Self-cleaning material box and washing machine

Abstract

The invention provides a self-cleaning material box which comprises a shell and a guide box installed in the shell, a plurality of cleaning agents are contained in the shell, the guide box is arranged on the upper portions of the cleaning agents, and a cleaning cavity and a plurality of drainage grooves correspondingly communicated with the different cleaning agents are formed in the guide box. A flow divider is arranged in the cleaning cavity, the flow divider is communicated with the plurality of drainage grooves, the flow divider is provided with a plurality of cleaning water outlets communicated with the cleaning cavity, and the bottom of the cleaning cavity is provided with a plurality of water outlets; when water passes through the flow divider, water is drained into the cleaning cavity through the multiple cleaning water outlets and enters the shell through the water drainage opening, and the interior of the shell is cleaned. The invention further provides a washing machine adopting the self-cleaning material box. According to the self-cleaning material box, dirt accumulation in the material box can be effectively prevented; the self-cleaning material box does not need additional operation and can save water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field related to washing machines, and more precisely to a self-cleaning material box and a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] The washing machine material box contains detergents such as laundry detergent, softener, and pre-washing powder, which are added into the washing chamber in a preset order during the washing process to effectively clean the clothes.

[0003] Existing washing machine material boxes mostly adopt a drawer-type structure, including a water diversion box installed in conjunction with the washing machine shell and several drawers installed in the water diversion box that can be pulled out. The drawers contain detergent. When pulling out the drawers, detergent will inevitably fall into the water diversion box. After long-term use, this will cause dirt to accumulate inside the water diversion box. Water and dirt inside the washing machine can easily enter the water diversion box, which will also cause dirt to accumulate inside the water diversion box. Some washing machine material boxes have drawers that can be removed for separate cleaning, but the water diversion box installed in the washing machine shell is difficult to clean effectively, especially the part of the water diversion box that is deep inside the washing machine. The long-term accumulation of dirt will cause an odor inside the washing machine, affecting the user experience.

[0004] To address the problem of dirt accumulation inside washing machine feed boxes, a structure capable of cleaning the interior of the washing machine feed box is needed. If a separate cleaning mechanism is provided for the washing machine feed box, the operation would be complicated and separate cleaning would result in extra water waste. Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve existing washing machine feed boxes to address the difficulty of effectively cleaning the interior of the washing machine feed box and improve the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a self-cleaning material box with a diversion structure arranged inside, which guides the cleaning water flow while diverting the flow to flush the inside of the material box, and performs self-cleaning while ensuring normal washing water.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine using the self-cleaning material box.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a self-cleaning material box, comprising a shell and a guide box installed inside the shell, wherein the shell contains several cleaning agents, the guide box is arranged on the upper part of the cleaning agents, and the guide box has a cleaning chamber and several drainage grooves respectively connected to different cleaning agents. A diverter is installed in the cleaning chamber, the diverter is connected to the several drainage grooves, and the diverter has several cleaning water outlets connected to the cleaning chamber, and the bottom of the cleaning chamber has several drain outlets; when water passes through the diverter, the water is discharged into the cleaning chamber through the several cleaning water outlets, and enters the shell through the drain outlet to clean the inside of the shell.

[0008] Preferably, the bottom of the cleaning chamber is located on both sides of the diverter, and the drain outlets are arranged in sequence along the direction away from the diverter, and the drain outlets are located on the side of the bottom of the cleaning chamber away from the drainage groove.

[0009] Preferably, the apertures of the drainage ports arranged in a direction away from the diverter increase sequentially.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the cleaning chamber has a bottom plate, and the side of the bottom plate away from the drainage groove is lower than the side of the bottom plate facing the drainage groove.

[0011] Preferably, the interior of the guide cavity is divided by a partition plate into a cleaning cavity and a drainage cavity with several drainage grooves. The partition plate has pre-wash holes, rinse holes and main wash holes arranged in sequence. The diverter is arranged corresponding to the pre-wash holes, the rinse holes and the main wash holes. The pre-wash pipe is aligned with the pre-wash holes through the diverter, and the main wash pipe is aligned with the main wash holes through the diverter.

[0012] Preferably, the diverter includes a Y-shaped main body, which has a pre-wash channel, a main wash channel and a rinse channel inside. The pre-wash channel and the main wash channel are V-shaped and cross at the bottom. The intersection of the pre-wash channel and the main wash channel at the bottom is connected to the rinse channel. The bottom of the rinse channel has a rinse outlet connected to the rinse through-hole. The two sides of the rinse channel respectively have a pre-wash outlet and a main wash outlet, the pre-wash outlet is connected to the pre-wash through-hole, the main wash outlet is connected to the main wash through-hole, the pre-wash channel is connected to the pre-wash pipe, and the main wash channel is connected to the main wash pipe.

[0013] Preferably, the side portion of the pre-wash channel has a plurality of wash water outlets communicating with the wash chamber, and the side portion of the main wash channel has a plurality of wash water outlets communicating with the wash chamber.

[0014] Preferably, the partition plate has a main wash partition and a pre-wash partition extending into the cleaning chamber and abutting against the diverter, the pre-wash partition is arranged between the pre-wash through-hole and the cleaning chamber, and the main wash partition is arranged between the main wash through-hole and the cleaning chamber; the pre-wash partition is arranged between the pre-wash outlet and the cleaning chamber, and the main wash partition is arranged between the main wash outlet and the cleaning chamber.

[0015] Preferably, the shell includes an upper cover, a drawer part and a lower shell, the upper cover is fixedly connected to the guide box; the bottom of the guide box is fixedly connected to the lower shell; the drawer part is pluggable and arranged between the guide box and the lower shell, and the drawer part separately contains several kinds of cleaning agents.

[0016] The present invention provides a washing machine which adopts the self-cleaning material box.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the self-cleaning material box and washing machine disclosed in the present invention are: the self-cleaning material box can clean the interior by itself during the washing process, which can effectively prevent the accumulation of dirt inside the material box; the self-cleaning material box does not require additional operation and can save water; the internal hygiene of the washing machine using the self-cleaning material box is better, and the user experience is better. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] like Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the split structure of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention.

[0020] like Figure 2 The figure shows a structural diagram of a flow diverter installed in a guide box of a self-cleaning material box according to the present invention.

[0021] like Figure 3 The figure shows a structural diagram of a guide box of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention when it is installed in combination with a shell.

[0022] like Figure 4 The figure shows a partial cross-sectional view of a guide box of a self-cleaning material box according to the present invention when it is assembled with a shell.

[0023] like Figure 5 Shown is a partial structural schematic diagram of a diverter installed in a guide box of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 6 Shown is a partial structural bottom view of an upper cover of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention.

[0025] like Figure 7 The figure shows a partial cross-sectional view of the upper cover and the guide box of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention when they are assembled together.

[0026] like Figure 8 Shown is a partial cross-sectional view of a guide box of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention.

[0027] like Figure 9 Shown is a structural schematic diagram of a diverter of a self-cleaning material box of the present invention.

[0028] like Figure 10 Shown is a partial cross-sectional view of a diverter of a self-cleaning cartridge according to the present invention.

[0029] like Figure 11 Shown is a partial cross-sectional view of a diverter of a self-cleaning cartridge according to the present invention.

[0030] like Figure 12 Shown is a partial cross-sectional view of a diverter of a self-cleaning cartridge according to the present invention.

[0031] like Figure 13 Shown is a schematic diagram of guiding the water flow in a self-cleaning material box during the pre-washing process of the present invention.

[0032] like Figure 14 Shown is a schematic diagram of guiding the water flow in a self-cleaning material box during the main wash process of the present invention.

[0033] like Figure 15 Shown is a schematic diagram of guiding the water flow in a self-cleaning material box during the rinsing process of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the present application discloses a self-cleaning material box including a shell and a guide box 2 installed in the shell. The shell contains several kinds of detergents. The guide box 2 is arranged above the part of the shell containing the detergents, and the guide box 2 is connected to the detergents respectively. Water can fall into the detergents through the guide box 2 and then enter the washing machine for washing. The guide box 2 includes a guide cavity 20. The interior of the guide cavity 20 is divided into a washing cavity 22 and a drainage cavity 23 by a partition plate 21. A diverter 3 is installed in the washing cavity 22, and the outside of the guide cavity 20 has a pre-wash pipe 24 and a main wash pipe 25 connected to the diverter 3; the interior of the drainage cavity 23 has a pre-wash drainage groove 241, a main wash drainage groove 251 and a rinse drainage groove 261, and the diverter 3 is connected to the pre-wash drainage groove 241, the main wash drainage groove 251 and the rinse drainage groove 261 through the partition plate 21. The diverter 3 has a plurality of cleaning outlets on the side that communicate with the cleaning chamber 22. The bottom of the cleaning chamber 22 has a plurality of drain ports 221 that communicate with sanitary corners inside the housing that are difficult to clean. When water enters the pre-wash pipe 24 and / or the main wash pipe 25, the diverter 3 guides the water flow into the corresponding drainage trough. At the same time, the diverter drains water into the cleaning chamber 22 through the cleaning outlets on the side, and then drains water to the sanitary corners inside the housing that are difficult to clean through the drain ports 221. This realizes the function of automatically cleaning the interior of the housing at different washing stages, and realizes self-cleaning of the washing machine material box without additional water use and operation, effectively preventing odors caused by dirt accumulation inside the housing, and improving the user experience.

[0036] Specifically, the shell includes an upper cover 11, a drawer portion 12 and a lower shell 13. The upper cover 11 is fixedly connected to the top of the guide box 2 by means of hot melting or hooks, thereby sealing the guide cavity 20. The bottom of the guide box 2 is fixedly connected to the top of the lower shell 13 by means of hooks, etc., to form a shell. The drawer portion 12 is pluggable and arranged between the guide box 2 and the lower shell 13. Several kinds of cleaning agents are separately contained in the drawer portion 12. The bottom of the lower shell 13 has a water outlet corresponding to the cleaning agent or the cleaning agent-free part. When the guide box 2 guides the water to the corresponding position, the water can be discharged through the water outlet. The cleaning cavity 22 is provided in the part of the shell located deep in the washing machine. During washing, water flows from the cleaning cavity into the shell for cleaning and is discharged through the water outlet.

[0037] See also Figure 5, the bottom of the cleaning chamber 22 is located on both sides of the diverter 3, and the drain outlets 221 are arranged in sequence along the direction away from the diverter 3 to ensure that the cleaning water falls evenly into the shell and avoid the occurrence of cleaning dead corners. Preferably, the drain outlet 221 is located at the bottom of the cleaning chamber 22 facing the side of the pre-wash pipe 24 and the main wash pipe 25, and the cleaning water falls from the end inside the shell to achieve complete cleaning of the bottom inside the shell. Furthermore, it is preferred that the apertures of the drain outlets 221 arranged in the direction away from the diverter 3 increase in sequence to avoid the situation where the drainage flow rate of the drain outlet 221 near the diverter is greater than the drainage flow rate of the drain outlet 221 far away and the water flow is chaotic, further ensuring that the cleaning water falls evenly and ensuring the cleaning effect on the inside of the shell.

[0038] See also Figure 8 The bottom of the cleaning chamber 22 has a bottom plate 220. The sides of the bottom plate 220 facing the pre-wash pipe 24 and the main wash pipe 25 are set lower than the sides of the bottom plate 220 away from the pre-wash pipe 24 and the main wash pipe 25, which helps the clean water to gather at the drain port 221. The inclination angle of the bottom plate 220 is preferably greater than 5° to ensure the guidance of the clean water.

[0039] See also Figure 2 and Figure 5 The partition plate 21 has a pre-wash through-hole 240, a rinse through-hole 260, and a main-wash through-hole 250 arranged in sequence. The diverter 3 is provided corresponding to the pre-wash through-hole 240, the rinse through-hole 260, and the main-wash through-hole 250. The pre-wash pipe 24 is aligned with the pre-wash through-hole 240 through the diverter 3, and the main-wash pipe 25 is aligned with the main-wash through-hole 250 through the diverter 3. The partition plate 21 has a main-wash partition 211 and a pre-wash partition 212 extending into the wash chamber 22 and abutting against the diverter 3. The pre-wash partition 212 is provided between the pre-wash through-hole 240 and the wash chamber 22, and the main-wash partition 211 is provided between the main-wash through-hole 250 and the wash chamber 22. The main-wash partition 211 and the pre-wash partition 212 can isolate the wash water from the rinse water and also play a role in limiting and fixing the diverter 3.

[0040] See also Figure 6 and Figure 7 A stopper 111 is provided at the bottom of the top cover 11, corresponding to the position of the diverter 3. The stopper 111 protrudes from the bottom of the top cover 11 and abuts against the diverter 3 from the top to prevent the diverter 3 from shifting during operation. The stopper 111 preferably has the same shape as the diverter 3 to effectively limit the position of the diverter 3.

[0041] See also Figures 9 to 12The diverter 3 includes a Y-shaped main body 30, which has a prewash channel 31, a main wash channel 32, and a rinse channel 33. The prewash channel 31 and the main wash channel 32 form a V-shape and intersect at the bottom. The intersection of the prewash channel 31 and the main wash channel 32 connects to the rinse channel 33. The bottom of the rinse channel 33 has a rinse outlet 36 that docks with the partition plate 21. The two sides of the rinse channel 33 have a prewash outlet 34 and a main wash outlet 35, respectively. The prewash outlet 34 is coaxial with the prewash channel 31, and the main wash outlet 35 is coaxial with the main wash channel 32. The prewash channel 31 and the main wash channel 32 are both docked with the side walls of the washing chamber 22, and the prewash channel 31 is connected to the prewash pipe 24, and the main wash channel 32 is connected to the main wash pipe 25. The bottom of the diverter 3 has several snaps 301, and the diverter 3 is connected to the guide box 2 via the snaps 301.

[0042] The side of the pre-wash channel 31 has several wash water outlets 310 communicating with the wash chamber 22, and the side of the main wash channel 32 has several wash water outlets 320 communicating with the wash chamber 22. Whether the pre-wash pipe 24 or the main wash pipe 25 is flowing with water, water can be discharged into the wash chamber 22 through the diverter 3.

[0043] The rinse outlet 36 is connected to the rinse through-hole 260; the pre-wash partition 212 is provided between the pre-wash outlet 34 and the wash chamber 22, and the pre-wash outlet 34 is connected to the pre-wash through-hole 240; the main wash partition 211 is provided between the main wash outlet 35 and the wash chamber 22, and the main wash outlet 35 is connected to the main wash through-hole 250. It is worth noting that the diverter 3 and the through-holes on the partition 21 can also be directly connected. The diverter 3 can be extended to the partition 21 or a connecting pipe can be derived from the partition 21.

[0044] The working process of this application is described below according to the water flow in the guide box 2 during the pre-wash, main wash and rinse processes of the washing machine.

[0045] See also Figure 13 During the pre-wash process, water enters the diverter 3 through the pre-wash pipe 24, and after passing through the diverter 3, enters the pre-wash drainage groove 241 through the pre-wash through hole 240. At the same time, the water enters the cleaning chamber 22 through the cleaning outlet 310 on the side of the diverter 3, and is discharged through the drain port 221 to the sanitary dead corner inside the shell that is difficult to clean, for self-cleaning.

[0046] See also Figure 14 During the main wash process, water enters the diverter 3 through the main wash pipe 25, and after passing through the diverter 3, enters the main wash drainage groove 251 through the main wash through hole 250. At the same time, the water enters the washing chamber 22 through the washing outlet 310 on the side of the diverter 3, and is drained to the sanitary dead corners inside the shell that are difficult to clean through the drain port 221 for self-cleaning.

[0047] See also Figure 15During the rinsing process, water enters the diverter 3 at the same time through the pre-wash pipe 24 and the main wash pipe 25, collides to form a water column, and then enters the rinse drainage groove 261 through the rinse through hole 260. At the same time, the water enters the cleaning chamber 22 through the cleaning outlet 310 on the side of the diverter 3, and is drained to the sanitary dead corner inside the shell that is difficult to clean through the drain port 221 for self-cleaning.

[0048] It can be seen that during the pre-wash, main wash and rinsing processes, the self-cleaning material box described in this application can clean itself without affecting the normal use of the washing machine and without the need for additional operation or water.

[0049] The present application also discloses a washing machine using the self-cleaning material box. The washing machine using the self-cleaning material box has better internal hygiene and better user experience.

[0050] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning material box, characterized in that: It includes a shell and a guide box installed inside the shell, the shell contains several kinds of cleaning agents, the guide box is arranged on the upper part of the cleaning agents, the guide box has a cleaning chamber and several drainage grooves respectively connected to different cleaning agents, a diverter is installed in the cleaning chamber, the diverter is connected to the several drainage grooves, and the diverter has several cleaning water outlets connected to the cleaning chamber, and the bottom of the cleaning chamber has several drain ports; when water passes through the diverter, it is discharged into the cleaning chamber through the several cleaning water outlets and enters the shell through the drain ports to clean the inside of the shell.

2. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the cleaning chamber is located on both sides of the diverter, and the drain outlets are arranged in sequence along the direction away from the diverter, and the drain outlets are located on the side of the bottom of the cleaning chamber away from the drainage groove.

3. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The apertures of the drainage ports arranged in a direction away from the diverter increase in sequence.

4. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the cleaning chamber is provided with a bottom plate, and the side of the bottom plate away from the drainage groove is lower than the side of the bottom plate facing the drainage groove.

5. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interior of the guide cavity is divided by a partition plate into a cleaning cavity and a drainage cavity with several drainage grooves. The partition plate has pre-wash holes, rinse holes and main wash holes arranged in sequence. The diverter is arranged corresponding to the pre-wash holes, the rinse holes and the main wash holes. The pre-wash pipe is aligned with the pre-wash holes through the diverter, and the main wash pipe is aligned with the main wash holes through the diverter.

6. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 5, characterized in that: The diverter includes a Y-shaped main body, and a pre-wash channel, a main wash channel and a rinse channel are provided inside the main body. The pre-wash channel and the main wash channel are V-shaped and intersect at the bottom. The intersection of the pre-wash channel and the main wash channel at the bottom is connected to the rinse channel. The bottom of the rinse channel has a rinse outlet connected to the rinse through-hole. The two sides of the rinse channel respectively have a pre-wash outlet and a main wash outlet, the pre-wash outlet is connected to the pre-wash through-hole, the main wash outlet is connected to the main wash through-hole, the pre-wash channel is connected to the pre-wash pipe, and the main wash channel is connected to the main wash pipe.

7. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 5, characterized in that: The side portion of the pre-wash channel has a plurality of wash water outlets communicated with the wash cavity, and the side portion of the main wash channel has a plurality of wash water outlets communicated with the wash cavity.

8. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 6, characterized in that: The partition plate is provided with a main wash partition and a pre-wash partition extending into the cleaning chamber and abutting against the diverter, the pre-wash partition is arranged between the pre-wash through-hole and the cleaning chamber, and the main wash partition is arranged between the main wash through-hole and the cleaning chamber; the pre-wash partition is arranged between the pre-wash outlet and the cleaning chamber, and the main wash partition is arranged between the main wash outlet and the cleaning chamber.

9. The self-cleaning material box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell includes an upper cover, a drawer part and a lower shell, the upper cover is fixedly connected to the guide box; the bottom of the guide box is fixedly connected to the lower shell; the drawer part is pluggable and arranged between the guide box and the lower shell, and the drawer part separately contains several kinds of cleaning agents.

10. A washing machine, characterized in that: A self-cleaning material box as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is used.

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