An intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows

Abstract

This invention provides a smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows, relating to the field of smart home technology. It includes: a swing guide rod mechanism comprising a crank, a first connecting rod, a clothes drying rod, a second connecting rod, and a third connecting rod; a transmission mechanism comprising a drive shaft and a gear assembly, the drive shaft being connected to the gear assembly and the crank; a rack meshing with the output end of the gear assembly; a pull rope, one end connected to the first window, the middle section passing around a fixed point, and the other end connected to the second window; an elastic element connecting the first and second windows; and a drive mechanism capable of driving the drive shaft to rotate, causing the first and second windows to open relative to each other, allowing the clothes drying rod to extend outside the casement window; and also capable of retracting the clothes drying rod inside the casement window and driving the first and second windows to close relative to each other. The beneficial effects of this invention are: it simultaneously realizes the opening and closing of the casement window and the extension and retraction of the clothes drying rod, enabling rapid and stable automatic drying and retrieval of clothes without occupying indoor space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of smart home technology, and in particular to a smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows. Background Technology

[0002] Clothes racks are essential for drying clothes and are a common household item. However, with the banning of traditional clothes racks in public places and even prohibiting the installation of clotheslines outside windows in many residential buildings for aesthetic reasons, drying clothes becomes extremely inconvenient for residents without balconies. Previously, most clotheslines on the market were fixed in place and required manual retraction, making it easy for clothes to get wet or lost in extreme weather conditions such as rain.

[0003] To address these issues, the invention and innovation of clothes drying racks have developed rapidly. Clothes drying racks can be divided into lift-up racks and floor-standing racks. Lift-up racks are mainly used on balconies and can be further divided into manual and electric types. Floor-standing racks are mainly used outdoors and are primarily available in X-shaped, single, and double-bar designs. However, both types of racks suffer from drawbacks such as taking up living space, blocking sunlight, low drying efficiency, and incomplete drying of clothes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, in order to solve the problems of current clothes drying racks such as occupying living space, blocking sunlight, low drying rate, and incomplete drying of clothes, embodiments of the present invention provide an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows, wherein the casement window includes a first window and a second window, both of which are slidable, and the smart clothes drying rack includes:

[0006] The swing guide rod mechanism includes a crank, a first connecting rod, a clothes drying rod, a second connecting rod, and a third connecting rod. The lower end of the first connecting rod is rotatably disposed on the inner side of the bottom of the casement window, and the upper end is rotatably connected to one end of the clothes drying rod. The clothes drying rod is horizontally disposed, and the other end is rotatably connected to the lower end of the second connecting rod. The upper end of the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to the lower end of the third connecting rod. The upper end of the third connecting rod is rotatably disposed on the inner side of the top of the casement window. The first connecting rod is provided with a sliding sleeve that can slide along its length direction, and the crank is rotatably connected to the sliding sleeve.

[0007] A transmission mechanism, comprising a drive shaft and a gear assembly, wherein the drive shaft is connected to the input end of the gear assembly and the other end of the crank respectively;

[0008] A rack is disposed on the inner surface of the first window and meshes with the output end of the gear assembly;

[0009] A pull cord, one end of which is connected to the first window, the middle of which passes around a fixed point, and the other end of which is connected to the second window;

[0010] An elastic element, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the first window and the second window;

[0011] The system also includes a drive mechanism connected to the drive shaft to drive the drive shaft to rotate. The drive shaft can drive the gear assembly to open the first window and the second window relative to each other, and drive the swing guide rod mechanism to rotate so that the clothes drying rod extends out of the casement window. It can also drive the swing guide rod mechanism to rotate so that the clothes drying rod retracts into the casement window, and drive the gear assembly to close the first window and the second window relative to each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the gear assembly includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a driving bevel gear, a driven bevel gear, and an output gear. The driving gear is mounted on the drive shaft, the driven gear meshes with the driving gear, the driving bevel gear is mounted on the axle of the driven gear, the driven bevel gear meshes with the driving bevel gear, the axle of the output gear is connected to the driven bevel gear, and the output gear meshes with the rack.

[0013] Furthermore, the drive shaft and the driven gear are both horizontally arranged, while the output gear is vertically arranged.

[0014] Furthermore, one end of the drive shaft is connected to the drive mechanism, and the other end is connected to one end of the crank. The drive gear is sleeved and installed in the middle of the drive shaft.

[0015] Furthermore, the drive mechanism is a motor, and the motor is connected to the drive shaft via a coupling.

[0016] Furthermore, the fixing point is a fixed pulley, which is installed on the inside of the casement window.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes an elastic element, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the first window and the second window.

[0018] Furthermore, the elastic element is a spring, which is disposed on the inner side of the top of the first window and the second window.

[0019] Furthermore, the lower end of the first connecting rod and the upper end of the third connecting rod are respectively hinged to two hinge seats. The hinge seat includes a base and a connector. The base is an L-shaped plate that can be fixed to the inner wall edge of the casement window. The connector is U-shaped, and the lower end of the first connecting rod and the upper end of the third connecting rod are respectively inserted into the two connectors for hinged connection.

[0020] Furthermore, it also includes a sensor module and a controller connected to the sensor module. The sensor module is disposed on the outside of the casement window, and the controller is connected to the drive mechanism. The sensor module is used to detect environmental parameters outside the casement window, and the controller controls the drive mechanism to work according to the environmental parameters.

[0021] Furthermore, the sensor module includes one or more of a light sensor, a wind sensor, and a humidity sensor, and the controller is a microcontroller.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] 1. The present invention provides an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows. Installed inside the casement window, it is driven by a drive mechanism to rotate a drive shaft. When clothes need to be dried, the drive shaft rotates in one direction, simultaneously driving a swing guide rod mechanism and a gear assembly. The gear assembly opens the first and second windows relative to each other, and simultaneously the swing guide rod mechanism extends the clothes drying rod outside the casement window. When clothes are retrieved, the drive shaft rotates in the opposite direction, simultaneously driving the swing guide rod mechanism and the gear assembly. The swing guide rod mechanism retracts the clothes drying rod back into the casement window, and simultaneously the gear assembly closes the first and second windows relative to each other. This synchronously realizes the opening and closing of the casement window and the extension and retraction of the clothes drying rod, enabling fast and stable automatic drying and retrieval of clothes without occupying indoor space.

[0024] 2. The present invention provides an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows. The rack uses a sensor module to detect the weather outside the window in real time. Based on the environmental parameters detected by the sensor module, the rack can determine whether the current weather is suitable for drying clothes. When it is not suitable for drying clothes, the controller automatically controls the drive mechanism to retract the clothes drying rod into the window and automatically close the casement window, ensuring that the clothes can be brought back indoors and preventing the clothes from getting wet from rain or being blown away by strong winds. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view of an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a side view of an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the swing guide rod mechanism;

[0029] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the first link;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission mechanism;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the swing guide rod mechanism;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission principle of the transmission mechanism.

[0033] In the diagram: 100, wall; 200, window frame; 300, first window; 400, second window; 1, swing guide rod mechanism; 2, transmission mechanism; 3, rack; 4, pull rope; 5, elastic element; 6, drive mechanism; 7, crank; 8, first connecting rod; 9, clothesline rod; 10, second connecting rod; 11, third connecting rod; 12, fixed pulley; 13, hinge seat; 14, drive shaft; 15, driving gear; 16, driven gear; 17, driving bevel gear; 18, driven bevel gear; 19, output gear; 20, transmission box; 21, sliding sleeve; 22, base; 23, connector; 24, sensor module. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description presents a preferred embodiment of the various possible embodiments of the present invention, intended to provide a basic understanding of the invention, but not intended to identify key or decisive elements of the invention or to limit the scope of protection sought.

[0035] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0036] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0037] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures. Also, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the figures are not drawn to actual scale.

[0038] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the circuits, electronic components and modules involved in this invention are all prior art, which can be fully implemented by those skilled in the art, and need not be elaborated upon. The content protected by this invention does not involve improvements to the internal structure and method.

[0039] It should be further noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 1-3 The present invention provides an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows, applied to the inside of casement windows in residential buildings, mainly including a swing guide rod mechanism 1, a transmission mechanism 2, a rack 3, a pull rope 4, an elastic element 5, and a drive mechanism 6.

[0041] First, it should be noted that the casement window is generally a sliding casement window. The casement window includes a first window body 300 and a second window body 400, both of which are slidable. The first window body 300 and the second window body 400 are slidably installed within a window frame 200, which is installed within a wall 100. The first window body 300 and the second window body 400 can slide within the window frame 200, thus opening and closing relative to each other. Considering the width of residential windows, the casement window generally consists of four window bodies; that is, the casement window also includes two additional side window bodies set within the window frame 200. One of these side window bodies is slidably or fixedly installed on the left side of the first window body 300, and the other side window body is slidably or fixedly installed on the right side of the second window body 400.

[0042] Combined Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the swing guide rod mechanism 1 is located inside the first window 300 and the second window 400, specifically consisting of a crank 7, a first connecting rod 8, a clothes drying rod 9, a second connecting rod 10, and a third connecting rod 11. The clothes drying rod 9 is horizontally arranged, and the length of the clothes drying rod 9 is not greater than the sum of the widths of the first window 300 and the second window 400.

[0043] The crank 7 and the first connecting rod 8 are located below the left side of the clothes drying rod 9. The lower end of the first connecting rod 8 is rotatably disposed on the inner side of the bottom of the casement window, that is, it is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the bottom of the casement window. The upper end of the first connecting rod 8 is rotatably connected to one end of the clothes drying rod 9, that is, it is hinged to the left end of the clothes drying rod 9.

[0044] The second connecting rod 10 and the third connecting rod 11 are located above and to the right of the clothes drying rod 9. The other end of the clothes drying rod 9 is rotatably connected to the lower end of the second connecting rod 10, with the right end of the clothes drying rod 9 hinged to the lower end of the second connecting rod 10. The upper end of the second connecting rod 10 is rotatably connected to the lower end of the third connecting rod 11, specifically hinged to the lower end of the third connecting rod 11.

[0045] The upper end of the third connecting rod 11 is rotatably mounted on the inner side of the top of the casement window, meaning the upper end of the third connecting rod 11 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the top of the casement window. Here, the lower end of the first connecting rod 8 and the upper end of the third connecting rod 11 are respectively hinged to two hinge seats 13. The hinge seat 13 includes a base 22 and a connector 23. The base 22 is an L-shaped plate, which is attached to and fixedly connected to the edge of the inner wall of the casement window, thereby fixing the base 22 to the inner wall of the casement window. The connector 23 is U-shaped, and the lower end of the first connecting rod 8 and the upper end of the third connecting rod 11 are respectively inserted into the two connectors 23 and hinged, so that both the lower end of the first connecting rod 8 and the upper end of the third connecting rod 11 can rotate.

[0046] The first connecting rod 8 is provided with a sliding sleeve 21 that can slide along its length. The sliding sleeve 21 is annular and can fit perfectly onto the first connecting rod 8 and slide along it. One end of the crank 7 is hinged to the outer wall of the sliding sleeve 21, so that one end of the crank 7 is rotatable.

[0047] like Figure 6 As shown, the transmission mechanism 2 includes a drive shaft 14 and a gear assembly. The drive shaft 14 is rotatably configured and is connected to the input end of the gear assembly and the other end of the crank 7. The rotation of the drive shaft 14 can drive the crank 7 to rotate and drive the gear assembly to rotate.

[0048] The gear assembly specifically includes a driving gear 15, a driven gear 16, a driving bevel gear 17, a driven bevel gear 18, and an output gear 19. Both the driving gear 15 and the driven gear 16 are spur gears. The driving gear 15 is mounted on the drive shaft 14, and the driven gear 16 meshes with the driving gear 15. The driving bevel gear 17 is mounted on the axle of the driven gear 16, and the driven bevel gear 18 meshes with the driving bevel gear 17. The axle of the output gear 19 is connected to the driven bevel gear 18, and the output gear 19 meshes with the rack 3. The drive shaft 14 and the axles of the driven gear 16 are horizontally arranged, while the axle of the output gear 19 is vertically arranged. One end of the drive shaft 14 is connected to the drive mechanism 6, and the other end is connected to one end of the crank 7. The driving gear 15 is sleeved and mounted in the middle of the drive shaft 14.

[0049] To provide support and protection for the components of the transmission mechanism 2, the transmission mechanism 2 also includes a transmission housing 20. The drive shaft 14 and the gear assembly are both installed inside the transmission housing 20, while the output gear 19 is located outside the transmission housing 20. The transmission housing 20 is fixedly mounted by a bracket, which is located inside the first window 300 and fixed to the upper part of the bracket. The lower end of the bracket is mounted on the inner wall at the bottom of the casement window.

[0050] The rack 3 is disposed on the inner surface of the first window 300 and meshes with the output end of the gear assembly for transmission. The output end of the gear assembly is the output gear 19. The rack 3 is horizontally disposed and fixed to the inner surface of the bottom of the first window 300. The rack 3 is located outside the output gear 19 and meshes with the output gear 19.

[0051] One end of the pull rope 4 is connected to the first window 300, the middle part passes around a fixed point, and the other end is connected to the second window 400. The pull rope 4 can be a steel wire rope, and the fixed point is a fixed pulley 12. The fixed pulley 12 is fixed to the inner wall at the bottom of the second window 400. The pull rope 4 passes around the fixed pulley 12 to form a fixed pulley 12 mechanism. In this way, the fixed pulley 12 mechanism can make the second window 400 move in the opposite direction to the first window 300.

[0052] The elastic element 5 is connected at both ends to the first window 300 and the second window 400, respectively. Here, the elastic element 5 is a spring, which is horizontally arranged and located on the inner side of the top of the first window 300 and the second window 400. The two ends of the spring are connected to the two sides of the first window 300 and the second window 400, respectively.

[0053] The drive mechanism 6 is connected to the drive shaft 14 to drive the drive shaft 14 to rotate. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 6 is a motor, and the motor is connected to the drive shaft 14 through a coupling.

[0054] When the drive shaft 14 rotates in one direction, it drives the gear assembly to drive the rack 3 to move to the left through the output gear 19, causing the first window 300 to move to the left. The first window 300 also drives the second window 400 to move to the right through the pull rope 4, thereby opening the first window 300 and the second window 400 relative to each other. At the same time, the drive shaft 14 also drives the crank 7 to rotate, causing the swing guide rod mechanism 1 to rotate and extend the clothes drying rod 9 outside the casement window.

[0055] When the drive shaft 14 rotates in the opposite direction, the drive shaft 14 also drives the crank 7 to rotate, causing the swing guide rod mechanism 1 to rotate and retract the clothes drying rod 9 into the inside of the casement window; at the same time, the drive shaft 14 drives the gear assembly to drive the rack 3 to move to the right through the output gear 19, causing the first window 300 to move to the right, and under the restoring action of the elastic member 5, it drives the second window 400 to move to the left, thereby closing the first window 300 and the second window 400 relative to each other.

[0056] In some other embodiments, considering changes in outdoor weather, the clothes on the clothesline 9 are automatically retracted when no one is operating the system. The smart clothes rack suitable for casement windows also includes a sensor module 24 and a controller connected to the sensor module 24. The sensor module 24 is located on the outside of the casement window, and the controller is connected to the drive mechanism 6. The sensor module 24 is used to detect environmental parameters outside the casement window, and the controller controls the drive mechanism 6 to work according to the environmental parameters.

[0057] Specifically, the sensor module 24 includes one or more of a light sensor, a wind sensor, and a humidity sensor, and the environmental parameters are light intensity, wind speed, and humidity. The controller is a microcontroller, which compares the detected current environmental parameters with preset environmental parameter thresholds and determines whether to control the motor based on the comparison result. Thus, when the weather changes to be unsuitable for drying clothes, the controller controls the motor to drive the clothesline 9 to retract into the casement window and close the casement window.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the light intensity is lower than the light intensity threshold, or the wind speed is greater than the wind speed threshold, or the air humidity is higher than the humidity threshold, the controller controls the motor to drive the clothes drying rod 9 to retract to the inside of the casement window and close the casement window.

[0059] The present invention provides an intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows. When applied to a left-right sliding casement window, its specifications and dimensions can be flexibly set according to the specific dimensions of the casement window. For example, in this embodiment, it is applied to a casement window with dimensions of 1500mm*1200mm.

[0060] like Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the extreme position angle of the first connecting rod 8 is 82.36° and the length L2 = 680mm, the length of the crank 7 is L1 = 230mm, the center distance from the hinge point of the crank 7 and the drive shaft 14 to the hinge point at the lower end of the first connecting rod 8 is L3 = 300mm, the distance from the hinge point at the lower end of the first connecting rod 8 to the inner surface of the first window 300 is L4 = 100mm, and the length of the clothes drying rod 9 is 850mm.

[0061] like Figure 8 As shown, in the gear assembly, the gear modules m1 = m2 = m3 = m4 = 2 for the driving gear 15, the driven gear 16, the driving bevel gear 17, and the driven bevel gear 18; and the gear module m5 = 2.5 for the output gear 19. The number of teeth for the driven gear 16, the driving bevel gear 17, the driven bevel gear 18, and the output gear 19 are Z2 = 17, Z3 = 45, Z4 = 18, and Z5 = 40, respectively.

[0062] In this example, the maximum opening range of both the first window 300 and the second window 400 is 450mm. Based on the gear transmission ratios, the driven bevel gear 18 and the output gear 19 rotate 1.4 revolutions, the driven gear 16 and the driving bevel gear 17 rotate 0.6 revolutions, and the driving gear 15 rotates 0.2 revolutions. Therefore, the working range of the driving gear 15 is 0-36°, meaning it only needs teeth within this range. The driving gear 15 can be an incomplete gear.

[0063] In this document, the directional terms such as front, back, top, and bottom are defined based on the location of the components in the accompanying drawings and their relative positions to each other, solely for the purpose of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that these are relative concepts and can vary depending on different methods of use and placement; the use of these directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0064] Where there is no conflict, the embodiments and features described above can be combined with each other. The above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows, wherein the casement window includes a first window and a second window, both of which are slidable, characterized in that, This smart clothes drying rack includes: The swing guide rod mechanism includes a crank, a first connecting rod, a clothes drying rod, a second connecting rod, and a third connecting rod. The lower end of the first connecting rod is rotatably disposed on the inner side of the bottom of the casement window, and the upper end is rotatably connected to one end of the clothes drying rod. The clothes drying rod is horizontally disposed, and the other end is rotatably connected to the lower end of the second connecting rod. The upper end of the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to the lower end of the third connecting rod. The upper end of the third connecting rod is rotatably disposed on the inner side of the top of the casement window. The first connecting rod is provided with a sliding sleeve that can slide along its length direction, and the crank is rotatably connected to the sliding sleeve. A transmission mechanism, comprising a drive shaft and a gear assembly, wherein the drive shaft is connected to the input end of the gear assembly and the other end of the crank respectively; A rack is disposed on the inner surface of the first window and meshes with the output end of the gear assembly; A pull cord, one end of which is connected to the first window, the middle of which passes around a fixed point, and the other end of which is connected to the second window; An elastic element, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the first window and the second window; The system also includes a drive mechanism connected to the drive shaft to drive the drive shaft to rotate. The drive shaft can drive the gear assembly to open the first window and the second window relative to each other, and drive the swing guide rod mechanism to rotate so that the clothes drying rod extends out of the casement window. It can also drive the swing guide rod mechanism to rotate so that the clothes drying rod retracts into the casement window, and drive the gear assembly to close the first window and the second window relative to each other.

2. The intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The gear assembly includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a driving bevel gear, a driven bevel gear, and an output gear. The driving gear is mounted on the drive shaft, the driven gear meshes with the driving gear, the driving bevel gear is mounted on the axle of the driven gear, the driven bevel gear meshes with the driving bevel gear, the axle of the output gear is connected to the driven bevel gear, and the output gear meshes with the rack.

3. The intelligent clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The drive shaft and the driven gear are both horizontally arranged, while the output gear is vertically arranged.

4. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the drive shaft is connected to the drive mechanism, and the other end is connected to one end of the crank. The drive gear is sleeved and installed in the middle of the drive shaft.

5. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The drive mechanism is a motor, which is connected to the drive shaft via a coupling.

6. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing point is a fixed pulley, which is installed on the inside of the casement window.

7. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic element is a spring, which is located on the inner side of the top of the first window and the second window.

8. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the first connecting rod and the upper end of the third connecting rod are respectively hinged to two hinge seats. The hinge seat includes a base and a connector. The base is an L-shaped plate that can be fixed to the inner wall edge of the casement window. The connector is U-shaped. The lower end of the first connecting rod and the upper end of the third connecting rod are respectively inserted into the two connectors and hinged together.

9. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a sensor module and a controller connected to the sensor module. The sensor module is located on the outside of the casement window, and the controller is connected to the drive mechanism. The sensor module is used to detect environmental parameters outside the casement window, and the controller controls the drive mechanism to work according to the environmental parameters.

10. A smart clothes drying rack suitable for casement windows as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The sensor module includes one or more of a light sensor, a wind sensor, and a humidity sensor, and the controller is a microcontroller.

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