Water-saving washing machine and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9982383-B2
Application number	US-201415103654-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A water-saving washing machine and a control method are provided. The washing machine includes a washing drum and an outer drum, where a circulating pipeline is arranged between an outer drum drainage outlet and an outer drum water inlet, a drainage pump and a main filter are arranged on the circulating pipeline, a pre-filter is further arranged on the circulating pipeline, the pre-filter is located between the drainage pump and the main filter, and a compactness of a filter screen of the pre-filter is lower than that of a filter screen of the main filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water-saving washing machine, comprising a washing drum and an outer drum, wherein a circulating pipeline is arranged between an outer drum drainage outlet and an outer drum water inlet, a drainage pump and a main filter are arranged on the circulating pipeline, a pre-filter is further arranged on the circulating pipeline, the pre-filter is located between the drainage pump and the main filter, and a compactness of a filter screen of the pre-filter is lower than that of a filter screen of the main filter;
wherein the pre-filter is provided with a first inlet, the first inlet is connected to an air pump through a pipeline, and the pipeline between the air pump and the first inlet is further provided with a check valve for controlling airflow to flow from the air pump to the pre-filter;
wherein the pre-filter is provided with an aeration device positioned between the first inlet and the filter screen of the pre-filter, the aeration device is a flat plate that fits to the pre-filter in cross-section shape, and the flat plate is evenly provided with a plurality of air holes.

2. The water-saving washing machine of claim 1 , wherein a second inlet is disposed before the filter screen of the pre-filter and is communicated with the drainage pump, a third inlet is disposed before the filter screen of the main filter, the pre-filter is provided with a first outlet before the filter screen of the pre-filter and is provided with a second outlet after the filter screen of the pre-filter, the main filter is provided with a third outlet before the filter screen of the main filter and is provided with a fourth outlet after the filter screen of the main filter, the second outlet is communicated with the third inlet, the fourth outlet is communicated with a water inlet of the washing drum, and the first outlet and the third outlet are communicated with a washing machine drainage pipe.

3. The water-saving washing machine of claim 2 , wherein a pipeline between the first outlet and the washing machine drainage pipe is provided with a first valve, a pipeline between the third outlet and the washing machine drainage pipe is provided with a second valve, and the first valve and the second valve are electric switching ball valves.

4. The water-saving washing machine of claim 1 , wherein inlets of the pre-filter and the main filter are positioned at lower parts, outlets of the pre-filter and the main filter are positioned at upper parts, a pore diameter of the filter screen of the main filter ranges from 0.001 μm to 0.1 μm, the main filter is an external-pressure ultrafiltration membrane, and a pore diameter of the filter screen of the pre-filter ranges from 10 μm to 300 μm.

5. The water-saving washing machine of claim 4 , wherein the pore diameter of the filter screen of the main filter ranges from 0.01 μm to 0.1 μm.

6. A control method of the water-saving washing machine of claim 1 , wherein a circulating filtration step is added in a washing and/or rinse process, the method comprises: starting the drainage pump, pumping, by the drainage pump, washing water or rinse water to the pre-filter for preliminary filtration by the filter screen of the pre-filter, and to the main filter for deep filtration by the filter screen of the main filter, so that small-particle impurities in the washing water or the rinse water are filtered out by the pre-filter and the main filter, and filtered water flows back to the outer drum through the outer drum water inlet for participation in washing or rinse again.

7. The control method of claim 6 , wherein the circulating filtration step at least comprises one intermediate cleaning process of the pre-filter and/or the main filter; the intermediate cleaning process comprises an air washing process in which air is introduced into the pre-filter and/or the main filter for cleaning the filter screen of the pre-filter and/or the filter screen of the main filter by means of bubble motion, explosion or vibration, and/or a water washing process in which water flow is introduced before the filter screens of the pre-filter and/or the filter screen of the main filter so that the water flow is discharged after the filter screens of the pre-filter and/or the filter screen of the main filter to clean out impurities on the filter screens of the pre-filter and/or the filter screen of the main filter by means of water flow scouring.

8. The control method of claim 7 , wherein the pre-filter and the main filter are controlled by turning on/off the air pump and turning on/off the valves for separately or simultaneously performing air washing and water washing, which specifically comprises:
turning on the air pump and the second valve for simultaneously performing air washing to the pre-filter and the main filter for 10 s-120 s, turning off the air pump and the second valve and turning on the drainage pump and the first valve for performing water washing to the pre-filter for 5 s-20 s, and turning off the first valve and turning on the second valve for performing water washing to the main filter for 10 s-60 s; or
turning on the air pump and the first valve for performing air washing to the pre-filter for 10 s-120 s, turning off the air pump and turning on the drainage pump for performing water washing to the pre-filter for 5 s-20 s, turning off the drainage pump and the first valve and turning on the air pump and the second valve for performing air washing to the main filter for 10 s-60 s, and turning off the air pump and turning on the drainage pump for performing water washing to the main filter for 10 s-60 s; or
turning on the air pump and the first valve for performing air washing to the pre-filter for 10 s-120 s, turning off the air pump and turning on the drainage pump for performing water washing to the pre-filter for 5 s-20 s, turning off the drainage pump and the first valve and turning on the air pump for performing air washing to the main filter for 5 s-20 s so that water flow inside the main filter is drained out from the third inlet; after the water flow inside the main filter is thoroughly drained out, turning on the second valve for 10 s-60 s so that water flow flows back to the main filter, where the second valve may be repeatedly turned on/off for many times; or
turning on the air pump and the second valve for simultaneously performing air washing to the pre-filter and the main filter for 10 s-120 s, turning off the second valve for 5 s-20 s so that water flow inside the pre-filter and the main filter is drained out from bottom until water flow is thoroughly drained out, turning on the second valve for 10 s-60 s so that water flow flows back to the main filter, where the second valve may be repeatedly turned on/off for many times; turning off the air pump and the second valve and turning on the drainage pump and the first valve for performing water washing to the pre-filter for 5 s-20 s, and turning off the first valve and turning on the second valve for performing water washing to the main filter for 10 s-60 s.

9. The control method of claim 6 , wherein the washing drum is internally provided with a turbidity detecting device for detecting turbidity of inside washing water or rinse water in real time, a circulating filtration procedure is started when a turbidity is less than or equal to a set value, otherwise the circulating filtration procedure is not started.

10. The water-saving washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the pre-filter is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet, the main filter is provided with a third inlet and a fourth outlet, the second inlet is connected to the drainage pump, the second outlet is connected to the third inlet, the fourth outlet is connected to the outer drum water in

Assignees

• Haier Group Corp
• Qingdao Haier Washing Mach Co

Inventors

• Xu Sheng
• Lao Chunfeng
• Peng Xiuwen
• Sun Liang
• Hao Shilong
• Li Yimin

Classifications

• D06F39/083

  Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements · CPC title

• D06F39/10 Primary

  Filtering arrangements · CPC title

• D06F2226/00

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F2232/00

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F39/006 Primary

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic