Cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus, comprising: an inner tub (1), an exhaust assembly (4), an air duct (21), a fan (22) and a heater (23). The inner tub (1) forms a cleaning chamber (11). The exhaust assembly (4) is mounted on the inner tub (1), an air intake (41) of the exhaust assembly (4) leading to the cleaning chamber (11). The exhaust assembly (4) is configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber (11) when being turned on. The air duct (21) is mounted on the inner tub (1) and is provided with an air inlet (211) and an air outlet (212), the air inlet (211) and the air outlet (212) both leading to the cleaning chamber (11). The fan (22) is configured to drive the air in the air duct (21) when being turned on. The heater (23) is configured to heat the air flowing through the air duct (21) when being turned on. The air inlet (211), the air outlet (212) and the air intake (41) are at least arranged on two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber (11).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims a priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202420259755.2, filed on February 01, 2024, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of household electrical appliances, and in particular, to a cleaning apparatus.BACKGROUND

[0003] Drying methods for cleaning apparatuses such as dishwashers comprise condensation drying, hot air drying, adsorption drying, door-open quick drying, and the like. The condensation drying has problems of a poor drying effect and a long drying time. The adsorption drying has problems of a high manufacturing cost and a peculiar smell after long-term storage. The door-open quick drying has problems of easy insect entry and failure to automatically close the door in time to prevent moisture regain in humid regions. Therefore, considering both the cost and drying effect, the hot air drying has become the preferred method for most manufacturers.

[0004] At present, most cleaning apparatuses such as dishwashers rely on an external circulation system for hot air drying. The operational process is as follows. External air is drawn in and heated by a heater. The heated external air is introduced into a cleaning chamber to perform hot air drying on items in the cleaning chamber. During the hot air drying process, the inflow of the external air into the cleaning chamber creates a positive pressure in the cleaning chamber. In order to maintain a normal pressure of the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly of the cleaning apparatus is usually activated, to mitigate a problem of water vapor leakage caused by the positive pressure in the cleaning chamber.

[0005] However, in the operation process of the exhaust assembly, the heated air is discharged out of the cleaning chamber before its thermal energy is fully utilized, leading to problems of high energy consumption, low drying efficiency, and a poor drying effect. Thus, improvements are required.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present disclosure proposes a cleaning apparatus, which, compared with a cleaning apparatus adopting external circulation for hot air drying, improves a utilization rate of thermal energy of hot air and reduces energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in a hot air drying operation mode, achieving energy conservation.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus comprises: an inner tub defining a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and having an air intake in communication with the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly being configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber when the exhaust assembly is activated; an air duct mounted at the inner tub and having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber; a heater configured to heat air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a fan configured to drive the air in the air duct when the fan is activated. The air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber.

[0008] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, by providing the internal circulation components such as the air duct, the fan, and the heater, both the air inlet and the air outlet of the air duct are in communication with the cleaning chamber. The air in the cleaning chamber is drawn into the air duct from the air inlet of the air duct by the fan. The hot air, after being heated by the heater, enters the cleaning chamber from the air outlet of the air duct. The dry air in the cleaning chamber is circularly heated by the heater to realize hot air drying of tableware in the cleaning chamber. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet of the air duct, the air outlet of the air duct, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber can be prolonged, increasing utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber and reducing a drying blind corner. Compared with the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, respectively.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is located on a top wall of the cleaning chamber, the air outlet is located on a lower part of a side surface of the cleaning chamber, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet is formed proximate to a rear bottom corner of the cleaning chamber. The cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode. In the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan and the heater operate, and the exhaust assembly stops operating.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode. In the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan and the heater stop operating, and the exhaust assembly operates.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode. In the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly all operate.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode. In the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan and the exhaust assembly both operate, and the heater stops operating.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering into the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly and the fan are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate. The heater is mounted in a region of the air duct located at a side surface of the inner tub. The side plate is mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covers at least part of the air duct.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing connected to the air duct to define a receiving cavity; an impeller mounted in the receiving cavity; and a motor assembly connected to the impeller via a driving-driven coupling.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus comprises: an inner tub forming a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and having an air intake in communication with the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly being configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber when the exhaust assembly is activated; an air duct mounted at the inner tub and having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber; a heater configured to heat air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a fan configured to drive the air in the air duct when the fan is activated. The air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber.

[0023] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the internal circulation components such as the air duct, the fan, and the heater are provided, and both the air inlet and the air outlet of the air duct are in communication with the cleaning chamber. The air in the cleaning chamber is drawn into the air duct from the air inlet of the air duct by the fan. The hot air heated by the heater enters the cleaning chamber from the air outlet of the air duct. The dry air in the cleaning chamber is circularly heated by the heater to realize the hot air drying of the tableware in the cleaning chamber. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet of the air duct, the air outlet of the air duct, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber can be prolonged, increasing the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, while improving the uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber and reducing the drying blind corner. Compared with the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, respectively.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is located at a top wall of the cleaning chamber, the air outlet is located at a lower part of a side surface of the cleaning chamber, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet is formed proximate to a rear bottom corner of the cleaning chamber. The cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode; in the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan and the heater operate and the exhaust assembly stops operating; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode; in the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan and the heater stop operating and the exhaust assembly operates; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode; in the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly all operate; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode; in the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan and the exhaust assembly both operate and the heater stops operating.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering into the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber. When the exhaust assembly and the fan are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate. The heater is mounted in a region of the air duct located at a side surface of the inner tub. The side plate is mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covers at least part of the air duct.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing connected to the air duct to define a receiving cavity; an impeller mounted in the receiving cavity; and a motor assembly connected to the impeller via a driving-driven coupling.

[0033] Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be in part set forth below, become apparent in part from the following description, or can be learned by practice of the present disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a first schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a second schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a first schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a third schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a fourth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a second schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a fifth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a sixth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a seventh schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is an eighth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Reference numerals: inner tub 1, cleaning chamber 11, first side surface 111, second side surface 112; top wall 12, side wall 13, back plate 14, front opening 15, bottom wall 16; internal circulation component 2, air duct 21, air inlet 211, air outlet 212, air supplement branch 213, air supplement inlet 2131, grille 2156; fan 22, upper housing 221, impeller 222; heater 23, water blocking cover 24, sealing device 25; side plate 3, exhaust assembly 4, air intake 41, dish rack 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

[0037] A cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 12. The cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can clean and dry various items, such as tableware or clothes.

[0038] The cleaning apparatus may be a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, a shoe washer, or other apparatuses with a hot air drying function. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning function and a hot air drying function. When the cleaning apparatus performs the cleaning function, a cleaning mechanism cleans items in a cleaning chamber 11. A hot air drying treatment is performed after the cleaning is completed. Drying the items in the cleaning chamber 11 can reduce bacterial growth. For ease of description, the present disclosure is elaborated by taking a dishwasher as an example.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: an inner tub 1, an exhaust assembly 4, an air duct 21, a fan 22, and a heater 23.

[0040] A cleaning chamber 11 is formed in the inner tub 1. The exhaust assembly 4 is mounted at the inner tub 1 and has an air intake 41 in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The exhaust assembly 4 is configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber 11 when the exhaust assembly is activated. The air duct 21 is mounted at the inner tub 1 and has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The heater 23 is configured to heat air in the air duct 21 when the heater is activated. The fan 22 is configured to drive the air in the air duct 21 when the fan is activated. The air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, and the air intake 41 are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner tub 1 comprises a top wall 12, a bottom wall 16, a back plate 14, side walls 13, and a front opening 15. The cleaning chamber 11 is enclosed by the top wall 12, the bottom wall 16, the back plate 14, and the side walls 13 of the inner tub 1. The top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 serves as a top wall of the cleaning chamber 11. The side wall 13 of the inner tub 1 serves as a side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The back plate 14 of the inner tub 1 serves as a rear surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The bottom wall 16 of the inner tub 1 serves as a bottom surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0042] The cleaning apparatus may further comprise a cover plate pivotally connected to the inner tub 1. The cover plate may rotate with respect to the inner tub 1 to expose and close the front opening 15 of the inner tub 1, to put items into or take items out of the cleaning chamber 11. The cleaning chamber 11 is enclosed by the cover plate, the top wall 12, the bottom wall 16, the back plate 14, and the side walls 13 of the inner tub 1.

[0043] The cleaning chamber 11 is used to place to-be-cleaned items that may be cleaned and dried in the cleaning chamber 11. The to-be-cleaned items may be tableware such as bowls, chopsticks, plates, and pots.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning chamber 11 may be internally provided with an item placement frame that may comprise a dish rack 5, a chopstick rack, a cup rack, and other supports. The item placement frame may fix and support the tableware, while performing space division on the cleaning chamber 11, to increase a space utilization rate of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0045] The cleaning chamber 11 may further be internally provided with a spray arm configured to spray high-pressure water jets. The high-pressure water jets may be employed to spray and rinse the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11 to rinse off dirt attached to the tableware, realizing the rinsing of the tableware. A plurality of spray arms may be provided, and may be mounted at different positions of the cleaning chamber 11 to perform multidirectional, multi-angle, and multi-level spraying on the tableware, improving a cleaning effect of the tableware.

[0046] The air duct 21 may be used to realize circulation of the air in the cleaning chamber 11, such as internal air circulation, external circulation, or mixed internal and external circulation.

[0047] The air duct 21 may be mounted at an outer side or inner side of the inner tub 1, and connected to a wall surface of the inner tub 1 through a snap-fit connection, a thread connection, welding, or other suitable means.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the air duct 21 has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 by the fan 22. Then, the hot air heated by the heater 23 flows into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The hot air may perform hot air drying on items such as the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0049] In this embodiment, the air duct 21 has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 may be at the same wall surface or different wall surfaces of the inner tub 1, which is specifically set based on the use scenarios. The number and ventilation areas of the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be set based on specific use scenarios. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, two air outlets 212 may be formed. As shown in FIG. 2, one air outlet 212 may be formed.

[0050] In a drying operation mode of the cleaning apparatus, the dry air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated by the heater 23 to reach a suitable temperature and humidity, to perform the hot air drying on the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0051] The fan 22 has an inlet in communication with the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, and an outlet in communication with the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, to drive the air in the air duct 21 through the fan 22. The fan 22 drives the air in the air duct 21 to flow from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 to the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, i.e., the air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 by the fan 22, heated by the heater 23, and then driven by the fan 22 to be discharged into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air duct 21, forming an internal circulation.

[0052] The fan 22 is in communication with the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, to allow the fan 22 to draw the air in the cleaning chamber 11 into the air duct 21 when the fan 22 is activated. The fan 22 may be mounted at the air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, or between the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The fan 22 may be a centrifugal air supply device, an exhaust fan, a ventilation and air supply device, or other devices capable of driving the air to flow.

[0053] The heater 23 may heat the air flowing through the air duct 21 through electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, resistance heating, or other heating manners. A heater 23 using the resistance heating may be a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heating device, a resistance wire heating device, a resistance coil heating device, or the like.

[0054] The heater 23 heats the air flowing through the air duct 21 when the heater is activated. The heater 23 may be mounted in the air duct 21 to perform direct-contact heat exchange with the air flowing through the air duct 21. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater 23 may be mounted outside the air duct 21 to perform indirect heat exchange with the air flowing through the air duct 21 by heating a pipe wall of the air duct 21.

[0055] In this embodiment, the internal circulation components 2 of the cleaning apparatus comprise the fan 22 and the heater 23. The internal circulation components 2 are configured to circularly heat the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and provide heat required for tableware drying and an air speed required for convection.

[0056] The exhaust assembly 4 is a related component capable of creating a normal pressure or negative pressure in the cleaning chamber 11. The exhaust assembly 4 may be a fluid machine with an exhaust function, such as an exhaust fan 22 or an air pump. During hot air drying of the cleaning chamber 11, the exhaust assembly 4 is used to discharge water vapor that has evaporated or volatilized in the cleaning chamber 11 together with the air, to reduce a relative humidity of the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and facilitate evaporation of more residual water.

[0057] The internal circulation component 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 may be operated in a combined activation mode or an independent activation mode.

[0058] When only the internal circulation component 2 is in operation, the air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated, resulting in uniform heat distribution. A relatively cold region in the cleaning chamber 11 may be evaporated and dried faster through heat transfer and convective heat exchange, which is beneficial to full-chamber drying of the cleaning chamber 11 and reduces a drying blind corner.

[0059] When only the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, due to the absence of external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. This negative pressure environment also contributes to an increase in the drying speed accordingly.

[0060] When the internal circulation component 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation simultaneously, the fan 22 may circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, which allows for the uniform distribution of the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 and further improves a uniform drying effect of the entire chamber.

[0061] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, to prolong a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11, increasing utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0062] The cleaning apparatus at least has a plurality of structures as follows.

[0063] A first structure is configured that at least two of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged on the same side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and another one of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is arranged on another wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0064] In this structure, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0067] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the cleaning chamber 11 has a first side surface 111 and a second side surface 112 that are arranged opposite to each other. The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is located at the second side surface 112. A distance from a center of the air inlet 211 to the second side surface 112 is smaller than a distance from the center of the air inlet 211 to the first side surface 111.

[0068] In this embodiment, the exhaust assembly 4 may be mounted at the first side surface 111. The exhaust assembly 4 and the air outlet 212 are respectively located at the first side surface 111 and second side surface 112, which are arranged opposite to each other. The air inlet 211 is located at a position proximate to the second side surface 112 where the air outlet 212 is located, i.e., the air inlet 211 is away from the exhaust assembly 4.

[0069] By arranging the exhaust assembly 4 and the air outlet 212 respectively at the two side surfaces that are arranged opposite to each other and forming the air inlet 211 away from the exhaust assembly 4, when the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are both in operation, a flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, which improves utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and achieves the energy conservation, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0070] A second structure is configured that, as shown in FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are formed at three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, respectively.

[0071] In this structure, the air inside the cleaning chamber 11 flows into the air duct 21 through the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21. The hot air heated by the heater 23 is discharged from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 into the cleaning chamber 11 to dry the tableware inside the cleaning chamber 11. A part of the hot air is discharged out of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4. The flow path of the hot gas is connected across the three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, which further prolongs the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, and further achieves energy conservation. In addition, a flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11 can be increased, improving a drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0072] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 are provided, and both the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 by the fan 22. The hot air, after being heated by the heater 23, enters the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The dry air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated by the heater 23 to realize hot air drying of tableware in the cleaning chamber 11. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing the utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving the uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner. Compared with a cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0073] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, respectively.

[0074] The air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be distributed at two opposite side surfaces and a top of the cleaning chamber 11, or at the top wall 12, the bottom surface, and a certain side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, or at two adjacent side surfaces and the top of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0075] In this embodiment, the flow path of the hot gas extends across the three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, which further prolongs the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air. In addition, the flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11 can be increased, improving the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the air duct 21 has the air inlet 211 located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, the air outlet 212 located at a lower part of the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0077] The air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be located at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11. The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be located at opposite side surfaces or adjacent side surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0078] In this embodiment, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are vertically staggered in a vertical direction of the cleaning chamber 11, such that the hot air discharged from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 into the cleaning chamber 11 cannot be directly discharged out of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4. In a first aspect, uniformity of temperature distribution inside the cleaning chamber 11 can be improved through a flow direction of the air, which is beneficial to the full-chamber drying and reduces the drying blind corner. In a second aspect, the water vapor entering the internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 through the air inlet 211 can be reduced, to protect the internal circulation components 2. In a third aspect, the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, which reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, and achieves energy conservation.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the air inlet 211 is located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 and at the position proximate to the back plate 14 of the inner tub 1, and the center of the air inlet 211 is located at a rear half part of the entire cleaning apparatus, to reduce an interference between the air inlet 211 and pushing and pulling of the dish rack 5, to increase a depth of the dish rack 5 and improve a capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0080] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is disposed in a region of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 proximate to the side surface and the back plate 14.

[0081] In this embodiment, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is located at a rear corner of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, which can further reduce the interference between the air inlet 211 and the pushing and pulling of the dish rack 5, to increase the depth and width of the dish rack 5 and improve the capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0082] In some embodiments, in the case where the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber 11 from an outside environment.

[0083] It should be noted that in practical use, the cleaning chamber 11 cannot be completely sealed, with a small amount of air exchange still occurring between the cleaning chamber 11 and the outside environment. In response to the exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 being greater than or equal to the air volume entering the cleaning chamber 11 from the outside environment, the cleaning chamber 11 is in a normal pressure or negative pressure environment. The negative pressure environment is helpful to improve the drying speed accordingly.

[0084] In this embodiment, when only the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, due to the absence of sufficient external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. The negative pressure environment helps to improve the drying speed accordingly.

[0085] When the internal circulation components 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation, the fan 22 can circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, making the temperature and humidity distribution in the cleaning chamber 11 uniform, and further improving an effect of uniform drying of the entire chamber.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the air duct 21 comprises an air supplement branch 213. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet 2131 in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. In a case where the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch 213.

[0087] The air duct 21 comprises two branches for internal circulation and external circulation. The air supplement inlet 2131 of the air supplement branch 213 is in communication with the outside environment. An air supplement outlet of the air supplement branch 213 is in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The arrangement of the air supplement branch 213 forms an external circulation branch of the cleaning chamber 11. A branch having the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 that are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11 belongs to the internal circulation branch. In FIG. 6, a hollow arrow indicates the external circulation. A solid arrow indicates the internal circulation.

[0088] By arranging the air supplement branch 213, the external circulation and / or internal circulation of the cleaning chamber 11 can be realized, to achieve the various operation modes of the cleaning apparatus.

[0089] During the process in which only the fan 22 operates, in order to maintain the pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11, the fan 22 draws the air as much as possible only from the cleaning chamber 11 to achieve the basic internal circulation. At this time, the air volume of the internal circulation is much greater than the air volume of the external circulation, which can achieve the effect of quickly increasing the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation, the exhaust assembly 4 extracts and discharges the air from the cleaning chamber 11. At this time, the fan 22 mainly introduces the external air. A small amount of the air in the chamber is sucked in for circulation. At this time, the simultaneous internal and external circulations are realized, which can effectively meet the requirement of rapid dehumidification in the dehumidification stage.

[0090] In the case where the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume of the air supplement branch 213. That is, when the exhaust assembly 4 is activated, the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into a normal pressure or negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. In other words, the cleaning chamber 11 is in the normal pressure or negative pressure state when the air supplement branch 213 supplies air. The cleaning chamber 11 is in the negative pressure state when the air supplement branch 213 does not supply air.

[0091] In the related art, the single internal circulation solution is helpful to circularly heat the to-be-dried air in the cleaning chamber 11 to a suitable temperature, but also requires the exhaust assembly 4 to gradually discharge the evaporated water vapor. In the discharge stage, without the introduction of the external air, the exhaust assembly 4 gradually draws air out of the cleaning chamber 11, thereby creating the negative pressure state. The negative pressure state causes a gradual decrease in the exhaust speed, such that the overall dehumidification rate of the cleaning apparatus is not effectively enhanced.

[0092] By providing the air supplement branch 213 in the present disclosure, the air pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11 can be maintained through the air supplement branch 213 when the exhaust assembly 4 operates, to reduce the vacuum degree in the cleaning chamber 11, which thus can maintain a high exhaust speed, quickly discharging the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 11, improving the overall dehumidification rate and drying speed of the cleaning apparatus, and further reducing the energy consumption of the hot air drying.

[0093] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate 3. The heater 23 is mounted in a region of the air duct 21 located at a side surface of the inner tub 1. The side plate 3 is mounted at a side wall 13 of the inner tub 1 and covers at least part of the air duct 21.

[0094] In this embodiment, the side plate 3 is mounted at the outer side of the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. An inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from each of the air duct 21 and the heater 23.

[0095] The heater 23 and the at least part of the air duct 21 are located between the side plate 3 and the inner tub 1. The side plate 3 can protect the heater 23 and the at least part of the air duct 21, while reducing a risk of people touching high-voltage components and high-temperature heating components, thereby improving safety.

[0096] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12, the inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from the air duct 21 by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0097] The spacing c between the inner side surface of the side plate 3 and the air duct 21 may be 2 mm, 4 mm, 7 mm, or a wider distance.

[0098] In other words, the side plate 3 is mounted at the outer side of the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. The inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from each of the air duct 21 and the heater 23.

[0099] It can be understood that the heater 23 is mounted in a region of the air duct 21 located at the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. In some embodiments, the air duct 21 is also equipped with components such as a temperature controller. A heating pipe generates a large amount of heat. Moreover, each of the heating pipe and the temperature controller contains a high-voltage terminal directly connected to a high-voltage power supply.

[0100] In the case where grounding is ensured, by mounting the side plate 3 and setting the spacing between the inner side surface of the side plate 3 and the air duct 21, on the one hand, the side plate 3 can be prevented from being in direct contact with the high-voltage components and high-temperature heating components, improving the safety of the cleaning apparatus. On the other hand, a wall temperature of the outer side of the side plate 3 can be controlled within a safe range, reducing a risk of scalding when people touches the side wall 13. During embedded mounting of the cleaning apparatus, it is possible to reduce damage to an inner wall of a mounting cabinet caused by a high temperature of the side plate 3.

[0101] In some embodiments, power of the heater 23 is P, where P≤500W.

[0102] The power P of the heater 23 may be 150 W, 200 W, 350 W, 400 W, or 500 W, which can be specifically limited as use conditions.

[0103] In the related art, due to a limitation on the mounting position of the cleaning apparatus adopting an external-circulation hot air drying mode, the cleaning apparatus has a fan 22 with a relatively small size and a heater 23 with relatively low power. The hot air drying may only serve as an auxiliary energy source. High-temperature rinsing is the main energy source. Therefore, manually washed tableware requires a relatively long time for a single drying operation, which is inconvenient.

[0104] In the present disclosure, the power of the heater 23 is increased by adopting the internal-circulation hot air drying mode. The power of the heater 23 is set to P, and hot air drying may be used as the main energy source. The high-temperature rinsing is converted into the auxiliary energy source, significantly shortening a drying time of the tableware and improves convenience.

[0105] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 is located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and the fan 22 may be mounted at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1.

[0106] The fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. At least part of the air duct 21 is located above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and at an outer side of the side wall 13.

[0107] The air inlet 211 is located above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The air outlet 212 is located at the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. The at least part of the air duct 21 is bent. A bending angle of the air duct 21 may be determined based on an angle between the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. For example, the bending angle may be 90° to connect the air outlet 212 and the air inlet 211 that are located at different surfaces.

[0108] By arranging the air duct 21 at the outer side of the inner tub 1, an internal space of the cleaning chamber 11 is not occupied by the air duct 21, thus increasing a capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0109] The fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and has an air suction side facing an interior of the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 is in operation, air with a high temperature in an upper part of the cleaning chamber 11 may be introduced to a lower part of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air duct 21, which is beneficial to the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the entire cleaning chamber 11.

[0110] In practical use, when the cleaning apparatus operates by adopting an automatic door opening solution or automatic door opening / closing solution as main means of dehumidification, the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 moves upward and backward in the cleaning chamber 11 due to natural convection. These mounting positions of the air inlet 211 and the fan 22 can prevent a large amount of hot and humid air from remaining in the upper part of the cleaning chamber 11, to reduce a drying blind corner and improve both the overall drying effect and drying speed.

[0111] In this embodiment, the fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11. A thickness of the fan 22 is greater than or equal to 20 mm. For example, the thickness of the fan 22 may be 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 18 mm. By setting the thickness of the fan 22, the fan 22 may be adapted to various dimensions between the inner tub 1 and a top housing of the cleaning apparatus, which increases a circulating air volume, and thus increases power of the heater 23 and achieves a better drying effect.

[0112] In some embodiments, the fan 22 may alternatively be mounted below the bottom wall 16 of the inner tub 1.

[0113] It should be noted that a distance from the bottom plate of the cleaning apparatus to the ground is greater than that from the top plate to the housing, i.e., a mounting space below the bottom plate of the cleaning apparatus is larger than that above the top plate. In this way, a larger-sized fan 22 can be mounted. At the same noise level, the circulating air volume can be further increased, which is beneficial to the overall drying effect and shortens a drying time.

[0114] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the fan 22 comprises an upper housing 221, an impeller 222, and a motor assembly. The motor assembly is connected to the impeller 222 via a driving-driven coupling. The upper housing 221 is connected to the air duct 21 to form a receiving cavity. The impeller 222 is mounted in the receiving cavity.

[0115] An inlet and an outlet of the receiving cavity are in communication with the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212, respectively.

[0116] The air duct 21 comprises a bottom housing, and is internally provided with a mounting position of the fan 22 matching a size of the upper housing 221. The upper housing 221 is connected to the bottom housing of the air duct 21 to form the receiving cavity. The fan 22 may only comprise the upper housing 221, the impeller 222, and the motor assembly. The bottom housing of the air duct 21 serves as a lower housing of the fan 22. Through an assembly structure of the fan 22 and the air duct 21, it is possible to increase a mounting space of the fan 22 and improve power of the mountable fan 22.

[0117] In this embodiment, the fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The fan 22 may only comprise the upper housing 221, the impeller 222, and the motor assembly, which omits the original lower housing of the fan 22, reduces an overall size of the fan 22, and enables a fan 22 of a larger model to be mounted in the same space. Moreover, the lower housing of the fan 22 is replaced with the air duct 21, with the impeller 222 directly mounted in the air duct 21, which increases an air inlet area of the air inlet 211 and an air inflow volume.

[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the sealing device 25 is disposed between the fan 22 and the air duct 21. The sealing device 25 may be a sealing ring, an adhesive strip, a potting adhesive, or the like, to seal gaps among the inner tub 1, the fan 22, and the air duct 21 of the cleaning apparatus.

[0119] Meanwhile, the entire impeller 222 and the motor assembly are enclosed between the air duct 21 and the upper housing 221 of the fan 22, with a sealing arrangement applied at a connection between the air duct 21 and the upper housing 221 of the fan 22. Throughout the operation of the entire cleaning apparatus, the inner tub 1, the fan 22, and the air duct 21 form a closed space, which can reduce an amount of water vapor leaking through a mounting gap between the fan 22 and the air duct 21 in various stages and accordingly reduce potential hazards.

[0120] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is provided with a sealing device 25 and a nut. The nut is tightened in a snap-fit manner to compress the sealing device 25, which is located between the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, to prevent the water in the cleaning chamber 11 from leaking through the gap between the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, reducing the risk of water leakage and improving the reliability of the cleaning apparatus.

[0121] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a water blocking cover 24 mounted at the air inlet 211.

[0122] The water blocking cover 24 has functions of ventilation and water blocking. The water blocking cover 24 may be disposed between the fan 22 and the cleaning chamber 11, and located in the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 is activated, the fan 22 may draw the air from the cleaning chamber 11 into a mounting position of the fan 22 through the water blocking cover 24. Meanwhile, the water blocking cover 24 can reduce direct impact and splashing of water flow on internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23, providing both isolation and protection functions.

[0123] The water blocking cover 24 may be in a threaded connection, a plug-in connection, a pivot connection, or a snap-fit connection with the air inlet 211.

[0124] In some embodiments, the air outlet 212 is provided with a grille 2156.

[0125] The grille 2156 is used for guiding of the airflow, and can guide the airflow at the air outlet 212 in different directions. A flow guide direction of the grille 2156 may be determined based on the mounting position of the exhaust assembly 4 and the mounting position of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21.

[0126] For example, in the case where the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is formed at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, the grille 2156 can appropriately guide the hot air towards the lower part of the cleaning chamber 11. In this way, a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing a flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11, and improving a drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0127] For another example, in the case where the exhaust assembly 4 is located at an upper left part of the cleaning chamber 11, the grille 2156 can appropriately guide the hot air towards a rear lower part of the cleaning chamber 11. In this way, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing the flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11, and improving the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11. Moreover, a volume of hot air discharged by the exhaust assembly 4 without being utilized can be reduced, increasing utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air.

[0128] The grille 2156 can also reduce a direct impact of the water flow on the air duct 21, protecting the air duct 21.

[0129] In some embodiments, the cleaning apparatus has at least the following operation modes.

[0130] First, the cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode.

[0131] In the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan 22 and the heater 23 operate, and the exhaust assembly 4 stops operating. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn by the fan 22 into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21. The hot air, after being heated by the heater 23, flows into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated, resulting in uniform heat distribution. A relatively cold region in the cleaning chamber 11 may be evaporated and dried faster through heat transfer and convective heat exchange, which is beneficial to the full-chamber drying of the cleaning chamber 11 and reduces the drying blind corner.

[0132] When the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 are too low, the fan 22 and the heater 23 are activated. In this way, forced convection and circulating heating in the cleaning chamber 11 can be realized, accelerating the evaporation of the residual water in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0133] Secondly, the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode.

[0134] In the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan 22 and the heater 23 stop operating, and the exhaust assembly 4 operates. Due to the absence of external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. This negative pressure environment also contributes to an increase in the drying speed accordingly.

[0135] Thirdly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode.

[0136] In the mixed operation mode, the fan 22, the heater 23, and the exhaust assembly 4 all operate. The fan 22 may circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, which allows for the uniform distribution of the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 and further improves a uniform drying effect of the entire chamber.

[0137] Fourthly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode.

[0138] In the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan 22 and the exhaust assembly 4 both operate, and the heater 23 stops operating. In this way, simultaneous air mixing and dehumidification in the cleaning chamber 11 are realized, further improving an effect of uniform dehumidification of the entire chamber.

[0139] Terms such as "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of the present disclosure are used only to distinguish between similar objects, rather than to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that the data as used can be interchanged where appropriate, to enable the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein to be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. Also, the objects distinguished by the terms such as "first" and "second" are usually objects of the same type. The number of objects is not limited. For example, a first object may be one first object or plurality of first objects. In addition, "and / or" throughout the specification and claims indicates at least one of the objects associated with "and / or". The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after the character are in an "or" relationship.

[0140] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that, the orientation or the position indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "over", "below", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "anti-clockwise", "axial", "radial", and "circumferential" should be construed to refer to the orientation and the position as shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0141] In the description of the present disclosure, "the first feature" and "the second feature" may comprise one or more of these features.

[0142] In the description of the present disclosure, "plurality" means two or more.

[0143] In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through another feature between the first and second features.

[0144] In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature "above" the second feature means that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature.

[0145] Throughout this specification, description with reference to "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "an illustrative embodiment", "an example", "a specific example", "some examples", or the like means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is comprised in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The appearances of the above phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Further, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described here may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0146] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is conceivable for those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, replacements, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure shall be defined by the claims as appended and their equivalents.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0036]Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

[0037]A cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 12. The cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can clean and dry various items, such as tableware or clothes.

[0038]The cleaning apparatus may be a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, a shoe washer, or other apparatuses with a hot air drying function. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning function and a hot air drying function. When the cleaning apparat...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims a priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202420259755.2, filed on February 01, 2024, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of household electrical appliances, and in particular, to a cleaning apparatus.BACKGROUND

[0003] Drying methods for cleaning apparatuses such as dishwashers comprise condensation drying, hot air drying, adsorption drying, door-open quick drying, and the like. The condensation drying has problems of a poor drying effect and a long drying time. The adsorption drying has problems of a high manufacturing cost and a peculiar smell after long-term storage. The door-open quick drying has problems of easy insect entry and failure to automatically close the door in time to prevent moisture regain in humid regions. Therefore, considering both the cost and drying effect, the hot air drying has become the preferred method for most manufacturers.

[0004] At present, most cleaning apparatuses such as dishwashers rely on an external circulation system for hot air drying. The operational process is as follows. External air is drawn in and heated by a heater. The heated external air is introduced into a cleaning chamber to perform hot air drying on items in the cleaning chamber. During the hot air drying process, the inflow of the external air into the cleaning chamber creates a positive pressure in the cleaning chamber. In order to maintain a normal pressure of the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly of the cleaning apparatus is usually activated, to mitigate a problem of water vapor leakage caused by the positive pressure in the cleaning chamber.

[0005] However, in the operation process of the exhaust assembly, the heated air is discharged out of the cleaning chamber before its thermal energy is fully utilized, leading to problems of high energy consumption, low drying efficiency, and a poor drying effect. Thus, improvements are required.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present disclosure proposes a cleaning apparatus, which, compared with a cleaning apparatus adopting external circulation for hot air drying, improves a utilization rate of thermal energy of hot air and reduces energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in a hot air drying operation mode, achieving energy conservation.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus comprises: an inner tub defining a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and having an air intake in communication with the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly being configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber when the exhaust assembly is activated; an air duct mounted at the inner tub and having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber; a heater configured to heat air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a fan configured to drive the air in the air duct when the fan is activated. The air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber.

[0008] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, by providing the internal circulation components such as the air duct, the fan, and the heater, both the air inlet and the air outlet of the air duct are in communication with the cleaning chamber. The air in the cleaning chamber is drawn into the air duct from the air inlet of the air duct by the fan. The hot air, after being heated by the heater, enters the cleaning chamber from the air outlet of the air duct. The dry air in the cleaning chamber is circularly heated by the heater to realize hot air drying of tableware in the cleaning chamber. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet of the air duct, the air outlet of the air duct, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber can be prolonged, increasing utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber and reducing a drying blind corner. Compared with the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, respectively.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is located on a top wall of the cleaning chamber, the air outlet is located on a lower part of a side surface of the cleaning chamber, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet is formed proximate to a rear bottom corner of the cleaning chamber. The cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode. In the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan and the heater operate, and the exhaust assembly stops operating.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode. In the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan and the heater stop operating, and the exhaust assembly operates.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode. In the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly all operate.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode. In the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan and the exhaust assembly both operate, and the heater stops operating.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering into the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly and the fan are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate. The heater is mounted in a region of the air duct located at a side surface of the inner tub. The side plate is mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covers at least part of the air duct.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing connected to the air duct to define a receiving cavity; an impeller mounted in the receiving cavity; and a motor assembly connected to the impeller via a driving-driven coupling.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus comprises: an inner tub forming a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and having an air intake in communication with the cleaning chamber, the exhaust assembly being configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber when the exhaust assembly is activated; an air duct mounted at the inner tub and having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber; a heater configured to heat air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a fan configured to drive the air in the air duct when the fan is activated. The air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber.

[0023] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the internal circulation components such as the air duct, the fan, and the heater are provided, and both the air inlet and the air outlet of the air duct are in communication with the cleaning chamber. The air in the cleaning chamber is drawn into the air duct from the air inlet of the air duct by the fan. The hot air heated by the heater enters the cleaning chamber from the air outlet of the air duct. The dry air in the cleaning chamber is circularly heated by the heater to realize the hot air drying of the tableware in the cleaning chamber. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet of the air duct, the air outlet of the air duct, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber can be prolonged, increasing the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, while improving the uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber and reducing the drying blind corner. Compared with the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, respectively.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is located at a top wall of the cleaning chamber, the air outlet is located at a lower part of a side surface of the cleaning chamber, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet is formed proximate to a rear bottom corner of the cleaning chamber. The cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode; in the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan and the heater operate and the exhaust assembly stops operating; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode; in the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan and the heater stop operating and the exhaust assembly operates; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode; in the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly all operate; and / or the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode; in the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan and the exhaust assembly both operate and the heater stops operating.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust assembly is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering into the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber. When the exhaust assembly and the fan are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate. The heater is mounted in a region of the air duct located at a side surface of the inner tub. The side plate is mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covers at least part of the air duct.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing connected to the air duct to define a receiving cavity; an impeller mounted in the receiving cavity; and a motor assembly connected to the impeller via a driving-driven coupling.

[0033] Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be in part set forth below, become apparent in part from the following description, or can be learned by practice of the present disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a first schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a second schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a first schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a third schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a fourth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a second schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a fifth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a sixth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a seventh schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is an eighth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Reference numerals: inner tub 1, cleaning chamber 11, first side surface 111, second side surface 112; top wall 12, side wall 13, back plate 14, front opening 15, bottom wall 16; internal circulation component 2, air duct 21, air inlet 211, air outlet 212, air supplement branch 213, air supplement inlet 2131, grille 2156; fan 22, upper housing 221, impeller 222; heater 23, water blocking cover 24, sealing device 25; side plate 3, exhaust assembly 4, air intake 41, dish rack 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

[0037] A cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 12. The cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can clean and dry various items, such as tableware or clothes.

[0038] The cleaning apparatus may be a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, a shoe washer, or other apparatuses with a hot air drying function. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning function and a hot air drying function. When the cleaning apparatus performs the cleaning function, a cleaning mechanism cleans items in a cleaning chamber 11. A hot air drying treatment is performed after the cleaning is completed. Drying the items in the cleaning chamber 11 can reduce bacterial growth. For ease of description, the present disclosure is elaborated by taking a dishwasher as an example.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: an inner tub 1, an exhaust assembly 4, an air duct 21, a fan 22, and a heater 23.

[0040] A cleaning chamber 11 is formed in the inner tub 1. The exhaust assembly 4 is mounted at the inner tub 1 and has an air intake 41 in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The exhaust assembly 4 is configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber 11 when the exhaust assembly is activated. The air duct 21 is mounted at the inner tub 1 and has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The heater 23 is configured to heat air in the air duct 21 when the heater is activated. The fan 22 is configured to drive the air in the air duct 21 when the fan is activated. The air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, and the air intake 41 are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner tub 1 comprises a top wall 12, a bottom wall 16, a back plate 14, side walls 13, and a front opening 15. The cleaning chamber 11 is enclosed by the top wall 12, the bottom wall 16, the back plate 14, and the side walls 13 of the inner tub 1. The top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 serves as a top wall of the cleaning chamber 11. The side wall 13 of the inner tub 1 serves as a side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The back plate 14 of the inner tub 1 serves as a rear surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The bottom wall 16 of the inner tub 1 serves as a bottom surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0042] The cleaning apparatus may further comprise a cover plate pivotally connected to the inner tub 1. The cover plate may rotate with respect to the inner tub 1 to expose and close the front opening 15 of the inner tub 1, to put items into or take items out of the cleaning chamber 11. The cleaning chamber 11 is enclosed by the cover plate, the top wall 12, the bottom wall 16, the back plate 14, and the side walls 13 of the inner tub 1.

[0043] The cleaning chamber 11 is used to place to-be-cleaned items that may be cleaned and dried in the cleaning chamber 11. The to-be-cleaned items may be tableware such as bowls, chopsticks, plates, and pots.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning chamber 11 may be internally provided with an item placement frame that may comprise a dish rack 5, a chopstick rack, a cup rack, and other supports. The item placement frame may fix and support the tableware, while performing space division on the cleaning chamber 11, to increase a space utilization rate of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0045] The cleaning chamber 11 may further be internally provided with a spray arm configured to spray high-pressure water jets. The high-pressure water jets may be employed to spray and rinse the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11 to rinse off dirt attached to the tableware, realizing the rinsing of the tableware. A plurality of spray arms may be provided, and may be mounted at different positions of the cleaning chamber 11 to perform multidirectional, multi-angle, and multi-level spraying on the tableware, improving a cleaning effect of the tableware.

[0046] The air duct 21 may be used to realize circulation of the air in the cleaning chamber 11, such as internal air circulation, external circulation, or mixed internal and external circulation.

[0047] The air duct 21 may be mounted at an outer side or inner side of the inner tub 1, and connected to a wall surface of the inner tub 1 through a snap-fit connection, a thread connection, welding, or other suitable means.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the air duct 21 has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 by the fan 22. Then, the hot air heated by the heater 23 flows into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The hot air may perform hot air drying on items such as the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0049] In this embodiment, the air duct 21 has an air inlet 211 and an air outlet 212 that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 may be at the same wall surface or different wall surfaces of the inner tub 1, which is specifically set based on the use scenarios. The number and ventilation areas of the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be set based on specific use scenarios. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, two air outlets 212 may be formed. As shown in FIG. 2, one air outlet 212 may be formed.

[0050] In a drying operation mode of the cleaning apparatus, the dry air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated by the heater 23 to reach a suitable temperature and humidity, to perform the hot air drying on the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0051] The fan 22 has an inlet in communication with the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, and an outlet in communication with the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, to drive the air in the air duct 21 through the fan 22. The fan 22 drives the air in the air duct 21 to flow from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 to the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, i.e., the air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 by the fan 22, heated by the heater 23, and then driven by the fan 22 to be discharged into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air duct 21, forming an internal circulation.

[0052] The fan 22 is in communication with the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, to allow the fan 22 to draw the air in the cleaning chamber 11 into the air duct 21 when the fan 22 is activated. The fan 22 may be mounted at the air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, or between the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The fan 22 may be a centrifugal air supply device, an exhaust fan, a ventilation and air supply device, or other devices capable of driving the air to flow.

[0053] The heater 23 may heat the air flowing through the air duct 21 through electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, resistance heating, or other heating manners. A heater 23 using the resistance heating may be a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heating device, a resistance wire heating device, a resistance coil heating device, or the like.

[0054] The heater 23 heats the air flowing through the air duct 21 when the heater is activated. The heater 23 may be mounted in the air duct 21 to perform direct-contact heat exchange with the air flowing through the air duct 21. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater 23 may be mounted outside the air duct 21 to perform indirect heat exchange with the air flowing through the air duct 21 by heating a pipe wall of the air duct 21.

[0055] In this embodiment, the internal circulation components 2 of the cleaning apparatus comprise the fan 22 and the heater 23. The internal circulation components 2 are configured to circularly heat the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and provide heat required for tableware drying and an air speed required for convection.

[0056] The exhaust assembly 4 is a related component capable of creating a normal pressure or negative pressure in the cleaning chamber 11. The exhaust assembly 4 may be a fluid machine with an exhaust function, such as an exhaust fan 22 or an air pump. During hot air drying of the cleaning chamber 11, the exhaust assembly 4 is used to discharge water vapor that has evaporated or volatilized in the cleaning chamber 11 together with the air, to reduce a relative humidity of the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and facilitate evaporation of more residual water.

[0057] The internal circulation component 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 may be operated in a combined activation mode or an independent activation mode.

[0058] When only the internal circulation component 2 is in operation, the air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated, resulting in uniform heat distribution. A relatively cold region in the cleaning chamber 11 may be evaporated and dried faster through heat transfer and convective heat exchange, which is beneficial to full-chamber drying of the cleaning chamber 11 and reduces a drying blind corner.

[0059] When only the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, due to the absence of external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. This negative pressure environment also contributes to an increase in the drying speed accordingly.

[0060] When the internal circulation component 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation simultaneously, the fan 22 may circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, which allows for the uniform distribution of the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 and further improves a uniform drying effect of the entire chamber.

[0061] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, to prolong a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11, increasing utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0062] The cleaning apparatus at least has a plurality of structures as follows.

[0063] A first structure is configured that at least two of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged on the same side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and another one of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is arranged on another wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0064] In this structure, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be arranged on the same wall surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is arranged on an adjacent wall surface or an opposite wall surface with respect to the wall surface.

[0067] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the cleaning chamber 11 has a first side surface 111 and a second side surface 112 that are arranged opposite to each other. The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is located at the second side surface 112. A distance from a center of the air inlet 211 to the second side surface 112 is smaller than a distance from the center of the air inlet 211 to the first side surface 111.

[0068] In this embodiment, the exhaust assembly 4 may be mounted at the first side surface 111. The exhaust assembly 4 and the air outlet 212 are respectively located at the first side surface 111 and second side surface 112, which are arranged opposite to each other. The air inlet 211 is located at a position proximate to the second side surface 112 where the air outlet 212 is located, i.e., the air inlet 211 is away from the exhaust assembly 4.

[0069] By arranging the exhaust assembly 4 and the air outlet 212 respectively at the two side surfaces that are arranged opposite to each other and forming the air inlet 211 away from the exhaust assembly 4, when the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are both in operation, a flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, which improves utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and achieves the energy conservation, while improving uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0070] A second structure is configured that, as shown in FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are formed at three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, respectively.

[0071] In this structure, the air inside the cleaning chamber 11 flows into the air duct 21 through the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21. The hot air heated by the heater 23 is discharged from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 into the cleaning chamber 11 to dry the tableware inside the cleaning chamber 11. A part of the hot air is discharged out of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4. The flow path of the hot gas is connected across the three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, which further prolongs the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, and further achieves energy conservation. In addition, a flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11 can be increased, improving a drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0072] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 are provided, and both the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 by the fan 22. The hot air, after being heated by the heater 23, enters the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The dry air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated by the heater 23 to realize hot air drying of tableware in the cleaning chamber 11. On the other hand, by arranging the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 on the at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing the utilization efficiency of thermal energy of the hot air, while improving the uniformity of air mixing in the cleaning chamber 11 and reducing the drying blind corner. Compared with a cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of the thermal energy of the hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and significantly enhances the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0073] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, respectively.

[0074] The air inlet 211, the air outlet 212, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be distributed at two opposite side surfaces and a top of the cleaning chamber 11, or at the top wall 12, the bottom surface, and a certain side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, or at two adjacent side surfaces and the top of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0075] In this embodiment, the flow path of the hot gas extends across the three different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, which further prolongs the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air. In addition, the flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11 can be increased, improving the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the air duct 21 has the air inlet 211 located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, the air outlet 212 located at a lower part of the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0077] The air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be located at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11. The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 may be located at opposite side surfaces or adjacent side surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0078] In this embodiment, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 and the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 are vertically staggered in a vertical direction of the cleaning chamber 11, such that the hot air discharged from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 into the cleaning chamber 11 cannot be directly discharged out of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4. In a first aspect, uniformity of temperature distribution inside the cleaning chamber 11 can be improved through a flow direction of the air, which is beneficial to the full-chamber drying and reduces the drying blind corner. In a second aspect, the water vapor entering the internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 through the air inlet 211 can be reduced, to protect the internal circulation components 2. In a third aspect, the flow path of the air heated by the heater 23 in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, which reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, improves the utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air, and achieves energy conservation.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the air inlet 211 is located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 and at the position proximate to the back plate 14 of the inner tub 1, and the center of the air inlet 211 is located at a rear half part of the entire cleaning apparatus, to reduce an interference between the air inlet 211 and pushing and pulling of the dish rack 5, to increase a depth of the dish rack 5 and improve a capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0080] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is disposed in a region of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 proximate to the side surface and the back plate 14.

[0081] In this embodiment, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is located at a rear corner of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, which can further reduce the interference between the air inlet 211 and the pushing and pulling of the dish rack 5, to increase the depth and width of the dish rack 5 and improve the capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0082] In some embodiments, in the case where the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber 11 from an outside environment.

[0083] It should be noted that in practical use, the cleaning chamber 11 cannot be completely sealed, with a small amount of air exchange still occurring between the cleaning chamber 11 and the outside environment. In response to the exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 being greater than or equal to the air volume entering the cleaning chamber 11 from the outside environment, the cleaning chamber 11 is in a normal pressure or negative pressure environment. The negative pressure environment is helpful to improve the drying speed accordingly.

[0084] In this embodiment, when only the exhaust assembly 4 is in operation, due to the absence of sufficient external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. The negative pressure environment helps to improve the drying speed accordingly.

[0085] When the internal circulation components 2 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation, the fan 22 can circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, making the temperature and humidity distribution in the cleaning chamber 11 uniform, and further improving an effect of uniform drying of the entire chamber.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the air duct 21 comprises an air supplement branch 213. The air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet 2131 in communication with the outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. In a case where the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch 213.

[0087] The air duct 21 comprises two branches for internal circulation and external circulation. The air supplement inlet 2131 of the air supplement branch 213 is in communication with the outside environment. An air supplement outlet of the air supplement branch 213 is in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The arrangement of the air supplement branch 213 forms an external circulation branch of the cleaning chamber 11. A branch having the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 that are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11 belongs to the internal circulation branch. In FIG. 6, a hollow arrow indicates the external circulation. A solid arrow indicates the internal circulation.

[0088] By arranging the air supplement branch 213, the external circulation and / or internal circulation of the cleaning chamber 11 can be realized, to achieve the various operation modes of the cleaning apparatus.

[0089] During the process in which only the fan 22 operates, in order to maintain the pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11, the fan 22 draws the air as much as possible only from the cleaning chamber 11 to achieve the basic internal circulation. At this time, the air volume of the internal circulation is much greater than the air volume of the external circulation, which can achieve the effect of quickly increasing the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 and the exhaust assembly 4 are both in operation, the exhaust assembly 4 extracts and discharges the air from the cleaning chamber 11. At this time, the fan 22 mainly introduces the external air. A small amount of the air in the chamber is sucked in for circulation. At this time, the simultaneous internal and external circulations are realized, which can effectively meet the requirement of rapid dehumidification in the dehumidification stage.

[0090] In the case where the exhaust assembly 4 and the fan 22 are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly 4 is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume of the air supplement branch 213. That is, when the exhaust assembly 4 is activated, the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into a normal pressure or negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. In other words, the cleaning chamber 11 is in the normal pressure or negative pressure state when the air supplement branch 213 supplies air. The cleaning chamber 11 is in the negative pressure state when the air supplement branch 213 does not supply air.

[0091] In the related art, the single internal circulation solution is helpful to circularly heat the to-be-dried air in the cleaning chamber 11 to a suitable temperature, but also requires the exhaust assembly 4 to gradually discharge the evaporated water vapor. In the discharge stage, without the introduction of the external air, the exhaust assembly 4 gradually draws air out of the cleaning chamber 11, thereby creating the negative pressure state. The negative pressure state causes a gradual decrease in the exhaust speed, such that the overall dehumidification rate of the cleaning apparatus is not effectively enhanced.

[0092] By providing the air supplement branch 213 in the present disclosure, the air pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11 can be maintained through the air supplement branch 213 when the exhaust assembly 4 operates, to reduce the vacuum degree in the cleaning chamber 11, which thus can maintain a high exhaust speed, quickly discharging the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 11, improving the overall dehumidification rate and drying speed of the cleaning apparatus, and further reducing the energy consumption of the hot air drying.

[0093] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a side plate 3. The heater 23 is mounted in a region of the air duct 21 located at a side surface of the inner tub 1. The side plate 3 is mounted at a side wall 13 of the inner tub 1 and covers at least part of the air duct 21.

[0094] In this embodiment, the side plate 3 is mounted at the outer side of the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. An inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from each of the air duct 21 and the heater 23.

[0095] The heater 23 and the at least part of the air duct 21 are located between the side plate 3 and the inner tub 1. The side plate 3 can protect the heater 23 and the at least part of the air duct 21, while reducing a risk of people touching high-voltage components and high-temperature heating components, thereby improving safety.

[0096] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12, the inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from the air duct 21 by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0097] The spacing c between the inner side surface of the side plate 3 and the air duct 21 may be 2 mm, 4 mm, 7 mm, or a wider distance.

[0098] In other words, the side plate 3 is mounted at the outer side of the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. The inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from each of the air duct 21 and the heater 23.

[0099] It can be understood that the heater 23 is mounted in a region of the air duct 21 located at the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. In some embodiments, the air duct 21 is also equipped with components such as a temperature controller. A heating pipe generates a large amount of heat. Moreover, each of the heating pipe and the temperature controller contains a high-voltage terminal directly connected to a high-voltage power supply.

[0100] In the case where grounding is ensured, by mounting the side plate 3 and setting the spacing between the inner side surface of the side plate 3 and the air duct 21, on the one hand, the side plate 3 can be prevented from being in direct contact with the high-voltage components and high-temperature heating components, improving the safety of the cleaning apparatus. On the other hand, a wall temperature of the outer side of the side plate 3 can be controlled within a safe range, reducing a risk of scalding when people touches the side wall 13. During embedded mounting of the cleaning apparatus, it is possible to reduce damage to an inner wall of a mounting cabinet caused by a high temperature of the side plate 3.

[0101] In some embodiments, power of the heater 23 is P, where P≤500W.

[0102] The power P of the heater 23 may be 150 W, 200 W, 350 W, 400 W, or 500 W, which can be specifically limited as use conditions.

[0103] In the related art, due to a limitation on the mounting position of the cleaning apparatus adopting an external-circulation hot air drying mode, the cleaning apparatus has a fan 22 with a relatively small size and a heater 23 with relatively low power. The hot air drying may only serve as an auxiliary energy source. High-temperature rinsing is the main energy source. Therefore, manually washed tableware requires a relatively long time for a single drying operation, which is inconvenient.

[0104] In the present disclosure, the power of the heater 23 is increased by adopting the internal-circulation hot air drying mode. The power of the heater 23 is set to P, and hot air drying may be used as the main energy source. The high-temperature rinsing is converted into the auxiliary energy source, significantly shortening a drying time of the tableware and improves convenience.

[0105] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air inlet 211 is located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and the fan 22 may be mounted at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1.

[0106] The fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. At least part of the air duct 21 is located above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and at an outer side of the side wall 13.

[0107] The air inlet 211 is located above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The air outlet 212 is located at the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. The at least part of the air duct 21 is bent. A bending angle of the air duct 21 may be determined based on an angle between the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and the side wall 13 of the inner tub 1. For example, the bending angle may be 90° to connect the air outlet 212 and the air inlet 211 that are located at different surfaces.

[0108] By arranging the air duct 21 at the outer side of the inner tub 1, an internal space of the cleaning chamber 11 is not occupied by the air duct 21, thus increasing a capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0109] The fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and has an air suction side facing an interior of the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 is in operation, air with a high temperature in an upper part of the cleaning chamber 11 may be introduced to a lower part of the cleaning chamber 11 through the air duct 21, which is beneficial to the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the entire cleaning chamber 11.

[0110] In practical use, when the cleaning apparatus operates by adopting an automatic door opening solution or automatic door opening / closing solution as main means of dehumidification, the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 moves upward and backward in the cleaning chamber 11 due to natural convection. These mounting positions of the air inlet 211 and the fan 22 can prevent a large amount of hot and humid air from remaining in the upper part of the cleaning chamber 11, to reduce a drying blind corner and improve both the overall drying effect and drying speed.

[0111] In this embodiment, the fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11. A thickness of the fan 22 is greater than or equal to 20 mm. For example, the thickness of the fan 22 may be 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 18 mm. By setting the thickness of the fan 22, the fan 22 may be adapted to various dimensions between the inner tub 1 and a top housing of the cleaning apparatus, which increases a circulating air volume, and thus increases power of the heater 23 and achieves a better drying effect.

[0112] In some embodiments, the fan 22 may alternatively be mounted below the bottom wall 16 of the inner tub 1.

[0113] It should be noted that a distance from the bottom plate of the cleaning apparatus to the ground is greater than that from the top plate to the housing, i.e., a mounting space below the bottom plate of the cleaning apparatus is larger than that above the top plate. In this way, a larger-sized fan 22 can be mounted. At the same noise level, the circulating air volume can be further increased, which is beneficial to the overall drying effect and shortens a drying time.

[0114] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the fan 22 comprises an upper housing 221, an impeller 222, and a motor assembly. The motor assembly is connected to the impeller 222 via a driving-driven coupling. The upper housing 221 is connected to the air duct 21 to form a receiving cavity. The impeller 222 is mounted in the receiving cavity.

[0115] An inlet and an outlet of the receiving cavity are in communication with the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212, respectively.

[0116] The air duct 21 comprises a bottom housing, and is internally provided with a mounting position of the fan 22 matching a size of the upper housing 221. The upper housing 221 is connected to the bottom housing of the air duct 21 to form the receiving cavity. The fan 22 may only comprise the upper housing 221, the impeller 222, and the motor assembly. The bottom housing of the air duct 21 serves as a lower housing of the fan 22. Through an assembly structure of the fan 22 and the air duct 21, it is possible to increase a mounting space of the fan 22 and improve power of the mountable fan 22.

[0117] In this embodiment, the fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The fan 22 may only comprise the upper housing 221, the impeller 222, and the motor assembly, which omits the original lower housing of the fan 22, reduces an overall size of the fan 22, and enables a fan 22 of a larger model to be mounted in the same space. Moreover, the lower housing of the fan 22 is replaced with the air duct 21, with the impeller 222 directly mounted in the air duct 21, which increases an air inlet area of the air inlet 211 and an air inflow volume.

[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the sealing device 25 is disposed between the fan 22 and the air duct 21. The sealing device 25 may be a sealing ring, an adhesive strip, a potting adhesive, or the like, to seal gaps among the inner tub 1, the fan 22, and the air duct 21 of the cleaning apparatus.

[0119] Meanwhile, the entire impeller 222 and the motor assembly are enclosed between the air duct 21 and the upper housing 221 of the fan 22, with a sealing arrangement applied at a connection between the air duct 21 and the upper housing 221 of the fan 22. Throughout the operation of the entire cleaning apparatus, the inner tub 1, the fan 22, and the air duct 21 form a closed space, which can reduce an amount of water vapor leaking through a mounting gap between the fan 22 and the air duct 21 in various stages and accordingly reduce potential hazards.

[0120] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is provided with a sealing device 25 and a nut. The nut is tightened in a snap-fit manner to compress the sealing device 25, which is located between the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, to prevent the water in the cleaning chamber 11 from leaking through the gap between the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, reducing the risk of water leakage and improving the reliability of the cleaning apparatus.

[0121] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a water blocking cover 24 mounted at the air inlet 211.

[0122] The water blocking cover 24 has functions of ventilation and water blocking. The water blocking cover 24 may be disposed between the fan 22 and the cleaning chamber 11, and located in the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 is activated, the fan 22 may draw the air from the cleaning chamber 11 into a mounting position of the fan 22 through the water blocking cover 24. Meanwhile, the water blocking cover 24 can reduce direct impact and splashing of water flow on internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23, providing both isolation and protection functions.

[0123] The water blocking cover 24 may be in a threaded connection, a plug-in connection, a pivot connection, or a snap-fit connection with the air inlet 211.

[0124] In some embodiments, the air outlet 212 is provided with a grille 2156.

[0125] The grille 2156 is used for guiding of the airflow, and can guide the airflow at the air outlet 212 in different directions. A flow guide direction of the grille 2156 may be determined based on the mounting position of the exhaust assembly 4 and the mounting position of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21.

[0126] For example, in the case where the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is formed at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, the grille 2156 can appropriately guide the hot air towards the lower part of the cleaning chamber 11. In this way, a flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing a flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11, and improving a drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0127] For another example, in the case where the exhaust assembly 4 is located at an upper left part of the cleaning chamber 11, the grille 2156 can appropriately guide the hot air towards a rear lower part of the cleaning chamber 11. In this way, the flow path of the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be prolonged, increasing the flowing area of the air heated by the heater 23 across the entire cleaning chamber 11, and improving the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11. Moreover, a volume of hot air discharged by the exhaust assembly 4 without being utilized can be reduced, increasing utilization efficiency of the thermal energy of the hot air.

[0128] The grille 2156 can also reduce a direct impact of the water flow on the air duct 21, protecting the air duct 21.

[0129] In some embodiments, the cleaning apparatus has at least the following operation modes.

[0130] First, the cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode.

[0131] In the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan 22 and the heater 23 operate, and the exhaust assembly 4 stops operating. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn by the fan 22 into the air duct 21 from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21. The hot air, after being heated by the heater 23, flows into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is circularly heated, resulting in uniform heat distribution. A relatively cold region in the cleaning chamber 11 may be evaporated and dried faster through heat transfer and convective heat exchange, which is beneficial to the full-chamber drying of the cleaning chamber 11 and reduces the drying blind corner.

[0132] When the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 are too low, the fan 22 and the heater 23 are activated. In this way, forced convection and circulating heating in the cleaning chamber 11 can be realized, accelerating the evaporation of the residual water in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0133] Secondly, the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode.

[0134] In the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan 22 and the heater 23 stop operating, and the exhaust assembly 4 operates. Due to the absence of external air supply, the cleaning chamber 11 is brought into the negative pressure state by the exhaust assembly 4. This negative pressure environment also contributes to an increase in the drying speed accordingly.

[0135] Thirdly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode.

[0136] In the mixed operation mode, the fan 22, the heater 23, and the exhaust assembly 4 all operate. The fan 22 may circulate the air in the cleaning chamber 11, which allows for the uniform distribution of the temperature and humidity in the cleaning chamber 11 and further improves a uniform drying effect of the entire chamber.

[0137] Fourthly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode.

[0138] In the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan 22 and the exhaust assembly 4 both operate, and the heater 23 stops operating. In this way, simultaneous air mixing and dehumidification in the cleaning chamber 11 are realized, further improving an effect of uniform dehumidification of the entire chamber.

[0139] Terms such as "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of the present disclosure are used only to distinguish between similar objects, rather than to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that the data as used can be interchanged where appropriate, to enable the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein to be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. Also, the objects distinguished by the terms such as "first" and "second" are usually objects of the same type. The number of objects is not limited. For example, a first object may be one first object or plurality of first objects. In addition, "and / or" throughout the specification and claims indicates at least one of the objects associated with "and / or". The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after the character are in an "or" relationship.

[0140] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that, the orientation or the position indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "over", "below", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "anti-clockwise", "axial", "radial", and "circumferential" should be construed to refer to the orientation and the position as shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0141] In the description of the present disclosure, "the first feature" and "the second feature" may comprise one or more of these features.

[0142] In the description of the present disclosure, "plurality" means two or more.

[0143] In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through another feature between the first and second features.

[0144] In the description of the present disclosure, the first feature "above" the second feature means that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature.

[0145] Throughout this specification, description with reference to "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "an illustrative embodiment", "an example", "a specific example", "some examples", or the like means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is comprised in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The appearances of the above phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Further, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described here may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0146] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is conceivable for those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, replacements, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure shall be defined by the claims as appended and their equivalents.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0036]Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain, rather than limiting, the present disclosure.

[0037]A cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 12. The cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can clean and dry various items, such as tableware or clothes.

[0038]The cleaning apparatus may be a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, a shoe washer, or other apparatuses with a hot air drying function. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning function and a hot air drying function. When the cleaning apparat...

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus, comprising: an inner tub defining a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and having an air intake in communication with the cleaning chamber, wherein the exhaust assembly is configured to discharge air out of the cleaning chamber when the exhaust assembly is activated; an air duct mounted at the inner tub and having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber; a heater configured to heat air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a fan configured to drive the air in the air duct when the fan is activated, wherein the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged on at least two different wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber.

2. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet, the air outlet, and the air intake of the exhaust assembly are arranged at three wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber, respectively.

3. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the air inlet is located on a top wall of the cleaning chamber; the air outlet is located on a lower part of one side surface of the cleaning chamber; and the air intake of the exhaust assembly is located at an upper part of another side surface of the cleaning chamber.

4. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cleaning apparatus has: an internal-circulation drying operation mode, wherein in the internal-circulation drying operation mode, the fan and the heater operate and the exhaust assembly stops operating; and / or a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, wherein in the dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode, the fan and the heater stop operating and the exhaust assembly operates; and / or a mixed operation mode, wherein in the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly all operate; and / or a mixed dehumidification operation mode, wherein in the mixed dehumidification operation mode, the fan and the exhaust assembly both operate and the heater stops operating.

5. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the exhaust assembly is in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

6. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the air duct comprises an air supplement branch, wherein the air supplement branch has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment and an air supplement outlet in communication with the cleaning chamber, wherein when the exhaust assembly and the fan are in operation, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume from the air supplement branch.

7. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: a side plate, wherein the heater is mounted in a region of the air duct located at a side surface of the inner tub, and wherein the side plate is mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covers at least part of the air duct.

8. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct by a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

9. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

10. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the fan comprises: an upper housing connected to the air duct to define a receiving cavity; an impeller mounted in the receiving cavity; and a motor assembly connected to the impeller via a driving-driven coupling.

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