Fan, drying device and clothes processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to a draught fan, a drying device and clothes processing equipment, the draught fan comprises a shell and an impeller arranged in the shell, a gap is formed between the inner side wall of the shell and the axial end face of the impeller, the draught fan comprises a shielding structure, and the shielding structure is used for at least partially shielding an inlet of the gap. According to the fan disclosed by the invention, the shielding structure is arranged to prevent at least part of fluff in the fan from entering the gap between the shell and the impeller, so that the situation that the impeller is blocked due to the fact that too many impurities such as fluff exist in the gap is avoided, and on the basis, normal operation of the drying device is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to a fan, a drying device and a clothes processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] In order to dry the clothes after washing, in the related art, the washing machine is equipped with a drying device. Currently, there is a certain gap between the fan and the impeller of the drying device, which causes the lint and other debris entering the fan to flow into the gap with the air, thereby causing the impeller to be blocked and affecting the normal use of the drying device. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a fan, a drying device and a clothes processing equipment to prevent at least part of the lint and other debris of the fan from flowing into the gap, thereby at least partially solving the above technical problems.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the first aspect of the present disclosure provides a fan, comprising a shell and an impeller arranged inside the shell, wherein a gap is provided between an inner wall of the shell and an axial end face of the impeller, and the fan comprises a shielding structure, which is used to at least partially shield the inlet of the gap.

[0005] Optionally, the shielding structure is configured as a shielding rib extending from an inner side wall of the shell toward the interior of the shell.

[0006] Optionally, the retaining rib is annular so as to be arranged along the circumference of the inlet.

[0007] Optionally, the projection of the shielding structure on the first plane covers the projection of the inlet on the first plane; wherein the first plane is a plane passing through the central axis of the impeller and parallel to the up and down directions.

[0008] Optionally, the extension direction of the shielding structure is perpendicular to the radial direction of the impeller; and / or along the inner direction toward the interior of the casing, the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall of the shielding structure gradually decreases, wherein the inner wall is the side wall facing the inlet, and the outer wall is the side wall facing away from the inlet.

[0009] Optionally, the housing comprises an upper cover and a lower shell, the upper cover and the lower shell are cooperatively connected to form a cavity for accommodating the impeller; the gap is formed between the upper cover and the impeller.

[0010] Optionally, the fan further includes a motor, and the outer side wall of the upper cover is formed with a recessed portion facing the lower shell.

[0011] Optionally, the impeller is disposed around the circumferential direction of the recess, and has a recess facing the direction of the lower housing, for being adapted to the recess.

[0012] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a drying device is provided, including an air duct and the above-mentioned fan, and one end of the air duct is connected to the air outlet of the fan.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a laundry treatment device is provided, including a drum and the above-mentioned drying device, and the other end of the air duct of the drying device communicates with the inside of the drum.

[0014] Through the above technical solutions, the fan of the present disclosure is provided with a shielding structure to block at least part of the lint in the fan from entering the gap between the housing and the impeller, thereby avoiding the situation that the impeller is blocked due to excessive sundries such as lint in the gap. Based on this, the normal operation of the drying device is ensured.

[0015] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the subsequent specific implementation part. Description of the Drawings

[0016] The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the present disclosure together with the following specific implementation manners, but do not constitute a limitation to the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the related art of the fan provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 is a top view of the drying device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the cross-sectional view taken along A-A in ;

[0020] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the partial enlarged view at B in ;

[0021] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the drying device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Description of the Reference Numerals

[0023] 1 - housing; 101 - upper cover; 102 - lower housing; 103 - cavity; 104 - recess; 2 - impeller; 3 - gap; 301 - inlet; 4 - shielding structure; 401 - rib; 4a - inner side wall; 4b - outer side wall; 5 - motor; 6 - air duct; 7 - flow channel; 8 - air inlet; M - first plane. Specific Embodiments

[0024] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for the purpose of illustrating and explaining the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0025] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the orientation terms such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to "upper" and "lower" relative to each other in the direction of gravity when the corresponding components are in use. Specifically, reference may be made to Figure 1 and Figure 3 the drawing directions shown in the drawings. "Inner" and "outer" refer to "inner" and "outer" relative to the contour of the corresponding component itself. In addition, in the following description, when referring to the drawings, unless otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The above definitions are only for explaining and illustrating the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0026] In the related art, as Figure 1 shown, taking a washing machine as an example, in order to reduce the overall height of the washing machine, the installation position of the motor 5 of the blower of the washing machine drying device needs to be lowered. Thus, the height of the washing machine can be adjusted by reducing the overall height of the blower. Specifically, a recess 104 can be provided on the upper cover 101 of the housing 1, and the motor 5 can be arranged in the recess 104 to reduce the overall height of the blower. However, such an arrangement will cause a negative pressure area to be formed in the gap 3 between the upper cover 101 and the impeller 2. When the blower is working, the gas condensed in the washing machine drum will first enter the interior of the housing 1 after passing through the air inlet 8 of the lower housing 102 of the housing 1. Since the pressure outside the gap 3 is relatively large, at least part of the gas will be sucked into the gap 3 (negative pressure area). Based on this, when there are a lot of lint in the clothes in the drum, the lint will also enter the gap 3 along with part of the gas and accumulate in the gap 3, thereby affecting the rotation of the impeller 2 and causing the drying function of the washing machine to fail.

[0027] Based on this, as Figures 2 to 5 shown, in the first aspect of the present disclosure, a blower is provided, which includes a housing 1 and an impeller 2 arranged inside the housing 1. There is a gap 3 between the inner side wall of the housing 1 and the axial end face of the impeller 2. The blower includes a shielding structure 4, and the shielding structure 4 is used to at least partially shield the inlet 301 of the gap 3. When the blower is working and lint and other sundries in the housing 1 flow towards the gap 3 with the air, the shielding structure 4 will block at least part of the lint and other sundries from entering the gap 3 at the inlet 301 of the gap 3, so as to reduce the lint and other sundries accumulated in the gap 3, thereby reducing or even avoiding the situation that the impeller 2 is blocked due to excessive lint and other sundries accumulated in the gap 3. Based on this, the normal operation of the blower is ensured.

[0028] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 3As shown, the shielding structure 4 can be arranged on the inner side wall of the housing 1. Specifically, it can be configured as a rib 401 extending from the inner side wall of the housing 1 towards the interior of the housing 1. During the process of lint and other debris flowing towards the gap 3, the side of the rib 401 facing away from the gap 3 will block the lint and other debris from entering the gap 3. Additionally, the rib 401 extends directly from the inner side wall of the housing 1 towards the interior of the housing 1, that is, it is integrally formed with the housing 1. This can reduce the connection structure between the housing 1 and the rib 401, thereby simplifying the production process, reducing the volume occupied by the housing 1 and the rib 401 together, and improving the overall assembly efficiency of the fan.

[0029] Specifically, as Figure 3 shown, the rib 401 can be annular and arranged along the circumference of the inlet 301, so as to minimize other debris such as lint entering the gap 3 through the inlet 301 as much as possible. Of course, the rib 401 can also be arranged in various ways. For example, there can be multiple ribs 401, and the multiple ribs 401 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inlet 301, thereby blocking lint and other debris from entering the gap 3 in a partial area in the circumferential direction of the inlet 301.

[0030] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the projection of the shielding structure 4 on the first plane M covers the projection of the inlet 301 on the first plane M; wherein, the first plane M is a plane passing through the central axis of the impeller 2 and parallel to the up-down direction. That is, the length of the shielding structure 4 is relatively long, so that lint and other debris flowing directly from the side of the inlet 301 towards the inlet 301 will be blocked by the shielding structure 4. This results in that these lint and other debris need to change the flow direction before they may enter the gap 3. Since it is not easy for the lint and other debris to change the flow direction after being blocked by the shielding structure 4 and even if the flow direction changes, there will be more other structures on the housing 1 blocking them from entering the gap 3 during this process, so this can further reduce the possibility of lint and other debris flowing into the gap 3 to ensure the normal operation of the impeller 2 and the motor 5. Exemplarily, as Figure 3 shown, if the extending direction of the shielding structure 4 is vertically downward, then lint and other debris can only enter the gap 3 between the impeller 2 and the housing 1 through the flow channel 7 between the shielding structure 4 and the impeller 2. That is, the lint and other debris need to move along the surface of the shielding structure 4 and slide off the shielding structure 4 before they may enter the gap 3 through the flow channel 7. Since the force on the lint and other debris during this process is not stable, they will not easily slide off the shielding structure 4. Or, in some embodiments not shown, the shielding structure 4 can extend obliquely in a direction away from the gap 3. In this way, after the lint and other debris are blocked by the shielding structure 4, they will move towards the end of the side where the shielding structure 4 is connected to the housing 1, thereby reducing the possibility of lint and other debris flowing into the gap 3.

[0031] In addition, as Figure 3 andFigure 4 As shown, the extending direction of the shielding structure 4 can be perpendicular to the radial direction of the impeller 2. That is, the opening direction of the inlet 301 of the gap 3 is set perpendicular to the extending direction of the shielding structure 4, so that the fluff and other debris blocked by the shielding structure 4 will first contact the inner wall of the shell 1 after passing through the flow channel 7 between the shielding structure 4 and the impeller 2, that is, the fluff and other debris need to be turned again before they can enter the gap 3 through the inlet 301, thereby preventing the fluff and other debris from entering the gap 3; and / or along the inner direction toward the shell 1, the distance between the inner side wall 4a and the outer side wall 4b of the shielding structure 4 gradually decreases, wherein the inner side wall 4a is the side wall facing the inlet 301, and the outer side wall 4b is the side wall away from the inlet 301, that is, the thickness of one end of the shielding structure 4 used for connecting with the shell 1 is greater than the thickness of the other end thereof, so that the strength of the shielding structure 4 and its stability after being connected with the shell 1 can be ensured.

[0032] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the housing 1 includes an upper cover 101 and a lower housing 102, and the upper cover 101 and the lower housing 102 are matched and connected to form a cavity 103 for accommodating the impeller 2; a gap 3 is formed between the upper cover 101 and the impeller 2. Specifically, the upper cover 101 and the lower housing 102 can be connected together by bolts, which can facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the motor 5 and improve the replacement and maintenance efficiency of the components in the motor 5. The lower housing 102 has an air inlet 8. After the air in the drum of the washing machine enters the interior of the housing 1 through the air inlet 8, it will be discharged from the air outlet of the fan under the rotation of the impeller 2.

[0033] In some embodiments, Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the fan may further include a motor 5. The outer wall of the upper cover 101 is formed with a recessed portion 104 facing the lower shell 102. At least part of the motor 5 may be disposed in the recessed portion 104, and the output shaft of the motor 5 passes through the shell 1 and is connected to the axial hole of the impeller 2 to drive the impeller 2 to rotate. The motor 5 is located in the recessed portion 104, which can reduce the height of the motor 5 protruding from the shell 1, thereby reducing the height of the drying device, controlling the overall height of the washing machine, and preventing the washing machine from being too high and occupying too much space in the height direction.

[0034] Among them, Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the depth of the recessed portion 104 may be greater than the height of the motor 5 , so that the motor 5 may completely enter the recessed portion 104 , thereby reducing the height of the drying device and the washing machine to the greatest extent.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figures 2 to 5 As shown, in order to adapt to the structure of the housing 1, the impeller 2 can be arranged around the circumference of the recessed portion 104, and has a recess toward the lower shell 102, so as to adapt to the recessed portion 104. Specifically, asFigure 3 As shown, the motor 5 is disposed on the side of the recess 104 facing away from the lower housing 102, while the impeller 2 is located on the side of the recess 104 facing the lower housing 102, and the shaft hole of the impeller 2 is coaxially arranged with the central axis of the recess 104, so that the motor 5 disposed on the recess 104 can pass through the housing 1 and be connected to the shaft hole of the impeller 2. The blades of the impeller 2 surround the circumference of the recess 104 near the lower housing 102 and form a gap 3 with the recess 104, so as to save the space occupied by the whole fan while ensuring that the gas in the housing 1 can be blown out from the air outlet of the fan under the action of the impeller 2.

[0036] In the second aspect of the present disclosure, as Figures 2 to 4 shown, a drying device is provided, which includes an air duct 6 and the above-mentioned fan. One end of the air duct 6 is connected to the air outlet of the fan. The impeller 2 of the fan blows cold air through the air outlet and into the air duct 6. Among them, heating elements such as heating pipelines can be arranged in a coiled manner on the side wall of the air duct 6 to heat the cold air in the air duct 6. Thus, high-temperature gas can be blown out from the air duct 6 to perform drying operations.

[0037] In the third aspect of the present disclosure, a laundry treatment device is provided, which includes a drum and the above-mentioned drying device. The other end of the air duct 6 of the drying device communicates with the inside of the drum. After the laundry in the drum is washed, the cold air condensed in the drum enters the fan from the air inlet 8 of the lower housing 102 of the housing 1, and then is discharged from the air outlet of the fan into the air duct 6 of the drying device under the drive of the impeller 2, so as to be heated by the heating elements in the air duct 6 and turned into high-temperature gas, and the laundry in the drum is dried after being blown out from the air duct 6.

[0038] In summary, the use processes of the fan, the drying device and the laundry treatment device are exemplarily shown in the present disclosure.

[0039] When the fan is working, the air condensed in the drum enters the housing 1 from the air inlet 8 of the lower housing 102. The impeller 2 rotates driven by the motor 5, so as to blow the cold air in the housing 1 into the air duct 6, and heat the cold air through the heating element in the air duct 6 to increase its temperature. Thus, high-temperature gas can be blown out of the air duct 6 to dry the clothes in the drum. During this process, in order to reduce the overall height of the drying device and the laundry treatment equipment and reduce the space occupied by the two in the height direction, the motor 5 of the fan can be arranged in the recessed part 104 of the upper cover 101, so as to reduce the overall height of the drying device and the laundry treatment equipment by reducing the space occupied by the motor 5 in the height direction. Although this will cause a negative pressure area between the housing 1 of the fan and the impeller 2, making fluff and other sundries entering the housing 1 from the drum flow towards the gap 3, the shielding structure 4 will block at least part of the fluff and other sundries from entering the gap 3 at the inlet 301 of the gap 3, so as to reduce the fluff and other sundries accumulated in the gap 3, thereby reducing or even avoiding the situation that the impeller 2 is blocked due to excessive fluff and other sundries accumulated in the gap 3. Based on this, the normal operation of the fan, the drying device and the laundry treatment equipment is ensured.

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] In addition, it should be noted that, among the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments, they can be combined in any suitable way without conflict. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not separately describe various possible combination methods.

[0042] In addition, any combination can be made between various different embodiments of the present disclosure, as long as it does not violate the idea of the present disclosure, it should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fan, comprising a housing and an impeller arranged inside the housing, wherein a gap is provided between an inner side wall of the housing and an axial end surface of the impeller, wherein: The fan comprises a shielding structure, and the shielding structure is used to at least partially shield the inlet of the gap.

2. The fan according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shielding structure is configured as a shielding rib extending from the inner side wall of the shell toward the interior of the shell.

3. The fan according to claim 2, characterized in that: The retaining rib is annular in shape and is arranged along the circumference of the inlet.

4. The fan according to claim 1, characterized in that: The projection of the shielding structure on the first plane covers the projection of the inlet on the first plane; The first plane is a plane passing through the central axis of the impeller and parallel to the up-down direction.

5. The fan according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shielding structure extends in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the impeller; and / or Along the inner direction of the shell, the distance between the inner side wall and the outer side wall of the shielding structure gradually decreases, wherein the inner side wall is the side wall facing the inlet, and the outer side wall is the side wall away from the inlet.

6. The fan according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing comprises an upper cover and a lower shell, wherein the upper cover and the lower shell are connected in cooperation to form a cavity for accommodating the impeller; the gap is formed between the upper cover and the impeller.

7. The fan according to claim 6, characterized in that: The fan further comprises a motor, and the outer side wall of the upper cover is formed with a recessed portion facing the lower shell.

8. The fan according to claim 7, characterized in that: The impeller is arranged around the circumference of the recessed portion and has a recess facing the lower shell so as to be matched with the recessed portion.

9. A drying device, characterized in that: It comprises an air duct and the fan according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein one end of the air duct is connected to the air outlet of the fan.

10. A clothes processing device, characterized in that: It comprises a drum and the drying device according to claim 9, wherein the other end of the air duct of the drying device is communicated with the interior of the drum.

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