Valve plug structure of sealing valve and cleaning-free washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11680357-B2
Application number	US-201916976282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2019
Priority date	Feb 27, 2018
Publication date	Jun 20, 2023
Grant date	Jun 20, 2023

Abstract

A sealing valve plug structure includes a valve plug column corresponding to the drain opening formed in the side wall of an inner drum, and a counterweight hinged to the upper end of the valve plug column. The sealing valve installation structure is installed on the side wall of the drum, and the reset spring is clamped between the sealing valve installation structure and the valve plug column. The counterweight is used to generate an action, under the action of centrifugal force, to open the drain opening, and the valve plug column is reset by the reset spring to make the valve plug block the drain opening, to thereby open and close the drain opening. A cleaning-free washing machine having an inner drum sealed by the sealing valve plug structure is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sealing valve plug structure for a washing machine including an inner drum having a drain opening formed in a side wall, the sealing valve plug structure comprising:
a valve plug column;
a counterweight being hinged to an upper end of the valve plug column;
a sealing valve installation structure for the side wall of the inner drum, and a reset spring between the sealing valve installation structure and the valve plug column;
wherein the sealing valve installation structure includes a support plate for installation on an inner side of the side wall of the inner drum, a middle part of the support plate includes a through hole corresponding to the drain opening formed in the side wall of the inner drum, and the support plate is configured so that a gap is formed between the support plate and the side wall of the inner drum so that there is a space for a valve plug of a sealing valve to move up and down,
an upper side of the support plate is provided with a mounting sleeve, and an inner through hole of the mounting sleeve and the through hole formed in the support plate are coaxially arranged, so that the valve plug column is coaxially arranged in the inner through hole and is configured to move up and down;
a side of the mounting sleeve is provided with an extending rib protruding horizontally outward, and an extending end of the extending rib is provided with a hinge hole having a horizontal axis, the counterweight and the extending rib are mounted via a pin through the hinge hole.

2. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 1 , wherein, the valve plug column is coaxially arranged at the drain opening, and a lower end of the valve plug column is provided with a valve plug protruding outwards in a radial direction.

3. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting sleeve is of a tube structure extending vertically, a lower end of the mounting sleeve is open, an upper end of the mounting sleeve is provided with a folding edge protruding horizontally inward, and an inner periphery of the folding edge is provided with an inner peripheral folding edge extending vertically downwardly to the lower end of the mounting sleeve,
an outer wall of the inner peripheral folding edge and an inner wall of the mounting sleeve are separated by a gap, to form a chamber for installation of the reset spring of the sealing valve.

4. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the counterweight is provided with a connecting rib protruding upward in an axial direction, an end of the connecting rib is connected to an upper end of the valve plug column in a hinging manner, a middle part of the connecting rib is overlapped and connected with the extending rib of the mounting sleeve via the pin at an overlapping position in a hinging manner.

5. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 4 , wherein an end of the connecting rib is provided with a rotating hole hinged to the upper end of the valve plug column, the rotating hole is a long-strip-shaped through hole extending along an axial direction of the connecting rib, to provide a space for the connecting rib to drive the valve plug column to move up and down when the counterweight rotates around the mounting sleeve.

6. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 5 , wherein an outer periphery diameter of an upper end of the valve plug is greater than a diameter of a lower end of the inner peripheral folding edge, and a height of the valve plug is less than a width of a gap between the support plate and the side wall of the inner drum.

7. A cleaning-free washing machine comprising the sealing valve plug structure according to claim 1 , comprising:
the inner drum, the inner drum being a sealed container after a drum opening is covered by a door cover;
a lifting rib, provided on the side wall of the inner drum, wherein the lifting rib is hollow inside and is communicated to an inside of the inner drum;
the drain opening, communicated to a hollow part of the lifting rib;
the sealing valve, arranged at the drain opening and inside the lifting rib,
wherein the sealing valve is provided with the sealing valve plug structure, and the washing machine is configured so that
when the inner drum rotates at a high speed, the valve plug of the sealing valve moves along a radial center direction of the inner drum under an action of centrifugal force to open the drain opening formed in the side wall of the inner drum.

8. The cleaning-free washing machine according to claim 7 , comprising:
a mounting cavity enclosed by the lifting rib is provided with two of the sealing valves correspondingly arranged, and the counterweights of the valve plug structures of the two sealing valves correspondingly extend in a direction towards each other.

9. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 2 , wherein,
a diameter of the valve plug increases from bottom to top, a radial width of an upper end of the valve plug is larger than a diameter of the drain opening, and a radial width of a lower end of the valve plug is smaller than the diameter of the drain opening.

10. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 3 , wherein the reset spring sleeves on the outer wall of the inner peripheral folding edge, an upper end of the reset spring abuts a lower side of the folding edge, and a lower end of the reset spring abuts a large end of the valve plug.

11. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 3 , wherein an outer wall of the valve plug column abuts an inner wall of the inner peripheral folding edge in a limiting manner.

12. The sealing valve plug structure according to claim 4 , wherein the extending end of the extending rib is higher than a top of the mounting sleeve, the extending end of the extending rib is provided with a slot, the slot is arranged along an extending direction of the extending rib, and the middle part of the connecting rib of the sealing valve is correspondingly inserted into the slot, the slot is provided with the hinge hole extending horizontally, and the middle part of the connecting rib is provided with the hinge hole corresponding overlapping, so as to implement hinged installation at the overlapping position via the pin.

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Washing Mach Co
• Qingdao Haier Smart Tech R & D Co Ltd
• Haier Smart Home Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Yimin
• Lao Chunfeng
• Hao Xinghui
• Wu Di
• Xu Sheng

Classifications

• F16K1/38

  of conical shape · CPC title

• D06F39/08

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

• F16K31/44

  Mechanical actuating means · CPC title

• D06F39/083 Primary

  Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements · CPC title

• F16K1/00

  Lift valves {or globe valves}, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces ({in combination with sliding valves F16K3/246, F16K3/267} ; diaphragm valves F16K7/00) · CPC title