AU2015309202B2

AU2015309202B2 - Laundry dryer

Info

Publication number: AU2015309202B2
Application number: AU2015309202A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Diego Dal Ben; Andrea Giovannetti; Marco Santarossa; Alessandro Vian
Original assignee: Electrolux Appliances AB
Current assignee: Electrolux Appliances AB
Priority date: 2014-08-29
Filing date: 2015-07-29
Publication date: 2019-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-29
Also published as: CN106574426B; WO2016030118A1; AU2015309202A1; PL2990519T3; CN106574426A; EP2990519A1; EP2990519B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry dryer (1) comprising a dryer cabinet (2) and a drum (3) rotatably accommodated within said dryer cabinet. The dryer cabinet comprises a front bulkhead (70), a rear bulkhead (60), and a basement (24). The basement is realized in plastic material and includes an upper shell portion (24a) and a lower shell portion (24b) attached to the upper shell portion. The drum has a first end (3a) and a second end (3b). The first end is an open end facing said front bulkhead and being rotatably coupled to the same. The second end is fixedly closed by a back wall (8) which rotates unitarily with the drum. The second end faces said rear bulkhead and is rotatably coupled to the same. The laundry dryer comprises further: at least one first roller (10a) and at least one second roller (10b) provided within said dryer cabinet for rotatably supporting said drum; at least one first roller support (100a) to rotatably support said at least one first roller in proximity of said first end of said drum and at least one second roller support (100b) to rotatably support said at least one second roller in proximity of said second end of said drum. The front bulkhead and the rear bulkhead are each realized in plastic material. The at least one first roller support is provided either on one of the shell portions or in said front bulkhead. The at least one second roller support is provided on one of the shell portions or in said rear bulkhead.

Description

Technical field [001] The present invention relates to a laundry dryer having a dryer cabinet in which a drum is rotatably supported. The drum has a back wall facing a plastic rear bulkhead and a front end facing a plastic front bulkhead. Furthermore, the drum is supported by rollers.

Background of the invention [002] Laundry dryers typically have a bearing structure or cabinet which generally includes a basement on which a front wall and a rear wall, as well as lateral walls are mounted. In the dryer cabinet, accessible via a door, a laundry drum is mounted, rotatable around an axis. Such an axis can be - substantially - horizontal, vertical or tilted. The drum, where the laundry is stored in order to be dried, is actuated through an electric motor, for example by means of a drive belt, and it is rotatably supported in the front and rear areas thereof by means of pairs of wheels or rollers. In some other solutions, the drum is supported at the front part thereof through an abovementioned pair of rollers and at the rear part by a shaft, coaxial with the rotational axis of the drum. The drum in operation is made to rotate in order to cause agitation of the laundry items to be dried, which repeatedly tumble with the drum while being invested by a drying air flow.

[003] The dryer air flow is generated by an air generator, which includes a circuit for conveying a flow of drying air, including a duct along which preferably a fan forces the air into the drum, after the air itself has been heated. The hot air traverses the inside of the drum and is saturated with the moisture transferred by the laundry items contained therein, which items are thus progressively dried. The hot air is generated for example by means of an electrical resistance or using a heat pump.

[004] The hot air is generally introduced into the drum through the back of the same and the moist air exits from the drum through the front thereof, which is provided with a central opening, used - in case of front load machines - even with the aim of loading and unloading the laundry.

[005] In some prior art dryers, the drum practically consists of a cylindrical wall having open ends, and gaskets of large diameter are provided at the front and rear ends of the cylindrical wall. The laundry is therefore confined between the cylindrical wall, the door of the dryer and the back wall of the cabinet. This solution has several drawbacks, first of all the wear-and-tear of the large gasket and the continuous contact and friction between the laundry - which rotates - and the back wall of the cabinet - stationary. This movement may damage the laundry or cause entanglement of the latter. In addition, friction between

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 tumbling laundry and stationary back wall of the cabinet causes energy losses and undesired electrical power consumption to rotate the drum.

[006] In other known solutions, the drum includes a rear wall, which is configured as a separate piece with respect to the peripheral wall, and rigidly fixed thereto.

[007] For such dryers, for example the one disclosed in EP 2631354, an additional metal closing component, cylindrical-shaped, protruding towards the outside of the cabinet and coupled to an opening of the rear wall of the cabinet is provided in order to guarantee the passage of the drying air to the drum is provided.

[008] However, the construction of such rear wall of the cabinet is rather complex and requires many different components that have to be assembled together. This increases the overall costs of the final dryer.

[009] In addition, in some known dryers that include a drum having a back wall, the drum is rotatably supported by means of a shaft. However, the positioning of the shaft on the back wall of the drum, generally at the center of the same, causes some disadvantages. The first disadvantage lies in the fact that the drying air flow into the drum, flow that comes from the back wall, is substantially prevented from entering the drum in the area where the shaft and its bearing are arranged. The flow of the drying air is therefore not optimal. Furthermore, the presence of a shaft implies that, in particular when the rotation of the drum is at relatively high speed, a high force is applied on a limited volume around the shaft itself, imposing constraints in the dryer construction, in order to reinforce the overall structure.

Summary of the invention [010] The present invention relates to a laundry dryer whose design is improved and aiming for achieving a good compromise between performances of the dryer and costs/resources for producing the same.

[Oil] The present invention also seeks to provide a dryer that requires a reduced number of components with respect to prior art dryers, simplifying the assembly of the same.

[012] The present invention further seeks to improve distribution of drying air flow within a drum containing laundry to be dried.

[013] Last, but not least, the dryer of the invention is aiming for solving the aforementioned problem with reference to the prior art of record.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [014] According to an aspect, the invention relates to a laundry dryer comprising:

• a dryer cabinet, comprising a front wall and a rear wall, said front wall and rear wall comprising a front bulkhead and a rear bulkheads, respectively, and a basement, said basement being realized in plastic material and including an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion attached to the upper shell portion, said basement being adapted for the mounting at said front wall and said rear wall;

• a drum rotatably accommodated within said dryer cabinet, said drum having a first end and a second end, said first end being an open end facing said front bulkhead and being rotatably coupled to the same and said second end being fixedly closed by a back wall which rotates unitarily with the drum, said second end facing said rear bulkhead and being rotatably coupled to the same;

• at least one first roller and at least one second roller provided within said dryer cabinet for rotatably supporting said drum;

• at least one first roller support to rotatably support said at least one first roller in proximity of said first end of said drum and at least one second roller support to rotatably support said at least one second roller in proximity of said second end of said drum;

• said front bulkhead and said rear bulkhead are each realized in plastic material as an integral element; and • said at least one first roller support is provided either on one of the shell portions of said basement or on said front bulkhead and said at least one second roller support is provided on one of the shell portion of said basement or on said rear bulkhead.

[015] It should also be observed that, in the present description and in the attached claims, the terms plastic material and the like, are used to indicate any plastic, i.e. polymeric or synthetic material, or based on plastic, i.e. polymeric or synthetic material, possibly added with fillers suitable to improve the functional and robustness characteristics thereof, such as minerals, textile synthetic fillers and so on and so forth.

[016] Furthermore, when relative terms such as front, back, rear, lateral, top, bottom, etc. are used, they refer to the normal operational position of the laundry dryer when in use, e.g. located on a floor which usually is (substantially) horizontal. The location of a door of the laundry dryer, generally coupled to a front wall of the cabinet in order to access the drum, defines the front of the dryer itself. Given the horizontal plane on which the laundry is located, top and bottom - as their normal common meaning - refer to the position of an object along a vertical axis.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [017] With the term laundry dryer or dryer both an appliance having drying function only, or a combined washer-dryer appliance, which is capable of performing both washing and drying cycles, are meant.

[018] The laundry dryer of the invention includes a drying chamber, such as a drum, in which the load, e.g. clothes or other laundry, to be dried is placed. The drum of the dryer of the invention is a closed drum, i.e. it includes a mantle, for example cylindrically shaped, one of whose ends is closed by a back wall or a flange, which rotates as a single piece together with the mantle when the drum is driven into rotation. The connection between the mantle and the back wall or flange can be of any type, and it depends on the material in which mantle and/or back wall or flange are realized. The back wall of the drum is preferably perforated, e.g. it includes a plurality of apertures, so that air to dry clothes or any other laundry can be introduced through the rear wall.

[019] The drum is part of a process air circuit, in particular a closed-loop circuit in case of a condensed dryer or an open circuit in case of a vented dryer, which in both cases includes a process air conduit for channeling a stream of air to dry the load. The process air circuit is connected with its two opposite ends to the drum. More specifically, hot dry air is fed into the drying chamber, flowing over the laundry, and the resulting humid (and to a lower temperature cooled down) air exits the same. In case of a closed-loop drying air circuit, the humid air stream, rich in water vapor, is then fed into a humidity removal element, such as a heat exchanger. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the humid air is fed to an evaporator of a heat pump system, where the moist process air is further cooled down and the humidity present therein condenses. The resulting cool dry air is then heated up before re-entering again in the drying chamber by means of a hot drying air generator, which can be for example a condenser of the heat pump system, and the whole loop is repeated till the end of the drying cycle. Alternatively or in addition, to remove humidity from humid air stream exiting the drum, an air-air type heat exchanger may be used. Such heat exchanger receives ambient air as cooling fluid to cool down and remove humidity from humid air stream passing therethrough. Furthermore, the hot drying air generator may comprise an electrical or gas powered heating device. In a vented dryer, ambient air is taken into the dryer via an inlet duct, such air is heated up by a hot drying air generator, such as condenser of the heat pump system and/or an electrical or gas powered heating device, before entering the drum. Heated air flowing through and on humid laundry contained in the drum, removes humidity from laundry. Humid air stream exiting the drum may be optionally dehumidified by an evaporator of a heat pump system, or an air-air type heat exchanger as explained above, before being exhausted outside the dryer.

[020] Thus, the process air conduit to channel the flow of drying air includes an air passage that brings such drying air from the hot drying air generator to the inside of the drum from its rear end, i.e. through its back

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 wall. In other possible solutions of laundry dryer, air is fed from the front of the drum and flows in direction of the rear of the drum.

[021] The dryer furthermore includes a cabinet or bearing structure, comprising preferably a basement, a front wall and a rear wall. A power cord, provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains. The front wall is advantageously provided with a through opening, at which a door is mounted to access the drum in order to store the laundry in, or remove the laundry from the drum. The rear wall of the cabinet forms a rear bulkhead, while the front wall of the cabinet forms a front bulkhead. Preferably, a rim of the rear drum end abuts against the rear bulkhead and even more preferably a gasket is interposed therein between; as well as a rim of the front drum end abuts against the front bulkhead with also preferably a gasket interposed therein between.

[022] The basement rests on a floor and its vertical distance from the floor may be advantageously adjusted through regulating feet provided on the lower surface of the basement facing the floor.

[023] According to the invention, the rear and front bulkheads are realized in plastic material, preferably each as a single unitary element. The fact that the bulkheads are realized in plastic allows a minimization of the number of elements included in the dryer of the invention. Indeed, with a single producing process, for example with the same molding process, more preferably with an injection molding process, each of the bulkheads can be realized including a plurality of additional functional elements for the dryer that do not have to be realized separately and then assembled. Advantageously, the front and rear bulkhead substantially constitutes the majority of the front wall and rear wall, respectively, of the dryer's cabinet.

[024] The front bulkhead includes a first surface facing the interior of the cabinet, and a second surface which is preferably covered by a panel, the latter forming the external front surface of the cabinet. In the front bulkhead, the aperture is realized to access the drum.

[025] The rear bulkhead comprises a surface which also faces the exterior of the cabinet. Another opposite surface of the rear bulkhead faces the interior of the cabinet, and also the back wall of the drum. Further, also the rear bulkhead may include one or more apertures, which are more preferably closed by lid(s) and/or cover(s) as detailed below. Preferably, the rear bulkhead does not include panels covering the surface facing the exterior.

[026] Furthermore, the basement, to which front and rear bulkhead are connected, is also realized in plastic material and it is formed by two elements, a lower and an upper shell which are fixed one onto the other. The two shells design allows an easier realization of a conduit for the process air inside the basement itself, in other

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 words the process air conduit includes a portion housed in the basement and this portion is formed by the junction of the upper and lower shells together.

[027] Preferably, the drying air generator, e.g. the heat pump system, is located within the basement.

[028] Within the cabinet, the drum is rotatably mounted for rotating according to a substantially horizontal or tilted rotational axis. Drum support element(s), in the form of rollers, for rotatably supporting the drum are provided for within the cabinet. In order to properly support the drum, at least one first roller is present at the front of the drum, e.g. in proximity of the door to access the drum, and at least one second roller is present at the rear of the drum, e.g. in proximity of the back wall. Advantageously, rollers comprise a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material. In this way noise generated by the contact between drum and rollers is reduced.

[029] According to the invention, at least one first roller support for said at least one first (or front) roller is present at the front bulkhead or at the basement of the laundry dryer and at least one second roller support for said at least one second (or rear) roller is present at the rear bulkhead or at the basement. Indeed, the fact that basement and bulkheads are realized in plastic material, allows an easy design of the location of the rollers and their roller supports, that can be easily either integrally formed as a unitary piece with the bulkhead/basement, or attached to the same without complex connections, which are generally present when metallic material are used. Plastic can be shaped easily in any forms or designs, so substantially any support can be casted or inserted in the bulkheads/basement.

[030] A reduced number of elements also further reduces the time for the laundry dryer assembly.

[031] The bulkhead(s) and/or the basement thus have/has also the function to hold one drum support.

[032] Advantageously, said at least one first roller support and said at least one second roller support are provided either:

- in said front bulkhead and in said rear bulkhead, respectively;

- both in said upper shell portion of the basement;

- both in said lower shell portion of the basement;

- said at least one first roller support in said upper or lower shell portion of the basement and said at least one second roller support in the other of said upper or lower shell portion of the basement;

- the at least one first roller support in the front bulkhead and the at least one second roller support on either the upper or the lower shell portion of the basement; or

2015309202 01 Oct 2019

- the at least one second roller support in the rear bulkhead and the at least one first roller support on either the upper or the lower shell portion of the basement.

[033] Due to the fact that the basement is divided in two shells, the at least one first and at least one second roller can be attached to any of those, depending on the location of the at least one first and at least one second roller supports.

[034] Preferably, said hot drying air generator includes a condenser of a heat pump system.

[035] Heat pump dryers generate temperatures lower than dryers including electrical or gas powered air heating devices. Therefore it is preferred to equip a dryer having a plastic, i.e. polymeric, rear and front bulkhead with a heat pump system as hot drying air generator, so as to avoid any possible melting of the plastic bulkhead due to higher local temperatures at which different hot drying air generators may work. The same applies to the basement, which is also formed in plastic and thus does not withstand very high temperatures unless a special protection is used to protect the plastic material or a special temperature-resistant plastic is used for the fabrication of the components which are in direct contact or very close to the heater.

[036] More preferably, said basement is adapted to accommodate a condenser and an evaporator of said heat pump system and forms a drying air passage.

[037] As seen, the basement has an upper shell and a lower shell, said basement defining an additional air passage for said drying air flow. The use of plastic allows creating in a substantially free manner different shapes. In this way, the outline of the air channel can be optimized because the most suitable shape of the channel can be formed, enhancing the efficiency of the dryer.

[038] Preferably, said at least one first and/or second roller support(s) are/is formed integrally with said front bulkhead or rear bulkhead, respectively, of the dryer cabinet or to one of the shell portions of said basement.

[039] The usage of plastic material as the building material of the bulkheads and the basement allows an easy integration of the at least one first and at least one second roller supports in the bulkhead and/or basement themselves. The basement and the roller support and/or bulkheads and the roller support can be integrally formed as a unitary piece by a molding process, for example.

[040] In this way, assembly of different parts is minimized.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [041] In an embodiment, said rear bulkhead includes a drum aperture facing the back wall of the drum and said rear wall further includes a rear cover connected to said rear bulkhead for closing said drum aperture so that said rear bulkhead and said rear cover form an air passage for said drying air flow to the drum back wall.

[042] As mentioned above, in the process air circuit, the process air exits the drum, preferably passes through the basement where generally the hot air generator is located and then re-enters the drum. Preferably, a portion of the process air circuit is formed in the rear bulkhead as well.

[043] In order to form the air passage to introduce the drying air from the hot drying air generator into the drum, the rear wall of the cabinet further includes a rear cover which closes a drum opening preferably realized in the bulkhead itself, which faces the back wall of the drum, so that a close air passage for the drying air is so realized. The rear cover and bulkhead form a closed air passage for drying air exiting the basement and entering the drum. Preferably, such air is blown by a fan, which might be for example also housed in the bulkhead itself. Thus, in this embodiment the rear wall of the cabinet is substantially realized in two pieces, the bulkhead and the cover. The cover on one side faces the back wall of the drum and on the other side the exterior of the cabinet. The combination of the bulkhead and the cover forms the outer rear surface of the cabinet of the dryer. No further panels are preferably present covering said external rear surface.

[044] The rear portion of the dryer thus includes only a few elements in order to form the complete rear wall of the dryer cabinet.

[045] Advantageously, said laundry dryer includes an impeller of a fan and a fan housing, said fan housing including a fan aperture for accessing said impeller.

[046] More preferably, said rear bulkhead includes a portion of said fan housing, said portion including said fan aperture.

[047] Preferably, the air is blown by a fan preferably located within the rear bulkhead and more preferably in the air passage formed in the rear bulkhead. In order to access the fan or the impeller of the same, a fan aperture is formed in the rear bulkhead. The rear bulkhead thus forms a portion of a fan housing where the impeller of the fan is located, again minimizing the number of elements of the rear wall.

[048] More preferably, said rear bulkhead includes an integrally formed bulge portion facing said rear back wall of said drum and said rear wall includes a lid connected to said rear bulkhead to cover said fan aperture.

[049] Instead of having a drum aperture and a fan aperture, in an embodiment the bulkhead includes a single aperture, the fan aperture, and a lid, which covers such a fan aperture. In this embodiment, the air passage for

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 the drying air from the basement to the drum is formed by the rear bulkhead, which also preferably hosts the fan, and the lid which closes the fan aperture forming a closed passage. The air passage is thus substantially a closed cavity formed in the rear bulkhead.

[050] Alternatively, said fan aperture is covered by said rear cover which extends to cover both said drum aperture and said fan aperture.

[051] In this different embodiment, both apertures, the drum aperture and the fan aperture are present in the rear bulkhead, however in order to limit the number of components of the rear wall, the rear cover covers both of them, i.e. the cover extends widely enough to cover both apertures.

[052] In an advantageous embodiment, said at least one first roller support and/or said at least one second roller support include/includes a bracket for the mounting of said at least one first roller or said at least one second roller.

[053] Alternatively, or in addition, said at least one first roller support and/or said at least one second roller support include/includes a boss for the mounting of said at least one first roller and/or said at least one second roller.

Brief description of the drawings [054] Further advantages of the present invention will be better understood with non-limiting reference to the appended drawings, where:

- Fig. lisa perspective view of a laundry dryer realized according to the present invention;

- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the laundry dryer of Fig. 1 with an element of the casing removed for showing some internal components;

- Fig. 3 is a perspective view, in a disassembled configuration, of the basement of the dryer of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2;

- Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of a portion of the dryer of the invention;

- Fig. 5 is a perspective view partially disassembled of the rear wall of the dryer of the invention of Fig. 4;

- Fig. 6 is a side view of the rear wall of Fig. 5;

- Fig. 7 is a perspective exploded view of a second embodiment of a portion of the dryer of the invention;

2015309202 01 Oct 2019

- Figs. 8a - 8i are schematic representations of different embodiments of the dryer of the invention;

- Figs. 9a and 9b are perspective views partially exploded of an embodiment of the dryer of invention corresponding to Fig. 8b;

- Figs. 10a and 10b are perspective views partially exploded of an embodiment of the dryer of invention corresponding to Fig. 8c;

- Fig. 11 is a lateral view partially exploded of an additional embodiment of the dryer of the invention; and

- Fig. 12 is a simplified view of some elements of the dryer of the invention.

Detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention [055] With initial reference to Figs. 1 and 2, a laundry dryer realized according to the present invention is globally indicated with 1.

[056] Laundry dryer 1 comprises an outer box casing or cabinet 2, preferably but not necessarily parallelepiped-shaped, and a drying chamber, such as a drum 3, for example having the shape of a hollow cylinder, for housing the laundry and in general the clothes and garments to be dried. The drum 3 is preferably rotatably fixed to the cabinet 2. Access to the drum 3 is achieved for example via a door 4, preferably hinged to cabinet 2, which can open and close an opening 4a realized on the cabinet itself.

[057] More in detail, cabinet 2 generally includes a front wall 20, a rear wall 21 and two sidewalls 25, all mounted on a basement 24. Preferably, the basement 24 is realized in plastic material. Preferably, basement 24 is molded via an injection molding process. Preferably, on the front wall 20, the door 4 is hinged so as to access the drum. The cabinet, with its walls, defines the volume of the laundry dryer 1. Advantageously, basement 24 includes an upper and a lower shell portion 24a, 24b (visible in figure 3 detailed below). The basement 24 rests on a floor and its vertical distance from the floor may be advantageously adjusted through regulating feet 46 provided on the lower surface of the basement facing the floor.

[058] The dryer 1, and in particular basement 24, defines a horizontal plane (X,Y) which is substantially the plane of the ground on which the dryer 1 is situated, thus it is considered to be substantially horizontal, and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the plane (X,Y).

[059] Laundry dryer 1 also preferably comprises an electrical motor assembly 50 for rotating, on command, revolving drum 3 along its axis inside cabinet 2. Door 4 and electrical motor assembly 50 are common parts in the technical field and are considered to be known; therefore they will not be described in detail.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [060] Further, laundry dryer 1 may include an electronic central control unit (not shown) which controls both the electrical motor assembly 50 and other components of the dryer 1 to perform, on command, one of the user-selectable drying cycles preferably stored in the same central control unit. The programs as well other parameters of the laundry dryer 1, or alarm and warning functions can be set and/or visualized in a control panel 11, preferably realized in a top portion of the dryer 1, such as above door 4.

[061] With reference to Figures 2, 4, 7 and 12, the rotatable drum 3 includes a mantle, having preferably a substantially cylindrical, tubular body 3c, which is preferably made of metal material and is arranged inside the cabinet 2 and apt to rotate around a general rotational axis R which can be horizontal, i.e. parallel to the (X,Y) plane, or tilted with respect to the latter. The mantle 3c defines a first end 3a and a second end 3b and the drum 3 is so arranged that the first end 3a (including a circular front rim 3f) of the mantle 3c is faced to the laundry loading/unloading opening 4a realized on the front wall 20 of the cabinet 2 and the door 4, while the second end 3b has also a rim 3e which shows a circular shape.

[062] The second or rear end 3b of the drum 3 (including rim 3e) is closed by a back wall 8.

[063] Preferably, drum back wall 8 is faced to the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 and is permanently and rigidly coupled to the second end 3b of mantle 3c of the drum 3 so as to close said second end 3b. Back wall 8 forms, together with lateral mantle 3c, a substantially cylindrical, cup-shaped rigid container structured for housing the laundry to be dried. Preferably the drum back wall 8 is coupled to the circular rim 3e second end 3b of mantle 3c of the drum 3.

[064] In a preferred embodiment, the rotatable drum 3 is formed only by two bodies joined together, one of said two bodies being the mantle 3c and the other of said two bodies being the back wall 8 which is permanently fixed to the rear end 3b of said mantle 3c and rotates with the latter when drum 3 rotates.

[065] Preferably, the back wall 8 is furthermore suitably perforated so as to allow a stream of drying air to flow through the back wall 8 of the tubular shaped body of the drum 3.

[066] The perforated portion of back wall 8 is located approximately at the center of the back wall 8 so as to be substantially coaxial to the longitudinal reference axis R of the rotatable drum 3, and is preferably substantially circular in shape. The remaining portion of the back wall 8, including an outer rim 8a thereof, is not perforated. Perforations in the back wall 8 will be called, in the following, vents 65.

[067] Dryer 1 additionally includes a process air circuit which comprises the drum 3 and a process air conduit 18, depicted as a plurality of arrows showing the path flow of a process air stream through the dryer 1 (see

2015309202 01 Oct 2019

Figures 3, 4 and 7). In the basement 24, process air conduit 18 is formed by the connection of the upper shell

24a and the lower shell 24b. Process air conduit 18 is preferably connected with its opposite ends to the two opposite sides of drum 3, i.e. first and second rear end 3a, 3b of mantle 3c. Process air circuit 18 also includes a fan or blower 12 (shown in Fig. 3).

[068] The dryer 1 of the invention additionally comprises a hot drying air generator, that in the depicted embodiment includes a condenser of a heat pump. The heat pump system 30 includes a first heat exchanger (called also condenser) 31 and a second heat exchanger (called also evaporator) 32 (see Figure 3). Heat pump 30 also includes a refrigerant closed circuit (partly depicted) in which a refrigerant fluid flows, when the dryer 1 is in operation, cools off and may condense in correspondence of the condenser 31, releasing heat, and warms up, in correspondence of the second heat exchanger (evaporator) 32, absorbing heat. A compressor 33 receives refrigerant in a gaseous state from the evaporator 32 and supplies the condenser 31, thereby closing the refrigerant cycle. In the following the heat exchangers are named either condenser and evaporator or first and second heat exchanger, respectively. More in detail, the heat pump circuit connects via piping 35 (see Fig. 3) the second heat exchanger (evaporator) 32 via the compressor 33 to the condenser 31. The outlet of condenser 31 is connected to the inlet of the evaporator 32 via an expansion device (not visible), such as a choke, a valve or a capillary tube.

[069] Preferably, in correspondence of evaporator 32, the laundry dryer 1 of the invention may include a condensed-water canister (also not visible) which collects the condensed water produced, when the dryer 1 is in operation, inside evaporator 32 by condensation of the surplus moisture in the process air stream arriving from the drying chamber (i.e. drum) 3. The canister is located at the bottom of the evaporator 32. Preferably, through a connecting pipe and a pump (not shown in the drawings), the collected water is sent in a reservoir located in correspondence of the highest portion of the dryer 1 so as to facilitate a comfortable manual discharge of the water by the user of the dryer 1.

[070] The condenser 31 and the evaporator 32 of the heat pump 30 are located in correspondence of the process air conduit 18 formed in the basement 24 (see Figure 3).

[071] In case of a condense-type dryer - as depicted in the appended figures - where the air process circuit is a closed loop circuit, the condenser 31 is located downstream of the evaporator 32. The air exiting the drum 3 enters the conduit 18 and reaches the evaporator 32 which cools down and dehumidifies the process air. The dry cool process air continues to flow through the conduit 18 till it enters the condenser 31, where it is warmed up by the heat pump 30 before re-entering the drum 3.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [072] It is to be understood that in the dryer 1 of the invention, an air heater, such as an electrical heater, can also be present, in addition to the heat pump 30. In this case, heat pump 30 and heater can also work together to speed up the heating process (and thus reducing the drying cycle time). In the latter case, preferably condenser 31 of heat pump 30 is located upstream the heater. Appropriate measures should be provided to avoid the electric heater to fuse plastic components of the dryer 1.

[073] With reference to Figures 2, 9b, 10b and 11, the front rim 3f of drum 3, e.g. the circular front rim of the substantially cylindrical mantle 3c, is furthermore coupled in preferably substantially airtight and axially rotating manner to the front wall 20 of cabinet 2, preferably with the interposition of a first circular sealing gasket (not depicted). Front wall 20 is preferably coupled to basement 24. Front wall 20 includes a front bulkhead 70 where the opening 4a for the door 4 is realized and to which the drum 3 is coupled for rotation. The front bulkhead 70 is then preferably covered by a panel 20a defining the external surface of the cabinet 2. Thus the front bulkhead includes a surface facing the drum and the interior of the cabinet 2 and an opposite surface covered by front panel 20a.

[074] With reference to Figs. 4 to 7, the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 includes a supporting panel or rear bulkhead 60. The back wall 8 of drum 3 substantially faces the rear bulkhead 60 and is coupled in substantially airtight and axially rotating manner to it with the interposition of a second circular sealing gasket 62. Front circular gasket (not shown) and rear circular sealing gasket 62 are preferably substantially coaxial to the longitudinal rotational axis R of the drum 3.

[075] The rear bulkhead 60, as well as the front bulkhead 70, are made in a plastic, for instance polymeric, material by means, for instance, of an injection molding process.

[076] A power cord (not shown in the drawings), provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet through a passage 45 and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains.

[077] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 includes only two elements, the rear bulkhead 60 and a cover 61 or a lid 610, simplifying the construction of the back wall 21 of the cabinet 2. In particular, the rear bulkhead 60 includes a first surface 60a facing interior of the cabinet 2, such as the back wall 8 of the drum 3, and a second surface 60b facing the exterior or the outside of the cabinet 2. Optionally, the rear bulkhead 60 includes at least a portion of a, more preferably a whole, fan housing 150 to house an impeller (not depicted) of the fan 12 (part of it shown in Fig. 3) of the process air circuit.

[078] Two possible embodiments of the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 of the dryer 1 are envisaged.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [079] A first embodiment is now described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. In the depicted laundry dryer 1, the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 forms a rear bulkhead 60 which faces the whole back wall 8 of the drum 3, and it is realized as a single, unitary, piece. Preferably, the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 includes also a fan housing 150, covered by a lid 610 which is attached, in a detachable manner, to the rear bulkhead 60. Thus a fan aperture 61a is formed in the bulkhead 60 which is closed by the lid 610, fan aperture used to access the fan 12, and in particular an impeller of the same (not visible in the appended drawings shown in Figs. 4 to 6). The aperture 61a is located substantially below the location of the back wall 8 and faces the interior of the cabinet 2, in this example, the basement 24 and more preferably an outlet 19 of the air from the basement 24. The rear bulkhead 60 further includes a portion facing the back wall 8 of the drum 3 having preferably a substantially circular central bulge 141 which protrudes outwardly (when assembled within the cabinet 2).

[080] A power cord (not shown in the drawings), provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet through a passage 45 and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains.

[081] As can be seen clearly in Figs. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the aperture 61a, when the rear wall 21 of the cabinet 2 is assembled, is closed by the lid 610.

[082] Furthermore, as illustrated in the above example, the whole fan housing 150 is realized within the rear wall 21 and it is composed by a first cup-shaped portion 142 (which belongs to the rear bulkhead 60) and the lid 610.

[083] The first cup-shaped face 142 is provided with a through opening 142a, in the example shown circular, for housing the relevant shaft (not shown) of the fan 12 having an impeller (not shown). Of course, the impeller is housed in the housing 150. The same opening 142a is also used for the inlet air to enter the fan 12. Therefore, in the process air conduit 18, air exits the basement from outlet 19, where it has been heated and/or dried by the drying air generator - heat pump 30 -, and enters into the fan housing 150. From the fan housing 150, which is a closed element being the fan aperture 61a closed by lid 610, a conduit portion formed by the rear bulkhead 60 and the lid 610 channels air to the central bulge 141 from where air enters into the drum 3 via the back wall 8.

[084] Coming back to Figure 4, a groove 144 is preferably provided outside an outline of the central bulge 141. The groove 144 is preferably apt to house the aforementioned sealing gasket 62 (see above). It is obvious for the man skilled in the art that the groove 144 could be replaced by a gasket supporting collar which protrudes from the inner face of the rear bulkhead 60.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [085] The sealing gasket 62 is preferably encircled and fitted/recessed into the groove 144, and is suitably shaped/dimensioned so as to permanently come in abutment against the rear rim 3e of the rotatable drum 3 without interruption all around the perimeter of the latter, so as to avoid any air leakage between the rear rim

3e of rotatable drum 3 and the supporting rear bulkhead 60.

[086] In the example shown, the drum 3 is preferably structured for being rotatably supported by a plurality of rollers (only rear rollers 10b are shown in Figs. 4-6) which are arranged - off-axis with respect to the general rotational axis R of the drum 3 - approximately at the two axial ends 3a, 3b of the drum 3, with their rotation axis substantially parallel to the general rotational axis R of the drum 3, so as to allow the tubular body of the drum 3 to rotate about the longitudinal reference or general rotational axis R inside the cabinet 2. Preferably, two of such rollers 10a are located at the front end 3a of the drum 3 and two other of such rollers 10b are located at the back end 3b of the drum 3.

[087] The location of these rollers will be better detailed below.

[088] A second embodiment is now described with reference to Figs. 7. Elements which are identical in the first and second embodiment will not be further described. In this second embodiment, the rear bulkhead 60 includes a through drum aperture 64 located in front of the back wall 8 of the drum 3, thus from this drum aperture 64 the back wall 8 is visible. Further, the rear wall includes a cover 61 which is coupled to the rear bulkhead 60 in order to close aperture 64. In this embodiment, the rear wall further includes the fan housing 150 having a similar shape as in the first embodiment. As in the precedent embodiment, preferably the rear bulkhead 60 includes a portion of the fan housing 150, for example the first cup-shaped portion 142 defining aperture 61a. However in this embodiment, the cover 61, by means of one of its portions 143, closes both through drum aperture 64 and fan aperture 61a, therefore forming, together with the first portion 142, the housing for the fan 150. In this case, the rear bulkhead 60 does not include, or includes a limited, central bulge 141. The bulge in turn is formed in the cover 61 which comprises a central bulge 146.

[089] A power cord (not shown in the drawings), provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet through a passage 45 and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains.

[090] In a different embodiment, not depicted, the rear wall 21 includes both cover 61 and lid 610 as two separate pieces covering drum aperture 64 and fan aperture 61a respectively.

[091] Also in the second embodiment, the groove 144 is formed so as preferably to house the aforementioned sealing gasket 62.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [092] In this embodiment, in the process air conduit 18, air exits the basement from outlet 19 and enters into the fan housing 150. From the fan housing, closed by cover 61, a conduit portion channels air to the central bulge 146 from where air enters into the drum 3 via the back wall 8. The conduit portion is thus formed by the rear bulkhead 60 and the cover 61.

[093] Also in this second embodiment, the drum 3 is preferably structured for being rotatably supported by a plurality of rollers which are arranged in an analogous manner as in the first embodiment of Figs. 4-6.

[094] Regardless on the embodiment, in other words regardless of the shape of the rear wall 21, the drum 3 of the laundry dryer according to the invention is supported by at least one roller at the front of the drum and by at least one roller at the rear of the drum, as depicted in Fig. 12. The rollers define a rotational axis of the drum and the drum is supported on them. Preferably, motor 50 drives a belt (not visible in the appended drawings) so that the drum 3 is rotated. Supporting rollers 10a, 10b are thus preferably idle rollers.

[095] The one or more rollers at the front 3a of the drum 3 will be all identified with reference number 10a and the one or more rollers at the rear 3b of the drum 3 will be all identified with reference number 10b. Although any number of front 10a or rear rollers 10b is encompassed by the present invention, generally two front rollers 10a and two back rollers 10b are present.

[096] Although in the described dryers 1 of Figures 4-7, two rollers are connected to the rear bulkhead, this is only one of the possible embodiments of the invention.

[097] With now reference to Figs. 8a-8i, a schematic representation of nine embodiments of the supporting rollers configuration is depicted. In all configurations, for each roller, a roller support is present to connect the roller to the cabinet 2. At least one first roller support is provided to support the at least one front roller 10a and at least a second roller support is provided to support the rear roller 10b. Of course in case more than one rear and/or more than one front roller is present, more than one front and/or rear roller support is present as well, in other words the number of roller supports is preferably equal to the number of rollers. Advantageously, rollers 10a, 10b comprise a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material. In this way noise generated by the contact between drum and rollers is reduced.

[098] In the dryer of the invention, the roller supports, both the rear and the front roller support, are provided on one of the shell portions 24a, 24b of said basement 24 or in said front 70 or rear bulkhead 60. More specifically, the front roller support can be provided either in the first or front bulkhead 70 or in one of the shell portions 24a, 24b; while the second or rear roller support is provided either in the second or rear bulkhead 60 or in one of the shell portions 24a, 24b.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [099] In the following, for clarity and to distinguish the different embodiments, the front or first roller supports will be called 100a and the second or rear roller support 100b, however first and second roller support can be also identical in their shape and realization. Furthermore, in the schematic representation, a single roller 10a and roller support 100a at the front of the drum 3 are depicted as well as a single roller 10b and roller support 100b at the rear of the drum.

[100] Said at least one first roller support 100a can thus be provided:

- In said front bulkhead 70;

- In said upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24; or

- In the lower shell portion 24b of the basement;

[101] While said at least one second roller support 100b can be provided:

- In said rear bulkhead 60;

- In said upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24; or

- In the lower shell portion 24b of the basement.

[102] Given the first and second roller supports then all combinations are possible:

- First roller support 100a provided in said front bulkhead 70 and said second roller support 100b in said rear bulkhead 60, as depicted in Fig. 8a;

- First roller support 100a and second roller support 100b both provided in said upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 8b;

- First roller support 100a and second roller support 100b both provided in said lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 8c;

- First roller support 100a provided in said upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24 and said second roller support 100b provided in said lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 8d;

- First roller support 100a provided in said lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24 and said second roller support 100b provided in said upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 8e;

- First roller support 100a provided on the lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24 and the second roller support 100b provided in the rear bulkhead 60, as depicted in Fig. 8f;

- First roller support 100a provided in the front bulkhead 70 and the second roller support 100b provided on the lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 8g;

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- First roller support 100a on the upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24 and second roller support 100b provided in the rear bulkhead 60, as depicted in Fig. 8h;

- First roller support 100a provided in the front bulkhead 70 and the second roller support 100b provided on the upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24, as depicted in Fig. 81;

[103] Preferably, the first and/or second roller support 100a, 100b is formed as an integral piece with the front/rear bulkhead. Alternatively or in addition, the first and/or second roller support 100a, 100b is formed as an integral piece with the upper and/or lower shell portion 24a, 24b of the basement 24.

[104] In this way, the fact that the basement and bulkheads are realized in plastic material is used to minimize the number of components of the laundry dryer, integrating many components in the same plastic element, which can be for example molded.

[105] The first and/or second roller support 100a, 100b may include for example a boss or a pin or a bracket. The roller 10a, 10b is then fixed therein by means of screws or snap-fitting connections (not depicted in the present drawings).

[106] The bosses or brackets are preferably formed as a single unitary piece with the rear bulkhead/front bulkhead/basement.

[107] Figs. 8a-8i show different embodiments where a single front first roller support and a single rear second roller support are provided. In case more than a single first roller support and/or more than a single rear second roller support are provided, the number of combinations is increased, due to the fact that any of the front/rear support 100a, 100b can be placed either in one of the bulkhead or in the basement, in other words for example one of the front supports 100a can be placed in the front bulkhead and another of the front supports 100a can be placed on the upper shell portion 24a of the basement.

[108] Figures 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b and 11 show embodiments of the dryer of the invention corresponding to some of the schematic drawings of figs. 8a-8i, in which two front or first rollers 10a, two corresponding front or first roller supports 100a, two rear or second rollers 10b and two corresponding rear or second roller supports 100b are provided. Preferably, all supports 100a, 100b are formed as an integral piece with the corresponding front or rear bulkhead or basement.

[109] Figs. 9a and 9b show a configuration analogue to the configuration of Fig. 8b where all rollers 10a and 10b and all supports 100a and 100b are located on the upper shell portion 24a of the basement 24.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 [110] Alternatively, Figs. 10a and 10b show a configuration analogue to the configuration of Fig. 8c where all rollers 10a and 10b and all supports 100a and 100b are located on the lower shell portion 24b of the basement 24.

[111] In Fig. 11, the rear bulkhead 60 includes, as a second roller support 100b, a supporting boss 101b of the corresponding supporting roller 10b; boss 101b is preferably built also in one piece (preferably via an injection molding process) with the rear bulkhead 60. Supporting boss 101b protrudes inwardly from the rear bulkhead 60, i.e. protrudes towards the rotatable drum 3 when the rear bulkhead 60 is mounted on the cabinet 2.

[112] In an advantageous embodiment, the boss 101b could be conically shaped, tapered outwardly and provided with a central bore (not depicted in the drawings). The idle supporting roller 10b in turn may comprise a bearing which is mounted on the supporting boss 101b by means of a screw (bearing and screws not shown in the drawings). A configuration where a second roller support 100b having a shape of a boss 101b is provided in the rear bulkhead 60 is also shown in Fig. 4 where two bosses 101b and two rollers 10b are provided both preferably integrally formed with the rear bulkhead 60.

[113] Furthermore, in Fig. 11, a first roller support 100a and a first roller 10a are provided in the first bulkhead 70. The first roller support 100a is in the form of a supporting boss 101a. Boss 101a is preferably built also in one piece (preferably via an injection molding process) with the front bulkhead 70. Supporting boss 101a protrudes inwardly from the front bulkhead 70, i.e. protrudes towards the rotatable drum 3 when the front bulkhead 70 is mounted on the cabinet 2.

[114] In an advantageous embodiment, the boss 101a could be conically shaped, tapered outwardly and provided with a central bore (not depicted in the drawings). The idle supporting roller 10a in turn may comprise a bearing which is mounted on the supporting boss 101a by means of a screw (bearing and screws not shown in the drawings).

[115] Further, the rear or second roller support 100b includes a further element, bracket 124b supporting an additional roller 10b provided on the basement 24 (either on the upper or on the lower shell portion 24a, 24b). In the same way, front or first roller support 100a includes a further element, bracket 124a supporting an additional roller 10a provided on the basement 24 (either on the upper or on the lower shell portion 24a, 24b).

[116] In all the embodiments shown, the flow of drying air generated by the heat pump 30 is as follows. The humid air from the laundry (processed in the drum 3) exits the drum 3 from its front end 3a. The process air circuit 18 (depicted as arrows in the Figures) communicates with, i.e. is fluidly connected to, the front end 3a of the rotatable drum 3 via a pass-through opening 17 made in the basement 24, for example in the upper shell

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24a, which is further in flow communication with air vent 14 provided in the front bulkhead 70 of the cabinet 2. The process air comes out of the drum 3 via the escape air-vent 14 incorporated in the preferably funnelshaped coupling element of the front bulkhead 70 that delimits/surrounds the laundry loading/unloading opening 4a on front wall 20 of the cabinet 2. Furthermore, in the examples shown, in particular in Figs. 3, a central/intermediate section of the air process conduit 18 preferably extends across the basement 24 of cabinet 2, where preferably also the heat exchangers 31, 32 are housed, and the circulated drying process air is dehumified and heated. Advantageously, the lower and upper shells 24a, 24b are coupled one on top of the other, forming at least a portion of the air process conduit 18 and more preferably also include further cavities or seats adapted to receive therein further operational components of the dryer for operating a drying process. Air exits the basement through the outlet 19. The process air conduit 18 includes a further portion realized in the back wall 21 of the cabinet 2 and this portion is formed by the back wall 8 of the drum, by the rear bulkhead 60 and by the cover 61 or by the lid 610. The air from the basement outlet 19 enters the fan housing 150 and this conduit portion channels air exiting from the outlet 19 into the drum 3 through the apertures or vents 65 realized in the back wall 8.

[117] In this way, intake air-vents 65 incorporated into the rear wall 8 of drum 3 are in communication with,

i.e. are fluidly connected to, the air process conduit 18 so as to receive the stream of hot air produced by the heat pump 30 located in the basement 24.

[118] Preferably the back wall 8 of tubular body (or drum) 3 is located/arranged within the perimeter of the bulge 141 on rear bulkhead 60 (Figs. 4 or 5) or, alternatively, on bulge 146 of cover 61 (Figs. 7).

[119] The bulge (141 in Fig.5 or 146 in Fig. 7) furthermore has advantageously a peripheral diameter lower than the nominal diameter of the mantle 3c of the drum 3 and/or the outer diameter of back wall 8 of the drum 3, and preferably also greater than the peripheral diameter of the perforated portion of back wall 8, so that the perforated portion of back wall 8 is located/arranged approximately at center of the bulge.

[120] Lastly, the bulge 141 of supporting rear bulkhead 60 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 preferably communicates with the outlet 19 via a pass-through opening 66 realized on the bottom of the same bulge. The opening 66 and outlet 19 are preferably connected via an air passage formed within, at least for a portion, the fan housing 150. Indeed, fan 12 (Fig. 3) is blowing air exiting the heat pump 30 to the drum 3 and it is preferably located in front of the outlet 19.

[121] In all embodiments, the fan 12 thus blows air inside the rear wall 21 of the dryer 1, i.e. between the rear bulkhead 60 and the cover 61 or between rear bulkhead 60 and lid 610, so that the air can enter the drum

2015309202 01 Oct 2019 via the vents 65 in the back wall 8 of the drum 3. In all depicted embodiments, preferably the cover 61 or the lid 610 is attached to the outer face of supporting rear bulkhead 60, preferably in substantially airtight manner.

[122] In case the lid 610 is present, the lid 610 is suitably shaped/structured to fluidly connect the bulge 141 of the supporting rear bulkhead 60 to the outlet 19, so as to channel the stream of hot air produced by heat pump 30 towards the bulge 141.

[123] In case the cover 61 is present, which forms the bulge 146, the rear bulkhead 60 and the cover 61 together form a conduit so that the air from the basement 24 can enter the bulge 146 and flow in the drum 3.

[124] Any reference herein to known prior art does not, unless the contrary indication appears, constitute an admission that such prior art is commonly known by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, at the priority date of this application.

[125] Where ever it is used, the word comprising is to be understood in its open sense, that is, in the sense of including, and thus not limited to its closed sense, that is the sense of consisting only of. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words comprise, comprised and comprises where they appear.

[126] While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

Claims

1. A laundry dryer comprising:

• a dryer cabinet, comprising a front wall and a rear wall, said front wall and rear wall comprising a front bulkhead and a rear bulkhead, respectively, and a basement, said basement being realized in plastic material and including an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion attached to the upper shell portion, said basement being adapted for the mounting thereon of said front wall and said rear wall;

• a drum rotatably accommodated within said dryer cabinet, said drum having a first end and a second end, said first end being an open end facing said front bulkhead and being rotatably coupled to the same and said second end being fixedly closed by a back wall which rotates unitarily with the drum, said second end facing said rear bulkhead and being rotatably coupled to the same;

• at least one first roller and at least one second roller provided within said dryer cabinet for rotatably supporting said drum;

• at least one first roller support to rotatably support said at least one first roller in proximity of said first end of said drum and at least one second roller support to rotatably support said at least one second roller in proximity of said second end of said drum;

• said front bulkhead and said rear bulkhead are each realized in plastic material as an integral element; and • said at least one first roller support is provided either on one of the shell portions of said basement or in said front bulkhead and said at least one second roller support is provided on one of the shell portions of said basement or in said rear bulkhead.
2. A laundry dryer according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first roller supports and said at least one second roller supports are provided either:

- in said front bulkhead and in said rear bulkhead, respectively;

- both in said upper shell portion of the basement;

- both in said lower shell portion of the basement;

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- said at least one first roller support in said upper or lower shell portion of the basement and said at least one second roller support in the other of said upper or lower shell portion of the basement;

- the at least one first roller support in the front bulkhead and the at least one second roller support on either the upper or the lower shell portion of the basement; or

- the at least one second roller support in the rear bulkhead and the at least one first roller support on either the upper or the lower shell portion of the basement.
3. A laundry dryer according to claims 1 or 2, including a heat pump system apt to generate drying air for flowing into said drum.
4. A laundry dryer according to claim 3, wherein said basement is adapted to accommodate a condenser and an evaporator of said heat pump system and forms a drying air passage.
5. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said at least one first and/or at least one second roller support are/is formed integrally to said front bulkhead or to said rear bulkhead, respectively, or to one of the shell portions of said basement.
6. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said rear bulkhead includes an drum aperture facing the back wall of the drum and a rear cover connected to said rear bulkhead closing said drum aperture, so that said rear bulkhead and said rear cover form an air passage for said drying air flow to said back wall of said drum.
7. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, including an impeller of a fan and a fan housing, said fan housing including a fan aperture for accessing said impeller.
8. A laundry dryer according to claim 7, wherein said rear bulkhead includes a portion of said fan housing, said portion including said fan aperture.
9. A laundry dryer according to claim 8, wherein said rear bulkhead includes an integrally formed bulge portion facing said back wall of said drum, and said rear wall of said cabinet includes a lid connected to said rear bulkhead to cover said fan aperture.
10. A laundry dryer according to claim 7 when dependent on claim 6, wherein said fan aperture is covered by said rear cover which extends to cover both said drum aperture and said fan aperture.
11. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when dependent on any one of claims 6 or 9, wherein said cover and/or said lid is realized in plastic material.
12. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said back wall is perforated for the passage of drying air.

2015309202 01 Oct 2019
13. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein said at least one first roller support and/or said at least one second roller support include/includes a bracket for the mounting of said at least one first roller or said at least one second roller.
14. A laundry dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 13, said at least one first roller support and/or said at least one second roller support includes a boss for the mounting of said at least one first roller or said at least one second roller.