Washing machine

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of household appliances, and particularly relates to a washing machine. The washing machine comprises a shell, an outer barrel and a circulating drainage mechanism. The outer cylinder is arranged in the shell, and the circulating drainage mechanism comprises a circulating pipeline, a drainage pipe, a four-way valve and a filtering piece; the head end and the tail end of the circulation pipeline are connected to the outer cylinder so as to drive water in the circulation pipeline to flow. The filtering piece is arranged in the circulating pipeline to filter thread scraps in the circulating pipeline; the first end of the drain pipe is connected to the circulating pipeline, the second end of the drain pipe extends out of the shell, and the filter is located on the side, away from the outer cylinder, of the first end; the four-way valve is arranged on the drainage pipe and connected with the circulation pipeline, and the circulation pipeline and the outer cylinder or the drainage pipe and the outer cylinder are communicated. According to the washing machine, floccules or thread scraps attached to clothes are reduced, mixed washing of deep and shallow clothes is facilitated, and attachment of impurities of tissues is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of household appliances, and particularly relates to a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous improvement of production technology level and the continuous growth of user needs, users' requirements for laundry equipment are also getting higher and higher.

[0003] During the washing process of the washing machine, clothes rub against each other and against the inner drum, generating a lot of fiber debris. After these fiber debris fall off, they will penetrate between different clothes as the clothes flip, beat, and rub. Eventually, the fiber lint shed from all clothes is evenly distributed on all clothes. This requires that dark and light clothes must be washed separately. Otherwise, the lint shed from dark clothes penetrates into the fiber gaps of light clothes, making the light clothes darker. On the contrary, the lint shed from light clothes penetrates into the fiber gaps of dark clothes, making the dark clothes lighter. On the other hand, when the user forgets to take out the tissue in the pocket, during the washing process, the tissue is extremely easy to break after being soaked. During the flipping and rubbing of the clothes, the flocs after the tissue breaks will become smaller and smaller and are evenly distributed in the washing water. After the washing is over, most of these flocs will cover the surface of the clothes.

[0004] In the existing washing machine during the washing process, clothes are prone to adhering to flocs or lint, and the washing effect is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a washing machine to solve the problem that when using a washing machine to wash clothes, the clothes are prone to adhering to flocs or lint and the washing effect is poor.

[0006] This application provides a washing machine, including a housing, an outer drum, and a circulating drainage mechanism. The outer drum is arranged inside the housing;

[0007] The circulating drainage mechanism includes a circulating pipeline, a drain pipe, a four-way valve, and a filter element; both the head and the tail ends of the circulating pipeline are connected to the outer drum; the filter element is arranged inside the circulating pipeline to filter the lint in the circulating pipeline; the first end of the drain pipe is connected to the circulating pipeline, the second end of the drain pipe extends out of the housing, the filter element is located on the side of the first end away from the outer drum, the four-way valve is arranged on the drain pipe and is connected to the circulating pipeline to connect and communicate the circulating pipeline with the outer drum or the drain pipe with the outer drum.

[0008] In some embodiments, the circulation pipeline includes a water inlet pipe, a water outlet pipe, a circulation pipe, and a drainage pump. One end of the water inlet pipe is communicated with the bottom of the outer cylinder, and the other end is connected to the water inlet of the drainage pump. One end of the water outlet pipe is communicated with the water outlet of the drainage pump, and the other end is communicated with the circulation pipe. The circulation pipe is communicated with the outer cylinder, and the filter element is arranged on the water outlet pipe.

[0009] In some embodiments, the filter element is obliquely arranged in the water outlet pipe. The bottom of the filter element is close to the drainage pump, and the top of the filter element is connected to the side of the first end far away from the drainage pump to separate the drainage pipe and the circulation pipe.

[0010] In some embodiments, the filter element includes a coarse filter screen and a fine filter screen, and the coarse filter screen is located between the fine filter screen and the drainage pump.

[0011] In some embodiments, the top of the coarse filter screen is connected to the top of the fine filter screen, and there is a distance between the bottom of the coarse filter screen and the fine filter screen.

[0012] In some embodiments, the fine filter screen includes a filtering area and a non-porous area. The filtering area and the non-porous area are integrally formed. The non-porous area is close to the drainage pipe. The filtering area is connected to the bottom of the water outlet pipe, and the non-porous area is connected to the top of the coarse filter screen.

[0013] In some embodiments, the circulation pipeline further includes a water tank. The water tank is arranged on the top of the housing and is communicated with the circulation pipe to store washing water for backwashing the filter element. In some embodiments, the four-way valve includes a valve body, a valve core, and a driving member. Four connecting pipes are arranged on the valve body, and the connecting pipes are symmetrically arranged in two groups on both sides of the valve body;

[0014] A valve cavity is arranged in the valve body. The valve core includes a connecting column, a first piston, and two second pistons. The first piston is located between the two second pistons and is connected to each other through the connecting column. The first piston and the second pistons are slidably connected in the valve cavity. Two channels are formed between the first piston and the two second pistons respectively. The two channels correspond to the two groups of connecting pipes one by one. The driving member is arranged on the valve body to drive the valve core to slide so that only one of the channels is communicated with the corresponding group of connecting pipes.

[0015] In some embodiments, the driving member includes an electromagnet. A driving cavity is arranged at one end of the valve body, and a buffer cavity is arranged at the other end of the valve body. The valve core is a permanent magnet, and the electromagnet is fixed in the driving cavity to attract or repel the valve core.

[0016] In some embodiments, the four-way valve further includes a connecting pipe for connecting the driving chamber and the buffer chamber.

[0017] A washing machine provided by the present application, through the setting of the circulating drainage mechanism, when the washing machine is used to wash clothes, the washing water in the outer cylinder is pumped by a drainage pump for circulation, and the washing water is filtered by a filter member arranged on the circulating pipeline, so as to block and collect lint and flocs in the washing water, and then flow into the outer cylinder through the circulating pipeline to wash the clothes; when the washing is completed, the four-way valve is switched, the circulating pipeline is closed and the drain pipe is opened at the same time, and the drainage pump is started to drain the sewage; the washing water is filtered by the filter member, so as to block and collect lint and flocs in the washing water, which is beneficial to the mixed washing of dark clothes and light clothes, and at the same time reduces the influence of the remaining paper towels on the clothes washing; and, the filter member is arranged on the side of the first end of the drain pipe away from the drainage pump, and the lint or flocs accumulated on the filter member are directly discharged through the drain pipe, avoiding the accumulation of lint or flocs on the filter member and realizing the maintenance-free of the filter member. At the same time, the setting of the circulating drainage mechanism can also accelerate the dissolution of the undissolved detergent deposited at the bottom of the outer cylinder and better play the role of disintegrating stains. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the washing machine provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the filter member in;

[0021] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the four-way valve in the first position in;

[0022] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the four-way valve in the second position in;

[0023] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the position switching of the four-way valve in.

[0024] Description of the reference numerals:

[0025] 100, housing;

[0026] 200, outer cylinder;

[0027] 300. Circulating drainage mechanism; 310. Circulating pipeline; 311. Water intake pipe; 312. Water outlet pipe; 313. Circulating pipe; 314. Water tank; 320. Drainage pump; 330. Drain pipe;

[0028] 340. Four-way valve; 341. Valve body; 3411. Valve cavity; 342. Valve core; 3421. Connecting column; 3422. First piston; 3423. Second piston; 343. Driving member; 3431. Electromagnet; 3432. Fixed seat; 344. Connecting pipe; 3441. First inlet; 3442. First outlet; 3443. Second inlet; 3444. Second outlet; 345. Driving cavity; 346. Buffer cavity; 347. Connecting pipe;

[0029] 350. Filter element; 351. Coarse filter screen; 352. Fine filter screen; 3521. Filtering area; 3522. Non-porous area.

[0030] Through the above-mentioned drawings, specific embodiments of the present application have been shown, and there will be more detailed descriptions hereinafter. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. Detailed Embodiments

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification, claims, and above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order different from those illustrated or described herein.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0034] During the washing process of a washing machine, when clothes rub against each other and against the inner drum, a lot of fiber debris will be generated. After these fiber debris fall off, they will penetrate between different clothes as the clothes flip, beat, and rub. Eventually, the fiber lint shed from all clothes will be evenly distributed on all clothes. This requires that dark and light clothes must be washed separately. Otherwise, the lint shed from dark clothes will penetrate into the fiber gaps of light clothes, making the light clothes darker. On the contrary, the lint shed from light clothes will penetrate into the fiber gaps of dark clothes, making the dark clothes lighter. On the other hand, when the user forgets to take out the tissue in the pocket, during the washing process, the tissue is extremely easy to break after being soaked. During the flipping and rubbing of the clothes, the flocs after the tissue breaks will become smaller and smaller and be evenly distributed in the washing water. After the washing is over, most of these flocs will cover the surface of the clothes and will not be drained away. In addition, at the initial stage of water inlet, some detergents will be directly washed into the outer drum without being dissolved and deposited near the pipelines and drain pumps connected to the bottom of the outer drum. This part of the detergent cannot be agitated by the inner drum during the normal washing process and will no longer play a role. Instead, it will be directly drained away during drainage, causing eutrophication pollution of the water source.

[0035] However, during the washing process of the existing washing machines, the washing function is too single, making it easy for clothes to adhere to flocs or lint, and the washing effect is poor.

[0036] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a washing machine. Through the setting of a circulating drainage mechanism, when using the washing machine to wash clothes, the washing water in the outer drum is pumped by a drain pump for circulation, and the washing water is filtered by a filter element arranged on the circulating pipeline, so as to block and collect the lint and flocs in the washing water, and then flow through the circulating pipeline into the outer drum to wash the clothes; when the washing is completed, the four-way valve is switched, the circulating pipeline is closed while the drain pipe is opened, and the drain pump is started to drain the sewage; the washing water is filtered by the filter element, so as to block and collect the lint and flocs in the washing water, which is beneficial to the mixed washing of dark and light clothes, and at the same time reduces the influence of the remaining tissue on the clothes washing; moreover, the filter element is arranged on the side of the first end of the drain pipe far away from the drain pump, and the lint or flocs accumulated on the filter element are directly discharged through the drain pipe, avoiding the accumulation of lint or flocs on the filter element.

[0037] The following will specifically describe the technical solutions of the present application and how the technical solutions of the present application solve the above technical problems in detail. These several specific embodiments below can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0038] The present application provides a washing machine, referring to Figures 1 to 5, the washing machine includes a housing 100, an outer tub 200, and a circulating drainage mechanism 300; the outer tub 200 is disposed within the housing 100.

[0039] The circulating drainage mechanism 300 includes a circulating pipeline 310, a drain pipe 330, a four-way valve 340, and a filter member 350; both the head and the tail ends of the circulating pipeline 310 are connected to the outer tub 200; the filter member 350 is disposed within the circulating pipeline 310 to filter lint in the circulating pipeline 310; the first end of the drain pipe 330 is connected to the circulating pipeline 310, the second end of the drain pipe 330 extends out of the housing 100, the filter member 350 is located on the side of the first end away from the outer tub 320, the four-way valve 340 is disposed on the drain pipe 330 and connected to the circulating pipeline 310 to communicate the circulating pipeline 310 with the outer tub 200 or the drain pipe 310 with the outer tub 200.

[0040] Exemplarily, the washing machine is a drum washing machine, the outer tub 200 is fixed within the housing 100, a door for closing the outer tub 200 is installed on the side of the housing 100, and the circulating drainage mechanism 300 is disposed within the housing 100. In other embodiments, the washing machine may also be other forms of washing machines, which are not overly limited herein.

[0041] Wherein, one end of the circulating pipeline 310 communicates with the bottom of the outer tub 200 to facilitate complete drainage of the washing water in the outer tub 200, and the other end of the circulating pipeline 310 communicates with the top of the outer tub 200 to facilitate re-injection of the washing water into the outer tub 200 for washing the clothes; the circulating pipeline 310 is located inside the housing 100. The circulating pipeline 310 includes a drainage pump 320, the drainage pump 320 is installed within the housing 100 and located at the bottom of the outer tub 200, the drainage pump 320 is installed on the pipeline of the circulating pipeline 310 to provide power for the water in the circulating pipeline 310 to form an internal circulation. At the same time, the first end of the drain pipe 330 is connected to one end of the circulating pipeline 310 near the water outlet of the drainage pump 320, so that the drainage pump 320 can be used as both the power source for the internal circulation and the power source for external drainage.

[0042] The first end of the drain pipe 330 is connected to the circulation pipeline 310, the second end of the drain pipe 330 extends out of the housing 100, the filter element 350 is located in the circulation pipeline 310 and is connected to the side of the first end away from the drain pump 320, so that the washing water entering the drain pipe 330 is not filtered. At the same time, the filtered impurities accumulate at the first end of the drain port, so as to discharge the impurities accumulated on the filter element 350 during the subsequent drainage process. The four-way valve 340 is located on the drain pipe 330 and is connected to a group of corresponding inlets and outlets of the four-way valve 340, and the circulation pipeline 310 is connected to the other group of corresponding inlets and outlets of the four-way valve 340; the conduction of the drain pipe 330 and the circulation pipeline 310 is adjusted through the four-way valve 340 to separately open the drain pipe 330 or the circulation pipeline 310. Thus, the conversion between the internal circulation and the external drainage modes is realized.

[0043] Exemplarily, the part of the drain pipe 330 located outside the housing 100 is a flexible pipe, and the part located inside the housing 100 is a rigid pipe, so as to facilitate the installation and use of the four-way valve 340 and the filter element 350. Of course, in other embodiments, the drain pipe 330 can also be all flexible pipes, and no excessive limitation is made here.

[0044] In other embodiments, two valves can also be used and installed on the drain pipe 330 and the circulation pipeline 310 respectively to separately control the opening and closing of the drain pipe 330 or the circulation pipeline 310.

[0045] By adopting the above technical solutions, when using the washing machine to wash clothes, the washing water in the outer cylinder 200 is pumped by the drain pump 320 for internal circulation, and the washing water is filtered by the filter element 350 arranged on the circulation pipeline 310, so as to block and collect the lint and flocs in the washing water. The filtered washing water then flows through the circulation pipeline 310 into the outer cylinder 200 to wash the clothes; thus, the lint and flocs in the washing water are blocked and collected, which is beneficial to the mixed washing of dark clothes and light clothes, and at the same time reduces the influence of the remaining paper towels on the clothes washing. When the washing is completed, the four-way valve 340 is switched, the circulation pipeline 310 is closed while the drain pipe 330 is opened, and the drain pump 320 is started to discharge the sewage; moreover, the filter element 350 is arranged on the side of the first end of the drain pipe 330 away from the drain pump 320, and the lint or flocs accumulated on the filter element 350 are directly discharged through the drain pipe 330, avoiding the accumulation of lint or flocs on the filter element 350.

[0046] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 1, the circulation pipeline 310 includes a water inlet pipe 311, a water outlet pipe 312 and a circulation pipe 313. One end of the water inlet pipe 311 is communicated with the bottom of the outer cylinder 200, and the other end is connected to the water inlet of the drainage pump 320. One end of the water outlet pipe 312 is communicated with the water outlet of the drainage pump 320, and the other end is communicated with the circulation pipe 313. The circulation pipe 313 is communicated with the outer cylinder 200. The filter element 350 is arranged on the water outlet pipe 312.

[0047] It can be understood that one end of the circulation pipe 313 is located at the bottom of the housing 100 and communicated with the water outlet pipe 312, and the other end is connected to the top of the outer cylinder 200.

[0048] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 , the circulation pipeline 310 further includes a water tank 314. The water tank 314 is arranged on the top of the housing 100. The water tank 314 is communicated with the circulation pipe 313 to store the washing water for backwashing the filter element 350.

[0049] Specifically, the water tank 314 is located inside the housing 100 and at the top of the outer cylinder 200. The circulation pipe 313 includes two pipes. One pipe has one end connected to the water outlet pipe 312 and the other end connected to the bottom of the water tank 314. The other pipe has one end connected to the top of the water tank 314 and the other end connected to the outer cylinder 200. During the process of the drainage pump 320 driving the washing water to circulate, the washing water fills the water tank 314 and then flows back into the outer cylinder 200 for circulation. After the drainage pump 320 stops operating, the washing water stored in the water tank 314 falls under the action of gravity, passes through the filter element 350, backwashes the filter element 350, flushes the impurities accumulated on the filter element 350 away from the filter element 350, and returns to the washing water at the bottom of the outer cylinder 200. Then, the circulation pipe 313 is closed, and after the drain pipe 330 is opened, the impurities in the washing water are directly discharged without the filtration of the filter element 350, thereby realizing the backwashing of the filter element 350 and avoiding the blockage of the filter element 350.

[0050] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the filter element 350 is inclined and arranged in the water outlet pipe 312. The bottom of the filter element 350 is arranged close to the drainage pump 320. The top of the filter element 350 is connected to the side away from the drainage pump 320 at the first end to separate the drain pipe 330 and the circulation pipe 313.

[0051] By adopting the above technical solution, on the one hand, the inclined filter element 350 increases the filtration area; on the other hand, under the action of water flow, the filtered impurities and lint are accumulated at the inlet of the drain pipe 330, reducing the blockage of the filter screen and the drainage resistance, thereby improving the efficiency of the water cycle. When the switching four-way valve 340 is switched to connect the drain pipe 330, the filtered lint and impurities can be directly discharged from the drain pipe 330 out of the washing machine and into the sewer system.

[0052] Exemplarily, the filter element 350 is detachably connected in the water outlet pipe 312 for easy replacement and cleaning of the filter element 350.

[0053] In addition, the filter element 350 can also be integrally formed with the water outlet pipe 312. When the filter element 350 is blocked, the water outlet pipe 312 and its filter element 350 can be directly replaced.

[0054] The filter element 350 is provided as a multi-layer filter screen.

[0055] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the filter element 350 includes a coarse filter screen 351 and a fine filter screen 352, and the coarse filter screen 351 is located between the fine filter screen 352 and the drainage pump 320.

[0056] Among them, the upper end of the fine filter screen 352 is connected to the upper side of the water outlet pipe 312 and is connected to the opening of the drain pipe 330 on the water guiding pipe 312 on the side away from the drainage pump 320, and the lower end of the fine filter screen 352 is connected to the bottom of the water outlet pipe 312. The upper end of the coarse filter screen 351 is connected to the fine filter screen 352, and the lower end of the coarse filter screen 351 is connected to the bottom of the water outlet pipe 312.

[0057] The mesh aperture of the coarse filter screen 351 is larger than that of the fine filter screen 352. During the circulation of the washing water, it first passes through the coarse filter screen 351 for preliminary filtration to intercept larger impurities, and then passes through the fine filter screen 352 to filter the washing water again. Compared with directly using a single-layer filter screen for filtration, too many impurities directly accumulate on the single-layer filter screen, which is likely to cause blockage of the single-layer filter screen. Therefore, the setting of the double-layer filter screen is beneficial to reducing the blockage of the filter screen and the drainage pressure.

[0058] Furthermore, the top of the coarse filter screen 351 is connected to the top of the fine filter screen 352, and there is a spacing between the bottom of the coarse filter screen 351 and the fine filter screen 352.

[0059] There is an included angle between the coarse filter screen 351 and the fine filter screen 352, that is, the inclination angle of the coarse filter screen 351 in the vertical direction is greater than that of the fine filter screen 352 in the vertical direction. This makes the area of the coarse filter screen 351 larger, which is beneficial for initially filtering the washing water. At the same time, under the impact of the water flow, the impurities on the coarse filter screen 351 will automatically accumulate at the entrance of the drain pipe 330, thus avoiding the possibility of the impurities in the washing water blocking the coarse filter screen 351. The washing water after preliminary filtration is filtered again on the fine filter screen 352. The fine filter screen 352 is also inclined, so that the finer impurities or lint in the washing water also accumulate at the position of the fine filter screen 352 close to the entrance of the drain pipe 330, while avoiding blockage and facilitating the direct discharge of impurities and lint during the subsequent drainage process.

[0060] In some embodiments, the fine filter screen 352 includes a filtering area 3521 and a non-porous area 3522. The filtering area 3521 and the non-porous area 3522 are integrally formed. The non-porous area 3522 is close to the drain pipe 330. The filtering area 3521 is connected to the bottom of the water outlet pipe 312, and the non-porous area 3522 is connected to the top of the coarse filter screen 351.

[0061] It can be understood that the fine filter screen 352 is inclined, and the filtered lint and impurities are more likely to gather towards the non-porous area 3522. The lint density here is high. If pores are also provided, the pores here are prone to blockage under the drive of the water flow. At the same time, the included angle between the coarse filter screen 351 and the fine filter screen 352 makes it easier for impurities to accumulate at the position of the non-porous area 3522. After the non-porous area 3522 is provided, when the return water backwashes, due to the masking of the non-porous area 3522, the cross-sectional area of the water flow in the filtering area 3521 decreases, making the water flow faster and making it easier to clean the lint adhering to the filtering area 3521. Therefore, it is more beneficial for cleaning the pores of the filtering area 3521.

[0062] In some embodiments, there is an opening at the included angle between the coarse filter screen 351 and the non-porous area 3522. During the drainage stage, the washing water directly flushes the impurities accumulated on the non-porous area 3522 into the drain pipe 330 through the opening between the coarse filter screen 351 and the non-porous area 3522, thus avoiding the residues of impurities at the included angle between the coarse filter screen 351 and the non-porous area 3522. Of course, the absence of an opening here does not affect the actual use. The lint that passes through the coarse filter screen 351 during the circulation stage can also pass through the coarse filter screen 351 again and flow away through the drain pipe 330 during the drainage stage.

[0063] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the four-way valve 340 includes a valve body 341, a valve core 342 and a driving member 343. Four connecting pipes 344 are provided on the valve body 341. The connecting pipes 344 are symmetrically arranged in two groups on both sides of the valve body 341.

[0064] A valve cavity 3411 is provided inside a valve body 341. A valve core 342 includes a connecting column 3421, a first piston 3422, and two second pistons 3423. The first piston 3422 is located between the two second pistons 3423 and is interconnected through the connecting column 3421. The first piston 3422 and the second pistons 3423 are slidably connected inside the valve cavity 3411. Two channels are formed between the first piston 3422 and the two second pistons 3423 respectively. The two groups of channels correspond to two groups of connecting pipes 344 one by one. A driving member 343 is provided on the valve body 341 for driving the valve core 342 to slide so that only one channel communicates with the corresponding group of connecting pipes 344.

[0065] Specifically, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the four connecting pipes 344 are divided into a first inlet 3441, a first outlet 3442, a second inlet 3443, and a second outlet 3444. Among them, the first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 correspond to one group, and the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 correspond to one group. The first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the valve body 341, and the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the valve body 341. The first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 are connected to a drain pipe 330, and the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 are connected to a circulation pipe 313.

[0066] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the first piston 3422, the connecting column 3421, and the two second pistons 3423 are integrally formed. The diameters of the first piston 3422 and the second pistons 3423 are both equal to the inner diameter of the valve cavity 3411, and the diameter of the connecting column 3421 is smaller than the diameter of the valve cavity 3411 so that the first piston 3422 and the second pistons 3423 on both sides respectively form two channels. When the valve core 342 is in the first position, the second inlet 3443, the second outlet 3444 communicate with the corresponding channels, and the first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 are blocked by the second piston 3423. When the valve core 342 is in the second position, the first inlet 3441, the first outlet 3442 communicate with the corresponding channels, and the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 are blocked by the second piston 3423.

[0067] By adopting the above technical solution, when the valve core 342 is in the second position, the first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 are communicated with the corresponding channels, and the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 are misaligned with the corresponding channels, thereby disconnecting the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444. When the valve core 342 is in the first position, the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 are communicated with the corresponding channels, and the first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442 are misaligned with the corresponding channels, thereby disconnecting the first inlet 3441 and the first outlet 3442. Thus, only one of the drain pipe 330 and the circulation pipe 313 can be opened at one end; and, two channels are separated by the first piston 3422 and the second piston 3423. Even during the movement of the valve core 342, the first piston 3422 always separates the two channels, thereby avoiding the mixing of the filtered washing water and the washing water in the drain pipe 330.

[0068] In some embodiments, the driving member 343 includes an electromagnet 3431. One end of the valve body 341 is provided with a driving cavity 345, and the other end of the valve body 341 is provided with a buffer cavity 346. The valve core 342 is a permanent magnet, and the electromagnet 3431 is fixed in the driving cavity 345 to attract or repel the valve core 342.

[0069] Exemplarily, only the second piston 3423 near the end of the electromagnet 3431 can be magnetized into a permanent magnet.

[0070] Wherein, a fixing seat 3432 is sleeved on the electromagnet 3431, and the fixing seat 3432 is fixed in the driving cavity 345 to fix the electromagnet 3431. And, the fixing seat 3432 is provided with a communication hole to facilitate the circulation of air in the driving cavity 345. The inner diameter of the valve cavity 3411 is larger than the inner diameters of the buffer cavity 346 and the driving cavity 345, so as to provide limits for both ends of the valve core 342 to ensure the moving position of the valve core 342. When the valve core 342 moves, the driving cavity 345 and the buffer cavity 346 provide a space for air compression for the movement of the valve core 342, reducing the difficulty of the movement of the valve core 342.

[0071] Furthermore, for the convenience of installing the valve core 342 and the electromagnet 3431, the driving cavity 345 can be a separate component, and after installing the electromagnet 3431, it is assembled and connected by fixing means such as threads.

[0072] In some embodiments, the four-way valve 340 further includes a communication pipe 347, and the communication pipe 347 is used to communicate the driving cavity 345 and the buffer cavity 346.

[0073] After the connecting pipe 347 connects the driving cavity 345 and the buffer cavity 346, when the valve core 342 moves, it can push the air in the buffer cavity 346 and the driving cavity 345 to flow through each other in the connecting pipe 347, further reducing the resistance generated by the compressed air at both ends of the valve core 342 and being more conducive to the movement of the valve core 342. At the same time, it can also prevent the four-way valve 340 from leaking water when the valve core 342 accidentally leaks. When the valve core 342 moves, the gas flow in the connecting pipe 347 can also dissipate heat from the coil of the electromagnet 3431.

[0074] When the coil is not energized, the permanent magnet part on the valve core 342 attracts the iron core of the electromagnet 3431, causing the valve core 342 to move to one end close to the driving cavity 345, which is the initial position. At this time, after the washing machine is powered off, the second inlet 3443 and the second outlet 3444 remain connected, that is, the circulating pipe 313 is in the open state and the drain pipe 330 is in the closed state. When the washing machine is used next time, the internal circulation is preferentially started, and external drainage only starts after the main wash is completed. At this time, a current in the first direction is passed through the coil of the electromagnet 3431, so that the magnetic field direction generated by the electromagnet 3431 is the same as the magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet on the valve core 342, pushing the valve core 342 to move to one end away from the driving cavity 345, thereby connecting the drain pipe 330 and cutting off the circulating pipe 313.

[0075] The magnetic field intensity of the permanent magnet on the valve core 342 is reasonably set so that after the valve core 342 moves to the buffer cavity 346, the attraction force between the valve core 342 and the iron core of the electromagnet 3431 alone is not sufficient to pull the two closer. When it is necessary to cut off the drain pipe 330 and open the circulating pipe 313 again, a current in the second direction is applied to the coil of the electromagnet 3431. The current direction in the second direction is opposite to the current direction in the first direction, so that the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet 3431 is opposite to the magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet on the valve core 342, attracting the valve core 342 to one end of the driving cavity 345. Furthermore, the valve core 342 only consumes power when moving, which is more power-saving. Before each washing machine program ends and shuts down, a current in the second direction is applied to the coil, so that the washing machine is in the initial state where the drain pipe 330 is closed and the circulating pipe 313 is open.

[0076] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5, since fewer fine lint particles fall off at the initial stage of washing, starting the internal circulation during this period is inefficient, wasting energy consumption and increasing noise. Therefore, the internal circulation can be started midway through the washing or rinsing stage. After the main wash or rinse is completed, it is the drainage stage. At this time, the drainage pump 320 does not need to stop. The state of the four-way valve 340 is directly switched. During the state switching process of the four-way valve 340, the circulation pipe 313 gradually closes and the drain pipe 330 gradually opens. The sum of their opening degrees always remains at the cross-sectional area of one outlet, so that the outlet flow rate of the drainage pump 320 remains unchanged. Therefore, during the state switching process, the drainage pump 320 will not be overloaded. Only the water flow in the circulation pipe 313 gradually decreases and the water flow in the drain pipe 330 gradually increases. At the same time, the setting of the first piston 3422 also prevents the unfiltered washing water from mixing with the filtered washing water in the four-way valve 340.

[0077] A washing machine provided by the present application, through the setting of the circulating drainage mechanism 300, when washing clothes with the washing machine, the washing water in the outer cylinder 200 is pumped by the drainage pump 320 for circulation, and the washing water is filtered by the filter element 350 provided on the circulation pipeline 310, so as to block and collect the lint and flocs in the washing water, and then flow into the outer cylinder 200 through the circulation pipeline 310 to wash the clothes; when the washing is completed, the four-way valve 340 is switched, the circulation pipeline 310 is closed and the drain pipe 330 is opened at the same time, and the drainage pump 320 is started to discharge the sewage; the washing water is filtered by the filter element 350, so as to block and collect the lint and flocs in the washing water, which is beneficial to the mixed washing of dark clothes and light clothes, and at the same time reduces the influence of the remaining paper towels on the clothes washing; and, the filter element 350 is arranged on the first end of the drain pipe 330 on the side far from the drainage pump 320 at the opening of the water outlet pipe 312, and the lint or flocs accumulated on the filter element 350 are directly discharged through the drain pipe 330, avoiding the accumulation of lint or flocs on the filter element 350.

[0078] So far, the technical solutions of the present application have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized in that, It includes a housing (100), an outer cylinder (200) and a circulating drainage mechanism (300), and the outer cylinder (200) is arranged inside the housing (100); The circulating drainage mechanism (300) includes a circulating pipeline (310), a drain pipe (330), a four-way valve (340) and a filter element (350); both the head and the tail ends of the circulating pipeline (310) are connected to the outer cylinder (200); the filter element (350) is arranged inside the circulating pipeline (310) to filter lint in the circulating pipeline (310); the first end of the drain pipe (330) is connected to the circulating pipeline (310), the second end of the drain pipe (330) extends out of the housing (100), and the filter element (350) is located on the side of the first end away from the outer cylinder (200); the four-way valve (340) is arranged on the drain pipe (330) and is connected to the circulating pipeline (310) to connect and communicate the circulating pipeline (310) with the outer cylinder (200) or the drain pipe (310) with the outer cylinder (200).

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein, The circulating pipeline (310) includes a water inlet pipe (311), a water outlet pipe (312), a circulating pipe (313) and a drainage pump (320). One end of the water inlet pipe (311) is communicated with the bottom of the outer cylinder (200), and the other end is connected to the water inlet of the drainage pump (320). One end of the water outlet pipe (312) is communicated with the water outlet of the drainage pump (320), and the other end is communicated with the circulating pipe (313). The circulating pipe (313) is communicated with the outer cylinder (200), and the filter element (350) is arranged on the water outlet pipe (312).

3. The washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The filter element (350) is inclined and arranged inside the water outlet pipe (312). The bottom of the filter element (350) is arranged close to the drainage pump (320), and the top of the filter element (350) is connected to the side of the first end away from the drainage pump (320) to separate the drain pipe (330) and the circulating pipe (313).

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filter element (350) includes a coarse filter screen (351) and a fine filter screen (352), and the coarse filter screen (351) is located between the fine filter screen (352) and the drainage pump (320).

5. The washing machine according to claim 4, wherein The top of the coarse filter screen (351) is connected to the top of the fine filter screen (352), and there is a gap between the bottom of the coarse filter screen (351) and the fine filter screen (352).

6. The washing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fine filter screen (352) includes a filtering area (3521) and a non-porous area (3522). The filtering area (3521) and the non-porous area (3522) are integrally formed. The non-porous area (3522) is close to the drain pipe (330). The filtering area (3521) is connected to the bottom of the water outlet pipe (312), and the non-porous area (3522) is connected to the top of the coarse filter screen (351).

7. The washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circulating pipeline (310) further includes a water tank (314), which is arranged at the top of the housing (100). The water tank (314) is communicated with the circulating pipe (313) to store washing water for backwashing the filter element (350).

8. The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The four-way valve (340) includes a valve body (341), a valve core (342) and a driving member (343). Four connecting pipes (344) are arranged on the valve body (341), and the connecting pipes (344) are symmetrically arranged in two groups on both sides of the valve body (341). A valve cavity (3411) is arranged in the valve body (341). The valve core (342) includes a connecting column (3421), a first piston (3422) and two second pistons (3423). The first piston (3422) is located between the two second pistons (3423) and is connected to each other through the connecting column (3421). The first piston (3422) and the second pistons (3423) are slidably connected in the valve cavity (3411). Two channels are formed between the first piston (3422) and the two second pistons (3423) respectively, and the two channels correspond to the two groups of connecting pipes (344) one by one. The driving member (343) is arranged on the valve body (341) to drive the valve core (342) to slide, so that only one of the channels is communicated with the corresponding group of connecting pipes (344).

9. The washing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that, The driving member (343) includes an electromagnet (3431). A driving cavity (345) is arranged at one end of the valve body (341), and a buffer cavity (346) is arranged at the other end of the valve body (341). The valve core (342) is a permanent magnet, and the electromagnet (3431) is fixed in the driving cavity (345) to attract or repel the valve core (342).

10. The washing machine according to claim 9, characterized in that, The four-way valve (340) further includes a communicating pipe (347), which is used to communicate the driving cavity (345) and the buffer cavity (346).

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