Laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet (1); a first tub (2) arranged in the cabinet (1); a second tub (3) arranged in the cabinet (1) and above the first tub (2); and a vibration damping system connected between the cabinet (1) and the second tub (3). A distance between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel (11) of the cabinet (1) ranges from 600 mm to 800 mm.

Description

FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of washing machines, and particularly to a laundry treating apparatus.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, people have more and more functional requirements for a laundry treating apparatus, and the types and quantities of components in the laundry treating apparatus are also increasing. Therefore, how to arrange a washing tub, a vibration damping system and other components in limited space in the laundry treating apparatus has become the research direction.SUMMARY

[0003] In order to overcome the problems existing in the related art, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus.

[0004] According to embodiments of a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry treating apparatus. The laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet; a first tub arranged in the cabinet; a second tub arranged in the cabinet and above the first tub; and a vibration damping system connected between the cabinet and the second tub. A distance between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel of the cabinet ranges from 600 mm to 800 mm.

[0005] Optionally, the vibration damping system includes: a cross beam arranged at an upper end of the cabinet; and a vibration damping connector. The second tub is connected with the cross beam through the vibration damping connector.

[0006] Optionally, the cross beam is fixedly connected to a side panel of the cabinet and / or a top panel of the cabinet.

[0007] Optionally, a distance between the cross beam and a top panel of the cabinet ranges from 15 mm to 30 mm.

[0008] Optionally, a distance between a top end of the second tub and the top panel of the cabinet ranges from 20 mm to 50 mm.

[0009] Optionally, a distance between a bottom end of the second tub and the bottom panel of the cabinet ranges from 500 mm to 665 mm.

[0010] Optionally, the side panel includes a first side panel and a second side panel arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the cross beam are connected to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively.

[0011] Optionally, the vibration damping connector is a suspension spring and / or a damping piece and / or a screw.

[0012] Optionally, the second tub is arranged obliquely above the first tub, and a diameter of the first tub is larger than a diameter of the second tub.

[0013] Optionally, the diameter of the first tub ranges from 500 mm to 545 mm, and the diameter of the second tub ranges from 150 mm to 200 mm.

[0014] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present invention may include the following beneficial effects: by limiting the distance between the bottom end of the vibration damping system and the bottom panel of the cabinet, the layout of the first tub, the second tub and the vibration damping system may be more compact, and the limited space in the cabinet may be fully utilized, so that the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet may be improved, and thus the overall volume of the laundry treating apparatus may be further reduced. The first tub, the second tub, the vibration damping system and other components may be arranged in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus as much as possible, without excessively increasing the size of the cabinet, thus avoiding the oversized size of the whole laundry treating apparatus and occupying too much space.

[0015] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the present invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic assembly diagram of a second tub and a vibration damping system in a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to illustrative embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings indicate the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following illustrative embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018] In the present invention, unless otherwise indicated, directional terms used such as "up, down, left and right" are usually defined by drawing directions in the accompanying drawings, and "inner and outer" refer to the inside and outside of an outline of each component itself. Terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another, and do not indicate any sequence or importance.

[0019] With the development of laundry treating apparatuses, more and more laundry treating apparatuses adopt a double-tub structure to realize different laundry treatments, such as a double-tub washing machine, which is provided with two washing tubs, so that different laundries may be washed. Since two washing tubs need to be arranged, it is necessary to make rational use of space.

[0020] In the related art, the layout of two tubs in a double-tub laundry treating apparatus is irrational, which leads to the large space occupied by the two tubs, and thus the size of the whole laundry treating apparatus is large.

[0021] To this end, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus. The laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet 1, a first tub 2, a second tub 3 and a vibration damping system. The first tub 2 is arranged in the cabinet 1. The second tub 3 is arranged in the cabinet 1 and above the first tub 2. The vibration damping system is connected between the cabinet 1 and the second tub 3. A distance L 1 between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 may range from 600 mm to 800 mm, and specifically may be 650 mm, 700 mm and 750 mm. In the embodiments of the present invention, a distance between a top end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 784 mm, and a distance between a bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 638 mm.

[0022] The first tub 2 may be any one of a washing tub and a drying tub, the second tub 3 may be any one of the washing tub and the drying tub, and both the first tub 2 and the second tub 3 may have a washing function. One or more second tubs 3 may be arranged. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, one second tub 3 is arranged. The specific number of the second tubs 3 may be determined according to the design requirements and the space configuration of the laundry treating apparatus. When a plurality of second tubs 3 are arranged, the plurality of second tubs 3 may share one vibration damping system.

[0023] Through the technical scheme, by limiting the distance between the bottom end of the vibration damping system and the bottom panel of the cabinet, the layout of the first tub, the second tub and the vibration damping system may be more compact, and the limited space in the cabinet may be fully utilized, so that the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet may be improved, and thus the overall volume of the laundry treating apparatus may be further reduced. The first tub, the second tub, the vibration damping system and other components may be arranged in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus as much as possible, without excessively increasing the size of the cabinet, thus avoiding the oversized size of the whole laundry treating apparatus and occupying too much space.

[0024] In addition, since the second tub 3 is located in a high position above the first tub 2, the vibration of the second tub 3 during operation will affect the overall balance of the laundry treating apparatus. When the height of the vibration damping system for the second tub 3 is in the above range, the influence of the vibration of the second tub 3 itself on the overall balance of the cabinet is reduced, thus avoiding the imbalance of the cabinet caused by vibration.

[0025] As an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the vibration damping system includes a cross beam 41 and a vibration damping connector 42, the cross beam 41 is arranged at an upper end of the cabinet 1, and the second tub 3 is connected with the cross beam 41 through the vibration damping connector 42. The cross beam 41 may be arranged at the upper end of the cabinet 1, and one end of the vibration damping connector 42 may be connected with the cross beam 41, and the other end of the vibration damping connector 42 may be connected with the top of the second tub 3, that is, the second tub 3 is connected with the upper end of the cabinet 1 through the vibration damping connector 42, so that a position of the second tub 3 in the cabinet 1 is fixed. The cross beam 41 may have a greater structural strength than a top panel 13 of the cabinet 1, so that the second tub 3 may be better fixed and better stability may be provided for the cabinet of the laundry treating apparatus. By arranging the cross beam 41, the vibration generated by the second tub 3 during operation is firstly transmitted to the cross beam 41, and the cross beam 41 vibrates under the influence of the second tub 3, and dissipates part of vibration energy. This may prevent the second tub 3 from being directly connected with the cabinet 1, reduce the vibration transmitted from the second tub 3 to the cabinet 1, improve the stability of the laundry treating apparatus during operation, and reduce the noise of the laundry treating apparatus during operation.

[0026] Specifically, referring to Fig. 2, the cross beam 41 may be fixedly connected to a side panel 12 of the cabinet 1 and / or the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1. The cross beam 41 may have an increased thickness, or may be provided with reinforcing ribs or reinforcing patterns, so as to have a larger structural strength than the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1, so that the cross beam 41 may reinforce the side panel 12 and / or the top panel 13 to better fix the second tub 3, thus providing better stability for the cabinet of the laundry treating apparatus. In addition, the cross beam 41 may also provide mounting positions for other components of the laundry treating apparatus.

[0027] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 2 between the cross beam 41 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 may range from 15 mm to 30 mm, and specifically may be 20 mm or 25 mm. Through the above arrangement, there is a gap between the cross beam 41 and the top panel 13. In a case that the cross beam 41 vibrates, the vibration is prevented from being directly transmitted to the top panel 13, and the vibration of the top panel 13 may be reduced, thus reserving the gap, and also ensuring that the gap is not too large, which otherwise will lead to excessive space occupation. In addition, the reserved gap may also be used to arrange other vibration damping structures for auxiliary vibration damping, such as compression springs, sponges and damping blocks, so as to reduce the vibration transmitted to the cabinet.

[0028] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 3 between the top end of the second tub 3 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 may range from 20 mm to 50 mm. In some embodiments of the present invention, the distance L 3 between the top end of the second tub 3 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 is 33 mm. The above arrangement helps to keep the spacing between the second tub 3 and the cabinet 1 and to prevent the second tub 3 from colliding with the cabinet 1 during operation.

[0029] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 4 between the bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 may range from 500 mm to 665 mm. In some embodiments of the present invention, the distance L 4 between the bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 638 mm. The above arrangement allows arranging the first tub 2 and the second tub 3 in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus, thus making full use of the limited space in the cabinet 1, and improving the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet 1. In addition, the distance L 4 makes the second tub 3 directly face a hand of a user, so as to provide an optimal picking height for the user, and thus it is convenient for the user to take things.

[0030] Further, referring to Fig. 2, the side panel 12 includes a first side panel and a second side panel arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the cross beam 41 are connected to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively. By arranging both ends of the cross beam 41 to different side panels 12, the cross beam 41 may have more available space within the limited size of the cabinet 1, so that the cross beam 41 with a larger length may be arranged in the cabinet 1.

[0031] Referring to Fig. 3, the vibration damping connector 42 may be a suspension spring and / or a damper and / or a screw. In some embodiments, the vibration damping connector 42 may be the suspension spring and / or the damping member, and the suspension spring or the damping member may provide vibration damping and buffering effects for the second tub 3 while fixing the second tub 3, so as to reduce the vibration transmitted to the cabinet 1 from the second tub 3 during operation. In some embodiments, the vibration damping connector 42 may be the screw, and the screw may strengthen the fixing strength between the second tub 3 and the cross beam 41 and avoid the relative displacement between the cross beam 41 and the second tub 3 during operation.

[0032] According to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the second tub 3 may be arranged obliquely above the first tub 2, and a diameter of the first tub 2 may be larger than a diameter of the second tub 3, so that a capacity of the first tub 2 may be larger than a capacity of the second tub 3. By reducing the diameter of the second tub 3, a larger mounting space is provided for the first tub 2, so that the size of the first tub 2 may be increased to meet the demand for large-capacity accommodation. Specifically, the first tub 2 may be a main washing tub for washing adult laundries, and thus requires a large capacity, while the second tub 3 may be a secondary washing tub for washing child laundries, and thus requires a small capacity. The present invention is not limited to this. The diameter of the first tub 2 and the diameter of the second tub 3 may be configured according to the function design requirements of the laundry treating apparatus. For example, the diameter of the first tub 2 may be the same with the diameter of the second tub 3.

[0033] In some embodiments, the diameter of the first tub 2 may range from 500 mm to 545 mm, so that the first tub 2 may have enough volume to meet the demand of the user for large-capacity washing or drying in a single load, and the diameter of the second tub 3 may range from 150 mm to 200 mm, so that the second tub 3 may provide enough space for the first tub 2 while ensuring its own volume.

[0034] In the foregoing detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and specific aspects in which the present invention may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. In this regard, terms indicating directions or representing positions, such as "central", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "anticlockwise", "axial", "radial" and "circumferential", may be used with reference to the orientations of the described drawings. Since components of the described apparatus may be positioned in a plurality of different orientations, the directional terms may be used for purpose of illustration rather than limitation. It should be understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the concepts of the present invention. Therefore, the above detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0035] It should be understood that features of various embodiments of the present invention described herein may be combined with each other, unless otherwise specified. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the related listed items and any combination of any two or more of the related listed items. Similarly, "at least one of..." includes any one of the related listed items and any combination of any two or more of the related listed items.

[0036] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, the terms "joint", "attachment", "mounting", "connection" and "fixation" used in the embodiments of the present invention should be broadly understood. For example, they may be fixed connection, detachable connection or integral; they may be mechanical connection, electrical connection or communication with each other; they may be direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediary medium; and they may be internal communication of two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms herein may be understood according to the specific situations.

[0037] In addition, the word "on" used in reference to a component, an element or a material layer formed or located "on" a surface may be used herein to mean that the component, the element or the material layer is "indirectly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface such that one or more additional components, elements or layers are arranged between the surface and the component, the element or the material layer. However, the word "on" used in reference to the component, the element or the material layer formed or located "on" the surface may also optionally have a specific meaning: the component, the element or the material layer is "directly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface, for example, in direct contact with the surface.

[0038] Although terms such as "first", "second" and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers or sections, these members, components, regions, layers or sections are not limited by these terms. On the contrary, these terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer or section from another member, component, region, layer or section. Therefore, the first member, component, region, layer or section mentioned in the examples described herein may also be called the second member, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teaching of each example. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description herein, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specified.

[0039] It should be understood that spatially relative terms such as "above", "over", "below" and "under" are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another shown in the drawing. In addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, such spatially relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the apparatus in use or operation. For example, if the apparatus in the drawing is turned over, an element described as "above" or "over" another element will be "below" or "under" another element. Therefore, according to the spatial orientation of the apparatus, the term "above" includes both orientations of "above" and "below". The apparatus may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0040] Furthermore, the word "illustrative" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as "illustrative" is not necessarily to be understood as advantageous over other aspects or designs. On the contrary, the use of the word "illustrative" is intended to present concepts in a concrete way. As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X applies A or B" is intended to mean any one of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X applies A; X applies B; or X applies both A and B, "X applies A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing examples. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in the present invention and the appended claims are generally understood to mean "one or more", unless otherwise specified or clearly referring to the singular form from the context.

[0041] Likewise, although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the specification and drawings. The present invention includes all such modifications and variations, and is limited only by the scope of the claims. With particular reference to various functions performed by the above-described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond to any component (functionally equivalent) that performs the specific function of the described component, even if it is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, although a particular feature of the present invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations as may be desirable and advantageous for any given or specific application. Furthermore, in terms of "comprise", "include", "have", "provided with" or variations thereof used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "contain".

[0042] Other embodiments of the present invention will easily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to encompass any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention, which follow the general principles of the present invention and include common sense or common technical means in the related art that are not disclosed in the present invention.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0017]Reference will now be made in detail to illustrative embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings indicate the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following illustrative embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018]In the present invention, unless otherwise indicated, directional terms used such as "up, down, left and right" are usually defined by drawing directions in the accompanying drawings, and "inner and outer" refer to the inside and outside of an outline of each component itself. Terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another, and do not indicate any sequence or import...

FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of washing machines, and particularly to a laundry treating apparatus.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, people have more and more functional requirements for a laundry treating apparatus, and the types and quantities of components in the laundry treating apparatus are also increasing. Therefore, how to arrange a washing tub, a vibration damping system and other components in limited space in the laundry treating apparatus has become the research direction.SUMMARY

[0003] In order to overcome the problems existing in the related art, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus.

[0004] According to embodiments of a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry treating apparatus. The laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet; a first tub arranged in the cabinet; a second tub arranged in the cabinet and above the first tub; and a vibration damping system connected between the cabinet and the second tub. A distance between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel of the cabinet ranges from 600 mm to 800 mm.

[0005] Optionally, the vibration damping system includes: a cross beam arranged at an upper end of the cabinet; and a vibration damping connector. The second tub is connected with the cross beam through the vibration damping connector.

[0006] Optionally, the cross beam is fixedly connected to a side panel of the cabinet and / or a top panel of the cabinet.

[0007] Optionally, a distance between the cross beam and a top panel of the cabinet ranges from 15 mm to 30 mm.

[0008] Optionally, a distance between a top end of the second tub and the top panel of the cabinet ranges from 20 mm to 50 mm.

[0009] Optionally, a distance between a bottom end of the second tub and the bottom panel of the cabinet ranges from 500 mm to 665 mm.

[0010] Optionally, the side panel includes a first side panel and a second side panel arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the cross beam are connected to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively.

[0011] Optionally, the vibration damping connector is a suspension spring and / or a damping piece and / or a screw.

[0012] Optionally, the second tub is arranged obliquely above the first tub, and a diameter of the first tub is larger than a diameter of the second tub.

[0013] Optionally, the diameter of the first tub ranges from 500 mm to 545 mm, and the diameter of the second tub ranges from 150 mm to 200 mm.

[0014] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present invention may include the following beneficial effects: by limiting the distance between the bottom end of the vibration damping system and the bottom panel of the cabinet, the layout of the first tub, the second tub and the vibration damping system may be more compact, and the limited space in the cabinet may be fully utilized, so that the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet may be improved, and thus the overall volume of the laundry treating apparatus may be further reduced. The first tub, the second tub, the vibration damping system and other components may be arranged in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus as much as possible, without excessively increasing the size of the cabinet, thus avoiding the oversized size of the whole laundry treating apparatus and occupying too much space.

[0015] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the present invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic assembly diagram of a second tub and a vibration damping system in a laundry treating apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to illustrative embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings indicate the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following illustrative embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018] In the present invention, unless otherwise indicated, directional terms used such as "up, down, left and right" are usually defined by drawing directions in the accompanying drawings, and "inner and outer" refer to the inside and outside of an outline of each component itself. Terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another, and do not indicate any sequence or importance.

[0019] With the development of laundry treating apparatuses, more and more laundry treating apparatuses adopt a double-tub structure to realize different laundry treatments, such as a double-tub washing machine, which is provided with two washing tubs, so that different laundries may be washed. Since two washing tubs need to be arranged, it is necessary to make rational use of space.

[0020] In the related art, the layout of two tubs in a double-tub laundry treating apparatus is irrational, which leads to the large space occupied by the two tubs, and thus the size of the whole laundry treating apparatus is large.

[0021] To this end, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus. The laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet 1, a first tub 2, a second tub 3 and a vibration damping system. The first tub 2 is arranged in the cabinet 1. The second tub 3 is arranged in the cabinet 1 and above the first tub 2. The vibration damping system is connected between the cabinet 1 and the second tub 3. A distance L 1 between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 may range from 600 mm to 800 mm, and specifically may be 650 mm, 700 mm and 750 mm. In the embodiments of the present invention, a distance between a top end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 784 mm, and a distance between a bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 638 mm.

[0022] The first tub 2 may be any one of a washing tub and a drying tub, the second tub 3 may be any one of the washing tub and the drying tub, and both the first tub 2 and the second tub 3 may have a washing function. One or more second tubs 3 may be arranged. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, one second tub 3 is arranged. The specific number of the second tubs 3 may be determined according to the design requirements and the space configuration of the laundry treating apparatus. When a plurality of second tubs 3 are arranged, the plurality of second tubs 3 may share one vibration damping system.

[0023] Through the technical scheme, by limiting the distance between the bottom end of the vibration damping system and the bottom panel of the cabinet, the layout of the first tub, the second tub and the vibration damping system may be more compact, and the limited space in the cabinet may be fully utilized, so that the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet may be improved, and thus the overall volume of the laundry treating apparatus may be further reduced. The first tub, the second tub, the vibration damping system and other components may be arranged in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus as much as possible, without excessively increasing the size of the cabinet, thus avoiding the oversized size of the whole laundry treating apparatus and occupying too much space.

[0024] In addition, since the second tub 3 is located in a high position above the first tub 2, the vibration of the second tub 3 during operation will affect the overall balance of the laundry treating apparatus. When the height of the vibration damping system for the second tub 3 is in the above range, the influence of the vibration of the second tub 3 itself on the overall balance of the cabinet is reduced, thus avoiding the imbalance of the cabinet caused by vibration.

[0025] As an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the vibration damping system includes a cross beam 41 and a vibration damping connector 42, the cross beam 41 is arranged at an upper end of the cabinet 1, and the second tub 3 is connected with the cross beam 41 through the vibration damping connector 42. The cross beam 41 may be arranged at the upper end of the cabinet 1, and one end of the vibration damping connector 42 may be connected with the cross beam 41, and the other end of the vibration damping connector 42 may be connected with the top of the second tub 3, that is, the second tub 3 is connected with the upper end of the cabinet 1 through the vibration damping connector 42, so that a position of the second tub 3 in the cabinet 1 is fixed. The cross beam 41 may have a greater structural strength than a top panel 13 of the cabinet 1, so that the second tub 3 may be better fixed and better stability may be provided for the cabinet of the laundry treating apparatus. By arranging the cross beam 41, the vibration generated by the second tub 3 during operation is firstly transmitted to the cross beam 41, and the cross beam 41 vibrates under the influence of the second tub 3, and dissipates part of vibration energy. This may prevent the second tub 3 from being directly connected with the cabinet 1, reduce the vibration transmitted from the second tub 3 to the cabinet 1, improve the stability of the laundry treating apparatus during operation, and reduce the noise of the laundry treating apparatus during operation.

[0026] Specifically, referring to Fig. 2, the cross beam 41 may be fixedly connected to a side panel 12 of the cabinet 1 and / or the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1. The cross beam 41 may have an increased thickness, or may be provided with reinforcing ribs or reinforcing patterns, so as to have a larger structural strength than the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1, so that the cross beam 41 may reinforce the side panel 12 and / or the top panel 13 to better fix the second tub 3, thus providing better stability for the cabinet of the laundry treating apparatus. In addition, the cross beam 41 may also provide mounting positions for other components of the laundry treating apparatus.

[0027] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 2 between the cross beam 41 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 may range from 15 mm to 30 mm, and specifically may be 20 mm or 25 mm. Through the above arrangement, there is a gap between the cross beam 41 and the top panel 13. In a case that the cross beam 41 vibrates, the vibration is prevented from being directly transmitted to the top panel 13, and the vibration of the top panel 13 may be reduced, thus reserving the gap, and also ensuring that the gap is not too large, which otherwise will lead to excessive space occupation. In addition, the reserved gap may also be used to arrange other vibration damping structures for auxiliary vibration damping, such as compression springs, sponges and damping blocks, so as to reduce the vibration transmitted to the cabinet.

[0028] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 3 between the top end of the second tub 3 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 may range from 20 mm to 50 mm. In some embodiments of the present invention, the distance L 3 between the top end of the second tub 3 and the top panel 13 of the cabinet 1 is 33 mm. The above arrangement helps to keep the spacing between the second tub 3 and the cabinet 1 and to prevent the second tub 3 from colliding with the cabinet 1 during operation.

[0029] In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 1, a distance L 4 between the bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 may range from 500 mm to 665 mm. In some embodiments of the present invention, the distance L 4 between the bottom end of the second tub 3 and the bottom panel 11 of the cabinet 1 is 638 mm. The above arrangement allows arranging the first tub 2 and the second tub 3 in the limited space in the laundry treating apparatus, thus making full use of the limited space in the cabinet 1, and improving the utilization rate of the space in the cabinet 1. In addition, the distance L 4 makes the second tub 3 directly face a hand of a user, so as to provide an optimal picking height for the user, and thus it is convenient for the user to take things.

[0030] Further, referring to Fig. 2, the side panel 12 includes a first side panel and a second side panel arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the cross beam 41 are connected to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively. By arranging both ends of the cross beam 41 to different side panels 12, the cross beam 41 may have more available space within the limited size of the cabinet 1, so that the cross beam 41 with a larger length may be arranged in the cabinet 1.

[0031] Referring to Fig. 3, the vibration damping connector 42 may be a suspension spring and / or a damper and / or a screw. In some embodiments, the vibration damping connector 42 may be the suspension spring and / or the damping member, and the suspension spring or the damping member may provide vibration damping and buffering effects for the second tub 3 while fixing the second tub 3, so as to reduce the vibration transmitted to the cabinet 1 from the second tub 3 during operation. In some embodiments, the vibration damping connector 42 may be the screw, and the screw may strengthen the fixing strength between the second tub 3 and the cross beam 41 and avoid the relative displacement between the cross beam 41 and the second tub 3 during operation.

[0032] According to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the second tub 3 may be arranged obliquely above the first tub 2, and a diameter of the first tub 2 may be larger than a diameter of the second tub 3, so that a capacity of the first tub 2 may be larger than a capacity of the second tub 3. By reducing the diameter of the second tub 3, a larger mounting space is provided for the first tub 2, so that the size of the first tub 2 may be increased to meet the demand for large-capacity accommodation. Specifically, the first tub 2 may be a main washing tub for washing adult laundries, and thus requires a large capacity, while the second tub 3 may be a secondary washing tub for washing child laundries, and thus requires a small capacity. The present invention is not limited to this. The diameter of the first tub 2 and the diameter of the second tub 3 may be configured according to the function design requirements of the laundry treating apparatus. For example, the diameter of the first tub 2 may be the same with the diameter of the second tub 3.

[0033] In some embodiments, the diameter of the first tub 2 may range from 500 mm to 545 mm, so that the first tub 2 may have enough volume to meet the demand of the user for large-capacity washing or drying in a single load, and the diameter of the second tub 3 may range from 150 mm to 200 mm, so that the second tub 3 may provide enough space for the first tub 2 while ensuring its own volume.

[0034] In the foregoing detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and specific aspects in which the present invention may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. In this regard, terms indicating directions or representing positions, such as "central", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "anticlockwise", "axial", "radial" and "circumferential", may be used with reference to the orientations of the described drawings. Since components of the described apparatus may be positioned in a plurality of different orientations, the directional terms may be used for purpose of illustration rather than limitation. It should be understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the concepts of the present invention. Therefore, the above detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0035] It should be understood that features of various embodiments of the present invention described herein may be combined with each other, unless otherwise specified. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the related listed items and any combination of any two or more of the related listed items. Similarly, "at least one of..." includes any one of the related listed items and any combination of any two or more of the related listed items.

[0036] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, the terms "joint", "attachment", "mounting", "connection" and "fixation" used in the embodiments of the present invention should be broadly understood. For example, they may be fixed connection, detachable connection or integral; they may be mechanical connection, electrical connection or communication with each other; they may be direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediary medium; and they may be internal communication of two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms herein may be understood according to the specific situations.

[0037] In addition, the word "on" used in reference to a component, an element or a material layer formed or located "on" a surface may be used herein to mean that the component, the element or the material layer is "indirectly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface such that one or more additional components, elements or layers are arranged between the surface and the component, the element or the material layer. However, the word "on" used in reference to the component, the element or the material layer formed or located "on" the surface may also optionally have a specific meaning: the component, the element or the material layer is "directly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface, for example, in direct contact with the surface.

[0038] Although terms such as "first", "second" and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers or sections, these members, components, regions, layers or sections are not limited by these terms. On the contrary, these terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer or section from another member, component, region, layer or section. Therefore, the first member, component, region, layer or section mentioned in the examples described herein may also be called the second member, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teaching of each example. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description herein, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specified.

[0039] It should be understood that spatially relative terms such as "above", "over", "below" and "under" are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another shown in the drawing. In addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, such spatially relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the apparatus in use or operation. For example, if the apparatus in the drawing is turned over, an element described as "above" or "over" another element will be "below" or "under" another element. Therefore, according to the spatial orientation of the apparatus, the term "above" includes both orientations of "above" and "below". The apparatus may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0040] Furthermore, the word "illustrative" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as "illustrative" is not necessarily to be understood as advantageous over other aspects or designs. On the contrary, the use of the word "illustrative" is intended to present concepts in a concrete way. As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X applies A or B" is intended to mean any one of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X applies A; X applies B; or X applies both A and B, "X applies A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing examples. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in the present invention and the appended claims are generally understood to mean "one or more", unless otherwise specified or clearly referring to the singular form from the context.

[0041] Likewise, although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the specification and drawings. The present invention includes all such modifications and variations, and is limited only by the scope of the claims. With particular reference to various functions performed by the above-described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond to any component (functionally equivalent) that performs the specific function of the described component, even if it is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, although a particular feature of the present invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations as may be desirable and advantageous for any given or specific application. Furthermore, in terms of "comprise", "include", "have", "provided with" or variations thereof used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "contain".

[0042] Other embodiments of the present invention will easily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to encompass any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention, which follow the general principles of the present invention and include common sense or common technical means in the related art that are not disclosed in the present invention.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0017]Reference will now be made in detail to illustrative embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings indicate the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following illustrative embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018]In the present invention, unless otherwise indicated, directional terms used such as "up, down, left and right" are usually defined by drawing directions in the accompanying drawings, and "inner and outer" refer to the inside and outside of an outline of each component itself. Terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another, and do not indicate any sequence or import...

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising: a cabinet (1); a first tub (2) arranged in the cabinet (1); a second tub (3) arranged in the cabinet (1) and above the first tub (2); and a vibration damping system connected between the cabinet (1) and the second tub (3), wherein a distance (L1) between a bottom end of the vibration damping system and a bottom panel (11) of the cabinet (1) ranges from 600 mm to 800 mm.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration damping system comprises: a cross beam (41) arranged at an upper end of the cabinet (1); and a vibration damping connector (42), wherein the second tub (3) is connected with the cross beam (41) through the vibration damping connector (42).

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cross beam (41) is fixedly connected to a side panel (12) of the cabinet (1) and / or a top panel (13) of the cabinet (1).

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the side panel (12) comprises a first side panel and a second side panel arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the cross beam (41) are connected to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a distance (L2) between the cross beam (41) and a top panel (13) of the cabinet (1) ranges from 15 mm to 30 mm.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a distance (L3) between a top end of the second tub (3) and the top panel (13) of the cabinet (1) ranges from 20 mm to 50 mm.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a distance (L4) between a bottom end of the second tub (3) and the bottom panel (11) of the cabinet (1) ranges from 500 mm to 665 mm.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the vibration damping connector (42) is a suspension spring and / or a damping piece and / or a screw.

9. The laundry treating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the second tub (3) is arranged obliquely above the first tub (2), and a diameter of the first tub (2) is larger than a diameter of the second tub (3).

10. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the diameter of the first tub (2) ranges from 500 mm to 545 mm, and the diameter of the second tub (3) ranges from 150 mm to 200 mm.

Images