Debris removal module and washing machine

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lint removing module and a washing machine. The lint removing module includes: a housing provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; a first baffle disposed in the housing and extending downward from the upper direction of the housing; a second baffle disposed in the housing and extending upward from the lower direction of the housing; wherein, along the air flow direction inside the housing, the lower end of the first baffle is located in front of the upper end of the second baffle; the air inlet and the air outlet are located on two opposite sides of the first baffle, and an air inlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air inlet, and an air outlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air outlet. By blocking and guiding the air flow through the baffles, the air flow can be brought into full contact with water, improving the lint removing efficiency and effect of the lint removing module, so as to improve the user experience of the washing machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of household appliances, and particularly relates to a lint removing module and a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] At present, washing machines are common household appliances in people's daily lives. With the continuous development of technology, washing machines with a drying function have been popularized. A washing machine with a drying function can not only normally wash clothes, but also dry the washed and spin-dried clothes.

[0003] Chinese Patent Application No. 201610172172.6 discloses a drying washing machine with a clothes care function. A drying module is configured in the washing machine. The drying module generates air flow by a blower and blows the air flow into the inner drum of the washing machine to dry the clothes in the inner drum. During the drying process, the air flow output from the inner drum of the washing machine can remove lint through the water seal formed in the air duct. However, during the drying process, the air flow generated by the blower is relatively strong. After the air flow passes through the water seal, the contact area between the air flow and water is limited, so that the effect and efficiency of lint removal are poor.

[0004] In view of this, how to design a technology with high lint removal efficiency and good effect is the technical problem to be solved by the present invention. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a lint removing module and a washing machine. A baffle is used to block and guide the air flow so that the air flow can fully contact with water, improving the lint removal efficiency and effect of the lint removing module and enhancing the user experience of the washing machine.

[0006] To achieve the above technical purpose, the present invention is realized by the following technical solutions:

[0007] In one aspect, the present invention provides a lint removing module, including:

[0008] A housing, the housing is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet;

[0009] A first baffle, the first baffle is arranged in the housing and extends downward from the upper part of the housing;

[0010] A second baffle, the second baffle is arranged in the housing and extends upward from the lower part of the housing;

[0011] Wherein, along the airflow direction inside the housing, the lower end of the first baffle is located on the front side of the upper end of the second baffle; the air inlet and the air outlet are located on two opposite sides of the first baffle, and an air inlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air inlet, and an air outlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air outlet.

[0012] Further, along the lateral projection direction of the housing, the lower end of the first baffle and the upper end of the second baffle form a projection overlapping area.

[0013] Further, a partition is provided in the housing, and the partition divides the interior of the housing into two independent first cavities and a second cavity. The first baffle and the second baffle are arranged in the first cavity. The air inlet and the air outlet communicate with the first cavity. A water passage is provided at the bottom of the partition, and the water passage communicates with the first cavity and the second cavity. An overflow port is further provided on the housing, and the overflow port communicates with the second cavity.

[0014] Further, a ventilation port is provided at the upper part of the partition, and the ventilation port communicates with the first cavity and the second cavity.

[0015] Further, the height of the lower edge of the first baffle is lower than the height of the overflow port.

[0016] Further, the overflow port includes a first sub-overflow port and a second sub-overflow port arranged vertically.

[0017] Further, the height of the upper edge of the second baffle is lower than that of the first sub-overflow port and higher than that of the second sub-overflow port.

[0018] Further, the lower end of the first baffle is bent towards the second baffle, and / or the upper end of the second baffle is bent towards the first baffle.

[0019] Further, a wind guiding part extending towards the air outlet area is provided at the upper part of the first baffle, and the wind guiding part is located above the second baffle.

[0020] Further, the wind guiding part extends obliquely downwards towards the lower part of the housing.

[0021] Further, the air outlet is located at the upper part of the housing, and at least one water baffle is further provided below the air outlet.

[0022] Further, a plurality of water baffles are provided, and the multiple water baffles are arranged at intervals vertically and are horizontally offset.

[0023] Further, a water inlet and a switchable drain port are further provided on the housing.

[0024] Further, a gap is formed between the lower end portion of the second baffle and the bottom surface of the housing.

[0025] In another aspect, the present invention further provides a washing machine, including an inner tub and a drying module. The drying module has a blowing port and a suction port. The blowing port is communicated with the inner tub, and the above-mentioned lint removing module is further included; the lint removing module includes: a housing, the housing is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; a first baffle, the first baffle is arranged in the housing and extends from the upper part to the lower part of the housing; a second baffle, the second baffle is arranged in the housing and extends from the lower part to the upper part of the housing; wherein, along the air flow direction inside the housing, the lower end portion of the first baffle is located in front of the upper end portion of the second baffle; the air inlet and the air outlet are located on two opposite sides of the first baffle, and an air inlet area is formed among the first baffle, the second baffle and the air inlet, and an air outlet area is formed among the first baffle, the second baffle and the air outlet; the air inlet of the lint removing module is communicated with the inner tub, and the air outlet of the lint removing module is communicated with the suction port.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of the present invention are: by configuring the first baffle and the second baffle in the housing, and dividing the interior of the housing into an air inlet area and an air outlet area by the first baffle and the second baffle. During use, water is added to the housing and the lower end portion of the first baffle is immersed in the water. The air flow introduced from the air inlet carries lint into the air inlet area. Since the lower end portion of the first baffle is immersed in the water and separates the air inlet area and the air outlet area, the air pressure in the air inlet area gradually increases, causing the water flow on the air inlet area side to flow towards the air outlet area. Eventually, the air flow enters the area between the first baffle and the second baffle from the bottom along the first baffle; the air flow fully contacts the water film on the surface of the first baffle to effectively clean the lint in the air flow; at the same time, the water in the housing is driven by the air flow to impact on the second baffle to form several water droplets, and the water droplets can more quickly and efficiently adsorb the lint in the air flow to further improve the lint removal efficiency and effect, so as to make the drying effect of the washing machine better and improve the user experience of the washing machine. Description of the Drawings

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the first embodiment of the lint removing module of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the sectional view taken along line A-A in

[0030] Figure 3 Figure 2 showing the second structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the wire debris removing module of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the sectional view taken along line B-B in

[0032] Figure 5 the exploded view of the first embodiment of the wire debris removing module of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 Figure 4 showing the reference view of the working state of the first embodiment of the wire debris removing module of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 the sectional view of the second embodiment of the wire debris removing module of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 the sectional view of the third embodiment of the wire debris removing module of the present invention. Detailed Embodiment

[0036] 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. Apparently, 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 scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms indicating directions or positional relationships such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. This is only for convenience of description and does not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] Embodiment 1, as shown in Figures 1-6As shown in the figure, this embodiment proposes a lint removal module, which includes a housing 1, a first baffle 2, and a second baffle 3. Among them, the housing 1 is provided with an air inlet 11 and an air outlet 12. The first baffle 2 is arranged in the housing 1 and extends downward from the upper part of the housing 1, and the second baffle 3 is arranged in the housing 1 and extends upward from the lower part of the housing 1. In addition, along the airflow direction inside the housing 1, the lower end of the first baffle 2 is located in front of the upper end of the second baffle 3. An air inlet area 101 is formed among the first baffle 2, the second baffle 3, and the air inlet 11, and an air outlet area 102 is formed among the first baffle 2, the second baffle 3, and the air outlet 12.

[0039] Specifically, when the lint removal module of this embodiment is actually used, it is assembled on a washing machine. The washing machine is usually configured with an inner drum 100 and a drying module 200. Among them, the drying module 200 is used to deliver dry air into the inner drum 100 and suck the humid air in the inner drum 100 to realize the circulating flow of air. The housing 1 in the lint removal module of this embodiment is connected between the inner drum 100 and the drying module 200. The humid air in the inner drum 100 enters the housing 1 through the air inlet 11. After lint removal treatment, it is then output to the drying module 200 through the air outlet 12 for air drying and heating, and then the high-temperature dry air is delivered to the inner drum 100 to realize the drying treatment of clothes. Regarding the specific physical entity of the drying module 200, the drying structure in a washing and drying integrated machine in the conventional technology can be adopted, which will not be limited and elaborated here.

[0040] As a preferred embodiment, a water inlet 15 is further provided on the housing 1 of the lint removal module of this embodiment, and a switchable drain port 16 is provided at the bottom of the housing 1. Water can be injected into the housing 1 through the water inlet 15, and the drain port 16 can discharge the water in the housing 1 to replace the water with new water. The water inlet 15 can complete the water inlet operation through the water inlet mechanism of the washing machine, and the drain port 16 can be controlled to be switched on and off by configuring a valve. The water inlet method of the water inlet 15 and the switching method of the drain port 16 are not limited here.

[0041] In order to enable the water injected into the housing 1 through the water inlet 15 to flow from the air inlet area 101 into the air outlet area 102 in time, this embodiment preferably designs that there is a gap between the lower end of the second baffle 3 and the bottom surface of the housing 1. For example, the second baffle 3 can be fixedly installed on the front side plate and the rear side plate of the housing 1 to meet the design requirements of installing and fixing the second baffle 3 in the housing 1 and forming a gap with the bottom surface of the housing 1.

[0042] During the drying process, a certain amount of water needs to be injected into the outer shell 1 first to use the water in the outer shell 1 to clean lint. Among them, when the drying module 200 is not started, the water level in the outer shell 1 needs to submerge the lower end of the first baffle 2. In this way, the air inlet area 101 and the air outlet area 102 can be separated by the first baffle 2 and the water in the outer shell 1. After the drying module 200 is started, the airflow carrying lint output from the inner cylinder 100 enters the air inlet area 101 in the outer shell 1 through the air inlet 11. Since the air inlet area 101 and the air outlet area 102 are separated by the first baffle 2 inserted in the water, under the action of air pressure, the water in the air inlet area 101 is pressed into the air outlet area 102. Finally, the airflow enters between the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3 through the bottom of the first baffle 2. When the airflow flows over the surface of the first baffle 2, the airflow makes full contact with the water layer on the surface of the first baffle 2 to achieve the effect of adsorbing lint. At the same time, under the action of the airflow, the water will impact the surface of the second baffle 3, and thus a large range of water splashes will be formed on the upper part of the second baffle 3. The airflow flowing between the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3 will be further cleaned by the generated water splashes, so as to achieve the purpose of efficiently removing lint in the airflow.

[0043] Preferably, along the lateral projection direction of the outer shell 1, the lower end of the first baffle 2 and the upper end of the second baffle 3 can form a projection overlapping area. Specifically, the lower end of the first baffle 2 is lower than the upper end of the second baffle 3 in height, so that the lower end of the first baffle 2 and the upper end of the second baffle 3 have a projection overlapping area in the lateral projection direction, so that after the airflow bypasses the bottom of the first baffle 2, it can be further guided by the second baffle 3 to flow. In this way, it can be ensured that the airflow can flow between the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3 and enter the air outlet area 102. When the airflow flows between the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3, on the one hand, it can make the airflow fully contact with the water layers on the surfaces of the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3 to remove lint, and on the other hand, it can also ensure that the airflow can fully contact with the water splashes generated by the second baffle 3 during the rising process, so as to effectively improve the efficiency of lint removal.

[0044] In some embodiments, a partition 13 may be further provided in the outer shell 1. The partition 13 divides the interior of the outer shell 1 into two independent first cavities a and second cavities b. A first baffle 2 and a second baffle 3 are provided in the first cavity a. The air inlet 11 and the air outlet 12 communicate with the first cavity a. A water passage opening 131 is provided at the bottom of the partition 13, and the water passage opening 131 communicates the first cavity a and the second cavity b. An overflow port 14 is provided on the outer shell 1, and the overflow port 14 communicates with the second cavity b. Specifically, as the drying process progresses, the hot air output from the inner cylinder 100 contains a large amount of moisture. The hot air enters the outer shell 1 and contacts the cold water in the outer shell 1, causing the moisture to condense and remain in the outer shell 1. In this way, the water level in the outer shell 1 will continue to increase, and an excessive water level will generate a large air resistance and affect the ventilation efficiency. Therefore, by configuring the overflow port 14 on the outer shell 1, the water level in the outer shell 1 can be automatically adjusted through the overflow port. At the same time, in order to reduce the problem of unsmooth overflow due to water surface oscillation during the lint removal process, the interior of the outer shell 1 is divided into two independent first cavities a and second cavities b by the partition 13. The water passage opening 131 provided at the bottom of the partition can ensure that the water levels in the first cavity a and the second cavity b are consistent when the drying module 200 stops working, so as to achieve the function of automatic drainage.

[0045] In order to avoid the situation where the water levels in the first cavity a and the second cavity b are different due to unequal air pressures, an air vent 132 is further provided at the upper part of the partition 13 in this embodiment. The air vent 132 communicates the first cavity a and the second cavity b. Specifically, the air vent 132 is provided at the top of the partition 13, and the first cavity a and the second cavity b are connected by an air path through the air vent 132 to ensure that the water levels in the first cavity a and the second cavity b are kept consistent when the drying module 200 is working.

[0046] Among them, when the overflow port 14 is provided on the outer shell 1, in order to ensure that the lower end of the first baffle 2 can be immersed below the water surface, the height of the lower edge of the first baffle 2 should be set lower than the height of the overflow port 14. In addition, for the overflow port 14, during the lint removal process, a large amount of foam will be generated when the water flow impacts the water in the outer shell 1. In order to avoid the foam causing unsmooth overflow, this embodiment designs the overflow port 14 to include a first sub-overflow port 141 and a second sub-overflow port 142 arranged up and down. The first sub-overflow port 141 is provided at the upper part for ventilation and discharging foam, while the second sub-overflow port 142 is provided at the lower part to play a role in water level adjustment. The lower end of the first baffle 2 needs to be lower than the second sub-overflow port 142, and the upper end of the second baffle 3 needs to be higher than the second sub-overflow port 142.

[0047] To better optimize the effect of removing lint, in this embodiment, it is preferably to bend the lower end of the first baffle 2 towards the second baffle 3. Specifically, after the air flow is guided by the lower end of the first baffle 2, it will flow towards the second baffle 3. On the one hand, it can make the air flow further guided by the second baffle 3 for lint removal. On the other hand, while the air flow flows upwards along the second baffle 3, it can also further impact the water layer above to form a larger range of water splashes.

[0048] Similarly, bend the upper end of the second baffle 3 towards the first baffle 2. Specifically, after the air flow guided by the second baffle 3 is guided by its upper end, it will flow towards the first baffle 2. In this way, the air flow can be transmitted back to the first baffle 2 for guiding flow again, so as to make full use of the water layer on the surface of the first baffle 2 to remove lint.

[0049] A more preferred solution is that both the lower end of the first baffle 2 and the upper end of the second baffle 3 are bent.

[0050] In some embodiments, a wind guiding part 21 extending towards the air outlet area 102 can also be arranged on the upper part of the first baffle 2. The wind guiding part 21 is located above the second baffle 3 and is farther away from the air inlet area 101 relative to the second baffle 3. Specifically, during the process that the air flow crosses the lower end of the first baffle 2 and continues to flow upwards along the first baffle 2, the air flow will be blocked and guided by the upper wind guiding part 21 to extend the residence time of the air flow in the housing 1, so as to realize that the air flow fully contacts with water for lint removal operation, and effectively improve the efficiency of lint removal. It is preferably designed that the wind guiding part 21 extends obliquely downwards. In this way, through the wind guiding part 21, the air flow can be guided to flow towards the water surface at the bottom again, so that the air flow impacts the water surface behind the second baffle 3 again for lint removal.

[0051] In addition, there are various forms for the specific structures of the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3. For example: the first baffle 2, the second baffle 3 and the guiding part 21 can all be designed into an arc structure (as Figure 4 shown), or all be designed into a bent arc structure (as Figure 8 shown); in this way, the air flow flowing between the lower end of the first baffle 2 and the upper end of the second baffle 3 can form a vortex to fully contact with water and improve the effect of lint removal; at the same time, the guiding part 21 located above the second baffle 3 can form a vortex air flow by guiding the air flow to further optimize the effect of lint removal. Similarly, as Figure 7 shown, the first baffle 2 and the second baffle 3 are also arranged as a hem structure to realize the blocking and guiding of the air flow.

[0052] As Figure 8As shown in the figure, in order to reduce the amount of water mist overflowing from the air outlet 12, it is preferable to provide at least one water baffle 17 inside the housing 1 and below the air outlet 12. When multiple water baffles 17 are provided, the multiple water baffles 17 should be arranged in a vertically spaced and horizontally offset manner. Specifically, the water baffle 17 is located below the air outlet 12. During the upward flow of the air, the air is blocked by the water baffle 17, which can block the water mist and entrained water droplets in the air, so as to reduce the amount of water mist entering the drying module 200, thereby improving the drying efficiency.

[0053] Embodiment 2, as Figure 6 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides a washing machine, which includes an inner drum 100, a drying module 200, and a lint removing module as described in Embodiment 1. The drying module 200 has a blowing port and a suction port. The blowing port is communicated with the inner drum 100. The air inlet 11 of the lint removing module is communicated with the inner drum 100, and the air outlet 12 of the lint removing module is communicated with the suction port of the drying module 200. When the washing machine is in the drying operation, the drying module 200 extracts the humid air from the inner drum 100, first enters the lint removing module through the air inlet 11 to remove the lint in the air; then, the humid air with the lint removed enters the suction port of the drying module 200 through the air outlet 12 of the lint removing module, and then flows into the drying module 200 to form a high-temperature drying air flow, and then flows into the inner drum 100 through the blowing port of the drying module 200 to dry the clothes in the inner drum 100, thus completing a cycle of the air flow. The air flow is controlled to flow repeatedly between the inner drum 100, the lint removing module, and the drying module 200 until the clothes in the inner drum 100 are dry. In this way, the washing machine of this embodiment realizes the function of removing lint synchronously during the drying process.

[0054] In this embodiment, the specific structural form of the washing machine is not limited herein. For the lint removing module, it can be built inside the housing of the washing machine to maintain the overall aesthetics of the washing machine.

[0055] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, for those of ordinary skill in the art, it is still possible to modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions required to be protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A lint removal module, characterized in that, Comprising: A housing, the housing being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; A first baffle, the first baffle being arranged in the housing and extending downward from the upper part of the housing; A second baffle, the second baffle being arranged in the housing and extending upward from the lower part of the housing; Wherein, along the air flow direction inside the housing, the lower end part of the first baffle is located on the front side of the upper end part of the second baffle; the air inlet and the air outlet are located on two opposite sides of the first baffle, and an air inlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air inlet, and an air outlet area is formed between the first baffle, the second baffle and the air outlet; along the horizontal projection direction of the housing, the lower end part of the first baffle and the upper end part of the second baffle form a projection overlapping area; A partition is further arranged in the housing, the partition divides the interior of the housing into two independent first cavities and a second cavity, the first baffle and the second baffle are arranged in the first cavity, the air inlet and the air outlet communicate with the first cavity, a water passing port is arranged at the bottom of the partition, the water passing port communicates the first cavity and the second cavity, and an overflow port is further arranged on the housing, the overflow port communicates with the second cavity; The overflow port comprises a first sub-overflow port and a second sub-overflow port which are arranged up and down.

2. The wire debris removal module according to claim 1, wherein A ventilation port is arranged at the upper part of the partition, the ventilation port communicates the first cavity and the second cavity.

3. The wire debris removing module according to claim 1, wherein The height of the lower edge of the first baffle is lower than the height of the overflow port.

4. The wire debris removing module according to claim 1, characterized in that The height of the upper edge of the second baffle is lower than the first sub-overflow port and higher than the second sub-overflow port.

5. The lint removing module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The lower end part of the first baffle is bent towards the second baffle, and / or the upper end part of the second baffle is bent towards the first baffle.

6. The lint removal module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that A wind guiding part extending towards the air outlet area is further arranged at the upper part of the first baffle, and the wind guiding part is located above the second baffle.

7. The lint removal module according to claim 6, wherein The wind guiding part extends obliquely downward towards the lower part of the housing.

8. The wire debris removing module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The air outlet is located at the upper part of the housing, and at least one water baffle is further arranged below the air outlet.

9. The lint removal module according to claim 8, wherein A plurality of water baffles are arranged, and the plurality of water baffles are arranged at intervals up and down and are horizontally offset.

10. The lint removal module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, A water inlet and a switchable drain port are further arranged on the housing.

11. The wire debris removing module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, A gap is formed between the lower end part of the second baffle and the bottom surface of the housing.

12. A washing machine, comprising an inner drum and a drying module, the drying module having a blowing port and a suction port, the blowing port being in communication with the inner drum, characterized in that, It further comprises a lint removing module according to any one of claims 1-11; the air inlet of the lint removing module is communicated with the inner cylinder, and the air outlet of the lint removing module is communicated with the suction port of the clothes drying module.

Images