CN109281130B - Steam generator and washing machine with same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a steam generator and a washing machine with the same, wherein the steam generator comprises: the body part comprises a containing cavity for containing liquid for generating steam; and the heating part is positioned outside the accommodating cavity and is used for generating steam for the liquid in the accommodating cavity. The steam generator solves the problem that the electric heating tube of the steam generator in the prior art is easy to adhere to scale.

Description

Steam generator and washing machine having the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of washing machines, and in particular to a steam generator and a washing machine having the same.

Background Art

The steam generator generates high-temperature steam to sterilize clothes, make them fluffy and remove wrinkles. At present, the electric heating tube of the steam generator of the washing machine is directly placed in the liquid for heating. The scale generated during long-term use will adhere to the electric heating tube. The thermal conductivity of scale is very low, resulting in a waste of electric energy. At the same time, due to the poor thermal conductivity of scale, the internal temperature of the electric heating tube is too high, which will greatly shorten the service life of the electric heating tube. In severe cases, it will also cause the surface of the electric heating tube to burst and be damaged, causing the risk of electric shock.

Summary of the invention

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a steam generator and a washing machine having the same, so as to solve the problem that the electric heating tube of the steam generator in the prior art is easy to be scaled.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present invention, a steam generator is provided, comprising: a main body, the main body comprising a accommodating chamber, the accommodating chamber is used to accommodate liquid for generating steam; a heating part, the heating part is located outside the accommodating chamber, the heating part is used to make the liquid in the accommodating chamber generate steam.

Furthermore, the main body also includes: a heat transfer portion, at least part of which encloses at least part of the accommodating cavity; wherein the heating portion is in contact with the heat transfer portion so that the heating portion heats the liquid in the accommodating cavity through the heat transfer portion.

Furthermore, the main body also includes: an outer shell, at least part of the heat transfer part is arranged in the outer shell, and the heating part is located at the bottom of the outer shell.

Furthermore, the inner surface of the outer shell portion is matched with the outer surface of the heat transfer portion, and the heating portion and the outer shell portion are arranged with a gap.

Furthermore, the heat transfer part is made of metal material, and the shell part is an injection molded part.

Further, the outer shell part is injection molded onto the outer surface of the heat transfer part through an injection molding process.

Furthermore, the main body also includes: a base, the outer shell is arranged on the base, and the heat transfer part is located between the outer shell and the base; wherein the heating part is arranged between the heat transfer part and the base.

Furthermore, the heating part and the base are arranged with a gap.

Furthermore, a receiving groove is provided on one side of the base facing the outer shell, the outer shell and the base are spliced together, and a part of the heating section of the heating part is located in the receiving groove.

Furthermore, the heat transfer part is connected to the base.

Furthermore, the heating part includes a heating section and a first wire body and a second wire body connected to the heating section, the first wire body and the second wire body are used to be connected to the power supply part, and a partition is provided on the base, and the partition is provided between the first wire body and the second wire body to prevent the first wire body and the second wire body from being directly conductive.

Furthermore, the heating section is a spiral structure, the heating section has a first end and a second end, the first end is aligned with the second end, the first wire body is connected to the first end, the second wire body is connected to the second end, and the partition is arranged between the first end and the second end.

Furthermore, a wiring portion is provided on the base, the wiring portion has a wiring channel, the partition portion is provided in the wiring channel, and the first wire body and the second wire body are connected to the power supply portion after passing through the wiring channel.

Furthermore, part of the first wire body and part of the second wire body are intertwined, a V-shaped cavity is formed between the first wire body and the second wire body, the partition is a V-shaped structure, and the partition is located in the V-shaped cavity.

Furthermore, the heating part is arranged at the bottom end of the heat transfer part.

Furthermore, the heating part is connected to the heat transfer part.

Furthermore, the main body has a steam port, an overflow port and a liquid inlet for communicating with the accommodating cavity, the overflow port is located between the steam port and the liquid inlet, and the steam port is located above the overflow port; wherein, there is a preset distance between the liquid inlet and the heating portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine is provided, comprising a steam generator, wherein the steam generator is the above-mentioned steam generator.

The steam generator of the present invention arranges the heating part outside the accommodating cavity of the main body, thereby preventing the heating part from contacting the liquid and generating scale, while ensuring that the heating part can make the liquid in the accommodating cavity generate steam, thereby solving the problem that the electric heating tube of the steam generator in the prior art is prone to scale adhesion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of an embodiment of a steam generator according to the present invention;

FIG2 shows a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a steam generator according to the present invention;

FIG3 shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a steam generator according to the present invention;

FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a steam generator according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the steam generator according to the present invention.

The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

10. Main body; 11. Accommodating cavity; 12. Heat transfer part; 13. Outer shell; 14. Base; 141. Partition; 142. Wiring part; 15. Steam port; 16. Overflow port; 17. Liquid inlet; 20. Heating part; 21. Heating section; 22. First line body; 23. Second line body; 30. Liquid level sensor; 40. Temperature sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs.

It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and/or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and/or combinations thereof.

The present invention provides a steam generator. Please refer to Figures 1 to 5. The steam generator includes: a main body 10, the main body 10 includes a accommodating chamber 11, and the accommodating chamber 11 is used to accommodate liquid for generating steam; a heating part 20, the heating part 20 is located outside the accommodating chamber 11, and the heating part 20 is used to make the liquid in the accommodating chamber 11 generate steam.

The steam generator of the present invention arranges the heating part 20 outside the accommodating cavity 11 of the main body 10, thereby preventing the heating part 20 from contacting the liquid and generating scale, while ensuring that the heating part 20 can make the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11 generate steam, thereby solving the problem of scale easily adhering to the electric heating tube of the steam generator in the prior art.

In order to enable the heating part 20 to heat the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11 to generate steam, as shown in Figure 1, the main body 10 also includes: a heat transfer part 12, at least part of the heat transfer part 12 surrounds at least part of the accommodating cavity 11; wherein the heating part 20 is in contact with the heat transfer part 12, so that the heating part 20 heats the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11 through the heat transfer part 12.

In this embodiment, the heating part 20 is in contact with the heat transfer part 12 , so that during the heating process of the heating part 20 , heat can be transferred to the heat transfer part 12 , so that the heat transfer part 12 heats the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11 to generate steam.

In this embodiment, the overall structure of the heat transfer part 12 can be a closed structure, that is, except for the necessary delivery port of the steam generator, the heat transfer part 12 has a complete accommodating cavity 11. Optionally, the heat transfer part 12 can also cooperate with other mechanisms to form a complete accommodating cavity 11, that is, the heat transfer part 12 can be a mechanism with an opening.

In order to protect the heat transfer part 12 , as shown in FIG. 1 , the main body 10 further includes: an outer shell 13 , at least a portion of the heat transfer part 12 is disposed in the outer shell 13 , and the heating part 20 is located at the bottom of the outer shell 13 .

In this embodiment, the heat transfer portion 12 is disposed in the outer shell 13 , that is, the heat transfer portion 12 is an internal structure, and the outer shell 13 is an external structure.

In this embodiment, the interior of the outer shell 13 is a receiving groove with an opening, the heat transfer portion 12 is disposed in the receiving groove, and the heating portion 20 is located at the opening of the receiving groove.

Preferably, the inner surface of the outer shell 13 is matched with the outer surface of the heat transfer portion 12 , and the heating portion 20 is disposed with a gap between the outer shell 13 .

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the heating portion 20 from directly heating the outer shell 13 , a certain distance needs to be provided between the heating portion 20 and the outer shell 13 .

Preferably, the heat transfer portion 12 is made of metal material, and the shell portion 13 is an injection molded part.

Preferably, the outer shell portion 13 is injection molded onto the outer surface of the heat transfer portion 12 by an injection molding process.

In this embodiment, the heat transfer portion 12 is processed first, and then when the shell portion 13 is injection-molded, the heat transfer portion 12 is injection-molded into the shell portion 13 .

Considering the integrity of the structure, as shown in FIG. 1 , the main body 10 further includes: a base 14 , the outer shell 13 is disposed on the base 14 , the heat transfer portion 12 is located between the outer shell 13 and the base 14 ; wherein the heating portion 20 is disposed between the heat transfer portion 12 and the base 14 .

In this embodiment, the main body 10 is composed of a heat transfer part 12 , a shell part 13 and a base 14 . The shell part 13 and the base 14 seal the heat transfer part 12 , and the heating part 20 is also sealed in the shell part 13 and the base 14 accordingly.

In this embodiment, the shell 13 and the base 14 are made of plastic materials, such as PP, SPS-GF30, ABS, etc. The heat transfer part 12 is made of metal, such as stainless steel, etc.

In this embodiment, the heating portion 20 is disposed inside the main body 10 .

In order to prevent the heating unit 20 from directly heating the base 14 , the heating unit 20 is disposed at a distance from the base 14 .

Preferably, the base 14 has a receiving groove on one side facing the outer shell 13 , the outer shell 13 and the base 14 are spliced together, and a part of the heating section of the heating part 20 is located in the receiving groove.

For the stability of the mechanism, the heat transfer portion 12 is connected to the base 14 .

In this embodiment, the shell 13 and the base 14 are spliced, and the two can be spliced by fasteners, buckles or direct bonding. The heat transfer part 12 is connected to the base 14 to ensure the stable connection between the heat transfer part 12, the shell 13 and the base 14.

In this embodiment, the heat transfer part 12 is fixed to the base 14 by screws. The heat transfer part 12 is fixed to the heating part 20 by screws. The heating part 20 is not in contact with the base 14, and a certain distance is left to prevent the heating coil from melting the bottom plate.

The heat transfer part 12 is already placed in the mold when the shell part 13 is injection-molded and bonded together.

Regarding the specific structure of the heating part 20, as shown in Figure 4, the heating part 20 includes a heating section 21 and a first wire body 22 and a second wire body 23 for connecting to the heating section 21, the first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23 are used to connect to the power supply part, and a partition 141 is provided on the base 14, and the partition 141 is provided between the first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23 to prevent the first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23 from being directly conductive.

In this embodiment, the power supply unit supplies power to the heating section 21 through the first wire 22 and the second wire 23, so that the heating section 21 generates heat. Considering that the first wire 22 and the second wire 23 may be directly connected during use, thereby causing a short circuit problem, the separator 141 is used to separate the part between the first wire 22 and the second wire 23 that may be connected.

Preferably, the heating section 21 is a spiral structure, the heating section 21 has a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end are aligned, the first wire body 22 is connected to the first end, the second wire body 23 is connected to the second end, and the partition 141 is arranged between the first end and the second end.

In this embodiment, the partition 141 is mainly used to prevent the connection between the first wire body 22 , the second wire body 23 and the heating section 21 from having a conduction problem.

In order to ensure the stable direction of the first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23. As shown in FIG1, the base 14 is provided with a wiring portion 142, the wiring portion 142 has a wiring channel, and the partition 141 is arranged in the wiring channel. The first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23 pass through the wiring channel and are connected to the power supply unit.

Preferably, part of the first wire body 22 and part of the second wire body 23 are intertwined to form a V-shaped cavity between the first wire body 22 and the second wire body 23 , and the partition 141 is a V-shaped structure, and the partition 141 is located in the V-shaped cavity.

Preferably, the heating portion 20 is disposed at the bottom end of the heat transfer portion 12 .

Preferably, the heating part 20 is connected to the heat transfer part 12 .

Regarding the specific structure of the steam generator, as shown in Figure 1, the main body 10 has a steam port 15, an overflow port 16 and a liquid inlet 17 for communicating with the accommodating chamber 11, the overflow port 16 is located between the steam port 15 and the liquid inlet 17, and the steam port 15 is located above the overflow port 16; wherein, there is a preset distance between the liquid inlet 17 and the heating portion 20.

In this embodiment, since the heat transfer portion 12 is located inside the shell portion 13 , the steam port 15 , the overflow port 16 and the liquid inlet 17 can be understood as common structures of the heat transfer portion 12 and the shell portion 13 .

In this embodiment, a certain distance is left between the liquid inlet 17 and the base 14 to prevent the heated hot water from flowing back and to prevent the water inlet pipe from softening and promoting aging.

Preferably, as shown in Figure 2, the steam generator also includes: a liquid level sensor 30 and a temperature sensor 40, both of which are arranged on the main body 10, the liquid level sensor 30 is used to detect the temperature in the accommodating cavity 11, and the liquid level sensor 30 is used to detect the liquid level height of the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11.

In this embodiment, the liquid level sensor 30 and the temperature sensor 40 are fixed to the upper surface of the main body 10 by means of screws.

The present invention also provides a washing machine, comprising a steam generator, wherein the steam generator is the above-mentioned steam generator.

The specific implementation of the steam generator of the present invention in a washing machine is as follows:

The liquid level sensor 30 controls the lowest liquid level in the steam box (the accommodating chamber 11). The lowest point of the liquid level sensor 30 is a certain distance above the bottom of the steam box to prevent the heating coil (heating unit 20) from drying out. The temperature sensor 40 controls the allowable temperature range in the steam box. The flow meter is used to calculate the amount of water flowing into the steam box to prevent the amount of water flowing in from far exceeding the designed capacity of the steam box. The water supply valve controls the switch of water entering the steam box. The flow meter is installed behind the water supply valve to calculate the amount of water flowing in.

When the controller receives the command, the water supply valve opens, and water enters the steam box through the steam box water inlet (liquid inlet 17), and reaches the predetermined time, but the water level does not reach the lowest point of the liquid level sensor, and the alarm notifies the user of the fault;

When the controller receives the command, the water supply valve opens, and water enters the steam box through the water inlet of the steam box. When the preset time is reached and the water level exceeds the lowest point of the liquid level sensor, the water supply valve is closed, and the heating coil starts to heat. The generated steam escapes from the steam port 15 to the inner drum of the washing machine. In the process, the excess water will flow into the inner drum through the overflow port 16 connecting pipe;

When the temperature sensor 40 detects that the temperature in the steam box exceeds a preset value, the heating coil stops heating and continues heating after the temperature drops to the preset value;

When the water level is lower than the lowest point of the liquid level sensor 30, the heating coil stops heating and the water supply valve opens to supply water to the steam box; when the water level exceeds the liquid level sensor 30, the heating coil continues heating; the heating coil contacts and transfers heat with the metal steam box inner shell (heat transfer part 12), heating the liquid in the steam box in all directions to generate steam; the generated steam passes through the channel connected to the steam port of the steam box outer shell to steam and iron the clothes in the inner drum. During the entire heating and cooling process, the heating coil never contacts the liquid, avoiding scale directly adhering to the heating coil, ensuring heating efficiency and preventing the surface of the heating coil from bursting.

From the above description, it can be seen that the above embodiments of the present invention achieve the following technical effects:

The steam generator of the present invention arranges the heating part 20 outside the accommodating cavity 11 of the main body 10, thereby preventing the heating part 20 from contacting the liquid and generating scale, while ensuring that the heating part 20 can make the liquid in the accommodating cavity 11 generate steam, thereby solving the problem of scale easily adhering to the electric heating tube of the steam generator in the prior art.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. A steam generator, comprising: A main body (10), the main body (10) comprising a containing cavity (11), the containing cavity (11) being used to contain liquid for generating steam; a heating portion (20), the heating portion (20) being located outside the accommodating cavity (11), the heating portion (20) being used to generate steam from the liquid in the accommodating cavity (11); a heat transfer portion (12), wherein at least a portion of the heat transfer portion (12) surrounds the accommodating cavity (11); the heating portion (20) is in contact with the heat transfer portion (12), so that the heating portion (20) heats the liquid in the accommodating cavity (11) through the heat transfer portion (12); an outer shell (13), wherein at least a portion of the heat transfer portion (12) is disposed within the outer shell (13), and the heating portion (20) is located at the bottom of the outer shell (13); A base (14), the outer shell (13) being arranged on the base (14), the heat transfer portion (12) being located between the outer shell (13) and the base (14); and the heating portion (20) being arranged between the heat transfer portion (12) and the base (14); The heating portion (20) comprises a heating section (21) and a first wire body (22) and a second wire body (23) for connecting to the heating section (21); the first wire body (22) and the second wire body (23) are used to connect to a power supply portion; a partition (141) is provided on the base (14); the partition (141) is provided between the first wire body (22) and the second wire body (23) to prevent the first wire body (22) and the second wire body (23) from being directly connected; The heating section (21) is a spiral structure, the heating section (21) has a first end and a second end, the first end is aligned with the second end, the first wire body (22) is connected to the first end, the second wire body (23) is connected to the second end, and the partition (141) is arranged between the first end and the second end; The base (14) is provided with a wiring portion (142), the wiring portion (142) having a wiring channel, the partition portion (141) being arranged in the wiring channel, the first wire body (22) and the second wire body (23) being connected to the power supply portion after passing through the wiring channel; Part of the first wire body (22) and part of the second wire body (23) are intertwined, a V-shaped cavity is formed between the first wire body (22) and the second wire body (23), the partition (141) is a V-shaped structure, and the partition (141) is located in the V-shaped cavity. 2. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that an inner surface of the outer shell (13) is adapted to an outer surface of the heat transfer portion (12), and the heating portion (20) is spaced apart from the outer shell (13). 3. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat transfer part (12) is made of metal material, and the shell part (13) is an injection molded part. 4. The steam generator according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer shell part (13) is injection molded onto the outer surface of the heat transfer part (12) by an injection molding process. 5. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating portion (20) and the base (14) are arranged with a spacing therebetween. 6. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that a side of the base (14) facing the outer shell (13) has a receiving groove, the outer shell (13) and the base (14) are spliced together, and a part of the heating section of the heating part (20) is located in the receiving groove. 7. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat transfer portion (12) is connected to the base (14). 8. The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the heating portion (20) is arranged at the bottom end of the heat transfer portion (12). 9. The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the heating part (20) is connected to the heat transfer part (12). 10. The steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body (10) has a steam port (15), an overflow port (16) and a liquid inlet (17) for communicating with the accommodating cavity (11), the overflow port (16) being located between the steam port (15) and the liquid inlet (17), and the steam port (15) being located above the overflow port (16); wherein a preset distance is provided between the liquid inlet (17) and the heating portion (20). 11. A washing machine, comprising a steam generator, characterized in that the steam generator is the steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 10.