CN117626590A - Clothes care agent feeding device for washing care equipment and washing care equipment - Google Patents
Clothes care agent feeding device for washing care equipment and washing care equipment Download PDFInfo
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- CN117626590A CN117626590A CN202210951727.2A CN202210951727A CN117626590A CN 117626590 A CN117626590 A CN 117626590A CN 202210951727 A CN202210951727 A CN 202210951727A CN 117626590 A CN117626590 A CN 117626590A
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- laundry care
- care agent
- delivery device
- agent delivery
- washing
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- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 88
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 295
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- Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
Abstract
The invention discloses a laundry care agent delivery device (21) for a laundry care appliance (1), such as a washing machine, comprising: a chamber (211) for containing a laundry care agent; an interface (212) for receiving compressed gas from an atomizing power source (22); an atomizing means (112) for atomizing the laundry care agent by means of the compressed gas to form an atomized product; and a spray outlet (213) for discharging the atomized product, wherein the laundry care agent delivery device (21) further comprises a stopper structure (216) for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device (112). A corresponding washing care device (1) is also disclosed. According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the functions of the washing care device are greatly enriched and the atomization effect is good.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance and a corresponding laundry care appliance, such as a washing machine.
Background
With the development of society and the continuous improvement of living standard of people, washing machines, washing and drying machines, clothes dryers, clothes drying cabinets and the like have come into the home of ordinary people. However, these machines currently on the market provide relatively single functions, with the interface open to consumer operations typically being only detergents, softeners and disinfectants.
Further increased quality of life requirements have prompted consumers to have more pursuit and expectations for laundry, drying, e.g., fragrance, long-lasting bacteriostasis, skin care, etc. Unfortunately, current products have difficulty meeting the consumer's needs for such individuality and diversity.
The effects of fragrance, long-lasting bacteriostasis, skin care, etc. are required to be achieved by applying the corresponding substances to the laundry at a proper stage. Currently, there is no suitable way to apply these substances to clothing, and there is a continuing need for improvement in this regard.
Disclosure of Invention
To overcome one of the above-mentioned drawbacks and/or other possible drawbacks not mentioned herein, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spray system for a laundry care appliance, a corresponding laundry care appliance as well as a laundry care agent dosing device for a spray system and a drawer receiving a laundry care agent dosing device. The novel spraying system provided by the invention endows the washing and nursing equipment with richer functions, and greatly expands the use scene and boundary of the washing and nursing equipment.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a spray system for a laundry care appliance comprising: a supply device for supplying an atomized product resulting from the atomization of a laundry care agent to a washing care chamber of the washing care apparatus, wherein the spray system is configured to supply the atomized product directly into the washing care chamber through the supply device by means of ambient air.
According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent is selected from at least one of the following: detergent, softener, disinfectant, bacteriostat, flavoring agent, bactericide and skin care agent.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spraying system is further configured to generate the atomized product by means of the ambient air excitation.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent is contained in a container, the nebulized product is nebulized by a nebulizing device, and the nebulizing system is configured to be adapted to removably receive the container and/or the nebulizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container and the atomizing device are configured to be connected to each other, in particular to be connected to each other in one piece.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spraying system comprises the container and/or the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is provided as a separate component, in particular as an entirely exchangeable cartridge, integrated with the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device is operated on the venturi principle by means of compressed air, the spraying system comprising a compressor, the ambient air producing the compressed air by means of the compressor.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the supply means comprise a spray line, such as a hose, fluidly connected between the atomizing means and the washing care chamber.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the compressor is in fluid connection with the atomizing device via an air line, for example a hose.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, at least a part of the atomizing device is arranged in the container.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray system is configured to allow a user to access the container from outside the washing care device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray system is configured to allow a user to access the container during operation of the washing care device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is configured to be pre-filled with the laundry care agent.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is configured to allow a user to fill the laundry care agent autonomously.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is configured as a disposable container, preferably made of plastic.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is configured to be sealingly prefilled with the laundry care agent.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray system comprises a drawer arranged at the housing of the washing care device, the drawer being configured to be adapted to receive the container and/or the atomizing device
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is provided with a gas inlet for receiving the ambient air and a spray outlet for discharging the atomized product to the supply means.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the container is configured such that the gas inlet and/or the spray outlet is initially sealed.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the gas inlets are arranged differently from the spray outlets, preferably perpendicularly to each other.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the gas inlet is configured to be adapted to be able to establish a fluid connection receiving the ambient air by, preferably only, properly loading the container into the drawer.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to be adapted to be able to establish a fluid connection with the feeding device by pushing in the drawer.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the drawer is arranged on a side of the washing care device which is directed towards the user in use.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care apparatus, such as a washing machine, dryer, clothes dryer or clothes drying cabinet, comprising a spray system according to any of the embodiments described above.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the washing care device further comprises a controller for automatically controlling the operation of the spraying system.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the controller is configured to allow the operation of the spraying system to be automatically controlled by operation instructions implemented as an operation program allowing individual activation by a user and/or a washing care program associated with the washing care device.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent, an interface for coupling with an aerosolization power source, and a spray outlet for discharging aerosolized product of the laundry care agent due to excitation of the aerosolization power source, wherein the interface is located at least partially at a bottom of the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing power source is a compressed gas source, and the interface is configured and adapted to receive compressed gas from the compressed gas source.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to atomize the laundry care agent by a flow of the compressed gas from bottom to top in an operational state.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the compressed gas flows through the chamber for feeding the atomized product to a washing care chamber of the washing care device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to be adapted to be coupled to the atomising power source by a drop-in-place action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent dispensing device is configured to be adapted to remain coupled to the nebulizing power source by means of a latch.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to be adapted to be coupled to the atomising power source by plugging in.
According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device comprises an atomizing device cooperating with the atomizing power source for atomizing the laundry care agent.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means is at least partially located within the chamber.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means is at least partially formed integrally with or as part of the chamber.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the nebulizing means is configured to be surrounded by the laundry care agent in the active state.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means comprises a two-stage nozzle through which the compressed gas flows.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is provided with a stopper structure for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured as a unitary device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to be combined from a plurality of parts, preferably comprising an upper part and a lower part connectable to each other.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device comprises at least two parts which are connected to each other by welding.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to enable feeding of the nebulized product to the washing care chamber by means of a docking action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to be initially integrally molded, for example, from a thermoplastic film.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured as a square, a circle or an oval.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided another spray system for a laundry care appliance, the spray system comprising or being adapted to use a laundry care agent delivery device according to any of the embodiments described above.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the drawer is configured to receive the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent, the laundry care agent being activated by compressed gas using an atomizing device to form an atomized product; and a spray outlet for discharging the atomized product, wherein the atomizing device comprises a dual stage nozzle through which compressed gas flows.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is at least partially, preferably entirely centrally located at the bottom of the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the nebulizing means is configured such that it extends upwards from the bottom of the laundry care agent dispensing means.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the nebulizing means is integrated integrally with the chamber of the laundry care agent dispensing means such that a portion of the chamber is defined by the nebulizing means.
According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the dual-stage nozzle comprises an inner nozzle and an outer nozzle sleeved on the radial outer side of the inner nozzle, wherein an inner nozzle opening is arranged at the top of the inner nozzle, an outer nozzle opening is arranged at the top of the outer nozzle, and a drainage channel for enabling fluid communication between the chamber and the inner nozzle opening and the outer nozzle opening and enabling drainage of the laundry care agent from the chamber towards the space between the inner nozzle opening and the outer nozzle opening is defined between the inner nozzle opening and the outer nozzle opening.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner spout is aligned with the outer spout in a vertical direction in an operational state.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner nozzle and/or the outer nozzle is at least partially configured as a cone.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the drainage channel is annular.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is at least partially defined by the bottom of the inner spout, in particular the inner spout acts as the interface.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner spout is connected, preferably welded, by its bottom to or integrally formed with the wall of the chamber.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the outer lance is fixedly held in position relative to the inner lance by welding.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the outer spout is fixedly held in position relative to the inner spout by its bottom connection.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the outer spout is provided with a notch to communicate the chamber with the drainage channel.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the outer spout has at least one positioning protrusion, by means of which the outer spout is connected, preferably welded, to the wall of the chamber and/or the bottom of the inner spout.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the indentation is at least partially defined by the positioning protrusion.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, both the inner nozzle and the outer nozzle taper conically from their bottom to their top.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the at least one positioning projection comprises three positioning projections arranged circumferentially spaced apart, preferably evenly spaced apart, with respective indentations defined between adjacent positioning projections.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner nozzle and the outer nozzle are simultaneously fixed with respect to the wall of the chamber by one weld.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured to directly couple the dual stage nozzle with an atomising power source by a drop-in-place action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to enable feeding of the nebulized product to the washing care chamber by means of a docking action.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent; an interface for coupling with an atomization power source; a spray outlet for discharging an atomized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the atomization power source; and a housing, the chamber being at least partially defined by the housing and the spray outlet being formed through the housing, wherein the housing is connected as a unitary structure by a plurality of housing components.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the plurality of housing parts comprises a first housing part and a second housing part which are integrally connected to each other, in particular by welding, more in particular hot melt welding.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, one of the first and second housing parts is provided with a boss, the other of the first and second housing parts is provided with a recess for receiving the boss, the first and second housing parts being integrally connected by welding with the boss embedded in the recess.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first housing part is injection molded as a single piece.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second housing part is injection molded as a single piece.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first housing part is configured as an upper housing part and the second housing part is configured as a lower housing part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is preferably formed centrally at the bottom of the second housing part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is integrally formed on the first housing part, preferably at a side of the first housing part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured with an outwardly protruding annular flange for fluid connection by a docking action with a feeding device for feeding the nebulized product to a washing care chamber of the washing care device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means is preferably integrally formed with the second housing part by welding.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent dispensing device is configured such that after the first housing part is connected with the second housing part, the interior of the housing is only allowed to pass out of the housing through the spray outlet and the interface.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means extends upwardly from the bottom of the second housing part while only allowing at most a portion to be observed through the interface with respect to the outside of the second housing part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the housing is provided inside with a stopper structure for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent; an interface for coupling with an atomization power source; and a spray outlet for discharging an atomized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the atomization power source, wherein the laundry care agent delivery device is configured as an entirely replaceable delivery cartridge.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent dosing device further comprises nebulizing means for nebulizing the laundry care agent by means of compressed gas to form a nebulized product, the interface being configured to receive compressed gas from the nebulizing power source.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means is located within the dosing cartridge allowing at most a part to be observed through the interface and/or the spray outlet.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner cavity of the cartridge in the use state only allows communication with the outside through the mouthpiece and the spray outlet.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent; an interface for coupling with an atomization power source; and a spray outlet for discharging an atomized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the atomization power source, wherein the laundry care agent delivery device further comprises an atomization device which is matched with the atomization power source to atomize the laundry care agent.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent delivery device is configured as a separate device, the nebulizing device being integrated in the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the nebulizing means is integrated integrally with the chamber of the laundry care agent dispensing means such that a portion of the chamber is defined by the nebulizing means.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: the clothes care agent spraying device comprises a chamber for containing clothes care agent, an interface for receiving compressed gas from an atomization power source, an atomization device for atomizing the clothes care agent by means of the compressed gas to form atomized products and an atomization outlet for discharging the atomized products, wherein the clothes care agent spraying device further comprises a limit stop structure for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized products sprayed from the atomization device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the baffle structure defines a tortuous flow path from the spray outlet to the spray outlet of the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the stopper structure comprises a first blocking structure arranged adjacent to the spray jet of the atomizing device such that atomized product in the form of a pressurized liquid-containing gas stream emitted from the spray jet of the atomizing device impinges on the first blocking structure.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the baffle structure comprises a second baffle structure arranged adjacent to the spray outlet such that only atomized product in the form of fine droplets is allowed to be ejected from the spray outlet.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first blocking structure is arranged opposite the jet opening.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first blocking structure is bridged over the spray opening by a support structure formed on the outside of the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second blocking structure is configured to bypass the atomized product to the spray outlet.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first blocking structure comprises a first flap.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second blocking structure comprises a second flap.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second blocking structure is configured to enable drops separated from the atomized product to fall into the chamber.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the support structure comprises two support tabs arranged opposite from the outside of the atomizing device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first blocking structure is provided on, preferably integrally formed on, the lower housing part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second blocking structure is provided on, preferably integrally formed on, the upper housing part.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent, an interface for coupling with an aerosolization power source, and a spray outlet for discharging aerosolized product of the laundry care agent as a result of activation of the aerosolization power source, wherein the interface is configured to establish coupling with the aerosolization power source by placing the laundry care agent delivery device in position on a respective receptacle.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is configured to automatically establish a coupling with the atomizing power source only by a drop-in-place action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is arranged at the bottom in such a way that the bottom is entirely flat.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is configured as a tapered bore tapering towards the interior of the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the inner spout is configured to act as the interface.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interface is configured for initial sealing to allow automatic breaking of the seal by a drop-in-place action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the drawer comprises a sliding member and a fixing member cooperating with the sliding member for supporting the sliding member, the receptacle being provided on the sliding member.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the laundry care agent dispensing device is configured to be snapped into place with the sliding member and to be securely held on the sliding member.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sliding member is configured to maintain the interface coupled to the atomizing power source in the pushed-in state by a limit structure.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sliding member is configured as a single piece.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the fixing element is configured as a single piece.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the limiting structure comprises a limiting structure capable of limiting the laundry care agent delivery device from above, for example the top wall inside the housing of the washing care device or the top structure of the fixing part.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device for a laundry care appliance, comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent; an interface for coupling with an atomization power source; and a spray outlet for discharging the atomized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the atomization power source, wherein the spray outlet is configured to establish a fluid connection with a supply device for supplying the atomized product to a washing care chamber of the washing care appliance by a docking action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to be adapted to establish a fluid connection with the feeding device only by a docking action, preferably a linear movement.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to be adapted to sealingly abut by movement against a docking port fluidly connected to the feeding device.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured for an initial seal allowing automatic breaking of the seal by a docking action.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the docking port is fixedly arranged with respect to the stationary part, preferably on the stationary part.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, a sealing structure, such as an elastic sealing ring, is provided at the spray outlet and/or the docking port for establishing a fluid-tight seal between the spray outlet and the docking port.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to be able to establish a fluid connection with the docking port by simply pushing in the sliding member in a state in which the laundry care agent dosing device is received in the receptacle.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet is configured to face in the pushing direction of the sliding part in the use state.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drawer for a laundry care appliance, the drawer comprising a sliding member and a fixing member cooperating with the sliding member for supporting the sliding member, the sliding member being provided with a receptacle for receiving a laundry care agent delivery device, the laundry care agent delivery device comprising: a chamber for containing a laundry care agent, an interface for coupling with an aerosolization power source, and a spray outlet for discharging aerosolized product of the laundry care agent due to excitation of the aerosolization power source, wherein the interface is located at least partially at a bottom of the laundry care agent delivery device.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the spray system may be implemented in a relatively simple manner, and the spray system is very convenient for a user to operate, greatly enriching the functionality of the washing care device.
Drawings
The principles, features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by describing the present invention in more detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings include:
fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a spray system for a washing care appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows a spray system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention in more detail with respect to fig. 1, but still schematically.
Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a laundry care agent delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device shown in fig. 3 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 3.
Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device shown in fig. 3, cut in the up-down longitudinal direction, wherein the atomizing device is not cut.
Fig. 6 shows a cut-away perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device in a similar manner to fig. 5, wherein the atomizing device is cut away to better reveal the constructional details of the atomizing device.
Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an upper part of a laundry care agent delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the laundry care agent delivery device shown in fig. 7 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the laundry care agent delivery device shown in fig. 7 in a further slightly different view with respect to fig. 7.
Fig. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a lower part of a laundry care agent delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the lower part of the laundry care agent delivery device shown in fig. 10 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 10.
Fig. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower part shown in fig. 10 in order to better present the constructional details of the atomizing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of the inner spout according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention alone, when the inner spout is sealingly connected to the wall of the chamber by its bottom to prevent leakage of laundry care agent from this location.
Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of an outer spout alone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of the outer spout of fig. 14 nested on the inner spout of fig. 13.
Fig. 16 shows a top view of the outer spout of fig. 14 nested on the inner spout of fig. 13.
Fig. 17 illustrates in an exploded perspective view one use scenario of a laundry care agent delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 18 shows a part of the drawer (i.e. the sliding member) and the laundry care agent delivery device in a perspective exploded view slightly different from the view of fig. 17, wherein the bottom of the laundry care agent delivery device is turned upwards so that the interface is clearly visible.
Fig. 19 shows a front view of a fixing element according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein the feeding device is also shown along with it, and the laundry care agent dispensing device is shown in a perspective view.
Fig. 20 shows the fixing element shown in fig. 19 in a perspective view.
Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of another view of the slide member shown in fig. 18.
Fig. 22 shows the slide member shown in fig. 21 in a slightly different view relative to fig. 21.
Fig. 23 shows a drawer according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention in an exploded view, while also showing a laundry care agent delivery device, a supply device and an air line.
Fig. 24 shows a state corresponding to fig. 23 in a perspective view, but when the slide member is fully inserted into the fixed member.
Detailed Description
In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous technical effects to be solved by the present invention more apparent, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
First, the description of the background section of the invention may be recalled or recalled for ease of understanding. In order to meet the actual objective demands and enrich and expand the functions of washing and nursing equipment, the invention provides a brand new spraying system for washing and nursing equipment, in particular a washing machine. The detailed description sets forth the overall system concept and the specific composition and implementation of the system in order to thoroughly present the invention and clearly convey the technical idea of the invention to those skilled in the art. The following will describe the gradual deployment.
Before beginning the description, it is noted that for convenience, directional terms or directional terms are used herein with respect to the normal use of the washing care device and related components, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the present invention, without confusion. In this case, the azimuth term and the direction term should not be interpreted simply as azimuth or direction in any state.
As mentioned above, the present invention is primarily concerned with spray systems, and we have first looked at the general concept of spray systems. Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a spray system for a washing care appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The washing machine is illustrated and described herein as an example, however, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be applied to other types of washing care devices, such as washing machines, dryers, clothes dryers or clothes drying cabinets. This will be better understood, particularly after reading the detailed description that follows.
As shown in fig. 1, a spraying system 11 for a washing care device 1 comprises a supply device 111 for supplying an atomized product resulting from the atomization of a laundry care agent to a washing care chamber 12 of said washing care device 1, for example a drum of a washing machine, said spraying system 11 being configured to directly supply said atomized product into the washing care chamber 12 by means of ambient air through the supply device 111.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the direct use of ambient air to feed the atomized product into the laundry care chamber 12 herein greatly simplifies system configuration and implementation, and also allows for more "raw" application of the laundry care agent to the laundry.
The laundry care agent may be selected from at least one of the following: detergent, softener, disinfectant, bacteriostat, flavoring agent, bactericide and skin care agent. However, any suitable laundry care agent may be flexibly selected based on different treatment stage requirements and different treatment purposes, not limited to the examples listed above. In particular, by uniformly and effectively adding such substances to laundry by atomizing a liquid antibacterial agent, a fragrance agent, a bactericide, a skin care agent, etc., after washing, before drying, or after drying, the effect of laundry care and the quality of the laundry care apparatus 1 can be greatly improved.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spraying system 11 is further configured to be adapted to produce said atomized product by means of said ambient air excitation. In this case, the production and supply of the atomized product can be achieved simultaneously using ambient air, which further simplifies the configuration of the system and achieves a "raw" effect.
As shown in fig. 1, the laundry care agent may be contained in a container 113, the nebulized product may be nebulized by a nebulizing device 112, and the nebulizing system 11 is configured to be adapted to removably receive the container 113 and/or the nebulizing device 112.
The container 113 may be part of the spray system 11 or may be provided to the spray system 11 as a separate removable component for flexible provision of a suitable source of laundry care agent to the spray system 11. In this way, the container 113 may be removed for filling or replacement of the laundry care agent. In particular, the container 113 may be designed to be disposable, and once the laundry care agent in the container 113 is used, the container 113 may be directly removed and replaced with a new container. In this way, the container containing the corresponding laundry care agent can also be flexibly selected for use as desired. In particular, the container 113 may be configured as a separate cartridge pre-filled with laundry care agents, which may be provided as a commercially available product, which the user may choose to purchase and use according to his own needs.
Similarly, the atomizing device 112 may also be part of the spraying system 11 or be configured as a removable component, particularly advantageously in combination with the atomizing device 112 and the container 113 to be removable and installable together. To this end, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the container 113 and the atomizing device 112 are configured to be adapted to be connected to each other, in particular to be connected to each other in one piece. The bonding or attachment means will be described in more detail below in connection with more specific embodiments.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although it is highly advantageous to configure the aerosolization device 112 to also operate with ambient air as described above, in principle, the aerosolization device 112 may be any suitable aerosolization device so long as it is capable of aerosolizing a laundry care agent, for example, even an ultrasonic atomizer may be employed.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the container 113 is provided as a separate component, in particular as a disposable cartridge, integrated with the atomizing device 112.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 operates on the venturi principle by means of compressed air. To this end, the spraying system 11 may comprise a compressor 114, said ambient air generating said compressed air by means of the compressor 114. The use of compressed air may on the one hand effect atomization of the laundry care agent and on the other hand also power the feeding of atomized product into the laundry care chamber 12.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 114 is fluidly connected to the atomizing device 112 via an air line 115, such as a hose. In this way, the compressor 114 may be arranged at any suitable location, thereby making the arrangement of the spraying system 11 more flexible, and in particular the use of hoses can be arranged more conveniently as the case may be.
Similarly, to provide flexibility in the placement of the spray system 11, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the supply device 111 includes a spray line, such as a hose, fluidly connected between the atomizing device 112 and the washing care chamber 12.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, at least a part of the atomizing device 112 is arranged in the container 113, in particular a large part of the atomizing device 112, even the entire atomizing device 112 is arranged in the container 113. In other words, at least a portion of the atomizing device 112 is hidden from view within the housing of the container 113.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spraying system 11 is configured to allow a user to access the container 113 from outside the washing care device 1. In this case, the user can conveniently reach the container 113 to manipulate the container 113, for example, to replace the container 113.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spraying system 11 is especially configured to allow a user to access the container 113 during operation of the washing care device 1, so that the container 113 may be accessed at any time when needed. For example, the user may add laundry care agent to the container 113 at any time during operation of the laundry care apparatus 1, or directly replace the container 113 in which the laundry care agent has been used, or replace the existing container 113 with a container 113 having a different laundry care agent. It will be appreciated that when the atomizing device 112 is integrated with the container 113, replacement of the container 113 also causes the atomizing device 112 to be replaced therewith.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the container 113 is configured to be pre-filled, in particular sealingly pre-filled with the laundry care agent, in particular in case the container 113 is configured as a separately marketable cartridge. Of course, as mentioned above, the invention does not exclude that the container 113 may also be configured to allow the user to fill the laundry care agent autonomously.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the container 113 is configured as a disposable container, preferably made of plastic. In this case, the container 113 can be manufactured at low cost and can be recovered as waste after use.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the spraying system 11 comprises a drawer arranged at the housing 13 of the washing care device 1, said drawer being configured to receive the container 113 and/or the atomizing device 112. By using drawers, an arrangement is provided that facilitates user operation of the container 113 and aerosolization device 112.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the container 113 is provided with a gas inlet for receiving ambient air and a spray outlet for discharging the atomized product to the feeding device 111. In particular, when the atomizing device 112 is disposed inside the container 113, the gas inlet provided on the container 113 may provide the atomizing device 112 with ambient air, particularly compressed air, acting as an excitation power. The spray outlet on the container 113 may be connected, e.g. docked, to the feeding device 111.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the container 113 is configured such that the gas inlet and/or the spray outlet is initially sealed. By such sealing, the laundry care agent can be reliably held in the container 113 before use without leakage, which facilitates transportation of the container 113, etc.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the gas inlets are arranged differently from the spray outlets, preferably perpendicularly to each other. In particular, when the container 113 is configured in a polyhedron, e.g. a hexahedron, in particular a square, the gas inlet and the spray outlet may be provided at different sides of the container 113.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the gas inlet may be configured to be adapted to be able to establish a fluid connection for receiving ambient air by, preferably only, correctly loading the container 113 into the drawer. In this way, the user's operation can be simplified.
Similarly, the spray outlet is configured to be able to establish a fluid connection with the feeding means 111 by, preferably only by pushing in the drawer.
Obviously, for ease of operation, the drawer is preferably arranged on the side of the washing care device 1 that faces the user when in use.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention also relates to a washing care device 1 comprising such a spray system 11. As shown in fig. 1, the washing care device 1 further comprises a controller 14 for controlling, preferably automatically controlling, the operation of the spraying system 11. The controller 14 may be a separate controller or a control unit of the washing care device 1.
Preferably, the controller 14 is configured to allow the operation of the spraying system 11 to be automatically controlled by operating instructions implemented as operating programs allowing individual activation by a user and/or as washing care programs associated with the washing care device 1. In this case, the user may activate a program alone to perform the spraying treatment of the laundry as needed, or the spraying treatment is associated with the washing care program as a sub-operation step of the washing care program. When a washing care program is associated with the washing care apparatus 1, such spraying treatment may be performed in a predetermined manner at predetermined time nodes whenever a user selects a washing care program including such spraying treatment.
The basic configuration of the spraying system 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described above in its entirety mainly by fig. 1 as a schematic diagram. Some of the relevant components of the spray system 11 will be described further below. To this end, fig. 2 shows a spray system 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention in more detail with respect to fig. 1, but still schematically. It is noted here that for the same or similar or already clearly understood parts, the following description will be simplified or no detailed description will be given, but it does not mean that these are not suitable for the subsequent embodiments, or vice versa, for the sake of brevity.
As can be seen from the above description, as an important component of the spray system 11, the device for delivering the laundry care agent is very important, herein referred to as the laundry care agent delivery device. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the container 113 illustrated in fig. 1 may be considered a laundry care agent delivery device, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
As shown in fig. 2, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 for the laundry care appliance 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, in particular from the chamber 211, wherein the interface 212 is at least partially located at a bottom 214 of the laundry care agent dosing device 21. It should be noted here that in the laundry care agent dosing device 21, the chamber 211 for receiving the laundry care agent and the space for receiving or receiving the nebulized product prior to being discharged from the spray outlet 213 may theoretically be different spatial areas, but preferably the nebulized product will also reach the chamber 211, which simplifies the design. It will be appreciated that having the interface 212 at least partially at the bottom 214 of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may make activation of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 easier to implement, particularly if the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is to be operated in a drawer.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the atomizing power source 22 is a compressed gas source, and the interface 212 is configured to receive compressed gas from the compressed gas source. In particular, the compressed gas may be generated by ambient air compression.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry-care-agent delivery device 21 is configured to atomize the laundry-care agent by a flow of compressed gas from bottom to top in an operating state. This also provides for ease of connection or cooperation with peripheral components when the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is in use.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, compressed gas flows through the chamber 211 to feed the atomized product to the washing care chamber 12 of the washing care device 1. This means that compressed gas during its flow through the chamber 211 of the laundry care agent dosing device 21 generates an atomized product and supplies this atomized product from the spray outlet 213 to the washing care chamber 12.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured to be adapted to be coupled with the nebulizing power source 22 by a drop-in-place action, which is particularly advantageous in case the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is to be operated in a drawer.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured and adapted to remain coupled to the aerosolization power source 22 by means of a latch. Such a latch allows a reliable coupling of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 to the nebulizing power source 22. In practice, any suitable latching mechanism may be used.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured to be adapted to be coupled to the nebulizing power source 22 by plugging in. The manner of establishing the coupling by plugging is very convenient for the user to operate, in particular the dropping action itself can constitute the plugging action.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 comprises the atomizing device 112 which is coupled with the atomizing power source 22 to atomize the laundry care agent, i.e., the laundry care agent delivery device 21 itself is provided with the atomizing device without the need to reconfigure the atomizing device at a corresponding location on the laundry care device 1. The clothes care agent delivery device 21 comprises an atomization device, so that atomization operation of the atomization device on clothes care agent can be well fused with the containing function of the clothes care agent delivery device 21 on the clothes care agent.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 is at least partially located within the chamber 211.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 is at least partially formed integrally with the chamber 211 or as part of the chamber 211. This may simplify the formation of the atomizing device 112.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent surrounds the atomizing device 112 in the operating state. In other words, the atomizing device 112 is arranged like an island pattern surrounding the liquid laundry care agent. At this time, the compressed air flows through the atomizing device 112 from bottom to top.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 includes a dual stage nozzle through which the compressed gas flows.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is provided with a stopper structure for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device 112 to improve the atomized product eventually emitted from the spray outlet 213. By the stopper structure, the atomized product discharged from the atomizing device 112 can be decelerated to become more uniform and fine, so that the atomized product finally discharged from the spray outlet 213 has uniform minute droplets. The stop structure can also control the feeding direction of the atomized products according to the requirement. The stop arrangement will be described in more detail below in connection with more specific figures and corresponding exemplary embodiments.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured as a unitary device.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured to be combined, in particular welded, from a plurality of parts, in particular two parts, preferably comprising an upper part and a lower part, which can be connected to each other.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured such that the interface 212 and/or the spray outlet 213 is initially sealed against leakage of laundry care agent from the chamber 211.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured to be initially integrally molded, for example, from a thermoplastic film. In this way, the laundry care agent in the laundry care agent dosing device 21 does not leak out before use. This is very advantageous for transporting and storing the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
The laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be configured as square, circular or oval, depending on the specific situation. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these shapes are merely exemplary and may be, for example, any suitable polyhedral shape.
It is evident that the present invention also relates to such a spraying system 11 for a laundry care appliance 1, said spraying system 11 comprising or being adapted to use a laundry care agent dosing device 21 according to any of the embodiments described above.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drawer is configured to be adapted to receive a laundry care agent delivery device 21.
The following will continue to provide a more detailed description of the aerosolization device and the laundry care agent delivery device using or including the aerosolization device, as well as the corresponding spray system and drawer, in connection with some exemplary embodiments.
Before describing, it is to be understood that, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21, including: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent which is activated by compressed gas using the atomizing device 112 to form an atomized product; and a spray outlet 213 for discharging the atomized product, wherein the atomizing device 112 comprises a dual stage nozzle through which the compressed gas flows. As described above, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may comprise the atomizing device 112, or may be merely capable of being used in cooperation with the atomizing device 112.
Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a laundry care agent delivery device 21 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 shown in fig. 3 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 3.
Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 shown in fig. 3, cut in the up-down longitudinal direction, wherein the atomizing device 112 is not cut.
Fig. 6 shows a cut-away perspective view of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 in a similar manner to fig. 5, wherein the atomizing device 112 is cut away to better reveal the constructional details of the atomizing device 112.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface 212 is preferably centrally located entirely at the bottom 214 of the laundry care agent delivery device 21, as can be seen from fig. 6.
It is also clear from fig. 6 that in the operating state, the compressed gas flows upward from below as indicated by the arrows to atomize the laundry care agent. Here, it can also be seen that the atomizing means 112 is formed as part of the chamber 211, i.e. a part of the chamber 211 is defined by the atomizing means 112. This means that a portion of the chamber 211, which serves to contain the laundry care agent, is formed by the atomizing means 112.
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the atomizing device 112 is configured such that it extends upwardly, preferably also centrally, from the bottom 214 of the laundry care agent delivery device 21, such that the chamber 211 is at least partially in the form of an annular space. In this case, it will be appreciated that in the operational state, the atomizing device 112 will be immediately surrounding the laundry care agent.
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the atomizing device 112 is integrally formed with the chamber 211 of the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be divided into an upper part and a lower part, which may be combined with each other to be connected together to form the laundry care agent delivery device 21. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is not limited thereto, and may be composed of more components, or may even be composed of left and right components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the specific manner of construction will depend on the specific construction of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 and the process to be employed.
Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an upper part of a laundry care agent delivery device 21 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 shown in fig. 7 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 shown in fig. 7 in a further slightly different view with respect to fig. 7.
Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of the lower part of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the lower part of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 shown in fig. 10 in a slightly different view with respect to fig. 10.
Fig. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower part shown in fig. 10 in order to better present the constructional details of the atomizing device 112 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The details of the structure of the atomizing device 112 will be described in detail first, and thus, reference may be made directly to fig. 12, but of course, it can be understood in connection with other drawings.
As shown in fig. 12, the dual-stage nozzle includes an inner nozzle 1121 and an outer nozzle 1122 sleeved radially outside the inner nozzle 1121, wherein an inner nozzle 1123 is provided at the top of the inner nozzle 1121, an outer nozzle 1124 is provided at the top of the outer nozzle 1122, and a drainage channel 1125 is defined between the inner nozzle 1121 and the outer nozzle 1122 for fluidly connecting the chamber 211 with the inner nozzle 1123 and the outer nozzle 1124 to enable drainage of laundry-care agent from the chamber 211 toward between the inner nozzle 1123 and the outer nozzle 1124. Here, the inner jet 1123 acts as a first stage nozzle and the outer jet 1124 acts as a second stage nozzle.
As shown in fig. 12, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner spouts 1123 and the outer spouts 1124 are aligned in the vertical direction in the operating state.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, inner spout 1121 and/or outer spout 1122 are configured at least partially tapered. As shown in FIG. 12, inner spout 1121 and outer spout 1122 are each conically, in particular conically, configured. To achieve high velocity injection, the inner nozzle 1121 tapers from its bottom to its top. Similarly, outer jet 1122 also tapers from its bottom to its top.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drain channel 1125 is annular, particularly circular, such that the laundry care agent flows between the inner spout 1123 and the outer spout 1124 from all directions.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the interface 212 is at least partially defined by the bottom of the inner nozzle 1121, in particular the inner nozzle 1121 acts as the interface 212. In this case, a fitting for the compressed gas source may be allowed to be directly inserted into the inner nozzle 1121.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner nozzle 1121 is connected, preferably welded, or integrally formed with the wall of the chamber 211 by its bottom. For example, the inner nozzle 1121 may be constructed as a separate component and then attached to the wall of the chamber 211. In this case, fig. 13 shows a perspective view of the inner spray tube 1121 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, separately, when the inner spray tube 1121 is sealingly connected to the wall of the chamber 211 by its bottom to prevent the laundry-care agent from leaking from this position.
However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, as described above, the inner nozzle 1121 may also be integrally formed with the walls of the chamber 211, such as by an injection molding process.
In order to have a stable, desired atomization effect, outer spout 1122 needs to be accurately fixed in position relative to inner spout 1121 to ensure that drainage channel 1125 has the desired dimensions. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, outer spout 1122 is fixedly maintained in position relative to inner spout 1121 by welding. In terms of the connection location, outer spout 1122 may be fixedly held in position relative to inner spout 1121 by its bottom connection.
FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of spout 1122 in isolation, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of outer spout 1122 shown in fig. 14 nested on inner spout 1121 shown in fig. 13.
Fig. 16 shows a top view of the outer spout 1122 shown in fig. 14 as it is nested on the inner spout 1121 shown in fig. 13.
To enable the laundry care agent within chamber 211 to enter drain channel 1125, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the bottom of spout 1122 has a notch 1126 communicating chamber 211 with drain channel 1125.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the bottom of outer spout 1122 has at least one positioning protrusion 1127, and outer spout 1122 is connected, preferably welded, to the wall of chamber 211 and/or the bottom of inner spout 1121 by positioning protrusion 1127. Outer spout 1122 is separately fabricated and then fixedly attached relative to inner spout 1121. Outer spout 1122 may be connected to inner spout 1121, particularly the bottom thereof, with inner spout 1121 fixed relative to the wall of chamber 211, may be connected to the wall of chamber 211, or both.
As can be seen clearly in the figures, the notch 1126 is at least partially defined by a locating boss 1127.
As shown in fig. 14, the at least one positioning projection 1127 includes three positioning projections arranged circumferentially spaced, preferably uniformly spaced, with respective notches 1126 defined between adjacent positioning projections 1127.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the positioning projections 1127 serve on the one hand to position the outer spout 1122 relative to the inner spout 1121 and on the other hand define corresponding notches 1126, and can also be used to effect connection with the inner spout 1121 and/or the walls of the chamber 211. Positioning boss 1127 may extend along the inclined surface of outer jet tube 1122.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, inner spout 1121 and outer spout 1122 are simultaneously fixed with respect to the wall of chamber 211 by one weld. In this way, the connection process and the manufacturing steps can be greatly simplified. In the case where chamber 211, inner spout 1121, and outer spout 1122 are all injection molded from plastic, they may be conveniently welded by hot melting.
It will be appreciated that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be configured to directly couple the dual stage nozzle, in particular its inner nozzle 1121, with the atomizing power source 22 by a drop-in-place action.
In the following, some exemplary embodiments of the housing of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 are described. Before the description, it is understood that according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the aerosolization power source 22, a spray outlet 213 for discharging aerosolized products of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the aerosolization power source 22, and a housing 215, wherein the chamber 211 is at least partially defined by the housing 215 and the spray outlet 213 is formed through the housing 215, wherein the housing 215 is connected as a unitary structure by a plurality of housing components.
As shown in fig. 3-12, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of housing parts includes a first housing part 2151 and a second housing part 2152 integrally connected to each other, particularly by welding, more particularly hot melt welding.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one of the first and second housing parts 2151, 2152 (illustratively the first housing part 2151 in the drawings) is provided with a boss 2153, and the other of the first and second housing parts 2151, 2152 (illustratively the second housing part 2152 in the drawings) is provided with a recess 2154 for receiving the boss 2153, the first and second housing parts 2151, 2152 being integrally connected by welding with the boss 2153 embedded in the recess 2154. Preferably, the first housing part 2151 and the second housing part 2152 smoothly transition at the connection region.
Preferably, the first housing part 2151 is injection molded as a single piece. Similarly, the second housing part 2152 is injection molded as a single piece. For those structures inside the laundry care agent dosing device 21 that are less easy to injection mold, it is possible to injection mold separately and then to connect, in particular by welding, to the first housing part 2151 and/or the second housing part 2152. In this way, the basic shaping of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 can finally be achieved by only assembling the first and second housing parts 2151, 2152.
As shown, the first housing member 2151 is configured as an upper housing member and the second housing member 2152 is configured as a lower housing member. In particular, the upper housing part constitutes an upper half housing of the laundry care agent delivery device 21, and the lower housing part constitutes a lower half housing of the laundry care agent delivery device 21. As described above, the housing 215 is not necessarily divided up and down, but may be divided left and right, for example. The number of the housing parts is also not limited to two, but may be any suitable number as long as manufacturing is facilitated.
It should also be noted here that structures or components which can be formed or connected on the inside of the housing part can in principle also be considered as housing parts.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface 212 is preferably centrally formed at the bottom 214 of the second housing member 2152.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spray outlet 213 is integrally formed on the first housing part 2151, preferably at a side of the first housing part 2151.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet 213 is configured with an outwardly protruding annular flange 2131 in order to be fluidly connected with the supply means 113 for supplying the spray product to the washing care chamber 12 of the washing care device 1 by a docking action.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing means 112 is preferably integrally formed to the second housing part 2152 by welding.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent dispensing device 21 is configured such that after the first housing part 2151 is connected with the second housing part 2152, the interior of the housing 215 is only allowed to pass out of the housing 215 through the spray outlet 213 and the interface 212.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 extends upwardly from the bottom 214 of the second housing member 2152 while only allowing at most a portion to be viewed through the interface 212 with respect to the outside of the second housing member 2152. That is, only a portion of the atomizing device 112 is viewable from the bottom 214 through the interface 212.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the housing 215 is provided inside with a stopper structure for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device 112.
When the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is configured as a separate delivery cartridge, it is very convenient for the user to use. It will be appreciated that according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, wherein the laundry care agent dispensing device 21 is configured as an entirely exchangeable, disposable cartridge. Here, "replaceable and disposable" means that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 can be removed and attached as needed, in particular, in the case where the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is hermetically prefilled with the laundry care agent.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the atomizing device 112 is located within the cartridge while only allowing at most a portion to be observed through the interface 212 and/or the spray outlet 213. In particular, only a portion is allowed to be observed through interface 212. In particular, due to the shielding of the stopper structure, the atomizing device 112 cannot be observed from the outside through the spray outlet 213 or only a part thereof is observed.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the inner cavity of the cartridge in the use state only allows communication with the outside through the interface 212 and the spray outlet 213.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, wherein the laundry care agent dispensing device 21 further comprises a nebulizing device 112 for nebulizing the laundry care agent in cooperation with the nebulizing power source 22. Therefore, here, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 not only contains the laundry care agent, but also comprises the nebulizing device.
In particular, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be configured as a separate device, whereas the nebulizing device 112 is integrated in the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
Next, the above-mentioned stopper structure will be described. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for receiving compressed gas from the nebulizing power source 22, a nebulizing device 112 for nebulizing the laundry care agent to form a nebulized product by means of the compressed gas, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging the nebulized product, wherein the laundry care agent dispensing device 21 further comprises a stop arrangement 216 for decelerating and/or redirecting the nebulized product being emitted from the nebulizing device 112 (see fig. 5, 6 and 10). It will be appreciated that redirecting the atomized product also means that some degree of deceleration of the atomized product occurs due to the use of compressed gas atomization.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the high velocity air stream which entrains the laundry care agent from the spray outlet of the atomizing device 112, in fact, has been mixed with the compressed air to form a mist, but such mist mixture is not very fine or the atomization is not very good. By providing the stopper structure 216, the atomized mixture exiting the jet can be depressurized, allowing further atomization into smaller droplets.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, stop structure 216 defines a tortuous flow path from the jet orifice of atomizing device 112 (for a dual stage nozzle, corresponding to outer jet orifice 1124 of outer jet tube 1122) to spray outlet 213. The tortuous flow path means that the atomized mixture exiting the jet will be depressurized or redirected to the spray outlet 213 before reaching the spray outlet 213.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the baffle structure 216 comprises a first blocking structure 2161 arranged adjacent to the jet port of the atomizing device 112, such that the atomized product in the form of a pressurized liquid-containing gas stream emitted from the jet port of the atomizing device 112 impinges the first blocking structure 2161. Such impingement can be rapidly achieved with rapid depressurization of the atomized product in the form of a pressurized liquid-containing gas stream so that smaller droplets can be atomized.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the baffle structure 216 comprises a second baffle structure 2162 located downstream of the first baffle structure 2161, in particular arranged adjacent to the spray outlet 213, such that only the atomized product in the form of fine droplets is allowed to be ejected from the spray outlet 213. The second blocking structure 2162 is located downstream of the first blocking structure 2161 so that larger droplets can be blocked from flowing toward the spray outlet 213. This greatly improves the fineness of the atomized product reaching the laundry care compartment 12, so that the laundry can be uniformly cared for.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, 6 and 10, the first blocking structure 2161 is disposed opposite the jet port.
In order to retain the first blocking structure 2161, as shown in particular in fig. 5 and 10, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first blocking structure 2161 is erected over the spout by a support structure 2163 formed on the outside of the atomizing device 112.
According to a further exemplary embodiment, the support structure 2163 comprises two support tabs oppositely disposed from the outside of the atomizing device 112. The support sheet may be held to the atomizing device 112 by any means of attachment, such as welding. Specifically, for dual stage nozzles, support structure 2163 is located outside of outer jet 1122.
In particular, as shown in fig. 5, the lower ends of the support sheet do not extend to the bottom of the chamber 211 so that the chamber 211 can advantageously contain laundry care agents.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, as shown in fig. 5, the lower ends of the support tabs shrink obliquely radially inwards, which is clearly advantageous.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the second blocking structure 2162 is configured to bypass the atomized product to the spray outlet 213. In other words, the atomized product must bypass the second blocking structure 2162 to travel toward the spray outlet 213.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 10, the first blocking structure 2161 comprises, and in particular is configured as, a first flap. Similarly, the second blocking structure 2162 includes a second flap.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the second blocking structure 2162 is configured to enable droplets separated from the atomized product to fall into the chamber 211. Specifically, by the blocking action of the second blocking structure 2162, larger droplets cannot reach the spray outlet 213, but can fall downwardly into the chamber 211 under gravity, so that they can be well collected for re-atomization.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first blocking structure 2161 is provided, preferably integrally formed, on the lower housing component. Similarly, the second blocking structure 2162 is disposed on, preferably integrally formed with, the upper housing component. In this case, the first and second blocking structures 2161, 2162 may be automatically positioned to cooperate with each other to perform a corresponding function when the upper and lower housing components are assembled together. In particular, the second blocking structure 2162 may even be formed directly with the upper housing component during its manufacture.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the first and/or second blocking structures 2161, 2162 may be optimally designed according to the characteristics of the flow field, and are not necessarily limited to the above-described configuration, so long as it is advantageous to provide a fine, uniform and desired amount of atomized product reaching the spray outlet 213.
As an important aspect of the overall system, the following will describe the cooperation of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 with peripheral devices, structures or components. This fit is critical to the implementation of the overall system.
In this regard, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, wherein the interface 212 is configured to be adapted to establish a coupling with the nebulizing power source 22 by placing the laundry care agent dispensing device 21 in position on a respective receptacle.
Fig. 17 shows in an exploded perspective view one use scenario of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The laundry care agent dosing device 21 may be placed in the drawer 15 to allow the spraying system 11 to operate.
Fig. 18 shows a part of the drawer 15 (i.e., a sliding member described later) and the laundry-care-agent delivery device 21 in an exploded view slightly different from that of fig. 17, with the bottom 214 of the laundry-care-agent delivery device 21 turned upward so that the interface 212 can be clearly seen.
As shown in fig. 17 and 18, the drawer 15 includes a sliding member 151 that is push-pull, and a fixing member 152 for cooperating with the sliding member 151 and for supporting the sliding member 151. The fixing member 152 may be fixed at any suitable position of the washing and care device 1, for example, as described above, may be fixed on the housing 13 of the washing and care device 1, in particular arranged on the side of the housing 13 facing the user. In particular, it may be provided adjacent to the top of the washing care device 1, for example, the fixing member 152 may be provided against the inside of the top wall of the housing 13 of the washing care device 1.
The drawer 15 (in this embodiment, in particular the sliding member 151 thereof) is provided with a receptacle 1511 for receiving the laundry care agent delivery device 21. In use, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be dropped onto the receptacle 1511. As shown in fig. 17 and 18, the receptacle 1511 may be configured as a recess for receiving a bottom region of the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
As described above, by setting the laundry care agent delivery device 21 in place at the receptacle 1511 to establish coupling with the atomizing power source 22, operation can be facilitated. In particular, in use, the user need only properly place the laundry care agent delivery device 21 on the receptacle 1511 to automatically effect coupling with the aerosolization power source 22. To this end, an engagement head 1512 for connection to the atomizing power source 22 is provided at the receptacle 1511.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the term "drop-in-place" herein refers to the laundry care agent delivery device 21 being dropped onto the receptacle 151 to a basic position in which it is allowed to function properly.
In this case, it is very advantageous to have the interface 212 centrally located at the bottom 214 of the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface 212 is disposed at the bottom 214 in a manner that leaves the bottom 214 generally planar. Herein, "generally flat" may mean that the bottom 214 is generally flat as a whole when viewed from the side of the laundry care agent delivery device 21, and is capable of allowing the laundry care agent delivery device 21 to stand stably. In other words, the provision of the interface 212 does not at least affect the possibility that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is placed upright by its bottom 214.
When excitation power source 22 is a compressed gas, interface 212 is preferably configured as a socket to allow a fluid connection to be established with atomization power source 22 by plugging. At this time, as shown in fig. 18, the socket 212 may extend from the bottom 214 into the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface 212 is configured as a tapered bore tapering towards the interior of the laundry care agent delivery device 21. In this way, the interface 212 may be easily fit over the adapter 1512. At this point, the engagement head 1512 is preferably a mating taper so that a reliable seal can be achieved by the insert.
In the case of a dual stage nozzle for the atomizing device 112, the inner nozzle 1121 may be configured directly to act as the interface 212, which is highly advantageous.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, interface 212 is configured to be adapted to initiate a seal to allow the seal to be automatically broken by the drop-in-place action. For example, the interface 212 may be initially (particularly a new, un-unpackaged laundry-care-agent delivery device 21) sealed with a plastic film, which need not be unpackaged for use, but may be directly seated with the laundry-care-agent delivery device 21, and which may be automatically broken, particularly by the joint 1512, upon dropping. For example, the bond head 1512 may have a relatively sharp tip to pierce the plastic wrap. The pierced plastic sealing film may even be clamped between the bond head 1512 and the interface 212 to act as a seal. This also greatly facilitates the operation of the user.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is securely held on the sliding member 151 by being able to be snapped, in particular automatically snapped, with the sliding member 151 (in particular with the structure of the periphery of the receptacle 1511) when it is put into place.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be held in place by various means, although the snap-lock means is relatively simple, in practice not limited thereto. As a possible embodiment for the snap-locking means, a radially movable spring-loaded tongue may be used, which tongue is pressed radially outwards by the laundry-care agent dispensing device 21 when the laundry-care agent dispensing device 21 is lowered downwards, and which tongue, when lowered into place, is moved radially inwards by the spring to snap-lock onto a corresponding structure (not shown) on the housing 215 of the laundry-care agent dispensing device 21, so that the laundry-care agent dispensing device 21 is maintained in the lowered position. When the tongue piece needs to be disassembled, a user pushes the tongue piece to overcome the action of the spring and move outwards in the radial direction.
In the case where the receptacle 1511 is a groove, the laundry-care-agent feeding device 21 has been well restrained in the radial direction (i.e., the horizontal direction), at which time, as described above, the latching may mainly refer to restraining the laundry-care-agent feeding device 21 in the height direction.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that height-wise restraint is important because it is necessary to ensure that the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is maintained in a lowered position during operation so that the interface 212 can be reliably coupled to the atomising power source 22. The above-described locking is mainly achieved by means of a special locking mechanism, but the laundry care agent delivery device 21 can also be limited in height by any other suitable way.
For example, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, drawer 15 may also be configured to maintain interface 212 coupled to aerosolization power source 22 in a push-in state via a spacing structure. This takes full advantage of the change in operating state of the drawer 15. Specifically, in the case where the laundry care agent delivery device 21 is placed on the sliding member 151, when the sliding member 151 is pulled out, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be put in place in the receiving seat 1511 and then pushed in the sliding member 151, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 may be pushed in along with the sliding member 151, so that there may be a corresponding structure above the top region of the laundry care agent delivery device 21, with which the movement of the laundry care agent delivery device 21 in the height direction away from the atomizing power source 22 may be restricted from above. This structure now acts as a limiting structure. The limit structure is fixed relative to the fixed part 152 or is itself part of the laundry care apparatus 1 or part of the fixed part 152 of the drawer 15. Thus, no special provision of a latching mechanism is necessary, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such a limiting structure may also exist only as a complementary measure.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the limit stop structure is a top structure 1521 of the securing member 152. As another possible embodiment, the limit structure is the inside of the top wall of the housing 13 of the washing care device 1.
Next, a description will be made of how the laundry care agent dosing device 21 establishes a fluid connection with the feeding device 111 for feeding the nebulized product to the washing care chamber 12 of the washing care device 1.
In this respect, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry care agent delivery device 21 for a laundry care appliance 1, comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, wherein the nebulizing outlet 213 is configured to be adapted to establish a fluid connection with the supply means 111 for supplying the nebulized product to the washing care chamber 12 of the washing care implement 1 by means of a docking action.
Here, "docking action" means that a fluid connection is established by a movement towards each other, in particular a movement of the spray outlet 213 towards the feeding device 111.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the spray outlet 213 is configured to establish a fluid connection with the feeding arrangement 111 only by a docking action, preferably a linear movement. In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the fluid connection is achieved without further manual manipulation by the user at the connection site. In particular, the fluid connection between the spray outlet 213 may be broken when moving it away from the feeding set 111.
Fig. 19 shows a front view of the fixing element 152 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein the feeding device 111 is also shown along with it, and the laundry care agent dosing device 21 is shown in a perspective view.
Fig. 20 shows the fixing member 152 shown in fig. 19 in a perspective view.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, spray outlet 213 is configured to be adapted to sealingly abut, by movement, against a docking port 1522 fluidly connected to supply device 111. The feeding device 111 may be connected to the docking port 1522 from outside the fixed member 152.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, similar to interface 212, spray outlet 213 may also be configured to be adapted for an initial seal while allowing for automatic breaking of the seal by a docking action. For example, a suitable break structure may be provided at the docking port 1522.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the docking port 1522 is fixedly positioned relative to the stationary member 152, preferably on the stationary member 152, and in particular integrally formed with the stationary member 152.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a sealing structure 1523, such as an elastic sealing ring, is provided at the spray outlet 213 and/or the docking port 1522 for establishing a fluid-tight seal between the spray outlet 213 and the docking port 1522.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sealing between the spray outlet 213 and the docking port 1522 is readily accomplished, particularly because of the low pressure of the atomized product emitted from the spray outlet 213 due to the stopper structure 216.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spray outlet 213 is configured to be able to establish a fluid connection with the docking port 1522 by simply pushing the sliding member 151 in a state in which the laundry care agent dosing device 21 is received in the receptacle 1511.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spray outlet 213 is configured to face in the pushing direction of the slide member 151 in the use state.
While some of the structure of the drawer 15 is mentioned above in describing the laundry care agent delivery device 21, the drawer 15 is described in more detail below to better present the basic configuration in this regard.
In this regard, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a drawer 15 for a laundry care appliance 1, the drawer 15 comprising a sliding member 151 and a fixing member 152 cooperating with the sliding member 151 for supporting the sliding member 151, the sliding member 151 being provided with a receptacle 1511 for receiving a laundry care agent delivery device 21, the laundry care agent delivery device 21 comprising: a chamber 211 for containing a laundry care agent, an interface 212 for coupling with the nebulizing power source 22, and a nebulizing outlet 213 for discharging nebulized product of the laundry care agent due to the excitation of the nebulizing power source 22, wherein the interface 212 is at least partially located at a bottom 214 of the laundry care agent dispensing device 21.
In particular, when in use, the user can put and use the laundry care agent putting device 21 in the spraying system 11 by pulling the drawer 15 open and putting the laundry care agent putting device 21 in place on the receiving seat 1511 and then closing the drawer 15, so that the user can operate the laundry care agent putting device very conveniently.
For the sake of clarity, fig. 21 shows a perspective view of another view of the slide member 151 shown in fig. 18, and fig. 22 shows the slide member 151 shown in fig. 21 at a slightly different view with respect to fig. 21.
Referring again to fig. 17-19 and to fig. 21 and 22, the sliding member 151 is provided with a guide rail, and the fixing member 152 is provided with a guide groove therein to slidably receive the guide rail.
As shown in fig. 17, 18, 21, and 22, the slide member 151 includes a shielding plate 1513 provided at the outermost side. The shielding plate 1513 serves as a shielding function on the one hand and a limiting function on the other hand, i.e., limits the maximum extent to which the slide member 151 is pushed into the fixed member 152. A handle is provided on the shielding plate 1513.
In addition to the shutter 1513, the remainder of the slide member 151 may be divided into substantially two sections: an outer first section having a relatively low height, a receptacle 1511 provided on the first section, and an inner second section, a guide rail provided on the second section. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the provision of the receptacle 1511 on the first section is advantageous because the laundry care agent delivery device 21 itself has a certain height, and the sinking provision of the receptacle 1511 can reduce the placement height of the laundry care agent delivery device 21.
As can also be seen from these figures, the air line 115 is connected to the joint 1512 from the bottom of the slide member 151, and the feeding device 111 is connected to the docking port 1522 from the rear of the fixed member 152.
Fig. 23 shows a drawer 15 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention in an exploded view, while also showing a laundry care agent delivery device 21, a supply device 111 and an air line 115. The drawer 15 shown in fig. 23 is slightly different from the drawer 15 shown previously.
Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing a state where the slide member 151 corresponding to fig. 23 is fully inserted into the fixed member 152.
Although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. The characteristic examples provided in the present disclosure are intended to be illustrative, not limiting, unless a different expression is explicitly made. In a specific implementation, the features may be combined with each other where technically feasible according to actual requirements. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (12)
1. A laundry care agent delivery device (21) for a laundry care appliance (1), comprising:
a chamber (211) for containing a laundry care agent;
an interface (212) for receiving compressed gas from an atomizing power source (22);
An atomizing means (112) for atomizing the laundry care agent by means of the compressed gas to form an atomized product; and
a spray outlet (213) for discharging the atomized product,
wherein the laundry care agent delivery device (21) further comprises a stopper structure (216) for decelerating and/or redirecting the atomized product emitted from the atomizing device (112).
2. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that,
the baffle structure (216) defines a tortuous flow path from the spray orifice of the atomizing device (112) to the spray outlet (213); and/or
The laundry care agent delivery device (21) is configured to atomize the laundry care agent by a flow of the compressed gas from bottom to top in an operating state; and/or
The atomizing device (112) includes a dual stage nozzle through which compressed gas flows.
3. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,
the baffle structure (216) comprises a first blocking structure (2161) arranged adjacent to the jet opening of the atomizing device (112) such that an atomized product in the form of a pressurized liquid-containing gas stream emitted from the jet opening of the atomizing device (112) impinges the first blocking structure (2161); and/or
The baffle structure (216) comprises a second baffle structure (2162) arranged adjacent to the spray outlet (213) such that only atomized product in the form of fine droplets is allowed to be ejected from the spray outlet (213).
4. A laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to claim 3, characterized in that,
-the first blocking structure (2161) is arranged opposite the jet opening; and/or
The first blocking structure (2161) is erected above the spray opening by a support structure (2163) formed on the outside of the atomizing device (112); and/or
The second blocking structure (2162) is configured to bypass the atomized product to the spray outlet (213).
5. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that,
the first blocking structure (2161) comprises a first flap; and/or
The second blocking structure (2162) comprises a second flap; and/or
The second blocking structure (2162) is configured to enable drops separated from the atomized product to fall and flow into the chamber (211); and/or
The support structure (2163) comprises two support tabs oppositely arranged from the outside of the atomizing device (112).
6. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to any of claims 3-5, characterized in that,
the laundry care agent delivery device (21) further comprises a housing (215), the chamber (211) being at least partially defined by the housing (215), and the housing (215) comprising an upper housing part and a lower housing part connected, in particular welded, to each other in one piece.
7. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to claim 6, characterized in that,
the first blocking structure (2161) is provided, preferably integrally formed, on the lower housing part; and/or
The second blocking structure (2162) is provided on, preferably integrally formed on, the upper housing part; and/or
The interface (212) is preferably formed centrally at the bottom (214) of the lower housing part; and/or
The atomizing means (112) extends upwardly from the bottom (214) of the lower housing member; and/or
The interface (212) is arranged differently, preferably perpendicularly, to the spray outlet (213) towards each other.
8. Laundry care agent delivery device (21) according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that,
the laundry care agent delivery device (21) is configured to be adapted to establish a coupling with the nebulizing power source (22) through the interface (212) by a drop-in-place action; and/or
The laundry care agent delivery device (21) is configured as an integrally replaceable delivery cartridge, the delivery cartridge being pre-filled with the laundry care agent; and/or
The spray outlet (213) is configured to enable feeding of the nebulized product to a washing care chamber (12) of the washing care device (1) by a docking action.
9. A spray system (11) for a washing care appliance (1), characterized in that the spray system (11) comprises or is adapted to use a laundry care agent dosing device (21) according to any one of claims 1-8.
10. The spraying system (11) according to claim 9, characterized in that,
the spray system (11) comprises a drawer arranged at a housing (13) of the laundry care appliance (1), in particular at a user-facing side of the housing (13), the drawer being configured to be adapted to receive the laundry care agent dispensing device (21).
11. A washing and care device (1), such as a washing machine, a dryer, a clothes dryer or a clothes drying cabinet, characterized in that the washing and care device (1) comprises a spraying system (11) according to claim 9 or 10.
12. The washing care device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the washing care device (1) further comprises a controller (14), the controller (14) being configured to allow an operation of the spray system (11) to be automatically controlled by operation instructions implemented as an operation program allowing a user to activate alone and/or a washing care program associated with the washing care device (1).
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202210951727.2A CN117626590A (en) | 2022-08-09 | 2022-08-09 | Clothes care agent feeding device for washing care equipment and washing care equipment |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202210951727.2A CN117626590A (en) | 2022-08-09 | 2022-08-09 | Clothes care agent feeding device for washing care equipment and washing care equipment |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN117626590A true CN117626590A (en) | 2024-03-01 |
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ID=90025663
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202210951727.2A Pending CN117626590A (en) | 2022-08-09 | 2022-08-09 | Clothes care agent feeding device for washing care equipment and washing care equipment |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN117626590A (en) |
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2022
- 2022-08-09 CN CN202210951727.2A patent/CN117626590A/en active Pending
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