Laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device, washing machine, and laundry treatment agent dispensing control method of washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11447906-B2
Application number	US-201815733191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2018
Priority date	Dec 7, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device comprises a storage device and a dispensing device which are integrally arranged. A storage cavity or box stores laundry treatment agent. The dispensing device has a hollow cavity, and a flexible separator is hermetically installed in the hollow cavity to divide the hollow cavity into a water inlet cavity and a liquid storage cavity. The liquid storage cavity has a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end; the liquid inlet end communicates with the storage cavity or box. Inlet water of the washing machine flows into/out of the water inlet cavity, the flexible separator is squeezed to deform towards the liquid storage cavity to enable the laundry treatment agent accommodated in the liquid storage cavity to be discharged through the liquid outlet end. The laundry treatment agent is stored and automatically dispensed by the storage device and the dispensing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device, comprising:
a storage device and a dispensing device being integrally arranged; wherein
the storage device includes a hollow storage housing internally provided with a storage cavity configured to store laundry treatment agent;
the dispensing device is provided with a hollow cavity, and a flexible separator is hermetically arranged in the hollow cavity and divides the hollow cavity into a water inlet cavity and a liquid storage cavity;
the liquid storage cavity has a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end, the liquid inlet end communicates with the storage cavity; and
when inlet water of a washing machine flows into the water inlet cavity, the flexible separator is configured to be squeezed to deform towards the liquid storage cavity to enable the laundry treatment agent accommodated in the liquid storage cavity to be discharged through the liquid outlet end;
a filling port, communicates with the storage cavity, being provided on the storage housing, and
the dispensing device is integrally arranged on the storage housing,
a partition plate arranged in the storage housing, and
an interior of the storage housing is divided by the partition plate into the storage cavity and a liquid outlet flow channel which communicate with each other; and
the liquid inlet end of the dispensing device communicates with the liquid outlet flow channel.

2. The laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing device comprises a housing internally provided with the hollow cavity, the housing comprises a first housing and a second housing, at least one of the first housing and the second housing is internally provided with an open groove, and
the first housing and the second housing are hermetically connected to seal the open groove to form the hollow cavity;
an edge of the flexible separator is hermetically pressed between the first housing and the second housing to divide the hollow cavity into the water inlet cavity and the liquid storage cavity;
a water inlet end and a pressure relief end which are communicated with the water inlet cavity are provided on the first housing, and
the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end which are communicated with the liquid storage cavity are provided on the second housing; and
the second housing and the storage housing are integrally arranged.

3. The laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device according to claim 2 , wherein the housing of the dispensing device is internally provided with at least two hollow cavities, and each hollow cavity comprises a respective flexible separator hermetically installed for dividing each of the hollow cavities into a water inlet cavity and a liquid storage cavity;
the water inlet end and the pressure relief end which communicate with the water inlet cavity are arranged at a part, corresponding to each of the hollow cavities, of the housing; and
the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end which communicate with the liquid storage cavity are arranged at the part, corresponding to each of the hollow cavities, of the housing; and
the storage housing of the storage device is internally provided with a plurality of storage cavities, each of the storage cavities of the storage device corresponds to respective hollow cavities of the dispensing device, and
the storage housing of the storage device is provided with a plurality of filling ports communicated with each of the storage cavities, and
each of the storage cavities is communicated with the liquid storage cavities of the hollow cavities correspondingly.

4. The laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end are respectively provided with a one-way communicating device:
the flexible separator is configured to be deformed towards the liquid storage cavity by inlet water of the washing machine, so the one-way communicating device in the liquid outlet end is opened to dispense laundry treatment agent, and
the flexible separator is configured to be restored from deformation when the washing machine stops feeding water, so the one-way communicating device in the liquid inlet end is opened to suck the laundry treatment agent in the storage cavity into the liquid storage cavity.

5. The laundry treatment agent storage and dispersing device according to claim 1 , wherein the storage cavity includes a storage box configured to store the laundry treatment agent and the liquid inlet end communicates with the storage box.

6. The laundry treatment agent storage and dispensing device according to claim 5 , wherein the storage box is installed in the storage cavity of the storage housing in a drawable manner,
the storage box is provided with a storage liquid outlet end, and a one-way valve is installed on the storage liquid outlet end;
a column is arranged in the liquid outlet flow channel, and one end of the column extends into the storage cavity; and
when the storage box is pushed into the storage cavity of the storage housing, the one-way valve is configured to be opened by the column; the storage box is communicated with the liquid outlet flow channel, and the laundry treatment agents in the storage box flow into the liquid outlet flow channel.

Assignees

• Chongqing Haier Drum Washing Machine Co Ltd
• Haier Smart Home Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhao Zhiqiang
• Lv Peishi
• Xu Sheng
• Xing Yujing
• Song Huacheng

Classifications

• D06F39/02

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title

• D06F33/37

  of metering of detergents or additives · CPC title

• D06F39/022 Primary

  in a liquid state (D06F39/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F39/028

  Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments · CPC title

• D06F33/57

  of metering of detergents or additives · CPC title