Cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus, belonging to the field of cleaning apparatuses. The cleaning apparatus comprises: an inner tub (1), an exhaust assembly (4), an air duct (21), a fan (22), a heater (23) and a water blocking cover (24). The inner tub (1) forms a 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 provided with an air inlet (211) leading to the cleaning chamber (11) and an air outlet (212) leading to the cleaning chamber (11), the air inlet (211) being located in the top wall (12) of the inner tub (1). 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 in the air duct (21) when being turned on. The projection (51) of an inlet of the fan (22) on the top wall (12) of the inner tub (1) at least partially overlaps the projection (S2) of the air inlet (211) on the top wall (12) of the inner tub (1), and the projection (S3) of the water blocking cover (24) on the top wall (12) of the inner tub (1) covers the projection (S2) of the air inlet (211) on the top wall (12) of the inner tub (1).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims a priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410150245.6, 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 in 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. In addition, during the cleaning process, cleaning water is prone to flow out of the cleaning chamber, posing a risk of damage to electrical components of the cleaning apparatus and resulting in poor reliability. 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, reduces energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in a hot air drying operation mode. Furthermore, an amount of water directly rushing into an interior of a fan from an inlet of the fan is reduced when the cleaning apparatus operates in a cleaning mode, improving operational reliability of internal circulation components such as a fan and a heater.

[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 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, the air inlet being located at a top wall of the inner tub; a fan mounted at the top wall of the inner tub and configured to drive air in the air duct when the fan is activated; a heater configured to heat the air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a water blocking cover mounted at the air inlet. A projection of an inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub at least partially overlaps a projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub. A projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub covers the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0008] 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, 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. 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 achieves energy conservation. On the other hand, by setting a mutual relationship among the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub, the projection S2 of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub, and the projection S3 of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub, an air suction area of the fan can be increased to improve drying efficiency. The amount of the water directly rushing into the interior of the fan from the inlet of the fan when the cleaning apparatus operates in the cleaning mode can also be reduced, to improve the operational reliability of the internal circulation components such as the fan and the heater.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub overlaps the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub by an area greater than or equal to 1 / 2 of the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch, and any region of the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is spaced apart from an edge of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a ratio of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub to the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is greater than or equal to 1.1.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is disposed at a position proximate to a back plate of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets disposed at the same side wall of the inner tub.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises: a first branch having an upper end in communication with an outlet of the fan and a lower end forming an air outlet, wherein the lower end of the first branch is proximate to a front opening of the inner tub; and a second branch having an upper end in communication with the outlet of the fan and a lower end forming an air outlet. The lower end of the second branch is proximate to the back plate of the inner tub. A length of the first branch is greater than a length of the second branch.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises a lower air duct having a lower end forming a plurality of air outlets. A width of the lower air duct in a front-rear direction gradually increases from top to bottom. A thickness of the lower air duct in a left-right direction gradually decreases from top to bottom.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment and the inlet of the fan.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises an air supplement branch extending from the top wall of the inner tub to a side surface of the inner tub. An air supplement inlet located at the side surface of the inner tub is formed by a lower end of the air supplement branch; and in operation of the exhaust assembly and the fan, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume of the air supplement branch.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment; and the air duct is provided with a valve configured to close the air supplement inlet in a normal state and open under the action of a pressure difference.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises: a main air duct; and an air supplement branch located between the main air duct and the top wall of the inner tub. The valve is mounted at a wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct; and the valve comprises an air damper pivotally mounted at the wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct. The air damper has a first part located in the air supplement branch and a second part located in the main air duct, and the air damper is configured to block the air supplement branch under the action of gravity and open in response to the activation of the fan.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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 operate, and the heater stops operating.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in operation of the exhaust assembly, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0024] 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, and an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct and the heater.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing, in which the upper housing is 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.

[0027] 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 the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, 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 reduces the amount of water directly rushing into the interior of the fan from the inlet of the fan in response to the cleaning apparatus being in the cleaning mode, improving the operational reliability of the internal circulation components such as the fan and the heater.

[0028] In a second 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 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, in which the air inlet is located at a top wall of the inner tub; a fan mounted at the top wall of the inner tub and configured to drive air in the air duct when the fan is activated; a heater configured to heat the air in the air duct when the heater is activated; and a water blocking cover mounted at the air inlet. A projection of an inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub at least partially overlaps a projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub, and a projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub covers the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0029] 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 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. Compared with the cleaning apparatus adopting the external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves the utilization rate of thermal energy of hot air, reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and achieves the energy conservation. On the other hand, by setting the mutual relationship among the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub, the projection S2 of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub, and the projection S3 of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub, the air suction area of the fan can be increased to improve the drying efficiency. The amount of the water directly rushing into the interior of the fan from the inlet of the fan when the cleaning apparatus is in the cleaning mode can also be reduced, to improve the operational reliability of the internal circulation components such as the fan and the heater.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub overlaps the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub by an area greater than or equal to 1 / 2 of the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises an air supplement branch, and any region of the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is spaced apart from an edge of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a ratio of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub to the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is greater than or equal to 1.1.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air inlet is formed at a position proximate to a back plate of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets formed at the same side wall of the inner tub.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises: a first branch having an upper end in communication with an outlet of the fan and a lower end with an air outlet formed on the lower end, in which the lower end of the first branch is proximate to a front opening of the inner tub; and a second branch having an upper end in communication with the outlet of the fan and a lower end with an air outlet formed on the lower end. The lower end of the second branch is proximate to the back plate of the inner tub. A length of the first branch is greater than a length of the second branch.

[0035] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct comprises a lower air duct having a lower end forming a plurality of air outlets. A width of the lower air duct in a front-rear direction gradually increases from top to bottom, and a thickness of the lower air duct in a left-right direction gradually decreases from top to bottom.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment and the inlet of the fan.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises an air supplement branch extending from the top wall of the inner tub to a side surface of the inner tub. An air supplement inlet located at the side surface of the inner tub is formed at a lower end of the air supplement branch; and in operation of the exhaust assembly and the fan, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume of the air supplement branch.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment; and the air duct is provided with a valve configured to close the air supplement inlet in a normal state and open under the action of a pressure difference.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and the air duct comprises: a main air duct; and an air supplement branch located between the main air duct and the top wall of the inner tub. The valve is mounted at a wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct; and the valve comprises an air damper pivotally mounted at the wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct. The air damper has a first part located in the air supplement branch and a second part located in the main air duct, and the air damper is configured to block the air supplement branch under the action of gravity and open in response to the activation of the fan.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode, in which 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 which 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 which in the mixed operation mode, the fan, the heater, and the exhaust assembly each 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.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in operation of the exhaust assembly, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber from an outside environment.

[0042] 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, and an inner side surface of the side plate is spaced apart from the air duct and the heater.

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heater has a power P satisfying P≤500W.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan comprises: an upper housing, in which the upper housing is 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.

[0045] 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

[0046] 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 first schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a second schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a projection of (a partial structure of) an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a third schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a fourth schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of a portion F in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a second schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a third schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a fifth schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a fourth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a fifth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a sixth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a sixth schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a seventh schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a seventh schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is an eighth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 is a ninth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 20 is a tenth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 21 is an eighth schematic structural view of an internal circulation component provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 22 is a schematic structural view of a flexible connection member provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 23 is a schematic structural view of a lower air duct provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 is a schematic structural view of an upper air duct provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 25 is a schematic structural view of a body portion provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 26 is an eleventh schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 27 is a partially enlarged view of a portion D in FIG. 26. FIG. 28 is a twelfth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a partially enlarged view of a portion C in FIG. 28. FIG. 30 is a thirteenth schematic structural view of a cleaning apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 31 is a partially enlarged view of a portion E in FIG. 28. FIG. 32 is a first schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 33 is a second schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 34 is a third schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 35 is a fourth schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 36 is a fifth schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 37 is a sixth schematic structural view of a water blocking cover provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Reference numerals:

[0047] 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 inlet end 20, flange 201, air duct 21, air inlet 211, air outlet 212, air supplement branch 213, air supplement inlet 2131; upper air duct 214, horizontal segment 2141, lower connection segment 2142, first connection structure 2143; fan mounting position 2146, first air guide segment 2147, volute tongue 2148, arc segment 21481, straight segment 21482; second air guide segment 2149; lower air duct 215, first branch 2151, second branch 2152, flow guide member 2153, expansion segment 2154, isolation plate 2155, grille 2156; cover body 2157; fourth connection structure 21571; body portion 2158, upper connection segment 21581, air duct housing 21582, third connection structure 21583, vapor chamber 21584, heater mounting position 21585, temperature controller mounting position 21586, main air duct 216; flexible connection member 217, cover plate 2171, second connection structure 21711, sleeve 2172, avoidance hole 2173; fan 22, upper housing 221, impeller 222; heater 23; water blocking cover 24, water blocking plate 241, annular rib 2411, mounting structure 242, engagement groove 2421, connection member 2422, hollowed-out groove 24221, snap joint 2423; main cover body 243, pipe body 2431, ventilation channel 2432, boss 2433, sealing mounting position 24331, protrusion 24332, reinforcing rib 24333, water guide port 2434; water blocking member 244, first plate 2441, second plate 2442, flow guide surface 2443; sealing device 25; valve 26, air damper 261, first part 2611, second part 2612; temperature controller 29; side plate 3, exhaust assembly 4, air intake 41, dish rack 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] 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.

[0049] A cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 37. The cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can clean and dry various items, such as tableware or clothes.

[0050] 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. A hot air drying treatment is performed after the cleaning is completed. Drying the items in the cleaning chamber can reduce bacterial growth. For ease of description, the present disclosure is elaborated by taking a dishwasher as an example.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1 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, a heater 23, and a water blocking cover 24.

[0052] A cleaning chamber 11 is formed in the inner tub 1. The exhaust assembly 4 is mounted at the inner tub 1 and 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 air inlet 211 is located at a top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The fan 22 is mounted at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and configured to drive air in the air duct 21 when the fan is activated. The heater 23 is configured to heat the air in the air duct 21 when the heater is activated. The water blocking cover 24 is mounted at the air inlet 211.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7, a projection of an inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 at least partially overlaps a projection of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. A projection of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 covers the projection of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 is used to discharge the air heated by the heater 23 into the cleaning chamber 11. An air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4 is in communication with the cleaning chamber 11, and is used to discharge the water vapor that has evaporated or volatilized in the cleaning chamber 11 together with the air out of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0061] The air heated by the heater 23 is discharged into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21. At least part of the hot air, together with the water vapor, is discharged out of the cleaning chamber 11 from the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4. A flow path of the at least part of the hot air extends from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 to the air intake 41 of the exhaust assembly 4.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 1, 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is located at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 may be located at a middle part of the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 or at a part of the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 that is proximate to the side surface. The position of the air inlet is specifically determined based on use scenarios.

[0067] It can be understood that in the cleaning chamber 11, the air flows upward and circularly from a position proximate to a bottom of the cleaning chamber 11. By forming the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, on the one hand, uniformity of temperature distribution in the cleaning chamber 11 can be improved through a flow direction of the air. On the other hand, due to the effect of gravity, water vapor entering the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 through the air inlet 211 can be reduced, to protect the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23.

[0068] 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.

[0069] In this embodiment, the fan 22 may be mounted at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and between the water blocking cover 24 and the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21. The fan 22 may be connected to the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 through a snap-fit connection, a thread connection, welding, or other suitable means.

[0070] The fan 22 may be mounted at the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 in the following structural forms.

[0071] In this embodiment, the fan 22 may be mounted above or below the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1.

[0072] In this structure, 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. 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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 top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and a 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.

[0077] The fan 22 may be 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 a centrifugal air supply device, an exhaust fan, a ventilation and air supply device, or other devices capable of driving the air to flow.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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.

[0080] The water blocking cover 24 has functions of ventilation and water blocking. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the water blocking cover 24 may be disposed between the fan 22 and the cleaning chamber 11, and located in the cleaning chamber 11. 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 of the air duct 21.

[0081] 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.

[0082] In this embodiment, a relationship among the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, and the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 partially or completely overlaps the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, to increase an air suction area of the fan 22, accelerate air circulation, increase a circulating air volume entering the air duct 21, and improve the drying efficiency.

[0083] In the case where the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 partially overlaps the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, the larger an overlapping area of the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 with the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, the larger the air suction area of the fan 22.

[0084] The projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is greater than or equal to the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, to allow the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 to completely cover the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, to reduce an amount of water directly rushing into an interior of the fan 22 from the inlet of the fan 22 in response to the cleaning apparatus being in a cleaning mode. In this way, the water flow does not directly impact the fan 22, improving operational reliability of the internal circulation components 2, such as the fan 22 and the heater 23.

[0085] With the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, by providing the internal circulation components 2 such as the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23, 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, flows into 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 the hot air drying of the tableware in the cleaning chamber 11. Compared with a cleaning apparatus adopting external circulation for hot air drying, the internal-circulation drying operation mode improves a utilization rate of thermal energy of hot air, reduces energy consumption of the cleaning apparatus in the hot air drying operation mode, and achieves energy conservation. On the other hand, by setting a mutual relationship among the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, and the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, the air suction area of the fan 22 can be increased to improve the drying efficiency. The amount of the water directly rushing into the interior of the fan 22 from the inlet of the fan 22 when the cleaning apparatus operates in the cleaning mode can also be reduced, to improve the operational reliability of the internal circulation components 2 such as the fan 22 and the heater 23.

[0086] In some embodiments, the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 overlaps the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 by an area greater than or equal to 1 / 2 of the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1.

[0087] In this embodiment, the overlapping area of the projection S1 of the inlet of the fan 22 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 with the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 satisfies: S1nS2≥1 / 2*S1. For example, the overlapping area of S1 with S2 may be equal to 0.5S1, 0.7S1, or S1, to increase the air suction area of the fan 22, accelerate the air circulation, increase the circulating air volume entering the air duct 21, and improve the drying efficiency.

[0088] In some embodiments, the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is greater than the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, i.e., the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is located within the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, to allow the projection of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 to completely cover the projection of the air inlet 211 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1, which further reduces the amount of the water directly rushing into the interior of the fan 22 from the inlet of the fan 22 when the cleaning apparatus operates in the cleaning mode, improving the operational reliability of the internal circulation components 2 such as the fan 22 and the heater 23.

[0089] In some embodiments, a ratio of the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 to the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is greater than or equal to 1.1.

[0090] The ratio of the projection S3 of the water blocking cover 24 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 to the projection S2 of the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 on the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 is greater than or equal to 1.1. The ratio of S3 to S2 may be 1.1, 2, 4, or the like, and is specifically set based on actual application scenarios.

[0091] In some embodiments, the air duct 21 has the air inlet 211 located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and the air outlet 212 located at a lower part of the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0092] The air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 may be located at a center of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 or at a part of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 that is proximate to an edge. The air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be located at a lower part of an adjacent side surface that is proximate to the bottom surface.

[0093] In the cleaning chamber 11, the air flows upward and circularly from a position proximate to the bottom of the cleaning chamber 11. On the one hand, the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the cleaning chamber 11 can be improved through the flow direction of the air, which is beneficial to full-chamber drying and reduces the drying blind corner. On the other hand, the water vapor entering the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23 through the air inlet 211 can be reduced, to protect the air duct 21, the fan 22, and the heater 23.

[0094] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, 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.

[0095] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 8, and FIG. 12, the air inlet 211 is formed at a position proximate to a back plate 14 of the inner tub 1, and the air duct 21 comprises a plurality of air outlets 212 formed at the same side wall 13 of the inner tub 1.

[0098] In this embodiment, the air inlet 211 may be located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 and at the position proximate to the back plate 14, i.e., the center of the air inlet 211 is located at a rear half part of the entire cleaning apparatus. In this way, an interference between the air inlet 211 and pushing and pulling of the dish rack 5 can be reduced, to increase a depth of the dish rack 5 and improve a receiving capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0099] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 is disposed in a region of the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 that is proximate to the side surface and the back plate 14.

[0100] 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 receiving capacity of the dish rack 5.

[0101] The air duct 21 may have a plurality of air outlets 212. For example, the number of air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 may be 2, 3, or more. The plurality of air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 are formed at the same side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, and may be arranged at intervals along the same side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, to increase an air outlet area of the air duct 21, to improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the cleaning chamber 11, facilitating the full-chamber drying and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0102] By forming the plurality of air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 at the same side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, the air heated by the heater 23 in the air duct 21 can be discharged into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 in one direction, and be discharged out from the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 in one direction, which is beneficial to formation of internal air circulation and improves a drying speed.

[0103] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air duct 21 further has an air supplement inlet 2131 in communication with an outside environment. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the air duct 21 is provided with a valve 26 configured to close the air supplement inlet 2131 in a normal state and open under the action of a pressure difference.

[0104] The air duct 21 is provided with the valve 26 capable of controlling connection and disconnection of an external circulation flow path based on the pressure difference between the cleaning chamber 11 and the outside environment.

[0105] In this embodiment, the valve 26 is used to disconnect external circulation between the air supplement inlet 2131 and the air outlet 212 in the normal state, to reduce leakage of the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 11 to the outside environment through the air duct 21 in the normal state, reducing condensed water between the inner tub 1 and the housing of the cleaning apparatus and reducing corrosion and pollution. The valve 26 is used to open under the action of the pressure difference to achieve communication between the air supplement inlet 2131 and the air outlet 212 for external circulation. At this time, the air supplement inlet 2131 draws in external air, which can maintain air pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11 through the air supplement branch 213, and reduce a vacuum degree in the cleaning chamber 11. In this way, a high exhaust speed can be maintained, to quickly discharge the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 11, improving an overall dehumidification rate and drying speed of the cleaning apparatus, and further reducing the energy consumption of hot air drying.

[0106] The valve 26 may be disposed between the air supplement inlet 2131 and the air outlet 212, or at the air supplement inlet 2131. The valve 26 may be a fluid valve such as a gate valve, a globe valve, or a butterfly valve.

[0107] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the air duct 21 comprises a main air duct 216 and an air supplement branch 213 located between the main air duct 216 and the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The valve 26 is mounted at a wall surface between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216. The valve 26 comprises an air damper 261 pivotally mounted at the wall surface between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216. The air damper 261 has a first part 2611 located in the air supplement branch 213 and a second part 2612 located in the main air duct 216. The air damper 261 is configured to block the air supplement branch 213 under the action of gravity and open in response to the fan 22 being activated.

[0108] The valve 26 may be pivotally connected between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216, or connected between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216 through an elastic member such as a spring. The valve 26 is movable between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216 under the action of pressure, to open or close the air supplement branch 213.

[0109] The air damper 261 may be a baffle plate with an adjustable opening angle. The air volume may be controlled by adjusting the opening angle of the baffle plate. An area of the air damper 261 is greater than or equal to ventilation areas of the air supplement inlet 2131 and the air inlet 211.

[0110] In this embodiment, the air damper 261 may be of a baffle plate structure, and is rotatable around a pivot. The first part 2611 of the air damper 261 extends into the air supplement branch 213. An area of the first part 2611 of the air damper 261 extending into the air supplement branch 213 matches a cross-sectional area of the air supplement branch 213. The second part 2612 of the air damper 261 extends into the main air duct 216. An area of the second part 2612 of the air damper 261 extending into the main air duct 216 is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the main air duct 216.

[0111] When the fan 22 is not in operation, the air damper 261 is in a vertical state under the action of gravity. At this time, the first part 2611 of the air damper 261 closes the air supplement branch 213 to reduce steam leakage during processes such as cleaning. When the fan 22 is in operation, the entire system is in a drying process or a storage and preservation process. The second part 2612 of the air damper 261 rotates under a suction force of the fan 22 until the air damper 261 is in a horizontal state. At this time, the air damper 261 opens the air supplement branch 213. The cleaning apparatus is in an internal- and-external dual circulation state.

[0112] By providing the air damper 261 pivotally mounted at the wall surface between the air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216, the air damper 261 can be pushed to rotate under a pressure difference. In this way, various operation states of the cleaning apparatus are realized without external energy. The structure is simple and energy-saving.

[0113] The air duct 21 has at least the following two structural forms.

[0114] The first structural form is that the air duct 21 comprises a first branch 2151 and a second branch 2152. The first branch 2151 has an upper end in communication with an outlet of the fan 22 and a lower end at which an air outlet 212 is formed. The second branch 2152 has an upper end in communication with the outlet of the fan 22 and a lower end at which an air outlet 212 is formed. Moreover, the lower end of the first branch 2151 is proximate to a front opening 15 of the inner tub 1. The lower end of the second branch 2152 is proximate to the back plate 14 of the inner tub 1. A length of the first branch 2151 is greater than a length of the second branch 2152.

[0115] The air duct 21 comprises one air inlet 211 and two air outlets 212 that are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The two air outlets 212 are spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction of the cleaning chamber 11. Moreover, the length of the first branch 2151 is greater than the length of the second branch 2152. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn by the fan 22 from the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 into the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, then driven by the fan 22 to flow along the air duct 21 and turn to a lower half part of the air duct 21 located at the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The air is heated by the heater 23, and discharged from front and rear air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 at the lower half part of the air duct 21.

[0116] In this embodiment, in order to connect the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21 located at the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 located at the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, the air duct 21 is bent at 90°. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is driven by the fan 22, to directly turn 90° from the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 to the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11, with a large amount of airflow shifting toward a front side of the air duct 21. By setting the length of the first branch 2151 to be greater than the length of the second branch 2152, air volumes of front and rear air outlets 212 of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be made basically the same, which can thus further improve uniform distribution of a circulating heating temperature in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0117] The air duct 21 is in a Y shape. The upper ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 share the main air duct 216 of the air duct 21. In this embodiment, lengths of the upper ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 may be the same. A length of the lower end of the first branch 2151 is greater than a length of the lower end of the second branch 2152.

[0118] The internal circulation components 2 such as the fan 22 and the heater 23 may be located at the upper ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152, to realize that air flow of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be driven by using one fan 22. Moreover, air flowing through the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be heated by using one heater 23, reducing a cost. The plurality of air outlets 212 can improve uniform flow of the air in the cleaning chamber 11, improve uniformity of a temperature and humidity, and reduce the drying blind corner.

[0119] In some embodiments, the upper end of the first branch 2151 is independent from the upper end of the second branch 2152. The internal circulation components 2 such as the fan 22 and the heater 23 are mounted in each of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152, to increase an internal air circulation rate and improve the drying speed.

[0120] In some embodiments, the air duct 21 further comprises a main air duct 216, a first branch 2151, and a second branch 2152. The main air duct 216 has an air inlet 211 formed at a first end of the main air duct 216. First ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 are both connected to a second end of the main air duct 216. Each of second ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 has a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The air inlet 211, the first air outlet, and the second air outlet are each in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216 are arranged side by side.

[0121] In this embodiment, the air inlet 211, the first air outlet, and the second air outlet of the air duct 21 may be located at the same wall surface or different wall surfaces of the inner tub 1, which is specifically set based on the use scenarios. Ventilation areas of the air inlet 211, the first air outlet, and the second air outlet of the air duct 21 may be set based on specific use scenarios.

[0122] By forming the plurality of air outlets 212, the uniform flow of the air in the cleaning chamber 11 can be improved, improving the uniformity of temperature and humidity, and reducing the drying blind corner.

[0123] An air duct 21 in a similar "Y" shape is formed by the main air duct 216, the first branch 2151, and the second branch 2152. Each of the upper end of the first branch 2151 and the first end of the second branch 2152 is connected to the main air duct 216. The lengths and angles of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 may be the same or different, which is specifically set based on actual use scenarios.

[0124] The air supplement branch 213 and the main air duct 216 are arranged side by side. The air supplement branch 213 may be located at a side of the main air duct 216 proximate to the front opening 15 of the inner tub 1, or at a side of the main air duct 216 proximate to the back plate 14 of the inner tub 1. In this way, an integration level of the cleaning apparatus is improved, avoiding occupying a dimension of the cleaning apparatus in a length direction, and increasing the capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0125] In this embodiment, the internal circulation components 2 such as the fan 22 and the heater 23 may be located in the main air duct 216, to realize that the air flow of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be driven by using one fan 22. Moreover, the air flowing through the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be heated by using one heater 23, reducing the cost. Meanwhile, the plurality of air outlets 212 can improve the uniform flow of the air in the cleaning chamber 11, enhance the uniformity of temperature and humidity, and reduce the drying blind corner.

[0126] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, the first branch 2151 extends obliquely forward and downward from the first end to the second end, with the air supplement inlet 2131 facing an upper side wall 13 of the first branch 2151.

[0127] In this embodiment, an angle is formed between the first branch 2151 and the main air duct 216, with the air supplement inlet 2131 facing the upper side wall 13 of the first branch 2151. That is, the air supplement inlet 2131 is located at the comprised angle formed between the first branch 2151 and the main air duct 216, which further improves the integration level of the cleaning apparatus, avoiding occupying the dimension of the cleaning apparatus in the length direction, and increasing the capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, the first air outlet and the second air outlet may be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction of the cleaning chamber 11. The first branch 2151 extends obliquely in a front-rear direction of the inner tub 1. The second branch 2152 may extend obliquely backward and downward in the front-rear direction of the inner tub 1, or may extend downward in a height direction of the inner tub 1.

[0129] By making centers of the first air outlet and the second air outlet spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction of the cleaning chamber 11, the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be formed at each of a front half part and a rear half part of the cleaning chamber 11, which balances humidity and temperature ranges between the front half part and the rear half part of the cleaning chamber 11, and thus can further improve the uniform distribution of the circulating heating temperature in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0130] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, an airflow in the main air duct 216 flows obliquely towards the front side. The first branch 2151 is located at a front side of the second branch 2152. A length of the first branch 2151 at the front side is greater than the length of the second branch 2152.

[0131] The air duct 21 comprises one air inlet 211 and two air outlets 212 that are in communication with the cleaning chamber 11. The first and second air outlets are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction of the cleaning chamber 11. Moreover, the length of the first branch 2151 is greater than the length of the second branch 2152. The air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn by the fan 22 from the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11 into the air inlet 211 of the air duct 21, then driven by the fan 22 to flow along the air duct 21 and turn to the lower half part of the air duct 21 located at the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The air is heated by the heater 23, and discharged from the front and rear air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 at the lower half part of the air duct 21.

[0132] In this embodiment, since an impeller 222 of the fan 22 rotates to suck air, the airflow entering the main air duct 216 flows obliquely towards the front side. By setting the length of the first branch 2151 to be greater than the length of the second branch 2152, the air volumes of the front and rear air outlets 212 of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 can be made basically the same, which can further improve the uniform distribution of the circulating heating temperature in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0133] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the lower ends of the first branch 2151 and the second branch 2152 may be located at a middle or lower part of the cleaning chamber 11, i.e., the two air outlets 212 of the air duct 21 may be located at the middle or lower part of the cleaning chamber 11. These positions of the fan 22 and the air outlets improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the cleaning chamber 11 during the internal circulation process of the cleaning apparatus, which is beneficial to the full-chamber drying and reduces the drying blind corner.

[0134] The second structural form is that as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the air duct 21 comprises a lower air duct 215 having a lower end at which a plurality of air outlets 212 are formed. A width of the lower air duct 215 in a front-rear direction gradually increases from top to bottom. A thickness of the lower air duct 215 in a left-right direction gradually decreases from top to bottom.

[0135] In this embodiment, the width of the lower air duct 215 in the front-rear direction gradually increases from top to bottom, which can increase the number of air outlets 212 and expand an air outlet coverage of the air duct 21, to improve uniform temperature distribution in the cleaning chamber 11, facilitating the full-chamber drying and reducing the drying blind corner. The thickness of the lower air duct 215 in the left-right direction gradually decreases from top to bottom, which can increase an air outlet speed by narrowing a flow cross-sectional area. Moreover, the air has a downward flow tendency after being discharged, which is helpful to improve the overall drying effect, especially a drying effect on the bottom of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0136] The number of air outlets 212 is proportional to the width of the lower air duct 215 in the front-rear direction. The plurality of air outlets 212 can improve the uniform flow of the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and enhance the uniformity of temperature and humidity.

[0137] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 16, the lower air duct 215 is provided with a plurality of flow guide members 2153 arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. The plurality of air outlets 212 are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction, to uniformly distribute the air volume at the positions of the plurality of air outlets 212.

[0138] In this embodiment, the air outlet 212 of the lower air duct 215 is located at a lower side of the cleaning apparatus, with the discharged air tending to flow downward. In this way, a full circulation of the air along a bottom side of a lower dish rack 5 following a wall of the cleaning chamber 11 is achieved, which is helpful to improve the overall drying effect, especially the drying effect on the bottom of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0139] In some embodiments, 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 water in the cleaning chamber 11 from leaking through a gap between the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, reducing a risk of water leakage and improving reliability of the cleaning apparatus.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the air duct 21 further has an air supplement inlet 2131 in communication with an outside environment and the inlet of the fan 22.

[0141] The air supplement inlet 2131 of the air duct 21 is in communication with the outside environment, which allows the external air to be drawn by the fan 22 into the air duct 21. The external air may be heated by the heater 23 and then discharged into the cleaning chamber 11 from the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, or directly enter the cleaning chamber 11, to balance air pressure in the cleaning chamber 11 and reduce the vacuum degree in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0142] By forming the air inlet 211, the air supplement inlet 2131, and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, external circulation and / or internal circulation of the cleaning chamber 11 can be realized, to achieve various operation modes of the cleaning apparatus.

[0143] During operation of only the fan 22, in order to maintain the pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11, the fan 22 draws air as much as possible only from the cleaning chamber 11 to achieve a basic internal circulation. At this time, an air volume of the internal circulation is much greater than an air volume of the external circulation, which can achieve an 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 in 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, simultaneous internal and external circulations are realized, which can effectively meet a requirement of rapid dehumidification in a dehumidification stage.

[0144] In the related art, the single internal circulation solution is helpful to circularly heat 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 a discharge stage, without the introduction of external air, the exhaust assembly 4 gradually draws the cleaning chamber 11 into a 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.

[0145] By forming the air supplement inlet 2131 of the air duct 21 that is in communication with the outside environment in the present disclosure, the air pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11 can be maintained through the air supplement inlet 2131 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.

[0146] In this embodiment, the air inlet 211, the air supplement inlet 2131, and the air outlet 212 may be located 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, the air supplement inlet 2131, and the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21 may be set based on the specific use scenarios.

[0147] The fan 22 is in communication with the air inlet 211 and the air supplement inlet 2131 of the air duct 21, to allow the fan 22 to draw the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and / or external air into the air duct 21 when the fan 22 is activated. Moreover, the air in the cleaning chamber 11 and / or external air is driven by the fan 22 to flow from the outlet of the fan 22 to the air outlet 212 of the air duct 21, and then be discharged into the cleaning chamber 11.

[0148] In this embodiment, by forming the air supplement inlet 2131 of the air duct 21 in communication with the outside environment, when the exhaust assembly 4 operates, the air pressure balance in the cleaning chamber 11 can be maintained through the air supplement inlet 2131, 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.

[0149] In this embodiment, 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. As shown in FIG. 11, a hollow arrow indicates the external circulation. A solid arrow indicates the internal circulation.

[0150] The air supplement branch 213 extends to a side surface of the inner tub 1, to improve the integration level of the cleaning apparatus, avoid occupying a dimension of the cleaning apparatus in a height direction, and increase the capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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.

[0153] 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.

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, the fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The air duct 21 comprises an air supplement branch 213 extending from the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 to a side surface of the inner tub 1. An air supplement inlet 2131 located at the side surface of the inner tub 1 is formed at a lower end of the air supplement branch 213. 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.

[0157] The fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 without occupying the internal space of the cleaning chamber 11, thus increasing the capacity of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0158] The fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11, and has an air suction side facing the interior of the cleaning chamber 11. When the fan 22 is in operation, the air with a high temperature in the upper part of the cleaning chamber 11 may be introduced to the 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.

[0159] In practical use, when the cleaning apparatus employs the automatic door-opening solution or automatic door opening / closing solution as the main means of dehumidification, the hot air in the cleaning chamber 11 moves upward and backward in the cleaning chamber 11 due to the 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 the drying blind corner and improve the overall drying effect and speed.

[0160] In this embodiment, the fan 22 may be mounted above the top wall 12 of the cleaning chamber 11. The 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 the various dimensions between the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1 and the housing of the cleaning apparatus, which increases the circulating air volume, and thus increases the power of the heater 23 and achieves the better drying effect.

[0161] 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.

[0162] 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.

[0163] 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.

[0164] 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.

[0165] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, 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.

[0166] 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.

[0167] 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.

[0168] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 19, the inner side surface of the side plate 3 is spaced apart from the air duct 21 with a spacing c, where c≥2 mm.

[0169] 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.

[0170] 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.

[0171] 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.

[0172] 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.

[0173] In some embodiments, power of the heater 23 is P, where P≤500W.

[0174] 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 according to use conditions.

[0175] 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.

[0176] 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. The hot air drying may be used as the main energy source, and the high-temperature rinsing is converted into the auxiliary energy source, significantly shortening a drying time of the tableware and improves convenience.

[0177] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, 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 define a receiving cavity. The impeller 222 is mounted in the receiving cavity.

[0178] 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.

[0179] In this embodiment, the fan 22 is mounted above the top wall 12 of the inner tub 1. The fan 22 may only comprises 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.

[0180] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, 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.

[0181] 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.

[0182] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, 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.

[0183] In some embodiments, the air outlet 212 is provided with a grille 2156.

[0184] 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.

[0185] 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.

[0186] 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.

[0187] The grille 2156 can also reduce a direct impact of the water flow on the air duct 21, protecting the air duct 21.

[0188] In some embodiments, the cleaning apparatus has at least the following operation modes.

[0189] First, the cleaning apparatus has an internal-circulation drying operation mode.

[0190] 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.

[0191] 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.

[0192] Secondly, the cleaning apparatus has a dehumidification negative-pressure operation mode.

[0193] 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.

[0194] Thirdly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed operation mode.

[0195] 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.

[0196] Fourthly, the cleaning apparatus has a mixed dehumidification operation mode.

[0197] 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.

[0198] As shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further comprises an air duct structure. The air duct structure comprises an upper air duct 214, a flexible connection member 217, and a lower air duct 215.

[0199] The upper air duct 214 has an air inlet 211 of the air duct structure. An end of the flexible connection member 217 is connected to a lower port of the upper air duct 214. An upper port of the lower air duct 215 is connected to the other end of the flexible connection member 217. The lower air duct 215 has an air outlet 212 of the air duct structure. The air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 are non-coplanar.

[0200] The air enters the air duct structure through the air inlet 211 of the air duct structure, flows sequentially through the upper air duct 214, the flexible connection member 217, and the lower air duct 215, and finally flows out through the air outlet 212 of the air duct structure. The air inlet 211 of the air duct structure is in communication with the air intake 41 of the fan 22.

[0201] The two ends of the flexible connection member 217 are connected to the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, respectively. The flexible connection member 217 may be detachably connected to the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215 through manners such as a plug-in connection, a clamp connection, or a fixture connection.

[0202] The flexible connection member 217 may be of a deformable connection structure, for example, a flexible connector made of one or more materials selected from a group comprising metal, plastic, rubber and a combination thereof.

[0203] By arranging the flexible connection member 217 to be detachably connected to the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, replacement of the upper air duct 214 and the lower air duct 215 with combinations of those of different types and dimensions can be facilitated. In addition, an angle between the upper air duct 214 and the lower air duct 215 can be changed by bending the flexible connection member 217, which enables the air duct structure to be mounted at inner tubs 1 of cleaning apparatuses with various heights.

[0204] In the related art, in order to prolong a circulation path of hot air during the hot air drying process of the cleaning chamber 11, fully utilize the thermal energy of the hot air, and improve the drying effect for both the entire chamber and the blind corner of the cleaning chamber 11, a mounting plane of the fan 22 and an internal circulation outlet of the cleaning chamber 11 are usually formed at different surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11. However, the applicant has found through research that when the mounting plane of the fan 22 and the internal circulation outlet of the cleaning chamber 11 are located at different surfaces, tolerance and sealing problems occur during the assembly of the cleaning chamber 11 and the air duct structure, resulting in high assembly difficulty and a poor subsequent use effect.

[0205] With the air duct structure according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by adopting a split structure composed of the upper air duct 214 and the lower air duct 215, the upper air duct 214 and the lower air duct 215 are connected by the flexible connection member 217. Moreover, the air inlet 211 and air outlet 212 of the air duct structure are non-coplanar. This design can be adapted to the cleaning apparatus with the mounting plane of the fan 22 and the internal circulation outlet of the cleaning chamber 11 that are located at different surfaces. In addition, during assembly with such cleaning apparatus, a tolerance generated during production of the inner tub 1 can be compensated by replacing the upper air duct 214 and the lower air duct 215 with those of different lengths and dimensions, which reduces assembly difficulty. Meanwhile, this design is compatible with cleaning apparatuses of different heights, improving operational reliability and expanding application scenarios.

[0206] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 22, the upper air duct 214 comprises a horizontal segment 2141 and a lower connection segment 2142 connected to the horizontal segment 2141 and extending downward. The air inlet 211 is formed at a lower surface of the horizontal segment 2141. The flexible connection member 217 is connected to the lower connection segment 2142.

[0207] The horizontal segment 2141 and the lower connection segment 2142 are located at different surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11, respectively. By providing the lower connection segment 2142 extending downwardly, the upper air duct 214 can be arranged at different surfaces, thus adapting to the cleaning apparatus with the mounting plane of the fan 22 and the internal circulation outlet of the cleaning chamber 11 that are located at different surfaces.

[0208] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 22, an upper surface of the upper air duct 214 has an opening for mounting the fan 22. The flexible connection member 217 comprises a cover plate 2171 and a sleeve 2172 connected to the cover plate 2171. Two ends of the sleeve 2172 are sleeved over the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, respectively. The cover plate 2171 covers the upper air duct 214 and the opening.

[0209] In this embodiment, the receiving cavity for mounting the fan 22 is formed by the lower surface of the upper air duct 214 and the cover plate 2171. The cover plate 2171 may be connected to the opening of the upper air duct 214 through connection manners such as a plug-in connection, a snap-fit connection, or a bolt connection.

[0210] The sleeve 2172 may be a connection pipe made of rubber or plastic. The two ends of the sleeve 2172 are sleeved over the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, respectively.

[0211] In some embodiments, the two ends of the sleeve 2172 are sleeved over the connection segment and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, respectively. At least part of the cover plate 2171 is connected to the horizontal segment 2141 and covers the opening.

[0212] The cover plate 2171 and the sleeve 2172 have at least the following two structural forms.

[0213] A first structural form is configured that the cover plate 2171 is completely located at a surface of the cleaning chamber 11 where the fan 22 is located, and may be fully connected to the horizontal segment 2141 of the upper air duct 214. At least part of the sleeve 2172 extends into the surface of the cleaning chamber 11 where the fan 22 is located, and is connected to the cover plate 2171.

[0214] The at least part of the sleeve 2172 is of a flexible structure, which enables an end of the sleeve 2172 to be bent and deformed towards a surface of the cleaning chamber 11 where the upper port of the lower air duct 215 is located, and the other end of the sleeve 2172 to be bent and deformed towards another surface of the cleaning chamber 11 where the lower port of the upper air duct 214 is located, to facilitate a sleeve connection of the sleeve 2172 with each of the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215.

[0215] A second structural form is configured that a part of the cover plate 2171 covers the upper surface of the upper air duct 214, and another part of the cover plate 2171 covers a curved part of the upper air duct 214 extending toward the side surface.

[0216] In this embodiment, a part of the cover plate 2171 is located at the surface of the cleaning chamber 11 where the fan 22 is located. The other part of the cover plate 2171 covers the curved part of the upper air duct 214 extending toward the side surface.

[0217] In this embodiment, the at least part of the cover plate 2171 is of a flexible structure. In this way, after the two ends of the sleeve 2172 are respectively sleeved over the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215 at a certain surface of the cleaning chamber 11, the cover plate 2171 may be bent and deformed towards another surface where the fan 22 is located. In this way, this configuration facilitates covering the upper air duct 214 and closing the opening by the cover plate 2171.

[0218] In some embodiments, the two ends of the sleeve 2172 are respectively in an interference fit with the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215, to improve sealing performance at the connections where the two ends of the sleeve 2172 are respectively connected to the lower port of the upper air duct 214 and the upper port of the lower air duct 215.

[0219] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, a side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 has a first connection structure 2143. The cover plate 2171 has a second connection structure 21711. The first connection structure 2143 is connected to the second connection structure 21711.

[0220] The side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 is assembled with the cover plate 2171, and may be connected to the cover plate 2171 through connection manners such as a bolt connection, a snap-fit connection, or a plug-in connection.

[0221] In the case where the side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 is in a plug-in connection with the cover plate 2171, one of the first connection structure 2143 and the second connection structure 21711 is a plug. The other one of the first connection structure 2143 and the second connection structure 21711 is a socket. The plug is inserted into the socket to connect the side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 and the cover plate 2171 together.

[0222] In the case where the side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 is in a snap-fit connection with the cover plate 2171, one of the first connection structure 2143 and the second connection structure 21711 is a fixed snap. The other one of the first connection structure 2143 and the second connection structure 21711 is a connection member 2422. The connection member 2422 is inserted into the fixed snap to lock the side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 and the cover plate 2171 together.

[0223] In some embodiments, the first connection structure 2143 is engaged with the second connection structure 21711. A plurality of first connection structures 2143 may be provided. The number of second connection structures 21711 matches the number of first connection structures 2143, to improve connection stability between the side wall 13 of the upper air duct 214 and the cover plate 2171.

[0224] In some embodiments, the upper cover plate 2171 is made of rubber. An upper half part of the upper cover plate 2171 may be bent to cover an upper surface of the air duct 21, which reduces problems such as vibration of the motor assembly of the fan 22, vibration between the fan 22 and a top outer plate, and aerodynamic noise generated by the fan 22, effectively reducing a noise level of the cleaning apparatus during operation.

[0225] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 21, the lower air duct 215 comprises a body portion 2158 and a cover body 2157. An upper end of the body portion 2158 is connected to the flexible connection member 217. At least part of an outer side surface of the body portion 2158 is open and has the air outlet 212. The cover body 2157 is connected to the body portion 2158 and covers the open part of the outer side surface of the main housing. The cover body 2157 is made of a flexible material.

[0226] In this embodiment, the body portion 2158 may be made of a light material, such as hard plastic or metal. The cover body 2157 is made of a flexible material, such as rubber or plastic.

[0227] The body portion 2158 and the cover body 2157 may be connected through manners such as a plug-in connection, a clamp connection, or a fixture connection, facilitating disassembly, assembly, and replacement.

[0228] By configuring the lower air duct 215 as a combination of the body portion 2158 made of a hard material and the cover body 2157 made of a flexible material, a good sealing effect can be achieved. Moreover, the entire lower air duct 215 can reduce risks of air leakage and water leakage, improving reliability of the air duct structure.

[0229] In some embodiments, a sealing rubber strip may be provided between the body portion 2158 and the cover body 2157, to further improve sealing performance between the body portion 2158 and the cover body 2157 and improve the reliability of the air duct structure.

[0230] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, the body portion 2158 comprises an upper connection segment 21581 and an air duct housing 21582.

[0231] A lower end of the flexible connection member 217 is sleeved over the upper connection segment 21581. The air duct housing 21582 is connected to the upper connection segment 21581. An outer side surface of the air duct housing 21582 is open and has an air outlet 212. The cover body 2157 covers the air duct housing 21582.

[0232] The lower end of the flexible connection member 217 may be in an interference fit with the upper connection segment 21581, to improve sealing performance of the connection between the lower end of the flexible connection member 217 and the upper connection segment 21581.

[0233] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 24, the upper connection segment 21581 has a third connection structure 21583 formed at an outer peripheral wall of the upper connection segment 21581. The flexible connection member 217 has an avoidance hole 2173 formed at the lower end of the flexible connection member 217. The cover body 2157 has a fourth connection structure 21571. The third connection structure 21583 extends through the avoidance hole 2173 and is connected to the fourth connection structure 21571.

[0234] The third connection structure 21583 may be in a snap-fit connection, in a threaded connection, or in a plug-in connection with the fourth connection structure 21571.

[0235] The third connection structure 21583 extends through the avoidance hole 2173, to enable the flexible connection member 217 to be connected and fixed to the upper connection segment 21581. The third connection structure 21583 extends through the avoidance hole 2173 and is connected to the fourth connection structure 21571, to allow for connection and fixation among the upper connection segment 21581, the cover body 2157, and the flexible connection member 217.

[0236] In the case where the third connection structure 21583 is in a snap-fit connection with the fourth connection structure 21571, the third connection structure 21583 may be a fixed snap. The fourth connection structure 21571 may be a sliding snap. When the lower end of the flexible connection member 217 is sleeved over the upper connection segment 21581, the third connection structure 21583 extends through the avoidance hole 2173. At least part of the third connection structure 21583 may extend out from the avoidance hole 2173, to enable the flexible connection member 217 to be connected and fixed to the upper connection segment 21581. The fourth connection structure 21571 slides into the third connection structure 21583, to allow for the connection and fixation among the upper connection segment 21581, the cover body 2157, and the flexible connection member 217.

[0237] In the case where the third connection structure 21583 is in a threaded connection with the fourth connection structure 21571, the third connection structure 21583 may be a protrusion having a threaded hole. The fourth connection structure 21571 may be a structure with a connection member 2422, such as a bolt, a stud, or a screw. When the lower end of the flexible connection member 217 is sleeved over the upper connection segment 21581, the third connection structure 21583 extends through the avoidance hole 2173. The threaded hole of the third connection structure 21583 may protrude from the avoidance hole 2173. The fourth connection structure 21571 is connected to the third connection structure 21583 through threads.

[0238] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, the air duct housing 21582 has a heater mounting position 21585 for mounting the heater 23 and a temperature controller mounting position 21586 for mounting the temperature controller 29.

[0239] The heater mounting position 21585 is used for mounting the heater 23 that may be mounted at the heater mounting position 21585 through connection manners such as a plug-in connection, a threaded connection, or a snap-fit connection. The heater 23 is configured to heat the air flowing through the lower air duct 215 when the heater is activated.

[0240] The temperature controller mounting position 21586 is used for mounting the temperature controller 29 that may be mounted at the temperature controller mounting position 21586 through connection manners such as a plug-in connection, a threaded connection, or a snap-fit connection. The temperature controller 29 is configured to detect a temperature in the lower air duct 215 and control an overall operating state of the cleaning apparatus based on the detected temperature.

[0241] Both the heater mounting position 21585 and the temperature controller mounting position 21586 are located in the air duct housing 21582, i.e., the heater 23 and the temperature controller 29 are mounted in the same space.

[0242] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, in an air flow direction, the heater mounting position 21585 and the temperature controller mounting position 21586 are mounted sequentially, to allow the airflow to be heated by the heater 23 before its temperature is measured by the temperature controller 29.

[0243] By mounting both the temperature controller 29 and the heater 23 in the air duct housing 21582, the temperature controller 29 may monitor a temperature in the air duct housing 21582 in real time. In case of sudden stall or damage of the fan 22, the temperature controller 29 may detect an abnormal temperature in a timely manner to control the cleaning apparatus to stop operating, which can effectively reduce risks and improve the safety of the cleaning apparatus.

[0244] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 21, a vapor chamber 21584 is mounted in the air duct housing 21582, and may be connected to the air duct housing 21582 via a threaded connection, a plug-in connection, or a snap-fit connection. The vapor chamber 21584 may be a component such as a quartz heating plate, a ceramic heating plate, or a metal heating element.

[0245] The vapor chamber 21584 is disposed in the air duct housing 21582 and located at a side of the heater mounting position 21585 facing away from the inner tub 1. The vapor chamber 21584 is in direct contact with an interior of the air duct housing 21582. Due to excellent thermal conductivity of the vapor chamber 21584, a local high temperature near the heater 23 may be rapidly diffused to surrounding regions, which can reduce the occurrence of localized overheating of the air duct housing 21582, while reducing damage to a human body or a built-in cabinet caused by an excessively high temperature at an outer side of the air duct housing 21582.

[0246] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 26, the lower air duct 215 has a heater mounting position 21585. An expansion segment 2154 is provided between an inlet end of the lower air duct 215 and the heater mounting position 21585. A flow area of the expansion segment 2154 gradually increases from an end proximate to the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 to an end proximate to the heater mounting position 21585.

[0247] The lower air duct 215 comprises the heater mounting position 21585 and the inlet end of the lower air duct 215. The flow area of the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 is smaller than a flow area of the heater mounting position 21585. The heater mounting position 21585 is disposed at a rear side of the inlet end of the lower air duct 215, to allow the airflow to flow from the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 to the heater mounting position 21585.

[0248] The heater mounting position 21585 is used for mounting the heater 23 that is configured to heat the air flowing through the lower air duct 215 when the heater is activated. The fan 22 may be mounted at the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 or at a position proximate to the inlet end of the lower air duct 215, to draw the air into the lower air duct 215 from the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 and drive the air to flow along the lower air duct 215 towards the heater mounting position 21585.

[0249] In this embodiment, the expansion segment 2154 may be axisymmetric, or have a shape with one side inclined and the other side vertical, or have a shape with both sides inclined but at different inclination angles, which can be specifically set based on the actual use scenarios.

[0250] With the lower air duct 215 provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the expansion segment 2154 between the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 and the heater mounting position 21585, and configuring the flow area of the expansion segment 2154 to gradually increase from the end proximate to the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 to the end proximate to the heater mounting position 21585, on the one hand, a speed of the airflow entering from the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 can be reduced, to prolong a contact time between the air and the heater 23 and improve a heating effect. On the other hand, the air volume can be blown more uniformly onto a surface of the heater 23, to reduce a local high temperature phenomenon, and improve safety and reliability of the lower air duct 215 during operation.

[0251] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 26, a front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 is arranged to incline forward from the end proximate to the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 to the end proximate to the heater mounting position 21585.

[0252] An angle is formed between the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 and a vertical direction, which allows the flow area of the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 to be smaller than the flow area of the heater mounting position 21585 located below the expansion segment. After the airflow flows out from the outlet of the fan 22, expansion of the flow area can make a decrease in air speed and an increase in pressure, to allow the air volume to be blown more uniformly onto the heater 23. This mitigates a limitation on the power of the heater 23 by the local high temperature, and achieves effects of pressure elevation and flow stabilization.

[0253] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 26, an inclination angle γ between the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 and the vertical direction ranges from 10° to 45°.

[0254] The inclination angle γ between the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 and the vertical direction may be 10°, 20°, 30°, or 45°, and may be specifically set based on the actual use scenarios.

[0255] By setting a range of the inclination angle between the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 and the vertical direction, the air volume can be more evenly distributed. In this way, the air flows uniformly across a cross-section of the underlying heater 23, which reduces the limitation on the power of the heater 23 caused by local overheating.

[0256] In some embodiments, the lower air duct 215 internally has a temperature controller mounting position 21586 for mounting the temperature controller 29.

[0257] The temperature controller mounting position 21586 is used for mounting the temperature controller 29 that may be mounted at the temperature controller mounting position 21586 through connection manners such as a plug-in connection, a threaded connection, or a snap-fit connection. The temperature controller 29 is used to detect the temperature in the lower air duct 215 and control the overall operating state of the cleaning apparatus based on the detected temperature.

[0258] By mounting both the temperature controller 29 and the heater 23 in the lower air duct 215, the temperature controller 29 may monitor the temperature in the lower air duct 215 in real time. In case of the sudden stall or damage of the fan 22, the temperature controller 29 may detect the abnormal temperature in a timely manner to control the cleaning apparatus to stop operating, which can effectively reduce risks and improve the safety of the cleaning apparatus.

[0259] The position of the temperature controller mounting position 21586 in the lower air duct 215 has at least the following two structural forms.

[0260] A first structural form is configured that the expansion segment 2154 has a temperature controller mounting position 21586 for mounting the temperature controller 29.

[0261] The temperature controller mounting position 21586 may be disposed at any side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154. For example, the temperature controller mounting position 21586 may be disposed at the front side wall 13 or the rear side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154.

[0262] In this embodiment, by arranging the temperature controller mounting position 21586 between the inlet end of the lower air duct 215 and the heater mounting position 21585, the temperature controller 29 may detect a temperature of air that has not been heated by the heater 23, and control the cleaning apparatus to stop operating in a timely manner in response to an abnormal temperature, which further reduces risks and improves the safety of the cleaning apparatus.

[0263] In some embodiments, the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154 has a temperature controller mounting position 21586 for mounting the temperature controller 29.

[0264] In this embodiment, in response to the fan 22 suddenly stalling or being damaged, the hot air from the heater 23 rises and quickly reaches an inclined position of the front side wall 13 of the expansion segment 2154. At this time, the temperature at this position reaches the maximum. This temperature controller mounting position 21586 can effectively reduce safety problems.

[0265] A second structural form is configured that, as shown in FIG. 27, the lower air duct 215 has a temperature controller mounting position 21586 for mounting the temperature controller 29. The temperature controller mounting position 21586 and the heater mounting position 21585 are arranged side by side in a horizontal direction.

[0266] In this embodiment, the temperature controller mounting position 21586 and the heater mounting position 21585 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, which enables the temperature controller 29 to directly detect a temperature of the heater 23 and control the cleaning apparatus to stop operating in a timely manner when the temperature of the heater 23 is abnormal, further reducing risks and improving the safety of the cleaning apparatus.

[0267] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 27, the lower air duct 215 further comprises an isolation plate 2155 mounted at an inner side surface of the temperature controller mounting position 21586, to isolate the temperature controller 29 from an air flow channel of the lower air duct 215. Moreover, the isolation plate 2155 is made of a thermally conductive and insulating material.

[0268] The isolation plate 2155 may be made of thermally conductive and insulating materials such as ceramics, graphene, mica, or silica gel. The isolation plate 2155 may be connected to the inner side surface of the temperature controller mounting position 21586 in a plug-in connection manner, a threaded connection manner, or a snap-fit connection manner.

[0269] In this embodiment, by arranging the isolation plate 2155 made of a thermally conductive and insulating material, on the one hand, the temperature controller 29 that needs to be connected to the high-voltage power supply can be isolated from the air flow channel of the lower air duct 215, thus avoiding contact between the temperature controller 29 and conductive water vapor in the lower air duct 215, enhancing insulation protection, and reducing safety hazards. On the other hand, the isolation plate 2155 also has a thermal conductivity function, and thus can reflect the temperature at the heater 23 to the temperature controller 29 in real time, to cut off the entire system when the temperature controller 29 detects an abnormal temperature, improving the safety of the cleaning apparatus.

[0270] It can be understood that since the lower air duct 215 and the cleaning chamber 11 are parts of the same enclosed space filled with a large amount of conductive water vapor, However, the temperature controller 29 needs to be connected to the high-voltage power supply, a safety risk occurs if the temperature controller 29, which requires a connection to the high-voltage power supply, is in direct contact with the water vapor.

[0271] As shown in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further comprises an air duct 21. The air duct 21 comprises a fan mounting position 2146, a first air guide segment 2147, and a second air guide segment 2149 that are sequentially in communication with each other. The fan mounting position 2146 and the first air guide segment 2147 are arranged in the same direction. The first air guide segment 2147 and the second air guide segment 2149 are bent with respect to each other. The first air guide segment 2147 is provided with a volute tongue 2148. A flow area at the volute tongue 2148 gradually increases from an end proximate to the fan mounting position 2146 to an end proximate to the second air guide segment 2149.

[0272] The fan mounting position 2146 is used for mounting the fan 22. The fan mounting position 2146 and the first air guide segment 2147 are located at the same surface of the cleaning chamber 11. For example, both the fan mounting position 2146 and the first air guide segment 2147 may be located at a top surface or side surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0273] The first air guide segment 2147 and the second air guide segment 2149 are bent with respect to each other, and are located at adjacent surfaces of the cleaning chamber 11. For example, the first air guide segment 2147 is located at the top surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The second air guide segment 2149 is located at the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first air guide segment 2147 is located at the side surface of the cleaning chamber 11. The second air guide segment 2149 is located at the bottom surface of the cleaning chamber 11.

[0274] A relative bending angle between the first air guide segment 2147 and the second air guide segment 2149 may be 90°, 180°, or other angles, which can be specifically set based on a mounting environment of the air duct 21.

[0275] The volute tongue 2148 is located at a side of the first air guide segment 2147 proximate to the fan mounting position 2146, and is used to reduce an air volume circulating in the fan mounting position 2146. When the impeller 222 of the fan 22 rotates, as the airflow entering the air inlet 211 passes by the volute tongue 2148, the airflow is divided into two streams by the volute tongue 2148. Most of the airflow flows into the first air guide segment 2147 along the fan mounting position 2146. A small part of the airflow flows back to the fan mounting position 2146 through a gap between the volute tongue 2148 and the impeller 222, rotates with the impeller 222 for a full cycle in the fan mounting position 2146, and then returns to the volute tongue 2148 to participate in a new round of flow division.

[0276] It should be noted that after the air in the cleaning chamber 11 is drawn into the first air guide segment 2147 by the fan 22, the air immediately enters the second air guide segment 2149. When the air in the cleaning chamber 11 flows from the first air guide segment 2147 to the second air guide segment 2149, its direction deflects by an angle the same as the relative bending angle between the first air guide segment 2147 and the second air guide segment 2149. Such air deflection creates resistance to the airflow, easily causing a backflow vortex phenomenon, thus affecting an overall operating state, air volume, and efficiency of the fan 22.

[0277] With the air duct 21 provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the volute tongue 2148 at the first air guide segment 2147, and configuring the flow area at the volute tongue 2148 to gradually increase from the end proximate to the fan mounting position 2146 to the end proximate to the second air guide segment 2149, an impact of backflow vortex caused by the deflection of the airflow when flowing from the first air guide segment 2147 to the second air guide segment 2149 can be reduced. In addition, the expansion design of the first air guide segment 2147 can significantly improve air speed uniformity at the outlet of the fan 22 and a maximum static pressure of the fan 22, increase an overall air volume in the air duct 21, and make the airflow reach the surface of the heater 23 at a uniform speed, improving a hot air drying effect of the cleaning apparatus.

[0278] In some embodiments, the fan mounting position 2146 and the first air guide segment 2147 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The second air guide segment 2149 is arranged in the vertical direction.

[0279] The relative bending angle between the first air guide segment 2147 and the second air guide segment 2149 is 90°, to adapt to the cleaning apparatus where the mounting plane of the fan 22 and the internal circulation outlet of the cleaning chamber 11 are located at different surfaces.

[0280] In some embodiments, the volute tongue 2148 comprises an arc segment 21481 and a straight segment 21482. The arc segment 21481 protrudes towards a middle part of the first air guide segment 2147. A first end of the straight segment 21482 is connected to the arc segment 21481, and a wall surface of the first air guide segment 2147.

[0281] The arc segment 21481 is mainly used to guide the air flow direction, enabling the air to better enter a region of the straight segment 21482, while reducing turbulence and vortex of the airflow. The straight segment 21482 is mainly used to smoothly introduce an airflow from the arc segment 21481 into the second air guide segment 2149.

[0282] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 29, an angle θ between the straight segment 21482 and a central axis of the first air guide segment 2147 ranges from 5° to 60°.

[0283] The angle θ between the straight segment 21482 and the central axis of the first air guide segment 2147 may be 5°, 25°, 45°, or 60°, which can be specifically set based on an actual operation environment.

[0284] In some embodiments, the straight segment 21482 is tangent to the arc segment 21481, to facilitate smooth introduction of the airflow from the arc segment 21481 into the straight segment 21482.

[0285] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 29, a radian δ of the arc segment 21481 ranges from 30° to 90°.

[0286] The radian δ of the arc segment 21481 may be 30°, 45°, 60°, or 90°, which can be specifically set based on the actual operation environment.

[0287] By setting the radian δ of the arc segment 21481, the air can better enter the region of the straight segment 21482, while reducing the turbulence and vortex of the airflow.

[0288] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 29, a vertical distance d4 from a center of the fan mounting position 2146 to the straight segment 21482 and a radius r of the fan mounting position 2146 satisfies: d4≤3r.

[0289] The vertical distance d4 from the center of the fan mounting position 2146 to the straight segment 21482 may be a negative value, i.e., an extending line of the straight segment 21482 intersects with the fan mounting position 2146. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the extending line of the straight segment 21482 is tangent to the fan mounting position 2146, i.e., the vertical distance d4 from the center of the fan mounting position 2146 to the straight segment 21482 is 0. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vertical distance d4 from the center of the fan mounting position 2146 to the straight segment 21482 may be r, 1.5r, or 3r, which can be specifically set based on the actual operation environment.

[0290] In this embodiment, by setting the vertical distance from the center of the fan mounting position 2146 to the straight segment 21482, the air can better enter the region of the straight segment 21482, while reducing the turbulence and vortex of the airflow.

[0291] In some embodiments, the volute tongue 2148 is spaced apart from the second air guide segment 2149, which improves a flow characteristic of the air, improves flow division efficiency, and reduces the turbulence and vortex of the air flow. A spacing distance between the volute tongue 2148 and the second air guide segment 2149 needs to be calculated and adjusted as desired.

[0292] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 29, the air duct 21 is open at the fan mounting position 2146 to form a lower volute of the fan 22.

[0293] In this embodiment, the fan mounting position 2146 is open to facilitate mounting of the impeller 222 of the fan 22.

[0294] The fan 22 may only comprise the upper housing 221, the impeller 222, and the motor assembly of the fan 22, omitting the original lower housing of the fan 22. In this way, the fan mounting position 2146 and the upper housing 221 of the fan 22 together form part of the fan 22, which reduces the 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 fan mounting position 2146, the impeller 222 is directly mounted in the fan mounting position 2146, which increases the air inlet area of the air inlet 211 and the air inflow volume.

[0295] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 30 and FIG. 31, the cleaning apparatus provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further comprises a water blocking structure. A mounting hole is formed at a first wall surface of the inner tub 1 of the cleaning apparatus. The water blocking structure comprises an air duct 21 and a water blocking cover 24.

[0296] As shown in FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, an air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 is provided with a flange 201 suitable for extending into the inner tub 1 through the mounting hole. The water blocking cover 24 comprises a water blocking plate 241 and a mounting structure 242 connected to the water blocking plate 241. The mounting structure 242 is connected to the flange 201. A projection of the water blocking plate 241 on the first wall surface covers a projection of the air inlet end 20 on the first wall surface. An air inlet 211 is formed between the water blocking cover 24 and the flange 201.

[0297] The first wall surface of the inner tub 1 of the cleaning apparatus may be the top wall 12, the side wall 13, or the bottom wall 16 of the inner tub 1, which can be specifically set based on a mounting scenario of the cleaning apparatus. The mounting hole may be a through hole, and is used for mounting the air duct 21.

[0298] The air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 is provided with a flange 201 engaged and connected with the mounting hole. The flange 201 and the mounting hole may be connected through manners such as a snap-fit connection, a knob connection, or a threaded connection.

[0299] The water blocking cover 24 has the 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.

[0300] The air inlet 211 is formed between the water blocking cover 24 and the flange 201. The fan 22 draws the air from the cleaning chamber 11 into the air duct 21 through the air inlet 211. The number of air inlets 211 may be one or more. The air inlet 211 may be in a strip shape or in a planar shape, which can be specifically set based on actual mounting conditions.

[0301] The mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 may be connected through manners such as a snap-fit connection, a knob connection, or a threaded connection. The water blocking plate 241 is connected to the flange 201 of the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 through the mounting structure 242. The water blocking plate 241 and the mounting structure 242 may be integrally formed, connected by welding or through threads, or connected in other manners.

[0302] In a case where the mounting structure 242 is connected to the flange 201 via a thread connection, each of the mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 has threads to be engaged. The mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 are engaged and connected through threads.

[0303] In a case where the mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 are connected through a knob connection, the mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 may have mutually engaging structures. The mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 are snapped into place by rotating the mounting structure 242 and the flange 201 relative to each other by a predetermined angle.

[0304] With the water blocking structure provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the air duct 21 and the water blocking cover 24, and configuring the projection of the water blocking plate 241 on the first wall surface to cover the projection of the air inlet end 20 on the first wall surface, during a cleaning process of the cleaning apparatus, the occurrence of water flowing directly into the air duct 21 and directly impacting the interior of the fan 22, which would lead to contamination of the impeller 222, can be reduced, and a protection function is performed. Meanwhile, the air volume of the fan 22 is also increased, which is beneficial to the use of a higher-power heater 23 downstream of the fan 22 and accelerates the drying process.

[0305] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 32, a plurality of mounting structures 242 are provided and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the water blocking plate 241. The air inlet 211 is formed between two adjacent mounting structures 242.

[0306] The number of mounting structures 242 may be 2, 3, or more. The plurality of mounting structures 242 may be evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the water blocking plate 241, or arranged at intervals and different angles as required. The number and distribution mode of the mounting structures 242 may be set based on the actual application scenarios.

[0307] By arranging the plurality of mounting structures 242, a multi-point connection between the water blocking cover 24 and the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 can be achieved, improving connection reliability.

[0308] In some embodiments, a plurality of flanges 201 are comprised and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the air inlet end 20. The plurality of flanges 201 may be connected to the plurality of mounting structures 242. Then, the plurality of flanges 201 and the plurality of mounting structures 242 may be rotated by a predetermined angle, to allow the plurality of flanges 201 to be connected to the plurality of mounting structures 242 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0309] In this embodiment, the number and mounting positions of the flanges 201 are matched with those of the mounting structures 242. By connecting the plurality of flanges 201 to the plurality of mounting structures 242 in a one-to-one correspondence, connection points between the water blocking cover 24 and the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 can be increased, improving the connection reliability.

[0310] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 32, the plurality of flanges 201 and the plurality of mounting structures 242 are assembled or disassembled via a knob connection. The connection method is simple and convenient.

[0311] The plurality of flanges 201 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the air inlet end 20. The plurality of mounting structures 242 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the water blocking plate 241. Before the water blocking cover 24 is connected to the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21, each of the plurality of mounting structures 242 may be located between two adjacent flanges 201. Then, the water blocking cover 24 is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21, to allow a projection of the flanges 201 in an axial direction of the air duct 21 to overlap a projection of the air inlet end 20 in an axial direction of the air duct 21. At this time, the water blocking cover 24 is connected with the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 via a snap-fit connection.

[0312] In some embodiments, the mounting structure 242 comprises an engagement groove 2421 that opens inwardly in a radial direction. The flange 201 is embedded in the engagement groove 2421. By rotating the water blocking cover 24, an area of the flange 201 located in the engagement groove 2421 can be adjusted, facilitating assembly and disassembly.

[0313] In this embodiment, when only one flange 201 is provided, the flange 201 extends in the circumferential direction of the air inlet end 20 and has a notch. The mounting structure 242 passes through the notch to enable the flange 201 to be inserted into the engagement groove 2421. when the plurality of flanges 201 are provided, the plurality of flanges 201 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the air inlet end 20. Each flange 201 is inserted into one or more engagement grooves 2421 through a spacing between the mounting structure 242 and two adjacent flanges 201.

[0314] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 32, the mounting structure 242 comprises a connection member 2422 and a snap joint 2423. The connection member 2422 is connected to the water blocking plate 241. The snap joint 2423 is connected to the connection member 2422, and has the engagement groove 2421.

[0315] The snap joint 2423, the connection member 2422, and the water blocking plate 241 may be integrally formed, connected by welding or gluing, or in other manners.

[0316] The connection member 2422 may be connected to an edge, a middle part, or a region between the edge and the middle part of the water blocking plate 241.

[0317] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 32, the snap joint 2423 is located at a radial outer side of the water blocking plate 241. Moreover, a radial outer side wall of the snap joint 2423 is in a circular arc shape.

[0318] As shown in FIG. 33, the snap joint 2423 is located at the radial outer side of the water blocking plate 241, i.e., a predetermined spacing occurs between an outer side of the snap joint 2423 and the radial outer side of the water blocking plate 241. In response to the snap joint 2423 being connected to the flange 201, the air inlet 211 is formed between the water blocking plate 241 and the flange 201.

[0319] By configuring the radially outer side wall of the snap joint 2423 to be in a circular arc shape, it can be facilitated that the radially outer side wall of the snap joint 2423 is matched with the inner side wall 13 of the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21.

[0320] In some embodiments, the connection member 2422 has a hollowed-out groove 24221. One or more hollowed-out grooves 24221 may be provided. The number of hollowed-out grooves 24221 and a hollowed-out area of the hollowed-out groove 24221 may be set based on an area of the connection member 2422.

[0321] The arrangement of the hollowed-out groove 24221 can reduce a weight of the connection member 2422, to reduce material costs.

[0322] In some embodiments, radial inner ends of the connection members 2422 of the plurality of mounting structures 242 are connected by an annular rib 2411 that is connected to a bottom surface of the water blocking plate 241.

[0323] The bottom surface of the water blocking plate 241 is provided with the annular rib 2411. The annular rib 2411 may be arranged concentrically or eccentrically with the water blocking plate 241. The annular rib 2411 and the bottom surface of the water blocking plate 241 may be connected by means of integral formation, welding, gluing, or any other suitable connection manners. The radial inner ends of the connection members 2422 of the plurality of mounting structures 242 and the annular rib 2411 may be connected by means of integral formation, welding, gluing, or any other suitable connection manners.

[0324] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 32, the radial inner ends of the connection members 2422 of the plurality of mounting structures 242 are connected to the annular rib 2411, which can connect the connection members 2422 of the plurality of mounting structures 242 together, improving connection stability between the plurality of mounting structures 242 and the water blocking plate 241.

[0325] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 31, the first wall surface is provided with a mounting boss 121 that surrounds the mounting hole and protrudes into the cleaning chamber 11. The water blocking structure further comprises a sealing ring clamped between the mounting boss 121 and the air duct 21.

[0326] A mounting space is formed between the mounting boss 121 and the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21. The sealing ring is located in the mounting space. Sealing between the mounting boss 121 and the air duct 21 can be achieved by compressing the sealing ring.

[0327] The sealing ring may be made of rubber, plastic, or other elastic materials, which can enhance sealing between the air inlet end 20 of the air duct 21 and the inner tub 1, reduce leakage of water vapor from the cleaning chamber 11, and improve the safety and reliability of the cleaning apparatus.

[0328] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 31, a distance Δh4 between an end surface of the mounting boss 121 and a surface of the water blocking cover 24 is greater than or equal to 5 mm.

[0329] The distance Δh4 between the end surface of the mounting boss 121 and the surface of the water blocking cover 24 may be 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, or a larger value. By setting the distance between the end surface of the mounting boss 121 and the surface of the water blocking cover 24, an air inflow volume of the air duct 21 can be increased, reducing a case of overheating of the wall surface caused by the power of the heater 23 and safety hazards.

[0330] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 34 and FIG. 36, the water blocking cover 24 comprises a main cover body 243 and a plurality of groups of water blocking member 244. The main cover body 243 has a mounting structure 242 configured to be mounted at the entire machine and forms a ventilation channel 2432. The plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 are arranged at intervals in an axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. Each group of water blocking members 244 comprises a plurality of water blocking members 244 arranged at intervals in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. Projections of the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432 cover a projection of an inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 in the axial direction.

[0331] The main cover body 243 is used for being connected to the entire machine and the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244, and forms the ventilation channel 2432 to realize air circulation in the cleaning chamber 11.

[0332] The main cover body 243 may be connected to the entire machine by snap-fitting, thread connection, welding, or other suitable means. The main cover body 243 and the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 may be connected by means of integral formation, welding, gluing, or any other connection manners.

[0333] The entire machine is provided with a structural member connected to the mounting structure 242. In the case where the main cover body 243 is connected to the entire machine by clamping, one of the mounting structure 242 and the structural member is a fixed snap. The other one of the mounting structure 242 and the structural member is a connection member 2422. The connection member 2422 is inserted into the fixed snap to lock the main cover body 243 and the entire machine together. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case where the main cover body 243 is connected to the entire machine through a thread connection, the mounting structure 242 and the structural member have mutually engaging threads. The mounting structure 242 and the structural member are engaged through a thread connection to lock the main cover body 243 and the entire machine together.

[0334] As shown in FIG. 36, a plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 are arranged in a multi-layer configuration, and arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. The number of layers of water blocking members 244 may be 2, 3, or more, which can be specifically set based on an axial length of the ventilation channel 2432. Two adjacent layers of water blocking members 244 are spaced apart from each other to achieve ventilation. The arrangement of the plurality of layers of water blocking members 244 can enhance a water blocking effect.

[0335] The plurality of water blocking members 244 are arranged at intervals in the direction intersecting with the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. The number of water blocking members 244 may be 3, 4, or more. The number of water blocking members 244 in each layer may be the same or different, and may be determined based on a cross-sectional area of a ventilation channel 2432 of a plane where the water blocking members 244 are located.

[0336] As shown in FIG. 36, an arrow in the drawing indicates the air flow direction. Two adjacent water blocking members 244 are spaced apart from each other to achieve ventilation. The projections of the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432 cover the projection of the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 in the axial direction, to allow the airflow to be drawn into the air duct 21 by the fan 22 in a zigzag path through a spacing between two adjacent layers of water blocking members 244 and a spacing between two adjacent water blocking members 244, which effectively blocks entry of the water flow while ensuring air circulation.

[0337] The plurality of water blocking members 244 may be arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of a cross-section of the ventilation channel 2432. Lengths of the plurality of water blocking members 244 gradually change in the radial direction of the cross-section of the ventilation channel 2432, to allow ends of the plurality of water blocking members 244 to be connected to an inner wall of the ventilation channel 2432. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of water blocking members 244 may be arranged at intervals in a direction inclined at an acute angle to the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432.

[0338] As shown in FIG. 35, a sum of projections of the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432 is equal to or greater than the projection of the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 in the axial direction, to achieve full coverage of the ventilation channel 2432 by the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244.

[0339] The water blocking members 244 may be structures such as water blocking ribs, water blocking films, or water blocking plates 241.

[0340] With the water blocking cover 24 provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by arranging the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432, each group of water blocking members 244 comprises a plurality of water blocking members 244 arranged at intervals in the direction intersecting with the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. Moreover, the projections of the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432 cover the projection of the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 in the axial direction. In this way, the airflow is drawn into the air duct 21 by the fan 22 in the zigzag path through the spacing between two adjacent layers of water blocking members 244 and the spacing between two adjacent water blocking members 244. In this way, during the cleaning process of the cleaning apparatus, the occurrence of the water flowing directly into the air duct 21 and directly impacting the interior of the fan 22, which would lead to the contamination of the impeller 222, can be reduced, and a protection function is performed. Meanwhile, the air volume of the fan 22 is also increased, which is beneficial to the use of a higher-power heater 23 downstream of the fan 22 and accelerates the drying process.

[0341] The plurality of water blocking members 244 may be arranged parallel to each other along a plane where the plurality of water blocking members 244 are located, or arranged in a mutually intersecting manner.

[0342] In some embodiments, the water blocking members 244 in the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 are arranged in parallel and at intervals to uniformize the flow speed and air volume of the airflow.

[0343] In some embodiments, spacings between two adjacent water blocking members 244 of the plurality of groups of water blocking members 244 are the same to further uniformize the flow speed and air volume of the airflow.

[0344] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 36, a side of the water blocking member 244 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 has a flow guide surface 2443 that is inclined towards an outer side of the water blocking member 244 in a direction proximate to the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432.

[0345] The flow guide surface 2443 may be a plane or an arc surface.

[0346] By forming the flow guide surface 2443, condensed water generated by the fan 22 from the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 11 may flow back into the cleaning chamber 11 along the flow guide surface 2443, which reduces a residence time of the condensed water on the water blocking members 244 and enhances the drying effect in the chamber.

[0347] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 36, the water blocking member 244 comprises a first plate 2441 and a second plate 2442. A side of the first plate 2441 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 is connected to a side of the second plate 2442 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432. Normals of both the first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442 form acute angles with the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. The flow guide surface 2443 is formed by a surface of the first plate 2441 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 and a surface of the second plate 2442 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432.

[0348] The first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442 may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically about a connection position between the first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442, which can be specifically set based on the actual application scenarios. In the case where the first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442 are arranged asymmetrically, the first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442 may differ in length and width.

[0349] The side of the first plate 2441 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 is connected to the side of the second plate 2442 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432. A side of the first plate 2441 proximate to the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 is spaced apart from a side of the second plate 2442 proximate to the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432. The first plate 2441 and the second plate 2442 form a bracket-shaped interception structure, which can increase flow resistance to the water flow, and reduce an inflow of the water flow, while having no large resistance to the airflow.

[0350] By configuring the water blocking member 244 with a double-sided flow guide surface 2443, the condensed water generated by the fan 22 can flow back into the cleaning chamber 11 along the flow guide surfaces 2443, reducing the residence time of the condensed water on the water blocking members 244 and improving the drying effect in the chamber. Meanwhile, an interception effect on the water vapor entering the air duct 21 along with the water vapor flow can be achieved, to reduce the amount of water entering the air duct 21, and protect the electrical components such as the fan 22 and the heater 23 in the air duct 21.

[0351] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 36, the main cover body 243 comprises a pipe body 2431 and a boss 2433. The pipe body 2431 has a ventilation channel 2432 formed on the pipe body 2431. The boss 2433 is connected to an outer periphery of the pipe body 2431 and arranged around the pipe body 2431. A side of the pipe body 2431 where the boss 2433 faces away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 has the mounting structure 242.

[0352] The pipe body 2431 has a predetermined axial length, which can increase the number of groups of water blocking members 244 and improve the water blocking effect.

[0353] The boss 2433 may be in a circular shape, and arranged around the pipe body 2431. An inner side of the boss 2433 is connected to the outer periphery of the pipe body 2431. An outer side of the boss 2433 extends away from the pipe body 2431. A width of the boss 2433 is set based on an actual mounting environment of the water blocking cover 24.

[0354] The arrangement of the boss 2433 can increase an overlapping area of the water blocking cover 24 and the entire machine when the water blocking cover 24 is connected to the entire machine, and enhance the sealing effect.

[0355] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 34, a plurality of mounting structures 242 are provided and arranged around the pipe body 2431 at intervals. The plurality of mounting structures 242 are assembled or disassembled with the entire machine through a knob connection.

[0356] The number of mounting structures 242 may be set as 2, 3, or more. The plurality of mounting structures 242 may be evenly arranged in a circumferential direction of the pipe body 2431, or arranged at intervals and different angles as required. The number and distribution mode of the mounting structures 242 can be set based on the actual application scenarios.

[0357] By arranging the plurality of mounting structures 242, the multi-point connection between the main cover body 243 and the entire machine can be achieved, improving the connection reliability.

[0358] Before connecting the mounting structures 242 to the entire machine, each of the plurality of mounting structures 242 may be located between the entire machine and corresponding notches of the mounting structures 242. Then, the main cover body 243 is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the air inlet end 20 of the entire machine, to allow a projection of the connection member 2422 of the entire machine in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432 to overlap a projection of the mounting structures 242 in the axial direction of the ventilation channel 2432. At this time, the mounting structures 242 are connected to the entire machine via a snap-fit connection.

[0359] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 34, the pipe body 2431 has a water guide port 2434 that is flush with a side of the boss 2433 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432.

[0360] The ventilation channel 2432 is in communication with the air duct 21 via the water guide port 2434. Condensed water is generated by condensation of the water vapor in the airflow when the water vapor encounters the boss 2433 or the pipe body 2431, and the condensed water can flow into the ventilation channel 2432 through the water guide port 2434 and then flow back into the cleaning chamber 11, which reduces the residence time of the condensed water on the water blocking members 244 and enhances the drying effect in the chamber.

[0361] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 36, the side of the boss 2433 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 is inclined downward towards a radially inner end, which enables the condensed water to flow into the water guide port 2434 along an inclined side surface of the boss 2433, further reducing the residence time of the condensed water on the water blocking members 244 and enhancing the drying effect in the chamber.

[0362] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 34, the side of the boss 2433 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 has a sealing mounting position 24331 for mounting a sealing member.

[0363] The sealing mounting position 24331 is used for mounting the sealing member. The sealing member may be a member such as a sealing rubber strip, a sealing ring, or a sealing gasket.

[0364] The sealing mounting position 24331 may be a groove, a protrusion, or a planar structure. The sealing member is mounted in the sealing mounting position 24331. Sealing between the boss 2433 and the entire machine can be achieved by compressing the sealing member. A structure of the sealing mounting position 24331 is determined based on a type of the sealing member.

[0365] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 34, the side of the boss 2433 facing away from the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 is provided with a plurality of pairs of protrusions 24332 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the pipe body 2431. Each pair of protrusions 24332 comprises two protrusions 24332 spaced apart from each other in the radial direction. The plurality of pairs of protrusions 24332 form the sealing mounting position 24331.

[0366] A groove is formed between the two protrusions 24332 that are spaced apart from each other. At least part of the sealing member is clamped between the two protrusions 24332.

[0367] By arranging the plurality of pairs of protrusions 24332 at intervals in the circumferential direction of the pipe body 2431, multi-point fixation of the sealing member can be achieved, which limits a position and deformation of the sealing member and improves sealing performance.

[0368] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 37, a reinforcing rib 24333 is provided between a side of the boss 2433 proximate to the inlet end of the ventilation channel 2432 and an outer side wall of the pipe body 2431.

[0369] The reinforcing rib 24333 is connected with each of the boss 2433 and the outer side wall of the pipe body 2431 by means of integral formation, welding, gluing, or any other manners. The reinforcing rib 24333 may be linear, curved, or in other specific shapes, depending on a required reinforcing effect and structural form.

[0370] By providing the reinforcing rib 24333, the stress and pressure from an external environment can be effectively dispersed and borne, which prevents the occurrence of deformation, cracking, or loosening at a connection between the boss 2433 and the pipe body 2431, and improves a connection strength and stability between the boss 2433 and the pipe body 2431.

[0371] 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.

[0372] 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. 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.

[0373] 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. 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. 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.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus, comprising: an inner tub defining a cleaning chamber; an exhaust assembly mounted at the inner tub and configured to, when being activated, discharge air out of the cleaning chamber; an air duct mounted at the inner tub, the air duct having an air inlet and an air outlet that are both in communication with the cleaning chamber, wherein the air inlet is located at a top wall of the inner tub; a fan mounted at the top wall of the inner tub and configured to, when being activated, drive air in the air duct; a heater configured to heat the air in the air duct when being activated; and a water blocking cover mounted at the air inlet; wherein a projection of an inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub at least partially overlaps a projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub, and wherein a projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub covers the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub.

2. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub overlaps the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub by an area greater than or equal to 1 / 2 of the projection of the inlet of the fan on the top wall of the inner tub.

3. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein any region of the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is spaced apart from an edge of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub.

4. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a ratio of the projection of the water blocking cover on the top wall of the inner tub to the projection of the air inlet on the top wall of the inner tub is greater than or equal to 1.1.

5. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air inlet is disposed at a position proximate to a back plate of the inner tub, and wherein the air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets disposed at a same side wall of the inner tub.

6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the air duct comprises: a first branch having an upper end in communication with an outlet of the fan and a lower end forming an air outlet, wherein the lower end of the first branch is proximate to a front opening of the inner tub; and a second branch having an upper end in communication with the outlet of the fan and a lower end forming an air outlet, wherein the lower end of the second branch is proximate to the back plate of the inner tub; wherein the first branch has a greater length than the second branch.

7. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the air duct comprises a lower air duct having a lower end forming the plurality of air outlets, wherein a width of the lower air duct in a front-rear direction gradually increases from top to bottom, and wherein a thickness of the lower air duct in a left-right direction gradually decreases from top to bottom.

8. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with an outside environment and the inlet of the fan.

9. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and wherein the air duct comprises an air supplement branch extending from the top wall of the inner tub to a side surface of the inner tub, wherein: an air supplement inlet located at the side surface of the inner tub is formed by a lower end of the air supplement branch; and in operation of the exhaust assembly and the fan, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air supplement volume of the air supplement branch.

10. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: the air duct further has an air supplement inlet in communication with the outside environment; and the air duct is provided with a valve configured to close the air supplement inlet in a normal state and open under the action of a pressure difference.

11. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the fan is mounted above the top wall of the inner tub, and wherein the air duct comprises: a main air duct; and an air supplement branch located between the main air duct and the top wall of the inner tub, wherein the valve is mounted at a wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct; and wherein the valve comprises an air damper pivotally mounted at the wall surface between the air supplement branch and the main air duct, a first part of the air damper being located in the air supplement branch, and a second part of the air damper being located in the main air duct, and wherein the air damper is configured to block the air supplement branch under the action of gravity and open in response to an activation of the fan.

12. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, having: 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 operate, and the heater stops operating.

13. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein in operation of the exhaust assembly, an exhaust volume of the exhaust assembly is greater than or equal to an air volume entering the cleaning chamber from outside environment.

14. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, 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, the side plate being mounted at a side wall of the inner tub and covering at least part of the air duct, and an inner side surface of the side plate being spaced apart from the air duct and the heater.

15. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the heater has a power of P satisfying P≤500W.

16. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, 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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