Laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

This application relates to the field of clothing processing technology, and more particularly to a clothing processing device. The clothing processing device includes: an evaporator, comprising: an evaporative heat exchange tube, the first end of which is connected to a compressor; a condenser, comprising: a condensing heat exchange tube, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the evaporator, and the second end of which is connected to the compressor, the condensing heat exchange tube being located between the evaporative heat exchange tube and an air inlet; a heat pipe, comprising: an evaporation section, disposed within an air duct along the gas flow direction within the air duct, the evaporation section being located upstream of the evaporative heat exchange tube; a condensation section, disposed within an air duct along the gas flow direction within the air duct, the condensation section being located downstream of the evaporative heat exchange tube; and a connecting section, the first end of which is connected to the evaporation section, and the second end of which is connected to the condensation section; the condensation section is higher than the evaporation section. This application can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pipe, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of the dryer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of clothing processing technology, and more particularly to a clothing processing device. Background Technology

[0002] A clothes dryer is a household appliance that instantly evaporates and dries the moisture from washed clothes. The working process of a clothes dryer is as follows: A fan in the duct pushes hot, dry air into the drying drum. The dry air exchanges heat and moisture with the surface of the wet clothes, becoming humid air, which is then discharged from the drying drum. The humid air passes through an evaporator in the duct, where it is cooled to below its dew point temperature, releasing moisture and becoming low-temperature saturated air. It then passes through a condenser in the duct, where it is heated to become high-temperature, low-humidity air, which is then pushed back into the drying drum by the fan to begin the next working cycle.

[0003] To improve the drying efficiency of clothes dryers, related technologies incorporate U-shaped heat pipes within the air duct. The evaporation section of the heat pipe is located upstream of the evaporator, pre-cooling the humid air; the condensation section is located downstream of the evaporator, pre-heating the low-temperature saturated air. While these technologies improve the drying efficiency of clothes dryers to some extent, the improvement is limited. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application discloses a clothing processing device that can improve the heat exchange efficiency of heat pipes, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of dryers.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose a garment processing device, comprising:

[0006] The box contains:

[0007] Air duct;

[0008] A clothes dryer having an air inlet and an air return inlet, the air inlet and the air return inlet being connected through an air duct;

[0009] compressor;

[0010] An evaporator, disposed within the air duct, comprises:

[0011] An evaporative heat exchange tube, the first end of which is connected to the compressor;

[0012] A condenser, disposed within the air duct, comprises:

[0013] A condensing heat exchange tube, wherein the first end of the condensing heat exchange tube is connected to the second end of the evaporator, the second end of the condensing heat exchange tube is connected to the compressor, and the condensing heat exchange tube is located between the evaporating heat exchange tube and the air inlet;

[0014] Heat pipe, the heat pipe comprising:

[0015] An evaporation section is provided inside the air duct, along the flow direction of the gas inside the air duct, and the evaporation section is located upstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube;

[0016] A condensing section is provided inside the air duct, along the flow direction of the gas inside the air duct, and the condensing section is located downstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube;

[0017] A connecting segment, wherein the first end of the connecting segment is connected to the first end of the evaporation segment, and the second end of the connecting segment is connected to the first end of the condensation segment;

[0018] The heat pipe contains a liquid medium, and the condensing section is positioned higher than the evaporating section, so that the liquid medium contained in the heat pipe flows from the second end of the connecting section to the first end of the connecting section under its own gravity, and then enters the evaporating section.

[0019] In this application, the heat pipe includes an evaporation section, a condensation section, and a connecting section. The evaporation section is located upstream of the evaporation heat exchanger to precool the air upstream of the evaporation heat exchanger. The condensation section is located downstream of the evaporation heat exchanger to preheat the air downstream of the evaporation heat exchanger. The evaporation section and the condensation section are connected by the connecting section. The condensation section of the heat pipe is positioned higher than the evaporation section. Thus, the gaseous medium in the condensation section condenses into a liquid medium. When the liquid medium passes through the connecting section, it can return to the evaporation section under the combined action of gravity and capillary action of the heat pipe. This allows the liquid medium to return to the evaporation section more quickly, replenishing the liquid medium in the evaporation section in a timely manner and preventing the evaporation section from drying out due to insufficient liquid medium. Therefore, this application can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pipe, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of the clothes dryer.

[0020] In one optional embodiment, the height difference between the condensation section and the evaporation section is 13–28 mm.

[0021] If the height difference between the condensing section and the evaporating section is less than 13mm, the assistance of gravity to the reflux of the liquid medium is small, and the increase in the reflux velocity of the liquid medium is limited, so the drying efficiency of the clothes handling device cannot be significantly improved. If the height difference between the condensing section and the evaporating section is greater than 28mm, the reflux velocity of the liquid medium under the action of gravity is too fast. The high-speed flowing medium cannot form a stable liquid film in the evaporating section, which may lead to fluctuations and unevenness in heat transfer, affecting the stable operation of the entire system.

[0022] Therefore, in this embodiment, the height difference between the condensation section and the evaporation section is controlled within 13 to 28 mm to keep the reflux rate of the liquid medium within a reasonable range. This not only significantly improves the drying efficiency of the clothing treatment device, but also enables the refluxed medium to form a stable liquid film in the evaporation section, ensuring the stable operation of the entire system.

[0023] In one alternative embodiment, the first end of the condensing section is disposed toward the first end of the evaporating section, the connecting section is arc-shaped, and the connecting section protrudes in a direction away from the evaporating section.

[0024] This embodiment uses an arc-shaped connecting section. Compared with right-angled or sharp-turn connecting sections, the arc-shaped connecting section can ensure the smooth flow of gaseous and liquid media inside the heat pipe, effectively reduce the flow resistance of the media, and improve the flow efficiency of the fluid.

[0025] In one alternative embodiment, the bending radius of the connecting segment is greater than or equal to three times the outer diameter of the connecting segment.

[0026] In this embodiment, the bending radius of the connecting segment is greater than or equal to three times the outer diameter of the connecting segment. This makes the fluid flow path in the connecting segment smoother, effectively reducing eddies and local resistance caused by abrupt changes in flow direction. This makes the flow of liquid and gaseous media smoother and reduces fluid flow resistance. Furthermore, a larger bending radius can reduce local stress concentration in the material during processing, reducing the risk of deformation and damage to materials, such as the core inside a heat pipe, during bending, thereby reducing material waste and improving material utilization.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, the evaporator further includes:

[0028] Multiple first fins, which are parallel to each other and spaced apart;

[0029] The evaporation heat exchange tube, the evaporation section, and the condensation section all pass through multiple of the first fins.

[0030] In this embodiment, the evaporator includes multiple first fins, and the evaporative heat exchange tube passes through these fins, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and air within the evaporative heat exchange tube. Furthermore, both the evaporation and condensation sections of the heat pipe pass through the first fins, allowing the medium in both sections to increase its contact area with air, thus further enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the heat pipe and the air. Therefore, in this embodiment, both the evaporation and condensation sections can utilize the first fins of the evaporator to increase their heat exchange efficiency with air, eliminating the need for additional heat dissipation fins on the outer periphery of the evaporation and condensation sections, thereby simplifying the structure of the clothing processing device.

[0031] In one optional embodiment, the duct wall comprises:

[0032] First sidewall;

[0033] The second sidewall and the first sidewall are distributed at intervals along a first direction, which is perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas in the air duct and the vertical direction, respectively.

[0034] The evaporative heat exchange tube passes through the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

[0035] In this embodiment, the evaporative heat exchange tube passes through the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and the two sides of the evaporative heat exchange tube are fixed on the first sidewall and the second sidewall respectively, thereby forming a double support structure in the air duct, which significantly improves the overall rigidity of the evaporative heat exchange tube, prevents the evaporative heat exchange tube from shaking violently under the action of external factors such as airflow impact and equipment vibration, and prevents the evaporative heat exchange tube from shifting or loosening.

[0036] In one alternative embodiment, the connecting segment is located on the side of the first sidewall facing away from the second sidewall;

[0037] The second end of the evaporation section is located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

[0038] If the second end of the evaporation section is located outside the air duct, the medium inside the evaporation section within the air duct will boil upon heating. Besides the heat transferred to the condensation section, some of the medium will also transfer to the portion of the evaporation section outside the air duct. This exposed portion of the evaporation section will directly dissipate heat to the external environment, causing the heat originally intended for the phase change of the medium to be ineffectively dissipated. This disrupts the dynamic balance of vapor and liquid inside the heat pipe and reduces the effective heat exchange efficiency of the evaporation section. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second end of the evaporation section is located between the first and second sidewalls. That is, the second end of the evaporation section does not extend beyond the second sidewall; it remains within the air duct, thereby maintaining the dynamic balance of vapor and liquid inside the heat pipe and ensuring the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporation section.

[0039] In one optional embodiment, the second sidewall has a first sleeve portion on the side facing the first sidewall, and the first sleeve portion is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the evaporation section.

[0040] In this embodiment, fixing the evaporation section only requires inserting the second end of the evaporation section into the first sleeve portion to complete the fixing of the evaporation section. No complex welding or bolt fixing is required, making installation convenient and easy to disassemble and replace during maintenance. Furthermore, since the first sleeve portion is located on the second side wall, and the second end of the evaporation section is sleeved on the second end of the evaporation section, the second side wall can axially limit the second end of the evaporation section, preventing axial movement of the evaporation section under high-frequency vibration.

[0041] In one alternative embodiment, the connecting segment is located on the side of the first sidewall facing away from the second sidewall;

[0042] The second end of the condensation section is located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

[0043] If the second end of the condenser section is located outside the air duct, the condenser section outside the air duct will release heat to heat the air outside the air duct, raising the air temperature. The condenser section outside the air duct will not heat the air inside the air duct. In other words, with this configuration, the second end of the condenser section has an ineffective end that does not heat the air inside the air duct, which increases the manufacturing cost of the heat pipe. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second end of the condenser section is located between the first and second sidewalls. That is, the second end of the condenser section does not extend beyond the second sidewall; the second end of the condenser section remains within the air duct. This ensures that all parts of the condenser section heat the air inside the air duct, eliminating the ineffective end of the condenser section and reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat pipe.

[0044] In one optional embodiment, the second sidewall has a second sleeve portion on the side facing the first sidewall, and the second sleeve portion is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the condensation section.

[0045] In this embodiment, fixing the condenser section only requires inserting the second end of the condenser section into the second sleeve portion to complete the fixing, without the need for complex welding or bolt fixing, making installation convenient and easy to disassemble and replace during maintenance. Furthermore, since the second sleeve portion is located on the second side wall, and the second end of the condenser section is fitted onto the second end of the condenser section, the second side wall can axially limit the second end of the condenser section, preventing axial movement of the condenser section under high-frequency vibration. Attached Figure Description

[0046] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0047] Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of the garment processing apparatus disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the compressor, evaporator, and condenser disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0049] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the compressor, evaporator, and condenser disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0050] Figure 4 This is an assembly diagram of the heat pipe, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0051] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0052] 110. Air duct; 120. First sidewall; 130. Second sidewall; 131. First sleeve section; 132. Second sleeve section; 200. Dryer drum; 300. Compressor; 400. Evaporator; 410. Evaporation heat exchange tube; 420. First fin; 500. Condenser; 510. Condensation heat exchange tube; 520. Second fin; 600. Heat pipe; 610. Evaporation section; 620. Condensation section; 630. Connecting section; 700. Fan; 800. Throttling device. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0054] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this application and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0055] Furthermore, in addition to indicating location or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setup," "equipped with," "connection," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0057] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are primarily used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (which may be the same or different in specific type and construction), and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0058] A clothes dryer is a household appliance that instantly evaporates and dries the moisture from washed clothes. The working process of a clothes dryer is as follows: A fan in the duct pushes hot, dry air into the drying drum. The dry air exchanges heat and moisture with the surface of the wet clothes, becoming humid air, which is then discharged from the drying drum. The humid air passes through an evaporator in the duct, where it is cooled to below its dew point temperature, releasing moisture and becoming low-temperature saturated air. It then passes through a condenser in the duct, where it is heated to become high-temperature, low-humidity air, which is then pushed back into the drying drum by the fan to begin the next working cycle.

[0059] To improve the drying efficiency of clothes dryers, related technologies incorporate U-shaped heat pipes in the air duct, with the evaporation section of the heat pipe located upstream of the evaporator to pre-cool the low-temperature, high-humidity air, and the condensation section located downstream of the evaporator to preheat the low-temperature, saturated air.

[0060] The inventors discovered that the medium in the evaporation section of a heat pipe is liquid. This liquid medium absorbs heat through the tubes of the evaporation section and evaporates into a gaseous medium, precooling the air upstream of the evaporator. The gaseous medium flows to the condensation section, where it releases heat through the tubes to preheat the air downstream of the evaporator. The gaseous medium is then condensed back into a liquid, and the liquid flows back from the condensation section to the evaporation section. The inventors further discovered that in related technologies, the condensation and evaporation sections are at the same height. The liquid medium formed in the condensation section only flows back to the evaporation section through capillary action of the heat pipe, resulting in low recirculation efficiency. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pipe is low, and the improvement in the drying efficiency of the dryer is minimal.

[0061] Therefore, this application discloses a clothing processing device that can improve the heat exchange efficiency of heat pipes, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of dryers. The clothing processing device provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0062] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a clothing processing device is disclosed. This clothing processing device can be a dryer, washer-dryer combo, etc. This application does not limit the type of clothing processing device. The clothing processing device includes:

[0063] The housing forms the overall appearance of the garment handling device. The interior of the housing is hollow to create a receiving cavity. This cavity is configured to house multiple components of the garment handling device, such as the dryer 200, compressor 300, electrical circuitry, drive components, and drainage components. The housing can be rectangular for placement against a wall. Alternatively, it can be cylindrical to accommodate circular components within the garment handling device. The housing contains:

[0064] Air duct 110 is used to connect the air inlet and air outlet of the drying drum 200 to form a drying circuit.

[0065] The dryer drum 200 has an air inlet and an air return outlet, which are connected by an air duct 110. The dryer drum 200 is used to hold clothes to be dried, and both the air inlet and the air return outlet are connected to the internal space of the dryer drum 200. The dryer drum 200 can be rotatably mounted inside the housing, thereby improving the drying efficiency of the clothes handling device; when the clothes handling device is a washer-dryer combo, the clothes handling device also includes an outer drum, which is located inside the housing and used to hold washing water, and the dryer drum 200 is rotatably mounted inside the outer drum; of course, the dryer drum 200 can also be fixedly mounted inside the housing, and this application does not limit this.

[0066] Compressor 300 is used to compress and circulate refrigerant.

[0067] An evaporator 400 is located within the air duct 110. The humid, hot air flowing from the return air inlet of the drying drum 200 exchanges heat with the evaporator 400, cooling the humid, hot air below its dew point temperature, causing the moisture absorbed from the clothes to be dried to precipitate out, and transforming it into low-temperature saturated air. The evaporator 400 includes:

[0068] Evaporation heat exchange tube 410, the first end of which is connected to compressor 300.

[0069] A condenser 500, located within the air duct 110, exchanges heat with the low-temperature saturated air passing through the evaporator 400 to raise the temperature of the circulating air passing through the evaporator 400, thereby ensuring that the circulating air entering the air inlet of the drying drum 200 has a higher temperature, which is beneficial for drying clothes. The condenser 500 includes:

[0070] The condenser heat exchange tube 510 has its first end connected to the second end of the evaporator 400 and its second end connected to the compressor 300. The condenser heat exchange tube 510 is located between the evaporator heat exchange tube 410 and the air inlet.

[0071] Specifically, the heat pipe 600 has a core with a capillary structure inside, which is closely attached to the inner wall of the heat pipe 600 and has a shape similar to that of the heat pipe 600. The capillary structure includes multiple layers of metal mesh, fiber, cloth, etc. The metal mesh can serve as a supporting skeleton to prevent the sintered layer at the bends of the heat pipe 600 from cracking or collapsing under high temperature or vibration conditions. The capillary structure attracts the liquid medium from the condensation section 620 to the evaporation section 610 through capillary attraction. This capillary structure can reduce contact thermal resistance. Of course, the lining can also be made of porous ceramic or sintered metal, and this application does not limit this. For example, the refrigerant in the heat pipe 600 can be filled at 11% to 18% of its volume, and the heat pipe 600 is vacuum sealed to 3.5 to 4.0 kPa, specifically 3.78 kPa. The heat pipe 600 includes:

[0072] Evaporation section 610 is located within air duct 110, upstream of evaporation heat exchange tube 410, along the gas flow direction within air duct 110. Specifically, the liquid medium in evaporation section 610 absorbs heat through the tube body of evaporation section 610 and is evaporated to form a gaseous medium, which can then enter condensation section 620.

[0073] A condensing section 620 is located within the air duct 110, downstream of the evaporator heat exchange tube 410, along the gas flow direction within the air duct 110. Specifically, the gaseous medium entering the condensing section 620 can release heat through the tube body of the condensing section 620 and be recondensed into a liquid medium. The liquid medium can then flow back to the evaporator section 610 through capillary action. For example, the condensing section 620 may be parallel to or not parallel to the evaporator section 610.

[0074] The connecting section 630 has its first end connected to the first end of the evaporation section 610, and its second end connected to the first end of the condensation section 620, allowing the medium in the heat pipe 600 to circulate between the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620. It should be noted that the end of the evaporation section 610 furthest from the connecting section 630 is a closed end, and the end of the condensation section 620 furthest from the connecting section 630 is also a closed end. For example, along the gas flow direction within the duct 110, from the downstream side of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 to the upstream side of the evaporation heat exchanger, the height of the connecting section 630 gradually decreases; that is, the location of the connecting section 630 gradually decreases.

[0075] The heat pipe 600 contains a liquid medium. The condensing section 620 is positioned higher than the evaporating section 610 so that the liquid medium contained in the heat pipe 600 flows from the second end of the connecting section 630 to the first end of the connecting section 630 under its own gravity and enters the evaporating section 610.

[0076] In this application, the heat pipe 600 includes an evaporation section 610, a condensation section 620, and a connecting section 630. The evaporation section 610 is located upstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 to precool the air upstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410. The condensation section 620 is located downstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 to preheat the air downstream of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410. The evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620 are connected through the connecting section 630. The condensation section 620 of the heat pipe 600 is positioned higher than the evaporation section 610. In this way, the gaseous medium in the condensing section 620 condenses into a liquid medium. When the liquid medium passes through the connecting section 630, it can return to the evaporating section 610 under the combined action of gravity and capillary action of the heat pipe 600. This allows the liquid medium to return to the evaporating section 610 more quickly, replenishing the liquid medium in the evaporating section 610 in a timely manner and preventing the evaporating section 610 from drying out due to insufficient liquid medium. It can be seen that this application can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pipe 600, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of the dryer.

[0077] For example, a fan 700 is provided inside the air duct 110, which provides circulation power for the circulating air within the air duct 110. The fan 700 can be located between the condenser 500 and the air inlet; the compressor 300 can be located outside the air duct 110. The clothing handling device also includes a throttling device 800, which is connected in series between the first end of the condenser heat exchange tube 510 and the second end of the evaporator 400. The throttling device 800 is used to control the flow rate of the refrigerant, and the throttling device 800 can be a capillary tube.

[0078] In one optional embodiment, the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 is 13–28 mm. Exemplarily, the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 can be 13.7 mm, 14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm, 19 mm, 20 mm, 21 mm, 22 mm, 23 mm, 25 mm, 26 mm, 27.4 mm, etc., and this application does not limit this to any particular value.

[0079] If the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 is less than 13 mm, the assistance of gravity to the reflux of the liquid medium is small, and the increase in the reflux velocity of the liquid medium is limited, so the drying efficiency of the clothes handling device cannot be significantly improved. If the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 is greater than 28 mm, the reflux velocity of the liquid medium under the action of gravity is too fast. The high-speed flowing medium cannot form a stable liquid film in the evaporating section 610, which may lead to fluctuations and unevenness in heat transfer, affecting the stable operation of the entire system.

[0080] Therefore, in this embodiment, the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 is controlled within 13-28 mm to keep the reflux rate of the liquid medium within a reasonable range. This not only significantly improves the drying efficiency of the clothing treatment device but also allows the refluxed medium to form a stable liquid film within the evaporating section 610, ensuring stable operation of the entire system. Of course, the height difference between the condensing section 620 and the evaporating section 610 can also be less than 13 mm or greater than 28 mm; this application does not impose any limitations.

[0081] In one alternative embodiment, the first end of the condensing section 620 is disposed toward the first end of the evaporating section 610, the connecting section 630 is arc-shaped, and the connecting section 630 protrudes in a direction away from the evaporating section 610.

[0082] In this embodiment, an arc-shaped connecting section 630 is used. Compared with a right-angled or sharp-turn connecting section 630, the arc-shaped connecting section 630 can ensure the smooth flow of gaseous and liquid media inside the heat pipe 600, effectively reduce the flow resistance of the media, and improve the flow efficiency of the fluid.

[0083] In one optional embodiment, the bending radius of the connecting segment 630 is greater than or equal to three times the outer diameter of the connecting segment 630. It should be noted that since the connecting segment 630 extends along an arc-shaped profile, the axis of the connecting segment 630 is arc-shaped, and the bending radius of the connecting segment 630 refers to the radius of the arc-shaped profile formed by the axis of the connecting segment 630.

[0084] For example, the bending radius of the connecting segment 630 may be less than or equal to five times the outer diameter of the connecting segment 630. For instance, the bending radius of the connecting segment 630 may be four times the outer diameter of the connecting segment 630.

[0085] In this embodiment, the bending radius of the connecting segment 630 is greater than or equal to three times its outer diameter. This allows for a smoother flow path for the fluid within the connecting segment 630, effectively reducing eddies and local resistance caused by abrupt changes in flow direction. This results in smoother flow of both liquid and gaseous media, reducing fluid flow resistance. Furthermore, a larger bending radius reduces local stress concentration in the material during processing, lowering the risk of deformation and damage to materials such as the core of the heat pipe 600 during bending, thereby reducing material waste and improving material utilization.

[0086] In an alternative embodiment, the evaporator 400 further includes:

[0087] Multiple first fins 420 are parallel to each other and spaced apart. These first fins 420 can be closely arranged around the evaporator heat exchange tube 410, which greatly increases the surface area in contact with air, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the air.

[0088] The evaporation heat exchange tube 410, the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620 all pass through multiple first fins 420.

[0089] In this embodiment, the evaporator 400 includes a plurality of first fins 420, and the evaporative heat exchange tube 410 passes through the plurality of first fins 420, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the air in the evaporative heat exchange tube 410. Furthermore, both the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620 of the heat pipe 600 pass through the first fins 420, thus increasing the contact area between the medium in the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620 and the air, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the heat pipe 600 and the air. Therefore, in this embodiment, both the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620 can utilize the first fins 420 of the evaporator 400 to increase the heat exchange efficiency with the air, eliminating the need for additional heat dissipation fins on the outer periphery of the evaporation section 610 and the condensation section 620, thereby simplifying the structure of the clothing processing device.

[0090] For example, the condenser 500 further includes a plurality of second fins 520, which are parallel to each other and spaced apart. A condensing heat exchange tube 510 passes through the plurality of second fins 520. The second fins 520 are closely arranged around the condensing heat exchange tube 510, significantly increasing the surface area in contact with air, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the air. In an optional embodiment, please refer to... Figure 4 The walls of the air duct 110 include:

[0091] The first sidewall 120 is used to prevent the circulating air from flowing out of the air duct 110;

[0092] The second sidewall 130 is used to prevent the recirculated air from exiting the air duct 110. The second sidewall 130 and the first sidewall 120 are along a first direction ( Figure 4 The directions indicated by the arrows in the middle are distributed at intervals, with the first direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas in the air duct 110 and the vertical direction, respectively.

[0093] Evaporation heat exchange tube 410 passes through the first sidewall 120 and the second sidewall 130.

[0094] In this embodiment, the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 passes through the first side wall 120 and the second side wall 130. The two sides of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 are fixed on the first side wall 120 and the second side wall 130 respectively, thereby forming a double support structure in the air duct 110. This significantly improves the overall rigidity of the evaporation heat exchange tube 410, prevents the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 from shaking violently under the action of external factors such as airflow impact and equipment vibration, and prevents the evaporation heat exchange tube 410 from shifting or loosening.

[0095] In an optional embodiment, the connecting segment 630 is located on the side of the first sidewall 120 opposite to the second sidewall 130, that is, the connecting segment 630 extends through the first sidewall 120 so that the connecting segment 630 is fixed to the first sidewall 120, and the second end of the evaporation segment 610 is located between the first sidewall 120 and the second sidewall 130. For example, since the connecting segment 630 is located outside the air duct 110, an insulation layer can be fitted over the connecting segment 630 to prevent heat exchange between the connecting segment 630 and the outside air.

[0096] If the second end of the evaporation section 610 is located outside the air duct 110, the medium inside the evaporation section 610 within the air duct 110 will boil due to heat. Besides the heat transferred to the condensation section 620, some of the medium will also transfer to the portion of the evaporation section 610 located outside the air duct 110. The evaporation section 610 exposed outside the air duct 110 will directly dissipate heat to the external environment, causing the heat originally intended for the phase change of the medium to be ineffectively dissipated. This disrupts the dynamic balance of vapor and liquid inside the heat pipe 600 and reduces the effective heat exchange efficiency of the evaporation section 610. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second end of the evaporation section 610 is located between the first sidewall 120 and the second sidewall 130. That is, the second end of the evaporation section 610 does not extend beyond the second sidewall 130; the second end of the evaporation section 610 remains within the air duct 110, thereby maintaining the dynamic balance of vapor and liquid inside the heat pipe 600 and ensuring the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporation section 610.

[0097] In one optional embodiment, the second sidewall 130 has a first sleeve portion 131 on the side facing the first sidewall 120, and the first sleeve portion 131 is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the evaporation section 610. Exemplarily, the first sleeve portion 131 may be interference-fitted or transition-fitted with the second end of the evaporation section 610.

[0098] In this embodiment, when fixing the evaporation section 610, it is only necessary to insert the second end of the evaporation section 610 into the first sleeve portion 131 to complete the fixing of the evaporation section 610. No complex welding or bolt fixing is required, making installation convenient and easy to disassemble and replace during maintenance. Furthermore, since the first sleeve portion 131 is located on the second side wall 130, and the second end of the evaporation section 610 is sleeved on the second end of the evaporation section 610, the second side wall 130 can axially limit the second end of the evaporation section 610, preventing axial movement of the evaporation section 610 under high-frequency vibration.

[0099] In one alternative embodiment, the connecting segment 630 is located on the side of the first sidewall 120 opposite to the second sidewall 130, and the second end of the condensing segment 620 is located between the first sidewall 120 and the second sidewall 130.

[0100] If the second end of the condensing section 620 is located outside the air duct 110, the condensing section 620 outside the air duct 110 will release heat to heat the air outside the air duct 110, causing the air temperature outside the air duct 110 to rise. The condensing section 620 outside the air duct 110 does not heat the air inside the air duct 110. In other words, with this configuration, the second end of the condensing section 620 has an ineffective end that does not heat the air inside the air duct 110, which increases the manufacturing cost of the heat pipe 600. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second end of the condensing section 620 is located between the first sidewall 120 and the second sidewall 130. That is, the second end of the condensing section 620 does not extend beyond the second sidewall 130; the second end of the condensing section 620 remains within the air duct 110. This ensures that all parts of the condensing section 620 heat the air inside the air duct 110, eliminating the ineffective end of the condensing section 620 and reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat pipe 600.

[0101] In one optional embodiment, the second sidewall 130 has a second sleeve portion 132 on the side facing the first sidewall 120, and the second sleeve portion 132 is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the condensation section 620. Exemplarily, the second sleeve portion 132 may be interference-fitted or transition-fitted with the second end of the condensation section 620.

[0102] In this embodiment, fixing the condenser section 620 only requires inserting the second end of the condenser section 620 into the second sleeve portion 132 to complete the fixing of the condenser section 620. No complex welding or bolt fixing is required, making installation convenient and easy to disassemble and replace during maintenance. Furthermore, since the second sleeve portion 132 is located on the second side wall 130, and the second end of the condenser section 620 is sleeved on the second end of the condenser section 620, the second side wall 130 can axially limit the second end of the condenser section 620, preventing axial movement of the condenser section 620 under high-frequency vibration.

[0103] The foregoing embodiments of this application focus on describing the differences between various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form better embodiments. For the sake of brevity, these differences will not be elaborated upon here. The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art, under the guidance of this application, can make many modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, all of which fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A garment processing device, characterized in that, include: The box contains: Air duct (110); A clothes dryer (200) having an air inlet and an air return inlet, the air inlet and the air return inlet being connected through the air duct (110); Compressor (300); An evaporator (400) is disposed within the air duct (110), the evaporator (400) comprising: An evaporative heat exchange tube (410) is provided, the first end of which is connected to the compressor (300). A condenser (500) is disposed within the air duct (110), and the condenser (500) comprises: A condensing heat exchange tube (510) is provided, with its first end connected to the second end of the evaporator (400) and its second end connected to the compressor (300). The condensing heat exchange tube (510) is located between the evaporating heat exchange tube (410) and the air inlet. A heat pipe (600), the heat pipe (600) comprising: Evaporation section (610), the evaporation section (610) is located in the air duct (110) along the flow direction of the gas in the air duct (110), the evaporation section (610) is located on the upstream side of the evaporation heat exchange tube (410); A condensing section (620) is provided in the air duct (110) along the flow direction of the gas in the air duct (110), and the condensing section (620) is located on the downstream side of the evaporation heat exchange tube (410). A connecting segment (630) is provided, wherein the first end of the connecting segment (630) is connected to the first end of the evaporation segment (610), and the second end of the connecting segment (630) is connected to the first end of the condensation segment (620). The heat pipe (600) contains a liquid medium. The condensing section (620) is positioned higher than the evaporating section (610) so that the liquid medium contained in the heat pipe (600) flows from the second end of the connecting section (630) into the first end of the connecting section (630) under its own gravity and enters the evaporating section (610).

2. The garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height difference between the condensation section (620) and the evaporation section (610) is 13-28 mm.

3. The garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end of the condensing section (620) is disposed toward the first end of the evaporating section (610), the connecting section (630) is arc-shaped, and the connecting section (630) protrudes in a direction away from the evaporating section (610).

4. The garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending radius of the connecting segment (630) is greater than or equal to three times the outer diameter of the connecting segment (630).

5. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator (400) also includes: Multiple first fins (420) are parallel to each other and spaced apart; The evaporation heat exchange tube (410), the evaporation section (610), and the condensation section (620) all pass through multiple of the first fins (420).

6. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wall of the air duct (110) includes: First sidewall (120); The second sidewall (130) and the first sidewall (120) are distributed at intervals along a first direction, which is perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas in the air duct (110) and the vertical direction, respectively. The evaporation heat exchange tube (410) passes through the first sidewall (120) and the second sidewall (130).

7. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connecting segment (630) is located on the side of the first sidewall (120) opposite to the second sidewall (130); The second end of the evaporation section (610) is located between the first sidewall (120) and the second sidewall (130).

8. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second sidewall (130) has a first sleeve portion (131) on the side facing the first sidewall (120), and the first sleeve portion (131) is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the evaporation section (610).

9. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connecting segment (630) is located on the side of the first sidewall (120) opposite to the second sidewall (130); The second end of the condensation section (620) is located between the first sidewall (120) and the second sidewall (130).

10. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second sidewall (130) has a second sleeve portion (132) on the side facing the first sidewall (120), and the second sleeve portion (132) is sleeved on the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the condensation section (620).

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