CN112609401A

CN112609401A - Washing machine defoaming structure, washing machine and control method

Info

Publication number: CN112609401A
Application number: CN202011445688.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈烊冰; 黄远行; 杨帆
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2020-12-11
Filing date: 2020-12-11
Publication date: 2021-04-06

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of washing machines, and particularly relates to a defoaming structure of a washing machine, the washing machine and a control method, wherein the defoaming structure of the washing machine comprises an exhaust pipeline, the air inlet end of the exhaust pipeline is communicated with the outer cylinder of the washing machine, and the air outlet end of the exhaust pipeline is communicated with the outside of the washing machine; the heating module is used for defoaming the foam entering the exhaust pipeline by heating the exhaust pipeline; and the control module controls the heating module to heat the exhaust pipeline in the defoaming treatment process. The invention adopts the heating inactivation principle, utilizes the heating module to produce heat, inactivates the surfactant in the foam in the exhaust pipe, realizes the defoaming function, reduces the exhaust resistance of the exhaust pipe, increases the water inlet smoothness of the washing machine, has stable and reliable working process and low fault rate, and ensures the use safety of users.

Description

Washing machine defoaming structure, washing machine and control method

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of washing machines, and particularly relates to a washing machine defoaming structure, a washing machine and a control method.

Background

When a user uses the drum washing machine, if the dosage of a detergent or washing powder is too much, excessive foam can be generated in the inner barrel after stirring, the foam flows up the exhaust pipe along with exhaust airflow to cause exhaust difficulty, so that the gas pressure in the barrel is high, water is difficult to enter the inner barrel during water inlet, water leakage easily occurs at the part of a detergent box, and the safety performance of the washing machine is influenced.

At present, there are mainly solutions for eliminating foam by adding a special defoaming structure on the overflow pipe. The patent (CN107385802A) discloses a pressure balancing device for washing machine, which comprises an overflow pipe and a branch pipe, wherein the overflow pipe is connected with an outer cylinder of the washing machine and a drainage device, the branch pipe is connected with the overflow pipe, an overflow preventing port is arranged at the tail end of the branch pipe, the overflow preventing port is provided with a defoaming structure which breaks foam overflowing to the overflow preventing port into liquid and guides the liquid to the drainage device, the defoaming structure comprises a rib structure arranged at the overflow preventing port and a sharp-pricked structure facing one side of the branch pipe, and the rib structure is crossed to form a grid structure. It can be seen that in this scheme, when the foam in the washing machine urceolus spilled over from the anti-overflow mouth through overflow pipe and branch pipe, the spine column structure can puncture the foam, and the grid structure can eliminate the foam through the squeezing action. But the structure of the scheme is relatively complex, and certain difficulty exists in upgrading or modification of the existing product. Moreover, for small and large quantities of foam, the foam is eliminated.

The present invention has been made in view of this situation.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a defoaming structure, a washing machine and a control method which can effectively solve the problem of difficult water inlet caused by the blockage of an exhaust pipeline of the washing machine by foam.

In order to solve the above technical problems, a first object of the present invention is to provide a defoaming structure for a washing machine, comprising

The air inlet end of the air exhaust pipeline is communicated with the outer barrel of the washing machine, and the air outlet end of the air exhaust pipeline is communicated with the outside of the washing machine;

the heating module is used for defoaming the foam entering the exhaust pipeline by heating the exhaust pipeline;

and the control module controls the heating module to heat the exhaust pipeline in the defoaming treatment process.

Further optionally, the heating module includes a heating wire surrounding an inner wall or an outer wall of the exhaust duct.

Further optionally, the defoaming structure of the washing machine further comprises a temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor is arranged on the exhaust pipeline and connected with the control module; the temperature sensor detects the temperature inside the exhaust pipeline, and the control module controls the heating module to be started according to the detection result of the temperature sensor.

The second purpose of the invention is to provide a washing machine with the defoaming structure.

Further optionally, the washing machine includes a detergent box, and the air outlet end of the exhaust pipeline is communicated with the detergent box.

Further optionally, the washing machine includes a drain line, and an air outlet end of the exhaust line is communicated with the drain line.

The third objective of the present invention is to provide the control method of the washing machine, wherein the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust pipeline during the defoaming treatment.

Further optionally, the defoaming treatment is performed when the washing machine enters the washing stage and/or the rinsing stage.

Further optionally, the washing machine further detects foam in the exhaust pipeline during operation, and determines whether to perform defoaming treatment according to a detection result.

Further optionally, the washing machine includes a temperature sensor that detects a temperature within the exhaust duct;

in the defoaming treatment process, when a temperature sensor detects that the temperature in the exhaust pipeline is lower than a set temperature, the heating module is controlled to start heating; and when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature in the exhaust pipeline is greater than or equal to a set temperature, controlling the heating module to stop heating.

Further optionally, in the defoaming treatment process, the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust pipeline at a set on-off frequency.

After adopting the technical scheme, compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:

the invention adopts the heating inactivation principle, utilizes the heating module to produce heat, inactivates the surfactant in the foam in the exhaust pipe, realizes the defoaming function, reduces the exhaust resistance of the exhaust pipe, increases the water inlet smoothness of the washing machine, has stable and reliable working process and low fault rate, and ensures the use safety of users.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention without limiting the invention to the right. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort. In the drawings:

FIG. 1: the embodiment of the invention is a structural schematic diagram of a washing machine with a defoaming structure.

FIG. 2: the cross section of the defoaming structure of the washing machine in the embodiment of the invention is schematically shown.

FIG. 3: the control flow chart of the washing machine with the defoaming structure is shown in the embodiment of the invention.

Wherein, 1-a detergent box; 2-a control module; 3-a temperature sensor; 4-an exhaust line; 5-electric heating wire; 6-air outlet of outer cylinder; 7-outer cylinder; 8-detergent box air inlet; 9-temperature sensing probe.

It should be noted that the drawings and the description are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concept in any way, but to illustrate it by a person skilled in the art with reference to specific embodiments.

Detailed Description

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "inside", "outside", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and operate, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "contacting," and "communicating" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the defoaming structure of a washing machine includes an exhaust pipe 4, a heating module and a control module 2, the washing machine in this embodiment includes an outer cylinder 7, an outer cylinder air outlet 6 is formed on the outer cylinder 7, an air inlet end of the exhaust pipe 4 is communicated with the outer cylinder air outlet 6, and an air outlet end is communicated with the outside of the washing machine, in this embodiment, the air outlet end of the exhaust pipe 4 can be directly communicated with the outside of the washing machine; the air outlet end can also be communicated with the detergent box 1 and the outside of the washing machine through the detergent box 1, as shown in fig. 1, the detergent box 1 is provided with a detergent box air inlet 8, and the air outlet end of the exhaust pipeline 4 is communicated with the detergent box 1 through the detergent box air inlet 8; the air outlet end can be communicated with a drainage pipeline of the washing machine, communicated with the outside of the washing machine through the drainage pipeline, or communicated with the outside of the washing machine through other connecting modes. Can produce a large amount of foams when detergent adds the excess, these foams probably get into exhaust pipe 4 in, consequently, this embodiment carries out the heating module that heats through setting up exhaust pipe 4, has adopted the heating inactivation principle, carries out the surfactant deactivation to the foam in exhaust pipe 4 to the function of the foam of realization elimination jam exhaust pipe, guarantee that it is smooth and easy to intake, exhaust. Simultaneously when the end of giving vent to anger of exhaust pipe 4 and detergent box 1 intercommunication, realize the defoaming function through heating exhaust pipe 4 and can effectively prevent that detergent box 1 position from taking place the phenomenon of leaking, keep clean health, save the clearance time.

The heating module in this embodiment may heat the exhaust and heating pipeline 4 in a direct or indirect heating manner, may adopt various heating manners such as electromagnetic heating, microwave heating, resistance wire heating, and the like, and preferably adopts the heating wire 5 for heating. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heating module includes heating wires 5 around the inner or outer wall of the exhaust duct 4, and the heating wires 5 are preferably arranged in a spiral shape along the inner wall of the exhaust duct 4. The control module 2 controls the activation of the heating module by means of preset control logic, and the control module 2 in this embodiment may be arranged on the exhaust duct 4 or on another location of the washing machine, such as a control panel.

Further optionally, the defoaming structure of the washing machine further includes a temperature sensor 3, the temperature sensor 3 is disposed on the exhaust pipeline 4 and connected to the control module 2, the temperature sensor 3 and the control module 2 may be connected by a wire or a wireless connection, as shown in fig. 1, the temperature sensor and the control module are connected by a wire; the temperature sensor 3 detects the temperature inside the exhaust pipeline 4, and the control module 2 controls the heating module to be started according to the detection result of the temperature sensor 3 in the defoaming treatment process. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the temperature sensor 3 is provided with a temperature sensing probe 9, and the temperature sensing probe 9 extends into the exhaust pipe 4 to detect the temperature inside the exhaust pipe. The temperature sensor 3 feeds the detected temperature back to the control module 2, and the control module 2 controls the heating module to start heating according to the detection result.

The embodiment also provides a washing machine with the defoaming structure.

Further alternatively, as shown in fig. 1, the washing machine includes a detergent box 1, and an air outlet end of the exhaust duct 4 is communicated with the detergent box 1.

Further optionally, the washing machine includes a drain line, and the air outlet end of the exhaust line 4 is communicated with the drain line.

The embodiment also provides a control method of the washing machine, wherein the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust pipeline in the defoaming treatment process.

In one embodiment, the defoaming treatment is performed when the washing machine enters a washing stage and/or a rinsing stage. Since the generation of foam mainly occurs in the washing stage and the rinsing stage, the defoaming treatment may be performed only in the washing stage and/or the rinsing stage. In the actual program setting, the defoaming treatment may be performed in either one of the washing stage and the rinsing stage, or both of the washing stage and the rinsing stage. The washing stage of the washing machine comprises pre-washing and main washing, and in the actual program setting, defoaming treatment can be carried out in any one of the main washing and the pre-washing, or defoaming treatment can be carried out in both the main washing and the pre-washing.

12. Further optionally, the washing machine further detects foam in the exhaust pipeline 4 during operation, and determines whether to perform defoaming treatment according to a detection result. Foam in this scheme detects can obtain the image information in exhaust pipe 4 through setting up the image acquisition subassembly in exhaust pipe 4, then carries out the defoaming when the foam volume in the image information who obtains is greater than the default and handles, controls heating module and heats exhaust pipe 4 promptly, then stops the defoaming when the foam volume in the image information who obtains is less than or equal to the default, controls heating module and stops heating promptly. Foam detection in this scheme can also be through setting up foam detection device in exhaust pipe 4, and foam in exhaust pipe 4 is excessive to foam detection device when, and foam detection device produces the signal and transmits for control module and controls heating module and heat exhaust pipe 4, and when foam detection device did not detect the foam, foam detection device produced the signal and transmitted to control module and control heating module stop heating. The foam detection device can be various devices capable of realizing the function of detecting foam, can be used for detecting a probe, can also be used for detecting a floating ball, or can be used for detecting foam by other sensors.

Further alternatively, the washing machine comprises a temperature sensor 3, the temperature sensor 3 detecting the temperature inside the exhaust duct 4,

One possible implementation manner is that, as shown in the control flow chart of fig. 3, in the defoaming treatment process, the control module 2 compares the feedback temperature value of the temperature sensor 3 with a preset optimal defoaming temperature value, for example, the optimal defoaming temperature is set to 80 degrees celsius, when the feedback temperature value of the temperature sensor 3 is lower than the preset temperature value of 80 degrees celsius, the control module 2 controls the heating wire 5 to heat, and when the temperature reaches 80 degrees celsius or exceeds 80 degrees celsius, the heating wire 5 stops heating. The temperature in the pipe cavity of the exhaust pipe 4 is maintained at 80 ℃, and the surfactant is inactivated to eliminate foam in the pipe cavity of the exhaust pipe 4, so that the outer cylinder 7 is smoothly communicated with the outside air. The control method can ensure that the temperature in the cavity of the exhaust pipeline 4 is maintained at the optimal defoaming temperature, not only can effectively eliminate foam blocking the exhaust pipeline 4, but also saves energy consumption and has higher safety.

In another embodiment, during the defoaming treatment, the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust pipe 4 at a set on-off frequency. The washing machine of the embodiment does not need to be provided with the temperature sensor 3, and the control logic of the modified control module 2 is as follows: the heating wire 5 is controlled to be continuously operated in a working cycle of electrifying A seconds and powering off B seconds, wherein the electrifying time and the powering off time can be the same or different. For example, the heating wire 5 is controlled to be powered on for 10 seconds and powered off for 10 seconds, and the operation is continuously carried out until the defoaming is finished.

The embodiment adopts the heating inactivation principle, utilizes the heating element to make heat, carries out the inactivation of surfactant agent to the foam in the exhaust pipe, realizes the defoaming function. The exhaust resistance of the exhaust pipe is reduced, the water inlet smoothness of the washing machine is improved, the water leakage phenomenon of the detergent box is prevented, the cleanness and the sanitation are kept, the cleaning time is saved, the working process is stable and reliable, the fault rate is low, and the use safety of a user is ensured.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A defoaming structure of a washing machine is characterized by comprising

2. The defoaming structure of a washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating module comprises a heating wire surrounding the inner or outer wall of the exhaust duct.

3. The defoaming structure of a washing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a temperature sensor disposed on the exhaust pipeline and connected to the control module; the temperature sensor detects the temperature in the exhaust pipeline, and the control module controls the heating module to be started according to the detection result of the temperature sensor in the defoaming treatment process.

4. A washing machine having the defoaming structure of any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The washing machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the washing machine includes a detergent box, and the air outlet end of the air exhaust duct is communicated with the detergent box.

6. The washing machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the washing machine includes a drain line, and an outlet end of the drain line communicates with the drain line.

7. A control method of a washing machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust duct during the defoaming process.

8. The control method of a washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the defoaming process is performed when the washing machine enters a washing stage and/or a rinsing stage.

9. The control method of a washing machine according to claim 7, wherein bubbles in the exhaust duct are detected during the operation of the washing machine, and whether to perform a defoaming process is determined according to the detection result.

10. The control method of a washing machine according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the washing machine includes a temperature sensor that detects a temperature in the exhaust duct;

11. The control method of a washing machine according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the heating module is controlled to heat the exhaust duct at a set on-off frequency during the defoaming process.