US3710451A

US3710451A - Clothes dryer lint incinerator

Info

Publication number: US3710451A
Application number: US00129837A
Authority: US
Inventors: L Buck
Original assignee: Fedders Corp
Current assignee: Fedders Corp
Priority date: 1971-03-31
Filing date: 1971-03-31
Publication date: 1973-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-16

Abstract

An improved clothes drying machine of the forced air type is provided. The machine includes a centrifugal lint separator disposed in the machine air flow path downstream of the clothes receptacle which is adapted to impart a circular air flow to the lint-laden air stream entering the separator. An electrically heated coil is provided in the separator spaced radially outwardly of the separator inlet and outlet openings so that centrifugal force urges lint particles in the air stream over the coil where they are ignited and incinerated prior to entering the machine exhaust.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Buck {54] CLOTHES DRYER LINT INCINERATOR [75] Inventor: Leo V. l luc lr, Herrinjlll. 62548 [73] Assignee: Fedders Corporation, Edison, NJ. [22] Filed: March 31, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 129,837

{52] US. Cl .34/79 {51] Int. Cl ..F26b 21/06 {58] Field of Search ..34/72, 79, 82, 133, 139; 55/466 {56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 51 Jan. 16, 1973 Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Assistant Examiner-James C. Yeung Aztorney-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan and Kurucz [5 7] ABSTRACT An improved clothes drying machine of the forced air type is provided. The machine includes a centrifugal lint separator disposed in the machine air flow path downstream of the clothes receptacle which is adapted to impart a circular air flow to the lint-laden air stream entering the separator. An electrically heated coil is provided in the separator spaced radially outwardly of the separator inlet and outlet openings so that centrifugal force urges lint particles in the air stream over the coil where they are ignited and incinerated prior to entering the machine exhaust.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 15 I973 SHEET 2 BF 3 ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJAN 16 I975 SHEET 3 0F 3 I INVENTOR 16a 1/. EUCK BY 2w ATTORNEYS CLOTHES DRYER LINT INCINERATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a laundry drying machine and more particularly to a lint removal system for a forced air type of clothes dryer.

Heretofore, clothes drying machines have been provided with means for capturing lint from the lint-laden air circulating through the dryer. A typical prior art lint separator is described and illustrated in my commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,282 which issued on Aug. 13, 1957 for a Centrifugal Lint Separator for Laundry Machines. As is typical of prior art devices the laundry machine described in the referenced patent serves to separate the lint from the lint-laden drying air and collect the lint in a convenient location .for manual removal by the user of the machine.

The principal drawback of such prior art devices is that the lint must be periodically removed and the machine manually cleaned. Failure to do so not only reduces the efficiency of the dryer but also creates a potential fire hazard.

In view of the above, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved laundry drying machine of the forced air type which effectively constantly removes lint from the drying air stream and automatically disposes of it.

Another object is to provide a lint disposal system for a drying machine which may be incorporated into existing dryers with a minimum of modification required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other beneficial objects and advantages are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing a clothes dryer of the type comprising a housing containing a clothes receivingreceptacle mounted therein for rotation and having means for forcing a stream of air through the receptacle with a centrifugal separator which includes means for igniting the separated lint. The separator comprises a closed unit having inlet and outlet openings therein which communicate through suitable duets with an outlet from the clothes receptacle and the exhaust of the dryer. The inlet opening is provided with suitable fins to impart a circular air flow pattern to the lint-laden air stream entering the separator from the receptacle and the incinerating means is spaced radially outwardly of both the separator inlet and outlet openings.

The centrifugal force imparted on the lint particles within the stream by the circular air flow serves to drive the lint particles over the incinerator where ignition of the particles occurs. Thereafter, as the individual lint particles burn, centrifugal force keeps the burning lint particles away from the separatoroutlet until such time as the lint particles are substantially completely in cincrated whereafter the mass of the remaining ash and combustion products become negligible and no longer subjected to centrifugal force so that they may be washed out the separator outlet to the machine exhaustby the air stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes drying machine with which the present invention may be. associated;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the present lint separator and incinerator taken along reference line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational sectional view taken along reference line 5-5 of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a clothes dryer of the type generally described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,802,282 and 3,447,248 entitled respectively Centrifugal Lint Separator for Laundry Machines and Drive System for Clothes Dryers, both of which are commonly assigned with the present application. The machines disclosed in the cited patents have been modified to the extent necessary to show the present invention which will be described in detail forthwith. 1

The basic construction of the present dryer is generally the same as that disclosed in either of the referenced patents and thus, only those portions of the present dryer necessary to show the manner of adapting the present invention thereto will be described in detail.

Accordingly, it is deemed sufficient to state that the dryer is composed of a casing or housing 12, a control panel 14, and a hinged door 16 providing access to a clothes receiving cylindrical receptacle 18 mounted within the housing for rotation about a horizontal axis. Means 20 (partially shown in FIG. 5) are provided to force a stream of heated air through the clothes receptacle to effect drying of the clothes within the receptacle. The air passes through the receptacle and discharges through apertures 22 disposed in circular array around the forward wall 24 of the receptacle. The air follows a path indicated by the arrows to the lint separator and incinerator unit 26 which is horizontally mounted below the clothes receptacle. Q

As was previously stated, the various components parts and the arrangement of parts generally discussed above are well known anddefined in the dryer art. Having thus described the general environment within which the present invention may be utilized, a detailed description of the present lint separator and incinerator will now be undertaken referring in particular to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

The present lint separator is defined between a pair of generally parallel plates 28 and 30 separated and connected by a continuous wall member 32 which is suitably connected to the plates to form a sealed unit. As shown in FIG. 3, the wall member 32 is circular in plan over a major portion of its length. However, a pocket 34 is defined in the unit by the outward protrusion of a minor portion of the wall member. An outlet opening 36 is provided in plate 30 in the center of the circular area defined by wall member 32. Outlet 36 comprises a terminal end for the outlet duct 38 which in turn is connected to the exhaust 40 of the dryer. An inlet duct 42 which communicates with apertures 22 in the front wall of the rotating cylinder terminates in an annular inlet opening in the bottom plate 30 of the separator unit 26 concentric with and disposed about the outlet opening. That is, the inlet opening is defined in the annular space between the outlet duct 38 and the terminal end for the inlet duct 42.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of spaced apart vanes 46 extend across the inlet opening.44. The vanes 46 are designed to impart a circular motion concentric with the wall member to the lint-laden air which enters the separator unit 26 from the clothes receptacle 18 through duct 42 and apertures 22. To this end, each of the vanes 46 includes a radial portion 48 and a portion 50 cocked in a counterclockwise direction. It should be thus obvious that as air flows through the inlet opening 44 it will be deflected in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrows A.

As the lint-laden air swirls about the unit, centrifugal force throws the lint particles 52 in the air stream radially outwardly toward wall member 32. The lint-free remainder of the air stream is eventually drawn into the outlet 36 by virtue of the pressure differential between the dryer interior and exhaust. The outlet air flow path is shown by the arrows designated B.

A ceramic block 54 is mounted in pocket 34 and a coil of high electrical resistance wire 56, such as Nichrome wire, is mounted on the block and maintained in position by suitable insulators 58. The ends of coil 56 are connected to terminals 60 which, in turn, are wired for eventual connection to the electrical supply source when the dryer is plugged into a wall receptacle and turned on. The incinerating coil 56 may be operated at or near black heat temperature and thus, requires relatively low wattage. This is so because there is a constant air flow across the coil which keeps the coil relatively cool until such time as sufficient lint collects over the coil to block the air flow whereafter the temperature of the coil will rise sufficiently to ignite and incinerate the collected lint. To protect against overheating of the incinerator element 56, a safety thermostat may be provided.

As previously stated, as the lint particles 52 swirl about the separator unit 26 they are urged radially outwardly toward wall member 32 by centrifugal force. Eventually, the lint particles will be thrown into pocket 34 by virtue of the centrifugal force and will therefore pass over coil 56 where the individual particles are ignited. It should be remembered that there is a continuous air stream flowing within the separator unit so that the lint particles will be maintained in circular motion even after ignition takes place. So long as a particular lint particle has an appreciable mass, centrifugal force continues to urge the particle outwardly, against wall member 32 and away from outlet opening 36 thus precluding the possibility of an ignited lint particle from being exhausted. After the lint particle is incinerated, the residue ash and combustion gases (which have negligible masses) are drawn into the outlet by the I exhaust air B and washed out the machine exhaust. Thus, the present separator and incinerator requires no separate means for disposing of ashes or residue since this is all accomplished automatically through the normal sweeping effect of the air stream.

The present lint separator and incinerator may be used effectively with both gas and electric dryers.

Further, the overall efficiency of the associated dryer is increased when the present lint separator and incinerator is utilized since the dryer maintains a constant pressure drop across the system without any build-up of air resistance as lint collects as is the case with convencomprising: a housing; a clothes receptacle mounted for rotation within said housing; means for forcing a stream of air through said receptacle to an exhaust duct of said machine; a centrifugal lint separating unit mounted in said housing, said separator comprising a pair of spaced panels joined by a continuous wall member to form a sealed unit, a major portion of said unit wall member being generally circular in plan, the remaining minor portion of said wall member defining a pocket extending radially outwardly from said major wall member portion; first duct means extending between an air outlet in communication with said receptacle interior and the interior of said unit, said first duct including a terminal end defining an inlet opening into said unit; second duct means extending between the interior of said unit and said machine exhaust duct, said second duct including a terminal end defining an outlet opening from said unit; means disposed about said unit inlet opening whereby to impart a centrifugal flow to the lint-laden air stream entering said unit; and incinerator means disposed within said pocket spaced radially outwardly of said unit inlet and outlet openings.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first duct and second duct coaxially terminate at said unit, said outlet opening is disposed interiorly of said inlet opening, and means are provided for directly the air flow stream from said inlet in a circular flow pattern, generally concentric with said wall member.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said incinerating means comprises a coil of high resistance electrical wire and means adapted to connect said coil to an electrical supply when said dryer is connected to an electrical outlet.

Claims

1. A clothes drying machine of the forced air type comprising: a housing; a clothes receptacle mounted for rotation within said housing; means for forcing a stream of air through said receptacle to an exhaust duct of said machine; a centrifugal lint separating unit mounted in said housing, said separator comprising a pair of spaced panels joined by a continuous wall member to form a sealed unit, a major portIon of said unit wall member being generally circular in plan, the remaining minor portion of said wall member defining a pocket extending radially outwardly from said major wall member portion; first duct means extending between an air outlet in communication with said receptacle interior and the interior of said unit, said first duct including a terminal end defining an inlet opening into said unit; second duct means extending between the interior of said unit and said machine exhaust duct, said second duct including a terminal end defining an outlet opening from said unit; means disposed about said unit inlet opening whereby to impart a centrifugal flow to the lint-laden air stream entering said unit; and incinerator means disposed within said pocket spaced radially outwardly of said unit inlet and outlet openings.