Drying device, method and clothing processing equipment

Abstract

This application relates to the field of garment processing, specifically to a drying apparatus, method, and garment processing equipment. The drying apparatus includes a processing drum for holding garments to be dried, and a rotating shaft connected to the processing drum for rotating the drum. The rotating shaft has an air vent communicating with the interior of the processing drum. The drying apparatus also includes a drying air duct, which includes a first air outlet communicating with the air vent and a second air outlet communicating with the interior of the processing drum. By increasing the number of air outlets and providing an air vent on the rotating shaft, it is easier to dry the garments located in the middle of the processing drum, resulting in more uniform drying and improved drying quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of garment processing, and more specifically, to a drying apparatus, method, and garment processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Washer-dryers are now widely used in households, gradually becoming everyday appliances that meet people's needs for drying clothes. However, existing electric heating washer-dryers suffer from poor structural design, resulting in long drying times and uneven drying, thus reducing drying quality. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a drying apparatus, method, and garment processing equipment to at least solve the technical problem of poor drying quality.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a drying device is provided, including a housing, a front cover and a rear cover, wherein the front cover and the rear cover are respectively connected to the opposite side of the housing, and the housing is provided with a rotating shaft and a processing barrel, wherein the rotating shaft is connected to the processing barrel for driving the processing barrel to rotate;

[0005] The shell is provided with a drying air duct, which is connected to the interior of the processing barrel. A fan and a heating element are provided in the drying air duct. The fan is used to blow the drying airflow in the drying air duct into the interior of the processing barrel, and the heating element is used to heat the drying airflow.

[0006] The drying air duct includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The first air outlet extends to one side of the processing barrel so that the drying airflow in the drying air duct enters the processing barrel from the first air outlet.

[0007] The rotating shaft is hollow and has an air vent. The air vent connects the hollow space of the rotating shaft to the interior of the processing barrel. The second air outlet of the drying air duct is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft.

[0008] Optionally, multiple vents are provided, and the multiple vents are oriented differently.

[0009] Optionally, one end of the rotating shaft with the vent extends into the interior of the processing tank.

[0010] Optionally, the drying air duct includes a main air duct, a first branch air duct, and a second branch air duct. The fan and heating element are both disposed in the main air duct. One end of the first branch air duct is connected to the main air duct, and the other end of the first branch air duct extends to the side of the processing barrel near the front cover and is provided with a first air outlet. One end of the second branch air duct is connected to the main air duct, and the other end of the second branch air duct is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft and is provided with a second air outlet.

[0011] Optionally, the contact area between the heating element and the drying airflow gradually increases along the flow direction of the drying airflow.

[0012] Optionally, the main air duct, as well as at least a portion of the first branch air duct and at least a portion of the second branch air duct, are located at the top of the housing.

[0013] Optionally, the processing tank is provided with a first air outlet and a second air outlet on the side near the rear cover, with the first air outlet and the second air outlet arranged one above the other.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a drying method is provided, applied to the drying apparatus described above, the method comprising:

[0015] In response to the drying signal from the drying device, the material of the clothes to be dried is obtained;

[0016] The heating power of the heating element is adjusted according to the material of the clothes to be dried in order to dry the clothes.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a garment processing device is provided, including the drying apparatus described above or employing the drying method described above.

[0018] Optionally, the garment processing equipment is a washer-dryer or a clothes dryer.

[0019] In this embodiment, the drying air duct includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet, providing multiple outlets for outputting drying airflow during clothing drying. This increases the efficiency and volume of the drying airflow entering the processing drum, helping to improve drying efficiency and reduce drying time. Simultaneously, the second air outlet communicates with the hollow space of the rotating shaft, which has an opening communicating with the inside of the processing drum. This allows the drying airflow from the second air outlet to enter the processing drum along the rotating shaft, facilitating the drying of clothing located in the center of the drum, resulting in more uniform drying and improved drying quality. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a top view of the drying apparatus in one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a side view of the drying apparatus in one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a drying device containing clothes to be dried in one embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a drying method in one embodiment.

[0024] Markings: 1. Housing; 2. Front cover; 3. Rear cover; 4. Rotating shaft; 5. Processing tank; 6. Drying air duct; 7. Fan; 8. Heating element; 9. Vent; 10. Main air duct; 11. First branch air duct; 12. Second branch air duct; 13. First air outlet; 14. Second air outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0026] This application provides a drying device, such as... Figure 1-3 As shown, it includes a housing 1, a front cover 2 and a rear cover 3. The front cover 2 and the rear cover 3 are respectively connected to the opposite side of the housing 1. The housing 1 is provided with a rotating shaft 4 and a processing tank 5. The rotating shaft 4 is connected to the processing tank 5 to drive the processing tank 5 to rotate.

[0027] The housing 1 is provided with a drying air duct 6, which is connected to the interior of the processing barrel 5. A fan 7 and a heating element 8 are provided in the drying air duct 6. The fan 7 is used to blow the drying airflow in the drying air duct 6 into the interior of the processing barrel 5, and the heating element 8 is used to heat the drying airflow.

[0028] The drying air duct 6 includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The first air outlet extends to one side of the processing barrel 5 so that the drying airflow in the drying air duct 6 enters the processing barrel 5 from the first air outlet.

[0029] The rotating shaft 4 is hollow and has an air vent 9. The air vent 9 connects the hollow space of the rotating shaft 4 with the interior of the processing barrel 5. The second air outlet of the drying air duct 6 is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft 4.

[0030] In one embodiment, the rotating shaft 4 is the output shaft of the driver. The driver refers to a device used to drive the processing tank 5 to rotate via the rotating shaft 4. For example, the driver is a rotary motor or a rotary cylinder. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0031] The processing tub 5 has an opening on one side for the user to place clothes to be dried inside. In one embodiment, the rotation axis 4 of the processing tub 5 is horizontally aligned, meaning the rotation axis 4 is also horizontally aligned, and the opening of the processing tub 5 faces the front cover 2. After the drying device is started, the driver drives the rotation axis 4 to rotate, which in turn drives the processing tub 5 to rotate. The clothes to be dried in the processing tub 5 rotate with the processing tub 5, come into contact with the drying airflow, and are thus dried.

[0032] In one embodiment, the fan 7 can be a regular fan 7 or a centrifugal fan 7; this embodiment does not limit the specific type. The heating element 8 refers to a device that heats the airflow, such as an electric heating wire. The fan 7 introduces the airflow from outside the drying duct 6 into the drying duct 6, forming a drying airflow. This drying airflow is then heated by the heating element 8, resulting in a higher temperature and lower humidity. This allows the drying airflow to contact the clothes to be dried, thereby reducing the moisture content of the clothes.

[0033] In one embodiment, the first air outlet may be located on the upper or lower side of the housing 1, or on the side where the front cover 2 is located. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0034] In one embodiment, the rotating shaft 4 is connected to the drying air duct 6 via a bearing. The front cover 2 serves as the door panel of the drying device and is rotatably connected to the housing 1.

[0035] As described above, the drying air duct 6 includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet, providing multiple outlets for outputting drying airflow during clothing drying. This increases the efficiency and volume of the drying airflow entering the processing drum 5, helping to improve drying efficiency and reduce drying time. Simultaneously, the second air outlet is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft 4, which has an air vent 9 communicating with the interior of the processing drum 5. This allows the drying airflow from the second air outlet to enter the processing drum 5 along the rotating shaft 4, facilitating the drying of clothing located in the center of the processing drum 5, resulting in more even drying and improved drying quality.

[0036] Optionally, multiple vents 9 are provided, and the multiple vents 9 have different orientations.

[0037] In one embodiment, the radius of the side of the rotating shaft 4 with the air vents 9 can be set larger according to actual conditions, specifically as required. That is, a larger radius rotating shaft 4 can support more air vents 9, and an increased number of air vents 9 helps to increase the amount of drying airflow entering the processing drum 5. At the same time, an increased number of air vents 9 allows for more orientations of the air vents 9, which helps to improve the drying uniformity of the clothes to be dried.

[0038] Optionally, one end of the rotating shaft 4 with the vent 9 extends into the interior of the processing tank 5.

[0039] In one embodiment, as the processing drum 5 rotates, the clothes to be dried fall downwards after reaching a certain height. During the fall, the clothes in the middle are contacted by the drying airflow flowing out of the rotating shaft 4, thus achieving drying. The rotating shaft 4, extending into the interior of the processing drum 5, facilitates the opening of more air vents 9 and improves the uniformity of drying, thereby enhancing the drying quality.

[0040] Optionally, the drying air duct 6 includes a main air duct 10, a first branch air duct 11, and a second branch air duct 12. The fan 7 and the heating element 8 are both disposed in the main air duct 10. One end of the first branch air duct 11 is connected to the main air duct 10, and the other end of the first branch air duct 11 extends to the side of the processing barrel 5 near the front cover 2 and is provided with the first air outlet. One end of the second branch air duct 12 is connected to the main air duct 10, and the other end of the second branch air duct 12 is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft 4 and is provided with the second air outlet.

[0041] In one embodiment, both the first branch air duct 11 and the second branch air duct 12 are perpendicularly connected to the main air duct 10. The first air outlet is located on the first branch air duct 11, and the second air outlet is located on the second branch air duct 12. The first branch air duct 11 is located on the side closer to the front cover 2, and the rotating shaft 4 is located on the side of the rear cover 3. This arrangement facilitates the sequential flow of drying air into the processing drum 5, which helps to improve drying efficiency and uniformity, and thus improves drying quality.

[0042] Optionally, the contact area between the heating element 8 and the drying airflow gradually increases along the flow direction of the drying airflow.

[0043] In one embodiment, the heating element 8 includes an electric heating device, namely an electric heating wire. The heating element 8 is arranged in the shape of a sine wave, and the amplitude of the waveform increases with distance from the fan 7, so as to increase the contact area with the drying airflow.

[0044] Based on the above, the heating element 8 is designed with a structure that gradually increases in size, which helps to increase the amount of heat and improve the heating efficiency of the drying airflow.

[0045] Optionally, the main air duct 10, as well as at least a portion of the first branch air duct 11 and at least a portion of the second branch air duct 12, are located on the top of the housing 1.

[0046] In one embodiment, the main air duct 10, at least a portion of the first branch air duct 11 and at least a portion of the second branch air duct 12 are all located at the top of the housing 1, so that the weight of the drying air duct 6 can be used as a counterweight. Therefore, the drying air duct 6 replaces the counterweight, reducing the number of parts in the drying device and lowering the cost.

[0047] Optionally, the processing tank 5 is provided with a first air outlet 13 and a second air outlet 14 on the side near the rear cover 3, with the first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14 arranged one above the other.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first air outlet 13 is located at the top, the second air outlet 14 is located at the bottom, and the rotating shaft 4 is located between the first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14. That is, the first air outlet 13 is above the rotating shaft 4, and the second air outlet 14 is below the rotating shaft 4. The first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14 facilitate the balance of air pressure inside the processing barrel 5. At the same time, since the two air outlets are arranged one above the other, it is easy to guide the flow direction of the drying airflow in the processing barrel 5, thereby improving the uniformity of the drying airflow distribution in the processing barrel 5, and thus improving the uniformity of drying.

[0049] This application also provides a drying method, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the drying method applied to the drying apparatus described above includes:

[0050] In response to the drying signal from the drying device, the material of the clothes to be dried is obtained;

[0051] The heating power of the heating element 8 is adjusted according to the material of the clothes to be dried in order to dry the clothes.

[0052] In one embodiment, the material of the clothes to be dried can be input by the user or identified by hardware such as sensors or cameras. This embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0053] To make it easier to understand, before the drying program starts, the material of the clothes to be dried in the drum is tested. The clothes with the lowest temperature tolerance are selected as the standard, and parameters such as the electric heating switch and the air inlet temperature are adjusted to the most suitable drying mode for drying clothes before the drying is started.

[0054] By using the above steps, different heating powers are used for different materials, which reduces the risk of clothes being damaged by high temperatures and improves the drying quality.

[0055] This application also provides a garment processing device, including the drying device described above or using the drying method described above.

[0056] Alternatively, the garment handling equipment may be a washer-dryer or a dryer.

[0057] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0058] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0059] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are only exemplary. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules, which can be electrical or other forms.

[0060] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0061] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0062] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard drive, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0063] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a housing (1), a front cover (2) and a rear cover (3). The front cover (2) and the rear cover (3) are respectively connected to the opposite side of the housing (1). The housing (1) is provided with a rotating shaft (4) and a processing barrel (5). The rotating shaft (4) is connected to the processing barrel (5) to drive the processing barrel (5) to rotate. A drying air duct (6) is provided on the shell (1). The drying air duct (6) is connected to the interior of the processing barrel (5). A fan (7) and a heating element (8) are provided in the drying air duct (6). The fan (7) is used to blow the drying air in the drying air duct (6) into the interior of the processing barrel (5). The heating element (8) is used to heat the drying air. The drying air duct (6) includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The first air outlet extends to one side of the processing barrel (5) so that the drying airflow in the drying air duct (6) enters the processing barrel (5) from the first air outlet. The rotating shaft (4) is hollow and has an air vent (9) on it. The air vent (9) connects the hollow space of the rotating shaft (4) with the interior of the processing barrel (5). The second air outlet of the drying air duct (6) is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft (4).

2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation port (9) is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple ventilation ports (9) are oriented in different directions.

3. The drying apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (4) has one end with the vent (9) extending into the interior of the processing tank (5).

4. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drying air duct (6) includes a main air duct (10), a first branch air duct (11), and a second branch air duct (12). The fan (7) and the heating element (8) are both located in the main air duct (10). One end of the first branch air duct (11) is connected to the main air duct (10), and the other end of the first branch air duct (11) extends to the side of the processing barrel (5) near the front cover (2) and is provided with the first air outlet. One end of the second branch air duct (12) is connected to the main air duct (10), and the other end of the second branch air duct (12) is connected to the hollow space of the rotating shaft (4) and is provided with the second air outlet.

5. The drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The contact area between the heating element (8) and the drying airflow gradually increases along the flow direction of the drying airflow.

6. The drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main air duct (10) and at least a portion of the first branch air duct (11) and at least a portion of the second branch air duct (12) are located on top of the housing (1).

7. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The processing tank (5) is provided with a first air outlet (13) and a second air outlet (14) on the side near the rear cover (3), with the first air outlet (13) and the second air outlet (14) arranged one above the other.

8. A drying method, characterized in that, The method, applied to the drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7, comprises: In response to the drying signal from the drying device, the material of the clothes to be dried is obtained; The heating power of the heating element (8) is adjusted according to the material of the clothes to be dried in order to dry the clothes.

9. A garment processing device, characterized in that, This includes the drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7 or the drying method according to claim 8.

10. The garment processing equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The garment processing equipment is a washer-dryer or a clothes dryer.

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