WASHING MACHINE WITHOUT WATER BETWEEN BARRELS AND CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

A washing machine without water between barrels and control method are provided. The washing machine comprises an outer barrel, an inner barrel, an air chamber, and a pressure sensor connected to the air chamber. A plurality of drainage holes are arranged on the upper part near the edge of the inner barrel. At least one inner barrel drain outlet is arranged at a bottom of the inner barrel. A telescopic drain valve capable of plugging the inner barrel drain outlet is arranged at a bottom of the outer barrel. An outer barrel drain outlet is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel. A washing machine drainage pipeline is arranged on the outer barrel drain outlet. The outer barrel is provided with the air chamber communicated with the inner barrel. An air chamber drain outlet capable of discharging water in the air chamber is arranged on the air chamber.

Claims

1. A washing machine without water between barrels, comprising an outer barrel, an inner barrel, an air chamber and a pressure sensor connected to the air chamber, wherein: a plurality of drainage holes are arranged on the upper part near the edge of the inner barrel, at least one inner barrel drain outlet is arranged at a bottom of the inner barrel, a telescopic drain valve capable of plugging the inner barrel drain outlet is arranged at a bottom of the outer barrel, an outer barrel drain outlet is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel, a washing machine drainage pipeline is arranged on the outer barrel drain outlet, the outer barrel is provided with the air chamber communicated with the inner barrel, an air chamber drain outlet capable of discharging water in the air chamber is arranged on the air chamber.

2. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 1, wherein the outer barrel and the inner barrel are concentrically arranged, a distance from a center of the inner barrel drain outlet to a center of the inner barrel is less than or equal to a distance from a center of the outer barrel drain outlet to a center of the outer barrel.

3. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 1, wherein the air chamber drain outlet is communicated with the washing machine drainage pipeline through a first pipeline, a control valve capable of controlling the opening and closing of the first pipeline is arranged at the air chamber drain outlet or in the first pipeline.

4. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 3, wherein the control valve is provided with a first traction motor, and the first traction motor is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel, or the control valve is connected with a second traction motor of the telescopic drain valve.

5. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 1, wherein the air chamber is communicated with the inner barrel through the telescopic drain valve, the telescopic drain valve is a hollow structure, an upper part of the telescopic drain valve is provided with a water inlet, a lower part of the telescopic drain valve is provided with a water outlet, the water outlet is connected with the air chamber through a elastic pipe.

6. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic drain valve at least comprises a telescopic valve plug, the telescopic valve plug comprises a telescopic valve rod and a sealing sleeve of elastic sleeved on the valve rod and expanding and retracting with the valve rod, an inner of the valve rod is a hollow structure, an upper part of the valve rod is provided with a water inlet, a lower part of the valve rod is provided with a water outlet, the water inlet is provided with a gland, an upper part of the sealing sleeve extends into the water inlet, the gland and the valve rod are connected and the sealing sleeve is pressed between the gland and the valve rod, a top part of the gland is a hollow-out structure.

7. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 6, wherein the top part of the gland protrudes upwards and has a hemispherical arc surface, a middle portion of the hemispherical arc surface is higher and a surrounding portion of the hemispherical arc surface is lower.

8. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 6, wherein when the telescopic drain valve plugs the inner barrel drain outlet, the top of the gland is higher than the bottom of the inner barrel, when the telescopic drain valve enables the inner barrel drain outlet to be open, the top of the gland is higher than the bottom of the outer barrel.

9. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 6, wherein the sealing sleeve is provided with a ring of elastic convex rib around the gland, a diameter of the elastic convex rib is larger than that of the inner barrel drain outlet.

10. A control method of the washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 1, comprising: 1) locking the inner barrel, controlling the telescopic drain valve to plug the inner barrel drain outlet, feeding water into the inner barrel of the washing machine, and the water inside the inner barrel entering into the air chamber and compressing the air inside the air chamber, detecting the air pressure of the air chamber to obtain the water level of the inner barrel; 2) controlling the telescopic drain valve to enable the inner barrel drain outlet to be open, and the water inside the inner barrel being drained into the outer barrel; 3) controlling the air chamber drain outlet to open, the water inside the air chamber being drained away.

11. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 2, wherein the distance from the center of the inner barrel drain outlet to the center of the inner barrel is equal to the distance from the center of the outer barrel drain outlet to the center of the outer barrel.

12. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 2, wherein a diameter of the outer barrel drain outlet is larger than that of the inner barrel drain outlet.

13. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 3, wherein the first pipeline is connected with the washing machine drainage pipeline through a three-way joint.

14. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 3, wherein the air chamber drain outlet is located at a bottom of the air chamber.

15. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 5, wherein the elastic pipe is a hose or a bellows.

16. The washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 6, wherein the top part of the gland is a grid structure, a gap between the grids forms a water hole.

17. The control method of the washing machine without water between barrels according to claim 10, wherein after controlling the telescopic drain valve to enable the inner barrel drain outlet to be open, unlocking the inner barrel, controlling the inner barrel to rotate until the inner barrel drain outlet directly faces to the outer barrel drain outlet, the water inside the inner barrel being directly drained into the outer barrel drain outlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a washing machine without water between barrels of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of the washing machine without water between barrels of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the washing machine without water between barrels of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 3;

[0036] FIG. 5 is a structure diagram of a telescopic drain valve of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the telescopic drain valve of the present disclosure.

[0038] Wherein: 1. inner barrel, 2. drainage holes, 3. inner barrel drain outlet, 4. outer barrel, 5. outer barrel drain outlet, 6. washing machine drainage pipeline, 7. air chamber, 8. air chamber drain outlet, 9. first pipeline, 10. telescopic drain valve, 11. control valve, 12. water inlet, 13. water outlet, 14. elastic pipe, 15. valve rod, 16. sealing cover, 17. gland, 18. elastic convex rib, 19. pressure sensor, 20. pulsator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a washing machine without water between barrels of the present disclosure comprises an inner barrel 1, an outer barrel 4. A plurality of drainage holes 2 are arranged on the upper part near the upper edge of the inner barrel 1. At least one inner barrel drain outlet 3 is arranged at the bottom of the inner barrel 1. A telescopic drain valve 10 capable of plugging the inner barrel water outlet is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel 4. An outer barrel drain outlet 5 is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel 4. A washing machine drainage pipeline 6 is arranged on the outer barrel drain outlet 5.

[0040] During washing process, the inner barrel is locked, and the inner barrel drain outlet 3 is plugged by the telescopic drain valve 10. There is water in the inner barrel 1, and there is no water between barrels. During drainage process, the inner barrel drain outlet is opened by the telescopic drain valve 10. Most water in the inner barrel 1 is drained out from the inner barrel 1 through the inner barrel drain outlet 3, and then the water is drained out through the outer barrel drain outlet 5 and the washing machine drainage pipeline 6. During dehydration process, the inner barrel 1 is unlocked and carries out dehydrating. The water thrown out during dehydration stage is moved upward under the centrifugal force, and is drained out from the inner barrel through the drainage holes 2, and is drained to the space between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and then is drained out through the outer barrel drain outlet 5 and the washing machine drainage pipeline 6.

[0041] The outer barrel 4 and the inner barrel 1 are concentrically arranged, and the distance from the center of the inner barrel drain outlet 3 to the center of the inner barrel 1 is the same as the center of the outer barrel drain outlet 5 to the center of the center of the outer barrel 4. When the inner barrel is draining water, the inner barrel drain outlet 3 is facing to the outer barrel drain outlet 5, and the water flows out from the inner barrel 1 directly through the outer barrel drain outlet 5 into the washing machine drainage pipeline 6 for discharge. The drainage is smooth, and the time for water staying between the inner barrel and outer barrel is short, and there is no required for water to being firstly drained into the space between the inner barrel and the outer barrel and then drained into the outer barrel drain outlet 5. Preferably, the diameter of the outer barrel drain outlet 5 is larger than that of the inner barrel drain outlet 3 to prevent the water flow from staying between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and prevent the dirt from staining on the inner wall of the outer barrel.

[0042] When the washing machine is performing washing process, there is no water between the inner barrel and the outer barrel. It can save the washing water, and about 20% of the washing water can be saved each time. During draining water, most of the water is drained away through the lower drain outlet. The thread scraps and the mud are discharged with the water, and will not accumulate in the inner barrel. At the same time, during dehydration and washing process, there is no relative movement between the inner barrel and the plugging structure (telescopic drain valve) por plugging the inner barrel drain outlet to avoid the abrasion.

[0043] The outer barrel 4 is provided with an air chamber 7, and the air chamber 7 can be arranged on at the interior or the exterior of the outer barrel 4. In the present invention, it is preferable that the air chamber 7 is disposed outside the outer barrel 4 so as not to affect the installation of the inner barrel 1 so as to increase the capacity of the inner barrel 1 as much as possible. The air chamber 7 is communicated with the inner barrel through the second pipeline. When there is water inside the inner barrel 1, the water is able to enter the air chamber 7. A pressure sensor 19 is connected to the air chamber 7, and the water level of the inner barrel is detected by the pressure sensor 19 detecting the air pressure inside the air chamber 7. This detection method detects the water level, and the structure is simple, and the detection result is accurate.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in the present disclosure, the air chamber 7 is communicated with the inner barrel 7 through the telescopic drain valve 10. The telescopic drain valve 10 is of a hollow structure, and the upper part of the telescopic drain valve is provided with a water inlet 12, and the lower part of the telescopic drain valve is provided with a water outlet 13. The water outlet 13 is communicated with the air chamber 7 through an elastic pipe 14. When the inner barrel drain outlet 3 is plugged by the telescopic drain valve 10, the water of the inner barrel 1 is unable to enter the space between the inner barrel 1 and outer barrel 4, however it can enter the air chamber 7 through the hollow structure inside the telescopic drain valve 10 and compress the air inside the air chamber. The pressure sensor 19 detects the air pressure inside the air chamber 7 to obtain the water level of the inner barrel to realize the detection and control of the water level. As the telescopic drain valve is reciprocated up and down telescopically and the lower water outlet is movable, the elastic pipe 14 is arranged between the water outlet and the air chamber to achieve the connection between the fixed air chamber 7 and the movable lower water outlet. Preferably, the elastic pipe 14 is a hose or a bellows. The second pipeline comprises a hollow portion of the telescopic drain valve and the elastic pipe.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the telescopic drain valve 10 at least comprises a telescopic valve plug. The valve plug comprises a telescopic valve rod 15 and an elastic sealing cover 16 sleeved on the valve rod 15 and can expand and retract with the expansion of the valve rod 15. The inner of the valve rod 15 is of a hollow structure, and the upper part of the valve rod is provided with the water inlet 12, and the lower part the valve rod is provided with the water outlet 13. The water inlet 12 is provided with a gland. The upper part of the sealing sleeve 16 extends into the water inlet 12. The gland 17 is connected with the valve rod 15 and the sealing sleeve 16 is pressed between the gland 17 and the valve rod 15. The lower water outlet is provided with the hose or the bellows connected to the air chamber. The second pipeline comprises the hollow portion of the telescopic valve rod and the hose or the bellows. The top part of the gland 17 is of a hollow-out structure. The water in the inner barrel can enter the interior of the valve rod 15 through the hollow structure and then flow into the air chamber 17.

[0046] The top of the gland 17 is provided with a plurality of water holes, or the top of the gland is of a grid structure, and the gap between the grids forms the water holes. The water holes can block the thread scraps and other debris from entering the air chamber.

[0047] The top of the gland 17 protrudes is convex upwards, and has a hemispherical arc surface. A middle portion of the hemispherical arc surface is higher and a surrounding portion of the hemispherical arc surface is lower, which is high in the middle and low on all sides. The convex structure and the hemispherical arc surface can prevent the thread scraps and other debris from staying and accumulating on the top of the gland to block the water holes of the gland. The gland can connect the valve rod 15 and the sealing sleeve 16, and can also play a role in preventing the accumulation of the lint.

[0048] When the telescopic drain valve 10 plugs the inner barrel drain outlet 3, the top of the gland 17 is higher than the bottom of the inner barrel. When the telescopic drain valve 10 enables the inner barrel drain outlet 3 to be open, the top of gland 17 is higher than the bottom of the outer barrel to further prevent the thread scraps and other debris from staying and accumulating on the top of the gland to block the water holes of the gland.

[0049] The sealing sleeve 16 is provided with a ring of elastic convex rib 18 located around the gland 17. The diameter of the elastic convex rib 18 is larger than that of the inner barrel drain outlet 3. When the telescopic drain valve 10 plugs the inner barrel drain outlet 3, the elastic convex rib 18 is located at the bottom of the inner barrel of at the outer periphery of the inner barrel drain outlet, and is pressed to realize sealing. The gland 17 extends into the inner barrel drain outlet 3, and the top of the gland 17 is higher than the bottom of the inner barrel. When the telescopic drain valve 10 enables the inner barrel drain outlet 3 to be open, the elastic convex rib 18 can prevent the lint and other debris from being flushed to the top of the gland 17. At the same time, the top of the gland is higher than the bottom of the outer barrel to prevent the thread scraps and other debris from staying and accumulating on the top of the gland to block the water holes of the gland.

[0050] The telescopic drain valve 10 is fixed at the bottom of the outside of the outer barrel 4, and extends upwards to the bottom of the inner barrel to plug the inner barrel drain outlet 3. The elastic pipe 14 is arranged at the bottom of the outside of the outer barrel 4, and is respectively connected with the lower water outlet of the telescopic drain valve 10 and the air chamber. The water inside the washing machine is drained through the outer barrel drain outlet 5, therefore when the washing machine is draining water, the water inside the air chamber 7 cannot be thoroughly drained away resulting in some residual water in the air chamber 7, which will cause bacteria to grow in the air chamber for a long time. The air chamber of the present disclosure is provided with an air chamber drain outlet 8 capable of discharging water in the air chamber 7. The air chamber drain outlet 8 is opened periodically or every time after the drainage of the washing machine is finished to prevent the water from remaining in the air chamber.

[0051] Preferably, the air chamber drain outlet 8 is located at the very bottom of the air chamber, to ensure that all water inside the air chamber is drained from the air chamber. A control valve 11 is arranged at the air chamber drain outlet 8. The control valve 11 is closed when the washing machine is in the water-inlet state and in the washing process. The control valve 11 is opened periodically or after the washing machine finishes the drainage to discharge the water inside the air chamber.

[0052] The air chamber drain outlet 8 is communicated with the washing machine drainage pipeline to discharge the water inside the air chamber through the washing machine drainage pipeline 6. The air chamber drain outlet 8 is communicated with the washing machine drainage pipeline 6 through a first pipeline 9. The first pipeline 9 is provided with the control valve 11 capable of controlling the opening and closing of the first pipeline. The first pipeline 9 is connected with the washing machine drainage pipeline 8 through a three-way joint.

[0053] The control valve 11 is provided with a traction motor, and the opening and closing of the control valve is controlled by the traction motor. The traction motor is arranged at the bottom of the outer barrel. Or the control valve is connected with a traction motor of the telescopic drain valve 10, namely, the telescopic drain valve and the control valve share the same traction motor to save the number of parts and save cost.

[0054] When the washing machine is subjected to carrying out washing process, the inner barrel is locked, and the telescopic drain valve is controlled to plug the inner barrel drain outlet. The water is fed into the inner barrel of the washing machine, and the water inside the inner barrel enters the air chamber and compresses the air inside the air chamber is compressed. The water level of the inner barrel is obtained by detecting the air pressure of the air chamber. There is no water between the inner barrel 1 and the outer barrel 4. During the drainage stage, the telescopic drain valve is controlled to enable the inner barrel drain outlet to be open, and the water inside the inner barrel is drained into the outer barrel. Preferably, after the telescopic drain valve is controlled to enable the inner barrel drain outlet to be open, the inner barrel is unlocked. The inner barrel is controlled to rotate until the inner barrel drain outlet is directly facing to the outer barrel drain outlet, and most of the water inside of the inner barrel 1 is drained out through the lower inner barrel drain outlet 3. During dehydration stage, a minority of water is drained through the upper drainage holes 2. After being drained into the space between the inner barrel 1 and the outer barrel 4, the minority of water is drained through the outer barrel drain outlet 5 and the washing machine drainage pipeline 6. The air chamber 7 is provided with the air chamber drain outlet 8. The air chamber drain outlet 8 is provided with the first pipeline 9 connected with the washing machine drainage pipeline 6. Residual water inside the air chamber 7 is drained through the air chamber drain outlet 8, the first pipeline 9 and the washing machine drainage pipeline 6.

[0055] The air chamber 7 is communicated with the inner barrel through the second pipeline, and the water of the inner barrel 1 enters the air chamber 7. The air chamber 7 is connected with the pressure sensor 19, and the water level of the inner barrel is detected by the pressure sensor 19 detecting the air pressure of the air chamber.

[0056] While there has been shown several and alternate embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that various of variants and improvement can be made as would known to one skilled in the art without departing from the underlying scope of the present invention as is discussed and set forth above and below including claims.