Steam generator of a laundry treating apparatus, washing machine

Abstract

The present application provides a steam generator of a clothes treatment device, comprising a generator body arranged in the clothes treatment device, the generator body comprising: a shell provided with a cavity containing steam; a thick-film heating assembly in a tubular structure to form a channel; the channel is communicated with the cavity; liquid water injected into the cavity enters the channel, is heated by the thick-film heating assembly to form steam, and is guided into a clothes containing drum of the clothes treatment device; the channel extends vertically to make the scale attached to the surface of the channel to separate from the surface of the channel under the action of gravity. The present application also provides a washing machine. The steam generator of the present application has a small volume of the thick-film heating assembly, reduces the occupied space of the steam generator in the clothes treatment device; the thick-film heating assembly is in a tubular structure, increases the contact area with the liquid water, and improves the heating effect; the thick-film heating assembly extends vertically, and the surface is not easy to accumulate scale.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a steam generator of a clothes treatment device and a washing machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] In addition to the basic washing function, the clothes treatment device has other functions, such as adding a steam generator to provide steam stain removal, steam drying, steam wrinkle removal, steam sterilization and the like. The heating element of the steam generator currently used in the clothes treatment device is usually a heating pipe, and the size of the heating pipe is large, resulting in a large overall size of the steam generator. However, the internal space of the washing machine is limited, and the application of the steam generator with a large size has limitations. In addition, scale is easily formed on the surface of the heating element during the heating process. SUMMARY

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present application provides a steam generator of a clothes treatment device, which has fast heating and is not easy to accumulate scale on the surface of the thick film heating assembly.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present application realizes the following technical scheme.

[0005] The first object of the present application is to provide a steam generator of a clothes treatment device, which comprises a generator body arranged in the clothes treatment device, wherein the generator body comprises:

[0006] a shell having a cavity for containing steam;

[0007] a thick film heating assembly in a tubular structure for forming a channel;

[0008] The channel is in communication with the cavity, and liquid water injected into the cavity enters the channel, is heated by the thick film heating assembly to form steam, and is guided out to a clothes containing drum of the clothes treatment device;

[0009] The channel extends vertically so that scale easily adhered to the surface of the channel is separated from the surface of the channel under the action of its own gravity.

[0010] Preferably, the thick film heating assembly and the shell are clamped together to form an outer shell structure of the generator body.

[0011] Preferably, a plurality of first baffles are arranged in the shell to form a first surrounding wall structure which partially surrounds the gas outlet of the shell with the inner wall of the shell.

[0012] The steam in the cavity contacts the first surrounding wall structure, and the heat of the steam is conducted through the first surrounding wall structure, so that liquid water molecules condense on the surface of the first surrounding wall structure to separate the liquid water molecules from the gaseous water molecules in the steam, thereby reducing the liquid water molecules discharged through the gas outlet.

[0013] Preferably, the generator body is provided with a liquid level sensor to obtain the current water level information in the shell.

[0014] Preferably, the shell is provided with a second baffle to form a second surrounding wall structure surrounding the outer periphery of the liquid level sensor, so as to block the steam in the cavity from contacting the liquid level sensor.

[0015] Preferably, the shell is provided with at least one flow limiting part to block the water level in the cavity from falling too fast.

[0016] Preferably, the first baffle of the shell is vertically arranged, and the first baffle is opposite to the at least one flow limiting part of the shell.

[0017] Preferably, the thick film heating assembly is in a cylindrical shape.

[0018] Preferably, the thick film heating assembly is provided with a flange, and the thick film heating assembly is connected to the shell through the flange.

[0019] Preferably, the generator body is provided with a temperature control switch to cut off the power supply of the thick film heating assembly when the temperature of the thick film heating assembly exceeds a temperature threshold.

[0020] Preferably, the generator body is provided with a terminal to electrically connect the electrode end of the thick film heating assembly to the control circuit of the clothes treatment device, so that the resistance heating layer of the thick film heating assembly is switched on or off through the on-off of the control circuit.

[0021] Preferably, one end of the thick film heating assembly is connected to the cavity through a sealing tube.

[0022] Preferably, the other end of the thick film heating assembly, which is away from the cavity, is fixed to a sealing cover.

[0023] The second object of the present application is to provide a washing machine comprising a cabinet, wherein the cabinet is provided with a steam generator of a clothes treatment device as described above; the water inlet of the generator body is connected to a water pipe in the cabinet of the washing machine, and the gas outlet of the generator body is connected to the inner drum of the washing machine to provide steam to the inner drum of the washing machine.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0025] The steam generator provided by the application has good heating effect, small volume of the thick film heating assembly, high space utilization, and is beneficial to the miniaturization of the overall size of the generator body, greatly reduces the occupied space of the steam generator in the clothes treatment device, and has wide application range. The thick film heating assembly has a tubular structure, increases the contact area with liquid water, and improves the heating effect. Further, the thick film heating assembly extends in the vertical direction, so that the surface area of the thick film heating assembly is left under the action of gravity, and thus the scale attached to the surface of the channel is separated from the surface of the channel under the action of gravity, and the amount of the surface area of the thick film heating assembly is reduced, that is, the thick film heating assembly is not easy to accumulate scale.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, at least one flow limiting portion is arranged in the cavity of the shell to reduce the flow rate of the water flow in the cavity into the channel, so as to reduce the noise caused by the vortex generated by the water flow into the channel.

[0027] The above description is only a summary of the technical scheme of the application. In order to make the technical means of the application more clearly understood and implemented according to the content of the description, the following will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the application and the accompanying drawings. The specific embodiments of the application are described in detail by the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the application, and form a part of the application. The schematic embodiments of the application and the description thereof are used to explain the application, and do not constitute an improper limitation on the application. In the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 is a sectional view of the generator body of the application;

[0030] Figure 2 is an exploded structural schematic view of the generator body of the application;

[0031] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of the first shell of the application;

[0032] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of the second shell of the application;

[0033] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of the thick film heating assembly of the application;

[0034] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of the generator body of the application.

[0035] In the drawings:

[0036] 1, generator body;

[0037] 10. Shell; 11. Cavity; 12. First baffle; 13. Second baffle; 14. Water inlet; 15. Air outlet; 161. First flow restrictor; 1611. First cavity; 1612. First notch; 162. Second flow restrictor; 1621. Second cavity; 1622. Second notch; 1623. Flow guide channel; 171. First shell; 172. Second shell;

[0038] 20. Thick film heating assembly; 21. Channel; 22. Heat-conducting plate; 23. Inner insulating dielectric layer; 24. Resistance heating layer; 25. Electrode terminals;

[0039] 30. Liquid level sensor;

[0040] 40. Flange;

[0041] 50. Terminal blocks;

[0042] 60. Sealed tube;

[0043] 70. Sealing cap;

[0044] 80. Sealing ring;

[0045] 91. Automatic temperature control switch; 92. Manual temperature control switch;

[0046] 1001, First cover; 1002, Second cover. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will make the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the invention more apparent, enabling those skilled in the art to practice it upon referring to the text of the specification. In the drawings, shapes and dimensions are enlarged for clarity, and the same reference numerals are used throughout the figures to indicate the same or similar parts. In the following description, terms such as center, thickness, height, length, front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper, lower, etc., are used based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. In particular, “height” corresponds to the dimension from top to bottom, “width” corresponds to the dimension from left to right, and “depth” corresponds to the dimension from front to back. These relative terms are for ease of explanation and are not generally intended to require a specific orientation. Terms relating to attachment, connection, etc. (e.g., “connection” and “attachment”) refer to the relationship in which these structures are directly or indirectly fixed or attached to each other by an intermediate structure, and to movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0048] The present invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments.

[0049] Embodiment 1

[0050] The present application provides a steam generator for a laundry treatment device, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The steam generator comprises a generator body 1 arranged in the laundry treatment device, and the generator body 1 comprises:

[0051] a housing 10 provided with a cavity 11 for containing steam;

[0052] a thick-film heating assembly 20 in a tubular structure for forming a channel 21;

[0053] The channel 21 is in communication with the cavity 11, and the liquid water injected into the cavity 11 enters the channel 21, is heated by the thick-film heating assembly 20 to form steam, and is guided out to the laundry holding drum of the laundry treatment device. Specifically, the liquid water introduced from the water inlet 14 of the generator body 1 first enters the cavity 11, flows into the channel 21 from the cavity 11, and the liquid water in the channel 21 contacts the heating end (i.e. the heat-conducting plate 22) of the thick-film heating assembly 20. The liquid water is heated to form steam, which is discharged from the gas outlet 15 on the housing 10 and finally enters the laundry holding drum of the laundry treatment device to provide steam to the laundry in the laundry holding drum for steam drying, steam stain removal, steam wrinkle removal, steam sterilization, and other steam treatment operations. In addition, the liquid water in the channel 21 can all contact the heating end of the thick-film heating assembly 20, increasing the contact area between the liquid water and the heating end and increasing the heating speed.

[0054] The channel 21 extends vertically, and the deposits on the surface of the channel 21 fall under their own gravity to separate from the surface of the channel 21 under the action of their own gravity. As the liquid water changes into steam, the amount of liquid water in the cavity 11 gradually decreases, and the water level drops. The liquid water flows downward along the profile of the channel 21, and at the same time, the water remaining on the surface of the channel 21 above the water level gradually flows downward under its own gravity until it merges into the water body at the bottom of the channel 21. The water droplets accumulated on the surface of the channel 21 due to the drop in water level are quickly removed, reducing the amount of liquid water accumulated on the surface of the channel 21 and to some extent reducing the amount of scale formed on the surface of the channel 21. In addition, the scale already formed on the surface of the channel 21 falls under its own gravity, to some extent removing the scale on the surface of the channel 21.

[0055] In addition, when liquid water is added to the shell 10, the water enters the cavity 11 from the water inlet 14 of the shell 10 and then flows into the channel 21. As the water flows downward, it can wash the surface of the vertically arranged channel 21, clean the surface of the channel 21 to a certain extent, improve the cleanliness of the surface of the channel 21, and reduce the impact of contamination on the heating performance of the channel 21.

[0056] In one embodiment, the thick film heating assembly 20 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 10, that is, the channel 21 is located at the bottom of the cavity 11 so that the liquid water in the cavity 11 can flow into the channel 21 quickly.

[0057] Furthermore, the channel 21 is set perpendicular to the horizontal plane, which is beneficial for the object trapped on the surface of the channel 21 to fall under its own weight.

[0058] Furthermore, the tubular structure of the thick-film heating component 20 can be of various shapes, including but not limited to square, circular, and irregularly shaped tubular structures. To facilitate the processing and assembly of the thick-film heating component 20, the thick-film heating component 20 is a square or circular tubular structure.

[0059] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, the thick-film heating assembly 20 includes a heat-conducting plate 22, an inner insulating dielectric layer 23, a resistance heating layer 24, and an outer insulating layer (not shown) arranged sequentially, with the side containing the heat-conducting plate 22 facing the cavity 11. The thick-film heating assembly 20 also includes an electrode 25 electrically connected to the resistance heating layer 24 for connection to the control circuit of the clothing treatment device. By switching the control circuit on and off, the resistance heating layer 24 is switched on or off, i.e., the heating of the resistance heating layer 24 is turned on or off by switching the control circuit on and off. After the thick-film heating assembly 20 is powered on, the resistance heating layer 24 emits heat, which is conducted to the heat-conducting plate 22, causing the temperature of the heat-conducting plate 22 to rise, thereby heating the water in contact with the heat-conducting plate 22. In addition, the increased temperature of the heat-conducting plate 22 causes the air temperature in the channel 21 to rise, indirectly heating the water in the housing 10. The heat-conducting plate 22 is an insulating component with high thermal conductivity; in one embodiment, the heat-conducting plate 22 is a stainless steel substrate. The inner insulating dielectric layer 23 protects the heat-conducting plate 22 from becoming electrified, preventing the water inside the casing 10 from becoming electrified. The outer insulating layer insulates the outside of the resistive heating layer 24, ensuring electrical safety. The heat-conducting plate 22 forms the inner wall structure of a tubular structure, i.e., the channel 21; the outer insulating layer forms the outer wall structure of the tubular structure.

[0060] In addition, the conventional heating assembly in the market at present includes common heating tube, quartz heating tube, nickel-chromium alloy heating wire, electromagnetic induction heating assembly. Among them, the common heating tube is easy to form scale, the heating wire is easy to break, and the use is not safe and the service life is short; the quartz heating tube is easy to break, the pressure bearing is low, the heat conduction is slow, and the service life is short; the nickel-chromium alloy heating wire has strict requirements on water quality; the electromagnetic induction heating assembly has strong electromagnetic radiation, which harms human health, and may interfere with electronic equipment or system in the clothes treatment device, causing the decline of its use performance. At present, the steam generator used in the clothes treatment device, if the heating assembly is easy to form scale, it is not realistic and difficult to achieve to disassemble the clothes treatment device to take out the steam generator for cleaning. If the heating assembly is easy to break, it cannot be replaced. And because the clothes treatment device is used to treat clothes, the water quality is not as good as drinking water, and it is not realistic to control the water quality because of the requirement of the heating assembly on the water quality. In the embodiment, the thick film heating assembly 20 is formed by printing the inner insulating medium layer 23, the resistance heating layer 24 and the outer insulating layer on the heat conducting plate 22 in turn by using screen printing technology. The heat conduction distance from the resistance heating layer 24 to the heat conducting plate 22 is short, so the thermal resistance is small, the thermal response speed is fast, and the heat can be conducted away in time, so the surface temperature of the whole thick film heating assembly 20 will not be too high, the use safety is high, and it is not easy to form scale, and the requirement on water quality is not high. The thick film heating assembly 20 adopts screen printing technology to print the inner insulating medium layer 23, the resistance heating layer 24 and the outer insulating layer on the heat conducting plate 22, and is formed by high temperature sintering. The process is mature and reliable, the structure is small and easy to clean. The shape and size of the thick film heating assembly 20 can be set according to the requirements, which is realized by changing the formation and size of the heat conducting plate 22, and the design is flexible. When heating, the temperature rises fast, and the heating efficiency is fast.

[0061] In an embodiment, the thick film heating assembly 20 is clamped with the shell 10 to form the shell structure of the generator body 1, and the generator body 1 is simple and small in structure, which saves the occupied space of the generator body 1 in the clothes treatment device, and can be applied to clothes treatment devices of different sizes. Further, the thick film heating assembly 20 is located below the shell 10, so that the liquid water in the cavity 11 of the shell 10 can flow into the channel 21 quickly.

[0062] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 3 , a plurality of first baffles 12 are arranged in the shell 10, and form a first surrounding wall structure with the inner wall of the shell 10 to partially surround the air outlet 15 of the shell 10;

[0063] The steam formed by heating the liquid water by the thick film heating assembly 20 is a mixture of gaseous water molecules and liquid water molecules. If the steam is directly led out from the air outlet 15, the humidity of the steam is high, which is not conducive to the drying process of the clothes. Therefore, the first surrounding wall structure is arranged. The steam in the cavity 11 contacts the first surrounding wall structure. After the heat of the steam is conducted through the first surrounding wall structure, the liquid water molecules condense on the surface of the first surrounding wall structure, so as to separate the liquid water molecules from the gaseous water molecules in the steam and reduce the liquid water molecules led out of the air outlet 15. The content of the liquid water molecules in the steam led out of the air outlet 15 is reduced. Although the steam may still contain liquid water molecules, the amount of the liquid water molecules is reduced, so as to reduce the influence of the liquid water molecules on the drying process of the clothes.

[0064] In an embodiment, the generator body 1 is provided with a liquid level sensor 30 to obtain the current water level information in the shell 10. Specifically, the liquid level sensor 30 is a high-low liquid level sensor, and the detection end thereof extends into the cavity 11 to detect the water level in the shell 10. Further, the liquid level sensor 30 is electrically connected with the alarm module to alarm when the current water level in the shell 10 reaches the high liquid level threshold or the low liquid level threshold set by the liquid level sensor 30, so as to remind the user to adjust the water level in the generator body 1. In an embodiment, the liquid level sensor 30 is a three-pin water level switch. The three-pin water level switch is an electrode type liquid level switch, which has three different height electrode rods. When the water in the shell 10 reaches the electrode rods of the three-pin water level switch and conducts electricity to detect a signal, the current water level information in the shell 10 is also output to the user. Further, a second sealing ring 80 is arranged at the assembly position of the three-pin water level switch and the shell 10 to seal and improve the sealing performance of the inside of the shell 10.

[0065] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 3 , a second baffle 13 is arranged in the shell 10 to form a second surrounding wall structure surrounding the outer circumferential side of the liquid level sensor 30 with the inner wall of the shell 10, so as to block the steam in the cavity 11 from contacting the liquid level sensor 30. The temperature of the steam is high, which may affect the service life of the liquid level sensor 30. The bottom of the second baffle 13 and the inner wall of the shell 10 are spaced apart to allow the liquid water to enter, so as to facilitate the liquid level sensor 30 to detect the water level. The spacing between the bottom of the second baffle 13 and the inner wall of the shell 10 is controlled to reduce the influence of the steam on the liquid level sensor 30 while the liquid water contacts the liquid level sensor 30.

[0066] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 4As shown, the housing 10 is provided with at least one flow-restricting portion to block the water level in the cavity 11 from dropping too fast. When the water injection from the water inlet 14 is completed and some water is in the cavity 11, the thick-film heating assembly 20 is turned on to heat, and the liquid water is consumed to form steam, and the water level in the cavity 11 drops. In order to further control the flow rate of the water flow in the cavity 11 into the channel 21, at least one flow-restricting portion is arranged in the housing 10, and the flow-restricting portion is located in the cavity 11 to block the flow rate of the water flow to some extent, thereby reducing the water flow from the port of the channel 21 into the channel 21, and further reducing the noise decibels caused by the vortex when the water flow flows into the port of the channel 21. Specifically, the flow-restricting portion forms a cavity with the inner wall of the housing 10, and the cavity has an opening for the water flow to flow out. When the water level in the cavity 11 drops, the water in the cavity needs to flow out through the opening, and thus the flow rate is controlled. Further, the number and size of the openings of the flow-restricting portion are controlled to control the flow-restricting force on the water flow. Further, the number of the flow-restricting portions in the cavity 11 is at least two, and the structures of the flow-restricting portions at different positions can be the same or different. Specifically, the housing 10 is provided with at least a first flow-restricting portion 161 and a second flow-restricting portion 162. The first flow-restricting portion 161 includes a first cavity 1611 and a first opening 1612. When the water level in the cavity 11 drops, the water in the first cavity 1611 flows out through the first opening 1612 and flows to the channel 21, and the first opening 1612 limits the flow-out speed of the water in the first cavity 1611, thereby controlling the flow rate of the water flow in the cavity 11 into the channel 21. The second flow-restricting portion 162 includes a second cavity 1621 and two second openings 1622. The increase in the number of the second openings 1622 increases the flow-out speed of the water flow in the second cavity 1621 to some extent. Further, the second flow-restricting portion 162 further includes two flow-guiding channels 1623 respectively connected to a second opening 1622, and the inner profile size of the flow-guiding channel 1623 is limited to control the flow-out speed of the water flow from the second cavity 1621.

[0067] Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 is provided with a water level sensor 13 arranged in the cavity 11 to detect the water level in the cavity 11. Figure 1As shown, the first baffle 12 is vertically arranged on the shell 10, and the first baffle 12 is opposite to at least one flow-restricting part arranged on the shell 10. During the process that the gaseous water molecules and liquid water molecules in the mixture flow to the air outlet 15 after the liquid water is heated by the thick-film heating assembly 20 to form steam, the liquid water molecules in the mixture are condensed to form liquid water after contacting the first surrounding wall structure formed by the first baffle 12 and the inner wall of the shell 10, and then the liquid water is removed from the mixture of gaseous water molecules and liquid water molecules. By arranging the first baffle 12 opposite to the at least one flow-restricting part, the mixture of gaseous water molecules and liquid water molecules flowing to the air outlet 15 contacts the flow-restricting part, so that the liquid water molecules in the mixture are condensed to form liquid water, thereby improving the water vapor separation effect on the mixture of gaseous water molecules and liquid water molecules near the air outlet 15. Further, the side wall structure corresponding to the positions of the first baffle 12 and the flow-restricting part is arranged longitudinally in a staggered manner, so as to leave enough space for the steam to pass through and flow into the air outlet 15. Specifically, the first baffle 12 and the first flow-restricting part 161 are arranged opposite to each other and in a staggered manner.

[0068] Specifically, in an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 the shell 10 is rectangular, the water inlet 14 and the air outlet 15 are located on the same side of the shell 10, the water inlet 14 is opposite to the liquid level sensor 30, and the liquid level sensor 30 is fixed to the top wall of the shell 10 away from the water inlet 14. The shell 10 is provided with two flow-restricting parts, i.e., the first flow-restricting part 161 and the second flow-restricting part 162. The first flow-restricting part 161 is opposite to the first baffle 12, and the second flow-restricting part 162 is opposite to the liquid level sensor 30, so as to reasonably arrange the distribution of the first flow-restricting part 161 and the second flow-restricting part 162, thereby reducing the flow disturbance effect of the flow-restricting parts while limiting the flow. The number of the second notches 1622 of the second flow-restricting part 162 corresponding to the position of the liquid level sensor 30 is greater than the number of the first notches 1612 of the first flow-restricting part 161, so as to increase the water outlet speed of the second cavity 1621 to a certain extent, so as to prevent the water outlet speed of the second cavity 1621 from being too low and affecting the detection result of the liquid level sensor 30.

[0069] In an embodiment, in order to facilitate the miniaturization design of the shell 10, the water inlet 14 and the air outlet 15 of the shell 10 are located on the same side of the shell 10, i.e., the water inlet 14 and the air outlet 15 are located on the same side of the shell 10. Further, the water inlet 14 and the air outlet 15 are close to the top of the shell 10, so as to increase the distance between the water inlet 14 and the bottom wall of the cavity 11, thereby enabling the cavity 11 to accommodate more liquid water.

[0070] In an embodiment, the thick-film heating assembly 20 is cylindrical. The channel 21 is cylindrical in profile, and the inner surface of the channel 21 is free of corners, so as to prevent scale from being accumulated and not easily falling off.

[0071] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, Figure 2 As shown, a flange 40 is fitted onto the outer wall of the thick film heating assembly 20; the thick film heating assembly 20 is connected to the housing 10 through the flange 40. Furthermore, the thick film heating assembly 20 is fitted inside the flange 40, and several fixing holes are evenly distributed around the flange 40 for connection to the housing 10 via fasteners.

[0072] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 6 As shown, the generator body 1 is equipped with a temperature control switch to cut off the power supply to the thick film heating assembly 20 when the temperature exceeds a temperature threshold. Further, the temperature control switch includes an automatic temperature control switch 91 and a manual temperature control switch 92. The automatic temperature control switch 91 and the manual temperature control switch 92 correspond to the positions of the thick film heating assembly 20. In one embodiment, the automatic temperature control switch 91 contains a bendable bimetallic strip. When the temperature of the bimetallic strip reaches a certain temperature, the bimetallic strip bends and deforms to disconnect the power supply; when the temperature of the bimetallic strip is lower than the minimum temperature limit for bending and deformation, the bimetallic strip recovers its bending and deformation and is powered on, thus starting the thick film heating assembly 20. Further, the automatic temperature control switch is a 140°C automatic temperature control switch; when the temperature of the bimetallic strip reaches 140°C, the bimetallic strip bends and deforms to disconnect the power supply. The manual temperature control switch 92 is used when the temperature of the detected object reaches the set temperature threshold, and the automatic temperature control switch 91 fails to start due to malfunction or other factors; in this case, the temperature control switch is manually operated to turn on and disconnect the power. For example, if the manual temperature control switch 92 fails to activate the automatic temperature control switch at 140°C when the detected object temperature reaches 160°C, the power will be manually cut off. Furthermore, a temperature sensor is installed inside the housing 10 to detect the temperature inside the housing 10. When the temperature of the thick film heating component 20 exceeds the temperature threshold, the thick film heating component 20 will dry-burn, and the temperature inside the housing 10 will become too high, thus notifying the user to determine whether to manually cut off the power.

[0073] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, the generator body 1 is provided with a wiring terminal 50 for electrically connecting the electrode end 25 of the thick film heating assembly 20 to the control circuit of the clothing treatment device. By switching the control circuit on and off, the resistance heating layer 24 of the thick film heating assembly 20 is switched on or off to facilitate the wiring of the thick film heating assembly 20.

[0074] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, one end of the thick film heating component 20 is connected to the cavity 11 through a sealing tube 60 to seal the connection between the channel 21 and the cavity 11.

[0075] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the thick-film heating component 20 is fixed on the sealing cover 70 at the end away from the cavity 11. The sealing cover 70 wraps the end of the channel 21 away from the cavity 11, i.e. the bottom end of the channel 21. When the scale deposited at the bottom of the channel 21 reaches a preset amount, the sealing cover 70 can be removed from the thick-film heating component 20, and the inner wall of the sealing cover 70 and the inner surface of the channel 21 can be cleaned, which is convenient. Further, the sealing cover 70 is provided with a clamping groove, and the bottom of the thick-film heating component 20 is clamped in the clamping groove to be fixed with the sealing cover 70 and be convenient to disassemble.

[0076] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 6 , the shell 10 includes a first shell 171 and a second shell 172, and the first shell 171 and the second shell 172 jointly hold the cavity 11. Further, the first shell 171 and the second shell 172 are detachably connected to facilitate cleaning of the cavity 11. As shown in Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , the first baffle 12 and the second baffle 13 of the shell 10 are arranged in the first shell 171, and the flow limiting part is arranged in the second shell 172.

[0077] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 , the generator body 1 further includes a fixing member for fixing the temperature control switch and the terminal. Further, the fixing member is in a shell structure, and the thick-film heating component 20 passes through the fixing member. Specifically, the fixing member includes a first shell body 1001 and a second shell body 1002, and the first shell body 1001 and the second shell body 1002 jointly hold the shell structure.

[0078] In an embodiment, the shell 10 is further provided with a pressure relief port (not shown in the figure) for opening the pressure relief port to reduce the pressure inside the shell 10 when the pressure inside the shell 10 reaches a preset upper limit. Further, the pressure relief port is provided with a pressure relief valve, which automatically opens the pressure relief when the pressure inside the shell 10 exceeds the pressure threshold set by the pressure relief valve, so as to ensure that the pressure inside the shell 10 is below the pressure threshold; and the pressure relief valve automatically closes the pressure relief when the pressure inside the shell 10 is less than or equal to the pressure threshold set by the pressure relief valve.

[0079] Embodiment 2

[0080] The present application provides a kind of washing machine, including box, box is equipped with the steam generator of a kind of clothes processing device as described above;Generator body 1 water inlet 14 is connected with the water pipe in the washing machine box, and the air outlet 15 of generator body 1 is communicated with the inner tube of washing machine, to provide steam to the inner tube of washing machine.User opens the steam decontamination or steam drying or steam wrinkle removal or steam sterilization mode of washing machine, the water inlet 14 of generator body 1 starts to pass in the preset amount of water, while thick film heating assembly 20 opens heating, water contacts thick film heating assembly 20 and is heated to form steam, to provide steam to the inner tube of washing machine, to realize decontamination or drying or wrinkle removal or sterilization function.As liquid water is consumed to form steam, the liquid water level drops, and the liquid water falls along the surface of channel 21, while the water remaining on the surface of channel 21 moves downward along its surface until it flows into the water body, to reduce the water remaining on the surface of channel 21, and to reduce the generation of scale on its surface to a certain extent.

[0081] Compared with the prior art, the steam generator provided by the present application heats water by thick film heating assembly, which has small volume and high space utilization, is beneficial to the miniaturization of the overall size of the generator body, greatly reduces the occupied space of the steam generator in the clothes processing device, and has wide application range.In addition, the thick film heating assembly has a tubular structure, which increases the contact area with liquid water;further, the thick film heating assembly is vertically arranged to reduce the amount of accumulated substances on its surface due to the decrease of water level caused by consumption.

[0082] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the present application in any form; any person skilled in the art can easily implement the present application according to the drawings and the above description; however, any equivalent changes, modifications and evolution made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical solutions of the present application, using the technical content disclosed above, are equivalent embodiments of the present application; at the same time, any equivalent changes, modifications and evolution of the above embodiments according to the essential technology of the present application, are still within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. A steam generator for a garment processing device, comprising a generator body (1) disposed within the garment processing device, characterized in that, The generator body (1) includes: The shell (10) has a cavity (11) for containing steam. The thick film heating component (20) has a tubular structure to form a channel (21). The channel (21) is connected to the cavity (11); the liquid water injected into the cavity (11) enters the channel (21), is heated by the thick film heating component (20) to form steam, and is then discharged into the clothing container of the clothing care device. The channel (21) extends vertically so that the scale that is easily attached to the surface of the channel (21) will detach from the surface of the channel (21) under its own gravity; The generator body (1) is equipped with a liquid level sensor (30) to obtain the current water level information inside the housing (10); The shell (10) is provided with at least one flow-limiting part to block the rate of water level drop in the cavity (11); The first baffle (12) provided on the housing (10) is vertically arranged; the first baffle (12) is opposite to at least one flow-limiting part provided on the housing (10); the flow-limiting part and the inner wall of the housing (10) form a cavity, the cavity has a notch for water to flow out, and the flow-limiting force of the water flow is controlled by controlling the number and size of the notches of the flow-limiting part; The flow limiting part includes at least a first flow limiting part (161) and a second flow limiting part (162). The first flow limiting part (161) is positioned opposite to and offset from the first baffle (12). The second flow limiting part (162) is positioned opposite to the liquid level sensor (30). The number of second notches (1622) of the second flow limiting part (162) corresponding to the position of the liquid level sensor (30) is greater than the number of first notches (1612) of the first flow limiting part (161). The thick film heating component (20) is cylindrical; a flange (40) is fitted on the outer wall of the thick film heating component (20); the thick film heating component (20) is connected to the housing (10) through the flange (40); the thick film heating component (20) is fitted inside the flange (40), and several fixing holes are evenly distributed around the flange (40) to connect it to the housing (10) through fasteners.

2. The steam generator of the clothing treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thick film heating assembly (20) and the housing (10) are held together to form the outer shell structure of the generator body (1).

3. The steam generator of the clothing treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (10) is provided with a plurality of first baffles (12), which together with the inner wall of the housing (10) form a first enclosure structure that partially surrounds the air outlet (15) of the housing (10); The steam in the cavity (11) comes into contact with the first enclosure structure. After the heat of the steam is conducted through the first enclosure structure, the liquid water molecules condense on the surface of the first enclosure structure to separate the liquid water molecules in the steam from the gaseous water molecules, thereby reducing the amount of liquid water molecules discharged from the outlet (15).

4. The steam generator of the clothing treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (10) is provided with a second baffle (13), which forms a second enclosure structure with the inner wall of the housing (10) surrounding the outer periphery of the liquid level sensor (30) to prevent the vapor in the cavity (11) from contacting the liquid level sensor (30).

5. A steam generator for a garment processing device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The generator body (1) is equipped with a temperature control switch to cut off the power supply of the thick film heating component (20) when the temperature of the thick film heating component (20) exceeds the temperature threshold.

6. A steam generator for a garment treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The generator body (1) is provided with a wiring terminal (50) for electrically connecting the electrode (25) of the thick film heating component (20) to the control circuit of the clothing treatment device. The control circuit is switched on and off to allow the resistance heating layer (23) of the thick film heating component (20) to switch between being powered on or off.

7. A steam generator for a garment processing device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, One end of the thick film heating assembly (20) is connected to the cavity (11) through a sealing tube (60).

8. A steam generator for a garment processing device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The end of the thick film heating assembly (20) away from the cavity (11) is fixed to the sealing cover (70).

9. A washing machine, comprising a cabinet, characterized in that, The housing is equipped with a steam generator for a clothing processing device as described in any one of claims 1-8; the water inlet (14) of the generator body (1) is connected to a water pipe inside the washing machine housing, and the air outlet (15) of the generator body (1) is connected to the inner drum of the washing machine to provide steam to the inner drum of the washing machine.

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