Air distribution device and washing machine

Abstract

The present invention provides an air distribution device and a washing machine, which belong to the technical field of washing machines. It comprises: an air distribution member, an air distribution cavity is formed inside the air distribution member, and a first air outlet and a second air outlet connected to the outside are formed on the inner wall of the air distribution cavity; a switchable component is arranged inside the air distribution cavity, and the switchable component includes a wind shield that can be driven to rotate; wherein the wind shield is designed to open at least part of the first air outlet and / or at least part of the second air outlet when the wind shield is driven to rotate. When the air distribution device of the present invention is installed in a double-drum washing machine, the air flow can flow into at least one of the upper laundry processing drum and the lower laundry processing drum through the switchable component in the air distribution device, and the amount of air flowing into the upper laundry processing drum and the lower laundry processing drum can be controlled, thereby improving the care effect of the washing machine when caring for clothes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of washing machines, and in particular to an air distribution device and a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] Clothes care appliances, such as washing machines and washer-dryers, are essential tools in people's lives, bringing great convenience. With the rapid development of the laundry industry and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, consumers' requirements and expectations for laundry care products are no longer limited to cleaning performance. They are also increasingly concerned with the care of special materials such as wool, down, and silk.

[0003] After the washing machine dries the clothes, the steam box is used to care for the clothes.

[0004] However, on the market, most washing machines with care functions can only care for clothes in a single drum. As the number of partitioned washing machines on the market gradually increases, washing machines that can only care for a single drum have low care efficiency when in use. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the problems existing in the related art, the embodiments of the present invention provide an air distribution device and a twin-drum washing machine.

[0006] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an air distribution device for guiding airflow into at least one laundry processing drum in a twin-drum washing machine. The air distribution device includes:

[0007] An air distribution member is formed inside the air distribution member, and a first air outlet and a second air outlet communicating with the outside are formed on the inner wall of the air distribution cavity;

[0008] A switchable component is provided inside the air distribution cavity, and the switchable component includes a wind shield that can be driven to rotate;

[0009] The wind shield is designed to open at least a portion of the first air outlet and / or at least a portion of the second air outlet when the wind shield is driven to rotate.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the air distribution cavity is a circular cavity, and the first air outlet and the second air outlet are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity;

[0011] The first air outlet has a first air outlet edge a and a first air outlet edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity;

[0012] The second air outlet has a second air outlet edge a and a second air outlet edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity;

[0013] The inner wall of the air distribution cavity forms a first arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a and the second air outlet edge b, a second arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge b and the second air outlet edge a, a third arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a and the first air outlet edge b, and a fourth arc-shaped area between the second air outlet edge a and the second air outlet edge b. The arc length of the first arc-shaped area is L1, the arc length of the second arc-shaped area is L2, the arc length of the third arc-shaped area is L3, and the arc length of the fourth arc-shaped area is L4.

[0014] The windshield is an arc-shaped blade, and the arc length of the arc-shaped blade is L5;

[0015] Among them, L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 satisfy: L1>L5>L2, L5>L3, L5>L4.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the wind shield has an arc-shaped shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall of the air separation cavity and an arc-shaped windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall of the air separation cavity;

[0017] The lengths of the arc-shaped shielding surface and the arc-shaped windward surface can be controlled and changed.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the windshield member includes a main windshield member that is arranged in contact with the wall surface of the air distribution cavity and an auxiliary windshield member that is slidably arranged on the main windshield member, and the main windshield member and the auxiliary windshield member at least partially overlap in the radial direction of the air distribution cavity;

[0019] When the auxiliary wind shield slides relative to the main wind shield, the overlapping area of ​​the auxiliary wind shield and the main wind shield in the radial direction of the air separation cavity can be changed.

[0020] In the above technical solution, the main windshield has a main windshield edge a and a main windshield edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity, and an arc-shaped groove is formed inside the main windshield, with one end of the arc-shaped groove opening at the main windshield edge a and the other end opening at the main windshield edge b;

[0021] The auxiliary windshield is slidably arranged in the arc groove. When the auxiliary windshield slides relative to the main windshield, it can extend from the edge a of the main windshield and / or from the edge b of the main windshield.

[0022] In the above technical solution, the auxiliary windshield has a leeward surface of the auxiliary windshield arranged toward the wall surface of the air distribution cavity, and an elastic support body is provided on the leeward surface of the auxiliary windshield;

[0023] The elastic support body is designed such that when the auxiliary windshield extends out of the main windshield, the elastic support body arranged outside the main windshield is elastically supported on the cavity wall surface of the air separation cavity.

[0024] In the above technical solution, the auxiliary windshield member includes a first auxiliary windshield member and a second auxiliary windshield member, the first auxiliary windshield member is arranged close to the edge a of the main windshield member, and the second auxiliary windshield member is arranged close to the edge b of the main windshield member;

[0025] The first auxiliary windshield member and the second auxiliary windshield member can be driven to rotate independently so that the first auxiliary windshield member slides relative to the main windshield member and / or the second auxiliary windshield member slides relative to the main windshield member.

[0026] In the above technical solution, the first auxiliary windshield member and the second auxiliary windshield member are both slidably arranged in the arc-shaped groove;

[0027] The first auxiliary windshield member has a first auxiliary windshield member edge a and a first auxiliary windshield member edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity, the first auxiliary windshield member edge a is arranged in the arc-shaped groove, and the first auxiliary windshield member edge b can be placed in the arc-shaped groove or outside the arc-shaped groove when the first auxiliary windshield member is driven to rotate;

[0028] The second auxiliary windshield has a second auxiliary windshield edge a and a second auxiliary windshield edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity. The second auxiliary windshield edge a is arranged in the arc groove, and the second auxiliary windshield b can be placed in the arc groove or outside the arc groove when the second auxiliary windshield is driven to rotate.

[0029] In the above technical solution, the switchable component further includes a main drive mechanism and an auxiliary drive mechanism, and the auxiliary drive mechanism includes a first auxiliary drive mechanism and a second auxiliary drive mechanism;

[0030] The main driving mechanism is used to drive the main windshield member to rotate, the first auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the first auxiliary windshield member to rotate, and the second auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the second auxiliary windshield member to rotate;

[0031] The first auxiliary driving mechanism and the second auxiliary driving mechanism are configured such that when the main driving mechanism drives the main windshield member to rotate, the first auxiliary driving mechanism and the second auxiliary driving mechanism rotate along with the main windshield member.

[0032] In the above technical solution, the main windshield member has a main shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity and a main windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity; the first auxiliary windshield member has a first auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity and a first windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity; the second auxiliary windshield member has a second auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity and a second windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air splitting cavity;

[0033] The main driving mechanism includes a main motor and a connecting member connected to the output shaft end of the main motor, wherein the side of the connecting member away from the output shaft end of the main motor is connected to the main windward surface of the main windshield member;

[0034] An opening communicating with the arc-shaped groove is provided on the main windward surface of the main windshield member;

[0035] The first auxiliary driving mechanism includes a first auxiliary motor and a first gear connected to the output shaft end of the first auxiliary motor, a first rack is provided on the first auxiliary windward surface of the first auxiliary windshield member, and at least a portion of the first gear is embedded in the opening and meshes with the first rack;

[0036] The second auxiliary driving mechanism includes a second auxiliary motor and a second gear connected to the output shaft end of the second auxiliary motor. A second rack is provided on the second auxiliary windward surface of the second auxiliary windshield member. At least part of the second gear is embedded in the opening and meshes with the second rack.

[0037] In the above technical solution, the air distribution member is a three-way pipe having an air inlet, a first air outlet and a second air outlet, and an air distribution cavity is formed inside the three-way pipe;

[0038] The first air outlet and the second air outlet are arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the three-way pipe, and the air inlet is arranged on one side of the axial direction of the three-way pipe;

[0039] The first air outlet is connected to a first air duct interface pipe, and the second air outlet is connected to a second air duct interface pipe.

[0040] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a twin-drum washing machine, comprising the above-mentioned air separation device, the washing machine comprising an upper laundry processing drum and a lower laundry processing drum arranged one above the other;

[0041] The upper clothes processing drum is provided with an upper air duct, the lower clothes processing drum is provided with a lower air duct, the first air duct interface pipe at the first air outlet is connected to the upper air duct, and the second air duct interface pipe at the second air outlet is connected to the lower air duct;

[0042] The washing machine also includes a steam generator. The steam generator has a water inlet and a steam outlet. The water inlet is connected to a water inlet valve, and the steam outlet is communicated with the air distribution chamber of the air distribution device.

[0043] In the above technical solution, the upper air duct includes a front upper air duct arranged near the clothes feeding port of the upper clothes processing drum and a rear upper air duct arranged away from the clothes feeding port;

[0044] The downwind duct includes a front downwind duct arranged near the clothes feeding port of the lower clothes processing drum and a rear downwind duct arranged away from the clothes feeding port;

[0045] The air distribution device is provided with two groups, including a first air distribution device and a second air distribution device, the first air distribution device is used to connect the front upper air duct and the front lower air duct, and the second air distribution device is used to connect the rear upper air duct and the rear lower air duct;

[0046] The washing machine includes a steam generator having a water inlet and a steam outlet, the water inlet being connected to a water inlet valve, and the steam outlet being in communication with the air distribution cavity of the first air distribution device or the air distribution cavity of the second air distribution device;

[0047] The washing machine also includes two components, which are used for performing heat exchange on the drying airflow in the washing machine when the washing machine is drying. The two components include an evaporator and a condenser.

[0048] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0049] An embodiment of the present invention provides an air separation device, which, when installed in a twin-drum washing machine, can allow air flow to flow into at least one of the upper laundry processing drum and the lower laundry processing drum through the on-off components in the air separation device, and can control the amount of air flowing into the upper laundry processing drum and the lower laundry processing drum, thereby improving the care effect of the washing machine when caring for clothes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0051] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the air distribution device of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a schematic top view of the structure of the air distribution component in the embodiment of the air distribution device of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of point A in the embodiment;

[0054] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the air distribution device and the air path of the washing machine in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the connection between the air distribution device and the steam generating device in an embodiment of the washing machine of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the steam care air duct system of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of a washing machine embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Wherein: 1 - air distribution member; 11 - air distribution cavity; 12 - first air outlet; 121 - first air outlet edge a; 122 - first air outlet edge b; 13 - second air outlet; 131 - second air outlet edge a; 132 - second air outlet edge b; 21 - main windshield member; 211 - main windshield member edge a; 212 - main windshield member edge b; 22 - first auxiliary windshield member; 221 - first rack; 23 - second auxiliary windshield member. 231-second rack; 3-main motor; 31-connecting piece; 4-first auxiliary motor; 41-first gear; 5-second auxiliary motor; 51-second gear; 6-first air duct interface pipe; 7-second air duct interface pipe; 81-upper laundry treatment drum; 82-lower laundry treatment drum; 83-steam generator; 84-front upper air duct; 85-rear upper air duct; 86-front lower air duct; 87-rear lower air duct; 88-two-device assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, like numbers in different figures represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all possible embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0060] Currently, most washing machines with a care function can only care for clothes in a single drum. With the increasing number of zoned washing machines on the market, washing machines that can only care for clothes in a single drum have low care efficiency. An embodiment of the present invention provides an air distribution device. When installed in a twin-drum washing machine, the air distribution device, through a switchable component within the air distribution device, allows air to flow into at least one of the upper and lower laundry processing drums, and can control the amount of air flowing into each drum, thereby improving the washing machine's care efficiency.

[0061] The following is combined with Figure 1-7 The technical solution of this embodiment is described in detail. The following implementation methods and embodiments can be combined with each other unless there is any conflict.

[0062] Example

[0063] like Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, in a first aspect of this embodiment, an air distribution device is provided for guiding airflow into at least one laundry processing drum in a twin-drum washing machine. The air distribution device includes:

[0064] An air distribution member 1 is formed with an air distribution cavity 11 inside the air distribution member 1. A first air outlet 12 and a second air outlet 13 communicating with the outside are formed on the inner wall of the air distribution cavity 11;

[0065] The on-off component is arranged inside the air distribution cavity 11, and the on-off component includes a wind shield that can be driven to rotate;

[0066] The wind shield is designed to open at least a portion of the first air outlet 12 and / or at least a portion of the second air outlet 13 when the wind shield is driven to rotate.

[0067] In this embodiment, the on-off components in the air distribution device can make the air flow into at least one of the upper clothing processing drum and the lower clothing processing drum, and the amount of air flowing into the upper clothing processing drum and the lower clothing processing drum can be controlled, thereby improving the care efficiency of the washing machine when caring for clothes.

[0068] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the air distribution cavity 11 is a circular cavity, and the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity 11;

[0069] The first air outlet 12 has a first air outlet edge a121 and a first air outlet edge b122 in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity;

[0070] The second air outlet 13 has a second air outlet edge a131 and a second air outlet edge b132 in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity 11;

[0071] The inner wall of the air distribution cavity 11 forms a first arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a121 and the second air outlet edge b132, a second arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge b122 and the second air outlet edge a131, a third arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a121 and the first air outlet edge b122, and a fourth arc-shaped area between the second air outlet edge a131 and the second air outlet edge b132. The arc length of the first arc-shaped area is L1, the arc length of the third arc-shaped area is L2, the arc length of the second arc-shaped area is L3, and the arc length of the fourth arc-shaped area is L4.

[0072] The windshield is an arc-shaped blade, and the arc length of the arc-shaped blade is L5;

[0073] Among them, L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 satisfy: L1>L5>L2, L5>L3, L5>L4.

[0074] When it is necessary to perform zoned care on the clothes, this can be achieved by driving the wind shield to rotate.

[0075] When it is necessary to care for the clothes in the two clothing processing drums at the same time, the wind shield can be driven to rotate to the first arc-shaped area. Since the circumference L1 of the first arc-shaped area is greater than the circumference L5 of the wind shield, when the wind shield rotates to this area, it will not block the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13, so that air can be discharged from the two air outlets at the same time, thereby realizing the simultaneous care needs of the two clothing processing drums.

[0076] When it is necessary to care for the clothes in one of the two clothing processing drums, the wind shield can be driven to rotate to the third arc area or the fourth arc area. Since the circumference L3 of the third arc area and the circumference L4 of the fourth arc area are smaller than the circumference L5 of the wind shield, when the wind shield is rotated to the third arc area, the first air outlet can be completely blocked, and the second air outlet 13 can be discharged. When the wind shield is rotated to the fourth arc area, the second air outlet can be completely blocked, and the first air outlet 12 can be discharged, thereby realizing the care of one of the two care drums.

[0077] When it is necessary to care for the clothes in the two clothing processing drums at the same time and the amount of air entering the two clothing processing drums needs to be changed, the wind shield can be driven to rotate to the second arc-shaped area. Since the circumference L2 of the second arc-shaped area is smaller than the circumference L5 of the wind shield, when the wind shield rotates to the second arc-shaped area, partial blocking of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 can be achieved, thereby controlling the amount of air flowing out from the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13.

[0078] It is worth noting that although the windshield can partially block the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 when it rotates to the second arc-shaped area, it is still impossible to accurately control the amount of air flowing out of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13. Figure 2 Since the wind shield is rotatably arranged, when the wind shield increases the shielding area of ​​one of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13, the corresponding shielding area of ​​the other air outlet will become smaller. Therefore, it is impossible to increase or decrease the air volume of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 at the same time.

[0079] In order to solve the problem that the air volume of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 cannot be increased or decreased at the same time, the circumference of the wind shield in this embodiment can be controlled and changed. Specifically:

[0080] The windshield 21 has an arc-shaped shielding surface facing the wall of the air distribution cavity 11 and an arc-shaped windward surface facing away from the wall of the air distribution cavity.

[0081] The lengths of the arc-shaped shielding surface and the arc-shaped windward surface can be controlled and changed.

[0082] When the wind shield is driven to rotate to the second arc-shaped area, the air output of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 can be controlled separately by changing the circumference of the wind shield.

[0083] More specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the windshield member includes a main windshield member 21 that is arranged in contact with the wall surface of the air distribution cavity 11 and an auxiliary windshield member that is slidably arranged on the main windshield member 21. The main windshield member 21 and the auxiliary windshield member at least partially overlap in the radial direction of the air distribution cavity 11.

[0084] When the auxiliary wind shield slides relative to the main wind shield 21 , the overlapping area between the auxiliary wind shield and the main wind shield 21 in the radial direction of the air separation cavity 11 can be changed.

[0085] That is, when the wind shield is driven to the second arc-shaped area, by driving the auxiliary wind shield to slide relative to the main wind shield 21, the shielding area of ​​the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 can be changed, thereby controlling the air outlet volume of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13.

[0086] More specifically, Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown, the main windshield 21 has a main windshield edge a211 and a main windshield edge b212 in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity 11. An arc-shaped groove is opened inside the main windshield 21, with one end of the arc-shaped groove opening at the main windshield edge a211 and the other end opening at the main windshield edge b212;

[0087] The auxiliary windshield is slidably arranged in the arc groove. When the auxiliary windshield slides relative to the main windshield 21, it can extend from the edge a211 of the main windshield and / or from the edge b212 of the main windshield.

[0088] That is, the auxiliary windshield in this embodiment is arranged inside the main windshield 21. When the auxiliary windshield slides relative to the main windshield 21, it can extend from the main windshield edge a211 of the main windshield 21 and / or from the deep of the main windshield edge b212, thereby realizing the control of the air outlet of the first air outlet 12 and / or the second air outlet 12.

[0089] That is, in this embodiment, when the air volume of the air outlet is adjusted and controlled, it can be achieved under the joint action of the main wind shield 21 and the auxiliary wind shield.

[0090] Furthermore, in order to improve the shielding effect of the auxiliary windshield on the air outlets {the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet}, an elastic support body is provided on the auxiliary windshield in this embodiment.

[0091] Specifically, the auxiliary windshield member has a leeward surface of the auxiliary windshield member disposed toward the cavity wall of the air distribution cavity, and an elastic support body is disposed on the leeward surface of the auxiliary windshield member;

[0092] The elastic support body is designed such that when the auxiliary windshield extends out of the main windshield 21 , the elastic support body disposed outside the main windshield is elastically supported on the wall surface of the air separation cavity 11 .

[0093] That is, when the auxiliary windshield member is shielding the air outlet, the elastic support body can be elastically supported on the inner wall surface of the air distribution cavity around the air outlet {the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13}, thereby improving the shielding effect of the air outlet.

[0094] When the windshield is driven to the second arc-shaped area, in order to achieve independent control of the air volume of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 12, two auxiliary windshields are provided in this embodiment. Specifically:

[0095] like Figure 2 As shown, the auxiliary windshield in this embodiment includes a first auxiliary windshield 22 and a second auxiliary windshield 23. The first auxiliary windshield 22 is arranged close to the edge a211 of the main windshield, and the second auxiliary windshield 23 is arranged close to the edge b212 of the main windshield.

[0096] The first auxiliary windshield member 22 and the second auxiliary windshield member 23 can be driven to rotate independently so that the first auxiliary windshield member 22 slides relative to the main windshield member 21 and / or the second auxiliary windshield member 23 slides relative to the main windshield member 21 .

[0097] By driving the first auxiliary wind shield 22 to rotate alone or driving the second auxiliary wind shield 23 to rotate alone, the air output of the first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 can be controlled independently.

[0098] Specifically, the first auxiliary windshield member 22 and the second auxiliary windshield member 23 are both slidably disposed in the arc-shaped groove;

[0099] The first auxiliary windshield blade 22 has a first auxiliary windshield edge a and a first auxiliary windshield edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity 11. The first auxiliary windshield edge a is arranged in the arc-shaped groove, and the first auxiliary windshield edge b can be placed in the arc-shaped groove or outside the arc-shaped groove when the first auxiliary windshield is driven to rotate.

[0100] The second auxiliary wind shield 23 has a second auxiliary wind shield edge a and a second auxiliary wind shield edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution chamber 11. The second auxiliary wind shield edge a is arranged in the arc groove, and the second auxiliary wind shield b can be placed in the arc groove or outside the arc groove when the second auxiliary wind shield is driven to rotate.

[0101] Of course, the above-mentioned switchable assembly also includes a driving mechanism for driving the windshield member to rotate, specifically:

[0102] like Figure 2 As shown, the switchable assembly further includes a main drive mechanism and an auxiliary drive mechanism, and the auxiliary drive mechanism includes a first auxiliary drive mechanism and a second auxiliary drive mechanism;

[0103] The main driving mechanism is used to drive the main windshield member 21 to rotate, the first auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the first auxiliary windshield member 22 to rotate, and the second auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the second auxiliary windshield member 23 to rotate;

[0104] The first auxiliary driving mechanism and the second auxiliary driving mechanism are configured such that when the main driving mechanism drives the main windshield member 22 to rotate, the first auxiliary driving mechanism and the second auxiliary driving mechanism rotate along with the main windshield member 21 .

[0105] Furthermore, the main windshield 21 has a main shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11 and a main windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11; the first auxiliary windshield 22 has a first auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11 and a first windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11; the second auxiliary windshield 23 has a second auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11 and a second windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall of the air dividing cavity 11;

[0106] The main driving mechanism includes a main motor 3 and a connecting member 31 connected to the output shaft end of the main motor. The side of the connecting member 31 away from the output shaft end of the main motor 3 is connected to the main windward surface of the main windshield member 21;

[0107] An opening communicating with the arc-shaped groove is provided on the main windward surface of the main windshield member 21;

[0108] The first auxiliary driving mechanism includes a first auxiliary motor 4 and a first gear 41 connected to the output shaft end of the first auxiliary motor. A first rack 221 is provided on the first auxiliary windward surface of the first auxiliary windshield member 22. At least a portion of the first gear 41 is embedded in the opening and meshes with the first rack 221.

[0109] The second auxiliary driving mechanism includes a second auxiliary motor 5 and a second gear 51 connected to the output shaft end of the second auxiliary motor 5. A second rack 231 is provided on the second auxiliary windward surface of the second auxiliary wind shield 23. At least part of the second gear 51 is embedded in the opening and meshes with the second rack 231.

[0110] It should be noted that although the first auxiliary motor 4 in the first auxiliary drive mechanism and the second auxiliary motor 5 in the second auxiliary drive mechanism will rotate with the main wind shield 21, the motor wire will not be entangled. The motor in this embodiment is controlled by a controller. When the main motor 3 controls the main wind shield 21 to rotate, the main wind shield 21 can be controlled to rotate forward and reverse, and the number of forward and reverse rotations is controlled to not exceed one circle, thereby avoiding the problem of motor wire entanglement caused by too many rotations.

[0111] In any of the above embodiments, Figure 1As shown, the air distribution member is a three-way pipe having an air inlet, a first air outlet 12 and a second air outlet 13, and an air distribution cavity 11 is formed inside the three-way pipe;

[0112] The first air outlet 12 and the second air outlet 13 are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the tee pipe, and the air inlet is provided on one side of the axial direction of the tee pipe;

[0113] The first air outlet 12 is connected to the first air duct interface pipe 6 , and the second air outlet 13 is connected to the second air duct interface pipe 7 .

[0114] When the air distribution device is installed in a twin-drum washing machine, the first air duct interface pipe 6 can be connected to the drying air duct of one of the clothes processing drums, and the second air duct interface pipe can be connected to the drying air duct of the other clothes processing drum.

[0115] It should also be noted that, in the present embodiment, the windshield member mentioned above is preferably a windshield blade arranged in the three-way pipe, and the windshield blade is driven to rotate to open at least part of the first air outlet 12 and / or at least part of the second air outlet 13. When the windshield member is in the form of a windshield blade, the side of the windshield blade is opposite to the air inlet of the three-way pipe. Since the side of the windshield blade is narrow, the airflow entering the three-way pipe from the air inlet will not be blocked by the windshield blade arranged in the three-way pipe, thereby reducing the noise generated when the airflow enters the three-way pipe, and at the same time increasing the air intake volume entering the three-way pipe, thereby increasing the exhaust volume and exhaust speed of the first air outlet 12 and / or the second air outlet 13.

[0116] like Figure 4-Figure 7 As shown, the second aspect of this embodiment provides a twin-drum washing machine, which includes the above-mentioned air separation device, and the washing machine includes an upper laundry processing drum 81 and a lower laundry processing drum 82 arranged up and down;

[0117] The upper clothes processing drum 81 is provided with an upper air duct, and the lower clothes processing drum is provided with a lower air duct. The first air duct interface pipe 6 at the first air outlet 12 is connected to the upper air duct, and the second air duct interface pipe 7 at the second air outlet 13 is connected to the lower air duct.

[0118] The washing machine further includes a steam generator 83 having a water inlet and a steam outlet. The water inlet is connected to a water inlet valve, and the steam outlet is communicated with the air separation chamber 11 of the air separation device.

[0119] The reason why the steam generator 83 is connected to the air distribution device in this embodiment is that setting up the steam duct alone will cause insufficient space and a compact structure. Therefore, by connecting the drying duct through a steam generator, space can be saved and the steam care function can be achieved. When starting steam care, first, a water inlet valve is connected to the steam generator to allow water to enter the steam generator and generate steam. The steam is connected to the air distribution device through a rubber tube, and then the steam is transmitted to the upper clothing treatment drum and / or the lower clothing treatment drum through the air duct. After the care is completed, the steam will cool into water and be discharged to the drain box through the drain valve. Because the zone care washing machine has multiple operating states, such as a single upper drum, a single lower drum, or two drums running at the same time, the flow direction of the steam can be controlled by the air distribution device. The effect of zone care is achieved by blocking different air outlets by the air distribution device. At the same time, the amount of steam entering the clothing treatment drum can also be controlled by the sub-packaging device, so that precise care of the clothes can be achieved.

[0120] Furthermore, the upper air duct includes a front upper air duct 84 disposed near the clothing loading port of the upper clothing processing drum 81 and a rear upper air duct 85 disposed away from the clothing loading port;

[0121] The downwind duct includes a front downwind duct 86 disposed near the clothing loading port of the lower clothing processing drum 82 and a rear downwind duct 87 disposed away from the clothing loading port;

[0122] There are two groups of air distribution devices, including a first air distribution device and a second air distribution device. The first air distribution device is used to connect the front upper air duct 84 and the front lower air duct 86, and the second air distribution device is used to connect the rear upper air duct 85 and the rear lower air duct 87.

[0123] The washing machine includes a steam generator 83, which has a water inlet and a steam outlet. The water inlet is connected to a water inlet valve, and the steam outlet is connected to the air distribution cavity of the first air distribution device or the air distribution cavity of the second air distribution device.

[0124] The washing machine further comprises a two-device assembly 88, which is used for performing heat exchange on the drying airflow in the washing machine when the washing machine is drying. The two-device assembly 88 comprises an evaporator and a condenser.

[0125] The reason why two groups of air blowing devices are provided in the embodiment of the present invention is that by controlling the rotation of the wind shield in the two groups of air blowing devices, it is possible to realize separate care for the clothes in the upper clothing processing drum 81 and / or separate care for the clothes in the lower clothing processing drum 82 and / or simultaneous care for the clothes in the upper clothing processing drum 81 and the clothes in the lower clothing processing drum 82.

[0126] Other embodiments of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention that follow from the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

[0127] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air distribution device for guiding airflow to at least one laundry processing drum in a twin-drum washing machine, characterized in that: The air distribution device comprises: An air distribution member (1), wherein an air distribution cavity (11) is formed inside the air distribution member (1), and a first air outlet (12) and a second air outlet (13) communicating with the outside are formed on an inner wall of the air distribution cavity (11); A switchable component is arranged inside the air distribution cavity (11), and the switchable component includes a wind shield that can be driven to rotate; The wind shield is designed to open at least a portion of the first air outlet (12) and / or at least a portion of the second air outlet (13) when the wind shield is driven to rotate; The wind shield (21) has an arc-shaped shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11) and an arc-shaped windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity; The lengths of the arc-shaped shielding surface and the arc-shaped windward surface can be controlled and changed; The windshield member comprises a main windshield member (21) arranged in contact with the wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11) and an auxiliary windshield member slidably arranged on the main windshield member (21), wherein the main windshield member (21) and the auxiliary windshield member at least partially overlap in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11); When the auxiliary windshield member slides relative to the main windshield member (21), the overlapping area between the auxiliary windshield member and the main windshield member (21) in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11) can be changed.

2. The air distribution device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air distribution cavity (11) is a circular cavity, and the first air outlet (12) and the second air outlet (13) are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11); The first air outlet (12) has a first air outlet edge a (121) and a first air outlet edge b (122) in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity; The second air outlet (13) has a second air outlet edge a (131) and a second air outlet edge b (132) in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11); The inner wall of the air distribution cavity (11) forms a first arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a (121) and the second air outlet edge b (132), a second arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge b (122) and the second air outlet edge a (131), a third arc-shaped area between the first air outlet edge a (121) and the first air outlet edge b (122), and a fourth arc-shaped area between the second air outlet edge a (131) and the second air outlet edge b (132), wherein the arc length of the first arc-shaped area is L1, the arc length of the second arc-shaped area is L2, the arc length of the third arc-shaped area is L3, and the arc length of the fourth arc-shaped area is L4. The windshield member is an arc-shaped member, and the arc length of the arc-shaped member is L5; Among them, L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 satisfy: L1>L5>L2, L5>L3, L5>L4.

3. The air distribution device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main windshield member (21) has a main windshield member edge a (211) and a main windshield member edge b (212) in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11), and an arc-shaped groove is provided inside the main windshield member (21), one end of the arc-shaped groove opens to the main windshield member edge a (211), and the other end opens to the main windshield member edge b (212); The auxiliary windshield is slidably arranged in the arc-shaped groove, and when the auxiliary windshield slides relative to the main windshield (21), it can extend from the edge a (211) of the main windshield and / or extend from the edge b (212) of the main windshield.

4. The air distribution device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary windshield member has a leeward surface facing the wall of the air distribution cavity, and an elastic support body is provided on the leeward surface of the auxiliary windshield member; The elastic support body is designed such that when the auxiliary windshield extends out of the main windshield (21), the elastic support body disposed outside the main windshield is elastically supported on the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11).

5. The air distribution device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary windshield member comprises a first auxiliary windshield member (22) and a second auxiliary windshield member (23), wherein the first auxiliary windshield member (22) is arranged close to an edge a (211) of the main windshield member, and the second auxiliary windshield member (23) is arranged close to an edge b (212) of the main windshield member; The first auxiliary windshield member (22) and the second auxiliary windshield member (23) can be driven individually to enable the first auxiliary windshield member (22) to slide relative to the main windshield member (21) and / or the second auxiliary windshield member (23) to slide relative to the main windshield member (21).

6. The air distribution device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first auxiliary wind shield (22) and the second auxiliary wind shield (23) are both slidably disposed in the arc-shaped groove; The first auxiliary windshield member (22) has a first auxiliary windshield member edge a and a first auxiliary windshield member edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11), the first auxiliary windshield member edge a being arranged in the arc-shaped groove, and the first auxiliary windshield member edge b being able to be placed in the arc-shaped groove or outside the arc-shaped groove when the first auxiliary windshield member is driven to rotate; The second auxiliary windshield member (23) has a second auxiliary windshield member edge a and a second auxiliary windshield member edge b in the circumferential direction of the air distribution cavity (11), the second auxiliary windshield member edge a is arranged in the arc-shaped groove, and the second auxiliary windshield member b can be placed in the arc-shaped groove or outside the arc-shaped groove when the second auxiliary windshield member is driven to rotate.

7. The air distribution device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The switchable component further comprises a main drive mechanism and an auxiliary drive mechanism, wherein the auxiliary drive mechanism comprises a first auxiliary drive mechanism and a second auxiliary drive mechanism; The main driving mechanism is used to drive the main windshield member (21) to rotate, the first auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the first auxiliary windshield member (22) to rotate, and the second auxiliary driving mechanism is used to drive the second auxiliary windshield member (23) to rotate; The first auxiliary drive mechanism and the second auxiliary drive mechanism are configured such that when the main drive mechanism drives the main windshield member (21) to rotate, the first auxiliary drive mechanism and the second auxiliary drive mechanism rotate along with the main windshield member (21).

8. The air distribution device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The main windshield (21) has a main shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11) and a main windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11); the first auxiliary windshield (22) has a first auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11) and a first windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11); the second auxiliary windshield (23) has a second auxiliary shielding surface arranged toward the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11) and a second windward surface arranged away from the cavity wall surface of the air distribution cavity (11); The main drive mechanism comprises a main motor (3) and a connecting member (31) connected to the output shaft end of the main motor, wherein the connecting member (31) is connected to the main windward surface of the main windshield member (21) at a side away from the output shaft end of the main motor (3); An opening communicating with the arc-shaped groove is provided on the main windward surface of the main wind shield (21); The first auxiliary driving mechanism comprises a first auxiliary motor (4) and a first gear (41) connected to the output shaft end of the first auxiliary motor; a first rack (221) is provided on the first auxiliary windward surface of the first auxiliary windshield member (22); at least a portion of the first gear (41) is embedded in the opening and meshes with the first rack (221); The second auxiliary driving mechanism comprises a second auxiliary motor (5) and a second gear (51) connected to the output shaft end of the second auxiliary motor (5); a second rack (231) is provided on the second auxiliary windward surface of the second auxiliary wind shield (23); at least a portion of the second gear (51) is embedded in the opening and meshes with the second rack (231).

9. The air distribution device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The air distribution member is a three-way pipe having an air inlet, a first air outlet (12) and a second air outlet (13), and the interior of the three-way pipe forms the air distribution cavity (11); The first air outlet (12) and the second air outlet (13) are arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the three-way pipe, and the air inlet is arranged on one side of the axial direction of the three-way pipe; The first air outlet (12) is connected to a first air duct interface pipe (6), and the second air outlet (13) is connected to a second air duct interface pipe (7).

10. A twin-tub washing machine, characterized in that: The air distribution device comprises the air distribution device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the washing machine comprises an upper laundry treatment drum (81) and a lower laundry treatment drum (82) arranged one above the other; The upper laundry processing drum (81) is provided with an upper air duct, and the lower laundry processing drum is provided with a lower air duct. The first air duct interface pipe (6) at the first air outlet (12) is connected to the upper air duct, and the second air duct interface pipe (7) at the second air outlet (13) is connected to the lower air duct.

11. The twin-tub washing machine according to claim 10, characterized in that: The upper air duct comprises a front upper air duct (84) arranged close to the clothing delivery port of the upper clothing processing drum (81) and a rear upper air duct (85) arranged away from the clothing delivery port; The downwind duct comprises a front downwind duct (86) arranged near the clothing delivery port of the lower clothing processing drum (82) and a rear downwind duct (87) arranged away from the clothing delivery port; The air distribution device is provided with two groups, including a first air distribution device and a second air distribution device, the first air distribution device is used to connect the front upper air duct (84) and the front lower air duct (86), and the second air distribution device is used to connect the rear upper air duct (85) and the rear lower air duct (87); The washing machine comprises a steam generator (83), the steam generator (83) having a water inlet and a steam outlet, the water inlet being connected to a water inlet valve, the steam outlet being in communication with the air distribution cavity of the first air distribution device or the air distribution cavity of the second air distribution device; The washing machine further comprises a two-device assembly (88), wherein the two-device assembly (88) is used to perform heat exchange on the drying airflow in the washing machine when the washing machine is drying, and the two-device assembly (88) comprises an evaporator and a condenser.

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