Laundry treatment equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment equipment, including: a first drum (100); a second drum (200), disposed at a first side of a first plane, and having a diameter smaller than that of the first drum (100); wherein the first plane is a plane passing through a central axis of rotation of the first drum (100) and parallel to an up-down direction; and a heat pump drying device (300), including a compressor (331) and a heat exchange module (330) connected to the compressor (331), where at least part of the heat exchange module (330) is disposed at a second side of the first plane opposite to the first side. The heat exchange module (330) of the heat pump drying device (300) is configured for heat exchange with drying air flowing through air inlet pipeline. The heat pump drying device (300) of the laundry treatment equipment adopts the heat exchange module (330) of a heat pump system for heat exchange.

Description

FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a laundry treatment equipment-related technical field, and more particularly, to a laundry treatment equipment.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards, washing machines are rapidly popularized in households, and users are increasingly inclined to use washing machines with a drying function, which enhances people's quality of life.

[0003] In related art, the drying device of a washing machine usually includes a fan, an air inlet channel, and a heating wire arranged in the air inlet channel. Air is heated by the heating wire and then delivered into the drum by the fan to dry the wet and cold clothes. However, this heating manner has high energy consumption and low heating efficiency.SUMMARY

[0004] The present invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0005] Objectives of the present invention are to provide a laundry treatment equipment with a heat pump drying device, which adopts a heat exchange module of a heat pump system for heat exchange, i.e., to heat the air to be introduced into a first drum, providing advantages of energy saving, high efficiency and environment friendly.

[0006] To achieve above objectives, the present invention provides a laundry treatment equipment, which includes: a first drum; a second drum; and a heat pump drying device. The second drum is disposed at a first side of a first plane, and has a diameter smaller than that of the first drum; and the first plane is a plane passing through a central axis of rotation of the first drum and parallel to an up-down direction. The heat pump drying device includes a compressor and a heat exchange module connected to the compressor, and at least part of the heat exchange module is disposed at a second side of the first plane opposite to the first side.

[0007] Optionally, the second drum and the heat exchange module are disposed at the same side of a second plane, and the second plane is a plane passing through the central axis of rotation of the first drum and parallel to a left-right direction.

[0008] Optionally, the second drum is disposed at upper right of the first drum, and the heat exchange module is disposed at a left side of the second drum and above or laterally above the first drum.

[0009] Optionally, the heat pump drying device further includes a fan and an air inlet pipeline; a first end of the air inlet pipeline is connected to the first drum, a second end of the air inlet pipeline is communicated with to an air inlet of the fan, and an air outlet of the fan is communicated with the first drum; and at least part of the heat exchange module is disposed inside the air inlet pipeline for heat exchange with drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline.

[0010] Optionally, the heat exchange module includes a first heat exchanger for heating the drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline.

[0011] Optionally, the heat exchange module further includes a second heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger is disposed at a side of the first heat exchanger away from the fan and configured for condensing the drying air entering the air inlet pipeline.

[0012] Optionally, the first end of the air inlet pipeline is connected to an upper part of a rear part of the first drum, and the air outlet of the fan is connected to a front part of the first drum; the fan is disposed above the first drum; and / or the compressor is disposed above the first drum and at a side of the heat exchange module.

[0013] Optionally, the compressor is disposed below the first drum and connected to a cabinet of the laundry treatment equipment through a reinforcing member.

[0014] Optionally, the laundry treatment equipment further includes a cabinet and a mounting beam, the mounting beam is disposed above the first drum and connected to opposite sides of the cabinet, and the second drum is fixedly connected to the mounting beam.

[0015] Optionally, the fan is fixedly connected to the mounting beam; and / or the fan is fixedly connected to the cabinet through a reinforcing member.

[0016] With the above technical solutions, that is, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention includes the first drum, the second drum and the heat pump drying device, the heat pump drying device includes the compressor and the heat exchange module connected to the compressor, the second drum and at least part of the heat exchange module are disposed at opposite sides of the first plane, respectively, and the heat exchange module may be used for heat exchange with the air flowing through the heat pump drying device, so as to dry the clothes inside the first drum. The heat pump drying device of the laundry treatment equipment adopts the heat exchange module of a heat pump system for heat exchange, which utilizes low-temperature heat energy of the air, converts it into high-temperature heat energy through compression by the compressor, and transmits the high-temperature heat energy to the heat exchange module to heat the air to be introduced into the first drum. Compared with the related art, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention is energy-saving, efficient and environment friendly.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of present invention will be described in detail below.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand the present invention, and constitute a part of this specification for explaining the present invention with reference to the following embodiments, but shall not be construed to limit the present invention. In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a laundry treatment equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention from a first viewing angle. FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a laundry treatment equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention from a second viewing angle. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of a laundry treatment equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a laundry treatment equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a laundry treatment equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention, where a compressor is disposed laterally below a first drum. Reference numbers:

[0019] 100-first drum; 200-second drum; 300-heat pump drying device; 310-fan; 311-connecting channel; 320-air inlet pipeline; 330-heat exchange module; 331-compressor; 3311-reinforcing member; 332-first heat exchanger; 333-second heat exchanger; 400-cabinet; 500-mounting beam.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Example embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings. It should be understood that embodiments described herein are used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and shall not be construed to limit the present invention.

[0021] In the present invention, unless stated to the contrary, directional terms used herein such as "upper", "lower", "up", "down", "left", "right", "front" and "rear" usually refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion; terms like "inner", "outer", "inside" and "outside" refer to inner and outer of a contour of a corresponding component; and terms like "far" and "near" refer to a situation where a corresponding structure or component is either far from or close to another structure or component. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" used in the present invention are used to distinguish one element from another, and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or order. Furthermore, in the following description, when referring to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The above definitions are used to explain and illustrate the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0022] To achieve the above objectives, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the present invention provides a laundry treatment equipment, which includes a first drum 100, a second drum 200, and a heat pump drying device 300. The second drum 200 is disposed at a first side (e.g., one of a right side and a left side) of a first plane A, and a diameter of the second drum 200 is smaller than that of the first drum 100. The first plane A passes through a central axis of rotation of the first drum 100 and is parallel to an up-down direction. The heat pump drying device 300 includes a compressor 331 and a heat exchange module 330 connected to the compressor 331, and at least part of the heat exchange module 330 is disposed at a second side (e.g., the other one of the right side and the left side) of the first plane A opposite to the first side.

[0023] With the above technical solutions, that is, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention includes the first drum 100, the second drum 200 and the heat pump drying device 300, the heat pump drying device 300 includes the compressor 331 and the heat exchange module 330 connected to the compressor 331, and the second drum 200 and at least part of the heat exchange module 330 are disposed at opposite sides of the first plane A, respectively, the heat exchange module 330 may be used for heat exchange with the air flowing through the heat pump drying device 300, so as to dry the clothes inside the first drum 100. The heat pump drying device 300 of the laundry treatment equipment adopts the heat exchange module 330 of a heat pump system for heat exchange, which utilizes low-temperature heat energy of the air, converts it into high-temperature heat energy through compression by the compressor 331, and transmits the high-temperature heat energy to the heat exchange module 330 to heat the air to be introduced into the first drum 100. Compared with the related art, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention is energy-saving, efficient and environment friendly.

[0024] It should be noted that by arranging the second drum 200 and at least part of the heat exchange module 330 at opposite sides of the first plane A, respectively, the internal space of the laundry treatment equipment is reasonably utilized.

[0025] In some embodiments, the second drum 200 and the heat exchange module 330 are disposed at the same side of a second plane B which passes through the central axis of rotation of the first drum 100 and is parallel to a left-right direction. By arranging the second drum 200 and at least part of the heat exchange module 330 at the same side (e.g., an upper side or a lower side) of the second plane B, sufficient space is reserved at the other side of the second plane B for arranging other components.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the second drum 200 is disposed at upper right of the first drum 100, and the heat exchange module 330 is disposed at a left side of the second drum 200 and above or laterally above the first drum 100. It should be noted that the second drum 200 may also be disposed at upper left of the first drum 100, and the heat exchange module 330 is disposed at a right side of the second drum 200 and above or laterally above the first drum 100.

[0027] In some embodiments, the heat pump drying device 300 further includes a fan 310 and an air inlet pipeline 320. A first end of the air inlet pipeline 320 is connected to the first drum 100, a second end of the air inlet pipeline 320 is communicated with an air inlet of the fan 310, and an air outlet of the fan 310 is communicated with the first drum 100. At least part of the heat exchange module 330 is disposed inside the air inlet pipeline 320 for heat exchange with drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320.

[0028] The heat pump drying device 300 adopts the fan 310, the air inlet pipeline 320, the compressor 331, and the heat exchange module 330 connected to the compressor 331, the heat exchange module 330 may be entirely or partially arranged inside the air inlet pipeline 320 for heat exchange with the air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320. After heat exchange, the air enters the first drum 100 to dry the clothes. The heat pump drying device 300 of the laundry treatment equipment adopts the heat exchange module 330 of a heat pump system for heat exchange, which is able to utilize low-temperature heat energy of the air, convert it into high-temperature heat energy through compression by the compressor 331, and transmit the high-temperature heat energy to the heat exchange module 330 to heat the air to be introduced into the first drum 100. Compared with the related art, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention is energy-saving, efficient and environment friendly.

[0029] It should be noted that the heat pump drying device 300 may include the compressor 331, an evaporator, a condenser, and an expansion valve. For the connection relationship among these components, reference may be made to related art as mature technologies, and detailed introduction will not be described here. In some embodiments, the condenser forms the heat exchange module 330 described above to heat the air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320. The heated air is sent into the first drum 100 by the fan 310 to dry the wet and cold clothes in the first drum 100.

[0030] In some embodiments, since the end of the air inlet pipeline 320 far away from the fan 310 is also communicated with the first drum 100, the hot and humid air in the first drum 100 after heat exchange with the clothes may be converted into relatively dry air after condensation, and re-enters the air inlet pipeline 320, thereby realizing circulation. The condensation of the hot and humid air may be carried out through a condenser coil arranged inside the drum, and reference may be made to the related art.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the heat exchange module 330 includes a first heat exchanger 332 for heating drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320. The first heat exchanger 332 may be a condenser or a heat exchanger with a similar function to a condenser, as long as it is able to realize heat release within the heat pump module 330 to heat the drying air in the air inlet pipeline 320.

[0032] The heat pump system works based on the inverse Cano principle, with which low-temperature heat energy from the air is absorbed with minimal electric energy, and becomes high-temperature heat energy through compression by the compressor 331, and then the high-temperature heat energy is transferred to an object to be heated. This working mode makes the heat pump module 330 more efficient and environment friendly in energy utilization.

[0033] To meet the requirements of both air heating and condensing the hot and humid air after heat exchange with the clothes, in some other embodiments, the heat exchange module 330 further includes a second heat exchanger 333. The second heat exchanger 333 is disposed at a side of the first heat exchanger 332 away from the fan 310 and configured for condensing the drying air entering the air inlet pipeline 320. The first heat exchanger 332 is a condenser, and the second heat exchanger 333 may be an evaporator. After entering the heat exchange module 330 through the air inlet pipeline 320, the hot and humid air that has exchanged heat with the clothes first passes through the second heat exchanger 333 where it is condensed to remove moisture, and then the dehumidified air passes through the first heat exchanger 332 where it is heated to meet the drying requirement. With this configuration, there is no need to set a condenser coil inside the first drum 100 for condensing the warm air. Instead, the second heat exchanger 333 and the first heat exchanger 332 may achieve dual effects of condensation and heating, and make the overall structure of the first drum 100 simplified.

[0034] The air inlet pipeline 320 and the air outlet of the fan 310 may be connected to any positions of the first drum 100, respectively, as long as air circulation is ensured. As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the first end of the air inlet pipeline 320 is connected to an upper part of a rear part of the first drum 100, the air outlet of the fan 310 is connected to a front part of the first drum 100, and the air inlet pipeline 320 and the air outlet of the fan 310 may be connected to two sides of the first drum 100 relatively far from each other, respectively, which facilitates better drying of the clothes inside the first drum 100. For example, the air inlet pipeline 320 may be connected to the upper part of the rear part of the first drum 100, while the air outlet of the fan 310 may be connected to the front part of the first drum 100, allowing the air entering the first drum 100 to flow from front to rear to pass through the clothes inside the first drum 100, thereby achieving a better drying effect.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the fan 310 and / or the heat exchange module 330 are disposed above the first drum 100. Both the fan 310 and the heat exchange module 330 may be arranged above the first drum 100, or either the fan 310 or the heat exchange module 330 may be arranged above the first drum 100. For example, both the fan 310 and the heat exchange module 330 are arranged above the first drum 100, the first end of the air inlet pipeline 320 is connected to the upper part of the rear part of the first drum 100, and the second end of the air inlet pipeline 320 extends upwards and then horizontally extends above the first drum 100, the heat exchange module 330 (the first heat exchanger 332 and the second heat exchanger 333) is arranged inside the air inlet pipeline 320, the air inlet pipeline 320 is communicated with the air inlet of the fan 310, and the air outlet of the fan 310 may be connected to an inlet at a doorseal on the front part of the first drum 100 directly or via a connecting channel 311, thereby delivering hot air into the first drum 100 to achieve circulation.

[0036] It should be noted that the fan 310 and / or the heat exchange module 330 may also be disposed at a side of the first drum 100 or below the first drum 100, as long as they can heat or both heat and condense the air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320.

[0037] The compressor 331 may be disposed at any position inside a cabinet 400 of the laundry treatment equipment. As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the compressor 331 is disposed above the first drum 100 and at a side of the heat exchange module 330. The compressor 331 may be directly fixed on an inner sidewall of the cabinet 400 or may be connected to the cabinet 400 through a reinforcing member 3311, leaving sufficient space below the first drum 100 to facilitate the arrangement of other components.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5, in some other embodiments, the compressor 331 may also be disposed below the first drum 100 and connected to the cabinet 400 of the laundry treatment equipment through a reinforcing member 3311. Arrangement of the compressor 331 below the first drum 100 leaves sufficient space above the first drum 100 to facilitate arrangement of other components.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the laundry treatment equipment has a dual-drum structure, which includes a first drum 100 and a second drum 200, and the diameter of the second drum 200 is smaller than that of the first drum 100. The cabinet 400 of the laundry treatment equipment in the present invention is a standard cabinet 400 which is defined as having a width of 600±50mm, a depth of 500 to 700 mm, and a height of 850±50mm. The laundry treatment equipment is a washing machine with a drying function, the large drum (i.e., the first drum 100) is disposed in a middle part of the cabinet 400, and the small drum (i.e., the second drum 200) is disposed at an upper right corner of the large drum (i.e., the first drum 100), and the heat pump drying device 300 is used for drying the large drum (i.e., the first drum 100).

[0040] The second drum 200 may be fixed in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, the laundry treatment equipment further includes a cabinet 400 and a mounting beam 500. The mounting beam 500 is disposed above the first drum 100 and connected to opposite sides of the cabinet 400, and the second drum 200 is fixedly connected to the mounting beam 500. As shown in FIG. 1, opposite ends of the mounting beam 500 are connected to the left and right sides of the cabinet 400, respectively, and the second drum 200 is connected below the mounting beam 500, so as to fix the second drum 200. It should be noted that in a case where the compressor 331 and the air inlet pipeline 320 are disposed above the first drum 100, the compressor 331 and the air inlet pipeline 320 may also be fixedly connected to the mounting beam 500 to achieve their fixation.

[0041] A fixing position of the fan 310 may be selected taken into account a position of the inlet of the first drum 100. For example, in a case where both the air inlet pipeline 320 and the heat exchange module 330 are arranged above the first drum 100, the fan 310 may also be fixedly connected to the mounting beam 500. It should be noted that the fan 310 may also be fixedly connected to the inner sidewall of the cabinet 400 through a reinforcement member 3311.

[0042] The laundry treatment equipment of the present invention includes the cabinet 400, as well as the first drum 100, the second drum 200, and the heat pump drying device 300 disposed inside the cabinet 400, the first drum 100 is disposed in the middle part of the cabinet 400, the second drum 200 is disposed at the upper right corner of the first drum 100, and the heat pump drying device 300 is configured for drying the first drum 100. The heat pump drying device 300 includes the fan 310, the air inlet pipeline 320, the compressor 331, and the heat exchange module 330 connected to the compressor 331, the heat exchange module 330 is arranged inside the air inlet pipeline 320 and is configured for heat exchange with the air flowing through the air inlet pipeline 320, and the air, after heat exchange, enters the first drum 100 to dry the clothes inside. The heat pump drying device 300 of the laundry treatment equipment adopts the heat exchange module 330 of a heat pump system for heat exchange, which utilizes low-temperature heat energy of the air, converts it into high-temperature heat energy through compression by the compressor 331, and transmits the high-temperature heat energy to the heat exchange module 330 to heat the air to be introduced into the first drum 100. Compared with the related art, the laundry treatment equipment of the present invention is energy-saving, efficient and environment friendly.

[0043] Further, the heat exchange module 330 may include the first heat exchanger 332 with a heating function and the second heat exchanger 333 with a condensation function, so that the hot and humid air in the first drum 100 after heat exchange with the clothes enters the heat exchange module 330 through the air inlet pipeline 320, in the heat exchange module 330, the hot and humid air first passes through the second heat exchanger 333 where it is condensed to remove moisture, and then the dehumidified air passes through the first heat exchanger 332 where it is heated to meet the drying requirement. With the above configuration, there is no need to set a condenser coil inside the first drum 100 for condensing the warm air. Instead, the second heat exchanger 333 and the first heat exchanger 332 achieve dual effects of condensation and heating, and make the overall structure of the first drum 100 simplified.

[0044] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to specific details described in the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made to the technical solutions of the present invention within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, and all these simple modifications shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0045] In addition, it should be noted that various specific technical features described in the above embodiments may be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combination manners are not separately described in the present invention.

[0046] Furthermore, various different embodiments of the present invention may be combined arbitrarily, as long as they does not violate the concept of the present invention, and they should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A laundry treatment equipment, comprising: a first drum (100); a second drum (200), disposed at a first side of a first plane, and having a diameter smaller than that of the first drum (100); wherein the first plane is a plane passing through a central axis of rotation of the first drum (100) and parallel to an up-down direction; and a heat pump drying device (300), comprising a compressor (331) and a heat exchange module (330) connected to the compressor (331), wherein at least part of the heat exchange module (330) is disposed at a second side of the first plane opposite to the first side.

2. The laundry treatment equipment according to claim 1, wherein the second drum (200) and the heat exchange module (330) are disposed at the same side of a second plane, and the second plane is a plane passing through the central axis of rotation of the first drum (100) and parallel to a left-right direction.

3. The laundry treatment equipment according to claim 2, wherein the second drum (200) is disposed at upper right of the first drum (100), and the heat exchange module (330) is disposed at a left side of the second drum (200) and above or laterally above the first drum (100).

4. The laundry treatment equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat pump drying device (300) further comprises a fan (310) and an air inlet pipeline (320); a first end of the air inlet pipeline (320) is connected to the first drum (100), a second end of the air inlet pipeline (320) is communicated with to an air inlet of the fan (310), and an air outlet of the fan (310) is communicated with the first drum (100); wherein at least part of the heat exchange module (330) is disposed inside the air inlet pipeline (320) for heat exchange with drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline (320).

5. The laundry treatment equipment according to claim 4, wherein the heat exchange module (330) comprises a first heat exchanger (332) for heating the drying air flowing through the air inlet pipeline (320).

6. The laundry treatment equipment according to claim 5, wherein the heat exchange module (330) further comprises a second heat exchanger (333) disposed at a side of the first heat exchanger (332) away from the fan (310) and configured for condensing the drying air entering the air inlet pipeline (320).

7. The laundry treatment equipment according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first end of the air inlet pipeline (320) is connected to an upper part of a rear part of the first drum (100), and the air outlet of the fan (310) is connected to a front part of the first drum (100); and the fan (310) is disposed above the first drum (100).

8. The laundry treatment equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the compressor (331) is disposed above the first drum (100) and at a side of the heat exchange module (330); and / or the compressor (331) is disposed below the first drum (100) and connected to a cabinet (400) of the laundry treatment equipment through a reinforcing member (3311).

9. The laundry treatment equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a cabinet (400) and a mounting beam (500), wherein the mounting beam (500) is disposed above the first drum (100) and connected to opposite sides of the cabinet (400), and the second drum (200) is fixedly connected to the mounting beam (500).

10. The laundry treatment equipment according to claim 9 when depending on claim 4, wherein the fan (310) is fixedly connected to the mounting beam (500); and / or wherein the fan (310) is fixedly connected to the cabinet (400) through a reinforcing member (3311).

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