Washing machine drainage structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10550507-B2
Application number	US-201515550589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2015
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A washing machine drainage structure for a washing machine, in which there is not water between an inner tub and an outer tub in washing and rinsing processes, includes comprises a ball valve and a driving device for controlling opening and closing of the ball valve, a drainage outlet is arranged at a bottom wall of an inner tub, a water inlet end of the ball valve is communicated with the drainage outlet, and the ball valve is driven by the driving device to be closed in the washing and rinsing processes and opened in draining and dehydrating processes. According to the drainage structure, the ball valve is driven by the driving device to be closed or opened so as to close or open the drainage outlet, thereby implementing drainage; and the drainage structure has a simple structure and is convenient to be mounted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drainage structure for a washing machine which comprises an outer tub and an inner tub without holes in a lower part of a tub side wall,
comprising a ball valve and a driving device,
a water inlet end of the ball valve being communicated with a drainage outlet at a bottom wall of the inner tub,
wherein,
the ball valve comprises a valve casing, a ball body, a first valve rod and a second valve rod, the ball body is rotatably arranged in the valve casing, the first valve rod and the second valve rod are connected respectively with the ball body of the ball valve;
the driving device comprises a first stop lever assembly, and a second stop lever assembly;
the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly are mounted on a bottom wall of the outer tub; and
the first valve rod is configured to be stopped by the first stop lever assembly and is configured to rotate for 90 degrees in a reverse direction so as to open the ball valve when the inner tub rotates in a forward direction, and the second valve rod is configured to be stopped by the second stop lever assembly and is configured to rotate for 90 degrees in the forward direction so as to close the ball valve when the inner tub rotates in the reverse direction.

2. The drainage structure according to claim 1 , wherein, a length of the first valve rod is larger than a length of the second valve rod.

3. The drainage structure according to claim 2 , wherein, each of the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly respectively comprises a stop lever configured to move upwards and downwards,
the first stop lever assembly is arranged radially further from a center of the outer tub than the second stop lever assembly, so that the stop lever of the first stop lever assembly only stops the first valve rod when moved upwards.

4. The drainage structure according to claim 2 , wherein, each of the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly respectively comprises a stop lever configured to move upwards and downwards,
a length of the stop lever of the second stop lever assembly is smaller than a length of the stop lever of the first stop lever assembly, and a distance between the second valve rod and the bottom wall of the outer tub is smaller than a distance between the first valve rod and the bottom wall of the outer tub, so that the stop lever of the second stop lever assembly only stops the second valve rod when moved upwards.

5. The drainage structure according to claim 1 , wherein, each of the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly respectively comprises a stop lever configured to move upwards and downwards,
the first stop lever assembly is arranged radially further from a center of the outer tub than the second stop lever assembly, and a length of the first valve rod is larger than a length of the second valve rod, so that the stop lever of the first stop lever assembly only stops the first valve rod when moved upwards; and
a length of the stop lever of the second stop lever assembly is smaller than a length of the stop lever of the first stop lever assembly, and a distance between the second valve rod and the bottom wall of the outer tub is smaller than a distance between the first valve rod and the bottom wall of the outer tub, so that the stop lever of the second stop lever assembly only stops the second valve rod when moved upwards.

6. The drainage structure according to claim 1 , wherein, each of the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly comprises a stop lever, a nut, a sealing sleeve, a fixing disk and a compression spring,
the stop levers pass through the bottom wall of the outer tub, an upper part of each stop lever is located between the inner tub and the outer tub, a lower part of each stop lever is located at an exterior of the bottom wall of the outer tub,
each sealing sleeve is set on the upper part of each of the stop levers and extends and contracts along with the movement of each of the stop levers,
a first end of each sealing sleeve is fixed on each of the stop levers through each of the nuts, and a second end of each sealing sleeve is fixed on the bottom wall of the outer tub through each of the fixing disks in a sealed manner; and each compression spring is set around a lower part of each of the stop levers.

7. The drainage structure according to claim 6 , wherein, a stop nut for stopping one end of each compression spring is arranged at a lower end of each of the stop levers, and each compression spring is arranged between the bottom wall of the outer tub and each of the stop nuts.

8. The drainage structure according to claim 1 , wherein, the bottom wall of the outer tub is provided with a groove structure, the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly are mounted in the groove structure, and the groove structure is provided with an outer tub drainage outlet.

9. The drainage structure according to claim 1 , wherein, the driving device further comprises a press plate, a support, a pull rod and a traction motor,
the support is fixed on an outer side of the bottom wall of the outer tub,
the pull rod is rotatably mounted on the support, a first end of the pull rod is connected with the traction motor, a second end of the pull rod is fixedly connected with the press plate, and two ends of the press plate press on the first stop lever assembly and the second stop lever assembly respectively; and
the pull rod and the press plate rotate around the support under the traction of the traction motor,
when a first end of the press plate moves upwards, the press plate presses the first stop lever assembly to move upwards, and a second end of the press plate moves downwards and then the second stop lever assembly moves downwards.

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Washing Mach Co

Inventors

• Lv Peishi
• Yang Lin
• Zhang Gangjin
• Tian Yun

Classifications

• D06F37/12

  adapted for rotation or oscillation about a vertical axis · CPC title

• F16K15/04

  shaped as balls · CPC title

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• F16K31/44

  Mechanical actuating means · CPC title

• D06F39/08 Primary

  Liquid supply or discharge arrangements (supply of soap or other washing agents D06F39/02) · CPC title