Rear cover device and clothes processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of clothes treatment, and provides a rear cover device and clothes treatment equipment. The rear cover device comprises an outer cover and an inner cover, the outer cover covers the outer side of the inner cover, and the inner cover comprises an inner cover frame and a flexible film. Wind noise waves generated by operation of an impeller of a fan in the clothes treatment equipment enter the rear cover device through the air outlet, the flexible film is fixedly connected to the inner cover frame, and incident noise waves reaching the flexible film cause vibration of the flexible film. The flexible film can generate the first sound wave opposite to the phase of the incident noise wave due to the telescopic elastic capacity in the thickness direction of the outer cover, and the first sound wave and the incident noise wave can form destructive interference, so that the energy of the noise wave is reduced, and the wind noise of the clothes processing equipment can be effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of garment processing technology, and more particularly to a back cover device and garment processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Clothing drying equipment is an indispensable household appliance in modern homes. As a drying tool, it effectively shortens drying time and improves efficiency. However, clothing drying equipment generates significant noise during operation, primarily from the fan. Fan noise can account for up to 50% of the total noise level, making noise reduction crucial.

[0003] In related technologies, methods to reduce wind noise include optimizing the impeller and duct system or using sound-absorbing and insulating materials. While impeller and duct system optimization is nearing perfection, wind noise still negatively impacts daily life, and the effectiveness of using sound-absorbing and insulating materials is limited. Therefore, how to reduce wind noise in garment processing equipment has become a pressing technical problem to be solved in this field. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, or at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a back cover device and a garment processing device.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention provides a rear cover device, including an outer cover and an inner cover, wherein the outer cover is disposed outside the inner cover. The inner cover includes an inner cover frame and a flexible film, wherein the flexible film is fixedly connected to the inner cover frame.

[0006] The rear cover device provided by this invention can be applied to clothing processing equipment. The wind noise generated by the impeller of the fan in the clothing processing equipment enters the rear cover device through the air outlet. The flexible film is fixedly connected to the inner cover frame. The incident noise wave reaching the flexible film causes the flexible film to vibrate. Because the flexible film has the ability to stretch and stretch along the thickness direction of the outer cover, it can generate a first sound wave with the opposite phase to the incident noise wave. The first sound wave can interfere and cancel out the incident noise wave, thereby reducing the energy of the noise wave and effectively reducing the wind noise of the clothing processing equipment.

[0007] In some embodiments, the inner cover further includes at least one counterweight attached to the side surface of the flexible film facing the outer cover.

[0008] In some embodiments, the inner cover frame includes a frame and a fixing mesh frame, wherein the fixing mesh frame holds the flexible film between the frame and the frame to fix the flexible film to the inner cover frame, and the fixing mesh frame faces the outer cover.

[0009] In some embodiments, the fixing frame is a grid-like structure, which is attached to the flexible film and divides the flexible film into multiple sub-regions.

[0010] In some embodiments, the inner cover further includes a plurality of counterweights, each of which is connected to a side surface of the flexible film facing the outer cover, and the plurality of counterweights are distributed in at least a portion of the sub-regions.

[0011] In some embodiments, the flexible film is made of rubber or plastic.

[0012] In some embodiments, the flexible film is made of rubber, and the thickness of the flexible film is 0.5mm-2mm;

[0013] Alternatively, the flexible film may be made of plastic and have a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the counterweight is made of metal and is bonded to the flexible film.

[0015] In some embodiments, the counterweight is cylindrical, with a diameter of 6mm-20mm and a height of 2mm-8mm protruding from the surface of the flexible film.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention provides a garment processing device, including a housing and a rear cover device as described in the first aspect, the rear cover device being disposed on the housing and located on the outside of the housing. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the clothing processing equipment described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the inner cover described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the inner cover structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart showing the sound insulation of the inner cover described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention and a traditional inner cover for wind noise waves in different frequency bands.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the magnitude of no-load noise at different frequencies of the clothing processing device based on the inner cover and the clothing processing device based on the traditional inner cover in Embodiment 1 of the present invention under the overall energy efficiency program.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the average noise level of the clothing processing device based on the inner cover and the clothing processing device based on the traditional inner cover under the overall energy efficiency program operation in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the magnitude of no-load noise at different frequencies of the garment processing device based on the inner cover and the garment processing device based on the traditional inner cover in Embodiment 1 of the present invention during the whole machine's fast drying program.

[0026] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the average noise levels of the garment processing device based on an inner cover and the garment processing device based on a traditional inner cover during the machine's rapid drying process, as shown in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0027] The components are: 1. Outer cover; 2. Box body; 3. Inner cover frame; 31. Frame; 32. Fixed mesh frame; 4. Flexible film; 5. Counterweight. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the solutions of the present invention will be further described below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other.

[0029] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention, but the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein; obviously, the embodiments in the specification are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments.

[0030] Clothing processing equipment, including dryers and dry-cleaning combos, is an indispensable household appliance in modern homes. It effectively shortens drying time and improves efficiency. However, clothing processing equipment generates significant noise during operation, which not only affects the comfort of the living environment but may also have some impact on human health. Therefore, controlling the noise level of dryers and reducing noise pollution is an important direction for improving the performance of clothing processing equipment and the user experience.

[0031] The noise from garment processing equipment mainly originates from the rotation of the drum, the operation of the motor and fan, and the vibration of structural components. Wind noise generated by the fan can account for up to 50% of the total noise in garment processing equipment, making its reduction particularly important. Related technologies reduce wind noise by optimizing the impeller and duct system or by using sound-absorbing and insulating materials. While impeller and duct system optimization is nearing perfection, wind noise still negatively impacts daily life, and the effectiveness of sound-absorbing and insulating materials is limited. Therefore, how to reduce wind noise in garment processing equipment has become a pressing technical problem to be solved in this field.

[0032] Therefore, this application provides a rear cover device that can effectively reduce wind noise in clothing processing equipment.

[0033] Reference Figures 1 to 8 As shown in the illustration, some embodiments of this application provide a rear cover device, including an outer cover 1 and an inner cover. The inner cover includes an inner cover frame 3 and a flexible film 4. The flexible film 4 has elastic deformation capability and is made of a material with relatively low hardness or modulus, such as rubber or plastic.

[0034] The outer cover 1 is installed on the housing 2 of the garment processing equipment and is located outside the housing 2. The wind noise generated by the impeller of the fan inside the housing 2 enters the rear cover device through the air outlet on the housing 2. The flexible film 4 is fixedly connected to the inner cover frame 3. The outer cover 1 is installed on the outside of the inner cover frame 3 and forms a first cavity with the flexible film 4. The flexible film 4 can block part of the noise wave, and part of the noise wave entering the first cavity can be blocked by the outer cover 1.

[0035] The ability of the flexible thin film 4 to block a portion of noise waves can be understood as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the incident noise wave reaching the flexible film 4 causes the flexible film 4 to vibrate. Because the flexible film 4 has the ability to stretch and stretch along the thickness direction of the outer cover 1, it can generate a first sound wave with the opposite phase to the incident noise wave. The first sound wave can interfere and cancel out the incident noise wave, thereby reducing the energy of the noise wave. The noise reduction effect is optimal when the frequency of the incident noise wave matches the resonant frequency of the flexible film 4.

[0036] Considering that the frequency of the incident noise wave varies depending on the type or usage mode of the garment processing equipment, in some embodiments, the back cover device further includes at least one counterweight 5, with the counterweight 5 attached to the surface of the flexible film 4 facing the outer cover 1. The flexible film 4 and the counterweight 5 form a resonant system. The first sound wave generated by the flexible film 4 with the counterweight 5 has a lower frequency, which can interfere and cancel out the lower frequency incident noise wave, effectively reducing the energy of the low-frequency noise wave.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the inner cover frame 3 includes a frame 31 and a fixed mesh frame 32, which fixes the flexible film 4 to the frame 31.

[0038] The frame 31 is formed as a hollow frame structure that matches the peripheral shape of the flexible film 4. Supporting steps are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the frame 31. The periphery of the flexible film 4 overlaps the supporting steps. The fixing frame 32 is located on the side of the flexible film 4 away from the supporting steps and presses the flexible film 4 onto the supporting steps. In other words, the fixing frame 32 and the frame 31 tightly clamp the flexible film 4 to fix it to the inner cover frame 3. The frame 31 is simple to form and easy to demold. The fixing frame 32 presses the flexible film 4 onto the frame 31, making it difficult for the flexible film 4 to detach from the frame 31.

[0039] Of course, the frame 31 and the fixed mesh frame 32 can also be a single molded structure, and the flexible film 4 can be installed on the side of the fixed mesh frame 32 away from the outer cover 1 by means of bonding or other methods.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the fixed mesh frame 32 has a grid-like structure and is attached to the flexible film 4, dividing the flexible film 4 into multiple sub-regions. Firstly, the grid-like structure of the fixed mesh frame 32 does not affect the expansion and contraction vibration of the flexible film 4. Furthermore, the fixed mesh frame 32, attached to the flexible film 4, provides multiple support points, keeping the flexible film 4 flat and preventing uneven elasticity in different areas due to deformation, which would generate different frequencies of first sound waves and affect the interference cancellation effect with the incident noise wave. Secondly, the fixed mesh frame 32 divides the flexible film 4 into multiple sub-regions, making the flexible film 4 into multiple small diaphragms. Each small diaphragm has a higher edge stiffness, allowing the flexible film 4, composed of multiple small diaphragms, to generate higher-frequency first sound waves that can interfere cancelably with higher-frequency incident noise waves, effectively reducing the energy of high-frequency noise waves.

[0041] In some embodiments, the flexible film 4 is made of rubber or plastic. The flexible film 4 made of rubber or plastic has the ability to stretch and stretch along the thickness direction of the outer cover 1, and can generate a first sound wave that is opposite in phase to the incident noise wave. The first sound wave can interfere and cancel out the incident noise wave, thereby reducing the energy of the noise wave.

[0042] In some embodiments, the flexible film 4, made of rubber, has a thickness of 0.5mm-2mm and generates a first sound wave with a higher frequency, making it suitable for blocking higher frequency incident noise waves. The flexible film 4, made of plastic, has a thickness of 0.2mm-0.8mm and generates a first sound wave with a lower frequency, making it suitable for blocking lower frequency incident noise waves.

[0043] In some embodiments, the counterweight 5 is made of metal, such as stainless steel, which is low in cost and high in hardness. The counterweight 5 is bonded to the flexible film 4, which is convenient to bond and does not easily cause the flexible film 4 to deform.

[0044] In some embodiments, the counterweight 5 is cylindrical, making it easy to process and shape. The diameter of the counterweight 5 is 6mm-20mm, for example, 10mm, 14mm, and 18mm. The height of the counterweight 5 protruding from the surface of the flexible film 4 is 2mm-8mm, for example, 4mm and 6mm. The resonant system formed by the connection of the counterweight 5 and the flexible film 4 can match the resonant frequency of the noise wave of the clothing processing equipment, resulting in good noise reduction.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inner cover frame 3 is made of plastic, the same material as the outer cover 1, which is low in cost and can support the flexible film 4 without being too heavy, thus reducing the weight of the garment processing equipment.

[0046] Traditional rear cover devices have limited noise reduction effects, generally only effectively absorbing and isolating noise waves with frequencies above 1000Hz. However, the noise energy generated by current wind turbines is mainly concentrated below 1000Hz, making traditional rear cover devices ineffective. The rear cover device provided in this application achieves optimal sound insulation when the incident noise wave frequency and the resonant frequency of the flexible film 4 are consistent. The resonant frequency of the flexible film 4 is influenced by factors such as the mass of the counterweight 5, the thickness and modulus of the flexible film 4, and the grid size of the fixed mesh frame 32. In practical applications, the mass of the counterweight 5, the thickness and modulus of the flexible film 4, and the grid size of the fixed mesh frame 32 can be adjusted according to the wind noise waves in different frequency bands to achieve the best noise reduction effect.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of the sound insulation of the inner cover provided in the embodiments of this application and a traditional inner cover for wind noise waves in different frequency bands. Line A represents the sound insulation of the inner cover, and line B represents the sound insulation of the traditional inner cover. Figure 4 It is easy to see that the inner cover improves the sound insulation of noise waves in the range of 300Hz to 900Hz to varying degrees, with the maximum improvement being 20dB higher than the sound insulation of 700Hz noise waves compared to the traditional inner cover.

[0048] like Figure 5and Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The noise levels at different frequencies of garment handling equipment based on inner covers and garment handling equipment based on traditional inner covers are compared under the overall energy efficiency program. Figure 6 The figures show the average noise levels of garment handling equipment with inner covers and those with traditional inner covers under the overall energy efficiency program. Line A represents the noise level of the inner cover-based equipment, and line B represents the noise level of the traditional inner cover-based equipment. Figure 5 and Figure 6 It is easy to see that the noise in the frequency band below 1250Hz of the clothing processing equipment based on the inner cover has been reduced to varying degrees, and the average noise of the whole machine under no-load has been reduced by 2.3dB.

[0049] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, Figure 7 The noise levels at different frequencies of the no-load noise of garment processing equipment based on inner covers and garment processing equipment based on traditional inner covers during the machine's high-speed drying program are compared. Figure 8 The noise levels of garment processing equipment with inner covers and those with traditional inner covers are shown in Figure 1, representing the average noise levels during the machine's high-speed drying cycle. Line A represents the noise level based on the inner cover, and line B represents the noise level based on the traditional inner cover. Figure 7 and Figure 8 It is easy to see that the noise in the frequency band below 1250Hz of the clothing processing equipment based on the inner cover has been reduced to varying degrees, and the average noise of the whole machine under no-load has been reduced by 2.2dB.

[0050] Other embodiments of the present invention provide a garment processing device, including a housing 2 and the aforementioned rear cover device. The rear cover device is disposed on the housing 2 and located outside the housing 2. The wind noise generated by the operation of the fan impeller enters the rear cover device through the air outlet on the housing 2. The outer cover 1 covers the air outlet on the housing 2.

[0051] The garment processing device provided in the above embodiments of the present invention has the beneficial effects of the back cover device of any of the above embodiments because it includes the back cover device of any of the above embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0052] It should be noted that the clothing processing equipment can specifically be a washing machine, dryer, washer-dryer combo, etc. Specifically, it can be a drum washing machine, a drum washer-dryer combo, a drum dryer, or other types of clothing processing equipment.

[0053] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0054] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those 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 invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A rear cover device, characterized in that, include: An inner cover, the inner cover comprising an inner cover frame and a flexible film, the flexible film being connected to the inner cover frame; An outer cover, which is placed outside the inner cover.

2. The rear cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cover also includes at least one counterweight attached to the side surface of the flexible film facing the outer cover.

3. The rear cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cover frame includes a frame and a fixing mesh frame, wherein the flexible film is held between the fixing mesh frame and the frame to fix the flexible film on the inner cover frame, and the fixing mesh frame faces the outer cover.

4. The rear cover device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fixed mesh frame has a grid-like structure and is attached to the flexible film, dividing the flexible film into multiple sub-regions.

5. The rear cover device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner cover also includes a plurality of counterweights, each of which is connected to the flexible film on one side surface facing the outer cover, and the plurality of counterweights are distributed in at least a portion of the sub-regions.

6. The rear cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible film is made of materials including rubber or plastic.

7. The rear cover device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flexible film is made of rubber, and its thickness is 0.5mm-2mm. Alternatively, the flexible film may be made of plastic and have a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

8. The rear cover device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The counterweight is made of metal and is bonded to the flexible film.

9. The rear cover device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The counterweight is cylindrical, with a diameter of 6mm-20mm and a height of 2mm-8mm protruding from the surface of the flexible film.

10. A garment processing device, characterized in that, It includes a housing and a rear cover device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, the rear cover device being disposed on the housing and located on the outside of the housing.

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