U.S. patent application number 15/417663 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-30 for heat pump module for laundry treatment device and laundry treatment device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Wuxi Little Swan Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Yulai MIAO, Qiong QIN, Huiqin YOU.
Application Number | 20170342649 15/417663 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57708497 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170342649 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YOU; Huiqin ; et
al. |
November 30, 2017 |
Heat Pump Module For Laundry Treatment Device And Laundry Treatment
Device
Abstract
A heat pump module for a laundry treatment device and the
laundry treatment device are provided. The heat pump module
includes a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a casing and a
cooling air passage. The casing has an accommodating chamber
provided with a partition plate to divide the accommodating chamber
into a first mounting chamber and a second mounting chamber, the
compressor is disposed within the first mounting chamber, and the
evaporator and the condenser are disposed within the second
mounting chamber. The compressor has an air exhaust port and an air
suction port; the condenser has a first end in communication with
the air exhaust port; and the evaporator has a first end in
communication with a second end of the condenser, and a second end
in communication with the air suction port. The cooling air passage
has an air outlet end in communication with the first mounting
chamber, and an air inlet end in communication with the outside.
For the heat pump module according to the present invention, the
first mounting chamber is in communication with the outside by
providing the cooling air passage, such that the compressor may
exchange heat with the outside, thereby improving performance of
the compressor, optimizing layout of various components in the heat
pump module and saving installation space.
Inventors: |
YOU; Huiqin; (Wuxi, CN)
; MIAO; Yulai; (Wuxi, CN) ; QIN; Qiong;
(Wuxi, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wuxi Little Swan Co., Ltd. |
Wuxi |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
57708497 |
Appl. No.: |
15/417663 |
Filed: |
January 27, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 25/00 20130101;
F25B 30/02 20130101; D06F 58/206 20130101; D06F 58/20 20130101 |
International
Class: |
D06F 58/20 20060101
D06F058/20; F25B 30/02 20060101 F25B030/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 31, 2016 |
CN |
201610377982.5 |
May 31, 2016 |
CN |
201620519417.3 |
Claims
1. A heat pump module for a laundry treatment device, comprising: a
compressor having an air exhaust port and an air suction port; a
condenser having a first end in communication with the air exhaust
port; an evaporator having a first end in communication with a
second end of the condenser, and a second end in communication with
the air suction port; a casing having an accommodating chamber
provided with a partition plate to divide the accommodating chamber
into a first mounting chamber and a second mounting chamber,
wherein the compressor is disposed within the first mounting
chamber, and the evaporator and the condenser are disposed within
the second mounting chamber; and a cooling air passage having an
air outlet end in communication with the first mounting chamber,
and an air inlet end in communication with the outside.
2. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein a cooling fan
is provided in the cooling air passage.
3. The heat pump module according to claim 2, wherein the cooling
fan is embedded in a side wall of the casing configured for the
first mounting chamber.
4. The heat pump module according to claim 3, wherein the cooling
fan is embedded in the side wall of the casing opposite the
partition plate.
5. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet
end is disposed in a bottom wall of the cooling air passage.
6. The heat pump module according to claim 5, wherein the air inlet
end is configured as an air inlet grille.
7. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein the air
outlet end is opposite the compressor.
8. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein the partition
plate is provided with a clearance notch running through the first
mounting chamber and the second mounting chamber.
9. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein the casing
comprises: a top cover; and a base defining the accommodating
chamber together with the top cover, and connected with the top
cover by way of snapping.
10. A laundry treatment device, comprising: a housing provided with
an opening; a drum assembly disposed in the housing and having an
open end opposite the opening; and a heat pump module comprising: a
compressor having an air exhaust port and an air suction port, a
condenser having a first end in communication with the air exhaust
port, an evaporator having a first end in communication with a
second end of the condenser, and a second end in communication with
the air suction port, a casing having an accommodating chamber
provided with a partition plate to divide the accommodating chamber
into a first mounting chamber and a second mounting chamber,
wherein the compressor is disposed within the first mounting
chamber, and the evaporator and the condenser are disposed within
the second mounting chamber, and a cooling air passage having an
air outlet end in communication with the first mounting chamber,
and an air inlet end in communication with the outside, wherein the
casing of the heat pump module is disposed on the housing and the
air inlet end of the cooling air passage is in communication with
an exterior of the housing.
11. The laundry treatment device according to claim 10, wherein a
cooling fan is provided in the cooling air passage.
12. The laundry treatment device according to claim 11, wherein the
cooling fan is embedded in a side wall of the casing configured for
the first mounting chamber.
13. The laundry treatment device according to claim 12, wherein the
cooling fan is embedded in the side wall of the casing opposite the
partition plate.
14. The laundry treatment device according to claim 10, wherein the
air inlet end is disposed in a bottom wall of the cooling air
passage.
15. The laundry treatment device according to claim 14, wherein the
air inlet end is configured as an air inlet grille.
16. The laundry treatment device according to claim 10, wherein the
air outlet end is opposite the compressor.
17. The laundry treatment device according to claim 10, wherein the
partition plate is provided with a clearance notch running through
the first mounting chamber and the second mounting chamber.
18. The laundry treatment device according to claim 10, wherein the
casing comprises: a top cover; and a base defining the
accommodating chamber together with the top cover, and connected
with the top cover by way of snapping.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and benefits of Chinese
Patent Application Serial No. 201610377982.5 and Chinese Patent
Application Serial No. 201620519417.3, each filed with the State
Intellectual Property Office of P. R. China on May 31, 2016. The
entire content of each of the afore-mentioned applications is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a technical field of
household appliances, and more particularly to a heat pump module
for a laundry treatment device and the laundry treatment
device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A washer-dryer is an intelligent novel washing machine,
provided with an additional drying function based on an automatic
washing machine, and thus combining many functions, such as
washing, spinning and drying, into a single machine in one. The
washer-dryer may have two types, namely, an air-vented washer-dryer
and a condensation-based washer-dryer. The air-vented washer-dryer
works in such a principle that air is heated by a heater to heat
clothes and then becomes wet hot air to be exhausted, thereby
carrying away moisture in the clothes in such a circulation and
achieving a purpose of drying the clothes. The condensation-based
washer-dryer works in such a principle that air enters a drum to
heat clothes after heated by a heater, the drum is filled with wet
hot air which is condensed into water by a condensation system and
then collected in a water storage box, and hence moisture in the
clothes is taken away in such a circulation, so as to achieve a
purpose of drying the clothes.
[0004] A heat pump washer-dryer belongs to the condensation-based
washer-dryer, in which installation space for a cooling fan of a
compressor is very limited due to a space problem.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the
problems existing in the related art. Thus, embodiments of the
present invention provide a heat pump module for a laundry
treatment device that has advantages of simple structure and
excellent performance. Embodiments of the present invention further
provide a laundry treatment device having the heat pump module.
[0006] According to the embodiments of the present invention, the
heat pump module includes a compressor having an air exhaust port
and an air suction port; a condenser having a first end in
communication with the air exhaust port; an evaporator having a
first end in communication with a second end of the condenser, and
a second end in communication with the air suction port; a casing
having an accommodating chamber provided with a partition plate to
divide the accommodating chamber into a first mounting chamber and
a second mounting chamber, wherein the compressor is disposed
within the first mounting chamber, and the evaporator and the
condenser are disposed within the second mounting chamber; and a
cooling air passage having an air outlet end in communication with
the first mounting chamber, and an air inlet end in communication
with the outside.
[0007] For the heat pump module according to the embodiments of the
present invention, the first mounting chamber is in communication
with the outside by providing the cooling air passage, such that
the compressor may exchange heat with the outside, thereby
improving performance of the compressor, optimizing layout of
various components in the heat pump module and saving installation
space.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a
cooling fan is provided in the cooling air passage.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
cooling fan is embedded in a side wall of the casing configured for
the first mounting chamber.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
cooling fan is embedded in the side wall of the casing opposite the
partition plate.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air
inlet end is disposed in a bottom wall of the cooling air
passage.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air
inlet end is configured as an air inlet grille.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air
outlet end is opposite the compressor.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
partition plate is provided with a clearance notch running through
the first mounting chamber and the second mounting chamber.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
casing includes: a top cover; and a base defining the accommodating
chamber together with the top cover, and connected with the top
cover by way of snapping.
[0016] The laundry treatment device according to the embodiments of
the present invention includes: a housing provided with an opening;
a drum assembly disposed in the housing and having an open end
opposite the opening; and the heat pump module for the laundry
treatment device, in which the casing of the heat pump module is
disposed on the housing and the air inlet end of the cooling air
passage is in communication with an exterior of the housing.
[0017] For the laundry treatment device according to the
embodiments of the present invention, the first mounting chamber is
in communication with the outside by providing the cooling air
passage, such that the compressor may exchange heat with the
outside, thereby improving performance of the compressor,
optimizing layout of various components in the heat pump module and
saving installation space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These and/or additional aspects and advantages of
embodiments of the present invention will become apparent and more
readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with
reference to the drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a heat pump module for a
laundry treatment device according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a top view of the heat pump module according to
the embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat pump module according to
the embodiment of the present invention.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0022] compressor 1,
[0023] condenser 2, evaporator 3,
[0024] casing 4, first mounting chamber 41, second mounting chamber
42, partition plate 43,
[0025] cooling air passage 5, cooling fan 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in
detail and examples of the embodiments will be illustrated in the
drawings. The embodiments described herein with reference to
drawings are explanatory, which are used to illustrate the present
invention, but should not be construed to limit the present
invention.
[0027] In the following, a heat pump module for a laundry treatment
device according to embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heat pump module according to
the embodiments of the present invention includes a compressor 1, a
condenser 2, an evaporator 3, a casing 4 and a cooling air passage
5.
[0029] Specifically, the casing 4 has an accommodating chamber
provided with a partition plate to divide the accommodating chamber
into a first mounting chamber 41 and a second mounting chamber 42,
the compressor 1 is disposed within the first mounting chamber 41,
and the condenser 2 and the evaporator 3 are disposed within the
second mounting chamber 42. The compressor 1 has an air exhaust
port and an air suction port; the condenser 2 has a first end in
communication with the air exhaust port; the evaporator 3 has a
first end in communication with a second end of the condenser 2,
and a second end in communication with the air suction port. The
cooling air passage 5 has an air outlet end in communication with
the first mounting chamber 41, and an air inlet end in
communication with the outside. Accordingly, the cooling air
passage 5 is utilized to cool down the compressor 1. It should be
noted that the term "the outside" may be interpreted
broadly--referring to a cabinet space for accommodating the heat
pump module or an indoor environment.
[0030] For the heat pump module according to the present invention,
the first mounting chamber 41 is in communication with the outside
by providing the cooling air passage 5, such that the compressor 1
may exchange heat with the outside, thereby improving performance
of the compressor, optimizing layout of various components in the
heat pump module and saving installation space.
[0031] According to some embodiments of the present invention, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a cooling fan 6 is provided in the cooling
air passage 5 to accelerate an air flow speed in the cooling air
passage 5, so as to improve heat exchange efficiency between the
compressor 1 and an air flow in the first mounting chamber 41. In
some examples of the present invention, the cooling fan 6 is
embedded in a side wall of the first mounting chamber 41 of the
casing 4 opposite the partition plate, so as to optimize the layout
of various components in the heat pump module and save the
installation space of the cooling fan 6.
[0032] According to some embodiments of the present invention, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air outlet end is opposite the
compressor 1, so as to enhance a cooling effect on the compressor 1
to improve a compression performance of the compressor, and save
the installation space.
[0033] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air
inlet end of the cooling passage 5 is disposed in a bottom wall of
the cooling air passage 5 to facilitate the flow of outside air
into the cooling air passage 5 through the air inlet end. It should
be noted that the air inlet end of the cooling air passage 5 may be
located outside a housing of the laundry treatment device when
mounted onto the housing, in order to improve smoothness of the air
flow in the cooling air passage 5. Further, the air inlet end is
configured as an air inlet grille to prevent foreign matters from
entering the heat pump module.
[0034] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the partition plate 43 is provided with a
clearance notch running through the first mounting chamber 41 and
the second mounting chamber 42. Thus, the air flow that enters the
first mounting chamber 41 from the cooling air passage 5 may enter
the second mounting chamber 42 via the clearance notch, so as to
improve the cooling effect on the compressor 1.
[0035] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
casing 4 includes: a top cover and a base. The base and the top
cover together define the accommodating chamber, and are connected
with each other by way of snapping, so as to simplify an assembling
process of the base and the top cover, shorten an assembling period
and improve an assembling efficiency.
[0036] The heat pump module according to a specific embodiment of
the present invention will be described in detail with reference to
FIGS. 1 to 3. It should be appreciated that the following
description is only explanatory and should not be construed to
limit the present invention.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the heat pump module includes the
compressor 1, the condenser 2, the evaporator 3, the casing 4 and
the cooling air passage 5.
[0038] Specifically, the casing 4 includes the top cover and the
base. The base and the top cover together define the accommodating
chamber, and are connected with each other by way of snapping,
which is simple in structure and convenient to assemble. The casing
4 has the accommodating chamber provided with the partition plate
43 to divide the accommodating chamber into the first mounting
chamber 41 and the second mounting chamber 42, the compressor 1 is
disposed within the first mounting chamber 41, and the condenser 2
and the evaporator 3 are disposed within the second mounting
chamber 42. The compressor 1 has the air exhaust port and the air
suction port; the condenser 2 has the first end in communication
with the air exhaust port; the evaporator 3 has the first end in
communication with the second end of the condenser 2, and the
second end in communication with the air suction port. In such a
way, a circulation system of the heat pump module is constructed.
The cooling air passage 5 has the air outlet end in communication
with the first mounting chamber 41, and the air inlet end in
communication with the outside. The cooling air passage is provided
with the cooling fan 6 that is embedded in a side wall of the
casing 4 configured for the first mounting chamber 41 and opposite
the partition plate 43. The air inlet end is disposed in the bottom
wall of the cooling air passage, and further configured as the air
inlet grille (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) to prevent foreign matters
from entering the heat pump module; the air outlet end is opposite
the compressor 1. The outside air enters the heat pump module
through the cooling fan 6 to cool down the compressor 1.
[0039] Further, the partition plate is provided with the clearance
notch running through the first mounting chamber 41 and the second
mounting chamber 42. Thus, it is possible to realize heat
circulation in the whole heat pump module when the cooling fan 6 is
working, so as to improve the cooling effect.
[0040] A laundry treatment device according to embodiments of the
present invention includes: a housing, a drum assembly and the heat
pump module according to the above embodiments. Specifically, the
housing is provided with an opening; the drum assembly is disposed
in the housing and has an open end opposite the opening; the heat
pump module is used for the laundry treatment device; and the
casing of the heat pump module is disposed on the housing.
[0041] For the laundry treatment device according to the
embodiments of the present invention, the first mounting chamber 41
is in communication with the outside by providing the cooling air
passage, such that the compressor 1 may exchange heat with the
outside, thereby improving performance of the compressor,
optimizing layout of various components in the heat pump module and
saving installation space.
[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the opening is
provided in a front side of the housing; the drum assembly is
disposed in the housing and has a front end configured as the open
end; the open end of the drum assembly is opposite the opening; and
the heat pump module is disposed in the housing and located at the
top of the housing. Preferably, the heat pump module is configured
as a top wall of the housing.
[0043] In the specification, it is to be understood that terms such
as "upper," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" should be
construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown
in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for
convenience of description and do not require that the present
invention be constructed or operated in a particular
orientation.
[0044] In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are used
herein for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate
or imply relative importance or significance or to imply the number
of indicated technical features. Thus, the feature defined with
"first" and "second" may comprise one or more of this feature. In
the description of the present invention, "a plurality of" means
two or more than two, unless specified otherwise.
[0045] In the present invention, unless specified or limited
otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "coupled," "fixed" and
the like are used broadly, and may be, for example, fixed
connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may
also be mechanical or electrical connections; may also be direct
connections or indirect connections via intervening structures; may
also be inner communications of two elements, which can be
understood by those skilled in the art according to specific
situations.
[0046] Reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment,"
"some embodiments," "an example," "specific examples," or "some
examples" means that a particular feature, structure, material, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or
example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the
present invention. Thus, the appearances of the above phrases
throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the
same embodiment or example of the present invention. Furthermore,
the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics
may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments
or examples. Those skilled in the art can integrate and combine
different embodiments or examples and the features in different
embodiments or examples in the specification.
[0047] Although embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and illustrated, it should be understood by those skilled in
the art that various changes, modifications, alternatives and
variants without departing from the principle and spirit of the
present invention are acceptable. The scope of the present
invention is defined by the claims or the like.
* * * * *