrel flange thereof. The drying washing machine comprises an inner barrel rotationally arranged in an outer barrel, and further comprises a drying channel communicated with the outer barrel and the inner barrel; the inner barrel flange is arranged on the outer side face of the barrel bottom of the inner barrel and can be used for cooling gas and condensing water vapor in the gas; and a water outlet of the cooling water pipeline is arranged in the outer barrel and supplies cooling water to the surface of the flange of the inner barrel. According to the drying washing machine, a tubular condenser in the prior art is directly omitted, the open inner barrel flange is used as the condensing disc, the purpose of saving limited equipment space is achieved, and further miniaturization of the drying washing machine is facilitated. The open inner barrel flange does not have the environment defects of darkness, moisture and easiness in dirt containing of the condensation pipe, and can be continuously cleaned in the washing process, so that bacterium breeding can be effectively avoided. Therefore, a cleaning mechanism does not need to be additionally arranged when the inner barrel flange is used as the condensing disc, and meanwhile physical and psychological health of a user can be guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of washing machine technology, specifically to a drying washing machine and its inner tub flange. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, washing machines and dryers work by heating wet clothes with a heating element, causing the water to change from a liquid to a gaseous state and detach from the clothes. There are two main methods for handling water vapor: direct discharge and condensation into liquid. Because water vapor is hot, safety precautions must be taken when discharging it directly to avoid scalding people and objects. Therefore, large or industrial dryers usually have exhaust ducts leading outdoors to directly discharge water vapor. However, household washing machines and dryers need to be adapted to various workplaces such as balconies, kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and laundry rooms, where it is not feasible to install pipes to discharge high-temperature water vapor outdoors. Therefore, they generally choose to condense the water vapor into liquid before discharging it into the sewer or a water collection box.

[0003] In the prior art, the condenser is generally set up independently of the washing tub. A similar technical solution was disclosed on April 27, 2011 by a utility model patent entitled "Drying Equipment" with announcement number CN20180965U. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a conventional washing machine dryer system. The drying system of a conventional washing machine mainly relies on a closed circulation path formed by connecting the drying tunnel, condenser pipes, connecting pipes, and the washing tub end to end. A fan in the drying tunnel drives air to circulate; heating elements in the drying tunnel continuously provide heat to heat the air, which in turn heats the damp clothes inside the tub, causing the moisture to evaporate into water vapor and mix with the hot air. The hot air carrying the water vapor continues to flow and enters the condenser pipe, where the water vapor re-condenses into liquid water and is discharged from the condenser with cooling water. The drying process relies on the transfer of water in different forms within the circulation path to transfer the liquid water on the clothes to the condenser for discharge. After 2-4 hours of continuous drying, the clothes are completely dried.

[0004] The problem with the aforementioned existing technology is that when a separate condenser system is installed at the rear of the inner drum in a washing machine, it inevitably occupies space at the rear of the device, resulting in an increase in the size of the washing / drying equipment. This is not conducive to the miniaturization and compactness of such household appliances. In addition, it is necessary to consider that the condenser will accumulate a lot of dirt over a long period of operation. As a semi-open pipe, its internal cleaning is not easy to achieve, which is also detrimental to user health. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to make clothes handling equipment such as dryers more compact and to improve the hygiene of such equipment, this utility model provides a dryer and its inner drum flange.

[0006] This utility model provides a drying washing machine, comprising:

[0007] Outer drum;

[0008] The inner tub is rotatably disposed inside the outer tub;

[0009] The drying tunnel is connected to the outer barrel and is used to heat the gas and drive the gas to circulate between the outer barrel and the drying tunnel.

[0010] An inner flange is disposed on the outer side of the bottom of the inner barrel, and at least a portion of the surface of the inner flange is used for condensing water vapor in the gas; and

[0011] The cooling water pipeline has its outlet located inside the outer tank, supplying cooling water to the flange surface of the inner tank.

[0012] Preferably, the inner flange includes a plurality of feet extending radially from the center of the inner flange in a circumferential direction, and two adjacent feet are connected by an extended web; the feet and the web form the condensation surface of the inner flange.

[0013] Preferably, the foot is further provided with reinforcing ribs that protrude toward the inner barrel along its extension direction.

[0014] Preferably, the bottom of the inner tub has a positioning groove corresponding to the reinforcing ribs of the inner tub flange.

[0015] Preferably, a flow hole is provided at the bottom of the inner tub where it is not covered by the inner tub flange, and a water-blocking rib is provided at one end of the flow hole on the outer surface of the inner tub, which is higher than the outer surface of the inner tub.

[0016] Preferably, the airflow inlet (3E) of the drying tunnel is opened on the outer barrel and is located axially between the bottom of the outer barrel and the bottom of the inner barrel.

[0017] Preferably, during the drying process, the water flowing from the outlet of the cooling water pipeline is constantly sprayed onto the inner drum flange.

[0018] Preferably, the distance between the water outlet and the center of the outer barrel does not exceed 60mm.

[0019] And / or, the distance between the outlet of the cooling water pipe and the inner tank flange is 2-5mm.

[0020] And / or, the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet is 150±100mm. 2 .

[0021] This utility model also provides an inner barrel flange, the inner barrel flange including a plurality of feet extending radially from the center of the inner barrel flange in a circumferential direction, and two adjacent feet are connected by an extended web; the feet and the web form the condensation surface of the inner barrel flange.

[0022] Preferably, a reinforcing rib is provided on the foot of the inner barrel flange along its extending direction. The reinforcing rib forms a strip-shaped protrusion on one side of the inner barrel flange and a groove extending along the foot on the other side of the inner barrel flange.

[0023] This invention directly eliminates the tubular condenser found in existing technologies, using an open inner tub flange as the condenser tray, thus saving limited equipment space and facilitating further miniaturization of the dryer / washing machine. The open inner tub flange eliminates the dark, damp, and easily accumulating environment of condenser coils, allowing for continuous cleaning during the washing process and effectively preventing bacterial growth. Therefore, using the inner tub flange as the condenser tray eliminates the need for a separate cleaning mechanism, while also ensuring the user's health and well-being. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dryer washing machine in the prior art;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the dryer / washing machine of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the inner barrel flange 4 of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the inner drum flange 4 on the inner drum 2 in this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the cooling water pipeline 5 in this application.

[0029] In the picture:

[0030] 1: Outer drum; 2: Inner drum; 21: Positioning groove; 22: Flow hole; 221: Water-blocking rib; 3: Drying tunnel; 31: Heating device; 32: Air supply device; 3E: Airflow inlet; 3O: Airflow outlet; 4: Inner drum flange; 41: Foot; 42: Webbed plate; 43: Reinforcing rib; 5: Cooling water pipeline; 51: Water outlet; 6: Condensate pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In this specification, the dimensions in the drawings do not represent actual size proportions. The drawings are only used to illustrate the relative positional and connection relationships between the components. Components with the same name or the same reference numerals represent similar or identical structures and are limited to illustrative purposes.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a conventional dryer washing machine. It includes an inner tub 2 that rotates within an outer tub 1, and a gas pipeline connecting the inner and outer tubs. This gas pipeline includes a drying tunnel 3 and a condenser pipe 6. During the drying operation, gas circulates between the inner tub 2, outer tub 1, condenser pipe 6, and drying tunnel 3. Hot air heated in the drying tunnel 3 enters the inner tub 2 and circulates between the outer and inner tubs, causing water on the clothes in the inner tub 2 to evaporate into water vapor. This vapor is then carried by the gas through the outer tub 1 into the condenser pipe 6, where it condenses into liquid water before reheating in the drying tunnel. After a period of gas circulation, water on the clothes is continuously transferred to the condenser pipe 6 for condensation, thus achieving the drying function. Its disadvantage is that the presence of the condenser pipe 6 requires a certain amount of equipment volume, hindering the miniaturization of related equipment. Generally, the interior of the condenser pipe 6 is also difficult to maintain and clean effectively.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the dryer / washing machine of this application. The dryer / washing machine of this application aims to achieve condensation function while avoiding the need for a condenser pipe 6, thereby reducing the size of the equipment, solving its maintenance problems, and improving the hygiene level of the equipment. The dryer / washing machine includes an inner tub 2 that rotates within an outer tub 1. Through holes are distributed on the body of the inner tub 2 to connect the inner tub 2 and the outer tub 1, allowing water or gas to flow through. Generally, the rotation axis of the inner tub 2 is collinear with its axis. To provide the drying function, the dryer / washing machine also provides a drying tunnel 3 connecting the inner tub 2 and the outer tub 1 for supplying heated gas during drying. An inner tub flange 4 supporting the inner tub 2 is located on one side of the outer tub 1 at the bottom of the inner tub 2; the inner tub flange 4 also serves for water vapor condensation. For this purpose, the dryer / washing machine also includes a cooling water pipe 5, the outlet of which is located inside the outer tub.

[0034] During drying, the water from the cooling water pipe 5 flows onto the inner drum flange 4 to continuously cool the inner drum flange 4. When the hot gas containing water vapor flows out of the inner drum and passes through the inner drum flange 4 inside the outer drum, the water vapor in the gas condenses on at least a part of the surface of the inner drum flange 4 because the temperature of the inner drum flange 4 is lower.

[0035] In the dryer washing machine of this application, an inner tub flange is used to replace the condenser in the prior art to achieve water vapor condensation. During the drying process, the moisture on the clothes to be dried is transferred to the condenser and discharged, thus achieving the purpose of drying the clothes. The inner tub flange 4 serves as both a structural component of the dryer washing machine and a condenser tray, which eliminates the need for a separate condenser pipe 6. Therefore, it can save limited equipment space, which is beneficial for reducing the size of the equipment during product design, and further miniaturize the dryer washing machine.

[0036] The environment inside a condenser is characterized by normal temperature, darkness, humidity, and a tendency to accumulate dirt, making it highly susceptible to bacterial growth over long-term use. This, in turn, can negatively impact clothing hygiene during washing and drying, harming user health. The technical solution of this application eliminates the need for a condenser, using an open inner tub flange 4 as the condenser tray. The inner tub flange 4 not only avoids the aforementioned drawbacks of the condensation environment but also allows for continuous cleaning during the washing process, effectively preventing bacterial growth and improving the hygiene of the equipment, thus protecting user health. Furthermore, this eliminates the need for mechanisms for condenser tube filtration and cleaning, avoiding the space requirements associated with such mechanisms.

[0037] like Figure 2 In this embodiment, the drying tunnel 3 includes a heating device 31 and an air supply device 32. The air supply device 32 drives gas to flow from the inlet to the outlet of the drying tunnel 3, thereby achieving gas circulation within the internal space of the dryer. A fan, typically installed within the passage of the drying tunnel 3, is commonly used. The heating device 31 heats the circulating gas, allowing it to reheat after condensation and re-flow into the inner drum 2 from the outlet of the drying tunnel 3. The heating device 31 can typically be a heating element or similar device installed within the drying tunnel 3. The airflow outlet 30 of the drying tunnel 3 faces the opening of the inner drum 2, allowing hot air from the drying tunnel 3 to exit through the outlet 30 and enter the inner drum 2 through the inner drum opening.

[0038] During drying, gas enters the outer tub 1 through holes distributed throughout the tub body and flows around the inner tub flange 4 behind the inner tub, where it condenses. The airflow inlet 3E of the drying tunnel 3 is preferably located near the inner tub flange 4 on the outer tub, such as at the bottom of the outer tub or on the circumferential side wall near the bottom. In this case, due to the suction effect of the inner tub flange 4, the hot air entering the outer tub 1 from the inner tub 2 will effectively flow over the surface of the inner tub flange 4, thereby improving condensation efficiency. In a drum-type dryer, the inner tub 2 has holes in its wall and bottom to allow water and air to pass through, connecting the inner and outer tub spaces. The drum is horizontally positioned, and the drying tunnel 3 is generally located slightly above the outer circumferential surface of the outer tub 1, its height generally at least above the center line of the outer tub. Therefore, during washing operations, the problem of large amounts of wash water entering the drying tunnel or the wash water submerging the drying tunnel 3 can be largely avoided.

[0039] The inner drum flange 4 can be round, polygonal, or other shapes. It mainly connects the rotating shaft of the inner drum flange 4 and the bottom of the inner drum 2, so as to support and drive the inner drum 2 to rotate inside the outer drum 1. Figure 3 This is one embodiment of the inner tub flange 4. It has multiple feet 41 extending radially from the center of the inner tub flange 4 in a circumferential direction. Two adjacent feet 41 are connected by extended webs 42, and the feet 41 and webs 42 together form the condensation surface of the inner tub flange 4. The inner tub flange 4 supports the inner tub 2, its center is fixed to the shaft driving the inner tub 2, and its feet 41 are fixed to the bottom surface of the inner tub 2. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the foot 41 can be connected and fixed to the bottom of the inner tub 2 via several bolts at its end. A reinforcing rib 43 is also provided on the foot 41 of the inner tub flange 4 along its extending direction. The reinforcing rib forms a strip-shaped protrusion on the side of the inner tub flange 4 facing the inner tub, and a groove extending along the foot 41 on the side away from the inner tub. During condensation, the condensate flowing from the cooling water pipe 5 can not only be dispersed on the web 42 but also enter the reinforcing rib 43. Therefore, the reinforcing rib 43, in addition to strengthening, can also collect water and improve the cooling effect of the inner tub flange 4.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the inner tub flange 4 described above on the inner tub 2. The bottom of the inner tub 2 has a positioning groove 21 corresponding to the reinforcing rib on the inner tub flange 4. When the inner tub flange 4 is fixed to the bottom of the inner tub 2, the protrusion formed by its reinforcing rib is embedded in the positioning groove 21, realizing the circumferential positioning of the inner tub flange 4 on the inner tub 2. A flow hole 22 is provided on the part of the bottom of the inner tub 2 that is not covered by the inner tub flange 4. During drying, the hot gas carrying water vapor in the inner tub 2 is released not only from the holes in the side wall to the outer tub, but also from the flow hole 22 on its bottom to the outer tub, and flows over the surface of the inner tub flange 4 to facilitate the condensation of water vapor therein. It should also be noted that during the drying process, the inner tub flange 4 and the inner tub 2 as a whole can be configured to operate at a low speed at an appropriate speed, thereby promoting the flow of hot air in the outer tub over the surface of the inner tub flange 4 near its bottom, so as to further improve the condensation efficiency of the inner tub flange 4. To prevent the cooling water supplied by the cooling water pipe 5 from flowing out onto the surface of the inner tub flange 4 and then dripping onto the unblocked bottom of the inner tub flange 4, subsequently flowing back into the outer tub 1 through the flow hole 22 at the bottom of the inner tub flange 4, wetting the clothes inside and causing poor drying effect or reduced efficiency, a water-blocking rib 221 protruding outward from the outer surface of the inner tub is provided at one end of the flow hole 22. The presence of the water-blocking rib 221 ensures that even if the cooling water from the cooling water pipe 5 acts on the bottom of the inner tub 2, the water flow is mainly dispersed on the outer surface of the inner tub 2 divided by the water-blocking rib 221, and will not overflow the water-blocking rib 221 and flow back into the inner tub.

[0041] Figure 5 This is one embodiment of the installation method of the cooling water pipe 5. The outlet 51 of the cooling water pipe 5 is located at the bottom of the outer tub 1. To ensure that the water from the cooling water pipe 5 always flows onto the inner tub flange 4 during drying, so as to continuously cool the inner tub flange 4, the outlet 51 needs to be properly positioned. Typically, the outlet 51 is adapted to the shape of the inner tub flange 4 and is close to the center of the inner tub flange 4, so that during the rotary drying process, the projection of the outlet along its axis onto the bottom of the inner tub is always completely within the projection area of ​​the inner tub flange on the bottom of the inner tub.

[0042] The location of the outlet 51 is designed so that the cooling water drips onto the inner flange 4 near its center, allowing the cooling water to disperse and flow out along the foot 41 from the center to the end of the inner flange 4, ensuring that the cooling water covers and cools the surface of the inner flange 4. Due to the obstruction of the rotating shaft, the outlet 51 cannot be completely positioned at the center of the outer barrel 1, but generally, the distance between the outlet 51 and the center of the outer barrel 1 does not exceed 60mm. To achieve the expected cooling effect on the inner flange 4 and ensure condensation efficiency, the water flow rate of the outlet 51 is 0.5-3L / min. Based on this, the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet 51 is 150±100mm². 2 The distance between the water outlet 51 and the inner barrel flange 4 is about 2-5mm to ensure that the water pressure is appropriate, so that the water column can act on the inner barrel flange 4 near the center, and the cooling water can be gently sprayed on the surface of the inner barrel flange 4, ensuring good distribution of cooling water on the foot 41.

[0043] During the drying function, the heating device 31 and the air supply device 32 operate. Hot air enters the inner drum 2 from the drying tunnel 3 and dries the wet clothes in the inner drum 2. The moisture in the wet clothes evaporates into water vapor and enters the hot air. The hot air containing water vapor diffuses into the outer drum 1 through the holes in the inner drum wall and bottom. The cooling water pipe 5 supplies cooling water to ensure that the cooling water continuously flows and cools the surface of the inner drum flange 4. In the outer drum 1, the water vapor in the hot air condenses due to the coolness on and near the inner drum flange 4, thus cooling and drying the hot air, which then re-enters the drying tunnel 3 to continue circulating. During the drying process, the inner drum can rotate at a certain speed to ensure uniform cooling of the inner drum flange 4, improve the condensation effect, and increase condensation efficiency; at the same time, the rotation process also ensures sufficient contact between the hot air and the wet clothes, ensuring that the clothes are dried evenly. The rotation speed of the inner drum is generally controlled at 50±30 rpm, and the inner drum can be configured to rotate continuously or intermittently.

[0044] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of the present utility model. Any modifications and improvements made to the technical solution of the present utility model by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present utility model should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A drying washing machine, characterized in that, include: Outer drum; The inner tub is rotatably disposed inside the outer tub; The drying tunnel (3) is connected to the outer barrel. The drying tunnel (3) is used to heat the gas and drive the gas to circulate between the outer barrel (1) and the drying tunnel. An inner flange (4) is disposed on the outer side of the bottom of the inner barrel (2), and at least a portion of the surface of the inner flange (4) is used for condensing water vapor in the gas; and Cooling water pipe (5), the outlet (51) of the cooling water pipe (5) is located inside the outer barrel (1) and supplies cooling water to the surface of the inner barrel flange (4).

2. The drying washing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner flange (4) includes a plurality of feet (41) extending radially from the center of the inner flange (4) in the circumferential direction, and two adjacent feet (41) are connected by extended webs (42); the feet (41) and the webs (42) form the condensation surface of the inner flange (4).

3. The drying washing machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The foot (41) is also provided with a reinforcing rib (43) protruding toward the inner barrel along its extension direction.

4. The drying washing machine as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the inner barrel (2) has a positioning groove (21) corresponding to the reinforcing rib (43) of the inner barrel flange (4).

5. The drying washing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A flow hole (22) is provided on the bottom of the inner barrel (2) where it is not covered by the inner barrel flange (4). A water-blocking rib (221) that extends above the outer surface of the inner barrel is provided at one end of the flow hole (22) on the outer surface of the inner barrel (2).

6. The drying washing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The airflow inlet (3E) of the drying tunnel (3) is opened on the outer barrel (1) and is located in the axial direction of the outer barrel between the bottom of the outer barrel and the bottom of the inner barrel.

7. The drying washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, During the drying process, the water flowing from the outlet (51) of the cooling water pipeline (5) is constantly sprayed onto the inner barrel flange.

8. The drying washing machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The distance between the outlet (51) and the center of the outer barrel (1) shall not exceed 60mm. And / or, the distance between the outlet (51) of the cooling water pipe (5) and the inner barrel flange (4) is 2-5 mm. And / or, the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet (51) is 150±100mm2.

9. An inner barrel flange, characterized in that, The inner flange (4) includes a plurality of feet (41) extending radially from the center of the inner flange (4) in the circumferential direction, and two adjacent feet (41) are connected by extended webs (42); the feet (41) and the webs (42) form the condensation surface of the inner flange (4).

10. The inner barrel flange as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The foot (41) of the inner barrel flange (4) is also provided with reinforcing ribs along its extension direction. The reinforcing ribs form strip-shaped protrusions on one side of the inner barrel flange (4) and grooves extending along the foot (41) on the other side of the inner barrel flange (4).

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