Patent Description:
The present invention belongs to the technical field of clothing treatment, and specifically provides a clothing treatment apparatus.

A clothing treatment apparatus is an apparatus capable of washing, drying, sterilizing and/or deodorizing clothing. With the continuous improvement of production level and ongoing growth of users' needs, users have also raised higher and higher requirements on the clothing treatment apparatus.

In the prior art, taking a washing machine as an example, the clothing is generally washed by water. The washing process is accompanied by mechanical rotation, so that stains on the clothing are washed away. However, this washing method has a limitation in that if a large amount of water is injected into a washing drum at the beginning, the stains on a surface of the clothing will directly enter a lining of the clothing in a state where a washing liquid is not completely dissolved, so that more time, water amount, washing liquid and mechanical action are required for washing the clothing clean in the subsequent washing process, thus resulting in a poor washing effect. Therefore, the clothing can be washed by atomized air washing. An atomization generator is required to be provided for this kind of washing machine, and the atomization generator needs a driving board for driving. If the driving board and a control panel of the washing machine are installed together, more space of a washing machine tray will be inevitably occupied, and a relatively long wire harness is required to connect the driving board with the atomization generator, which makes it inconvenient to arrange the wire harness; therefore, the kind of washing machine with the atomization generator has significant limitations in actual production.

With the advancement of science and technology, the automation level of human life is becoming higher and higher, and for daily housework, manpower is being gradually replaced by machines. As a common household appliance in daily life, the clothing treatment apparatus has brought great convenience to people's lives. According to the washing mode, the clothing treatment apparatus can be roughly divided into a pulsator washing machine and a drum washing machine. Taking the drum washing machine as an example, the clothing is generally washed by water. The washing process is accompanied by mechanical rotation, so that stains on the clothing are washed away. However, this washing method has a limitation in that if a large amount of water is injected into the washing drum at the beginning, the stains on the surface of the clothing will directly enter the lining of the clothing in a state where the washing liquid is not completely dissolved, so that more time, water amount, washing liquid and mechanical action are required for washing the clothing clean in the subsequent washing process, thus resulting in a poor washing effect.

In order to solve the above problems, the drum washing machine is equipped with an atomization generator and a water tank for supplying water to the atomization generator. For example, the German publications <CIT> and <CIT> all disclose a washing machine including an atomization generator. Similar, the <CIT> also discloses such a washing machine with an atomization generator. Under the atomization action of the atomization generator, the water is converted into small particles of atomized water droplets to realize a treatment of the clothing by atomized air, which improves the washing effect of the clothing and improves the user experience in use. However, after the atomization is completed in the water tank of the above-mentioned drum washing machine, a small amount of water will remain in the water tank. If this part of water is not discharged, bacteria will grow in the water tank, which will affect the hygienic security of the drum washing machine and greatly affect the user's experience in use.

In the prior art, taking the washing machine as an example, the clothing is generally washed by water. The washing process is accompanied by mechanical rotation, so that stains on the clothing are washed away. However, this washing method has a limitation in that if a large amount of water is injected into the washing drum at the beginning, the stains on the surface of the clothing will directly enter the lining of the clothing in a state where the washing liquid is not completely dissolved, so that more time, water amount, washing liquid and mechanical action are required for washing the clothing clean in the subsequent washing process, thus resulting in a poor washing effect. In existing clothing treatment apparatuses, other functions are often added on the basis of the washing machine, such as adding a drying function to become a washing-drying integrated machine, etc. Such an improvement does not significantly improve the washing effect of the washing machine. Moreover, current washing machines still cannot achieve in-depth treatment of clothing made of special materials, such as cashmere, wool and other materials. If the traditional washing by water is used, it is highly possible that fiber structures of the clothing will be damaged, which will cause a very big limitation on an applicable range of the clothing of the washing machine.

Accordingly, there is a need for a new clothing treatment apparatus in the art to solve the above problems.

In order to solve the above problem in the prior art, that is, in order to solve the problem that the residual water in the water-containing assembly of the existing clothing treatment apparatus cannot be discharged, the present disclosure provides an invention of a clothing treatment apparatus as set out in the appended set of claims.

Those skilled in the art can understand that the drum washing machine includes a housing, and a water-containing assembly and a sprinkling assembly arranged in the housing. As compared with the existing technical solution in which the residual water in the water tank cannot be discharged, the water-containing assembly of the present invention includes a water tank and a siphon member arranged in the water tank, the siphon member is connected to the sprinkling assembly through a first delivery pipeline, and the sprinkling assembly is configured to perform sprinkling washing on the clothing. When the water tank is completely filled with water or a siphon liquid level is reached, the siphon member can suck out all the water in the water tank by siphoning, so that all the water in the water tank is emptied, which prevents water from remaining in the water tank, thereby preventing the water tank from becoming moldy, deteriorating, and breeding bacteria, and improving the hygienic security of the drum washing machine.

Further, the first outlet of the cabinet is connected to the second sprinkling head through the first delivery pipeline, the second outlet of the cabinet is connected to the first sprinkling head through the second delivery pipeline, and the third outlet of the cabinet is connected to the atomization generator through the third delivery pipeline, so that the water tank can not only supply water to the atomization generator, but also can supply water to the sprinkling assembly. Therefore, the drum washing machine has two clothing washing modes, i.e., atomized air washing and sprinkling washing, so that users can flexibly select the corresponding washing mode according to their own needs to meet various requirements of users and improve the user experience.

Further, the drum washing machine includes a water supply valve, a water delivery channel and a one-way check structure that are arranged in the housing. By connecting the one-way check structure with the water delivery channel and the water tank, when the water supply valve is opened, water can be injected into the water delivery channel and the water tank, and then when the water supply valve is closed, the one-way check structure communicates with the atmosphere so that the water in the water delivery channel and the water tank is sprayed from the atomization generator. The water is converted into small particles of atomized water droplets under the atomization action of the atomization generator, thereby realizing a tender treatment of the clothing by atomized air. The use of this atomized air washing method can treat clothing of special materials such as cashmere, wool, etc., which not only can make the surface of the clothing of this material smoother and softer, but also can quickly remove stains on the clothing without damaging the fiber structures of the clothing, thereby increasing the applicable range of the clothing of the drum washing machine and further improving the user experience.

Hereinafter, the clothing treatment apparatus of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with a drum washing machine. In the drawings:.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. For example, although the present application is described in conjunction with a drum washing machine, the technical solution of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The water-containing assembly can obviously also be applied to other clothing treatment apparatuses such as a pulsator washing machine, a shoe washing machine, a washing-drying integrated machine, etc., and such changes do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, terms indicating directional or positional relationships, such as "inside", "bottom" and the like, are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used for ease of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore they should not be considered as limitations to the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms "install", "connect" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense; for example, the connection may be a fixed connection, or may also be a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection implemented through an intermediate medium, or it may be an internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific situations.

Based on the problem in the prior art pointed out in the "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION", the siphon member of the present disclosure is connected to the sprinkling assembly through the first delivery pipeline. When the water tank is completely filled with water or a siphon liquid level is reached, the siphon member can suck out all the water in the water tank by siphoning, so that all the water in the water tank is emptied, which prevents water from remaining in the water tank, thereby preventing the water tank from becoming moldy, deteriorating, and breeding bacteria, and improving the hygienic security of the drum washing machine.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, <FIG> is a schematic view of a partial structure of the drum washing machine of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is an exploded view of the water-containing assembly of the present disclosure. The drum washing machine of the present disclosure includes a housing and a door, the door is pivotally connected with the housing, and a viewing window is provided on the door to facilitate the user to observe a washing condition of the clothing in an inner cylinder. As shown in <FIG>, the drum washing machine also includes an outer cylinder <NUM>, an inner cylinder, a window gasket <NUM>, a water-containing assembly <NUM>, a sprinkling assembly <NUM>, and an atomization generator <NUM>. The outer cylinder <NUM> is arranged in the housing, the inner cylinder is rotatably accommodated in the outer cylinder <NUM>, the housing is provided with a clothing inlet, and the window gasket <NUM> is arranged between the clothing inlet and the outer cylinder <NUM>; the water-containing assembly <NUM> is arranged in the housing, and the water-containing assembly <NUM> is configured to supply water to the sprinkling assembly <NUM> and the atomization generator <NUM>; the sprinkling assembly <NUM> and the atomization generator <NUM> are arranged on the window gasket <NUM>. The sprinkling assembly <NUM> is configured to perform sprinkling washing on the clothing, and the atomization generator <NUM> is configured to perform atomized washing on the clothing. Of course, the positions where the water-containing assembly <NUM>, the sprinkling assembly <NUM>, and the atomization generator <NUM> are actually installed are not limited to the above-exemplified installation positions. Those skilled in the art may flexibly set the positions where the water-containing assembly <NUM>, the sprinkling assembly <NUM>, and the atomization generator <NUM> are actually installed in practical applications, as long as the water-containing assembly <NUM>, the sprinkling assembly <NUM> and the atomization generator <NUM> cooperate to enable the drum washing machine to have two clothing washing modes: atomized air washing and sprinkling washing.

Preferably, the atomization generator <NUM> may be an ultrasonic atomization generator <NUM> or a compressed atomization generator <NUM>. Those skilled in the art may flexibly set the specific structure of the atomization generator <NUM> in practical applications, as long as the atomization generator <NUM> can convert the water in the water-containing assembly <NUM> into atomized water droplets so as to perform atomized air washing of the clothing.

As shown in <FIG>, the water-containing assembly <NUM> includes a water tank <NUM> and a siphon member <NUM>. The siphon member <NUM> is arranged in the water tank <NUM>, the siphon member <NUM> is connected to the sprinkling assembly <NUM> through a first delivery pipeline <NUM>, and the siphon member <NUM> is configured to suck out the water in the water tank <NUM> by siphoning, which prevents water from remaining in the water tank <NUM>, thereby preventing the water tank <NUM> from becoming moldy, deteriorating, and breeding bacteria, and improving the hygienic security of the drum washing machine.

As shown in <FIG>, the water tank <NUM> includes a cabinet <NUM> and a cover <NUM>, and the cover <NUM> can be covered on the cabinet <NUM>, so that the interior of the cabinet <NUM> forms a relatively closed environment to facilitate the water in the water tank <NUM> to be sprayed from the atomization generator.

In order to improve the stability of the connection between the cabinet <NUM> and the cover <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the water tank <NUM> further includes a positioning member <NUM>. The cover <NUM> is placed on the top of the cabinet <NUM> through the positioning member <NUM>, thereby avoiding a lateral displacement of the cover <NUM> relative to the cabinet <NUM>, enabling the cover <NUM> to be firmly fixed on the cabinet <NUM>, and preventing the cover <NUM> from falling off the cabinet <NUM>.

Preferably, the positioning member <NUM> includes a positioning post <NUM> provided in the cabinet <NUM> and a positioning hole <NUM> provided on the cover <NUM>. The positioning post <NUM> in the cabinet <NUM> can match with the positioning hole <NUM> on the cover <NUM>, so as to realize the positioning between the cabinet <NUM> and the cover <NUM>. Of course, the actual installation positions of the positioning post <NUM> and the positioning hole <NUM> are not limited to the positions listed above. The positioning post <NUM> may also be provided on the cover <NUM>, and the positioning hole <NUM> may be provided in the cabinet <NUM>, as long as the positioning post <NUM> can match with the positioning hole <NUM> to place the cover <NUM> on the top of the cabinet <NUM>.

Of course, the structure of the positioning member <NUM> is also not limited to the above-exemplified structure. The structure of a positioning block and a positioning groove or the structure of a positioning claw may also be used. Any positioning structure can be adopted, as long as the cover <NUM> can be placed on the top of the cabinet <NUM>.

Preferably, as shown in <FIG>, the sprinkling assembly <NUM> includes a first sprinkling head <NUM> and a second sprinkling head <NUM>, and both the first sprinkling head <NUM> and the second sprinkling head <NUM> are arranged on the window gasket. A second outlet of the cabinet <NUM> is connected to the first sprinkling head <NUM> through a second delivery pipeline <NUM>, and the first sprinkling head <NUM> is configured to spray water into the inner cylinder so as to perform sprinkling washing on the clothing. A first outlet of the cabinet <NUM> is connected to the second sprinkling head <NUM> through the first delivery pipeline <NUM>. The second sprinkling head <NUM> is configured to spray water on the viewing window to wash away the washing water splashed onto the viewing window, so that the user can clearly observe a washing condition of the clothing in the inner cylinder.

Preferably, a height of the second outlet of the cabinet <NUM> is larger than a height of the first outlet of the cabinet <NUM>, so that the water in the cabinet <NUM> is preferably discharged through the first outlet, that is, the water in the cabinet <NUM> is sprayed onto the viewing window preferably through the second sprinkling head <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the siphon member <NUM> includes a siphon cap <NUM> and a siphon tube <NUM>, the siphon cap <NUM> is arranged on the cover <NUM>, the siphon tube <NUM> is arranged in the cabinet <NUM>, and the siphon tube <NUM> communicates with the first delivery pipeline <NUM> through the first outlet of the cabinet <NUM>. When the cover <NUM> is closed with the cabinet <NUM>, the siphon cap <NUM> can be sleeved over the siphon tube <NUM>. A siphon channel is formed between the siphon cap <NUM> and the siphon tube <NUM>. When the cabinet <NUM> is completely filled with water or a siphon liquid level is reached, the water in the cabinet <NUM> can be sucked out through the siphon channel, and the sucked-out water flows to the second sprinkling head <NUM> through the first delivery pipeline <NUM>, and is sprayed onto the viewing window through the second sprinkling head <NUM>.

Preferably, a height of the siphon cap <NUM> is slightly smaller than a height of the cabinet <NUM>, so that there is a gap between a bottom of the siphon cap <NUM> and a bottom of the cabinet <NUM>, thus enabling the water in the cabinet <NUM> to be siphoned into the siphon channel through the gap.

Preferably, a height of the siphon tube <NUM> is slightly smaller than the height of the cabinet <NUM>, and when the siphon cap <NUM> can be sleeved over the siphon tube <NUM>, there is a gap between a top of the siphon tube <NUM> and a top of the siphon cap <NUM>, so that the water siphoned into the siphon channel can flow into the siphon tube <NUM> through the gap, flow into the first delivery pipeline <NUM> through the first outlet of the cabinet <NUM>, and be delivered to the sprinkling assembly <NUM> through the first delivery pipeline <NUM>.

Of course, the structure of the siphon member <NUM> is not limited to the above-exemplified structure. Those skilled in the art may flexibly set the structure of the siphon member <NUM> in practical applications, as long as the siphon member <NUM> can suck out all the water in the water tank <NUM> by siphoning.

In order to make the atomization generator <NUM> smoothly generate atomized water droplets, as shown in <FIG> and with reference to <FIG>, the drum washing machine further includes a water supply valve (not shown in the figure), a water delivery channel <NUM> and a one-way check structure <NUM> that are arranged in the housing; the water supply valve is connected to a water inlet end of the water delivery channel <NUM>, a water outlet end of the water delivery channel <NUM> is connected to the inlet of the cabinet <NUM>, a third outlet of the cabinet <NUM> is connected with the atomization generator <NUM> through a third delivery pipeline <NUM>, the one-way check structure <NUM> is connected with the water delivery channel <NUM> and the water tank <NUM> respectively, and the one-way check structure <NUM> is arranged to be isolated from the atmosphere when the water supply valve is opened and to communicate with the atmosphere when the water supply valve is closed. Specifically, when the water supply valve is always open, it is very difficult for the atomization generator <NUM> to form atomized water droplets under the action of water pressure. Therefore, the water supply valve can be opened to accumulate water in the water delivery channel <NUM> and the water tank <NUM>; then the water supply valve is closed. At this time, the water in the water delivery channel <NUM> and the water tank <NUM> can be sprayed onto the clothing in the form of atomized water droplets from the atomization generator <NUM> according to the principle of atmospheric communication, so as to ensure that the atomization generator <NUM> can perform atomized air washing of the clothing. If it is required to inject a large amount of water into the inner cylinder, the atomization generator <NUM> is closed at this time so as to keep the water supply valve always open and ensure that the second delivery pipeline <NUM> is in a communicated state, thereby achieving continuous water injection into the inner cylinder.

Preferably, the one-way check structure <NUM> is a one-way check valve. Of course, the one-way check structure <NUM> is not limited to the above-exemplified structures, and other combined structures of a one-way check valve and pipelines can also be used. For example, the one-way check valve is connected to the water delivery channel <NUM> through a first connection pipeline, and the one-way check valve is connected to the inlet of the water tank <NUM> through a second connection pipeline. Alternatively, a combined structure of a plug and pipelines may be used. Any structure can be adopted, as long as the one-way check structure <NUM> can be isolated from the atmosphere when the water supply valve is opened and can communicate with the atmosphere when the water supply valve is closed.

Preferably, the position where the one-way check valve is arranged is at a different height from the position where the outlet of the atomization generator <NUM> is arranged, so that when the one-way check valve communicates with the atmosphere, a certain liquid level difference is formed between the one-way check valve and the outlet of the atomization generator <NUM>. Therefore, the water accumulated in water delivery channel <NUM> and the water tank <NUM> can be more easily sprayed onto the clothing in the form of atomized water droplets from the atomization generator <NUM>.

Further, since the position where the water delivery channel <NUM> is arranged is generally higher than the position where the outer cylinder <NUM> is arranged in the drum washing machine, the position where the one-way check valve is arranged is set to be higher than the position where the outlet of the atomization generator <NUM> is arranged, thereby making full use of the original structure of the drum washing machine.

Claim 1:
A clothing treatment apparatus, comprising a housing, and a water-containing assembly (<NUM>) and a sprinkling assembly (<NUM>) that are arranged in the housing;
wherein the water-containing assembly (<NUM>) comprises a water tank (<NUM>) and a siphon member (<NUM>) arranged in the water tank (<NUM>), the siphon member (<NUM>) is connected to the sprinkling assembly (<NUM>) through a first delivery pipeline (<NUM>), the siphon member (<NUM>) is configured to suck out water in the water tank (<NUM>) by siphoning, and the sprinkling assembly (<NUM>) is configured to perform sprinkling washing on the clothing; the clothing treatment apparatus further comprises an outer cylinder (<NUM>) arranged in the housing and an inner cylinder rotatably accommodated in the outer cylinder (<NUM>), wherein the housing is provided with a clothing inlet, and a window gasket (<NUM>) is arranged between the clothing inlet and the outer cylinder (<NUM>); and the sprinkling assembly (<NUM>) comprises a first sprinkling head (<NUM>) arranged on the window gasket (<NUM>), a second outlet of the cabinet is connected to the first sprinkling head (<NUM>) through a second delivery pipeline (<NUM>), and the first sprinkling head (<NUM>) is configured to spray water into the inner cylinder; and
characterized in that:
the water tank (<NUM>) comprises a cabinet and a cover (<NUM>) arranged above the cabinet; and the siphon member (<NUM>) comprises a siphon cap (<NUM>) arranged on the cover (<NUM>) and a siphon tube (<NUM>) arranged in the cabinet, and the siphon tube (<NUM>) communicates with the first delivery pipeline (<NUM>) through a first outlet of the cabinet; when the cover (<NUM>) is closed with the cabinet, the siphon cap (<NUM>) is configured to be sleeved over the siphon tube (<NUM>), a siphon channel is formed between the siphon cap (<NUM>) and the siphon tube (<NUM>), and the water in the cabinet is configured to flow to the sprinkling assembly (<NUM>) through the siphon channel and the first delivery pipeline (<NUM>);
the clothing treatment apparatus further comprises an atomization generator (<NUM>) arranged on the window gasket (<NUM>); wherein a third outlet of the cabinet is connected to the atomization generator (<NUM>) through a third delivery pipeline (<NUM>), and the atomization generator (<NUM>) is configured to perform atomized washing on the clothing.