Optical plasma module and clothing treatment machine

Abstract

The present invention provides an optical plasma module, a clothes treating machine, a clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function, a control method for the clothes treating machine, and a clothes treating machine using the control method. The air in the space of the optical plasma irradiation module forms a sterilizing gas. The space of the module is connected to a clothes treating tank via a connecting pipe, and the optical plasma generator is controlled to supply the sterilizing gas to the inside of the clothes treating machine, thereby achieving a sterilizing and deodorizing effect on the clothes and / or the inside of the clothes treating tank.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of clothes treating machines, specifically to a clothes treating machine with sterilization and deodorization functions, and more particularly to an optical plasma module applied to a clothes treating machine. [Background technology]

[0002] In a clothes processing machine, moisture remains in the clothes processing tub after the program is run, which may cause bacteria to grow in the clothes processing tub or cause an unpleasant odor. However, even if the clothes processing tub is aerated or ventilated, it is not possible to completely remove bacteria and the like in the clothes processing tub. Furthermore, the airflow during the aeration or ventilation process cannot remove the unpleasant odor from the clothes, and instead accelerates the diffusion of the unpleasant odor inside the clothes processing tub.

[0003] To solve the above problems, clothes treatment machines usually use ultraviolet light, silver ions, high temperature, ozone, and other methods to sterilize clothes. Among these, ultraviolet light can pass through air to sterilize clothes. However, ultraviolet light is likely to damage human eyes and skin. Silver ions can inhibit mold growth and eliminate odors, but may cause lesions if absorbed by the human internal organs. High-temperature treatment can inactivate bacteria, but is likely to deform clothes made of non-heat-resistant materials. Excessive ozone strongly irritates the human airways, causing symptoms such as throat swelling and pain, shortness of breath, and coughing.

[0004] On the other hand, light plasma is a gas containing ions and free electrons that is generated in a light tube. Light plasma and ion clusters break down oxygen gas and water molecules into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants. These molecules are highly unstable and break down harmful impurities in the air into inert compounds such as carbon dioxide and water. They also destroy organic tissue 180 times faster than ultraviolet light and 2000 times faster than ozone.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an optical plasma module and a clothes treating machine that can provide a sterilizing and deodorizing function to a clothes treating machine in order to eliminate the defects of the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the basic idea of ​​the technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows:

[0008] The optical plasma module includes a housing having an air supply space and an air delivery space that communicate with each other. A fan is installed in the air supply space to draw in outside air from an air supply port at the bottom of the space. An optical plasma tube is also installed in the air delivery space. The upper part of the air delivery space communicates with the air supply space, and the lower part communicates with the outside via the air delivery port.

[0009] Furthermore, one end of the upper space in the air supply space is connected to the outlet of the fan in the air supply space via a path. A photoplasma tube is attached to the central space of the air supply space and is inserted horizontally from one side. An air supply port is provided in the bottom wall of the lower space in the air supply space.

[0010] Furthermore, the lower space of the air supply space has an inverted cone shape or an inverted frustum shape whose radial size gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the air supply port is provided at the lowest point of the inverted cone shape or the inverted frustum shape. Preferably, the lower space of the air supply space has an inverted isosceles triangle shape whose left and right sides gradually slope toward the center, and the air supply port is provided at the lowest point of the inverted isosceles triangle.

[0011] Furthermore, the optical plasma tube is provided coaxially with the air supply space, and the opposing sides in the axial direction of the air supply space are the side communicating with the air supply space via the path and the side into which the optical plasma tube is inserted, respectively.

[0012] Furthermore, the fan is installed horizontally within the air supply space. The fan inlet is located in the center and opens downwards. The air supply port of the air supply space is installed at the bottom of the space and opens coaxially opposite the fan inlet. The fan outlet extends horizontally along a tangential direction of the fan and communicates with the upper space of the air supply space via a horizontally extending path. Preferably, the path is installed coaxially with the air supply space.

[0013] The housing further includes a tank and a top cover. The top cover is engaged with and fixedly attached to the ceiling of the tank to jointly define an air supply space and an air delivery space communicating with each other via a passage. The fan is attached to the top cover. The optical plasma tube is correspondingly inserted into the air delivery space from one side of the tank and fixedly attached to the tank. Preferably, a driver board is attached to the outer wall of the tank.

[0014] The present invention further discloses a clothes treating machine, comprising a housing and a clothes treating tank mounted in the housing, the housing being provided with an optical plasma module as described above, the optical plasma module having an air inlet and an air outlet that are each connected to the clothes treating tank via a duct.

[0015] The optical plasma module is fixedly attached to the housing, and is located below the ceiling of the housing and above the laundry treatment tank.

[0016] The housing further includes a front upper horizontal beam located on the front side of the ceiling, and the housing of the optical plasma module is fixedly attached to the lower side of the front upper horizontal beam. The air supply space and the air delivery space of the optical plasma module are provided side by side on the left and right sides within the housing.

[0017] Furthermore, a door seal is connected between the tub mouth of the clothes treatment tub and the front panel of the housing. The door seal is provided with an air intake joint and an air supply joint that allow the clothes treatment tub to communicate with the outside. The air intake of the optical plasma module communicates with the air intake joint provided in the door seal via an air intake pipe, and the air supply of the optical plasma module communicates with the air supply joint provided in the door seal via an air supply pipe.

[0018] By using the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0019] 1. In the present invention, the air in the space of the light plasma irradiation module forms a sterilizing gas. Also, the space of the module is connected to the clothing treatment tank through a connecting pipe, and the light plasma generator is controlled to supply the sterilizing gas to the inside of the clothing treatment machine, thereby achieving a sterilizing and deodorizing effect on the clothing and / or the inside of the clothing treatment tank.

[0020] 2. In the present invention, the optical plasma generator has a photocatalytic excitation layer. Under the catalytic action of a specific nano-level of multiple precious metal media, the broadband ultraviolet tube irradiates the air, generating a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions, which can improve the sterilization effect.

[0021] 3. In the present invention, the gas in the space of the module is irradiated by the light plasma tube to form a sterilizing gas, which is then blown into the inside of the clothing treatment tank through the pipe. This not only sterilizes the inside of the clothing treatment tank, but also the clothing in the clothing treatment tank, and has a particularly good sterilizing effect on clothing that cannot withstand high temperatures.

[0022] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a clothes treating machine that can improve the sterilization efficiency of the clothes treating machine in order to eliminate the defects of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treating machine that can eliminate the unpleasant odor of clothes.

[0023] In order to solve the above technical problems, the basic idea of ​​the technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows:

[0024] The clothes treating machine includes a clothes treating tub and a drying duct having an air outlet communicating with the clothes treating tub and used to send an air flow into the clothes treating tub. The air outlet of the drying duct is provided with a light plasma tube for irradiating and sterilizing the air flow flowing into the clothes treating tub.

[0025] Furthermore, the tub mouth of the clothes treatment tub is connected to the housing of the clothes treatment machine via a door seal. A joint is provided in the door seal. The air supply end of the drying duct communicates with the inside of the clothes treatment tub via the joint provided in the door seal. The light plasma tube is provided in the joint and sterilizes the airflow flowing into the clothes treatment tub via the joint by irradiating it with light. The light plasma tube is attached to the door seal and / or the air supply end of the drying duct and / or the clothes treatment tub.

[0026] The optical plasma tube further includes a base fixedly attached to the door seal and having an internal cavity that constitutes an installation space, and an optical plasma tube used for generating germicidal light and installed in the installation space of the base. The base is provided with a light-transmitting area that transmits the germicidal light generated by the optical plasma tube. The light-transmitting area is provided facing the inside of the joint.

[0027] Furthermore, the base is columnar. A notch is provided in one side wall of the columnar base. The notch communicates the inside and outside of the columnar base to form a light-transmitting region. The optical plasma tube provided inside the columnar base extends along the axis of the columnar base and at least a portion of the optical plasma tube overlaps with the notch.

[0028] Furthermore, a glass cover is provided within the mounting space of the columnar base. The glass cover is cylindrical and is provided to cover the outside of the optical plasma tube. The cylindrical glass cover covers at least the notch provided in the side wall of the columnar base.

[0029] Furthermore, the columnar base of the optical plasma tube is inserted from the air supply end of the joint and extends to the air supply end of the joint. The optical plasma tube is provided on one side of the joint. The light-transmitting region provided on one side of the columnar base of the optical plasma tube is opened toward the central axis of the joint.

[0030] Furthermore, the axial direction of the optical plasma tube is inclined at a certain included angle with respect to the axial direction of the joint. The insertion end of the optical plasma tube is inclined toward the side away from the joint more than the extension end. The light-transmitting region provided on one side of the columnar base of the optical plasma tube is entirely located inside the joint.

[0031] Furthermore, the columnar base of the optical plasma tube has one end closed and located inside the joint, and the other end open and located outside the joint. A fixing cap is removably attached to the open end of the columnar base located outside the joint. The fixing cap is used to fix the optical plasma tube in the mounting space inside the base.

[0032] Furthermore, a fixing protrusion protruding in the radial direction is provided on the outer periphery of the columnar base of the optical plasma tube. The fixing protrusion is provided between the light-transmitting area of ​​the columnar base and the fixing cap. The fixing cap and the fixing protrusion are located on both the inner and outer sides of the door seal, respectively, and are used to fixedly attach the optical plasma tube to the door seal.

[0033] Furthermore, the fixing cap is annular. The size of the inner circumference of the annular fixing cap is smaller than the size of the plasma tube in the radial direction. The plasma tube and the glass cover are positioned and fixed in the mounting space of the columnar base by the fixing cap.

[0034] Furthermore, a cylindrical glass cover is disposed coaxially within the columnar base and covers the outside of the light plasma tube. A first vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between one end of the cylindrical glass cover and the sealed end of the base. A second vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between the other end of the cylindrical glass cover and the fixed cap of the base. Preferably, the outer periphery of the second vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between the fixed cap and the glass cover, and the inner periphery is sandwiched between the light plasma tube and the fixed cap.

[0035] By using the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0036] 1. In the present invention, the light plasma tube irradiates the hot air in the drying duct, thereby forming hot air with sterilizing and deodorizing functions in the drying duct. The hot air with sterilizing and deodorizing functions is rapidly diffused into the inside of the clothes treatment tank through the drying duct. In this way, the clothes drying function of the clothes treatment machine is guaranteed, and the sterilizing and deodorizing process is performed on the clothes, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the hot air.

[0037] 2. In the present invention, the optical plasma tube is installed at the connecting point between the drying duct and the clothes treatment tank. As a result, the optical plasma tube directly irradiates the airflow returning to the clothes treatment tank, increasing the amount of irradiated gas flowing into the clothes treatment tank, improving the sterilization and deodorization effect of the clothes treatment machine.

[0038] 3. In the present invention, the optical plasma tube has UVC ultraviolet rays and / or UVD ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays in the UVD wavelength band efficiently excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters. In addition, ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band have a high sterilizing effect, so they completely kill microorganisms attached to the clothing treatment tank and the clothing inside it.

[0039] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a clothes treating machine that can improve the sterilization efficiency of the clothes treating machine in order to eliminate the defects of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treating machine that can eliminate the unpleasant odor of clothes.

[0040] In order to solve the above technical problems, the basic idea of ​​the technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows:

[0041] The clothes treatment machine with a clothes drying function includes a clothes treatment tub and a drying duct for sending an airflow to the clothes treatment tub. A light irradiation space is provided in the drying duct, and at least a part of the airflow passes through the light irradiation space and enters the clothes treatment tub. A light plasma tube is provided in the light irradiation space to irradiate and sterilize the airflow flowing into the clothes treatment tub.

[0042] Furthermore, the drying duct has a disk-shaped air supply space. A partition rib is provided in the air supply space. The partition rib partitions the disk-shaped air supply space into two parts, and the first part having a smaller cross-sectional area constitutes the light irradiation space. A light plasma tube is provided on the outer periphery of the light irradiation space and is inserted radially into the light irradiation space.

[0043] Furthermore, an annular partitioning rib is provided in the center of the disk-shaped air supply space. A first partitioning rib and a second partitioning rib are provided on the outer periphery of the annular partitioning rib, which are spaced apart from each other and arranged at an angle, and the portion between the first partitioning rib and the second partitioning rib forms the light irradiation space. The first partitioning rib is provided with a notch for introducing airflow into the light irradiation space. The light plasma tube is provided adjacent to the second partitioning rib.

[0044] In addition, the drying duct further includes an air supply space in which a fan is provided. The air supply space is directly connected to a second portion of the air supply space via a connection space extending obliquely upward. The first partitioning rib partitions the connection space from the light irradiation space. The first partitioning rib is provided with a notch that connects both sides. At least a portion of the air flow that flows into the air supply space flows into the light irradiation space via the notch. The notch is provided closer to the center of the annular air supply space than the light plasma tube.

[0045] Furthermore, a heater is provided in the second portion of the annular air supply space. The heater faces the air supply end of the connection space and is used to directly heat the airflow being blown in. The heater is provided adjacent to the notch of the first partitioning rib and is used to heat the airflow flowing into the light irradiation space.

[0046] Furthermore, the optical plasma tube is columnar. An attachment base is provided at an end of the columnar optical plasma tube, the attachment base being located outside the drying duct and having at least a portion protruding in the radial direction. The radial protruding portion of the attachment base is fixed to the outer wall of the drying duct.

[0047] Furthermore, fixing ribs protruding outward in the radial direction are provided on both radially opposing sides of the mounting base. Both of the two fixing ribs face and are in close contact with the outer wall of the drying duct. Each fixing rib has a through hole passing therethrough, and the mounting base is fixedly attached to the drying duct by inserting a screw through the through hole and fixing the mounting base to the drying duct.

[0048] Furthermore, a vibration-damping washer is attached to the outer periphery of the columnar light plasma tube, and is sandwiched between the fixed base and the drying duct.

[0049] Furthermore, a plurality of air supply ports are provided on one side of the annular air supply space. At least one of the air supply ports is a first air supply port communicating with the light irradiation space, and the remaining air supply ports are second air supply ports communicating with the second portion. The first air supply port is opened so as to face at least a part of the columnar light plasma tube in the light irradiation space.

[0050] Furthermore, the second partition rib has a curved portion protruding outward at a portion close to the outer periphery of the annular air supply space. The columnar light plasma tube is provided within the area surrounded by the curved portion. The first air supply port is a round opening provided corresponding to one side of the area surrounded by the curved portion.

[0051] By using the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0052] 1. In the present invention, the light plasma tube irradiates the hot air in the drying duct, thereby forming hot air with sterilizing and deodorizing functions in the drying duct. The hot air with sterilizing and deodorizing functions is rapidly diffused into the inside of the clothes treatment tank through the drying duct. In this way, the clothes drying function of the clothes treatment machine is guaranteed, and the sterilizing and deodorizing process is performed on the clothes, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the hot air.

[0053] 2. In the present invention, the light plasma tube is installed in an independent space in the drying duct, so that the light plasma tube can irradiate part of the airflow flowing into the clothes treatment tank. This reduces the power consumption of the light plasma tube and improves the effect of sterilizing the airflow with light irradiation, significantly improving the sterilization and deodorization efficiency of the light plasma tube in the clothes treatment tank.

[0054] 3. In the present invention, the optical plasma tube has UVC ultraviolet rays and / or UVD ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays in the UVD wavelength band efficiently excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters. In addition, ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band have a high sterilizing effect, so they completely kill microorganisms attached to the clothing treatment tank and the clothing inside it.

[0055] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a clothes treating machine, which can eliminate the defects of the prior art and further achieve the purpose of improving the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothes treating machine.

[0056] In order to solve the above technical problems, the basic idea of ​​the technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows:

[0057] The control method for the clothes treating machine includes supplying air into a clothes treating tub, acquiring the temperature inside the clothes treating tub, determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothes treating tub satisfies a predetermined activation condition, and, if so, activating an optical plasma generating device to irradiate the air supplied into the clothes treating tub with sterilizing light.

[0058] In addition, before supplying air into the above-mentioned clothing treatment tub, the method further includes proceeding to a laundry care program, activating a heating device in the duct, and controlling a fan in the duct to rotate so as to cause gas in the duct to flow toward the air supply port of the clothing treatment tub.

[0059] Furthermore, determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub satisfies a predetermined activation condition includes determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub is below a predetermined temperature, and starting the optical plasma generating device if the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub is below the predetermined temperature.

[0060] In addition, activating a heating device in the duct further includes setting a target period t for which the heating device will operate and starting timing.

[0061] In addition, acquiring the temperature inside the clothing treatment tub further includes determining whether the heating device has operated until the target period t, turning off the heating device if it has operated until the target period t, and comparing the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub with a predetermined temperature threshold range if it has not operated until the target period t, and controlling the heating device to be turned on or off based on the comparison result.

[0062] Furthermore, controlling the heating device to be turned on or off based on the above comparison result specifically includes turning off the heating device when the acquired temperature in the clothing treatment tub is within a predetermined temperature threshold range, turning off the heating device when the acquired temperature in the clothing treatment tub is greater than the maximum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range, and maintaining or turning on the operation of the heating device when the acquired temperature in the clothing treatment tub is less than the minimum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range.

[0063] Furthermore, the predetermined activation condition is that the temperature inside the clothes treatment tub is below the maximum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range.

[0064] Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treating machine using any of the control methods described above, the clothes treating machine including a clothes treating tub having an air inlet and an air outlet, a duct having a fan and a heating device installed therein and an air outlet end communicating with the air inlet so as to cause internal gas to flow into the clothes treating tub, and a light plasma generating device for irradiating the gas flowing from the duct into the clothes treating tub.

[0065] Further, a clothes inlet is provided at the front end of the clothes treatment tub. A window packing is provided at the clothes inlet. A ceiling portion of the window packing is connected to the air supply end of the duct. The optical plasma generator includes an optical plasma tube assembly. The optical plasma tube assembly is attached to the side of the window packing close to the air supply port or the side of the duct close to the air supply end of the duct.

[0066] In addition, the present invention further includes a rear plate and a rear cover plate provided on the rear side of the rear plate. The clothes treatment tub is rotatably supported on the rear plate. The rear cover plate and the rear plate define a duct communicating with the air inlet. The optical plasma generating device includes an optical plasma tube assembly, and the optical plasma tube assembly is mounted within the duct.

[0067] By using the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0068] 1. In the present invention, the heating device heats the gas, which is advantageous in volatilizing odorous substances attached to clothes. In addition, whether or not to start the optical plasma generator is determined based on the temperature of the air being fed. This is useful for decomposing odorous substances by strong oxidizing substances formed by irradiating the gas with the optical plasma generator. In addition, the situation in which strong oxidizing substances are decomposed at high temperatures is avoided, improving the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothes treatment machine.

[0069] 2. In the present invention, the optical plasma tube assembly irradiates the hot air in the duct, giving the hot air sterilization and deodorization functions and diffusing it rapidly inside the clothes treatment tub, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the hot air by performing the sterilization and deodorization process on the clothes while ensuring the clothes drying function of the clothes treatment machine.

[0070] 3. In the present invention, the optical plasma tube assembly is attached to a window packing or a duct, so that the strong oxidizing active substances formed by the optical plasma generator irradiating the gas quickly pass through the air inlet of the clothes treatment tank and flow into the clothes treatment tank, slowing down the decay rate of the oxidizing active substances.

[0071] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0072] The drawings are provided as a part of the present invention for further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments of the present invention and the description thereof are used for the interpretation of the present invention, but do not unduly limit the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings described below are merely a part of the embodiments, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings from these drawings without requiring creative labor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0073] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a laundry treating machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken from one angle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a clothes treating machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from a different angle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical plasma module according to an embodiment of the present invention at one angle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical plasma module in one embodiment of the present invention, seen from a different angle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical plasma module according to an embodiment of the present invention when disassembled at one angle. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical plasma module in one embodiment of the present invention when disassembled from another angle. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a laundry treating machine according to another embodiment of the present invention at one angle. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a clothes treating machine according to another embodiment of the present invention, seen from a different angle. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a part of a clothes treating machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 9 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram showing an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 10 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a light plasma tube in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical plasma tube according to another embodiment of the present invention when disassembled. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a clothes treating machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a drying duct portion at the rear of a clothes treating machine in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a schematic exploded structural view of a drying duct portion at the rear of a clothes treating machine in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a cross section of a drying duct portion at the rear of a clothes treating machine in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a part of a drying duct portion at the rear of a clothes treating machine in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of another cross section of the drying duct at the rear of a clothes treating machine in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a schematic structural diagram showing an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 19 according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for a clothes treating machine in a further embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a logical block diagram of a control method for a clothes treating machine in a further embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a combined washer and dryer according to a further embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a schematic exploded view of a dryer duct portion at the rear of a clothes dryer in a further embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0074] It should be explained that these drawings and textual description are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concepts in any way, but rather to illustrate the inventive concepts to those skilled in the art with reference to specific embodiments.

[0075] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments are described below in a clear and concise manner in combination with the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, which are for illustrating the present invention only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0076] In the description of the present invention, it should be explained that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "inner", "outer", etc. are directions or positional relationships based on the drawings, and are merely for the convenience and simplification of the description of the present invention, and do not explicitly or implicitly indicate that the subject device or member has a specific direction and must be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, it should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0077] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "attach", "connect" and "connect" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they may be fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections. They may also be mechanical connections or electrical connections. Furthermore, they may be direct connections or indirect connections via intermediate media. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances. EXAMPLES

[0078] As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 6, an embodiment of the present invention provides an optical plasma module 6 including a housing 60 having an air supply space 61 and an air delivery space 62 inside, which are in communication with each other. A fan 9 is attached in the air supply space 61 to draw in an external airflow from an air supply port 65 at the bottom of the space. Also, an optical plasma tube 3 is attached in the air delivery space 62, which is inserted horizontally from one side. An upper portion of the air delivery space 62 is in communication with the air supply space 61, and a lower portion is in communication with the outside via an air delivery port 66.

[0079] In the present invention, the air in the internal space of the light plasma irradiation module 6 forms a sterilizing gas. Also, by establishing communication between the module space and the clothing treatment tank 2 via a connecting pipe and controlling the light plasma generation module 6 to supply sterilizing gas to the inside of the clothing treatment machine, a sterilizing and deodorizing effect is achieved on the clothing and / or the inside of the clothing treatment tank 2.

[0080] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 irradiates the gas in the internal space of the housing 60, completely destroying microorganisms contained in the gas in the space. The optical plasma tube 3 can emit optical plasma and ion clusters, and the emitted optical plasma and ion cluster light decompose the oxygen gas and water molecules in the gas in the space into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants. As a result, odorous substances contained in the gas in the space are decomposed and converted into inactive compounds such as carbon dioxide and water.

[0081] In this embodiment, the gas in the space irradiated by the light plasma tube 3 forms a sterilizing gas and is introduced into the clothing treatment tank 2. The gas can sterilize not only the inside of the clothing treatment tank 2, but also the clothing in the clothing treatment tank 2, and has a particularly good sterilizing effect on clothing that cannot withstand high temperatures. Also, the unpleasant odor of the clothing is quickly and easily removed.

[0082] In this embodiment, the upper space 621 in the air supply space 62 of the optical plasma module 6 is elongated, and one end of the elongated upper space 621 communicates with the outlet of the fan 9 in the air supply space 61 through a path 63. In addition, the optical plasma tube 3 is attached to the central space 622 of the air supply space 62, which is inserted horizontally from one side. In addition, an air supply port 66 is provided on the bottom wall of the lower space 623 in the air supply space 62. By providing the air supply space 62 in an elongated shape, the optical plasma tube 3 is extended coaxially with the elongated space, so that the light emitted from the optical plasma tube 3 can cover the entire area of ​​the air supply space 62. This improves the irradiation effect of the optical plasma tube.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, an opening communicating with the central space 622 of the air supply space 62 is provided in the side wall of the housing 60, and the optical plasma tube 3 is inserted horizontally into the air supply space 62 from the opening. The optical plasma tube 3 has a connection terminal 301 located outside the housing 60. The radial size of the connection terminal 301 is larger than the radial size of the opening provided in the side wall of the housing 60. As a result, after the optical plasma tube 3 is inserted into the air supply space 62 of the housing 60 from the opening and reaches a predetermined position, the connection terminal 301 abuts against the outer periphery of the opening to realize positioning. Preferably, a slot 610 is provided in the side wall of the housing 60, and an opening is provided at the bottom of the slot 610. The size of the peripheral wall of the slot 610 is larger than the size of the opening, and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the connection terminal 301. As a result, the optical plasma tube 3 is inserted into the slot 610 and radial positioning is realized.

[0084] In this embodiment, a removable shielding plate 611 is further attached to the outside of the side wall of the housing 60. The shielding plate 611 abuts against the connection terminal 301 of the light plasma tube 3 inserted into the housing 60, and the connection terminal 301 of the light plasma tube 3 is sandwiched between the shielding plate 611 and the slot 610. Furthermore, a gap is provided between the shielding plate 611 and the outer wall of the housing 60. This allows the electric wire connected to the connection terminal 301 to be drawn out from the gap and connected to the control device 10, etc.

[0085] In this embodiment, the outside of the side wall of the housing 60 is provided with protruding ribs 612 located on both the upper and lower sides of the opening and extending in parallel. The extending ends of the protruding ribs 612 are provided with abutment edges 613 that protrude in a direction approaching each other. As a result, the two protruding ribs 612 define a sliding path. In addition, a band-shaped recessed groove 614 extending along the outer periphery is provided on both the upper and lower sides of the shielding plate 611. The recessed grooves 614 on both the upper and lower sides of the shielding plate 611 are inserted corresponding to the abutment edges 613, so that the shielding plate 611 is attached to the housing 60 in a horizontally slidable and detachable manner. Preferably, in order to realize the positioning and abutment of the shielding plate 611, a protruding rib 612 is also provided on the outside of the side wall of the housing 60 on one side of the opening. The upper and lower ends of the protruding rib 612 on the side are connected to the protruding ribs 612 on the corresponding side, respectively, to define the protruding ribs 612 arranged in a square shape having a notch on one side.

[0086] In this embodiment, the side of the air supply space 62 that communicates with the air supply space 61 and the side of the air supply space 62 into which the optical plasma tube 3 is inserted are provided opposite to each other. In this way, by providing different structures in the opposing directions of the housing 60, the overall strength of the housing 60 is improved. In addition, in this embodiment, the end of the optical plasma tube 3 that is inserted into the air supply space 62 is provided in a hanging manner and is close to or in direct contact with the inner wall of the air supply space 62. As a result, the optical plasma tube 3 covers the entire width of the cross section of the air supply space 62, so that the irradiation effect of the optical plasma tube 3 on the air flow is further improved. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a fixing base that protrudes radially from the insertion hole is provided in the part of the optical plasma tube 3 that is located outside the air supply space 62. The radial protruding part of the fixing base is fixed to the outer wall of the housing 60 with a screw, thereby realizing the attachment and fixation of the optical plasma tube and the housing.

[0087] In this embodiment, the lower space 623 of the air supply space 62 is in an inverted pyramid or inverted frustum shape whose radial size gradually shrinks from top to bottom, and the air supply port 66 is provided at the lowest point of the inverted pyramid or inverted frustum shape. Preferably, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the lower space 623 of the air supply space 62 is in an inverted isosceles triangle whose left and right sides gradually incline toward the center, and the air supply port 66 is provided at the lowest point of the inverted isosceles triangle. By providing it as described above, an airflow vortex is formed at the air supply port, so that the airflow in the air supply space stays in the central space of the air supply space for a longer period of time, and as a result, the irradiation time of the optical plasma tube to the passing airflow becomes even longer.

[0088] In this embodiment, the fan 9 is installed horizontally in the air supply space 61. The inlet of the fan 9 is located in the center and opens downward. The air supply port 65 of the air supply space 61 is installed at the bottom of the space and opens so as to face the inlet of the fan 9 coaxially. The outlet of the fan 9 extends horizontally along the tangential direction of the fan 9 and communicates with the upper space 621 of the air supply space 62 via a horizontally extending path 63. This allows the centrifugal fan to be attached to the module, and provides the effect of applying a pressurizing force to the passing airflow. Furthermore, the air supply port 66 is in the shape of a cone whose radial size gradually increases from bottom to top, improving the air supply efficiency of the module.

[0089] In this embodiment, the air supply space 61 is provided higher than the optical plasma tube 3, and preferably, the air supply port 65 is provided higher than the optical plasma tube 3. This further improves the irradiation effect of the optical plasma tube 3 in the air supply space 62. In addition, the air supply port 65 of the optical plasma module 6 is provided higher than the air supply port 66 so that the air flow in the internal space of the module becomes more efficient.

[0090] 1 to 5, in this embodiment, the housing 60 includes a tank 69 and an upper cover 64. The upper cover 64 is engaged with and fixedly attached to the ceiling of the tank 69, and together defines an air supply space 61 and an air delivery space 62 that communicate with each other via a path 63. The fan 9 is attached to the upper cover 64. The optical plasma tube 3 is inserted from one side of the tank 69 so as to correspond to the inside of the air delivery space 62, and is fixedly attached to the tank 69.

[0091] 1 to 5, this embodiment further describes a clothes treating machine including a housing 1 and a clothes treating tub 2 attached within the housing 1. The above-mentioned optical plasma module 6 is provided in the housing 1. An air inlet 65 and an air outlet 66 of the optical plasma module 6 each communicate with the clothes treating tub 2 via a pipe.

[0092] In this embodiment, the case 60 of the optical plasma module 6 is fixedly attached to the housing 1. The optical plasma module 6 is located below the ceiling surface of the housing 1 and above the clothing treatment tub 2.

[0093] In this embodiment, the housing 1 includes a front upper horizontal beam 101 located in front of the ceiling. The housing 60 of the optical plasma module 6 is fixedly attached to the underside of the front upper horizontal beam 101. The air supply space 61 and the air supply space 62 of the optical plasma module 6 are provided side by side on the left and right within the housing 1. The air supply port 65 and the air supply port 66 of the optical plasma module 6 are both opened facing downward, and communicate with the inside of the clothing treatment tub 2 via respective pipes.

[0094] In this embodiment, the clothing treatment tub 2 is provided within the housing 1 of the clothing treatment machine. A door seal 8 is provided between the housing 1 and the tub opening flange of the clothing treatment tub 2. The door seal 8 is provided with an air intake joint 83 and an air supply joint 84 that enable the clothing treatment tub 2 to communicate with the outside. The air intake 65 of the optical plasma module 6 communicates with the air intake joint 83 provided in the door seal 8 via an air intake pipe 67. The air supply 66 of the optical plasma module 6 communicates with the air supply joint 84 provided in the door seal 8 via an air supply pipe 68.

[0095] In this embodiment, a valve body that controls the opening and closing of the air supply pipe 67 and / or the air supply pipe 68 may be added to control the passage / blocking of the circulating airflow between the clothing treatment tank 2 and the optical plasma module 6 (not shown in the figure).

[0096] In this embodiment, the door seal 8 has a foldable and expandable cylindrical shape. Both ends of the cylindrical door seal are hermetically connected to the tank mouth flange of the clothes treatment tank 2 and the front panel of the housing 1, respectively. The tank mouth provided on the tank mouth flange of the clothes treatment tank 2 and the clothes inlet provided on the front panel of the housing 1 are both located inside the cylindrical door seal 8 to form a path for putting in and taking out clothes. Furthermore, the front panel of the housing 1 in the clothes treatment machine is provided with a main body door that can be inverted outward to open and close the clothes inlet. The main body door can open and close the clothes treatment outlet accordingly, thereby achieving the purpose of controllably connecting / blocking the clothes inlet / outlet path formed by the door seal to the outside.

[0097] In this embodiment, the radial size of the air intake pipe 67 is slightly larger than the radial size of the air delivery pipe 68, which is advantageous for rapidly moving the circulating air current. As a result, the air current in the air intake pipe 67 is rapidly introduced into the space of the optical plasma module 6, and the optical plasma tube 3 provided in the optical plasma module 6 is used to irradiate the air current from inside the clothing treatment tub 2 with sterilization and deodorization radiation, so that after the air current returns to the clothing treatment tub, sterilization and deodorization treatment can be performed on the clothes and / or the tub body in the tub.

[0098] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 may be an ultraviolet tube having at least two wavelength bands, UVC ultraviolet and UVD ultraviolet. Ultraviolet rays can be divided into vacuum ultraviolet (extremely low frequency, UVD), short wavelength sterilizing ultraviolet (low frequency, UVC), medium wavelength erythema action ultraviolet (medium frequency, UVB), and long wavelength black spot action ultraviolet (high frequency, UVA) according to wavelength. Among them, the UVC wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 200 to 275 nm, and ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band of 253.7 nm have a high sterilizing effect. In addition, the UVD wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 100 to 200 nm, and UVD ultraviolet rays of 185 nm excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters.

[0099] In this embodiment, the module further includes a control device 10. The control device 10 is connected to the optical plasma tube 3 and controls the optical plasma tube 3 to irradiate the airflow in the module. The control device 10 includes a driver board that is attached to an outer wall of the housing 60. The control device 10 may be provided independently or may be integrated into the control board of the clothes treatment machine.

[0100] In this embodiment, an optical plasma concentration detector is provided in the space of the optical plasma module 6 or in the clothing treatment tank 2. The optical plasma concentration detector is used to detect whether the optical plasma concentration in the optical plasma module or the optical plasma concentration inside the clothing treatment tank 2 into which the sterilizing gas is introduced satisfies the sterilization requirements. The optical plasma concentration detector is a concentration sensor (not shown in the figure).

[0101] In this embodiment, an odor detection device is provided inside the clothing treatment tank 2. The odor detection device is used to detect the odor concentration and scent concentration of the clothing treatment tank 2 or the clothing therein, so as to accurately control the operation of the photoplasma generation module.

[0102] In this embodiment, the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor detector are each connected to a control device 10. The control device 10 receives the optical plasma concentration detected by the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor concentration and odor concentration values ​​detected by the odor detector. The control device 10 controls the operation time of the optical plasma tube 3 based on the acquired optical plasma concentration, odor concentration and odor concentration values, thereby ensuring that the optical plasma concentration in the clothing treatment tank meets the sterilization and deodorization requirements.

[0103] According to the above-mentioned clothes treating machine, the optical plasma tube 3 has UVC ultraviolet rays and / or UVD ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet rays in the UVD wavelength band efficiently excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters. In addition, the ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band have a high sterilizing effect, so they completely kill microorganisms attached to the clothes treating tank 2 and the clothes inside it.

[0104] In this embodiment, the light plasma tube 3 may be a wide amplitude light tube, which emits energy-balanced light in a specific wavelength range, with the wavelength being 100-300 nm.

[0105] In this embodiment, the inner wall of the space of the optical plasma module is coated with a photocatalytic layer. The wide amplitude light tube is installed on the photocatalytic net side. Or, the wide amplitude light tube is equipped with a photocatalytic layer inside. The photocatalytic layer is composed of nano-level precious metal catalytic material. Under the catalytic action of a certain number of nano-level precious metal media, the wide amplitude light tube irradiates the air, generating a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions to form photohydrogen ions. The photohydrogen ions can quickly and effectively kill more than 99% of bacteria, viruses and mold in the air, and eliminate the odor in the air, thus achieving the effect of air purification.

[0106] In this embodiment, the wide amplitude light tube can be a broadband ultraviolet tube. Compared with the ultraviolet tube with UVC ultraviolet and / or UVD ultraviolet wavelength band irradiating air, the broadband ultraviolet tube irradiates air under the catalytic action of certain nano-level multiple kinds of precious metal medium, and can generate a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions, so as to improve the sterilization effect. EXAMPLES

[0107] As shown in Figures 7 to 13, an embodiment of the present invention provides a clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function that includes a clothes treating tub 2 and further includes a drying duct 4 for sending hot air into the clothes treating tub 2. Both ends of the drying duct 4 are connected to the front and rear ends of the clothes treating tub 2, respectively. Inside the drying duct 4, a light plasma tube 3 is provided for irradiating the hot air inside the drying duct 4.

[0108] In this embodiment, a fan 9 is provided in the drying duct 4. The fan 9 is used to form a circulating airflow between the air in the drying duct 4 and the air inside the clothes treatment tub 2. A condenser is also provided in the drying duct 4 to condense the passing airflow and separate water from the circulating airflow. A heater 5 is also provided in the drying duct 4 to heat the passing airflow to form a high-temperature dry airflow and return the airflow to the clothes treatment tub 2 to dry the clothes inside the tub.

[0109] In this embodiment, the air inside the clothing treatment tub 2 flows into the drying duct 4 and is then irradiated by the optical plasma tube 3 installed inside the drying duct 4, so that an airflow having sterilizing and deodorizing functions can be formed inside the drying duct 4. The airflow is diffused inside the clothing treatment tub 2 and is used to sterilize and deodorize the clothes inside the tub.

[0110] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 can emit optical plasma and ion clusters. The optical plasma tube 3 irradiates the hot air in the drying duct 4. The emitted optical plasma and ion cluster light form sterilized air by breaking down oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants. This sterilizes the clothes and breaks down harmful impurities in the air inside the clothes treatment tank 2 into inactive compounds such as carbon dioxide and water. This quickly and easily removes unpleasant odors from the clothes.

[0111] As shown in Figures 7 to 13, in this embodiment, the air supply end of the drying duct 4 communicates with the tank opening of the clothes treatment tank 2. The light plasma tube 3 is provided at the communication point between the drying duct 4 and the tank opening of the clothes treatment tank 2, and directly irradiates the airflow returning to the clothes treatment tank. As a result, the sterilizing and deodorizing airflow formed by irradiation from the light plasma tube 3 can return directly to the tank, reducing the amount of the sterilizing and deodorizing airflow formed by irradiation from the light plasma tube 3 that diffuses in the drying duct 4, improving the sterilizing and deodorizing efficiency of the light plasma tube.

[0112] In this embodiment, the clothes treating machine further includes a housing 1, in which a clothes treating tub 2 is provided. A door seal 8 is provided between the housing 1 and the tub opening flange of the clothes treating tub 2. The air supply end of the drying duct 4 is joined to and communicated with a joint 80 provided on the door seal 8. As a result, the airflow irradiated by the photoplasma tube 3 in the drying duct 4 is blown into the clothes treating tub 2 via the joint 80.

[0113] As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, in this embodiment, the door seal 8 has a foldable and expandable cylindrical shape. Both ends of the cylindrical door seal 8 are hermetically connected to the tank mouth flange of the clothes treatment tank 2 and the front panel of the housing 1, respectively. The tank mouth provided on the tank mouth flange of the clothes treatment tank 2 and the clothes inlet provided on the front panel of the housing 1 are both located inside the cylindrical door seal 8 to form a path for putting in and taking out clothes. Furthermore, the front panel of the housing 1 in the clothes treatment machine is provided with a main body door that can be inverted outward to open and close the clothes inlet. The main body door can open and close the clothes treatment outlet accordingly, thereby achieving the purpose of controllably connecting / blocking the clothes inlet / outlet path formed by the door seal 8 to the outside.

[0114] In this embodiment, the joint 80 extends so as to protrude outward from the upper part of the cylindrical door seal 8. The joint 80 may be provided integrally with the door seal 8 or may be provided separately from the door seal 8. Preferably, the joint 80 is provided integrally with the cylindrical door seal 8 and extends so as to protrude outward in the radial direction of the cylindrical door seal 8. The extended end of the joint 80 and the air supply end of the drying duct 4 are inserted into each other and communicate with each other.

[0115] 9 to 11, in this embodiment, an opening is provided at the connection point of the joint 80 with the door seal 8, which connects the internal passage of the cylindrical door seal 8 with the internal passage 81 of the joint 80. The opening is opened toward the inside of the clothing treatment tub 2, and is used to guide the airflow so that it is blown into the clothing treatment tub 2.

[0116] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 is installed in the joint 80. The optical plasma tube 3 irradiates the airflow that passes through the joint 80 and flows into the clothes treatment tank 2. When the airflow passes through the joint 80 in which the optical plasma tube 3 is located, the optical plasma and ion clusters sent out from the optical plasma tube 3 decompose the oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants, and generate a certain amount of ozone. However, if the passing airflow has a certain heat, the ozone is easily decomposed by the heat, so that the optical plasma with a low ozone concentration can disinfect and sterilize the environmental space in the clothes treatment tank 2 of the clothes treatment machine.

[0117] In this embodiment, the path 81 inside the joint 80 is long, and the light plasma tube 3 is provided on one side of the long path 81. The light plasma tube 3 irradiates light toward the inside of the long path 81, so that all of the airflow passing through the joint 80 is irradiated with light, effectively improving the sterilization and deodorization efficiency. In this embodiment, the ion clusters generated by the light plasma tube 3 change particles in the air into oxidants. When encountering a harmful substance, the light ion clusters are fully activated as a whole, so that in the same polluted environment, the speed of destroying organic tissues is 180 times faster than ultraviolet light and 2000 times faster than ozone. In this way, biological pollutants in the air are removed (bacteria, viruses, and mold in the air and on the surfaces of objects are killed and destroyed), thereby reducing the spread of pathogens in the air.

[0118] In this embodiment, the fan 9 creates a circulating airflow by moving the air inside the drying duct 4 and the clothes treating tub 2. While the air is moving inside the drying duct 4, the light plasma tube 3 irradiates the air to create sterilized air containing oxidants, thereby sterilizing the clothes treating machine.

[0119] In this embodiment, a heater 5 is further provided in the drying duct 4. The heater 5 is provided between the fan 9 and the optical plasma tube 3. As a result, after the air inside the clothes treatment tub 2 flows into the drying duct 4, it is first heated by the heater 5 to form dry hot air, and then the dry hot air flows toward the optical plasma tube 3. This is advantageous in reducing the ozone concentration in the sterilizing air.

[0120] In this embodiment, the optical plasma and ion cluster light emitted from the optical plasma tube 3 decompose oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants, which also generates ozone. Excessive ozone strongly stimulates the human airways, causing symptoms such as a swollen and sore throat, shortness of breath, and coughing, but the ozone is decomposed by heat from the hot air in the drying duct 4, so the ozone concentration in the circulating airflow can be effectively reduced.

[0121] As shown in Fig. 7 to Fig. 13, in this embodiment, the joint 80 is provided from the ceiling of the annular door seal 8 toward one side. The light plasma tube 3 is provided on the lower side of the joint 80. The light plasma tube 3 irradiates light toward the internal passage 81 of the joint 80 above.

[0122] In this embodiment, a protrusion 82 that protrudes outward is provided on the lower side of the joint 80. The internal space of the protrusion 82 forms a cavity for attaching the light plasma tube 3. The cavity also communicates with a path 81 inside the joint 80. This makes it possible to form a sterilizing and deodorizing airflow by directly irradiating the light generated by the light plasma tube attached inside the protrusion 82 into the path and having it act on the airflow passing through the path.

[0123] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, in this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 includes a base 31 that is fixedly attached to the door seal 8 and has an internal cavity that forms an installation space, and an optical plasma tube 30 that is used to generate sterilizing light and is installed within the installation space of the base 31.

[0124] The base 31 is provided with a light-transmitting area that transmits the sterilizing light generated by the photoplasma tube 30. The light-transmitting area is provided facing the inside of the joint 80.

[0125] In this embodiment, the base 31 is columnar. A notch 36 is provided in one side wall of the columnar base 31. The notch 36 communicates the inside and outside of the columnar base 31 to form a light-transmitting region.

[0126] The notch 36 extends along the axis of the columnar base 31 and has a radial width that corresponds to the diameter of the columnar base 31 .

[0127] The optical plasma tube 30 disposed inside the columnar base 31 extends along the axis of the columnar base 31 and overlaps at least the notch 36 .

[0128] In this embodiment, a glass cover 32 is provided in the mounting space of the columnar base 31. The glass cover 32 is cylindrical and is provided to cover the outside of the light plasma tube 30. The cylindrical glass cover 32 covers at least the notch 36 provided in the side wall of the columnar base 31. The glass cover 32 is made of translucent glass that allows the light emitted from the light plasma tube 30 to pass through. This allows the light emitted from the light plasma tube 30 to be emitted from the notch 36 provided in the side wall of the columnar base 31, and is irradiated to the air flow passing through the path 81 in the joint 80.

[0129] As shown in Figs. 11 to 13, in this embodiment, the columnar base 31 of the light plasma tube 3 has one end closed and located inside the joint 80, and the other end open and located outside the joint 80. A fixing cap 33 is removably attached to the open end of the columnar base 31 located outside the joint. The fixing cap 33 is used to fix the light plasma tube 30 and the glass cover 32 in the mounting space inside the base 31. In this embodiment, the fixing cap 33 is annular. The radial size of the inner circumference of the annular fixing cap 33 is smaller than the radial size of the light plasma tube 30, and the radial size of the outer circumference is larger than the radial size of the outer circumference of the columnar base 31. This allows the light plasma tube 30 to be restricted within the internal space of the base 31 by the fixing cap 33. In addition, two hooks 331 protruding on one side are provided on the outer circumference of the annular fixing cap 33. Further, engaging protrusions 332 are provided on the outer periphery of the columnar base 31, protruding in the radial direction and arranged to correspond one-to-one to the hooks. The hooks 331 and the engaging protrusions 332 are fitted together and engaged with each other, so that the annular fixing cap 33 can be detachably engaged with the columnar base 31.

[0130] In this embodiment, a cylindrical glass cover 32 is disposed coaxially in the mounting space of the columnar base 31 and covers the outside of the light plasma tube 30. The radial size of the cylindrical glass cover 32 is set to be equal to the radial size of the mounting space inside the columnar base 31 so that the glass cover 32 faces the inner wall of the base 31 and is in close contact with it. In this embodiment, a first vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between one end of the cylindrical glass cover 32 and the sealed end of the base 31. A second vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between the other end of the cylindrical glass cover 32 and the fixed cap 33 of the base 31. Preferably, the second vibration-damping washer has an outer periphery sandwiched between the fixed cap 33 and the glass cover 32, and an inner periphery sandwiched between the light plasma tube 30 and the fixed cap 33 (not shown in the figure).

[0131] In this embodiment, a fixing protrusion 35 protruding in the radial direction is provided on the outer periphery of the side wall of the columnar base 31 of the optical plasma tube 3. The fixing protrusion 35 is provided between the light-transmitting area of ​​the columnar base 31 and the fixing cap 33, and is used for engagement and fixing with a through hole provided in the joint 80 of the door seal 8. In this embodiment, the radial protrusion length of the fixing protrusion 35 and the outer periphery size of the fixing cap 33 are almost equal, and both are larger than the hole diameter of the insertion hole on the joint 80 for inserting the columnar base 31 of the optical plasma tube 3. As a result, the columnar base 31 of the optical plasma tube 3 can be clamped by the fixing protrusions 35 and the fixing cap 33 on both sides of the joint 80, and the optical plasma tube 3 is fixedly attached to the joint 80. Preferably, a gasket 34 made of a rubber material is clamped between the columnar base 31 of the optical plasma tube 3 and the joint 80 to block the effect of the vibration of the clothes treatment machine on the optical plasma tube.

[0132] In this embodiment, the columnar base 31 of the optical plasma tube 3 is inserted from the air supply end of the joint 80 and extends to the air supply end of the joint 80. The optical plasma tube 3 is provided on one side of the joint 80. In addition, the light-transmitting area provided on one side of the columnar base 34 of the optical plasma tube 3 is opened toward the central axis of the rectangular joint 80.

[0133] As shown in Figs. 7 to 11, in this embodiment, the axial direction of the light plasma tube 3 is inclined at a certain included angle with respect to the axial direction of the joint 80. The insertion end of the light plasma tube 3 is inclined away from the joint 80 more than the extension end. In this way, by shifting the light plasma tube 3 and the joint 80 by a certain angle, the coverage area of ​​the irradiation from the light plasma tube to the inside of the joint is increased. Preferably, the axis of the light plasma tube 3 and the axis of the joint 80 extend along different radial directions of the clothing treatment tub 2, respectively, so that the extension length of the joint 80 and the light plasma tube 3 is as long as possible. This improves the irradiation efficiency of the light plasma tube 3 to the airflow passing through the path 81 in the joint 80.

[0134] In addition, in this embodiment, the light-transmitting region provided on one side of the columnar base 31 of the light plasma tube 3 is entirely located inside the joint 80. This allows all the light generated by the light plasma tube 3 to be irradiated to the path 81 inside the joint 80, further improving the light irradiation effect. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light-transmitting region provided on one side of the columnar base 31 of the light plasma tube 3 has a certain extension length in the axial direction of the light plasma tube 3. Preferably, the light-transmitting region extends from the insertion site of the light plasma tube 3 that contacts the joint 80 to the end.

[0135] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 may be an ultraviolet tube having at least two wavelength bands, UVC ultraviolet and UVD ultraviolet.

[0136] Ultraviolet rays can be divided into vacuum ultraviolet rays (extremely low frequency, UVD), short-wavelength sterilizing ultraviolet rays (low frequency, UVC), medium-wavelength erythema action ultraviolet rays (medium frequency, UVB), and long-wavelength black spot action ultraviolet rays (high frequency, UVA). Of these, the UVC wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 200 to 275 nm, and ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band of 253.7 nm have a high sterilizing effect. In addition, the UVD wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 100 to 200 nm, and UVD ultraviolet rays of 185 nm can excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters.

[0137] In this embodiment, the control device further includes a control device connected to the optical plasma tube 3 and controls the optical plasma tube 3 to irradiate the airflow in the drying duct 4. The control device 10 may be provided independently and attached to the housing 1, the clothes treatment tank 2, or the drying duct 4, or may be directly integrated into the control board of the clothes treatment machine.

[0138] In this embodiment, an optical plasma concentration detector is provided in the drying duct 4 or the clothing treatment tank 2. The optical plasma concentration detector is used to detect whether the optical plasma concentration in the drying duct 4 or the optical plasma concentration inside the clothing treatment tank 2 into which the sterilizing gas is introduced satisfies the sterilization requirements. The optical plasma concentration detector is a concentration sensor (not shown).

[0139] In this embodiment, an odor detection device is provided inside the clothing treatment tank 2. The odor detection device is used to detect the odor concentration and scent concentration of the clothing treatment tank 2 or the clothing therein, so as to accurately control the operation of the photoplasma generation module.

[0140] In this embodiment, the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor detector are respectively connected to a control device. The control device receives the optical plasma concentration detected by the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor concentration and odor concentration values ​​detected by the odor detector. The control device controls the operation time of the optical plasma tube 3 based on the acquired optical plasma concentration, odor concentration and odor concentration values, thereby ensuring that the optical plasma concentration in the drying duct 4 meets the sterilization and deodorization requirements.

[0141] According to the above-mentioned clothes treatment machine, the optical plasma tube has UVC ultraviolet rays and / or UVD ultraviolet rays. UVD wavelength band ultraviolet rays can efficiently excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters. In addition, UVC wavelength band ultraviolet rays have a high sterilizing effect, so they completely kill microorganisms attached to the clothes treatment tank and the clothes inside it.

[0142] In this embodiment, the light plasma tube 3 may be a wide amplitude light tube, which emits energy-balanced light in a specific wavelength range, with the wavelength being 100-300 nm.

[0143] In this embodiment, a photocatalytic layer is provided in the drying duct 4. The wide amplitude light tube is provided on the photocatalytic net side. Alternatively, the wide amplitude light tube is provided with a photocatalytic layer inside. The photocatalytic layer is made of nano-level precious metal catalytic material. Under the catalytic action of a certain number of nano-level precious metal media, the wide amplitude light tube irradiates the air, generating a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions to form photohydrogen ions. The photohydrogen ions can quickly and effectively kill more than 99% of bacteria, viruses and mold in the air, and eliminate odors in the air, thereby achieving the effect of air purification.

[0144] In this embodiment, the wide amplitude light tube can be a broadband ultraviolet tube. Compared with the ultraviolet tube with UVC ultraviolet and / or UVD ultraviolet wavelength band irradiating air, the broadband ultraviolet tube irradiates air under the catalytic action of certain nano-level multiple kinds of precious metal medium, and can generate a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions, so as to improve the sterilization effect. EXAMPLES

[0145] As shown in Figures 14 to 20, an embodiment of the present invention provides a clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function, which includes a housing 1 in which a clothes treating tub 2 is attached, and further includes a drying duct 4 for sending hot air into the clothes treating tub 2. The air sending end of the drying duct 4 is connected to the rear of the clothes treating tub 2. A light plasma tube 3 is provided in the drying duct 4 for irradiating the hot air in the drying duct 4.

[0146] In this embodiment, a fan 9 is provided in the drying duct 4. The fan 9 is used to blow air through the drying duct 4 toward the inside of the clothes treating tub 2. A heater 5 is also provided in the drying duct 4 to heat the air passing through to form a high-temperature dry air current and return the air to the clothes treating tub 2 to dry the clothes therein. In this embodiment, the clothes treating machine may be a direct exhaust type clothes dryer or a circulating condensation type clothes dryer, but the embodiment of the present invention will be described taking a direct exhaust type clothes dryer as an example.

[0147] 14 to 18, in this embodiment, the air inside the clothing treatment tub 2 flows into the drying duct 4 and is then irradiated by the optical plasma tube 3 provided inside the drying duct 4, so that an airflow having sterilizing and deodorizing functions can be formed inside the drying duct 4. The airflow is diffused inside the clothing treatment tub 2 and is used to sterilize and deodorize the clothes inside the tub.

[0148] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 can emit optical plasma and ion clusters. The optical plasma tube 3 irradiates the hot air in the drying duct 4. The emitted optical plasma and ion cluster light form sterilized air by breaking down oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants. This sterilizes the clothes and breaks down harmful impurities in the air inside the clothes treatment tank 2 into inactive compounds such as carbon dioxide and water. This quickly and easily removes unpleasant odors from the clothes.

[0149] As shown in Figs. 14 to 18, in this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 is provided in a light irradiation space 44 partitioned in the air supply space 42 of the drying duct 4. This allows the optical plasma tube 3 to perform light irradiation on a part of the air flow returning to the clothes treatment tank 2. When the air flow passes through the light irradiation space 44 in which the optical plasma tube 3 is present, the optical plasma and ion clusters sent out from the optical plasma tube 3 decompose oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants, and generate a certain amount of ozone. However, if the passing air flow has a certain heat, ozone is easily decomposed by heat, so that the optical plasma with a low ozone concentration can disinfect and sterilize the environmental space in the clothes treatment tank 2 of the clothes treatment machine.

[0150] In this embodiment, a light irradiation space 44 is partitioned by a partition rib 45 in a part of the air supply space 42, and the light plasma tube 3 is installed in the light irradiation space 44. An air supply port and an air supply port are respectively installed on both sides of the light irradiation space 44. The light plasma tube 3 is installed close to the air supply port or directly at the air supply port. As a result, the light plasma tube 3 irradiates light toward the inside of the light irradiation space 44, so that all the airflow passing through the light irradiation space 44 is irradiated with light, effectively improving the sterilization and deodorization efficiency. In this embodiment, the ion clusters generated by the light plasma tube 3 change particles in the air into oxidants. When the light ion clusters encounter harmful substances, the entirety of the light ion clusters is fully activated, so that in the same polluted environment, the speed at which organic tissue is destroyed is 180 times faster than ultraviolet light and 2000 times faster than ozone. This removes biological contaminants from the air (killing and destroying bacteria, viruses and mold in the air and on surfaces), thereby reducing the transmission of airborne pathogens.

[0151] In this embodiment, the drying duct 4 has an air supply space 40, a connection space 41, and an air delivery space 42, which are sequentially connected to each other. A fan 9 is attached in the air supply space 40. The fan 9 draws outside air into the drying duct 4 and imparts a flow force to the supplied airflow.

[0152] In this embodiment, the connection space of the drying duct 4 communicates the air supply space 40 and the air delivery space 42, and the airflow sucked by the fan 9 enters the air delivery space 42. A heater 5 is provided in the air delivery space 42. The heater 5 heats the airflow that flows into the air delivery space 42 to form a high-temperature airflow. The high-temperature airflow flows into the clothing treatment tank 2 from the opening at the rear of the tank, and performs a high-temperature drying process on the clothes in the clothing treatment tank 2. In addition, the airflow that flows into the clothing treatment tank 2 is directly irradiated. As a result, the sterilizing and deodorizing airflow formed by the irradiation of the optical plasma tube 3 can return directly to the tank, so the amount of the sterilizing and deodorizing airflow formed by the irradiation of the optical plasma tube that diffuses in the drying duct is reduced, and the sterilizing and deodorizing efficiency of the optical plasma tube is improved.

[0153] In this embodiment, the fan 9 creates an airflow by moving the air inside the drying duct 4 and the clothes treating tub 2. During the process of the air moving inside the drying duct 4, the light plasma tube 3 irradiates the air to create sterilized air containing oxidants, thereby sterilizing the clothes treating machine.

[0154] In this embodiment, the heater 5 provided in the drying duct 4 is provided close to the optical plasma tube 3. This allows the heater 5 to heat the space near the optical plasma tube 3, which is advantageous in reducing the ozone concentration in the sterilizing air.

[0155] In this embodiment, the optical plasma and ion cluster light emitted from the optical plasma tube 3 decompose oxygen gas and water molecules in the air into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants, which also generates ozone. Excessive ozone strongly stimulates the human airways, causing symptoms such as a swollen and sore throat, shortness of breath, and coughing, but the ozone is decomposed by heat from the hot air in the drying duct 4, so the ozone concentration in the circulating airflow can be effectively reduced.

[0156] As shown in Figures 14 to 18, this embodiment describes a clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function that includes a clothes treating tub 2 and a drying duct 4 for sending an airflow to the clothes treating tub 2. A light irradiation space 44 is provided in the drying duct 4, and at least a portion of the airflow enters the clothes treating tub 2 via the light irradiation space 44. A light plasma tube 3 is provided in the light irradiation space 44 to irradiate and sterilize the airflow flowing into the clothes treating tub 2.

[0157] In this embodiment, the drying duct 4 is formed by a sandwiched space between two vertical plate members, one at the front and one at the rear, located at the rear of the clothes treating machine. The two vertical plate members are a rear plate 102 and a rear cover plate 103, respectively. Between the rear plate 102 and the rear cover plate 103, a gasket 104 made of a rubber material is provided for sealing the drying duct formed by these members. In addition, in the gap space between the rear plate 102 and the rear cover plate 103, a block rib is provided for dividing the gap space between the two plate members and forming the drying duct 4 that is provided vertically above and below. The drying duct 4 has an air supply space 40 at the bottom, an air delivery space 42 at the top, and a connection space 41 in the center. In addition, an air supply port 48 for sending outside air to the drying duct 4 via a fan 9 is opened in the rear plate 102 at the front side of the lower part of the drying duct 4. Furthermore, a plurality of air supply ports 43 are provided in the rear plate 102 at the front side of the upper portion of the drying duct 4 for supplying the airflow from the air supply space 42 into the laundry treatment tub 2 .

[0158] As shown in Figs. 15 to 18, in this embodiment, the drying duct 4 has a disk-shaped air supply space 42. A partitioning rib 45 extending in the radial direction is provided in the annular air supply space 42. The partitioning rib 45 partitions the disk-shaped air supply space 42 into two sector-shaped regions. Of these, a first portion 421 forms a light irradiation space 44. In addition, a light plasma tube 3 inserted in the radial direction into the light irradiation space 44 is provided on the outer circumferential side wall of the disk-shaped air supply space 42.

[0159] Preferably, the circumferential size of the first portion 421 is much smaller than that of the second portion 422. This allows the light plasma tube 3 to irradiate only the small-sized first portion 421 with light, improving the light irradiation effect on the airflow passing through the first portion 421.

[0160] As shown in Figs. 14 to 18, in this embodiment, an annular partitioning rib 453 is provided in the center of the disk-shaped air supply space 42. A first partitioning rib 451 and a second partitioning rib 452 are provided on the outer periphery of the annular partitioning rib 453, which are spaced apart from each other and arranged at an angle. The sector between the first partitioning rib 451 and the second partitioning rib 452 constitutes the light irradiation space 44. That is, the first partitioning rib 451, the second partitioning rib 452, the annular partitioning rib 453, and the outer periphery side wall of the air supply space 42 jointly define two sector areas of different sizes. These are the first portion 421 and the second portion 422, respectively, and the first portion 421, which has a smaller area, constitutes the light irradiation space 44.

[0161] In this embodiment, the first partitioning rib 451 is provided with a notch 46 that communicates with the air supply space 40 via the connection space 41. As a result, the air supply port of the light irradiation space 44 is located on the first partitioning rib 451 side. In addition, in order to improve the light irradiation efficiency into the light irradiation space 44, the light plasma tube 3 is provided close to the second partitioning rib 452. As a result, the air flow flowing into the light irradiation space 44 can be sufficiently irradiated by the light plasma tube 3, improving the light irradiation effect.

[0162] In this embodiment, the drying duct 4 further includes an air supply space 40 in which a fan 9 is provided. The air supply space 40 is directly connected to the second portion 422 of the air supply space 42 via a connection space 41 that extends so as to incline obliquely upward. The first partitioning rib 451 partitions the connection space 41 from the light irradiation space 44. The first partitioning rib 451 is provided with a notch 46 that connects both sides, and at least a part of the air flow that flows into the air supply space 40 flows into the light irradiation space 44 via the notch 46. As a result, the air supply space 40 and the first portion 421, which is a branch path of the air supply space 42, are connected to each other via the notch 46. The notch 46 is provided closer to the center of the annular air supply space 42 than the light plasma tube 3.

[0163] 14 to 18, in this embodiment, the first partitioning rib 451 preferably extends to the air supply space 40 along a direction substantially tangential to the annular partitioning rib 453. This forms a connection space 41 that extends along a common tangent to the air supply space 40 and the air supply space 42.

[0164] In this embodiment, a heater 5 is provided in the second portion 422 of the annular air supply space 42. The heater 5 faces the air supply end of the connection space 41 and is used to directly heat the airflow being blown in. In addition, since the heater 5 is provided close to the cutout 46, it is possible to heat the airflow flowing into the light irradiation space 44 and increase the temperature of the airflow passing through the light irradiation space 44.

[0165] As shown in Figs. 14 to 18, in this embodiment, the second partitioning rib 452 extends to the outer periphery of the annular air-sending space 42 along the wavy lines that curve toward both sides. In this embodiment, the second partitioning rib 452 has two curved parts 47 that protrude outward and are recessed inward at locations close to the outer periphery of the annular air-sending space 42. The columnar light plasma tube 3 is provided in the area surrounded by the curved parts 47. By providing the light plasma tube 3 at the curved parts 47, the curved parts 47 can guide the airflow in the light irradiation space 44 to form a vortex near the light plasma tube 3. This extends the residence time of the airflow at this location, thereby further improving the light irradiation effect.

[0166] As shown in Figs. 14 to 20, in this embodiment, a plurality of air outlets 43 are provided on one side of the annular air supply space 42. Each air outlet 43 is used to introduce the airflow in the air supply space 42 into the clothing treatment tank 2. At least one air outlet 43 in the annular air supply space 42 is a first air outlet 431 communicating with the light irradiation space 44, and the remaining air outlets 43 are second air outlets 432 communicating with the second part 422. The first air outlet 431 is opened to face at least a part of the columnar light plasma tube 3 in the light irradiation space 44. This allows the columnar light plasma tube 3 to irradiate the area of ​​the first air outlet 431, so that all of the airflow flowing into the clothing treatment tank 2 can be irradiated by the light plasma tube 3. This increases the amount of gas after light irradiation in the clothing treatment tank 2, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the sterilization and deodorization effect.

[0167] In this embodiment, the first air outlet 431 is located on the side shifted from the notch and is closer to the center of the air supply space 42 than the notch. Moreover, the first air outlet 431 and the notch 46 are both located on the same side of the light plasma tube 3. This improves the irradiation effect of the light plasma tube on the air flow passing through the light irradiation space 44.

[0168] Preferably, the first air outlet 431 may be provided at a position overlapping with the columnar light plasma tube 3. This positions the air outlet of the light irradiation space 44 farthest from the air inlet, and thus extends the air flow distance in the light irradiation space 44, improving the light irradiation effect. In addition, by opening the second air outlet 432 at the light plasma tube 3 portion, all of the air flowing into the clothing treatment tub 2 can be irradiated by the light plasma tube 3. This further increases the amount of gas after light irradiation in the clothing treatment tub 2, achieving the purpose of improving the sterilization and deodorization effect (not shown in the figure).

[0169] In this embodiment, the first air outlet 431 is a round opening provided corresponding to one side of the area surrounded by the curved portion 47. The cross-sectional area of ​​the round opening is smaller than that of the second air outlet 432. The radial size of the first air outlet 431, which is a round opening, is equal to or smaller than the width of the notch 46, and is approximately equal to the extension length of the optical plasma tube 3 in the light irradiation space 44.

[0170] As shown in Figs. 14 to 20, in this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 is columnar. At the end of the columnar optical plasma tube 3, a mounting base 321 is provided that is located outside the drying duct 4 and at least a part of which protrudes in the radial direction. The radial protrusion of the mounting base 321 is fixed to the outer wall of the drying duct 4. In this embodiment, fixing ribs 323 that protrude outward in the radial direction are provided on both sides that face each other in the radial direction of the mounting base 321. Both of the two fixing ribs 323 face and are in close contact with the outer wall of the drying duct 4. The fixing ribs 323 each have a through hole that passes through the fixing rib 323, and the mounting base 321 is fixedly attached to the drying duct 4 by inserting a screw through the through hole and fixing the mounting base 321 to the drying duct 4.

[0171] Preferably, a mounting groove is provided on the outer wall of the drying duct 4. A through hole is provided at the bottom of the mounting groove for inserting the columnar optical plasma tube 3. The mounting base is provided with a position restricting portion that protrudes from the through hole in the radial direction and contacts the inner wall of the mounting groove. A vibration-reducing washer 322 made of an elastic material is provided on the outer periphery of the position restricting portion. The vibration-reducing washer 322 is sandwiched between the fixed base 321 and the outer wall of the drying duct 4.

[0172] The vibration-damping washer 322 is cylindrical and coaxially passes through a through hole in the side wall of the drying duct 4, and the optical plasma tube 3 is located inside the vibration-damping washer 322. The outer wall of the vibration-damping washer 4 is provided with a notched groove 324 that is inserted so as to face the side wall of the drying duct 4 on the outer periphery of the through hole. This allows the vibration-damping washer 322 and the drying duct 4 to be fixedly attached in the axial direction. The outer wall of the attachment base 321 is provided with a protruding rib 326 that is inserted correspondingly into an annular position restriction groove 325 provided in the inner circumferential wall of the cylindrical vibration-damping washer 322. This allows the optical plasma tube 3 and the vibration-damping washer 322 to be fixedly attached in the axial direction.

[0173] In this embodiment, the optical plasma tube 3 may be an ultraviolet tube having at least two wavelength bands, UVC ultraviolet and UVD ultraviolet.

[0174] Ultraviolet rays can be divided into vacuum ultraviolet rays (extremely low frequency, UVD), short-wavelength sterilizing ultraviolet rays (low frequency, UVC), medium-wavelength erythema action ultraviolet rays (medium frequency, UVB), and long-wavelength black spot action ultraviolet rays (high frequency, UVA). Of these, the UVC wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 200 to 275 nm, and ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band of 253.7 nm have a high sterilizing effect. In addition, the UVD wavelength band of ultraviolet rays has a wavelength of 100 to 200 nm, and UVD ultraviolet rays of 185 nm can excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters.

[0175] In this embodiment, the device further includes a control device 10. The control device 10 is connected to the optical plasma tube 3 and controls the optical plasma tube 3 to irradiate the airflow in the drying duct 4. The control device 10 may be independently attached to the outer wall of the drying duct 4, or may be integrated into the control board of the clothes treating machine.

[0176] In this embodiment, an optical plasma concentration detector is provided in the drying duct 4 or the clothing treatment tank 2. The optical plasma concentration detector is used to detect whether the optical plasma concentration in the drying duct 4 or the optical plasma concentration inside the clothing treatment tank 2 into which the sterilizing gas is introduced satisfies the sterilization requirements. The optical plasma concentration detector is a concentration sensor (not shown in the figure).

[0177] In this embodiment, an odor detection device is provided inside the clothing treatment tank 2. The odor detection device is used to detect the odor concentration and scent concentration of the clothing treatment tank 2 or the clothing therein, so as to accurately control the operation of the photoplasma generation module.

[0178] In this embodiment, the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor detector are respectively connected to a control device 10. The control device 10 receives the optical plasma concentration detected by the optical plasma concentration detector and the odor concentration and odor concentration values ​​detected by the odor detector. The control device 10 controls the operation time of the optical plasma tube 3 based on the acquired optical plasma concentration, odor concentration and odor concentration values, thereby ensuring that the optical plasma concentration in the drying duct 4 meets the sterilization and deodorization requirements.

[0179] According to the above-mentioned clothes treating machine, the optical plasma tube 3 has UVC ultraviolet rays and / or UVD ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet rays in the UVD wavelength band efficiently excite oxygen gas and water in the air to generate optical plasma clusters. In addition, the ultraviolet rays in the UVC wavelength band have a high sterilizing effect, so they completely kill microorganisms attached to the clothes treating tank 2 and the clothes inside it.

[0180] In this embodiment, the light plasma tube 3 may be a wide amplitude light tube, which emits energy-balanced light in a specific wavelength range, with the wavelength being 100-300 nm.

[0181] In this embodiment, a photocatalytic layer is provided in the drying duct 4. The wide amplitude light tube is provided on the photocatalytic net side. Alternatively, the wide amplitude light tube is provided with a photocatalytic layer inside. The photocatalytic layer is made of nano-level precious metal catalytic material. Under the catalytic action of a certain number of nano-level precious metal media, the wide amplitude light tube irradiates the air, generating a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions to form photohydrogen ions. The photohydrogen ions can quickly and effectively kill more than 99% of bacteria, viruses and mold in the air, and eliminate odors in the air, thereby achieving the effect of air purification.

[0182] In this embodiment, the wide amplitude light tube can be a broadband ultraviolet tube. Compared with the ultraviolet tube with UVC ultraviolet and / or UVD ultraviolet wavelength band irradiating air, the broadband ultraviolet tube irradiates air under the catalytic action of certain nano-level multiple kinds of precious metal medium, and can generate a large amount of hydroxide ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and pure negative oxygen ions, so as to improve the sterilization effect. EXAMPLES

[0183] As shown in Figures 21 to 24, the present invention provides a method for controlling a clothes treating machine, the method including:

[0184] Step S1: Air is supplied into the clothes treatment tub 100.

[0185] Step S2: The temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 is obtained.

[0186] Step S3: Determine whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub 100 satisfies a predetermined activation condition, and if so, activate the optical plasma generator 300 to irradiate the air supplied into the clothing treatment tub 100 with sterilizing light.

[0187] According to the above-mentioned method for controlling a clothes treating machine, the operation of the photoplasma generator 300 is controlled based on the temperature inside the clothes treating tank 100. This prevents the temperature inside the clothes treating tank 100 from becoming too high, which would result in the strong oxidizing substances generated after irradiation being decomposed at high temperatures. Furthermore, controlling the temperature inside the clothes treating tank 100 is advantageous for volatilizing odorous substances on the clothes, improving the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothes treating machine.

[0188] As shown in Fig. 22, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a clothes treating machine, which further includes the following steps before the step S1 of supplying air into the clothes treating tub 100:

[0189] Step S01: Proceed to the laundry care program.

[0190] Step S02: The heating device 800 in the duct 200 is started.

[0191] Step S03: The fan 700 in the duct 200 is controlled to rotate, and the gas in the duct 200 is caused to flow toward the air intake port of the clothing treatment tub 100.

[0192] In this embodiment, the heating device 800 heats the gas in the duct 200 to generate hot air. The hot air flowing into the clothing treatment tank 100 helps to volatilize odorous substances attached to the clothing. In particular, formaldehyde-based substances often contained in new clothing generally volatilize rapidly at 20 to 60°C. In addition, as the temperature rises, the Brownian motion of gas molecules in the air accelerates, accelerating the contact between the gas molecules and the oxidizing active substances formed after the gas is irradiated by the optical plasma generator 300, thereby accelerating the reaction process.

[0193] In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to start the optical plasma generator 300 based on the temperature of the air sent. This is useful for decomposing odorous substances by the strong oxidizing active substances formed by the optical plasma generator 300 irradiating the gas. In addition, the strong oxidizing active substances are prevented from being decomposed at high temperatures, improving the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothes treatment machine. Optical plasma is a gas containing ions and free electrons generated by the nano-optical tube. Optical plasma and ion clusters decompose oxygen gas and water molecules into hydroxide ions, free oxygen atoms, superoxide ions, and other oxidants. These molecules are extremely unstable and decompose harmful impurities in the air, decomposing harmful substances into inactive compounds such as carbon dioxide and water, while killing microorganisms, thereby exerting a sterilizing and deodorizing effect.

[0194] 23 and 24, in this embodiment, the clothing treatment machine includes an optical plasma generator 300 and a duct 200 communicating with the clothing treatment tank 100. The optical plasma generator 300 is used to irradiate the gas flowing from the duct 200 into the clothing treatment tank 100.

[0195] As shown in FIG. 22, in this embodiment, step S3 of determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub 100 satisfies the predetermined activation condition includes determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub 100 is below a predetermined temperature, and starting the optical plasma generating device 300 if the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub 100 is below the predetermined temperature.

[0196] In this embodiment, when the temperature inside the clothing treatment tank 100 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the photoplasma generator 300 is started and irradiates the gas flowing into the clothing treatment tank 100 from the duct 200, thereby forming hydroxide ions, liberated oxygen atoms, superoxide ions and other oxidants. This prevents the strong oxidizing agent from being decomposed by heat, and the strong oxidizing agent sterilizes and deodorizes the clothing treatment tank 100 and the clothing inside it.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 22, in this embodiment, step S02 of starting the heating device 800 in the duct 200 further includes step S02a of setting a target period t for which the heating device 800 operates and starting timing.

[0198] In this embodiment, the target period during which the heating device 800 operates is controlled to heat the clothing treatment tank 100 and the clothing inside it, accelerating the volatilization of odorous substances attached to the clothing. This causes the odorous substances to come into contact with strong oxidizing substances, accelerating the reaction process.

[0199] As shown in FIG. 22, in this embodiment, after step S03 of controlling the fan 700 in the duct 200 to rotate, a step S03a of controlling the clothing treatment tub 100 to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed and a predetermined rotation / stop ratio is further included.

[0200] In this embodiment, the clothes treatment tank 100 is controlled to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed and a predetermined rotation / stop ratio, so that the clothes inside the clothes treatment tank 100 receive heat more uniformly, and the odorous substances are sufficiently volatilized. In the heating process, the clothes treatment tank 100 is controlled to operate at a low speed, and the rotation speed is set to 50 rotations / min and the rotation / stop ratio is set to 30:5. Preferably, the temperature inside the clothes treatment tank 100 is the air supply temperature of the air supply port of the clothes treatment tank 100. In the process in which the airflow flows from the air supply port of the clothes treatment tank 100 to the air supply port, the temperature inside the clothes treatment tank 100 becomes more stable, and the air supply temperature responds to the overall temperature change inside the clothes treatment tank 100. According to the above-mentioned method for controlling a clothes treatment machine, the heating device 800 heats the gas, which is advantageous for volatilizing odorous substances attached to the clothes. In addition, it is determined whether or not to start the optical plasma generation device 300 based on the air supply temperature. This helps to decompose odorous substances by the strong oxidizing active substances formed by irradiating gas with the optical plasma generator 300. In addition, since the strong oxidizing active substances are prevented from being decomposed at high temperatures, the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothes treating machine is improved.

[0201] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, in this embodiment, step S3 of acquiring the temperature inside the clothing treatment tub 100 further includes the following.

[0202] Step S3a: Determine whether the heating device 800 has operated until the target period t, and if it has operated until the target period t, turn off the heating device 800. If it has not operated until the target period t, compare the acquired temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 with a predetermined temperature threshold range, and control the heating device 800 to be on or off based on the comparison result.

[0203] As shown in FIG. 22, step S3a of controlling the heating device 800 to be on or off based on the above comparison result specifically includes:

[0204] Step S3a1: If the acquired temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 is within a predetermined temperature threshold range, the heating device 800 is turned off.

[0205] Step S3a2: If the acquired temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 is greater than the maximum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range, the heating device 800 is turned off.

[0206] Step S3a3: If the acquired temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 is lower than the minimum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range, the operation of the heating device 800 is maintained or turned on.

[0207] In this embodiment, when the temperature inside the clothing treatment tank 100 is higher than the maximum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range, the heating device 800 must be turned off. This prevents clothing made of non-heat-resistant materials such as silk and wool from becoming easily deformed. Also, when the temperature inside the clothing treatment tank 100 is lower than the minimum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range, the odorous substances attached to the clothing cannot be rapidly volatilized to form gaseous molecules, which impairs the deodorizing efficiency of the clothing treatment machine.

[0208] In this embodiment, after proceeding to the laundry care program, the heating device 800 is started to heat the gas in the duct 200. This raises the temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 from room temperature to a range of 30-35°C, improving the volatilization efficiency of odorous substances. Furthermore, when the heating device 800 in the duct 200 is turned off, the temperature inside the clothes treatment tub 100 can drop to below 30°C, preventing the strong oxidizing active substances from affecting the decomposition of odorous substances.

[0209] In this embodiment, the predetermined activation condition is that the temperature in the laundry treatment tub is equal to or lower than the maximum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range. That is, the sterilization efficiency of the laundry treatment machine is ensured by the predetermined temperature being equal to or lower than the maximum value of the predetermined temperature threshold range.

[0210] As shown in Fig. 23, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a clothes treating machine using the above control method. The clothes treating machine includes a clothes treating tub 100 having an air inlet and an air outlet, a duct 200 having a fan 700 and a heating device 800 installed therein and an air outlet end communicating with the air inlet so as to cause internal gas to flow into the clothes treating tub 100, and a light plasma generator 300 for irradiating the gas flowing from the duct 200 into the clothes treating tub 100.

[0211] In this embodiment, the hot air blown into the clothing treatment tub 100 helps to volatilize odorous substances on the clothing. In addition, the optical plasma generator 300 irradiates the gas flowing into the clothing treatment tub 100 from the duct 200, thereby improving the deodorizing and sterilizing efficiency of the clothing treatment machine by using strong oxidizing substances.

[0212] As shown in Fig. 23, in this embodiment, a clothing inlet 101 is provided at the front end of the clothing treatment tub 100. A window packing 400 is provided at the clothing inlet 101. A ceiling portion of the window packing 400 is connected to the air supply end of the duct 200. The optical plasma generator 300 includes an optical plasma tube assembly 301. The optical plasma tube assembly 301 is attached to the side of the window packing 400 close to the air supply port, or the side of the duct 200 close to the air supply end of the duct 200.

[0213] In this embodiment, the clothes treating machine may be a combination washer / dryer. The optical plasma tube assembly 301 is attached to the side of the window packing 400 close to the air inlet or to the duct 200. As a result, the oxidizing active substances formed by the optical plasma generator 300 irradiating the gas quickly pass through the air inlet of the clothes treating tub 100 and flow into the clothes treating tub 100, slowing down the decay rate of the strong oxidizing active substances.

[0214] As shown in Fig. 24, in this embodiment, the clothes treating machine further includes a rear plate 500 and a rear cover plate 600 provided behind the rear plate 500. The clothes treating tub 100 is rotatably supported by the rear plate 500. The rear cover plate 600 and the rear plate 500 define a duct 200 communicating with the air inlet. The optical plasma generating device 300 includes an optical plasma tube assembly 301. The optical plasma tube assembly 301 is mounted in the duct 200.

[0215] In this embodiment, the clothes treatment machine may be a clothes dryer. In this case, the fan 700 is a drying fan 700. The clothes dryer circulates air by the drying fan 700. Since the drying fan 700 has a large air volume, the odorous gas in the tub is blown to the periphery of the optical plasma tube by driving the drying fan 700. The light of a special wavelength emitted from the optical plasma tube can generate ion plasma in the air. The ion plasma can purify the air transported by the fan 700, and finally, the purified air is blown into the tub, thereby achieving the sterilization and deodorization effect of the tub and clothes.

[0216] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention in any form. The present invention has been disclosed above through a preferred embodiment, but is not intended to limit the present invention. Within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, slight modifications or additions that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art using the technical content presented above are equivalently modified equivalent embodiments, but none of them deviate from the content of the technical solution of the present invention. In addition, any simple modifications, equivalent modifications and additions made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are all within the scope of the solution of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0217] 1. Housing 2 Clothes treatment tank 3. Light Plasma Tube 4 Drying duct 5 Heater 6. Optical Plasma Module 8 Door Seal 9 Fan 10 Control device 60 Case 61 Air supply space 62 Air supply space 621 Upper space 622 Central space 623 Lower Space 63 Routes 64 Top cover 65 Air supply port 66 Air outlet 67 Air supply pipe 68 Air pipe 69 Tank 610 Slots 611 Shielding board 612 Protruding rib 613 Contact side 614 Groove 30 Light Plasma Tube 31 Base 32 Glass Cover 33 Fixing cap 34 Gasket 35 Fixed protrusion 36 Cutout 301 Connection terminal 331 Hook 332 Engagement protrusion 80 Joints 81 Routes 82 Protrusion 83 Air supply joint 84 Air supply joint 101 Front upper horizontal beam 102 Rear plate 103 Rear cover plate 104 Gasket 2 Clothes treatment tank 3 Light Plasma Tube 321 Mounting Base 322 Vibration-damping washer 323 Fixed Rib 324 Notch Groove 325 Position control groove 326 Protruding rib 4 Drying duct 40 Air supply space 41 Connected Space 42 Air supply space 421 Part 1 422 Part 2 43 Air outlet 431 First Air Outlet 432 Second Air Outlet 44 Light Irradiation Space 45 Partition Rib 451 1st section rib 452 Second section rib 453 Annular Partition Rib 46 Cutout 47 Curved section 48 Air supply port 100 Clothes treatment tank 101 Clothes slot 200 Duct 300 Optical Plasma Generator 301 Light Plasma Tube Assembly 400 Window Gasket 500 rear plate 600 Rear cover plate 700 Fans 800 Heating device

Claims

1. An optical plasma module including a housing having an air supply space and an air delivery space communicating with each other therein, This optical plasma module is characterized in that a fan is installed in the air supply space to draw in outside air from an air supply port at the bottom of the space, an optical plasma tube is installed in the air supply space, and the upper part of the air supply space is connected to the air supply space and the lower part is connected to the outside via the air supply port.

2. The optical plasma module described in claim 1, characterized in that one end of the upper space in the air supply space is connected to the outlet of the fan in the air supply space via a path, an optical plasma tube is attached to the central space of the air supply space and is inserted horizontally from one side, and an air supply port is provided in the bottom wall of the lower space in the air supply space.

3. The optical plasma module described in claim 2, characterized in that the lower space of the air supply space is shaped like an inverted cone or an inverted frustum, with the radial size gradually shrinking from top to bottom, and the air supply port is provided at the lowest point of the inverted cone or inverted frustum, and preferably, the lower space of the air supply space is shaped like an inverted isosceles triangle, with both left and right sides gradually inclining toward the center, and the air supply port is provided at the lowest point of the inverted isosceles triangle.

4. The optical plasma module according to claim 2, characterized in that the optical plasma tube is arranged coaxially with the air supply space, and the opposite sides of the air supply space in the axial direction are respectively a side communicating with the air supply space via a path and an optical plasma tube inserted therein.

5. The optical plasma module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fan is installed horizontally in the air supply space, the fan inlet is located in the center and opens downward, the air supply port of the air supply space is installed at the bottom of the space and opens coaxially opposite the fan inlet, the fan outlet extends horizontally along the tangential direction of the fan and communicates with the upper space of the air supply space via a path that extends horizontally, and preferably the path is installed coaxially with the air supply space.

6. The optical plasma module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the housing includes a tank and an upper cover, the upper cover is engaged with and fixedly attached to a ceiling of the tank, and jointly defines an air supply space and an air delivery space communicating with each other via a passage, the fan is attached to the upper cover, the optical plasma tube is correspondingly inserted into the air delivery space from one side of the tank and fixedly attached to the tank, and preferably a driver board is attached to the outer wall of the tank.

7. A clothes treating machine including a housing and a clothes treating tub mounted within the housing, A clothes treating machine characterized in that a housing is provided with an optical plasma module described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the air inlet and air outlet of the optical plasma module are each connected to a clothes treating tank via a pipeline.

8. 8. The clothes treating machine according to claim 7, wherein the optical plasma module is fixedly attached to the housing, and the optical plasma module is located below the ceiling surface of the housing and above the clothes treating tub.

9. The clothing treatment machine described in claim 8, characterized in that the housing includes a front upper cross beam located on the front side of the ceiling portion, the housing of the optical plasma module is fixedly attached to the underside of the front upper cross beam, and the air supply space and air delivery space of the optical plasma module are arranged side by side on the left and right sides within the housing.

10. A clothing treatment machine as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that a door seal is connected between the tub mouth of the clothing treatment tub and the front panel of the housing, and the door seal is provided with an air intake fitting and an air supply fitting that enable the clothing treatment tub to be connected to the outside, and the air intake of the optical plasma module is connected to the air intake fitting provided in the door seal via an air intake pipe, and the air supply of the optical plasma module is connected to the air supply fitting provided in the door seal via an air supply pipe.

11. A clothes treating machine including a clothes treating tank and a drying duct having an air supply end communicating with the clothes treating tank and used to supply airflow to the inside of the clothes treating tank, A clothes treating machine characterized in that a light plasma tube is provided at the air supply end of the drying duct for irradiating and sterilizing the air flow flowing into the clothes treating tub.

12. The clothes treating machine of claim 11, characterized in that the mouth of the clothes treating tub is connected to the housing of the clothes treating machine via a door seal, a fitting is opened in the door seal, the air supply end of the drying duct is connected to the inside of the clothes treating tub via the fitting opened in the door seal, a light plasma tube is provided in the fitting and sterilizes the airflow flowing into the clothes treating tub via the fitting by light irradiation, and the light plasma tube is attached to the door seal and / or the air supply end of the drying duct and / or the clothes treating tub.

13. The clothing treatment machine according to claim 12, characterized in that the optical plasma tube includes a base that is fixedly attached to the door seal and has an internal cavity that forms an installation space, and an optical plasma tube that is used to generate sterilizing light and is installed in the installation space of the base, the base being provided with a light-transmitting area that allows the sterilizing light generated by the optical plasma tube to pass through, and the light-transmitting area is provided facing the inside of the joint.

14. The clothing treatment machine of claim 13, characterized in that the base is cylindrical, one side wall of the cylindrical base has a notch, the notch connects the inside and outside of the cylindrical base to form a light-transmitting area, and the optical plasma tube provided inside the cylindrical base extends along the axis of the cylindrical base and at least a portion of the optical plasma tube overlaps with the notch.

15. The clothing treatment machine according to claim 14, characterized in that a glass cover is provided within the mounting space of the columnar base, the glass cover is cylindrical and covers the outside of the optical plasma tube, and the cylindrical glass cover at least covers the notch provided in the side wall of the columnar base.

16. A clothing treatment machine as described in any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the cylindrical base of the optical plasma tube is inserted from the air supply end of the joint and extends to the air supply end of the joint, the optical plasma tube is provided on one side of the joint, and a light-transmitting area provided on one side of the cylindrical base of the optical plasma tube is opened toward the central axis of the joint.

17. The clothing treatment machine according to claim 16, characterized in that the axial direction of the optical plasma tube is inclined at a certain included angle with respect to the axial direction of the joint, the insertion end of the optical plasma tube is inclined away from the joint more than the extension end, and the light-transmitting area provided on one side of the columnar base of the optical plasma tube is entirely located inside the joint.

18. The clothing treatment machine according to claim 16, characterized in that the cylindrical base of the optical plasma tube has one end closed and located inside the joint and the other end open and located outside the joint, and a fixing cap is removably attached to the open end of the cylindrical base located outside the joint, and the fixing cap is used to fixedly mount the optical plasma tube in the mounting space inside the base.

19. The clothing treatment machine of claim 18, characterized in that a fixing protrusion protruding radially is provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical base of the optical plasma tube, the fixing protrusion is provided between the light-transmitting area of ​​the cylindrical base and the fixing cap, and the fixing cap and the fixing protrusion are respectively located on both the inner and outer sides of the door seal and are used to fixedly attach the optical plasma tube to the door seal.

20. The clothing treatment machine described in claim 18, characterized in that the fixing cap is annular, the inner peripheral size of the annular fixing cap is smaller than the radial size of the optical plasma tube, and the optical plasma tube and the glass cover are positioned and fixed within the mounting space of the columnar base by the fixing cap.

21. A clothes treatment machine having a clothes drying function including a clothes treatment tub and a drying duct for sending airflow to the clothes treatment tub, A clothes treating machine characterized in that a light irradiation space is provided within the drying duct, at least a portion of the airflow passes through the light irradiation space and enters the clothes treating tub, and a light plasma tube is provided within the light irradiation space to irradiate and sterilize the airflow flowing into the clothes treating tub.

22. A clothes treating machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 21, characterized in that the drying duct has a disk-shaped air supply space, a partitioning rib is provided within the air supply space, the partitioning rib divides the disk-shaped air supply space into two parts, the first part having a smaller volume constitutes the light irradiation space, and a light plasma tube is provided on the outer periphery of the light irradiation space and is inserted radially into the light irradiation space.

23. A clothes treating machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 22, characterized in that a ring-shaped partitioning rib is provided in the center of the disk-shaped air supply space, and a first partitioning rib and a second partitioning rib are provided on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped partitioning rib, the first partitioning rib and the second partitioning rib are arranged at an angle to each other with a space between them, the portion between the first partitioning rib and the second partitioning rib constitutes a light irradiation space, the first partitioning rib is provided with a notch for introducing air flow into the light irradiation space, and the light plasma tube is provided adjacent to the second partitioning rib.

24. A clothes treating machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 22 or 23, characterized in that the drying duct further includes an air supply space in which a fan is provided, the air supply space directly communicates with the second part of the air supply space via a connection space extending so as to incline diagonally upward, the first partitioning rib partitions the connection space from the light irradiation space, the first partitioning rib has a notch that connects both sides, at least a part of the air flow that flows into the air supply space flows into the light irradiation space via the notch, and the notch is provided closer to the center of the annular air supply space than the light plasma tube.

25. A clothes treatment machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 24, characterized in that a heater is provided in the second part of the annular air supply space, the heater is located directly opposite the air supply end of the connection space and is used to directly heat the air flow blown in, and the heater is located adjacent to the cutout of the first partitioning rib and is used to heat the air flow flowing into the light irradiation space.

26. A clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function as described in any one of claims 21 to 25, characterized in that the optical plasma tube is cylindrical, and an attachment base is provided at the end of the cylindrical optical plasma tube, which is located outside the drying duct and has at least a portion protruding radially, and the radial protruding portion of the attachment base is fixed to the outer wall of the drying duct.

27. A clothes processing machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 26, characterized in that a fixing rib protruding radially outward is provided on each of the opposing radial sides of the mounting base, and both of the two fixing ribs are opposed to and in close contact with the outer wall of the drying duct, and each of the fixing ribs has a through hole extending therethrough, and the mounting base is fixedly attached to the drying duct by inserting screws through the through holes and fixing the mounting base to the drying duct.

28. A clothes processing machine with clothes drying function as described in claim 26, characterized in that a vibration-damping washer is provided around the outer periphery of the columnar optical plasma tube, and the vibration-damping washer is sandwiched between the mounting base and the drying duct, and preferably the vibration-damping washer is tubular and coaxially passes through a through hole in the side wall of the drying duct, the optical plasma tube is located inside the vibration-damping washer, the outer wall of the vibration-damping washer is provided with a notch that is inserted so as to face the side wall of the drying duct on the outer periphery of the through hole, and the outer wall of the mounting base is provided with a protruding rib that is inserted into a ring-shaped position control groove provided in the inner wall of the cylindrical vibration-damping washer.

29. A clothes treatment machine with a clothes drying function as described in any one of claims 22 to 28, characterized in that a plurality of air supply ports are provided on one side of the annular air supply space, at least one of the air supply ports being a first air supply port communicating with the light irradiation space, and the remaining air supply ports being second air supply ports communicating with the second part, and the first air supply port being opened so as to face at least a part of the cylindrical light plasma tube in the light irradiation space.

30. A clothes treating machine with a clothes drying function as described in claim 29, characterized in that the second partitioning rib has a curved portion protruding outward at a portion close to the outer periphery of the annular air supply space, the columnar optical plasma tube is provided within the area surrounded by the curved portion, and the first air supply port is a round opening provided corresponding to one side of the area surrounded by the curved portion.

31. A method for controlling a laundry treatment machine, comprising: Supplying air into the clothes treatment tank; Obtaining the temperature inside the clothes treatment tank; determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothes treatment tub satisfies a predetermined activation condition, and if so, activating a light plasma generating device to irradiate the air supplied into the clothes treatment tub with a sterilizing light beam; A control method comprising:

32. Before supplying air into the laundry treatment tank, Proceed to the laundry care program, Activating a heating device in the duct; By controlling the rotation of a fan in the duct, the gas in the duct is caused to flow toward an air inlet of the clothes treatment tank; The method for controlling a laundry treating machine according to claim 31, further comprising:

33. A control method for a clothing treating machine as described in claim 31 or 32, characterized in that determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treating tub satisfies a predetermined activation condition includes determining whether the acquired temperature inside the clothing treating tub is below a predetermined temperature, and activating an optical plasma generating device if the acquired temperature inside the clothing treating tub is below the predetermined temperature.

34. The method for controlling a clothes treating machine as described in claim 32, characterized in that activating the heating device in the duct further includes setting a target period t for which the heating device will operate and starting timing.

35. The control method for a clothing treatment machine as described in claim 34, characterized in that acquiring the temperature inside the clothing treatment tub further includes determining whether the heating device has operated until the target period t, turning off the heating device if it has operated until the target period t, and comparing the acquired temperature inside the clothing treatment tub with a predetermined temperature threshold range if it has not operated until the target period t, and controlling the heating device to be turned on or off based on the comparison result.

36. Specifically, the control of turning on or off the heating device based on the comparison result is as follows: If the acquired temperature in the laundry treatment tub is within a predetermined temperature threshold range, turning off the heating device; turning off the heating device when the acquired temperature in the laundry treatment tub is greater than a maximum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range; maintaining or turning on the operation of the heating device when the acquired temperature in the laundry treatment tub is less than a minimum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range; The method for controlling a laundry treating machine according to claim 35, further comprising:

37. The method for controlling a clothes treating machine according to claim 35, characterized in that the predetermined activation condition is that the temperature in the clothes treating tub is equal to or lower than the maximum value of a predetermined temperature threshold range.

38. A clothes treating machine using the control method according to any one of claims 31 to 37, A clothing treatment machine comprising: a clothing treatment tub having an air intake and an air supply; a duct having a fan and a heating device installed therein, the air supply end of which communicates with the air intake in order to cause internal gas to flow into the interior of the clothing treatment tub; and an optical plasma generating device for irradiating the gas flowing from the duct into the clothing treatment tub.

39. The clothing treatment machine of claim 38, characterized in that a clothing inlet is provided at the front end of the clothing treatment tub, a window gasket is provided at the clothing inlet, the ceiling portion of the window gasket is connected to the air supply end of the duct, and the optical plasma generator includes an optical plasma tube assembly, the optical plasma tube assembly being attached to the side of the window gasket close to the air supply port or the side of the duct close to the air supply end of the duct.

40. The clothing treating machine of claim 38, further comprising a rear plate and a rear cover plate provided on the rear side of the rear plate, the clothing treating tub being rotatably supported on the rear plate, the rear cover plate and the rear plate defining a duct communicating with the air intake port, the optical plasma generating device including an optical plasma tube assembly, and the optical plasma tube assembly being mounted within the duct.

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