Water pressure interlocking switch, automatic charging device, multiple drum washing machine and control method

Abstract

The automatic dosing device includes two water supply lines (2), each of which transports water to its corresponding outlet, a relay section (10) at the midpoint of the two water supply lines (2) where they meet and which allows additives to flow in while waiting to be added, and an interlocking switch (1) for each of the two water supply lines (2), which is used to close the outlet of another water supply line (2) when water is being poured into that water supply line (2) simultaneously, allowing additives waiting to be added in the relay section (10) to flow out only from the outlet of the water supply line (2) of the water supply line (2). Installing the automatic dosing device in a multiple-drum washing machine allows multiple water holding drums of the multiple-drum washing machine to share a single additive dosing system, thereby achieving the objective of controllably dosing additives into one water holding drum selected by the flow of water.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic dispenser for adding additives to laundry in a washing machine in the field of household electrical appliances, and more particularly to a water pressure interlocking switch applied to the dispenser. In particular, the present invention relates to an automatic dispenser for adding additives to laundry in a washing machine in the field of household electrical appliances, and more particularly to a method for controlling the automatic dispenser and the washing machine, which are applied to the multiple drum washing machine and are used to add additives to laundry in the washing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional washing machines, additives used in the washing process, such as detergent, fabric softener, and disinfectant, are placed separately from the washing machine, and although the washing machine is equipped with a dispenser for adding additives, the additives cannot be dispensed automatically, so the above structure cannot realize fully automated washing control processes.As washing machine automation progresses, most washing machines are configured so that the additive case containing detergent and / or fabric softener is connected to a water inlet pipe, and the detergent and / or fabric softener in the additive case is poured into the water holding drum by adding water, but with the above structure, the detergent and / or fabric softener must always be first added to the additive case every time a load is washed, so the washing control process also cannot be fully automated.

[0003] At the same time, in order to fully meet the increasing variety and demands of users for laundry treatment as people's living standards rise, the applicant previously proposed a multiple-drum washing machine that is provided with multiple water holding drums that are installed independently of each other and can treat clothes separately, thereby realizing separate treatment of different users' clothes, fully meeting the variety of different users' clothes and the demand for individually tailored treatment. Therefore, how to install an automatic dosing device and use water injection into the washing machine to respectively add corresponding additives to different water holding drums has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] For example, a previous application filed by the applicant provides a technical solution for an automatic dispensing device useful for multiple drum washing machines, i.e., a solution for directly drawing in an additive from a corresponding reservoir case and dispensing it into the corresponding drum along with the water flow by using negative pressure generated by a flowing water stream. However, in the above-mentioned technical solution, the additive is drawn from the reservoir case into the water channel, and the additive in the water channel is dispensed into the corresponding drum by relying on the transport force provided by the negative pressure mechanism installed in the water channel, so the force for drawing in the additive from the reservoir case is relatively weak, resulting in a relatively slow dispensing speed and inaccurate control during the dispensing process, among other problems.

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

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a water pressure interlocking switch that achieves the purpose of simultaneously controlling the opening and closing of different waterways, and the present invention also provides a water pressure interlocking switch that utilizes the water pressure of the water flowing through any chamber to simultaneously perform linked shut-off control on another waterway. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the specific technical solution adopted by the present invention is a water pressure interlock switch that includes a valve plug cavity with an elastic diaphragm installed inside. The elastic diaphragm divides the valve plug cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber that are independent of each other. When water is poured into any chamber, the elastic diaphragm is deformed in the direction of expansion toward the other chamber under the action of the water pressure of the poured water, and the deformation of the elastic diaphragm opens the water inlet and outlet of the chamber that has been poured with water, and simultaneously closes the water inlet and / or outlet of the other chamber.

[0008] Further, a valve plug is provided in the first chamber, the valve plug is attached to the elastic diaphragm, and the valve plug moves simultaneously with the deformation of the elastic diaphragm to correspondingly open or close the water inlet and / or the water outlet in the chamber.

[0009] Furthermore, the valve plug is attached to the valve plate via a spring, which is in a compressed state, and the compressed spring propels the valve plug to correspondingly close the water inlet and / or outlet of the chamber, and preferably the extension direction of the spring is configured to be the same as the direction in which the valve plate is deformed by the action of water pressure.

[0010] Furthermore, one side of the elastic diaphragm is joined to the second water inlet of the second chamber, and the elastic diaphragm corresponds to and seals the second water inlet under normal conditions.

[0011] Furthermore, the other side of the elastic diaphragm is connected to the valve plug via a spring, the extension direction of the spring and the elastic diaphragm are mutually perpendicular, a first water inlet is provided on the end face of the first chamber away from the elastic diaphragm, the end face of the valve plug and the first water inlet of the first chamber are joined together, the compressed spring applies a closing force to the valve plug to close the first water inlet, and applies a closing force to the elastic diaphragm to close the second water inlet, preferably a diaphragm supporter is attached to the side of the elastic diaphragm facing the first chamber, the center of the diaphragm supporter is connected to one end of the spring and the other end of the spring is connected to the valve plug.

[0012] Furthermore, a first water outlet is provided on the peripheral side wall of the first chamber, the outer peripheral surface of the valve plug and the peripheral side wall of the first chamber are joined to each other, and when the valve plug is pushed by the spring to close the first water inlet, the outer peripheral surface of the valve plug correspondingly blocks the first water outlet, and preferably the gap between the valve plug and the elastic diaphragm is greater than the axial width of the peripheral wall of the valve plug.

[0013] Furthermore, a connecting socket protruding into the first chamber is provided at the center of the diaphragm support, and the valve plug has a sealing plate that correspondingly closes the water inlet at the end face of the first chamber, and the sealing plate has an annular folded portion on its outer periphery that forms the outer periphery of the valve plug, and the middle part of the sealing plate has two concentrically arranged annular protruding ribs on the side facing the diaphragm support, and the connecting socket is inserted into the annular gap between the two annular protruding ribs, and both ends of the spring are inserted and installed in the connecting socket and the annular gap, respectively.

[0014] Preferably, the axial height of the connecting socket is greater than the axial spacing of the spring between the first water outlet and the first water inlet, and the axial height of the annular gap is greater than the axial spacing of the spring between the first water outlet and the first water inlet.

[0015] Furthermore, a second water inlet is provided on the end face of the second chamber remote from the elastic diaphragm, and an annular sealing rib protruding into the second chamber is provided on the inner wall of the chamber around the second water inlet, with the end of the annular sealing rib being joined to the elastic diaphragm. A second water outlet is provided on the peripheral side wall of the second chamber, with the second water inlet located on the inner peripheral side of the annular sealing rib and the second water outlet located on the outer peripheral side of the annular sealing rib.

[0016] Furthermore, the elastic diaphragm is installed upright and correspondingly covers any cross section of the valve plug lumen, the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm and the inner wall of the valve plug are sealed together, and the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm is provided with at least one fold portion that provides a deformation margin.

[0017] The present invention has the following advantageous effects compared to the prior art.

[0018] With the above-mentioned configuration, the elastic diaphragm that separates the different chambers is propelled by the water pressure of any one of the chambers, causing it to expand and deform. Furthermore, by utilizing this expansion deformation, it is possible to simultaneously shut off the water channels in the other chambers. This achieves the effect of being able to simultaneously shut off the other water channels simply by utilizing the water pressure of any one of the water channels. In addition, in this application, the above-mentioned interlocking switches are switched simultaneously using the water pressure of the water, which eliminates the need to install additional components such as a drive unit in the interlocking switches, thereby significantly reducing the cost of the switches.

[0019] A further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dosing device that uses a device to automatically dosing additives to different dosing locations, a further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dosing device that achieves the object of increasing the dosing efficiency of additives, and another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dosing device and method that uses different water injection flows to achieve the object of automatically dosing additives separately to different dosing locations.

[0020] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the specific technical solution adopted by the present invention is two water supply pipelines 2, each transporting injection water to its corresponding outlet, a relay section 10 at the confluence of the two water supply pipelines 2 in the middle and used for the inflow of additives waiting to be added, and an automatic dosing device equipped with interlocking switches 1 installed on each of the two water supply pipelines 2, which are used to close the outlet of another water supply pipeline 2 simultaneously when water is being injected into any water supply pipeline 2, so that the additives waiting to be added in the relay section 10 only flow out from the outlet of the water supply pipeline 2 for injection.

[0021] Furthermore, when water flows through any water supply pipeline 2, the water pressure generated by the flowing water acts on an interlocking switch installed in the selected water supply pipeline 2, and the interlocking switch acts on another water supply pipeline 2, blocking the other water supply pipeline 2 at a position downstream of the relay section 10.

[0022] Furthermore, the interlocking switch 1 has a driving channel 101 and a driven channel 102, the driving channel 101 is provided with a driving member that is used to generate and trigger a command by utilizing the water flow flowing through the driving channel 101, and the driven channel 102 is provided with a driven member that performs a blocking operation on the driven channel 102 by utilizing the triggered command, and preferably the triggered command may be a triggered signal or may be a triggered operation.

[0023] Furthermore, the driving flow path 101 of the interlocking switch 1 is connected through to a water injection area 201 located upstream of the relay section 10 of the selected water supply pipeline 2, and the driven flow path 102 is connected through to a water outlet area 202 located downstream of the relay section 10 of another water supply pipeline 2.

[0024] Furthermore, a check valve 8 is provided in the water inlet area 201 of the water supply pipeline 2 to ensure that the water flow is in the direction of the relay section 10, and the check valve 8 is installed between the driving flow path 101 installed in the water inlet area and the relay section 10, and / or a check valve 8 is provided in the water outlet area 202 of the water supply pipeline 2 to ensure that the water flow is in the direction of the water outlet of the water supply pipeline 2, and the check valve 8 is installed between the driven flow path 102 installed in the water outlet area 202 and the relay section 10.

[0025] Furthermore, a liquid storage case 3 is provided inside which an additive is stored, and the liquid storage case 3 is connected to the relay section 10 via a pump 13, and the additive in the liquid storage case 3 is taken into the relay section 10 by the action of the pump 13.

[0026] Furthermore, a plurality of storage cases 3 are provided, and the outlets of each storage case 3 are connected to the same relay section 10 via a pump 13 corresponding to each other, and when the pump is in operation, it pumps the additive stored in the corresponding storage case 3 into the relay section 10.

[0027] Furthermore, an ON-OFF valve assembly is assembled by the pump 13, and when the pump 13 is not in operation, the outlet of the liquid storage case 3 is blocked from the relay section 10, so that the additive stored in the liquid storage case 3 cannot further flow into the relay section 10; Furthermore, a metering assembly is assembled, which is used to measure the amount of additive flowing through the pump 13 and pumped from the reservoir case 3 into the relay section 10 by the pump 13; Furthermore, the pump 13 incorporates a check valve assembly that is used to restrict the fluid flowing through the pump 13 to flow only in a single direction, through the reservoir case 3 and towards the relay section 10.

[0028] Furthermore, the water outlet ends of the water supply pipes 2 are connected to different water outlets, each of which corresponds to a different water outlet.

[0029] Furthermore, the water supply pipeline 2 is provided with a check valve 8 that ensures that the water flow in the pipeline is in a single direction from the water inlet end to the water outlet end.

[0030] Furthermore, at the water inlet end of the water supply pipeline 2, a water inlet valve 16 is provided which is used to control the passage and blocking of the water flow injected into the pipeline.

[0031] Furthermore, the relay section 10 is one or a plurality of pipes that intersect with each other.

[0032] Furthermore, the relay section 10 is a labyrinth-like passageway that is installed in a winding manner and extends the axial length of the pipeline.

[0033] Furthermore, both ends of the labyrinth-like passage are an inlet and an outlet, and the inlets are connected to the outlets of the water inlet areas 201 of each water supply pipe 2, and the outlets are connected to the inlets of the water outlet areas 202 of each water supply pipe 2, and each liquid storage case 3 is connected to the inlet of the labyrinth-like passage or a point close to the inlet via a pump 13, so that the additive taken in from the liquid storage case 3 is poured into the labyrinth-like passage.

[0034] Furthermore, the relay section 10 is a chamber structure having a storage space, and the outlet of the water inlet section 201 and the inlet of the water outlet section 202 of each water supply pipe 2 are both connected to the chamber structure, and each liquid storage case 3 is connected to the chamber structure constituting the relay section 10 via a pump 13, and the additive taken in from the liquid storage case 3 is introduced into the chamber structure.

[0035] The present invention further provides a multiple-drum washing machine including at least two water holding drums 5 equipped with any of the above-mentioned automatic dosing devices, the two water holding drums 5 communicating with two water outlets of the automatic dosing devices in a one-to-one correspondence, and when any of the water supply pipes 2 is filled with water, the additive in the relay section 10 is transported together with the injected water only into the correspondingly communicating water holding drum 5.

[0036] Furthermore, the water inlet ends of each water supply pipe 2 of the automatic dosing device and the water injection structure of the washing machine are respectively connected to each other, and the wash water supplied by the water injection structure of the washing machine serves as the water supply source for the water inlet ends of each water supply pipe 2. The wash water alternatively flows into the water supply pipe 2 and flows from the water outlet of the water supply pipe 2 into the corresponding water holding drum 5, and only then can the additives taken into the relay section 10 be dispensed into the water holding drum 5 together with the water injection flow of the washing machine.

[0037] Furthermore, the water inlet ends of the water supply pipes 2 communicate with the water inlet structure of the washing machine via water inlet valves 16 in an openable and shutable manner.

[0038] The present invention further provides a control method for any of the above multiple-drum washing machines, in which, when adding an additive to any of the water holding drums 5, the water injection structure of the washing machine injects water into the corresponding water supply line 2 connected to the selected water holding drum 5, the flow of the injected water acts on the interlocking switch 1 installed on the selected water supply line 2, the interlocking switch 1 blocks the water outlet of the other water supply line 2, the flow of the injected water flows into the relay section 10, and the additive in the relay section 10 flows out together through the selected water supply line 2 and is added into the selected water holding drum 5.

[0039] The method further includes the steps of pumping the additive in the selected storage case 3 to the relay section 10, injecting water into the corresponding water supply line 2 connected to the selected water holding drum 5, and when the flow of injected water reaches the water injection area 201 of the selected water supply line 2, using the interlocking switch 1 installed in the water injection area 201 to block the water outlet area 202 of another water supply line 2, allowing the water flow of injected water to flow through the water injection area 201 into the relay section 10, and pouring the additive in the relay section 10 into the water outlet area 202 of the selected water supply line 2 by the water flow, and allowing the water to flow through the outlet area 202 of the opened selected water supply line 2 into the selected water holding drum 5 and adding the additive.

[0040] Preferably, the step of pumping the additive in the selected storage case 3 to the relay section 10 is performed prior to or simultaneously with the step of injecting water into the corresponding water supply line 2 connected to the selected water holding drum 5.

[0041] Furthermore, when water is injected into the first water supply pipeline 21, the first interlocking switch 110 communicates with the first water injection area 211, and the second water outlet area 222 is shut off. When the injected water passes through the first water injection area 211 and flows into the relay section 10, the additives in the relay section 10 are also discharged through the first water outlet area 212 and flow into the first water holding drum 51 for charging. When water is injected into the second water supply pipeline 22, the second interlocking switch 120 communicates with the second water injection area 221, and the first water outlet area 212 is shut off. When the injected water passes through the second water injection area 221 and flows into the relay section 10, the additives in the relay section 10 are also discharged through the second water outlet area 222 and flow into the second water holding drum 52 for charging. Furthermore, when water is poured into the first water supply line 21, the second interlocking switch 120 simultaneously blocks the second water pouring area 221 and connects it to the first water outlet area 212, and when water is poured into the second water supply line 22, the first interlocking switch 110 simultaneously blocks the first water pouring area 211 and connects it to the second water outlet area 222.

[0042] The present invention has the following advantageous effects compared to the prior art.

[0043] With the above-mentioned device and method, the automatic dosing device can use a pump to suck the additive from the liquid storage case into the relay section, and then use the water flow in the corresponding water supply line to trigger the operation of an interlocking switch to block another water supply line, so that the sucked-out additive can be injected into the corresponding water outlet together with the water flow, thereby achieving the purpose of the system being able to separately dispense additives from the same liquid storage case into multiple locations. Furthermore, if the above-mentioned automatic dosing device is installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, it can be realized that multiple water storage drums of the multiple-drum washing machine can share one additive dosing system, and the purpose of controllably dosing additives into one water storage drum selected by the water flow can be achieved.

[0044] In addition, with the above-described configuration of the dosing device, the water flowing through the water supply pipe directly contacts the interlocking switches so that when the water inlet valve of the water supply pipe is closed, the outlets of two different water supply pipes can be directly closed, thereby greatly simplifying the control configuration of the dosing device for multiple drums.

[0045] In addition, the control method of the above configuration allows the water injection valve to directly switch to the state of injecting additive into the corresponding drum when it starts injecting water, greatly increasing the response speed of switching and simplifying the timing of switching of the automatic dosing device.In addition, the present application allows the pump and the water supply line to be injected simultaneously, so that the step of taking the additive from the liquid storage case into the water channel and the step of pouring the additive in the water channel into the water holding drum by the water flow can be performed simultaneously, greatly reducing the time loss during dosing and significantly increasing the speed compared to the prior art.

[0046] At the same time, the present invention has a simple structure, a simple method, and remarkable effects, making it suitable for widespread use.

[0047] The present invention will be specifically described below in conjunction with the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0048] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for dispensing additives in different reservoir cases into different drums in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for dispensing additives in different reservoir cases into different drums in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for dispensing additives in different reservoir cases into different drums in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for dispensing additives in different reservoir cases into different drums in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the water pressure interlock switch according to an embodiment of the present invention from a different perspective. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the water pressure interlock switch according to the embodiment of the present invention from a different perspective. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram taken along the cross section BB of FIG. 7 in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multiple-drum washing machine having multiple water holding drums 5 installed independently of each other, each water holding drum 5 being capable of treating clothes separately. The washing machine is provided with a water injection structure that draws an external water flow into the washing machine, and the washing machine is further provided with an automatic dosing device that doses additives into the corresponding water holding drum 5 together with the water flow that has flowed into the water injection structure, and uses the additives dosed by the water flow to treat clothes in the corresponding water holding drum 5.

[0050] In embodiments of the present invention, the additives include, but are not limited to, detergents, fabric softeners, disinfectants, fragrances, bleaches, and the like.

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an automatic dosing device that can be applied to the above-mentioned multiple-drum washing machine and used to dispense additives into the corresponding water holding drum 5 of the washing machine, and can also be applied to any conventional equipment and can dispense corresponding additives into any water channel flow path in the equipment.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic dispensing device includes a liquid storage case 3 containing additives used in treating laundry, and at least two water supply lines 2, each of whose water inlet ends is connected to a water supply source, which is the water injection structure of the washing machine, each of which has a different, one-to-one corresponding water outlet and is connected to each other, and each of which separately transports injected water to the water outlet of the corresponding line, and a relay unit 10, which is connected to the liquid storage cases 3 via a pump 13 and into which the additives in the corresponding liquid storage case 3 are taken in by the action of the pump 13, and which is connected to each water supply line 2 and communicates with each other, and which uses the water flowing through the selected water supply line 2 to pour the additives in the relay unit 10 taken in by the pump 13 into the water outlet of the selected water supply line 2.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the automatic dosing device is installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, the water outlets of each water supply line 2 of the automatic dosing device communicate with each water holding drum 5 of the washing machine in a one-to-one correspondence, and the supply water source is provided by the water injection structure of the washing machine, and in the process of pouring wash injection water into the corresponding water holding drum 5 of the multiple-drum washing machine, the additives are injected into the corresponding water holding drum 5 together with the flow of injection water. Of course, depending on the design requirements of the washing machine, the number of water outlets of the automatic dosing device and the number of water holding drums can be configured to be different, so that at least one water holding drum 5 corresponds to multiple water outlets, or at least one water outlet corresponds to multiple water holding drums 5.

[0054] With the above-mentioned configuration, the automatic dosing device can use a pump to suck out the additives in the different liquid storage cases into the relay section, and can use the water flowing through the corresponding water supply pipe to dispose the absorbed additives in the relay section together with the water flow into the corresponding water outlet, thereby achieving the purpose of the system dispensing additives in the same liquid storage case 3 separately into multiple locations. Furthermore, if the above-mentioned automatic dosing device is installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, it can be realized that multiple water storage drums of the multiple-drum washing machine can share one additive dosing system, and the purpose of controllably dosing additives into one water storage drum selected by the water flow of the injected water can be achieved.

[0055] The automatic dispensing device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes at least two storage containers 3, each containing a different type and / or concentration of additive. It is possible for some storage containers 3 to contain the same additive, with one or more of these containers 3 being used as spares. Each storage container 3 is connected to the relay unit 10 via a different liquid intake line 14, and each liquid intake line 14 is provided with a pump 13 for introducing the additives contained in the different storage containers 3 into the relay unit 10, thereby allowing different drums of the washing machine to share a single storage container 3 and for the various additives contained in the single storage container 3 to be separately and controllably dispensed into different water holding drums 5. Preferably, to reduce costs, multiple storage containers 3 can be selectively connected to the same pump 13 via a directional control valve, allowing a single pump 13 to separately dispense the additives contained in different storage containers 3.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic dosing device that includes a liquid storage case 3 containing additives used in treating clothes, and at least two water supply lines 2, each with a water inlet that is separately connected to the water injection structure of a multiple-drum washing machine, and the water outlets of each water supply line 2 are connected to different, one-to-one corresponding water holding drums 5, so that each water supply line 2 separately transports the washing machine's injection water into the corresponding water holding drum 5, thereby realizing the purpose of dosing water into any water holding drum 5 of a multiple-drum washing machine. The two water supply lines 2 join at their intermediate locations, and at the joining point a relay section 10 is formed that is connected and communicates with the two water supply lines 2, and the relay section 10 communicates with the liquid storage case 3 via a pump 13, so that additives waiting to be added that have been pumped in enter the relay section 10, and the water flowing through the relay section 10 causes the additives waiting to be added to flow into the corresponding water holding drum through the corresponding water supply line 2, thereby realizing the effect of adding additive to the selected water holding drum 5. In order to prevent problems such as crossing between the water supply lines 2 where the two flow paths intersect and erroneous addition, the present application particularly employs the following configuration.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the two water supply pipelines 2 is provided with a water pressure interlocking switch 1 that is used to close the water outlet of another water supply pipeline 2 simultaneously when water is injected into any of the water supply pipelines 2. This enables the injected water to flow into the relay section 10 and then flow out only from the water outlet of the selected water supply pipeline 2, thereby enabling the additive to be injected into the designated water holding drum 5. This effectively prevents problems such as incorrect injection and flow-through when an additive injection device with two inputs and two outputs is used to add additives.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the automatic dosing device is installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, the water outlets of each water supply line 2 of the automatic dosing device are connected to each water holding drum 5 of the washing machine in a one-to-one correspondence, and the supply water source is provided by the water injection structure of the washing machine. During the process of pouring wash injection water into the corresponding water holding drum 5 of the multiple-drum washing machine, the additives are injected into the corresponding water holding drum 5 together with the flow of injection water, thereby achieving the purpose of automatically dosing the additives into the corresponding water holding drum 5 by the flow of injection water, and ultimately achieving the effect of the dual-inlet and dual-outlet additive dosing device controlling the use of the same additive storage case to selectively dosing designated additives into the two water holding drums.

[0059] As shown in Figure 1, in order to realize the purpose of the washing machine's water injection structure selectively injecting water into two water supply pipes 2, a water injection valve 16 used to control the passage or cut-off of the flow of injected water into the water supply pipes 2 is provided at the point where the water inlet ends of the two water supply pipes 2 connect to the washing machine's water injection structure, and the water injection valve 16 is provided upstream of the water pressure interlocking switch 1 to realize the passage or cut-off control of the injected water in the water supply pipes 2, particularly the passage or cut-off control of the flow of injected water at the associated water pressure interlocking switch 1 in the water injection area of ​​the water supply pipes. Naturally, the water inlet ends of the two water supply pipes 2 can also be selectively connected to the washing machine's water injection structure by a directional control valve, and the above-mentioned effect of selective water supply can similarly be realized.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, when water flows through any water supply pipe 2, the water pressure generated by the flowing water acts on the interlocking switch 1 installed in the selected water supply pipe 2, and the interlocking switch 1 acts on another water supply pipe 2, closing the other water supply pipe 2 at a position downstream of the relay section 10, and the water pressure interlocking switch 1 installed in the water supply pipe 2 is used to perform open / close control corresponding to the water outlets of the different water supply pipes 2, thereby achieving the effect of causing the additives in the relay section 10 to flow out from the designated water outlet and be poured into the designated water holding drum 5.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, the interlock switch 1 has a driving channel 101 and a driven channel 102, the driving channel 101 is provided with a driving member that uses the water flow through the driving channel 101 to generate and trigger a command, and the driven channel 102 is provided with a driven member that performs a closing operation on the driven channel 102 using the triggered command. Preferably, the triggered command may be a triggered signal issued by the driving member, or a triggered operation generated by the driving member in response to the action of the water flow. The water pressure interlock switch 1 in the embodiment of the present invention may have any conventional configuration having the above configuration that can realize the closing control of the driven channel 102 using the action of the water flow through the driving channel 101.

[0062] The water pressure interlocking switch 1 is a four-way valve that uses the pressure of the water flow in the driving channel to control the opening and closing of the driven channel. For example, the four-way valve has four openings, A, B, C, and D, with openings A and B connected to each other by the driving channel and openings C and D connected to each other by the driven channel. The driving channel 101 and the driven channel 102 are both in the same chamber and are two independent channels that do not communicate with each other. The driving channel 101 is an elastic tube that can use the elastic expansion and contraction deformation produced by the water flow, and the driven channel 102 is provided with a valve core that controls the opening and closing of the channel. When water flows through the driving flow path 101, the water pressure generated by the flowing water may cause the elastic tube to expand and deform. The expanded and deformed elastic tube may trigger the operation of the valve core in the driven flow path 102, thereby achieving the effect of performing linked control on different water supply lines 2 when the driven flow path is blocked, and in particular the object of being able to use the water flow of injected water in any water supply line 2 to perform blocking control on the outlet of another water supply line 2.

[0063] The water pressure interlocking switch 1 may also have other interlocking structures that use electromagnetic signals to alternately trigger the opening and closing control of the slave flow paths. For example, the driving flow path 101 is provided with a flow sensor and a transmitting unit, which generates and triggers a signal when it detects water flow in the driving flow path 101, and the signal is transmitted from the transmitting unit. The slave flow path 102 is provided with a receiving unit and an opening / closing valve that communicates with the transmitting unit, and after the triggered signal is received, the operation of the opening / closing valve is controlled and the slave flow path 102 is shut off.

[0064] In this embodiment, the portion of each water supply pipeline 2 located upstream of the relay section 10 is a water injection area 201, and the portion downstream of the relay section 10 is a water outlet area 202, and the driving flow path 101 of the water pressure interlocking switch 1 is connected to the water injection area 201 located upstream of the relay section 10 of the corresponding water supply pipeline 2, and the driven flow path 102 is connected to the water outlet area 202 located downstream of the relay section 10 of another water supply pipeline 2, thereby achieving the effect of performing cut-off control on the water outlet area 202 of another water supply pipeline 2 by using whether water is being injected into the water injection area 201 of the selected water supply pipeline 2.

[0065] In this embodiment, the water outlets of each water supply line 2 are connected to different water holding drums 5 in a one-to-one correspondence. Preferably, each water supply line 2 is provided with a check valve 8 to ensure that water flows in a single direction from the water source end toward the water outlet end. This allows the automatic dosing device to inject water through different water supply channels to separately inject water into different water holding drums and dispense additives. Preferably, in this embodiment, the water injection section 201 of each water supply line 2 is provided with a check valve 8 between the relay section 10 and the drive channel 101 of the water pressure interlock switch 1 to ensure that water flows toward the relay section 10, and / or the water outlet section 202 of each water supply line 2 is provided with a check valve 8 between the relay section 10 and the water outlet of the water supply line 2 to ensure that water flows toward the water outlet of the water supply line 2.

[0066] The following description will be given using as examples two water holding drums 5, a first water holding drum 51 and a second water holding drum 52, and two liquid storage cases 3, a first liquid storage case 31 and a second liquid storage case 32, installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, and the specific configuration is as follows.

[0067] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, in this embodiment, the first water injection section 211 of the first water supply pipeline 21 is connected to the first driving flow path 111 of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110, a first water injection valve 161 is provided at the inlet of the first water injection section 211, and the outlet is connected to the relay section 10, and the first water outlet section 212 of the first water supply pipeline 21 is connected to the second driven flow path 122 of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120, and the inlet of the first water outlet section 212 is connected to the relay section 10 and the outlet is connected to the first water holding drum 51. The second water supply pipe 22 has a second water supply section 221 connected to it by a second driving flow path 121 of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120, a second water supply valve 162 provided at the inlet of the second water supply section 211, and an outlet connected to the relay section 10, and the second water outlet section 222 of the second water supply pipe 22 has a first driven flow path 112 of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 connected to it by a first driving flow path 112, and an inlet of the second water outlet section 222 connected to it by a second relay section 10, and an outlet connected to the second water holding drum 52.

[0068] In this embodiment, the first liquid storage case 31 is connected to the relay section 10 by providing a first liquid intake line 141 for the first pump 131, and the second liquid storage case 32 is connected to the relay section 10 by providing a second liquid intake line 142 for the second pump 132. Preferably, in order to prevent problems such as the liquid in the relay section 10 flowing back into the liquid storage case 3, a check valve 8 can be attached to the liquid intake line 14 to which the pump 13 is attached. The pumps 13 can be directly connected to form a check valve, or a check valve assembly can be assembled and attached to the liquid outlet of the liquid storage case 3, thereby preventing the liquid from flowing back into the liquid storage case.

[0069] When additive A in the first liquid storage case 31 is poured into the first water holding drum 51, the automatic pouring device is in the following state.

[0070] As shown in Figure 2, when the first water inlet valve 161 is opened, water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, and the flow of injected water connects the first driving flow path 111 between A and B of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 and blocks the first driven flow path 112 between C and D. The water flow that flows in from the first water inlet valve 161 passes sequentially through the first water inlet area 211, the relay section 10, and the first water outlet area 212 and flows out into the first water holding drum 51. Furthermore, as the water flows through the relay section 10, additive A, which is pumped into the relay section 10 by the action of the first pump 131 in the first liquid storage case 31 via the first liquid intake pipe 141, is also poured into the first water holding drum 51, thereby achieving the effect of introducing additive A into the first water holding drum 51.

[0071] When additive B in second liquid storage case 32 is poured into first water holding drum 51, the automatic pouring device is in the following state.

[0072] As shown in Figure 4, when the first water inlet valve 161 is opened, water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, and the flow of injected water connects the first driving flow path 111 between A and B of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 and blocks the first driven flow path 112 between C and D. The water flowing in from the first water inlet valve 161 passes sequentially through the first water inlet area 211, the relay section 10, and the first water outlet area 212 before flowing out into the first water holding drum 51. Furthermore, as the water flows through the relay section 10, additive B, which is pumped into the relay section 10 via the second liquid intake pipe 142 by the action of the second pump 132 in the second liquid storage case 32, is also poured into the first water holding drum 51, thereby achieving the effect of introducing additive B into the first water holding drum 51.

[0073] When additive A in first liquid storage case 31 is poured into second water holding drum 52, the automatic pouring device is in the following state.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3 , when the second water inlet valve 162 is opened, water is injected into the second water supply line 22, and the flow of injected water connects the second driving flow path 121 between E and G of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120, and blocks the second driven flow path 122 between G and G. The water flowing in from the second water inlet valve 162 passes sequentially through the second water inlet area 221, the relay section 10, and the second water outlet area 222, and then flows out into the second water holding drum 52. Furthermore, as the water flows through the relay section 10, additive A, which is pumped into the relay section 10 via the first liquid intake line 141 by the action of the first pump 131 in the first liquid storage case 31, is also poured into the second water holding drum 52, thereby achieving the effect of introducing additive A into the second water holding drum 52.

[0075] When the additive B in the second liquid storage case 32 is introduced into the second water holding drum 52, the automatic introduction device is in the following state.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5 , when the second water inlet valve 162 is opened, water is injected into the second water supply line 22, and the flow of injected water connects the second driving flow path 121 between E and G of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120, and blocks the second driven flow path 122 between G and G. The water flowing in from the second water inlet valve 162 passes sequentially through the second water inlet area 221, the relay section 10, and the second water outlet area 222, and then flows out into the second water holding drum 52. Furthermore, as the water flows through the relay section 10, the additive B pumped into the relay section 10 by the action of the second pump 132 in the second liquid storage case 32 via the second liquid intake line 142 is also poured into the second water holding drum 52, thereby achieving the effect of introducing additive B into the second water holding drum 52.

[0077] In this embodiment, the relay section 10 may be a labyrinth-like passageway that is wound around the pipe and extends its axial length, with the inlets of the labyrinth-like passageway communicating with the outlets of the first water inlet section 211 and the second water inlet section 221, and the outlets of the labyrinth-like passageway communicating with the inlets of the first water outlet section 212 and the second water outlet section 222, respectively, and each liquid storage case 3 communicating with the inlets of the labyrinth-like passageway via a pump 13. Of course, as shown in FIG. 1 , the relay section 10 may be a chamber having a volume that communicates with the first water inlet section 211, the first water outlet section 211, the second water inlet section 221 and the second water outlet section 222, respectively, and each liquid storage case 3 communicating with the bottom of the chamber via a pump 13.

[0078] In this embodiment, in order to measure and meter the amount of additive added, a metering device for measuring the flow rate of the liquid may be provided in the liquid intake line 14 connecting the relay unit 10 and the pump 13. Of course, in this embodiment, in order to simplify the configuration, a metering assembly may be directly integrated into the pump 13, thereby making the pump 13 itself a metering pump, and directly measuring and calculating the amount of additive added using the parameters of the pump 13. The pump 13 may be any conventional metering pump with metering capabilities, such as a metering pump that indirectly calculates the amount of additive added by calculating any parameter such as the number of rotations, rotation speed, time, or output of the impeller within the pump. Alternatively, the number of times the additive has been fully injected into the relay unit 10 may be calculated, thereby indirectly calculating the amount of additive added.

[0079] In this embodiment, a control method applicable to the above-mentioned automatic dosing device is also presented. When dosing an additive, the pump 13 corresponding to the selected storage case 3 is opened to pump the additive in the selected storage case 3 into the relay section 10. The water flow from the water supply source flows through the selected water supply pipe 2 to the corresponding outlet. The water pressure interlocking switch 1 is used to block the outlet of another water supply pipe 2 due to the action of the water flow through the selected water supply pipe 2. After the water flow of the injected water flows into the relay section 10, the additive sucked into the relay section 10 is poured into the outlet of the selected water supply pipe 2 together with the water flow that has flowed into the water supply pipe 2, thereby achieving the effect of switching control for the additive dosing device with two inputs and two outputs.

[0080] In this embodiment, the step of pumping the additive in the liquid storage case 3 into the relay section 10 by the pump 13 and the step of pouring the additive pumped into the relay section 10 into the injection water in the water supply pipeline 2 and pouring it into the water holding drum 5 may be performed simultaneously, or the step of pumping the additive in the liquid storage case 3 into the relay section 10 by the pump 13 may be performed first, and then the step of pouring the additive pumped into the relay section 10 into the injection water in the water supply pipeline 2 and pouring it into the water holding drum 5 may be performed.

[0081] Therefore, the control method of the present invention can realize different dosing procedures compared to the more diversified dosing methods of the prior art. In particular, with the above-mentioned configuration, when dosing an additive, the additive in the liquid storage case can be pumped into the water channel by the pump, and the additive in the water channel can be dosed into the water holding drum by the injection water of the designated water supply line, simultaneously, which further simplifies the dosing process and reduces time loss.

[0082] In this embodiment, during the normal water filling process of the washing machine, the water injection structure of the washing machine injects water into the corresponding water holding drum 5 through the selected water supply pipe 2, the water flow of the injected water must flow through the relay section 10, the flowing water can wash out the relay section 10, the additive sent into the relay section 10 by the pump mixes with the water flow of the injected water, and the water flow of the injected water can introduce the additive into the corresponding water holding drum, and preferably, the water supply pipe 2 injects water into the water holding drum 5 and the additive is pumped into the relay section 10 simultaneously.

[0083] In this embodiment, the automatic dosing device can separately dispense different types of additives stored in each storage case 3. When the automatic dosing device dispenses an additive, water is selectively injected into two water supply lines 2, and the flow of injected water triggers the water pressure interlock switch 1 installed in the water injection area 201, blocking the water outlet area 202 of the other water supply line 2, so that the injected water of the dosing device flows out only from the selected water supply line 2, and the additive in the corresponding storage case 3 is sucked into the relay section 10 and then dispensed into the corresponding water holding drum 5 together with the water flowing in the water supply line 2.

[0084] The following explanation will be given using as examples two water holding drums 5, a first water holding drum 51 and a second water holding drum 52, and two liquid storage cases 3, a first liquid storage case 31 and a second liquid storage case 32, installed in a multiple-drum washing machine, and the specific control method is as follows.

[0085] When adding the additive A stored in the first liquid storage case 31 into the first water holding drum 51, As shown in FIG. 2, when the first pump 131 is first opened, the additive A in the first liquid storage case 31 is pumped by the action of the first pump 131 through the first liquid intake pipe 141 into the relay section 10, Thereafter, when the first water injection valve 161 is opened, water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, and the action of the injected water causes the first driving flow path 111 connected to AB of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 to open, and the first driven flow path 112 connected to CD to be blocked. At the same time, the second water injection valve 162 closes, water is not injected into the second water supply pipe 22, the second driving flow path 121 connected to EF of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120 is blocked, and the second driven flow path 122 connected to GH to open. When water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, the water flow that flows in from the first water injection valve 161 flows sequentially through the first water injection area 211, relay section 10, and first water outlet area 212, and flows out into the first water holding drum 51. Additive A that has been absorbed into the relay section is also poured into the first water holding drum 51 and introduced into it.

[0086] When the additive A stored in the first liquid storage case 31 is poured into the second water holding drum 52, As shown in FIG. 3, when the first pump 131 is first opened, the additive A in the first liquid storage case 31 is pumped by the action of the first pump 131 through the first liquid intake pipe 141 into the relay section 10, Thereafter, when the first water injection valve 161 is closed, no water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, the first driving flow path 111 connected to AB of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 is blocked, the first driven flow path 112 connected to CD is opened, the second water injection valve 162 is opened, the second driving flow path 121 connected to EF of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120 is opened, the second driven flow path 122 connected to GH is blocked, and when water is injected into the second water supply pipe 22, the inflowing water flow passes sequentially through the second water injection area 221, the relay section 10, and the second water outlet area 222 and flows out into the second water holding drum 52, and the additive A absorbed in the relay section is also poured into the second water holding drum 52 and introduced.

[0087] When the additive B stored in the second liquid storage case 32 is poured into the first water holding drum 51, As shown in FIG. 4, when the second pump 132 is first opened, the additive B in the second liquid storage case 32 is pumped by the action of the second pump 132 through the second liquid intake line 142 into the relay section 10, Thereafter, when the first water injection valve 161 is opened, water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, and the action of the injected water causes the first driving flow path 111 connected to AB of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 to open, and the first driven flow path 112 connected to CD to be blocked. At the same time, the second water injection valve 162 closes, water is not injected into the second water supply pipe 22, the second driving flow path 121 connected to EF of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120 is blocked, and the second driven flow path 122 connected to GH to open. When water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, the water flow that flows in from the first water injection valve 161 flows sequentially through the first water injection area 211, relay section 10, and first water outlet area 212, and flows out into the first water holding drum 51. Additive B that has been absorbed into the relay section is also poured into the first water holding drum 51 and introduced into it.

[0088] When the additive B stored in the second liquid storage case 32 is introduced into the second water holding drum 52, As shown in FIG. 5, when the second pump 132 is first opened, the additive B in the second liquid storage case 32 is pumped by the action of the second pump 132 through the second liquid intake pipe 142 into the relay section 10, Thereafter, when the first water injection valve 161 is closed, no water is injected into the first water supply pipe 21, the first driving flow path 111 connected to AB of the first water pressure interlocking switch 110 is blocked, the first driven flow path 112 connected to CD is opened, the second water injection valve 162 is opened, the second driving flow path 121 connected to EF of the second water pressure interlocking switch 120 is opened, the second driven flow path 122 connected to GH is blocked, and when water is injected into the second water supply pipe 22, the inflowing water flow sequentially passes through the second water injection area 221, the relay section 10, and the second water outlet area 222 and flows out into the second water holding drum 52, and the additive B absorbed into the relay section is also poured into the second water holding drum 52 and introduced.

[0089] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a water pressure interlocking switch, which constitutes the interlocking switch 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment, and when used, it can achieve the effect of two different water channels being linked together and opened / closed simultaneously, and in particular, it can achieve the effect of using the water pressure generated by the injected water in any water channel to simultaneously open / close another water pressure.

[0090] In an embodiment of the present invention, the water pressure interlock switch comprises a housing, and there is an internal valve plug bore 401 of the housing, and an elastic diaphragm 402 is provided in the valve plug bore 401 to separate the inside of the valve plug bore 401 into two independent parts, a first chamber 403 and a second chamber 404, and the housing is provided with at least two water inlets and at least two water outlets, the first water inlet 405 and the first water outlet 406 are connected to the first chamber 403, and the second water inlet 407 and the second water outlet 408 are connected to the second chamber 404.

[0091] With the above-mentioned configuration, the elastic diaphragm that separates the different chambers is propelled by the water pressure of the water injected into any of the chambers and undergoes expansion and deformation, and furthermore, by utilizing this expansion and deformation, it is possible to simultaneously shut off the water channels in different chambers. This achieves the effect of simultaneously controlling and shutting off different water channels simply by utilizing the water pressure of any of the water channels. In addition, in this application, the above-mentioned interlocking switches are switched simultaneously using the water pressure of the water injected, which eliminates the need to install additional components such as a drive unit in the interlocking switches, thereby significantly reducing the cost of the switch.

[0092] In an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic diaphragm 402 provided within the valve plug bore 401 can be elastically deformed by the action of the flow of injected water in any of the chambers on either side, and expands toward the chamber on the other side. The elastic deformation of the elastic diaphragm 402 is used to simultaneously close the water inlets and / or outlets provided in the other chambers. Thus, when water is injected into any of the chambers of the water pressure interlocking switch, the flow of injected water moves and deforms the elastic diaphragm 402, thereby simultaneously closing the water inlets and / or outlets of the other chambers. Furthermore, when water flows through the water passages connecting any of the chambers, the effect of simultaneously controlling the water passages connecting the other chambers is achieved.

[0093] In this embodiment of the present invention, the housing of the water pressure interlocking switch is composed of first and second parts that are engaged with each other, an elastic diaphragm 402 is clamped and fixed at the point where the first and second parts are engaged and connected, and opposing opening recesses are present inside the first and second parts, so that after the first and second parts are engaged and connected, the recesses inside the first and second parts, together with the elastic diaphragm 402, surround and form a first chamber 403 and a second chamber 404, respectively. The housing is provided with a first water inlet 405 and a first water outlet 406 that communicate with the first chamber 403, and a second water inlet 407 and a second water outlet 408 that communicate with the second chamber 404. Preferably, the first water inlet 405 and the second water inlet 407 are located on opposite left and right sides of the housing, respectively, and the first water outlet 406 and the second water outlet 408 are both located on the upper side of the housing. More preferably, the first water inlet 405 is configured with an inlet that opens downward and an outlet that opens horizontally and a joint that is bent downward, the second water inlet 407 is configured with an inlet that opens upward and an outlet that opens horizontally and a structure that is bent upward, and the upwardly bent structure and the outlet of the downwardly bent joint are installed coaxially, and the first water outlet 406 and the second water outlet 408 are each configured with a straight joint that extends upright upward.

[0094] In this embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing control of different chambers of the water pressure interlock switch can be directly achieved by the expansion deformation of the elastic diaphragm 402 caused by the action of water pressure. For example, when water is poured into the first chamber 403, the elastic diaphragm 402 expands toward the inside of the second chamber 404, and the deformed elastic diaphragm 402 correspondingly adheres to the inner wall of the chamber around the second water inlet 407, thereby blocking the second water inlet 407. When water is poured into the second chamber 404, the elastic diaphragm 402 expands toward the inside of the first chamber 403, and the deformed elastic diaphragm 402 correspondingly adheres to the inner wall of the chamber around the first water inlet 405, thereby blocking the first water inlet 405 (not shown explicitly in the accompanying drawings).

[0095] In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to improve the reliability of closing the water inlet of the chamber under the impact of water pressure, a valve plug 410 is installed in the chamber, and the elastic deformation of the elastic diaphragm 402 is used to move the valve plug, and the valve plug 410 can be used to directly open and close the water inlet and / or outlet of the chamber in a corresponding manner, or the water flow of the injected water can be directly applied to the valve plug 410 to move and displace the valve plug 410 within the chamber, thereby opening and closing the water inlet and / or outlet of the chamber accordingly. For example, a valve plug 410 is installed in each of the first chamber 403 and the second chamber 404, and the valve plug 410 is connected to the elastic membrane 402 via a spring 411. The two valve plugs 410 are driven by the elastic force of the spring 411 to close the water inlets of the corresponding chambers. When the first chamber 403 is filled with water, the water pressure of the water will move the first valve plug into the first chamber 403 to open the first water inlet 405 correspondingly. The first valve plug will then drive the elastic membrane 402 into the second chamber 404 via the spring 411 to cause expansion deformation, and the spring 411 will then When the second chamber 404 is filled with water, the water pressure moves the second valve plug into the second chamber 404 to open the second water inlet 407, and the second valve plug drives the elastic membrane 402 into the first chamber 403 via the spring 411 to expand and deform. The spring 411 then drives the first valve plug into the first chamber 403 to close the first water inlet 405, thereby sealing the first water inlet 405 (not shown in the accompanying drawings).

[0096] In the embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration is adopted to realize an increase in accuracy in controlling the opening and closing of the water inlets of the two chambers.

[0097] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, a valve plug 410 is installed only in the first chamber 403, and the valve plug 410 is connected to the elastic diaphragm 402 via a spring 411, and the valve plug 410 seals the first water inlet 405 and / or the first water outlet 406 accordingly. Meanwhile, no valve plug 410 is installed in the second chamber 404, and the second water inlet 407 is directly sealed by the elastic diaphragm 402. Similarly, when water is injected into different chambers, the water pressure of the injected water can be used to simultaneously control the water inlets of the opposite chambers.

[0098] 6 to 8, in this embodiment of the present invention, elastic diaphragm 402 is installed upright in valve plug bore 401 and correspondingly covers any cross section of valve plug bore 401, and the outer periphery of elastic diaphragm 402 is sealedly connected to the peripheral walls of the chambers in valve plug bore 401, thereby forming first chamber 403 and second chamber 404, which are separate and independent spaces, on the left and right sides of valve plug bore 401. Elastic diaphragm 402 is made of a flexible material that can generate elastic deformation, such as rubber. The elastic diaphragm 402 has at least one fold 418, which can be used to provide a margin for deformation generated by the elastic diaphragm 402 itself, so that when the elastic diaphragm 402 is subjected to the water pressure of the chamber on one side, the chamber on the other side can be deformed to expand. Preferably, in order to increase the margin for deformation and reduce the effect of the deformation on the flow of water in the chambers being obstructed, the fold 418 is generally provided on the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm 402, and at least one fold 418 bent toward the first chamber is provided on the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm 402.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present invention, for convenience of description, the left side of elastic diaphragm 402 will be referred to as first chamber 403 and the right side as second chamber 404. However, in the present application, elastic diaphragm 402 is not limited to being installed upright, and elastic diaphragm 402 may also be installed horizontally or at an angle, and the effect of simultaneously controlling the opening and closing of different chambers can be similarly achieved by using the water flow of injected water.

[0100] A valve plug 410 is installed on the left side of the elastic diaphragm 402, and the valve plug 410 is connected to the elastic diaphragm 402 via a spring 411. The valve plug 410 seals the first water inlet 405 of the first chamber 403 by the corresponding driving action of the spring 411. The right side of the elastic diaphragm 402 is connected to the second water inlet 407 of the second chamber 404, and the elastic diaphragm 402 seals the second water inlet 407 by the corresponding driving action of the spring 411. 7, and the spring 411 is installed coaxially in the left-right direction within the valve plug bore 401. When neither chamber is filled with water, the spring 411 is compressed, and both ends of the compressed spring 411 apply elastic forces to the valve plug 410 and the elastic diaphragm 402, respectively, propelling the valve plug 410 against the left end face of the valve plug bore 401 and sealing the second water inlet 407 located on the corresponding right end face. In addition, when water is poured into any one chamber on one side, the water pressure will cause the valve plug 410 or the elastic diaphragm 402 to move in the direction of the compressed spring 411, opening the water inlet on the corresponding side and establishing communication between the water inlet and outlet of the corresponding actuator. Furthermore, the spring 411 will apply a greater thrust elastic force to the valve plug 410 or elastic diaphragm 402 connected on the other side, which will thrust the valve plug 410 or elastic diaphragm 402 to seal the water inlet of the other chamber more tightly, thereby achieving the effect of simultaneously blocking the water inlet of the other chamber on the other side.

[0101] In this embodiment of the present invention, the left side of the elastic diaphragm 402 is connected to the valve plug 410 via a spring 411, the extension direction of the spring 411 and the elastic diaphragm 402 are perpendicular to each other, the end face of the valve plug 410 is joined to the first water inlet 405 of the first chamber 403, and when the elastic diaphragm 402 and the spring 411 are both in their normal state, the end face of the valve plug 410 seals the first water inlet 405 provided on the left end face of the valve plug inner cavity 401.

[0102] Preferably, in order to increase the propulsive elastic force at the point where the spring 411 and the elastic diaphragm 402 come into contact with each other and to prevent problems such as uneven tilting of the elastic diaphragm 402 due to the force applied, a diaphragm support 409 is provided on the side of the elastic diaphragm 402 facing the first chamber 403, and the center of the diaphragm support 409 is connected to one end of the spring 411, and the other end of the spring is connected to the valve plug 410. The diaphragm support 409 is a barrier structure that covers the first chamber 403 side of the diaphragm support 409, and has a fixing portion that protrudes toward the second chamber 404 side at the center of the barrier structure, a fixing hole that is formed in the center of the elastic diaphragm 402, the fixing portion 419 passing through the corresponding fixing hole, and a fitting protrusion that protrudes radially is formed on the outer periphery of the fixing portion 419, and the fitting protrusion is located on the second chamber 404 side of the elastic diaphragm 402, so that the diaphragm support 409 is fitted and fixed to the elastic diaphragm 402. At the same time, a blocking arc-shaped portion 420 is provided on the outer periphery of the diaphragm support device 409, which curves and protrudes toward the first chamber 403. The blocking arc-shaped portion 420 is correspondingly located on one side of the folded portion 418, blocking and protecting the folded portion 418 and preventing problems such as the folding portion 418 being unable to return to its original position due to a water flow collision or foreign objects being trapped.

[0103] In this embodiment of the present invention, a first water outlet 406 is provided on the peripheral wall of the first chamber 403, and the outer circumferential surface of the valve plug 410 and the peripheral wall of the first chamber 403 are joined together. When the elastic diaphragm 402 and the spring 411 are both in their normal states, the outer circumferential surface of the valve plug seals the first water outlet 406. When the valve plug 410 is in its closed position, the end surface of the valve plug 410 seals the first water inlet 405, and the outer circumferential surface of the valve plug 410 seals the first water outlet 406. This allows the valve plug 410 to simultaneously close the first water inlet 405 and the first water outlet 406, thereby achieving the effect of doubly sealing and closing the first chamber 403, and thus significantly improving the reliability of the valve plug 410 in controlling the water passage communicating with the first chamber 403. Preferably, the gap between the valve plug 410 and the elastic diaphragm 402 is greater than the axial width of the outer wall of the valve plug 410, so that the valve plug 410 can generate sufficient inward contraction displacement when subjected to only the impact of the water pressure of the first chamber 403, thereby ensuring that the valve plug 410 can open the first water outlet 406 after movement.

[0104] In this embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent displacement of the valve plug 410 due to the impact of the water pressure, the following configuration is used: a connecting socket 314 protruding into the first chamber 403 is provided at the center of the diaphragm support 409, and the valve plug 410 is provided with a sealing plate 414 that corresponds to the sealing plate 414 and seals the water inlet at the end face of the first chamber 403. An annular folded edge 415 is provided on the outer periphery of the sealing plate 414, which constitutes the outer periphery of the valve plug 410. Two concentric annular protruding ribs 416 are provided on the middle part of the sealing plate 414 on the side facing the diaphragm support 409, and preferably the annular protruding ribs 416 are arranged coaxially with the sealing plate 414. The connecting socket 413 is inserted into annular gaps 417 between the two annular protruding ribs 416, and both ends of the spring 411 are inserted and installed in the connecting socket 413 and the annular gaps 417, respectively. Therefore, when an insertion connection is formed between the valve plug 410 and the diaphragm support 409, the inserted annular protruding rib 416 and the connecting socket 413 act to guide the displacement of the valve plug 410, thereby ensuring that the valve plug 410 can only contract along the axial direction of the first chamber 403, effectively preventing problems such as the valve plug 410 becoming misaligned or tilted.

[0105] Preferably, the axial height of the connecting socket 413 is greater than the axial distance of the spring 411 between the first water outlet 406 and the first water inlet 405, and the axial height of the annular gap 417 is greater than the axial distance of the spring 411 between the first water outlet 406 and the first water inlet 405, so that when the valve plug 410 is displaced into the first chamber 403, there is sufficient displacement space between the connecting socket 413 and the annular gap 417 to ensure that the moved valve plug 410 intersects with the first water outlet 406 and that the first water outlet 406 is opened.

[0106] In this embodiment of the present invention, a second water inlet 407 is provided on the right end face of the second chamber 404, and an annular sealing rib 412 protruding into the second chamber 404 is provided on the right inner wall of the chamber around the second water inlet 407, with the end of the annular sealing rib 412 being joined to the elastic diaphragm 402. A second water outlet 408 is provided on the peripheral side wall of the second chamber 404, with the second water inlet 407 located on the inner periphery of the annular sealing rib 412 and the second water outlet 408 located on the outer periphery of the annular sealing rib 412. When the elastic diaphragm 402 is sealed and joined to the end of the annular sealing rib 412, the second water inlet 407 and the second water outlet 408 are spaced apart, thereby preventing water from passing through the second chamber 404. An annular sealing rib 412 is installed in the second chamber 404, and the second water inlet 407 is opened and closed by utilizing the annular sealing rib 412 in cooperation with the elastic diaphragm 402. This reduces the deformation and displacement of the elastic diaphragm 402 required to control the opening and closing of the second water inlet 407, thereby significantly improving the accuracy of the opening and closing control of the second water inlet 407.

[0107] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above through preferred embodiments, this is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the technology of this patent may use the technical content presented above to create equivalent embodiments of equivalent modifications, without departing from the technical solution of the present invention. Furthermore, any simple modifications, equivalent variations, 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]

[0108] 1 Interlocking switch 2 Water supply pipeline 3 Liquid storage case 5 Water holding drum 8. Check valve 10 Relay Section 13 Pump 14 Liquid intake line 16 Water inlet valve 161 First water inlet valve 162 Second water inlet valve 21 First Water Supply Pipe 31 First storage case 51 First water holding drum 131 First Pump 141 first liquid intake line 22 Second Water Supply Pipe 32 Second storage case 52 Second water holding drum 132 Second Pump 142 second liquid intake line 101 Drive channel 102 Followed flow path 110 First interlock switch 111 first driving channel 112 first driven flow path 120 Second interlock switch 121 Second driving channel 122 second driven flow path 201 Water injection area 202 Izumi area 211 First Water Injection Area 212 First flood area 221 Second Water Injection Area 222 Second flood area 401 Valve plug bore 402 Elastic diaphragm 403 First Chamber 404 Second Chamber 405 First Inlet 406 First Outlet 407 Second Inlet 408 Second Outlet 409 Diaphragm support 410 Valve Plug 411 Spring 412 Annular sealing rib 413 Connecting Socket 414 Sealing Plate 415 Circular folded edge 416 Annular protruding rib 417 Annular Gap 418 Fold section 419 Fixed part 420 Blocking arc

Claims

1. a valve plug bore having an elastic diaphragm disposed therein, the elastic diaphragm dividing the valve plug bore internally into a first chamber and a second chamber that are independent of each other; When water is poured into any chamber, the elastic diaphragm is subjected to the pressure of the poured water and deforms in a direction that expands it toward another chamber, and the deformation of the elastic diaphragm opens the inlet and outlet of the chamber into which water is poured, and simultaneously closes the inlet and / or outlet of the other chamber. A water pressure interlocking switch.

2. 2. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 1, characterized in that a valve plug is provided in the first chamber, the valve plug is attached to the elastic diaphragm, and the valve plug moves simultaneously with the deformation of the elastic diaphragm to correspondingly open or close the water inlet and / or the water outlet in the chamber.

3. the valve plug is attached to the valve plate via a spring, the spring being in a compressed state, the compressed spring urging the valve plug to correspondingly close the inlet and / or outlet of the chamber; The water pressure interlocking switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the extension direction of the spring and the direction in which the valve plate is deformed by the action of water pressure are preferably configured to be the same.

4. 4. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 1, wherein one side of the elastic diaphragm is joined to the second water inlet of the second chamber, and the elastic diaphragm seals the second water inlet in a normal state.

5. the other side of the elastic diaphragm is connected to a valve plug via a spring, the extension direction of the spring and the elastic diaphragm are mutually perpendicular, a first water inlet is provided on an end face of the first chamber away from the elastic diaphragm, the end face of the valve plug and the first water inlet of the first chamber are joined together, the compressed spring applies a closing force to the valve plug to close the first water inlet, and applies a closing force to the elastic diaphragm to close the second water inlet; 5. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 4, wherein a diaphragm support is preferably attached to the side of the elastic diaphragm facing the first chamber, the center of the diaphragm support being connected to one end of the spring, and the other end of the spring being connected to the valve plug.

6. a first water outlet is provided on a peripheral wall of the first chamber, an outer peripheral surface of the valve plug and the peripheral wall of the first chamber are joined together, and when the valve plug is pushed by the spring to close the first water inlet, the outer peripheral surface of the valve plug correspondingly blocks the first water outlet; 6. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 5, wherein the distance between the valve plug and the elastic diaphragm is preferably greater than the axial width of the outer peripheral wall of the valve plug.

7. a connecting socket protruding into the first chamber is provided at the center of the diaphragm support; the valve plug comprises a sealing plate for sealing the water inlet at the end face of the first chamber, the sealing plate having an annular folded edge on its outer periphery that forms the outer periphery of the valve plug, and two concentric annular protruding ribs on the middle part of the sealing plate facing the membrane support; The connecting socket is inserted into the annular gap between the two corresponding annular protruding ribs, and both ends of the spring are inserted and mounted in the connecting socket and the annular gap, respectively; Preferably, the axial height of the connecting socket is greater than the axial distance of the spring between the first water outlet and the first water inlet, and the axial height of the annular gap is greater than the axial distance of the spring between the first water outlet and the first water inlet. A water pressure interlocking switch as described in claim 5.

8. 5. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 4, wherein the second chamber has an end face remote from the elastic diaphragm, the second water inlet is provided on an inner wall of the chamber around the second water inlet and has an annular sealing rib protruding into the second chamber, an end of the annular sealing rib being joined to the elastic diaphragm, and the second chamber has a peripheral side wall of a second water outlet, the second water inlet being located on an inner peripheral side of the annular sealing rib and the second water outlet being located on an outer peripheral side of the annular sealing rib.

9. 5. The water pressure interlock switch according to claim 4, wherein the elastic diaphragm is installed upright and correspondingly covers any cross section of the valve plug bore, the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm and the inner wall of the valve plug are sealed together, and the outer periphery of the elastic diaphragm is provided with at least one fold portion that provides a deformation margin.

10. two water supply lines (2), each of which transports the injected water to its corresponding outlet; a relay section (10) at the middle of the two water supply pipes (2) where they join together and serve as a place for the additive to flow in while waiting to be added; Interlocking switches (1) provided on each of the two water supply lines (2) are used to close the water outlet of another water supply line (2) at the same time as water is being poured into the other water supply line (2), so that additives waiting to be added in the relay section (10) flow out only from the water outlet of the water supply line (2) for injection of water. An automatic feeding device equipped with:

11. The automatic supply device of claim 10, characterized in that when water flows through any of the water supply pipes (2), the water pressure generated by the flowing water acts on the interlocking switch provided in the selected water supply pipe (2), and the interlocking switch acts on another water supply pipe (2) to cut off the other water supply pipe (2) at a position downstream of the relay section (10).

12. The interlock switch (1) has a driving channel (101) and a driven channel (102), the driving channel (101) is provided with a driving member used to generate and trigger a command by utilizing the water flow flowing through the driving channel (101), and the driven channel (102) is provided with a driven member that performs a blocking operation on the driven channel (102) by utilizing the triggered command. Preferably, the triggered command may be a triggered signal or may be a triggered action.

12. The automatic feeding device according to claim 10 or 11.

13. The automatic dosing device of claim 12, characterized in that the driving flow path (101) of the interlocking switch (1) is connected to a water inlet section (201) located upstream of the relay section (10) of the selected water supply pipeline (2), and the driven flow path (102) is connected to a water outlet section (202) located downstream of the relay section (10) of another water supply pipeline (2).

14. The water supply pipeline (2) is provided in the water injection section (201) with a check valve (8) that ensures that the water flows in the direction of the relay section (10), and the check valve (8) is installed between the driving channel (101) installed in the water injection section and the relay section (10); And / or, the water outlet section (202) of the water supply pipeline (2) is provided with a check valve (8) that ensures that the water flow is in the direction of the water outlet of the water supply pipeline (2), and the check valve (8) is installed between the secondary flow path (102) installed in the water outlet section (202) and the relay section (10).

15. A liquid storage case (3) is provided in which an additive is stored, 15. An automatic dispensing device as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the liquid storage case (3) is connected to the relay section (10) via a pump (13), and the additive in the liquid storage case (3) is taken into the relay section (10) by the action of the pump (13).

16. A plurality of storage cases (3) are provided, and the outlets of the storage cases (3) are connected to the same relay section (10) via pumps (13) corresponding to each other, and when the pumps (13) are in an operating state, they pump the additive stored in the corresponding storage case (3) into the relay section (10); Preferably, an ON-OFF valve assembly is assembled with the pump (13), and when the pump (13) is not in operation, the outlet of the liquid storage case (3) is blocked from the relay section (10), so that the additive stored in the liquid storage case (3) cannot further flow into the relay section (10); Preferably, there is a metering assembly assembled with the pump (13) and used to meter the amount of additive pumped from the reservoir case (3) into the transfer section (10) by the pump (13), The automatic dosing device according to claim 15, characterized in that the pump (13) is preferably equipped with a check valve assembly used to restrict the fluid flowing through the pump (13) so that it can only flow in a single direction through the reservoir case (3) towards the relay section (10).

17. The water outlet ends of the water supply pipes (2) are connected to different water outlets, one for each water supply pipe; Preferably, the water supply pipeline (2) is provided with a check valve (8) that ensures that the water flow in the pipeline is in a single direction from the inlet end to the outlet end; Preferably, the automatic dosing device according to any one of claims 10 to 16 is provided at the front end of the water supply pipeline (2) with a water inlet valve (16) used to control the passage and blocking of the water flow injected into the pipeline.

18. The relay section (10) is one or a plurality of pipes that intersect with each other, Preferably, the relay section (10) is a labyrinth-like passage that is installed in a winding manner and extends the axial length of the pipeline, More preferably, both ends of the labyrinth-like passage are an inlet and an outlet, the inlets are connected to the outlets of the water inlet areas (201) of each water supply pipe (2), the outlets are connected to the inlets of the water outlet areas (202) of each water supply pipe (2), and each liquid storage case (3) is connected to the inlet or a location close to the inlet of the labyrinth-like passage via a pump (13), and the additive taken in from the liquid storage case (3) is introduced into the labyrinth-like passage.

19. The relay section (10) is a chamber structure having an accommodation space, and the outlet of the water inlet section (201) and the inlet of the water outlet section (202) of each water supply pipe (2) are both connected to the chamber structure; 18. An automatic dispensing device as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that each storage case (3) is connected to the chamber structure constituting the relay section (10) via a pump (13), and the additive taken in from the storage case (3) is dispensed into the chamber structure.

20. The automatic insertion device according to any one of claims 10 to 19, characterized in that the interlocking switch (1) adopts a water pressure interlocking switch according to any one of claims 1 to 9 above.

21. A multiple-drum washing machine comprising at least two water holding drums (5), equipped with the automatic dosing device according to any one of claims 10 to 20, the two water holding drums (5) respectively communicating with two water outlets of the automatic dosing device in a one-to-one correspondence, and characterized in that when water is poured into any water supply pipe (2), the additive in the relay section (10) is transported together with the injected water only into the water holding drum (5) that is correspondingly communicating with it.

22. The water inlet ends of the water supply pipes (2) of the automatic dosing device and the water injection structure of the washing machine are respectively connected to each other, and the wash water supplied by the water injection structure of the washing machine is used as the water supply source for the water inlet ends of the water supply pipes (2). The wash water flows alternatively into the water supply pipes (2) and from the water outlets of the water supply pipes (2) into the corresponding water holding drums (5). Only by this means can the additives taken into the relay section (10) be introduced into the water holding drums (5) together with the water flow of the washing machine. Preferably, the front water inlet ends of the water supply pipes (2) are connected to the water inlet structure of the washing machine via water inlet valves (16) in an openable and shutable manner.

23. 23. The method for controlling a multiple-drum washing machine according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that, when adding an additive to any of the water holding drums (5), the water injection structure of the washing machine injects water into the corresponding water supply pipe (2) connected to the selected water holding drum (5), the flow of the injected water acts on the interlocking switch (1) installed in the selected water supply pipe (2), the interlocking switch (1) blocks the water outlet of another water supply pipe (2), the flow of the injected water flows into the relay section (10), and the additive in the relay section (10) flows out together through the selected water supply pipe (2) and is added into the selected water holding drum (5).

24. A step of pumping the selected additive in the storage case 3 to the relay section (10); Injecting water into the corresponding water supply line (2) connected to the selected water holding drum (5), and when the flow of injected water reaches the water injection zone (201) of the selected water supply line (2), shutting off the water outlet zone (202) of another water supply line (2) using the interlock switch (1) installed in the water injection zone (201); A step of allowing the water flow of the injection water to flow through the water inlet section (201) into the relay section (10) and pouring the additives in the relay section (10) into the water outlet section (202) of the water supply pipeline (2) selected by the water flow; allowing the water to flow through the outlet section (202) of the selected open water supply line (2) into the selected water holding drum (5) and adding additives. Including, 24. The method for controlling a multiple-drum washing machine according to claim 23, wherein the step of pumping the additive in the selected liquid storage case (3) to the relay section (10) is preferably performed prior to or simultaneously with the step of injecting water into the corresponding water supply pipe (2) connected to the selected water holding drum (5).

25. When water is injected into the first water supply pipeline (21), the first interlocking switch (110) communicates with the first water injection zone (211), and the second water outlet zone (222) is shut off. When the injected water passes through the first water injection zone (211) and flows into the relay zone (10), the additives in the relay zone (10) are also discharged through the first water outlet zone (212) and flow into the first water holding drum (51) for injection. When water is poured into the second water supply pipeline (22), the second interlocking switch (120) communicates with the second water pouring zone (221), the first water outlet zone (212) is shut off, and when the injected water passes through the second water pouring zone (221) and flows into the relay zone (10), the additives in the relay zone (10) are also poured out through the second water outlet zone (222) and into the second water holding drum (52) for addition; Preferably, when water is poured into the first water supply line (21), the second interlock switch (120) simultaneously shuts off the second water inlet zone (221) and communicates with the first water outlet zone (212); 25. The method for controlling a multiple-drum washing machine according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, when water is poured into the second water supply line (22), the first interlock switch (110) simultaneously cuts off the first water inlet zone (211) and communicates with the second water outlet zone (222).

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