Clothes care machine and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a clothes care machine and a control method thereof, and the clothes care machine comprises a housing which is provided with a care cavity, and is internally provided with a vertical rail; the washing and protecting assembly is connected with the vertical rail in the mode that the washing and protecting assembly can move up and down along the vertical rail. The washing and protecting assembly is provided with a washing and protecting plate which can be close to clothes and / or far away from the clothes and is used for caring the clothes; the air duct system is communicated with the nursing cavity and the external environment of the clothes nursing machine and is used for exhausting steam in the nursing cavity and / or providing airflow for clothes in the nursing cavity; the clothes hanger assembly is used for hanging clothes and can drive the clothes to move; according to the clothes care machine, the automation degree of the clothes care machine is improved, the labor intensity of clothes care of a user is greatly reduced, meanwhile, the user does not make contact with steam when taking away the nursed clothes, discomfort or scalding caused by the fact that the user makes contact with the steam is completely eradicated, and the use experience of the user is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to a clothing care machine and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In daily life, people often need to iron and care for clothes. However, the existing clothing care devices on the market (such as ironing machines) have a low degree of automation. When ironing clothes, people often lay the clothes to be ironed flat, set the iron temperature, and iron them manually after the iron reaches the temperature. After ironing, the clothes are naturally dried. Some high-end clothing care devices often use blowing or suction processes to stretch or cool the clothes while people are manually ironing, but it is still difficult to avoid the steam generated during the clothing care process from contacting the human body.

[0003] This results in a low degree of automation when people iron and care for clothes on a daily basis, which is not conducive to reducing the user's operating intensity. In addition, the high-temperature steam generated during the clothing care process can easily cause discomfort to the user, affect the user experience, and even cause burns to the user.

[0004] For this reason, it is necessary to develop an automated clothing care device so that users can get rid of the manual clothing care business. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention aims to provide a clothing care machine and a control method thereof, so as to solve the problem of low automation level of clothing care devices in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0007] A clothing care machine comprises: a shell having a care cavity, wherein a vertical rail is arranged inside the shell; a washing and care component connected to the vertical rail in a manner capable of moving up and down along the vertical rail; the washing and care component having a washing and care plate capable of approaching and / or moving away from the clothing, and used for caring for the clothing; an air duct system connected to the care cavity and the external environment of the clothing care machine, and used for discharging steam in the care cavity and / or providing airflow for the clothing in the care cavity; and a hanger component, used for hanging clothing and capable of driving the clothing to move.

[0008] Furthermore, the washing and protecting assembly includes a transverse rail and a washing and protecting plate. The transverse rail is connected to the vertical rail in a manner that it can move up and down along the vertical rail. One end of the washing and protecting plate is connected to the transverse rail and can move forward and backward along the transverse rail.

[0009] Furthermore, an ironing port and an air suction hole are arranged on the side of the washing and protecting plate facing the clothes, and the air suction hole is connected to the air duct system, so as to at least draw the steam generated at the clothes to the air duct system.

[0010] Furthermore, the air duct system includes: an air duct assembly, the air duct assembly includes an air supply duct, an external exhaust duct, and an air inlet channel, one end of the air inlet channel is connected to the care chamber, and the other end can be connected to the air supply duct and the external exhaust duct respectively, the air supply duct can be connected to the care chamber, and the external exhaust duct can be connected to the external environment of the clothing care machine; a heating device, the heating device is arranged in the air supply duct, and is used to heat the airflow; a fan, the fan is arranged in the air duct assembly, and is used to provide flow power for the airflow; a reversing assembly, the reversing assembly is connected to the air duct assembly, and is used to switch the flow direction of the airflow according to the functional requirements of the clothing care machine.

[0011] Furthermore, the air duct assembly includes an air inlet duct, one end of which is connected to the space outside the care cavity, and the other end of which is connected to the air supply duct and / or the external exhaust duct.

[0012] Furthermore, at least a portion of the air duct structure of the air inlet air duct and at least a portion of the air duct structure of the external air exhaust duct are arranged adjacent to each other in a manner that allows for airflow-inter-wall heat exchange.

[0013] Furthermore, the air duct assembly includes an upper cover, a middle piece, and a lower cover which are sequentially connected from top to bottom, an air supply duct and an external exhaust duct are formed between the middle piece and the lower cover, the lower cover is provided with a second air inlet, one side of the second air inlet can be connected to the care cavity, and the other side can be connected to the air supply duct and the external exhaust duct respectively, and an air inlet duct is formed between the upper cover and the middle piece.

[0014] Furthermore, an assembly cavity is formed between the middle piece and the lower cover, the fan is arranged in the assembly cavity, the second air inlet is directly connected to the air inlet side of the fan, and the air inlet duct is directly connected to the air inlet side of the fan.

[0015] Furthermore, the air outlet side of the fan is respectively connected to the inlet of the air supply duct and the inlet of the external exhaust duct, and a reversing component is provided on the air outlet side of the fan for connecting or disconnecting any one of the air supply duct and the external exhaust duct.

[0016] A control method for a clothing care machine is applied to the clothing care machine; the control method comprises: S1, obtaining clothing material information, and obtaining a clothing care program according to the clothing material information; S2, an air duct system provides airflow to the clothing in the care cavity, and a hanger assembly drives the clothing to move; S3, caring for the clothing; S4, the air duct system sequentially performs an external exhaust process and an air supply process; S5, the air duct system performs a drying process for the clothing.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the clothing care machine and control method thereof described in the present invention have the following advantages:

[0018] The present invention discloses a clothing care machine and a control method thereof. The user only needs to hang the clothing on the hanger, and the clothing care machine can automatically provide hot air or normal temperature air to the clothing through the air duct system, and drive the clothing to shake or swing in combination with the hanger assembly to shake the clothing loose, prevent the fabric from sticking, and then perform care actions on the clothing by moving the washing and protecting plate up and down, forward and backward. The steam generated during the clothing care process can be discharged through the air duct system. At the same time, after the clothing care, the air duct system provides drying airflow to the clothing to dry the clothing in time. Therefore, the clothing care machine of the present application can automatically care for the clothing, improve the degree of automation of the clothing care machine, and greatly reduce the labor intensity of the user's clothing care. At the same time, the user can completely leave the clothing care machine during clothing care without contacting the steam, and the steam generated during the clothing care process can also be discharged through the air duct system, so that the user will not contact the steam when taking away the cared-for clothing, completely eliminating the discomfort or burns caused by the user contacting the steam, and greatly improving the user's experience.

[0019] In addition, the present invention is provided with an air duct system, which has a simple and compact structure, and has a high degree of integration in components and functions. Only by using a set of air duct components and a fan, it can take into account the purpose of drying and air supplying clothes and quickly dehumidifying and cooling the care cavity. On the one hand, there is no need to set up a separate drying system, which is conducive to optimizing the space utilization inside the clothing care machine, simplifying the composition of the drying components, and ensuring the drying efficiency. On the other hand, it can quickly discharge steam to the external environment of the clothing care machine, greatly reducing the condensed water vapor generated at the window, reducing the impact of steam on the permeability of the window, allowing users to directly see the clothing care effect through the window, and improving the user experience. At the same time, it can also enable the clothing care machine to deliver hot air and normal temperature air to the clothes according to operating needs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of a clothing care machine according to an embodiment of the present invention (with the housing omitted);

[0022] Figure 2 For the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 The structural diagram at A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 3A schematic flow chart of a control method of a clothing care machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural exploded diagram of an air duct system of a clothing care machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is an axonometric diagram of an air duct system of a clothing care machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of an air duct system of a clothing care machine according to an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective (with the upper cover and the middle piece omitted);

[0027] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of an air duct system of a clothing care machine described in an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from an upward perspective.

[0028] Description of reference numerals:

[0029] 1. Upper cover; 11. First air inlet; 2. Middle piece; 21. Air outlet; 3. Lower cover; 31. Assembly cavity; 32. Fan; 321. Air inlet side; 322. Air outlet side; 33. Transmission piece; 34. Air door; 35. Heating device; 36. Second air inlet; 4. Air inlet duct; 5. Air supply duct; 51. Air outlet piece; 52. Air outlet; 6. External exhaust duct; 7. Base; 71. Air inlet interface; 72. Air inlet piece; 73. Air suction port; 8. Air door motor; 9. Clothes hanger assembly; 91. Shaking assembly; 100. Duct system; 200. Vertical rail; 300. Washing and protection assembly; 301. Horizontal rail; 302. Washing and protection board; 303. Ironing port; 304. Air suction hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The inventive concepts of the present disclosure will be described below using terms commonly used by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of their work to other persons skilled in the art. However, these inventive concepts can be embodied in many different forms and should not be considered limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0031] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. The directions used in this application are based on the normal placement and normal use of the clothing care machine. For details, please refer to the attached Figure 1 , 4 The coordinates in .

[0032] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0033] In the prior art, when people use existing clothing care devices (such as ironing machines) to iron and care for clothes on a daily basis, the degree of automation is often low, which is not conducive to reducing the user's operating intensity. In addition, the high-temperature steam generated during the clothing care process not only easily causes discomfort to the user, affects the user's experience, but may even cause burns to the user.

[0034] In order to solve the problem of low automation degree of clothing care devices in the prior art, this embodiment proposes a clothing care machine and a control method thereof, as shown in the attached Figure 1-7 As shown, the clothing care machine comprises:

[0035] A housing (not shown), the housing having a care cavity, and a vertical rail 200 is arranged inside the housing;

[0036] The washing and care component 300 is connected to the vertical rail 200 in a manner that it can move up and down along the vertical rail 200; the washing and care component 300 has a washing and care plate 302 that can approach and / or move away from the clothes, and is used to care for the clothes; wherein the care process at least includes a clothes ironing process, a clothes steam care process, etc., and the direction of approaching and moving away from the clothes can also be understood as the front-back direction in the present application;

[0037] The air duct system 100 is in communication with the external environment of the care cavity and the clothing care machine, and is used to discharge the steam in the care cavity and / or provide airflow for the clothing in the care cavity;

[0038] The hanger assembly 9 is used to hang clothes and can drive the clothes to move.

[0039] Through the clothing care machine of the present application, the user only needs to hang the clothing on the hanger, and the clothing care machine can automatically provide hot air or normal temperature air to the clothing through the air duct system 100, and drive the clothing to shake or swing in combination with the hanger assembly 9 to shake the clothing to prevent the fabric from sticking, and then the washing and protecting plate 302 moves up and down, forward and backward to perform care actions on the clothing, and the steam generated during the clothing care process can be discharged through the air duct system 100. At the same time, after the clothing care, the air duct system 100 provides drying airflow to the clothing to dry the clothing in time. Therefore, the clothing care machine of the present application can automatically care for the clothing, greatly reducing the labor intensity of the user's clothing care. At the same time, the user can completely leave the clothing care machine during clothing care and will not come into contact with the steam. Moreover, the steam generated during the clothing care process can also be discharged through the air duct system 100, so that the user will not come into contact with the steam when taking away the cared-for clothing, completely eliminating the discomfort or burns caused by the user's contact with the steam, and greatly improving the user's experience.

[0040] The care cavity can be understood as a space for placing clothes, and clothes care can be performed in this space. Preferably, the clothing care machine has a door body that can open and close the care cavity, so that users can put clothes in or take clothes out. At the same time, the shell can also be provided with a window, so that users can directly see the operation status of the clothing care machine, the clothing care effect, etc. from the outside of the clothing care machine.

[0041] The washing and protecting assembly 300 includes a horizontal rail 301 and a washing and protecting plate 302. The horizontal rail 301 is connected to the vertical rail 200 in a manner that it can move up and down along the vertical rail 200. One end of the washing and protecting plate 302 is connected to the horizontal rail 301 and can move forward and backward along the horizontal rail 301. The washing and protecting plate 302 is provided with an ironing port 303 and an air suction hole 304 on the side facing the clothes. The ironing port 303 is used for ironing clothes. The air suction hole 304 is connected to the air duct system 100 through a pipeline, and can at least draw the steam generated at the clothing care area to the air duct system 100, and then discharge it from the air duct system 100. Preferably, the present application is provided with two washing and protecting plates 302, which can approach and contact the clothes at the same time to clamp and care for the clothes. For the up and down movement of the cross rail 301 and the forward and backward movement of the washing and guarding plate 302, a conventional motor drive structure can be used. For example, under the action of the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the motor drives the gear rack to drive the movement of the corresponding components, or the motor drives the belt to move, and the corresponding components are connected to the belt and move accordingly.

[0042] In addition, considering that the user may need to perform steam care on the clothes, the clothing care machine may further include a steam generator, and the steam outlet of the steam generator is arranged in the care cavity to provide steam to the clothes. Of course, the steam outlet of the steam generator may also be connected to the air suction hole 304 of the washing and protecting plate 302. During steam care, since the air suction hole 304 is close to the clothes, the steam can be directly sprayed from the air suction hole 304 to the clothes, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of steam care.

[0043] The hanger assembly 9 includes a hanger and a shaking assembly 91. The hanger can be fixedly connected to the shaking assembly 91. Figure 1 The one-piece structure shown in the figure can also be a conventional hanger used in people's daily life, hung on the shaking component 91, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5-6The shaking assembly 91 includes a motor and a transmission member, one end of which is connected to the motor and the other end is connected to the hanger. Through the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the transmission member drives the hanger to perform reciprocating motion, such as shaking up and down, or swinging left and right, or swinging back and forth, etc. Correspondingly, a conventional motor drive structure can be adopted, such as: the motor rotates forward and reversely to drive the transmission member and the hanger to swing, or the transmission member and the hanger are driven up and down by components such as gear racks and belts. Of course, the hanger assembly 9 drives the clothes to shake or swing, which are all small-amplitude movements, and the purpose is only to shake the clothes loose and the fabrics apart.

[0044] The air duct system 100 comprises:

[0045] An air duct assembly, the air duct assembly comprising an air supply duct 5, an external exhaust duct 6, and an air inlet duct, one end of the air inlet duct being connected to the care cavity, and the other end being able to be connected to the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 respectively, the air supply duct 5 being able to be connected to the care cavity, and the external exhaust duct 6 being able to be connected to the external environment of the clothing care machine;

[0046] A heating device 35, which is arranged in the air supply duct 5 and is used to heat the air flow;

[0047] A fan 32, wherein the fan 32 is disposed in the air duct assembly and is used to provide flow power for the airflow;

[0048] The reversing component is connected to the air duct component and is used to switch the flow direction of the airflow according to the functional requirements of the clothing care machine; specifically, through the switching of the reversing component, the air inlet channel can be connected to one of the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6.

[0049] In the present application, by connecting the air inlet channel with the air supply duct 5, the internal circulation of the air flow of the clothing care machine can be realized, so that the air flow in the care cavity flows into the air supply duct 5 through the air inlet channel, and flows through the heating device 35 to form a high-temperature airflow, and then the high-temperature airflow flows back to the care cavity, which can quickly and conveniently dry the clothes; of course, the heating device 35 can also be turned on, so that the airflow is delivered to the clothes in the care cavity through the air inlet channel and the air supply duct 5, providing normal temperature air to the clothes.

[0050] By connecting the air inlet channel with the external exhaust duct 6, the air flow of the clothing care machine is discharged externally (or called external circulation), so that the high-temperature and high-humidity gas (such as steam) in the care chamber flows into the external exhaust duct 6 through the air inlet channel, and is discharged to the external environment of the clothing care machine through the external exhaust duct 6. This process can quickly discharge the high-temperature steam during clothing care. On the one hand, it is convenient for rapid dehumidification and cooling inside the clothing care machine. On the other hand, it greatly reduces the condensed water vapor generated at the window, reduces the influence of steam on the permeability of the window, and allows users to directly see the clothing care effect through the window.

[0051] Therefore, the present application sets up an air duct system 100, which has a simple and compact structure and a high degree of integration in components and functions. Only by using a set of air duct components and a fan 32, it can take into account the purpose of drying and air supplying clothes and quickly dehumidifying and cooling the care cavity. On the one hand, there is no need to set up a separate drying system, which is conducive to optimizing the space utilization inside the clothing care machine, simplifying the composition of the drying components, and ensuring the drying efficiency. On the other hand, it can quickly discharge steam to the external environment of the clothing care machine, greatly reducing the condensed water vapor generated at the window, reducing the impact of steam on the permeability of the window, allowing users to directly see the clothing care effect through the window, and improving the user experience. At the same time, it can also enable the clothing care machine to deliver hot air and normal temperature air to the clothes according to operating needs.

[0052] The air duct assembly includes an air inlet duct 4, one end of which is connected to the space outside the care cavity, and the other end of which can be connected to the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6. Therefore, by further setting the air inlet duct 4, on the one hand, during the internal circulation of the air flow, the air inlet area is increased to a certain extent, and the air volume delivered to the care cavity per unit time is increased, which is conducive to improving the drying efficiency and air supply efficiency. On the other hand, during the external circulation of the air flow, since the air flow entering from the air inlet duct 4 is at a low temperature, the low-temperature air flow enters the external exhaust duct 6 and mixes with the high-temperature steam in the external exhaust duct 6, so that the high-temperature steam is cooled and condensed, which can reduce the temperature and humidity of the air flow discharged from the external exhaust duct 6, and reduce the impact on the external environment or human body.

[0053] At least a part of the duct structure of the air inlet duct 4 and at least a part of the duct structure of the external exhaust duct 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in a manner that allows for airflow inter-wall heat exchange. Thus, the low-temperature airflow of the air inlet duct 4 exchanges heat with the high-temperature steam in the external exhaust duct 6, and then enters the external exhaust duct 6 for direct mixing, so that the high-temperature steam in the external exhaust duct 6 can successively undergo a two-stage cooling and condensation process, which can further effectively reduce the temperature and humidity of the airflow discharged from the external exhaust duct 6, and reduce the impact on the external environment or human body.

[0054] Among them, the partition heat exchange form between the air inlet duct 4 and the outer exhaust duct 6 can be any form such as downstream partition heat exchange, countercurrent partition heat exchange, and cross-flow partition heat exchange. In this application, it is preferred that the air inlet duct 4 and the outer exhaust duct 6 are countercurrent partition heat exchange, that is, the main flow directions of the airflows are opposite during the partition heat exchange process to improve the heat exchange efficiency. In order to avoid ambiguity, this application only limits the air duct section between the air inlet duct 4 and the outer exhaust duct 6 that can exchange heat between the partitions. For the air duct section without partition heat exchange, the main flow direction of the airflow can be determined based on the layout of each air duct, and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0055] The air duct assembly includes an upper cover 1, a middle piece 2, and a lower cover 3 connected in sequence from top to bottom, and an air supply duct 5 and an external exhaust duct 6 are formed between the middle piece 2 and the lower cover 3. The lower cover 3 is provided with a second air inlet 36, one side of the second air inlet 36 can be connected to the care cavity, and the other side can be connected to the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 respectively, and an air inlet duct 4 is formed between the upper cover 1 and the middle piece 2. Among them, the second air inlet 36 can be regarded as an air inlet channel, so that the gas in the care cavity can flow into the air duct assembly. Correspondingly, the air suction hole 304 of the washing and protecting plate 302 can be connected to the second air inlet 36 through a pipeline, so that the gas near the clothing care position can flow into the air duct assembly.

[0056] Specifically, an assembly cavity 31 is formed between the middle piece 2 and the lower cover 3, and the fan 32 is arranged in the assembly cavity 31. The second air inlet 36 is directly connected to the air inlet side 321 of the fan 32, and the air inlet duct 4 is directly connected to the air inlet side 321 of the fan 32, so that one fan 32 can simultaneously inhale airflow from the care cavity and the external space of the care cavity, which is conducive to simplifying the arrangement of components; the air outlet side 322 of the fan 32 is respectively connected to the inlet of the air supply duct 5 and the inlet of the external exhaust duct 6, and a reversing component is arranged on the air outlet side 322 of the fan 32, which is used to connect or disconnect any one of the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6. Therefore, when the fan 32 inhales airflow from the second air inlet 36 and the air inlet duct 4 at the same time, the reversing component connects or disconnects the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 according to the functional requirements of the clothing care machine, so that the fan 32 can deliver airflow to the air supply duct 5 and / or the external exhaust duct 6 according to corresponding requirements.

[0057] The upper cover 1 has a first air inlet 11, which is connected to the air inlet duct 4 as the air inlet side of the air inlet duct 4. Correspondingly, the air outlet side of the air inlet duct 4 can also be provided with a hole structure (not specifically shown in the figure) and directly connected with the air inlet side 321 of the fan 32. The air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 can be regarded as two branch air paths of the air outlet side 322 of the fan 32. The middle piece 2 is provided with an exhaust port 21, which is connected to the external exhaust duct 6 as the air outlet side of the external exhaust duct 6. Of course, the exhaust port 21 can be directly connected to the external environment of the clothing care machine by an external exhaust pipe.

[0058] For the air outlet of the air supply duct 5, the air duct assembly includes an air outlet member 51, the air outlet member 51 is connected to the lower cover 3 or the middle member 2, one end of the air outlet member 51 is connected to the air supply duct 5, and the other end is provided with an air outlet 52 directly connected to the nursing cavity. Preferably, the air outlet 52 is located above the clothes. As shown in the drawings of the present application, the air outlet 52 can be directly located above the hanger assembly 9, so that the air flow can flow directly to the clothes, improving the drying efficiency or air supply efficiency. In addition, the air outlet member 51 is connected to the lower cover 3 or the middle member 2 in a detachable manner, which is convenient for replacing the air outlet member 51 with different drying air outlet conditions according to different clothes. Of course, if the replacement of components is not considered, the air outlet member 51 can also be integrally formed with the lower cover 3 or the middle member 2, such as integral injection molding, etc. For the heating device 35 of the present application, an existing heating element, such as a heating wire, etc., can be directly used, and no further description is given.

[0059] For the on-off of the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6, the reversing component can be a reversing valve, which realizes connection or disconnection through linear motion or rotational motion, so that when the air supply duct 5 is connected, the external exhaust duct 6 is disconnected, and vice versa. In addition, the reversing component can also include two independent valves, which correspond to the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 one by one, and can adjust the on-off of the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 separately. That is, in the present application, the air supply duct 5 and the external exhaust duct 6 can be kept in a connected state or in a disconnected state at the same time, which is conducive to fully meeting the control needs of the clothing care machine in different operation processes.

[0060] In the present application, the reversing assembly preferably includes a damper 34 and a damper motor 8, wherein the damper 34 is disposed on the air outlet side 322 of the fan 32, and the damper motor 8 is connected to the damper 34 so that the damper 34 can move to switch the flow direction of the airflow. The damper 34 can be directly driven to rotate by the damper motor 8 to adjust the switching situation.

[0061] Of course, the reversing assembly may also be additionally provided with a transmission member 33, and the damper motor 8 is connected to the damper 34 through the transmission member 33. Under the drive of the damper motor 8, the damper 34 is driven by the transmission member 33 to make a linear motion to adjust the switching situation. Correspondingly, the transmission member 33 may be a gear rack, a belt transmission member, a connecting rod structure, etc.

[0062] The air duct system 100 includes a base 7 connected to the air duct assembly, and the base 7 is arranged on the lower side of the lower cover 3. By setting the base 7, other components of the air duct system 100 can be shielded and decorated in the care cavity, which is beneficial to improving the aesthetics of the care cavity. It can also provide certain protection for the components of the air duct system 100 above the base 7 to avoid damage to the air duct structure caused by scratches and collisions caused by foreign objects.

[0063] In order to prevent the base 7 from causing spatial interference between individual components of the air duct assembly or blocking the corresponding air flow inlet and outlet, the base 7 is provided with an air inlet interface 71, which is directly connected to the second air inlet 36, so that the air flow of the care cavity can enter the second air inlet 36 from the air inlet interface 71. In addition, the base 7 is also provided with an avoidance port, and the air outlet member 51 can pass through the avoidance port and directly extend into the care cavity.

[0064] Considering that the steam in the care cavity can be more evenly sucked into the air duct assembly, the air duct system 100 includes an air inlet 72, the air inlet 72 has a hollow chamber (not shown), the hollow chamber can be connected to the second air inlet 36, and the air inlet 72 is provided with a plurality of air suction ports 73 on the side facing the care cavity, and the steam in the care cavity can be evenly sucked into the hollow chamber through the plurality of air suction ports 73, and then enter the air duct assembly through the second air inlet 36. At this time, the air inlet 72 and the second air inlet 36 can be regarded as an air inlet channel, so that the gas in the care cavity can flow into the air duct assembly.

[0065] The arrangement, shape, and size of the air intake 73, such as the air intake 73 arranged in a specific array or in a disorderly arrangement, and the shape is square, round, oval, or irregular, and the opening size is the same or different, or gradually decreases, or gradually increases. This application is not limited thereto, and can be as shown in the attached Figure 7 At the same time, the connection of the air inlet member 72 can be connected to the lower side wall of the lower cover 3 or to the base 7. The air inlet member 72 can be a separate setting or can be integrally formed with the corresponding components. As long as the corresponding connection relationship of the air inlet member 72 is met, this application does not impose too many restrictions.

[0066] Based on the clothing care machine, the present application proposes a control method for the clothing care machine, including:

[0067] S1. Obtain clothing material information, and obtain clothing care procedures according to the clothing material information;

[0068] Among them, the clothing material information can be obtained by the user manually selecting a button or manually inputting it, or a corresponding identification device, such as a camera or other image acquisition device, can be set in the clothing care machine to obtain the clothing material through clothing image acquisition. In view of the acquisition of clothing material information, there are various acquisition methods in the existing clothing processing field, which will not be described in detail in this application. At the same time, in step S1, it includes that the user has hung the clothes on the hanger. At the same time, when the user confirms the clothing care program, the steam generator of the clothing care machine starts heating to prepare for the subsequent steam supply.

[0069] The clothing care program in this application is mainly for different clothing materials. The clothing care machine obtains clothing care machine control parameters corresponding to the clothing materials. Specific parameters such as the ironing temperature of the ironing port 303, the steam temperature during the clothing steam care process, the hot air flow temperature during drying, the duration of each clothing care process, etc., can be obtained from its own storage or cloud server.

[0070] S2, the air duct system 100 provides airflow to the clothes in the care cavity, and the hanger assembly 9 drives the clothes to move;

[0071] Among them, according to the different materials of the clothes, normal temperature air or hot air can be provided to the clothes. While blowing air to the clothes, the hanger assembly 9 also actively drives the clothes to shake or swing. The two work together to shake the clothes loose and prevent the fabric from sticking. At the same time, the air duct system 100 preferably provides hot air with a moderate temperature to the clothes. By properly heating the clothes before clothing care, the stretching degree of the clothing fibers is improved, which is convenient for the clothes to fully absorb the steam sprayed on the fiber surface during the subsequent clothing care process, which is conducive to improving the care effect.

[0072] Step S2 can be run according to a preset time length. After executing step S2 once, the image of the clothing can also be obtained through the image acquisition device. Through image analysis and comparison, it can be determined whether the clothing still has large fabric bends or fabric adhesions or unnatural drooping of the clothing. If so, step S2 can be executed again.

[0073] S3. Take care of the clothes;

[0074] Among them, the clothing care process can be performed according to the care content set by the user, and at least includes clothing ironing, for example: after the steam generated by the steam generator reaches the temperature and pressure, steam is provided to the clothing through the steam generator, a large amount of steam can be provided to the clothing for steam immersion care, or an appropriate amount of steam can be provided and the clothing can be ironed through the ironing port 303 of the washing and protection plate 302. Of course, other clothing care processes can also be included, such as hot air softening and cold air shaping of clothing through the air duct system 100. In order to avoid ambiguity, the cold air and hot air in this application are relative to the current state of the clothing, not a certain absolute temperature.

[0075] S4, the air duct system 100 performs the exhaust process and the air supply process in sequence;

[0076] Specifically, the efflux process includes:

[0077] A1, the fan 32 is running, the reversing assembly cuts off the air supply duct 5, and opens the external exhaust duct 6;

[0078] A2. The high-temperature and high-humidity gas in the nursing cavity flows from the air inlet channel into the external exhaust channel 6;

[0079] A3. The low-temperature airflow outside the nursing cavity passes through the air inlet duct 4 and performs a wall-type heat exchange with the high-temperature and high-humidity gas in the external exhaust duct 6, so that the high-temperature and high-humidity gas undergoes a first-stage cooling and condensation; the low-temperature airflow after heat exchange flows from the air inlet duct 4 into the external exhaust duct 6, and directly mixes with the high-temperature and high-humidity gas in the external exhaust duct 6 to form a mixed airflow, and the high-temperature and high-humidity gas undergoes a second-stage cooling and condensation;

[0080] A4. The mixed airflow is discharged from the outlet side of the external exhaust duct 6 to the external environment of the clothing care machine.

[0081] After the clothing care is completed, the temperature in the care cavity is often high, the clothing is relatively moist, or there is a large amount of steam. First, the air duct system 100 is used to discharge the high-temperature gas or steam in the care cavity to the external environment. On the one hand, the temperature in the care cavity is reduced, which is convenient for the subsequent cold air setting of the clothing and helps to shorten the subsequent cold air volume. On the other hand, it is beneficial to discharge the steam in the care cavity in time and reduce the humidity in the care cavity. This not only reduces the humidity load of subsequent clothing drying, which is beneficial to improve the subsequent drying efficiency, but also can discharge the water vapor near the window in time, reduce the influence of steam on the permeability of the window, so that the user can directly see the clothing care effect through the window, thereby improving the user experience.

[0082] The air supply process includes:

[0083] B1, the fan 32 is running, the reversing assembly cuts off the external exhaust air duct 6, and opens the air supply air duct 5;

[0084] B2. The gas in the nursing cavity flows into the air supply duct 5 from the air inlet channel, and the airflow outside the nursing cavity flows into the air supply duct 5 from the air inlet duct 4, forming a cooling airflow;

[0085] B5. The cooling airflow flows into the care cavity from the outlet side of the air supply duct 5 to cool the clothes.

[0086] Therefore, during the external exhaust process of the air duct system 100, the clothes can be cooled down by continuing the air supply process, which is beneficial for quickly shaping the fibers of the clothes after care, and can also cool down the care cavity.

[0087] S5. The air duct system 100 dries the clothes.

[0088] The drying process comprises:

[0089] C1, the fan 32 is running, the reversing assembly cuts off the external exhaust air duct 6, and opens the air supply air duct 5;

[0090] C2, the heating device 35 is started;

[0091] C3, the gas in the care cavity flows into the air supply duct 5 from the air inlet channel, and the air flow outside the care cavity flows into the air supply duct 5 from the air inlet duct 4;

[0092] C4. In the air supply duct 5, the air flow is heated by the heating device 35 to form a hot air flow;

[0093] C5. The hot air flows into the care cavity from the outlet side of the air supply duct 5 to dry the clothes.

[0094] Since clothes are often relatively damp after care, the air duct system 100 delivers hot air to the clothes for drying, which can meet the user's need to wear the clothes in time after care. Of course, after the drying in step S5, the air duct system 100 can continue to perform the external exhaust process and the air supply process, discharge the hot air and steam generated during the drying process to the external environment, and then deliver cooling air to the care cavity to cool the care cavity. When the care is completed, the care cavity is also made into a more suitable and safe environment. The user can directly open the care cavity to take out the clothes without the occurrence of hot air blowing on the face, burns, etc.

[0095] In order to improve the automation of the drying process, the clothing care machine includes an image acquisition device, which performs grid-based acquisition of clothing image information, specifically, the clothing image is divided into multiple acquisition grids, and the image information in each acquisition grid is acquired, and the image information includes at least any one of the grayscale, contrast, saturation or color of the image. In the present application, the image information acquired by the image acquisition device is preferably a conventional 256-level grayscale.

[0096] Step S5 includes:

[0097] S51, the air duct system 100 dries the clothes;

[0098] The air duct system 100 maintains the drying process until it is subsequently determined that the clothes are dried, and then stops the drying process.

[0099] S52, the image acquisition device acquires image information of the clothes in the drying process in real time;

[0100] S53, obtaining the gray level K in the image information in any acquisition grid, and for any acquisition grid, calculating the absolute value N of the level change of K in unit time;

[0101] Among them, the unit time is often a preset value, and each clothing care machine manufacturer can set it according to its own research and development situation. This application does not impose too many restrictions on it, and only gives a simple example. For example: the unit time in this application can be 15 seconds-90 seconds. In addition, N = |K at the current moment-K at the corresponding moment before the unit time|, the calculation of the absolute value of this change conforms to the conventional mathematical meaning and will not be repeated.

[0102] S54, determining whether N of all collection grids is ≤ the preset level, if so, determining that the clothes are dried; if not, returning to step S52.

[0103] The preset level is a preset value, and each clothing care machine manufacturer can set it according to its own research and development situation. This application does not impose too many restrictions on it, and only gives a simple example. For example: the preset level in this application is level 1-level 2.

[0104] Therefore, the present application collects clothing image information in real time during the drying process through steps S51-S54, analyzes and processes the changes in the grayscale level K, and determines that the target drying effect is achieved when the grayscale level remains unchanged for a certain period of time, or the change range is very small. This is beneficial to improving the accuracy of drying effect judgment, improving the drying efficiency of the clothing care machine, and stopping drying of the already dried clothes in time to facilitate subsequent actions or promptly reminding the user to take out the clothes.

[0105] In addition, the clothing care machine also includes conventional components including a shell, a driving mechanism and other structures. Since the existing technology can be adopted, they will not be described in detail here.

[0106] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clothing care machine, characterized in that: The clothing care machine comprises: A shell, the shell having a care cavity, and a vertical rail (200) is arranged inside the shell; A washing and care component (300) is connected to the vertical rail (200) in a manner capable of moving up and down along the vertical rail (200); the washing and care component (300) has a washing and care plate (302) capable of being moved close to and / or away from clothing, and is used for caring for clothing; An air duct system (100) is connected to the external environment of the care cavity and the clothing care machine, and is used to discharge steam in the care cavity and / or provide airflow for the clothing in the care cavity; The hanger assembly (9) is used for hanging clothes and can drive the clothes to move.

2. A clothing care machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The washing and protecting assembly (300) comprises a transverse rail (301) and a washing and protecting plate (302); the transverse rail (301) is connected to the vertical rail (200) in a manner capable of moving up and down along the vertical rail (200); one end of the washing and protecting plate (302) is connected to the transverse rail (301) and is capable of moving forward and backward along the transverse rail (301).

3. A clothing care machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the washing and protecting plate (302) facing the clothes is provided with an ironing port (303) and an air suction hole (304); the air suction hole (304) is in communication with the air duct system (100) and can at least draw the steam generated at the clothes to the air duct system (100).

4. The clothing care machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air duct system (100) comprises: an air duct assembly, the air duct assembly comprises an air supply duct (5), an external exhaust duct (6), and an air inlet channel, one end of the air inlet channel is connected to the care cavity, and the other end can be connected to the air supply duct (5) and the external exhaust duct (6) respectively, the air supply duct (5) can be connected to the care cavity, and the external exhaust duct (6) can be connected to the external environment of the clothing care machine; a heating device (35), the heating device (35) is arranged in the air supply duct (5) and is used to heat the airflow; a fan (32), the fan (32) is arranged in the air duct assembly and is used to provide flow power for the airflow; a reversing assembly, the reversing assembly is connected to the air duct assembly and is used to switch the flow direction of the airflow according to the functional requirements of the clothing care machine.

5. A clothing care machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air duct assembly comprises an air inlet duct (4), one end of which is connected to the space outside the care cavity, and the other end of which is connected to the air supply duct (5) and / or the external exhaust duct (6).

6. A clothing care machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least a portion of the air duct structure of the air inlet duct (4) and at least a portion of the air duct structure of the external air outlet duct (6) are arranged adjacent to each other in a manner that enables airflow inter-wall heat exchange.

7. The clothing care machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The air duct assembly comprises an upper cover (1), a middle piece (2), and a lower cover (3) which are connected in sequence from top to bottom; an air supply duct (5) and an external exhaust duct (6) are formed between the middle piece (2) and the lower cover (3); the lower cover (3) is provided with a second air inlet (36); one side of the second air inlet (36) can be connected to the nursing cavity, and the other side can be connected to the air supply duct (5) and the external exhaust duct (6), respectively; an air inlet duct (4) is formed between the upper cover (1) and the middle piece (2).

8. The clothing care machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: An assembly cavity (31) is formed between the middle component (2) and the lower cover (3), the fan (32) is arranged in the assembly cavity (31), the second air inlet (36) is directly connected to the air inlet side (321) of the fan (32), and the air inlet duct (4) is directly connected to the air inlet side (321) of the fan (32).

9. The clothing care machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The air outlet side (322) of the fan (32) is respectively connected to the inlet of the air supply duct (5) and the inlet of the external exhaust duct (6), and a reversing component is provided on the air outlet side (322) of the fan (32) for connecting or disconnecting any one of the air supply duct (5) and the external exhaust duct (6).

10. A control method for a clothing care machine, characterized in that: The control method is applied to the clothing care machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9; the control method comprises: S1. Obtain clothing material information, and obtain clothing care procedures according to the clothing material information; S2, the air duct system (100) provides airflow to the clothes in the care cavity, and the hanger assembly (9) drives the clothes to move; S3. Take care of the clothes; S4, the air duct system (100) performs an exhaust process and an air supply process in sequence; S5. The air duct system (100) dries the clothes.

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