Washing machine water level sensor

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of water level sensors, in particular to a washing machine water level sensor, comprising an upper shell and a lower shell connected together, an air intake passage integrally formed at the bottom of the lower shell, a detection device disposed between the upper shell and the lower shell, the detection device comprising an inductor coil support and a silicone diaphragm, the inductor coil support comprising a cylinder, a PCB support integrally formed at the upper part of the cylinder, a PCB board disposed at the upper part of the PCB support, the PCB board being electrically connected to the inductor coil wound around the middle of the cylinder, a diaphragm gland integrally formed at the bottom of the cylinder, the diaphragm gland being fixedly connected to the lower shell, the silicone diaphragm being sealed inside the lower shell by the diaphragm gland, the air intake passage being communicated with a chamber at the lower part of the silicone diaphragm, and a magnetic core used in conjunction with the inductor coil disposed at the upper part of the silicone diaphragm. The entire sensor structure of the device is more compact, more convenient and firm to assemble, reasonable in structural design, and longer in service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of water level sensors, and in particular to a washing machine water level sensor. Background Art

[0002] The washing machine water level sensor has a simple structure and is easy to control. It is widely used in low-end, mid-end and high-end washing machines. The washing machine water level sensor provides a LC oscillation circuit resonant frequency to the washing machine computer board, and the washing machine computer board automatically controls and adjusts the washing machine water level according to the oscillation circuit resonant frequency signal. Different assembly methods in the sensor manufacturing process will directly affect the use effect of the sensor and also affect the assembly efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem that the sensor assembly method in the prior art is unreasonable, which affects the assembly efficiency and use effect, and to propose a washing machine water level sensor.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A washing machine water level sensor is designed, comprising an upper shell and a lower shell connected together, an air intake passage integrally formed at the bottom of the lower shell, a detection device disposed between the upper shell and the lower shell, the detection device comprising an inductor coil support and a silicone diaphragm, the inductor coil support comprising a cylinder, a PCB support integrally formed at the upper portion of the cylinder, a PCB board disposed at the upper portion of the PCB support, the PCB board being electrically connected to the inductor coil wound around the middle portion of the cylinder, a diaphragm gland integrally formed at the bottom of the cylinder, the diaphragm gland being fixedly connected to the lower shell, the silicone diaphragm being sealed inside the lower shell by the diaphragm gland, the air intake passage being communicated with a chamber at the lower portion of the silicone diaphragm, and a magnetic core used in conjunction with the inductor coil disposed at the upper portion of the silicone diaphragm.

[0006] Preferably, the upper shell and the lower shell are fixed together by means of a snap connection.

[0007] Preferably, the lower shell is a stepped structure, and a limiting circular ring is integrally formed on the upper part of the bottom layer of the lower shell.

[0008] Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the silicone diaphragm is a wavy structure, the bottom surface of the edge of the silicone diaphragm that contacts the lower shell is provided with an integrally formed annular protrusion, a downwardly recessed limiting groove is provided in the middle of the silicone diaphragm, an upwardly protruding limiting protrusion is provided in the middle of the limiting groove, and a second spring is coaxially sleeved between the limiting groove and the limiting ring.

[0009] Preferably, a connecting component is provided on the upper part of the silicone diaphragm, and the connecting component includes an integrally formed ejection sleeve and a support plate, the ejection sleeve passes through the support plate, the support plate is in contact with the horizontal surface of the silicone diaphragm, and the ejection sleeve is clamped between the limiting protrusion and the limiting groove, the magnetic core is sleeved on the ejection sleeve, and the magnetic core is inserted into the cylinder.

[0010] Preferably, a limiting plug is inserted into the top of the magnetic core, and the magnetic core is pressed onto the supporting plate of the connecting assembly through the limiting plug. A nut is threadedly connected to the top of the cylinder, a hexagonal groove is provided on the top of the nut, and a cylindrical protrusion is provided at the bottom end of the nut. A first spring is provided between the nut and the magnetic core, and the top end of the first spring is sleeved on the cylindrical protrusion, and the bottom end of the first spring is sleeved on the limiting plug.

[0011] Preferably, a first pressure relief hole is provided on one side of the diaphragm gland, a second pressure relief hole is provided on one side of the cylinder, and the second pressure relief hole is placed between the nut and the magnetic core.

[0012] Preferably, a wiring harness plate is integrally formed on the cylinder, and two symmetrically arranged cross-slot recesses are provided on the wiring harness plate.

[0013] Preferably, a circular hole is opened at the center of the PCB board, the cylinder passes through the PCB board, a first undercut is arranged in the circumference of the cylinder, and the PCB board is fixed together with the cylinder by the first undercut.

[0014] Preferably, a notch is provided on one side of the upper shell, the notch corresponds to the position of the PCB board, a second horizontally arranged guide strip is provided on the side wall of the notch, two horizontally arranged guide plates are fixedly connected to the upper part of the notch, a second undercut is provided on the bottom of the guide plate located on the lower side, and a first guide strip is provided on the PCB board bracket.

[0015] The washing machine water level sensor proposed in the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the entire sensor structure of the device is more compact, the space occupancy of the sensor is reduced, the PCB board is installed more firmly and will not shake, ensuring that the connecting wire of the inductor coil can always remain in a relatively static state with the PCB board, thereby increasing the service life of the sensor; the entire inductor coil bracket adopts an integrated structural design, which reduces the number of parts used, reduces the assembly process, and improves the sensor assembly efficiency; the middle position of the silicone diaphragm is set to a concave-convex structure, which can effectively fix the position of the connecting component; when the silicone diaphragm moves up and down, the magnetic core can rise and fall stably, greatly reducing the degree to which the magnetic core is disturbed by the outside world; a pressure relief hole is set to reduce the water level measurement deviation and improve the measurement accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional half-section structure schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a half-section front view structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional half-section explosion structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall appearance of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a half-section structure of a silicone membrane of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the internal three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the wiring harness plate structure of the present invention.

[0023] In the figure: air intake channel 1, limiting ring 2, limiting groove 3, limiting protrusion 4, silicone diaphragm 5, first pressure relief hole 6, PCB board bracket 7, nut 8, upper shell 9, first spring 10, second pressure relief hole 11, PCB board 12, limiting plug 13, cylinder 14, diaphragm gland 15, magnetic core 16, connecting assembly 17, lower shell 18, second spring 19, first guide strip 20, second guide strip 21, guide plate 22, winding protrusion 23, cross-slot recess 24, first undercut 25, wiring harness plate 26. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0025] Reference Figure 1-7 The washing machine water level sensor comprises an upper shell 9 and a lower shell 18 connected together. The upper shell 9 and the lower shell 18 are fixed together by a buckle connection method. The upper and lower shells are snapped together by the buckle method to improve the sensor assembly efficiency. The lower shell 18 is a stepped structure. The adoption of this design makes the entire sensor structure more compact and reduces the sensor space occupancy rate. An integrally formed air intake channel 1 is provided at the bottom of the lower shell 18, and a detection device is provided between the upper shell 9 and the lower shell 18;

[0026] The detection device includes an inductor coil support and a silicone diaphragm 5. The inductor coil support includes a cylinder 14. A PCB board support 7 is integrally formed on the upper part of the cylinder 14. A PCB board 12 is provided on the upper part of the PCB board support 7. The PCB board 12 is electrically connected to the inductor coil wound around the middle of the cylinder 14. Figure 3 , Figure 6, a circular hole is opened at the center of the PCB board 12, the cylinder 14 passes through the PCB board 12, and a first undercut 25 is arranged in the circumferential direction of the cylinder 14. The PCB board 12 is fixed together with the cylinder 14 by the first undercut 25. The PCB board 12 adopts a central circular hole design. When installing, the PCB board 12 is directly sleeved on the cylinder 14, and then pressed down to complete the installation of the PCB board 12. This installation method is very convenient, and the PCB board 12 is installed more firmly without shaking, ensuring that the connecting wire of the inductor coil can always maintain a relatively static state with the PCB board 12, thereby improving the service life of the sensor. Figure 1-3 A diaphragm gland 15 is integrally formed at the bottom of the cylinder 14, the diaphragm gland 15 is fixedly connected to the lower shell 18, a buckle is provided on the inner side of the lower shell 18, and an annular protrusion is provided on the outer edge of the diaphragm gland 15, the diaphragm gland 15 and the lower shell 18 are clamped and fixed together by the buckle and the annular protrusion, the silicone diaphragm 5 is sealed inside the lower shell 18 by the diaphragm gland 15, the entire inductor coil bracket adopts an integrally formed structural design, which reduces the number of parts used, reduces the assembly process, and improves the sensor assembly efficiency, the air inlet channel 1 is connected to the chamber at the bottom of the silicone diaphragm 5, and the upper part of the silicone diaphragm 5 is provided with a magnetic core 16 used in conjunction with the inductor coil.

[0027] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 5 , a limiting ring 2 is integrally formed on the upper part of the bottom layer of the lower shell 18, and the cross-sectional shape of the silicone diaphragm 5 is a wavy structure. The wavy design of the silicone diaphragm 5 is conducive to the up and down movement of the middle position of the silicone diaphragm 5, and the elastic recovery performance is better. The bottom surface of the edge of the silicone diaphragm 5 is provided with an integrally formed annular protrusion at the surface in contact with the lower shell 18. When the silicone diaphragm 5 is pressed by the diaphragm gland 15, the existence of the annular protrusion improves the sealing performance of the diaphragm gland 15. A downwardly concave limiting groove 3 is provided in the middle of the silicone diaphragm 5, and an upwardly protruding limiting protrusion 4 is provided in the middle of the limiting groove 3. A second spring 19 is coaxially sleeved between the limiting groove 3 and the limiting ring 2. The second spring 19 is arranged at the bottom of the silicone diaphragm 5, which can play a good supporting role for the silicone diaphragm 5 and extend the service life of the silicone diaphragm 5. At the same time, the second spring 19 can be directly sleeved between the silicone diaphragm 5 and the lower shell 18, without the support of other auxiliary parts, effectively improving the assembly efficiency;

[0028] refer to Figure 1A connecting component 17 is provided on the upper part of the silicone diaphragm 5. The connecting component 17 includes an integrally formed ejector sleeve and a support plate. The ejector sleeve passes through the support plate. The support plate contacts the horizontal surface of the silicone diaphragm 5, and the ejector sleeve is clamped between the limiting protrusion 4 and the limiting groove 3. The middle position of the silicone diaphragm 5 is set to a concave-convex structure, which can effectively fix the position of the connecting component 17 and ensure the stable up and down movement of the connecting component 17. The magnetic core 16 is sleeved on the ejector sleeve, and the magnetic core 16 is inserted into the cylinder 14. A limiting plug 13 is inserted on the top of the magnetic core 16. The magnetic core 16 is pressed on the connecting On the supporting plate of the connecting component 17, a nut 8 is threadedly connected to the top of the cylinder 14, a hexagonal groove is opened on the top of the nut 8, and a cylindrical protrusion is provided at the bottom end of the nut 8. A first spring 10 is provided between the nut 8 and the magnetic core 16. The top end of the first spring 10 is sleeved on the cylindrical protrusion, and the bottom end of the first spring 10 is sleeved on the limiting plug 13. Under the action of the limiting plug 13 and the first spring 10, the magnetic core 16 is fixed on the connecting component 17. When the silicone diaphragm 5 moves up and down, the magnetic core 16 can rise and fall stably, which greatly reduces the degree of external interference on the magnetic core 16 and improves the detection accuracy of the sensor.

[0029] Since the water level sensor uses air pressure to push the magnetic core to complete the movement of cutting magnetic flux lines for water level detection, the air pressure inside the sensor will also have a certain impact on the sensor detection accuracy. In order to improve the sensor detection accuracy, a first pressure relief hole 6 is provided on one side of the diaphragm cover 15, and a second pressure relief hole 11 is provided on one side of the cylinder 14. The second pressure relief hole 11 is placed between the nut 8 and the magnetic core 16. When the gas pushes the silicone diaphragm 5 to move upward, the air cavity between the silicone diaphragm 5 and the diaphragm cover 15 will be reduced, and the air pressure inside the chamber will increase. A first pressure relief hole 6 is provided to balance the air pressure inside the chamber with the external air pressure, thereby ensuring that when the silicone diaphragm 5 moves upward, there will be no detection deviation due to changes in the air pressure in the upper chamber. At the same time, the second pressure relief hole can quickly balance the air pressure inside the cylinder to improve the detection accuracy.

[0030] refer to Figure 6-7 In order to facilitate the winding of the enameled wire, a wiring harness plate 26 is integrally formed on the cylinder 14. The wiring harness plate 26 is provided with two symmetrically arranged cross-slot recesses 24. The enameled wire can be limited by the wiring harness plate 26. At the same time, the design of the cross-slot recess 24 facilitates the use of the enameled wire across the slot, making the installation of the enameled wire more convenient.

[0031] refer to Figure 3-4In order to facilitate the electrical connection between the external control system and the PCB board 12, a notch is provided on one side of the upper shell 9, and the notch corresponds to the position of the PCB board 12. A horizontally arranged second guide strip 21 is provided on the side wall of the notch. Two horizontally arranged guide plates 22 are fixedly connected to the upper part of the notch. A second undercut is provided at the bottom of the guide plate 22 disposed at the lower side. A first guide strip 20 is provided on the PCB board bracket 7. Multiple guide components are provided to ensure that the external components and the PCB board 12 are stably and securely connected together.

[0032] Working principle: The air pipe of the washing machine water drum is connected to the air inlet channel 1. When the washing machine is filled with water, the gas enters the air cavity below the silicone diaphragm 5 through the air inlet channel 1, and the silicone diaphragm 5 is pushed up by the gas, causing the magnetic core 16 to move upward. When the magnetic core moves, it cuts the electromagnetic wire of the inductor coil, thereby causing the inductance of the inductor coil to change. The water level is determined by this change.

[0033] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technical solution, conception, and design obtained by equivalent replacement or modification of the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A washing machine water level sensor, comprising an upper shell (9) and a lower shell (18) connected together, wherein an integrally formed air intake passage (1) is provided at the bottom of the lower shell (18), and a detection device is provided between the upper shell (9) and the lower shell (18), wherein: The detection device comprises an inductor coil support and a silicone diaphragm (5), wherein the inductor coil support comprises a cylinder (14), wherein a PCB board support (7) is integrally formed on the upper part of the cylinder (14), wherein a PCB board (12) is provided on the upper part of the PCB board support (7), wherein the PCB board (12) is electrically connected to the inductor coil wound around the middle part of the cylinder (14), wherein a diaphragm pressure cover (15) is integrally formed on the bottom of the cylinder (14), wherein the diaphragm pressure cover (15) is fixedly connected to a lower shell (18), wherein the silicone diaphragm (5) is sealed inside the lower shell (18) by the diaphragm pressure cover (15), and wherein the air inlet passage (1) and the chamber below the silicone diaphragm (5) are connected to each other. The upper part of the silicone diaphragm (5) is provided with a magnetic core (16) used in conjunction with the inductor coil; the top of the cylinder (14) is threadedly connected with a nut (8); one side of the diaphragm gland (15) is provided with a first pressure relief hole (6); one side of the cylinder (14) is provided with a second pressure relief hole (11); the second pressure relief hole (11) is located between the nut (8) and the magnetic core (16); a circular hole is opened at the center of the PCB board (12); the cylinder (14) passes through the PCB board (12); a first undercut (25) is circumferentially provided on the cylinder (14); the PCB board (12) is fixedly connected to the cylinder (14) by the first undercut (25).

2. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper shell (9) and the lower shell (18) are fixed together by means of a snap connection.

3. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower shell (18) is a stepped structure, and a limiting circular ring (2) is integrally formed on the upper part of the bottom layer of the lower shell (18).

4. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the silicone diaphragm (5) is a wavy structure. The bottom surface of the edge of the silicone diaphragm (5) in contact with the lower shell (18) is provided with an integrally formed annular protrusion. A downwardly recessed limiting groove (3) is provided in the middle of the silicone diaphragm (5). An upwardly protruding limiting protrusion (4) is provided in the middle of the limiting groove (3). A second spring (19) is coaxially sleeved between the limiting groove (3) and the limiting circular ring (2).

5. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that: A connecting assembly (17) is provided on the upper part of the silicone diaphragm (5), and the connecting assembly (17) comprises an ejection sleeve and a support plate which are integrally formed, the ejection sleeve passes through the support plate, the support plate is in contact with the horizontal surface of the silicone diaphragm (5), and the ejection sleeve is clamped between the limiting protrusion (4) and the limiting groove (3), the magnetic core (16) is sleeved on the ejection sleeve, and the magnetic core (16) is inserted into the cylinder (14).

6. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that: A limiting plug (13) is inserted into the top of the magnetic core (16), and the magnetic core (16) is pressed onto a support plate of the connecting assembly (17) through the limiting plug (13). A hexagonal groove is formed on the top of the nut (8), and a cylindrical protrusion is formed at the bottom of the nut (8). A first spring (10) is provided between the nut (8) and the magnetic core (16), and the top end of the first spring (10) is sleeved on the cylindrical protrusion, and the bottom end of the first spring (10) is sleeved on the limiting plug (13).

7. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A wiring harness plate (26) is integrally formed on the cylinder (14), and two symmetrically arranged cross-slot recesses (24) are provided on the wiring harness plate (26).

8. The washing machine water level sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A notch is provided on one side of the upper shell (9), the notch corresponding to the position of the PCB board (12), a second guide strip (21) is provided on the side wall of the notch in a horizontal position, two guide plates (22) are fixedly connected to the upper part of the notch in a horizontal position, a second undercut is provided at the bottom of the guide plate (22) located at the lower side, and a first guide strip (20) is provided on the PCB board bracket (7).

Images