Laundry treating device

Abstract

Laundry treating device including: a heat exchanger (1), configured to perform heat exchange by using gas used for treating laundry; and a cleaning unit (4), configured to clean at least a windward surface (10) of the heat exchanger (1) facing towards the gas (8) with a cleaning fluid, a spraying direction of the cleaning fluid is along the windward surface, where the heat exchanger (1) and the cleaning unit (4) at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction of the cleaning fluid.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application relates to a laundry treating device, and in particular, to a washer-dryer or a dryer.BACKGROUND

[0002] In homes, laundry treating devices are usually used for treating laundry. In addition to a laundering function, a high-end laundry treating device usually has a drying function. To achieve the drying function, heated gas needs to be passed through the laundry. The gas is usually heated to a suitable temperature by using a heat exchanger. The gas flows to a windward surface of the heat exchanger, and then passes through the heat exchanger. However, a lot of fluffs are usually mixed in the gas. The fluffs accumulate on the windward surface of the heat exchanger and block the gas from passing through the windward surface. Therefore, a cleaning unit is disposed. Currently, the cleaning unit and the heat exchanger are independent of each other, resulting in occupying a large volume.SUMMARY

[0003] An objective of embodiments of this application is to provide a laundry treating device, so that a compact structure of a cleaning unit and a heat exchanger can be obtained.

[0004] According to a first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a laundry treating device, including: a heat exchanger, configured to perform heat exchange with gas used for treating laundry; and a cleaning unit, configured to clean at least a windward surface of the heat exchanger facing towards the gas by using a cleaning fluid, a spraying direction of the cleaning fluid is along the windward surface, where the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction of the cleaning fluid.

[0005] Therefore, sizes of the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least in the spraying direction are compact.

[0006] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the heat exchanger is provided with a notch on the windward surface, and the cleaning unit is at least partially disposed in the notch. Therefore, a volume occupied by the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit is small.

[0007] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cleaning unit includes a flow pipe for the cleaning fluid to flow, outflow holes are provided on a wall of the flow pipe, to at least clean the windward surface by using the cleaning fluid flowing out from the outflow holes, and the flow pipe is at least partially disposed in the notch; and / or the notch is a long strip-shaped notch extending in a heat exchanger extending direction, and the heat exchanger extending direction is transverse to a gas flow direction.

[0008] Through the flow pipe, the cleaning unit can be achieved by using a simple structure and an entire windward surface can be conveniently cleaned.

[0009] The long-strip shaped notch make it easy to manufacture and clean the entire windward surface.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of this application, in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch matches the flow pipe; and / or in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch is in a rounded corner shape; and / or the flow pipe extends in the heat exchanger extending direction, and a plurality of the outflow holes are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction; and / or in a vertical direction, the outflow holes are located at an upper side of the windward surface; and / or the laundry treating device includes a cover for the heat exchanger, and the flow pipe is integrated into or mounted on the cover.

[0011] The notch matches the flow pipe, so that space saving is maximized and impact on the size of the heat exchanger is reduced.

[0012] The rounded corner shape of the notch makes the notch easy to be manufactured, and therefore, the flow pipe matching the notch also be in a rounded corner shape, so that the circulation of the fluid is smoother. In another optional embodiment, the notch may alternatively be in another shape such as a square shape or a triangular shape.

[0013] Through the plurality of outflow holes, the cleaning fluid can be evenly sprayed out in the heat exchanger extending direction. The outflow holes are located at the upper side of the windward surface, so that especially the cleaning fluid in a liquid state can perform more effective cleaning through gravity.

[0014] The flow pipe is disposed on the cover, so that the structure is simple.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cover includes a concave portion, where the concave portion forms at least a part of the flow pipe and is suitable for being provided in the notch, the outflow hole is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion, the cover is provided with a sealing cap, and the sealing cap is configured to cover an opening of the concave portion to form the closed flow pipe. Therefore, the flow pipe can be conveniently formed and is easily manufactured.

[0016] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchanger used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger used as a condenser, the first heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger in the gas flow direction of the gas, and the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are respectively configured with the cleaning unit. The first heat exchanger is especially configured to condense laundry treating gas, thereby effectively reducing moisture. The second heat exchanger is especially configured to heat the dry gas treated by the first heat exchanger for use in treating the laundry.

[0017] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger share the cover, the cleaning unit of the first heat exchanger includes a first flow pipe used as the flow pipe, the cleaning unit of the second heat exchanger includes a second flow pipe used as the flow pipe, and both the first flow pipe and the second flow pipe are disposed on the cover. Therefore, the structure can be simplified.

[0018] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the windward surface is a vertical surface; and / or the spraying direction is the vertical direction; and / or the gas is perpendicular to the windward surface and flows through the heat exchanger.

[0019] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cleaning unit is a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface by using liquid; and / or the heat exchanger is in a square shape; and / or the heat exchanger is a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger.

[0020] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the laundry treating device is a washer-dryer or a dryer.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The following describes this application in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, to better understand the principles, features, and advantages of this application.

[0022] The accompanying drawings include: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a local region in which the cleaning unit in FIG. 5 is located; FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram of an example of a cover of the heat exchanger in FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional sectional view of the cover of the heat exchanger in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of an example of the heat exchanger in FIG. 5; and FIG. 11 is a side view of an example of the heat exchanger in FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] To make the technical problems to be resolved by this application, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects more comprehensible, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used for explaining this application, and are not used for limiting this application.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application. The laundry treating device includes a heat exchanger 1, and the heat exchanger 1 is configured to perform heat exchange with gas 8, especially with air, used for treating laundry 9. For example, the heat exchanger 1 is configured to dry and / or heat the gas 8. The gas 8 dried and / or heated by the heat exchanger 1 is used for treating the laundry 9 inside the laundry treating device. The treatment is, for example, a drying treatment. Correspondingly, the laundry treating device is, for example, a washer-dryer or a dryer. The heat exchanger 1 is, for example, a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger. The gas 8 passes through a windward surface 10 of the heat exchanger 1 and flows through the heat exchanger 1 in a gas flow direction 81. The gas 8 is mixed with a lot of fluffs, and a large number of fluffs may accumulate on the windward surface 10. Consequently, the gas 8 is prevented from passing through the windward surface 10.

[0025] To remove the fluffs, a cleaning unit 4 is generally provided. The cleaning unit 4 is configured to clean at least the windward surface 10 of the heat exchanger 1 facing towards the gas 8 by using a cleaning fluid 43. The cleaning fluid 43 is briefly shown by using a plurality of dashed lines herein. A spraying direction 44 of the cleaning fluid 43 is along the windward surface 10, to remove the fluffs from the windward surface 10. In the accompanying drawings, the cleaning fluid 43 is spaced from the windward surface 10 merely for clarity of display.

[0026] In this application, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 1 and the cleaning unit 4 at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction 44 of the cleaning fluid 43. Therefore, sizes of the heat exchanger 1 and the cleaning unit 4 in the spraying direction 44 are compact.

[0027] The cleaning unit 4 is, for example, a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface 10 by using liquid. However, the cleaning unit 4 may alternatively be a blowing unit configured to blow the windward surface 10 by using gas.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 1, the windward surface 10 is a vertical surface. In this case, the spraying direction 44 may be a vertical direction 6, but may alternatively be a horizontal direction along the windward surface 10 (as shown in FIG. 4).

[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4. Different from FIG. 1, in FIG. 2, for example, the windward surface 10 is a horizontal plane on a lower side of the heat exchanger 1. The spraying direction 44 is in a horizontal direction 16.

[0030] Alternatively, apparently, another orientation, for example, an oblique orientation, of the windward surface 10 and the spraying direction 44 that is different from that in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may also be conceived.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4.

[0032] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 1 is provided with a notch 11 on the windward surface 10, and the cleaning unit 4 is at least partially disposed in the notch 11. In FIG. 3, for example, the notch 11 is in a triangular shape in a cross section. The notch 11 is shown by using a dashed line herein. In FIG. 3, for example, in a vertical direction, the notch 11 is located at an upper side of the windward surface 10.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4. The windward surface 10 is located in a drawing plane. In addition, the cleaning unit 4 is shown in a cross-sectional view.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning unit 4 includes a flow pipe 40 for the cleaning fluid 43 to flow, outflow holes 41 are provided on a wall of the flow pipe 40, to clean at least the windward surface 10 by using the cleaning fluid 43 flowing out from the outflow holes 41, and the flow pipe 40 is at least partially disposed in the notch 11.

[0035] In FIG. 4, for example, the notch 11 is located in the middle of the windward surface 10 and is in a half-cylindrical shape, and the wall of the flow pipe 40 is provided with the outflow holes 41 on both a left side and a right side.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a local region in which the cleaning unit 4 in FIG. 5 is located.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the laundry treating device includes a cover 3 for the heat exchanger 1, and the flow pipe 40 is integrated into or mounted on the cover 3. Therefore, the flow pipe 40 can be easily formed. In FIG. 5, the cover 3 is an upper cover, and a lower housing 5 for the heat exchanger 1 is additionally shown.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, in the vertical direction 6, the outflow holes 41 are located on the upper side of the windward surface 10. Therefore, cleaning, especially flushing, can be performed through gravity of the cleaning fluid 43, especially the cleaning fluid 43 in a liquid state.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, the cover 3 includes a concave portion 33, where the concave portion 33 forms at least a part of the flow pipe 40 and is suitable for being provided in the notch 11, the outflow hole 41 is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion 33, the cover 3 is provided with a sealing cap 7, and the sealing cap 7 is configured to cover an opening 36 of the concave portion 33 to form the closed flow pipe 40. Therefore, the flow pipe 40 can be easily manufactured.

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat exchanger 1 includes a first heat exchanger 13 used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger 14 used as a condenser, where the first heat exchanger 13 is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger 14 in the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, and the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14 are respectively configured with the cleaning unit 4.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram of an example of a cover 3 of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 5.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional sectional view of the cover 3 of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 7.

[0044] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 8.

[0045] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14 share the cover 3, the cleaning unit 4 of the first heat exchanger 13 includes a first flow pipe 401 used as a flow pipe 40, the cleaning unit 4 of the second heat exchanger 14 includes a second flow pipe 402 used as a flow pipe 40, and both the first flow pipe 401 and the second flow pipe 402 are disposed on the cover 3. Alternatively, it may also be conceived that only one flow pipe 40 is disposed on the cover 3.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of an example of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 5.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a side view of an example of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 10.

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10, the notch 11 is a long-strip shaped notch 11 extending in a heat exchanger extending direction 15, where the heat exchanger extending direction 15 is transverse to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8. Therefore, the entire windward surface 10 can be conveniently cleaned. The heat exchanger extending direction 15 is especially understood as a main circulation direction of a heat exchange medium in the heat exchanger 1. A transverse direction may be understood as being substantially perpendicular or inclined. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger extending direction 15 is substantially perpendicular to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, and the windward surface 10 is also substantially perpendicular to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, thereby facilitating the gas 8 to pass through the heat exchanger 1.

[0049] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 9, the flow pipe 40 extends in the heat exchanger extending direction 15, and a plurality of the outflow holes 41 are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction 15. Therefore, the cleaning fluid 43 can be evenly sprayed out in the heat exchanger extending direction. However, it may also be conceived that the outflow hole 41 is in a form of a slot.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the heat exchanger 1 is in a square shape. Therefore, the heat exchanger 1 has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. However, according to requirements, the heat exchanger 1 may alternatively be in another shape.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, in a cross section of the heat exchanger 1 that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction 15, the notch 11 matches the flow pipe 40. That the notch 11 matches the flow pipe 40 especially means that: The notch 11 is in a negative shape of the flow pipe 40. In a mounted state, the flow pipe 40 fills a shape of the notch 11 and comes into contact with the heat exchanger 1. Therefore, space saving can be maximized, and impact on the size of the heat exchanger can be reduced.

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, in a cross section of the heat exchanger 1 that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction 15, the notch 11 is in a rounded corner shape. The rounded corner shape of the notch makes the notch easy to be manufactured, and therefore, the flow pipe 40 matching the notch also be in a rounded corner shape, so that the circulation of the flow is smoother. In another optional embodiment, the notch 11 may alternatively be in another shape such as a square shape or a triangular shape.

[0053] In this application, the accompanying drawings should be understood merely as examples, and are not intended to limit this application. Apparently, within the protection scope, elements in the accompanying drawings can be changed in shapes, sizes, locations, and mutual relationships.

[0054] Although specific implementations are described above, the implementations are not intended to limit the scope disclosed in this application, even if only a single implementation is described relative to a specific feature. The feature example provided in this application is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, unless otherwise stated. In specific implementation, a plurality of features can be combined with each other according to actual requirements, if technically feasible. Various replacements, changes, and modifications can also be conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of this application.List of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1Heat exchanger 10Windward surface 11Notch 13First heat exchanger 14Second heat exchanger 15Heat exchanger extending direction 16Horizontal direction 3Cover 33Concave portion 36Opening 4Cleaning unit 40Flow pipe 401First flow pipe 402Second flow pipe 41Outflow hole 43Cleaning fluid 44Spraying direction 5Lower housing 6Vertical direction 7Sealing cap 8Gas 81Gas flow direction 9Laundry

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0023]To make the technical problems to be resolved by this application, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects more comprehensible, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used for explaining this application, and are not used for limiting this application.

[0024]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application. The laundry treating device includes a heat exchanger 1, and the heat exchanger 1 is configured to perform heat exchange with gas 8, especially with air, used for treating laundry 9. For example, the heat exchanger 1 is configured to dry and / or heat the gas 8. The gas 8 dried and / or heated by the heat exchanger 1 is used for treating the laundry 9 inside the laundry treating device. The treatment is, for example, a drying treatmen...

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application relates to a laundry treating device, and in particular, to a washer-dryer or a dryer.BACKGROUND

[0002] In homes, laundry treating devices are usually used for treating laundry. In addition to a laundering function, a high-end laundry treating device usually has a drying function. To achieve the drying function, heated gas needs to be passed through the laundry. The gas is usually heated to a suitable temperature by using a heat exchanger. The gas flows to a windward surface of the heat exchanger, and then passes through the heat exchanger. However, a lot of fluffs are usually mixed in the gas. The fluffs accumulate on the windward surface of the heat exchanger and block the gas from passing through the windward surface. Therefore, a cleaning unit is disposed. Currently, the cleaning unit and the heat exchanger are independent of each other, resulting in occupying a large volume.SUMMARY

[0003] An objective of embodiments of this application is to provide a laundry treating device, so that a compact structure of a cleaning unit and a heat exchanger can be obtained.

[0004] According to a first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a laundry treating device, including: a heat exchanger, configured to perform heat exchange with gas used for treating laundry; and a cleaning unit, configured to clean at least a windward surface of the heat exchanger facing towards the gas by using a cleaning fluid, a spraying direction of the cleaning fluid is along the windward surface, where the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction of the cleaning fluid.

[0005] Therefore, sizes of the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least in the spraying direction are compact.

[0006] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the heat exchanger is provided with a notch on the windward surface, and the cleaning unit is at least partially disposed in the notch. Therefore, a volume occupied by the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit is small.

[0007] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cleaning unit includes a flow pipe for the cleaning fluid to flow, outflow holes are provided on a wall of the flow pipe, to at least clean the windward surface by using the cleaning fluid flowing out from the outflow holes, and the flow pipe is at least partially disposed in the notch; and / or the notch is a long strip-shaped notch extending in a heat exchanger extending direction, and the heat exchanger extending direction is transverse to a gas flow direction.

[0008] Through the flow pipe, the cleaning unit can be achieved by using a simple structure and an entire windward surface can be conveniently cleaned.

[0009] The long-strip shaped notch make it easy to manufacture and clean the entire windward surface.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of this application, in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch matches the flow pipe; and / or in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch is in a rounded corner shape; and / or the flow pipe extends in the heat exchanger extending direction, and a plurality of the outflow holes are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction; and / or in a vertical direction, the outflow holes are located at an upper side of the windward surface; and / or the laundry treating device includes a cover for the heat exchanger, and the flow pipe is integrated into or mounted on the cover.

[0011] The notch matches the flow pipe, so that space saving is maximized and impact on the size of the heat exchanger is reduced.

[0012] The rounded corner shape of the notch makes the notch easy to be manufactured, and therefore, the flow pipe matching the notch also be in a rounded corner shape, so that the circulation of the fluid is smoother. In another optional embodiment, the notch may alternatively be in another shape such as a square shape or a triangular shape.

[0013] Through the plurality of outflow holes, the cleaning fluid can be evenly sprayed out in the heat exchanger extending direction. The outflow holes are located at the upper side of the windward surface, so that especially the cleaning fluid in a liquid state can perform more effective cleaning through gravity.

[0014] The flow pipe is disposed on the cover, so that the structure is simple.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cover includes a concave portion, where the concave portion forms at least a part of the flow pipe and is suitable for being provided in the notch, the outflow hole is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion, the cover is provided with a sealing cap, and the sealing cap is configured to cover an opening of the concave portion to form the closed flow pipe. Therefore, the flow pipe can be conveniently formed and is easily manufactured.

[0016] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchanger used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger used as a condenser, the first heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger in the gas flow direction of the gas, and the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are respectively configured with the cleaning unit. The first heat exchanger is especially configured to condense laundry treating gas, thereby effectively reducing moisture. The second heat exchanger is especially configured to heat the dry gas treated by the first heat exchanger for use in treating the laundry.

[0017] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger share the cover, the cleaning unit of the first heat exchanger includes a first flow pipe used as the flow pipe, the cleaning unit of the second heat exchanger includes a second flow pipe used as the flow pipe, and both the first flow pipe and the second flow pipe are disposed on the cover. Therefore, the structure can be simplified.

[0018] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the windward surface is a vertical surface; and / or the spraying direction is the vertical direction; and / or the gas is perpendicular to the windward surface and flows through the heat exchanger.

[0019] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cleaning unit is a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface by using liquid; and / or the heat exchanger is in a square shape; and / or the heat exchanger is a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger.

[0020] According to an optional embodiment of this application, the laundry treating device is a washer-dryer or a dryer.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The following describes this application in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, to better understand the principles, features, and advantages of this application.

[0022] The accompanying drawings include: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth example of a heat exchanger and a cleaning unit; FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a local region in which the cleaning unit in FIG. 5 is located; FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram of an example of a cover of the heat exchanger in FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional sectional view of the cover of the heat exchanger in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of an example of the heat exchanger in FIG. 5; and FIG. 11 is a side view of an example of the heat exchanger in FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] To make the technical problems to be resolved by this application, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects more comprehensible, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used for explaining this application, and are not used for limiting this application.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application. The laundry treating device includes a heat exchanger 1, and the heat exchanger 1 is configured to perform heat exchange with gas 8, especially with air, used for treating laundry 9. For example, the heat exchanger 1 is configured to dry and / or heat the gas 8. The gas 8 dried and / or heated by the heat exchanger 1 is used for treating the laundry 9 inside the laundry treating device. The treatment is, for example, a drying treatment. Correspondingly, the laundry treating device is, for example, a washer-dryer or a dryer. The heat exchanger 1 is, for example, a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger. The gas 8 passes through a windward surface 10 of the heat exchanger 1 and flows through the heat exchanger 1 in a gas flow direction 81. The gas 8 is mixed with a lot of fluffs, and a large number of fluffs may accumulate on the windward surface 10. Consequently, the gas 8 is prevented from passing through the windward surface 10.

[0025] To remove the fluffs, a cleaning unit 4 is generally provided. The cleaning unit 4 is configured to clean at least the windward surface 10 of the heat exchanger 1 facing towards the gas 8 by using a cleaning fluid 43. The cleaning fluid 43 is briefly shown by using a plurality of dashed lines herein. A spraying direction 44 of the cleaning fluid 43 is along the windward surface 10, to remove the fluffs from the windward surface 10. In the accompanying drawings, the cleaning fluid 43 is spaced from the windward surface 10 merely for clarity of display.

[0026] In this application, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 1 and the cleaning unit 4 at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction 44 of the cleaning fluid 43. Therefore, sizes of the heat exchanger 1 and the cleaning unit 4 in the spraying direction 44 are compact.

[0027] The cleaning unit 4 is, for example, a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface 10 by using liquid. However, the cleaning unit 4 may alternatively be a blowing unit configured to blow the windward surface 10 by using gas.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 1, the windward surface 10 is a vertical surface. In this case, the spraying direction 44 may be a vertical direction 6, but may alternatively be a horizontal direction along the windward surface 10 (as shown in FIG. 4).

[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4. Different from FIG. 1, in FIG. 2, for example, the windward surface 10 is a horizontal plane on a lower side of the heat exchanger 1. The spraying direction 44 is in a horizontal direction 16.

[0030] Alternatively, apparently, another orientation, for example, an oblique orientation, of the windward surface 10 and the spraying direction 44 that is different from that in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may also be conceived.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4.

[0032] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 1 is provided with a notch 11 on the windward surface 10, and the cleaning unit 4 is at least partially disposed in the notch 11. In FIG. 3, for example, the notch 11 is in a triangular shape in a cross section. The notch 11 is shown by using a dashed line herein. In FIG. 3, for example, in a vertical direction, the notch 11 is located at an upper side of the windward surface 10.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4. The windward surface 10 is located in a drawing plane. In addition, the cleaning unit 4 is shown in a cross-sectional view.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning unit 4 includes a flow pipe 40 for the cleaning fluid 43 to flow, outflow holes 41 are provided on a wall of the flow pipe 40, to clean at least the windward surface 10 by using the cleaning fluid 43 flowing out from the outflow holes 41, and the flow pipe 40 is at least partially disposed in the notch 11.

[0035] In FIG. 4, for example, the notch 11 is located in the middle of the windward surface 10 and is in a half-cylindrical shape, and the wall of the flow pipe 40 is provided with the outflow holes 41 on both a left side and a right side.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth example of a heat exchanger 1 and a cleaning unit 4.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a local region in which the cleaning unit 4 in FIG. 5 is located.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the laundry treating device includes a cover 3 for the heat exchanger 1, and the flow pipe 40 is integrated into or mounted on the cover 3. Therefore, the flow pipe 40 can be easily formed. In FIG. 5, the cover 3 is an upper cover, and a lower housing 5 for the heat exchanger 1 is additionally shown.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, in the vertical direction 6, the outflow holes 41 are located on the upper side of the windward surface 10. Therefore, cleaning, especially flushing, can be performed through gravity of the cleaning fluid 43, especially the cleaning fluid 43 in a liquid state.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, the cover 3 includes a concave portion 33, where the concave portion 33 forms at least a part of the flow pipe 40 and is suitable for being provided in the notch 11, the outflow hole 41 is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion 33, the cover 3 is provided with a sealing cap 7, and the sealing cap 7 is configured to cover an opening 36 of the concave portion 33 to form the closed flow pipe 40. Therefore, the flow pipe 40 can be easily manufactured.

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat exchanger 1 includes a first heat exchanger 13 used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger 14 used as a condenser, where the first heat exchanger 13 is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger 14 in the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, and the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14 are respectively configured with the cleaning unit 4.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram of an example of a cover 3 of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 5.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional sectional view of the cover 3 of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 7.

[0044] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 8.

[0045] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14 share the cover 3, the cleaning unit 4 of the first heat exchanger 13 includes a first flow pipe 401 used as a flow pipe 40, the cleaning unit 4 of the second heat exchanger 14 includes a second flow pipe 402 used as a flow pipe 40, and both the first flow pipe 401 and the second flow pipe 402 are disposed on the cover 3. Alternatively, it may also be conceived that only one flow pipe 40 is disposed on the cover 3.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of an example of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 5.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a side view of an example of the heat exchanger 1 in FIG. 10.

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10, the notch 11 is a long-strip shaped notch 11 extending in a heat exchanger extending direction 15, where the heat exchanger extending direction 15 is transverse to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8. Therefore, the entire windward surface 10 can be conveniently cleaned. The heat exchanger extending direction 15 is especially understood as a main circulation direction of a heat exchange medium in the heat exchanger 1. A transverse direction may be understood as being substantially perpendicular or inclined. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger extending direction 15 is substantially perpendicular to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, and the windward surface 10 is also substantially perpendicular to the gas flow direction 81 of the gas 8, thereby facilitating the gas 8 to pass through the heat exchanger 1.

[0049] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 9, the flow pipe 40 extends in the heat exchanger extending direction 15, and a plurality of the outflow holes 41 are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction 15. Therefore, the cleaning fluid 43 can be evenly sprayed out in the heat exchanger extending direction. However, it may also be conceived that the outflow hole 41 is in a form of a slot.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the heat exchanger 1 is in a square shape. Therefore, the heat exchanger 1 has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. However, according to requirements, the heat exchanger 1 may alternatively be in another shape.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 6, in a cross section of the heat exchanger 1 that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction 15, the notch 11 matches the flow pipe 40. That the notch 11 matches the flow pipe 40 especially means that: The notch 11 is in a negative shape of the flow pipe 40. In a mounted state, the flow pipe 40 fills a shape of the notch 11 and comes into contact with the heat exchanger 1. Therefore, space saving can be maximized, and impact on the size of the heat exchanger can be reduced.

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, in a cross section of the heat exchanger 1 that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction 15, the notch 11 is in a rounded corner shape. The rounded corner shape of the notch makes the notch easy to be manufactured, and therefore, the flow pipe 40 matching the notch also be in a rounded corner shape, so that the circulation of the flow is smoother. In another optional embodiment, the notch 11 may alternatively be in another shape such as a square shape or a triangular shape.

[0053] In this application, the accompanying drawings should be understood merely as examples, and are not intended to limit this application. Apparently, within the protection scope, elements in the accompanying drawings can be changed in shapes, sizes, locations, and mutual relationships.

[0054] Although specific implementations are described above, the implementations are not intended to limit the scope disclosed in this application, even if only a single implementation is described relative to a specific feature. The feature example provided in this application is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, unless otherwise stated. In specific implementation, a plurality of features can be combined with each other according to actual requirements, if technically feasible. Various replacements, changes, and modifications can also be conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of this application.List of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1Heat exchanger 10Windward surface 11Notch 13First heat exchanger 14Second heat exchanger 15Heat exchanger extending direction 16Horizontal direction 3Cover 33Concave portion 36Opening 4Cleaning unit 40Flow pipe 401First flow pipe 402Second flow pipe 41Outflow hole 43Cleaning fluid 44Spraying direction 5Lower housing 6Vertical direction 7Sealing cap 8Gas 81Gas flow direction 9Laundry

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0023]To make the technical problems to be resolved by this application, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects more comprehensible, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used for explaining this application, and are not used for limiting this application.

[0024]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first example of a laundry treating device according to this application. The laundry treating device includes a heat exchanger 1, and the heat exchanger 1 is configured to perform heat exchange with gas 8, especially with air, used for treating laundry 9. For example, the heat exchanger 1 is configured to dry and / or heat the gas 8. The gas 8 dried and / or heated by the heat exchanger 1 is used for treating the laundry 9 inside the laundry treating device. The treatment is, for example, a drying treatmen...

Claims

1. A laundry treating device, characterized by comprising: a heat exchanger (1), wherein the heat exchanger (1) is configured to perform heat exchange with gas (8) used for treating laundry (9); and a cleaning unit (4), wherein the cleaning unit (4) is configured to clean at least a windward surface (10) of the heat exchanger (1) facing towards the gas (8) by using a cleaning fluid (43), a spraying direction (44) of the cleaning fluid (43) is along the windward surface (10), wherein the heat exchanger (1) and the cleaning unit (4) at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction (44) of the cleaning fluid (43).

2. The laundry treating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: the heat exchanger (1) is provided with a notch (11) on the windward surface (10), and the cleaning unit (4) is at least partially disposed in the notch (11).

3. The laundry treating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: the cleaning unit (4) comprises a flow pipe (40) for the cleaning fluid (43) to flow, outflow holes (41) are provided on a wall of the flow pipe (40), to at least clean the windward surface (10) by using the cleaning fluid (43) flowing out from the outflow holes (41), and the flow pipe (40) is at least partially disposed in the notch (11); and / or the notch (11) is a long strip-shaped notch extending in a heat exchanger extending direction (15), wherein the heat exchanger extending direction (15) is transverse to a gas flow direction (81) of the gas (8).

4. The laundry treating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: in a cross section of the heat exchanger (1) that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction (15), the notch (11) matches the flow pipe (40); and / or in a cross section of the heat exchanger (1) that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction (15), the notch (11) is in a rounded corner shape; and / or the flow pipe (40) extends in the heat exchanger extending direction (15), and a plurality of the outflow holes (41) are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction (15); and / or in a vertical direction (6), the outflow holes (41) are located at an upper side of the windward surface (10); and / or the laundry treating device comprises a cover (3) for the heat exchanger (1), and the flow pipe (40) is integrated into or mounted on the cover (3).

5. The laundry treating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: the cover (3) comprises a concave portion (33), wherein the concave portion (33) forms at least a part of the flow pipe (40) and is suitable for being provided in the notch (11), the outflow hole (41) is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion (33), the cover (3) is provided with a sealing cap (7), and the sealing cap (7) is configured to cover an opening (36) of the concave portion (33) to form the closed flow pipe (40).

6. The laundry treating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: the heat exchanger (1) comprises a first heat exchanger (13) used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger (14) used as a condenser, wherein the first heat exchanger (13) is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger (14) in the gas flow direction (81) of the gas (8), and the first heat exchanger (13) and the second heat exchanger (14) are respectively configured with the cleaning unit (4).

7. The laundry treating device according to claim 6, characterized in that: the first heat exchanger (13) and the second heat exchanger (14) share the cover (3), the cleaning unit (4) of the first heat exchanger (13) comprises a first flow pipe (401) used as the flow pipe (40), the cleaning unit (4) of the second heat exchanger (14) comprises a second flow pipe (402) used as the flow pipe (40), and both the first flow pipe (401) and the second flow pipe (402) are disposed on the cover (3).

8. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: the windward surface (10) is a vertical surface; and / or the spraying direction (44) is the vertical direction (6); and / or the gas (8) is perpendicular to the windward surface (10) and flows through the heat exchanger (1).

9. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: the cleaning unit (4) is a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface (10) by using liquid; and / or the heat exchanger (1) is in a square shape; and / or the heat exchanger (1) is a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger.

10. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: the laundry treating device is a washer-dryer or a dryer.

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