Automatic cleaning device for heat exchanger and clothes dryer

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger and a clothes dryer, and the automatic cleaning device for the heat exchanger comprises a carrier unit which is provided with at least one slot; the cleaning mechanism is inserted into the slot; the cleaning mechanism comprises a box body, a box body upper cover arranged above the box body and a supporting plate arranged below the box body, and a plurality of spraying holes are formed in the supporting plate; a water inlet is formed in one side of the box body and connected with a water source. According to the invention, the cleaning process of the heat exchanger is simplified, and the labor intensity of cleaning is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of dryers, and more particularly to an automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger and a dryer. Background Art

[0002] After long-term use of a heat pump dryer, a large amount of dust, lint, and dirt will remain on the heat exchanger, hindering air circulation and affecting the drying effect.

[0003] Internal blockage of the heat exchanger is a very serious problem, which causes the temperature of the heat exchanger to be too high and even leakage, thus damaging the dryer. To prevent this situation and maintain its normal operation, it is necessary to regularly clean and maintain the heat exchanger.

[0004] Currently, the existing cleaning methods for the heat exchanger are as follows: First, open the rear cover and front cover of the dryer, remove the filter element, and clean it with a brush or a vacuum cleaner; Second, wipe the oil stains outside the heat exchanger clean; Finally, blow or suck the dust and dirt inside with an aerosol can or a vacuum cleaner.

[0005] Specifically, separate the heat exchanger, and then use a soft brush dipped in a cleaning agent to brush the surface of the heat exchanger, while not pouring the cleaning agent onto the connection of the heat exchanger; Second, rinse the heat exchanger with clean water to wash off the cleaning agent on the surface, then dry the heat exchanger in the air or wipe it dry with a soft towel. After it is completely dry, reinstall the heat exchanger into the dryer.

[0006] As can be seen from the above, the existing cleaning method for the heat exchanger requires manual cleaning by the user, the cleaning process is complex, and it also increases the labor intensity of cleaning. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention discloses an automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger and a dryer.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] An automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger, comprising:

[0010] A carrier unit provided with at least one slot;

[0011] A cleaning mechanism inserted into the slot; the cleaning mechanism includes a box body, a box body upper cover provided above the box body, and a support plate provided below the box body. The support plate is provided with a plurality of spray holes; a water inlet is provided on one side of the box body, and the water inlet is connected to a water source.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of spray holes are arranged in a matrix manner of M×N, where M≥1 and N≥1.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, a flow guide plate is provided inside the box body, and the flow guide plate guides water flow to flow into the injection holes along a preset path.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the flow guide plate includes a first flow guide portion and a second flow guide portion that are bent and connected. The first flow guide portion and the second flow guide portion are integrally formed. One side of the first flow guide portion is close to the water inlet. One side of the second flow guide portion is connected to the other side of the first flow guide portion. The main body of the second flow guide portion extends along the length direction of the box body, and the other side of the second flow guide portion abuts against the inner wall of the box body. The main body of the second flow guide portion is close to the injection holes.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, a first limiting plate is provided on one side of the upper cover of the box body close to the water inlet. The first limiting plate extends a preset distance along the width direction of the upper cover of the box body to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism extending into the slot.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a second limiting plate is provided on one side of the box body close to the water inlet. The second limiting plate extends a preset distance along the width direction and / or the height direction of the box body to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism extending into the slot.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, a connector is provided at the water inlet.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the water source is tap water.

[0019] The present invention also provides a clothes dryer, including:

[0020] The automatic heat exchanger cleaning device as described above;

[0021] A base, which is buckled with the carrier unit of the automatic heat exchanger cleaning device to form a receiving space;

[0022] An evaporator, which is arranged in the receiving space; the cleaning mechanism of the automatic heat exchanger cleaning device is located above the end face of the evaporator, and water flow is sprayed from the injection holes to clean the end face of the evaporator.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, a connection unit and a water inlet control unit are further included. One end of the connection unit is connected to the water inlet control unit, and the other end of the connection unit is connected to the connector.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, a rear plate fixedly connected to the carrier unit and the base is further included, and the water inlet control unit is fixed on the rear plate.

[0025] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0026] The automatic cleaning device for the heat exchanger described in the present invention is small in structure and convenient for disassembly and assembly. It uses an external water source for water supply, and can only clean the front end face of the heat exchanger with a large amount of fluff accumulated, without the need for grounding.

[0027] The dryer described in the present invention realizes automatic control of water inlet by using a water inlet control unit, reducing the labor intensity of cleaning. Description of the Drawings

[0028] In order to make the content of the present invention easier to be clearly understood, the following further details the present invention according to specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic cleaning device for the heat exchanger in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the cleaning mechanism in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 It is Figure 2 a top view of the middle box body.

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the cleaning state of the cleaning mechanism in the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 It is an exploded view of a part of the dryer in the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 It is Figure 5 a schematic structural diagram of the assembled dryer in the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the cleaning state of the dryer in the present invention.

[0036] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings of the specification: 100, cleaning mechanism; 101, upper cover of the box body; 102, support plate; 1021, injection hole; 103, box body; 1031, flow guide plate; 104, joint; 105, first limiting plate; 106, second limiting plate; 200, evaporator; 201, windward surface; 300, carrier unit; 400, base; 500, connection unit; 600, water inlet control unit; 700, rear plate; 800, cleaning area. Detailed Embodiments

[0037] The following further illustrates the present invention in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and be able to implement it, but the embodiments given do not limit the present invention.

[0038] Regarding the foregoing and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention, they will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only with reference to the directions of the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustration and not for limiting the present invention. In addition, in all embodiments, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] Combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger, comprising:

[0041] A carrier unit 300, provided with at least one slot;

[0042] A cleaning mechanism 100, inserted into the slot; the cleaning mechanism 100 includes a box body 103, a box body upper cover 101 arranged above the box body 103, and a support plate 102 arranged below the box body 103. The support plate 102 is provided with a plurality of spray holes 1021; a water inlet is formed on one side of the box body 103, and the water inlet is connected to a water source.

[0043] This embodiment provides an automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger, which replaces the way of manually cleaning the heat exchanger by the user. The water flow is sprayed out through the spray holes of the cleaning mechanism to clean the heat exchanger, simplifies the cleaning process of the heat exchanger, and reduces the labor intensity of cleaning.

[0044] In this embodiment, the box body upper cover 101 and the box body 103 are fixedly connected by ultrasonic hot melt sealing. When the cleaning mechanism 100 is inserted into the slot and water flow is introduced, the box body upper cover 101 plays a sealing role to prevent the water flow from overflowing and affecting the operation of the remaining components. The support plate 102 is embedded at the bottom of the box body 103 by an in-mold injection molding method.

[0045] In this embodiment, the distribution length of the spray holes 1021 is designed according to the length of the heat exchanger to be cleaned, that is, the spray holes 1021 cover the entire area of the heat exchanger. Among them, the distance between adjacent two spray holes 1021 is designed according to the distance between adjacent two fins of the heat exchanger to avoid all the spray holes 1021 and the fins overlapping. For example, if the distance between adjacent two fins of the heat exchanger is 2.3 mm, then the distance between adjacent two spray holes 1021 is 2.0 mm - 2.3 mm

[0046] The plurality of spray holes 1021 are arranged in a matrix manner of M×N, where M≥1 and N≥1. Generally, the plurality of spray holes 1021 are designed into 1 row or 2 rows. It should be noted that the more the number of rows, the more beneficial it is for the cleaning water flow to contact the fins of the heat exchanger.

[0047] Furthermore, the diameter of the injection hole 1021 is designed to be 0.3 mm - 0.6 mm so that the cleaning mechanism 100 can achieve better cleaning performance.

[0048] In this embodiment, a flow guide plate 1031 is provided inside the box body 103, and the flow guide plate 1031 guides the water flow to flow into the injection hole 1021 along a preset path. Specifically, the height of the flow guide plate 1031 ≤ the height of the box body 103, so that the upper cover 101 of the box body can be buckled on the box body 103.

[0049] The flow guide plate 1031 includes a first flow guide part and a second flow guide part connected by bending. One side of the first flow guide part is close to the water inlet, the other side of the second flow guide part is connected to the other side of the first flow guide part, the main body of the second flow guide part extends along the length direction of the box body 103, and the other side of the second flow guide part abuts against the inner wall of the box body 103, and the main body of the second flow guide part is close to the injection hole 1021.

[0050] Preferably, the first flow guide part and the second flow guide part are integrally formed, which can reduce the joint points during the assembly process, thereby improving the strength and reliability of the flow guide plate 1031, preventing the wear of the flow guide plate 1031 caused by the impact pressure of the water flow during long-term use, and thus extending the service life of the cleaning mechanism 100.

[0051] In this embodiment, a first limiting plate 105 is provided on one side of the upper cover 101 of the box body close to the water inlet. The first limiting plate 105 extends a preset distance along the width direction of the upper cover 101 of the box body to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism 100 extending into the slot. Specifically, the first limiting plate 105 includes a first main body part and a first extending part. The first main body part is fixedly connected to the top of the upper cover 101 of the box body, and the first extending part extends a certain distance along both sides of the first main body part. This distance only needs to satisfy the requirement of limiting the length of the cleaning mechanism 100 extending into the slot.

[0052] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 shown, a second limiting plate 106 is provided on one side of the box body 103 close to the water inlet. The second limiting plate 106 extends a preset distance along the width direction and / or the height direction of the box body 103 to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism 100 extending into the slot. Specifically, the second limiting plate 106 includes a second main body part and a second extending part. The second main body part is fixedly connected to the bottom of the box body 103, and the second extending part extends a certain distance along both sides of the second main body part. Similarly, this distance only needs to satisfy the requirement of limiting the length of the cleaning mechanism 100 extending into the slot.

[0053] In this embodiment, a connector 104 is provided at the water inlet, and the connector 104 is used for subsequent connection with a connection unit 500 such as a water pipe.

[0054] In this embodiment, the water source is tap water. Compared with the prior art where the water in the water storage box of the dryer or the condensed water is often used to wash the heat exchanger, the water storage box is a place for collecting and storing water or condensed water, and it is humid and prone to breeding bacteria. Then the water for washing the heat exchanger is not clean, and the purpose of effectively cleaning the heat exchanger cannot be achieved. At the same time, the water storage box needs to be cleaned regularly, which further increases the labor intensity of cleaning. Therefore, in this embodiment, a separate pipeline is added to connect tap water as the water source. In this way, the heat exchanger can be directly washed with tap water, which can effectively clean the heat exchanger and does not require regular cleaning of the water storage box, reducing the labor intensity of cleaning.

[0055] As Figure 4 shown, the working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0056] The automatic cleaning device of the heat exchanger is arranged above the heat exchanger. The external water source is introduced into the cleaning mechanism 100 from the joint 104, and the water flows out through the injection holes 1021. Since the frictional force between the lint and the fins of the heat exchanger is less than the force caused by the water pressure, the lint is removed, achieving the purpose of cleaning the end face of the heat exchanger.

[0057] Embodiment Two

[0058] Combined with Figure 5 and Figure 6 , a dryer includes:

[0059] The automatic cleaning device of the heat exchanger provided in Embodiment One;

[0060] The base 400 is buckled with the carrier unit 300 of the automatic cleaning device of the heat exchanger to form an accommodation space;

[0061] The evaporator 200 is arranged in the accommodation space; the cleaning mechanism 100 of the automatic cleaning device of the heat exchanger is located above the end face of the evaporator 200, and the water flow is ejected from the injection holes 1021 to form a cleaning of the end face of the evaporator 200.

[0062] In this embodiment, the dryer further includes a connection unit 500 and a water inlet control unit 600. One end of the connection unit 500 is connected to the water inlet control unit 600, and the other end of the connection unit 500 is connected to the joint 104. Among them, the connection unit 500 can adopt a water pipe, and the water inlet control unit 600 can adopt an electromagnetic water inlet valve.

[0063] In this embodiment, the dryer further includes a rear plate 700 fixedly connected to the carrier unit 300 and the base 400, and the water inlet control unit 600 is fixed on the rear plate 700.

[0064] As Figure 7 shown, the working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0065] Open the water inlet control unit 600, and the external water source flows into the cleaning mechanism 100 through the connecting unit 500. The water flow is ejected downward from the ejection holes 1021 in the cleaning mechanism 100, thereby cleaning to form a cleaning area 800, so as to achieve the purpose of cleaning the fluff on the end face of the evaporator 200.

[0066] Since one end face of the evaporator 200 is the windward face 201 facing the internal circulating air, fluff will be carried in as the internal circulating air flows, resulting in the accumulation of fluff. Compared with other parts of the evaporator 200, there is more fluff remaining on the windward face 201. Of course, the carrier unit 300 can be designed with multiple slots, and each slot installs the cleaning mechanism 100 to clean other parts of the evaporator 200.

[0067] It should be noted that the main design point of the present invention lies in the structural improvement of the automatic cleaning device for the heat exchanger. For other structures of the dryer, such as the electrical connection part and the rest of the mechanical structure part of the dryer, they will not be elaborated one by one.

[0068] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should also be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "set" and "connect" are used, they should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0069] Obviously, the above embodiments are only examples given for clear illustration, and are not limitations on the implementation manners. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation manners here. And the obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger, characterized in that, it includes: A carrier unit (300) provided with at least one slot; A cleaning mechanism (100) inserted into the slot; the cleaning mechanism (100) includes a box body (103), a box body upper cover (101) provided above the box body (103), and a support plate (102) provided below the box body (103), and a plurality of spray holes (1021) are opened on the support plate (102); a water inlet is opened on one side of the box body (103), and the water inlet is connected to a water source.

2. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of spray holes (1021) are arranged in a matrix of M×N, where M≥1 and N≥1.

3. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, A flow guide plate (1031) is provided in the box body (103), and the flow guide plate (1031) guides the water flow to flow into the spray holes (1021) along a preset path.

4. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flow guide plate (1031) includes a first flow guide part and a second flow guide part which are bent and connected, and the first flow guide part and the second flow guide part are integrally formed; one side of the first flow guide part is close to the water inlet, the other side of the second flow guide part is connected to the other side of the first flow guide part, the main body of the second flow guide part extends along the length direction of the box body (103), and the other side of the second flow guide part abuts against the inner wall of the box body (103), and the main body of the second flow guide part is close to the spray holes (1021).

5. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first limiting plate (105) is provided on one side of the box body upper cover (101) close to the water inlet, and the first limiting plate (105) extends a preset distance along the width direction of the box body upper cover (101) to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism (100) extending into the slot.

6. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second limiting plate (106) is provided on one side of the box body (103) close to the water inlet, and the second limiting plate (106) extends a preset distance along the width direction and / or the height direction of the box body (103) to limit the length of the cleaning mechanism (100) extending into the slot.

7. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, A joint (104) is provided at the water inlet.

8. The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water source is tap water.

9. A dryer, characterized in that, it includes: The automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1-8; A base (400) which is buckled with the carrier unit (300) of the automatic cleaning device for a heat exchanger to form an accommodation space; An evaporator (200) is disposed within the accommodation space; a cleaning mechanism (100) of the heat exchanger automatic cleaning device is located above an end face of the evaporator (200), and water flow is ejected from the ejection holes (1021) to clean the end face of the evaporator (200).

10. The dryer according to claim 9, characterized in that it further includes a connection unit (500) and a water inlet control unit (600), one end of the connection unit (500) is connected to the water inlet control unit (600), and the other end of the connection unit (500) is connected to the joint (104).

11. The dryer according to claim 10, characterized in that it further includes a rear plate (700) fixedly connected to the carrier unit (300) and the base (400), and the water inlet control unit (600) is fixed on the rear plate (700).

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