A dehumidification structure and a washer-dryer having the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a dehumidification structure and a washing and drying machine having the same, which relates to the technical field of washing devices. The dehumidification structure includes a heat exchange main body, which includes an upper cover and a lower cover. The upper cover and the lower cover form a cavity having an air inlet and an air outlet. A plurality of baffle ribs are formed in the cavity. The plurality of baffle ribs cooperate to form a flow channel between the upper cover and the lower cover. The flow channel is provided with a throttling channel formed by a plurality of expansion and contraction units connected in series along the directions of the air inlet and the air outlet. The throttling channel cools and condenses the humid hot steam passing through it. By means of the expansion and contraction units, the hot steam flowing through the dehumidification structure is cooled, decelerated and condensed, effectively reducing the condensation problem at the front end of the water box of the washing and drying machine having this dehumidification structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of washing, and more particularly to a dehumidification structure and a washer-dryer having the same. Background Art

[0002] At present, washer-dryers have become a popular trend. An air duct is added to the washing machine for drying clothes. During the drying process, the hot steam in the drum enters the water box through the exhaust pipe. Due to the temperature difference change, condensation occurs. A large amount of condensed water droplets appear inside the water box and at the handle. When pulled out, water droplets will drip. Various solutions have been designed for the competing products in the market to improve the condensation phenomenon, but the effects are not satisfactory.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a new technical solution to better improve the condensation problem of the washer-dryer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a dehumidification structure and a washer-dryer having the same. Through the structural design of the dehumidification structure, the air flow pressure of the hot steam passing through the dehumidification structure shows a changing trend, reducing the speed of the hot steam air flow, allowing more condensation of the hot steam inside the structure, thereby reducing the temperature and humidity when the air flow enters the front end of the water box. Connecting the dehumidification structure between the water box and the drum of the washer-dryer enables the hot steam in the drum to be completely condensed before entering the water box, so that condensation inside the water box and at the handle will be slight or no longer occur.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A dehumidification structure includes a heat exchange main body, the heat exchange main body includes an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover and the lower cover form a cavity having an air inlet and an air outlet, a plurality of ribs are formed in the cavity, and the plurality of ribs cooperate to form a flow channel between the upper cover and the lower cover. The flow channel is provided with a throttling channel formed by a series connection of a plurality of expansion and contraction units along the direction of the air inlet and the air outlet, and the throttling channel has a cooling and condensation effect on the passing hot and humid steam.

[0006] Further optionally, the expansion and contraction unit includes a large space flow channel for expanding the steam flow area and a small space flow channel for reducing the steam flow area. When the steam enters the expansion and contraction unit, it first enters the large space flow channel and then enters the small space flow channel from the large space flow channel.

[0007] Further optionally, the plurality of expansion and contraction units are arranged in different directions, so that the steam continuously turns when flowing through the throttling channel, and the flow area repeatedly changes in the order of expansion - contraction - expansion - contraction.

[0008] Further optionally, the air inlet is arranged on the large volume flow channel of the first expansion and contraction unit through which the air flow passes, and the air outlet is arranged on the small volume flow channel of the last expansion and contraction unit through which the air flow passes.

[0009] Further optionally, the flow channel includes a front portion and a rear portion, wherein the front portion is designed as a throttling channel formed by connecting the plurality of expansion and contraction units in series, and the rear portion is designed as a throttling channel formed by a plurality of narrow straight channels; or the front portion of the flow channel is designed as a throttling channel formed by a plurality of narrow straight channels, and the rear portion is designed as a throttling channel formed by connecting the plurality of expansion and contraction units in series.

[0010] Further optionally, a water storage tank recessed inward is provided in the flow channel for collecting condensed water in the flow channel.

[0011] Further optionally, the air inlet and the air outlet are provided on a first side surface of the dehumidification structure, and the water storage tank is provided on a second side surface of the dehumidification structure opposite to the first side surface.

[0012] Further optionally, the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged in parallel, and the water storage tank is equidistant from the air inlet and the air outlet.

[0013] Further optionally, the rib is a straight rib and / or a bent or folded rib.

[0014] The present invention also provides a washing and drying machine, which includes a laundry treatment cylinder and a water box, and the dehumidification structure described above is connected between the laundry treatment cylinder and the water box.

[0015] Further optionally, the dehumidification structure is connected to the laundry treatment cylinder and the water box through a corrugated pipe.

[0016] A dehumidification structure and a washing and drying machine having the same provided by the present invention achieve the following beneficial effects through the design of the structure of the dehumidification structure:

[0017] 1. A rib is provided inside the dehumidification structure, and the flow path is designed to have expansion and contraction unit spaces. The hot steam enters the large space from the intake pipe, then enters another large space through the small space, and repeats this process, and finally flows out from the front end of the water box. The overall layout changes the flow velocity of the air flow, thereby achieving the effect of condensing the hot steam;

[0018] 2. A water storage tank is designed inside the dehumidification structure, and the accumulated water in it plays a positive role in condensation;

[0019] 3. The dryer with this dehumidification structure is connected to the water box and the drum of the dryer through a corrugated pipe. The assembly is simple. After solving the problem of water box condensation during the drying process of the dryer, the water droplets formed by condensation in the water box become fewer, and the water box will not be diluted because the water droplets formed by condensation enter the laundry detergent. There will also be no water leakage caused by the pooling due to severe condensation at the bottom or the front end of the water box. In addition, since the hot steam in the drum condenses outside the water box and the temperature drops when it enters the water box, the parts inside the water box will not deform due to being in a high-temperature environment for a long time. When the condensation phenomenon is severe, water droplets will form at the handle buckle of the water box, and users will touch the water droplets when pulling out the water box, and water droplets will drip during the pulling process. Solving the condensation problem solves the problem of user experience. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] By referring to the accompanying drawings and describing its exemplary embodiments in detail, the above and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. The following described drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0021] Figure 1 : Front view of the dehumidification structure in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 : Left view of the dehumidification structure in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 : Top view of the lower cover of the dehumidification structure in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 : Front view of the upper cover of the dehumidification structure in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 : Right view of the water box of the dryer in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 : Top view of the water box of the dryer in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the figure:

[0028] 1 - Water box; 11 - Water receiving hopper; 12 - Flow channel plate; 2 - Dehumidification structure; 21 - Upper cover; 22 - Lower cover; 23 - Baffle rib; 24 - Water storage tank; 25 - Large space flow channel; 26 - Small space flow channel; 27 - Air inlet; 28 - Air outlet; 3 - Corrugated pipe; 4 - Screw; 5 - Small clamp; 6 - Large clamp Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "the" and "said" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. "Plural" generally includes at least two, but does not exclude the case of including at least one.

[0031] It should also be noted that the term "comprises", "comprising" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a commodity or system including a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such commodity or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the commodity or system including said element.

[0032] Embodiment

[0033] As Figures 1-6 shown, this embodiment provides a washing and drying machine, which includes a water box 1 and a laundry treatment cylinder, and a dehumidification structure 2 is connected between the two. The dehumidification structure 2 includes a heat exchange main body 2, and the heat exchange main body 2 includes an upper cover 21 and a lower cover 22. The upper cover 21 and the lower cover 22 form a cavity having an air inlet 27 and an air outlet 28. A plurality of baffle ribs 23 are formed in the cavity. The plurality of baffle ribs 23 cooperate to form a flow channel between the upper cover 21 and the lower cover 22. The flow channel is provided with a throttling channel formed by a plurality of expansion and contraction units in series along the directions of the air inlet 27 and the air outlet 28. The throttling channel has a cooling and condensation effect on the humid hot steam passing through it.

[0034] During the drying process of the washing and drying all-in-one machine, the hot steam enters the dehumidification structure 2. The flow channel and the baffle ribs 23 in the dehumidification structure 2 play a certain role in reducing the speed and temperature of the hot steam. At the same time, the expansion and contraction units also reduce the flow rate and temperature of the hot steam, effectively solving the problem of condensation at the front end of the water box 1 of the washing and drying machine.

[0035] As Figures 3-4As shown in the figure, to improve the assembly efficiency of the dehumidification structure 2, preferably, the upper cover 21 and the lower cover 22 are connected by multiple buckles. Further preferably, multiple buckles are designed on the upper cover 21 of the dehumidification structure 2 for fitting and assembling with the lower cover 22 of the dehumidification structure 2. To improve the sealing performance of the dehumidification structure 2, preferably, in addition to the buckle connection, concave grooves are designed on the upper cover 21 and the lower cover 22 of the dehumidification structure 2, which can achieve a sealing effect and prevent hot steam from overflowing from the mating part of the dehumidification structure 2.

[0036] Regarding the setting of the specific expansion and contraction unit, preferably, the expansion and contraction unit includes a large-space flow channel 25 that expands the steam flow area and a small-space flow channel 26 that reduces the steam flow area. When the steam enters the expansion and contraction unit, it first enters the large-space flow channel 25 and then enters the small-space flow channel 26 from the large-space flow channel 25. Further preferably, multiple expansion and contraction units are arranged in different directions, so that the steam continuously turns when flowing through the throttling channel, and the flow area repeatedly changes in the sequence of expansion - contraction - expansion - contraction. Further preferably, the air inlet 27 is arranged on the large-volume flow channel of the first expansion and contraction unit through which the air flows, and the air outlet 28 is arranged on the small-volume flow channel of the last expansion and contraction unit through which the air flows.

[0037] Different from the above design of the flow channel structure of the dehumidification structure 2, the following design is adopted in this embodiment. Preferably, the flow channel includes a front part and a rear part, where the front part is designed as a throttling channel composed of multiple expansion and contraction units connected in series, and the rear part is designed as a throttling channel composed of multiple narrow straight channels; or the front part of the flow channel is designed as a throttling channel composed of multiple narrow straight channels, and the rear part is designed as a throttling channel composed of multiple expansion and contraction units connected in series.

[0038] As Figures 2-3 As shown in the figure, to further improve the condensation effect of the dehumidification structure 2, preferably, an inwardly concave water storage tank 24 is provided in the flow channel to collect the condensed water in the flow channel. To increase the condensation effect of the water storage tank 24, preferably, the air inlet 27 and the air outlet 28 are arranged on the first side surface of the dehumidification structure 2, and the water storage tank 24 is arranged on the second side surface of the dehumidification structure 2 opposite to the first side surface. Further preferably, the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged in parallel, and the water storage tank 24 is equidistant from the air inlet 27 and the air outlet 28. Preferably, a section of the water storage tank 24 is provided on the lower cover 22 of the dehumidification structure 2, where the water droplets formed by the condensation of the hot steam in the dehumidification structure 2 can gather, and after cooling, it plays a positive role in the condensation of the hot steam.

[0039] In addition to the above solutions, to improve the condensation effect of the dehumidification structure 2, other aspects can also be considered. In this embodiment, preferably, the baffle rib 23 is a straight baffle rib 23 and / or a bent or folded baffle rib 23.

[0040] As Figures 5-6As shown in the figure, to improve the assembly efficiency, preferably, the dehumidification structure 2 is connected to the laundry treatment drum and the water tank 1 through a corrugated pipe 3. That is, the corrugated pipe 3 includes an intake corrugated pipe 3 connected to the intake port 27 of the dehumidification structure 2 and an exhaust corrugated pipe 3 connected to the exhaust port 28 of the dehumidification structure 2. Preferably, the water tank 1 includes a water receiving hopper 11 and a flow channel plate 12, which are connected by a buckle. The water receiving hopper 11 and the exhaust corrugated pipe are connected by a large clamp 6. Both the exhaust corrugated pipe and the intake corrugated pipe are respectively connected to the exhaust port 28 and the intake port 27 of the dehumidification structure 2 through small clamps 5. The dehumidification structure 2 and the flow channel plate 12 are connected by screws 4.

[0041] Preferably, the washer-dryer is an electric heating washer-dryer integrated machine.

[0042] In the washer-dryer provided in this embodiment, during the drying process of the washer-dryer, the hot steam flowing out of the laundry treatment drum enters from the intake port of the dehumidification structure, passes through the flow channel inside the dehumidification structure 3, and then is discharged from the air outlet hole. The layout of the rectified dehumidification structure presents a mode of large space and small space circulation. The hot steam enters the channel from the intake hole and first enters the large space. The air flow diffuses, the air flow velocity decreases, and then passes through the small space and enters another large space. Repeating like this, when the air flow reaches the air outlet hole of the dehumidification structure, the speed decreases a lot, the flow velocity is slow, the time that the air flow exists in the channel is long, and the time for cooling in the channel will also become long. As a result, the air flow becomes drier and the temperature is lower when it is discharged from the air outlet hole. When the temperature and flow velocity of the air flow reaching the water tank of the washer-dryer decrease a lot, the condensation phenomenon at the front end of the water tank can be solved.

[0043] In summary, the present invention provides a dehumidification structure, which includes a heat exchange main body. The heat exchange main body includes an upper cover and a lower cover. The upper cover and the lower cover form a cavity with an intake port and an exhaust port. A plurality of baffle ribs are formed in the cavity. The cooperation of the plurality of baffle ribs forms a flow channel between the upper cover and the lower cover. The flow channel is provided with a throttling channel formed by a plurality of expansion and contraction units connected in series along the direction of the intake port and the exhaust port. The throttling channel has a cooling and condensing effect on the wet and hot steam passing through it. By the expansion and contraction unit, the hot steam flowing through the dehumidification structure is cooled, decelerated and condensed, effectively reducing the condensation problem at the front end of the water tank of the washer-dryer with this dehumidification structure.

[0044] The present invention provides a dehumidification structure and a washer-dryer having the same, which are not limited to those described in the specification and the embodiments. Therefore, any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the structure, features and principles of the scope of the patent application of the present invention should be included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dehumidification structure for connecting a laundry drum and a water box of a dryer; characterized in that: It includes a heat exchange main body, and the heat exchange main body (2) includes an upper cover (21) and a lower cover (22). The upper cover (21) and the lower cover (22) form a cavity with an air inlet (27) and an air outlet (28). A plurality of baffle ribs (23) are formed in the cavity. The plurality of baffle ribs (23) cooperate to form a flow channel between the upper cover (21) and the lower cover (22). The flow channel is provided with a throttling channel formed by a plurality of expansion and contraction units connected in series along the directions of the air inlet (27) and the air outlet (28). The throttling channel has a cooling and condensation effect on the humid heat steam passing through it. Each of the expansion and contraction units includes a large-space flow channel (25) for expanding the steam flow area and a small-space flow channel (26) for reducing the steam flow area. When the steam enters the expansion and contraction unit, it first enters the large-space flow channel (25) and then enters the small-space flow channel (26) from the large-space flow channel (25). The plurality of expansion and contraction units are arranged in different directions, so that the steam continuously turns when flowing through the throttling channel, and the flow area repeatedly changes in the pattern of expansion - contraction - expansion - contraction. A water storage tank (24) recessed inward is provided in the flow channel for collecting the condensed water in the flow channel. The air inlet (27) and the air outlet (28) are arranged on the first side surface of the heat exchange main body (2), and the water storage tank (24) is arranged on the second side surface of the heat exchange main body (2) opposite to the first side surface.

2. The dehumidification structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet (27) is arranged on the large-volume flow channel of the first expansion and contraction unit through which the air flows in, and the air outlet (28) is arranged on the small-volume flow channel of the last expansion and contraction unit through which the air flows in.

3. The dehumidification structure according to claim 1, characterized in that The flow channel includes a front part and a rear part. The front part is designed as a throttling channel formed by connecting a plurality of expansion and contraction units in series, and the rear part is designed as a throttling channel composed of a plurality of narrow straight channels; or the front part of the flow channel is designed as a throttling channel composed of a plurality of narrow straight channels, and the rear part is designed as a throttling channel formed by connecting a plurality of expansion and contraction units in series.

4. The dehumidification structure according to claim 1, wherein The first side surface and the second side surface are arranged in parallel, and the water storage tank (24) is equidistant from the air inlet (27) and the air outlet (28).

5. The dehumidification structure according to claim 1, wherein: The baffle rib (23) is a straight baffle rib (23) and / or a bent or folded baffle rib (23).

6. A washing and drying machine, characterized in that: It includes a clothes treatment drum and a water box (1), and a dehumidification structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is connected between the clothes treatment drum and the water box (1).

7. The dryer according to claim 6, wherein: The heat exchange main body (2) is connected to the clothes treatment drum and the water box (1) through a corrugated pipe (3).

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