CA1092198A - Microwave clothes drier with a vented conical baffle - Google Patents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

This invention is a motorized clothes drier which is heated by microwaves. It consists of an outer stationary vented shell in which rotates a motorized drum. The shell is provided with a loading door which is in line with an opening in the drum. To the back of the loading door is attached a container in which is centrally located a reflector containing one or more microwave magnetron tubes. When the loading door is closed, the magnetron container penetrates partly into the drum. The rear of the drum is provided with a vented conical baffle which reflects the microwaves. A drive for rotating the drum consisting of an electric motor, pulleys, and belt, is located within the shell. Also located within the shell is an exhaust fan which removes the air and vapor at a rate to create a partial vacuum within the drum.

Description

S P E C I F I C A T I O N
~ _ _ _ _ _ _ This invention relates generally to motorized heated clothes driers, and particularly to such driers in which the heating element is mic~owave action.
In the very near future, a great number and variety of household utensils which require the use of heat, will use the action of microwaves as the heating element. This is due~
of course, to the high rate of speed with which items can be heated, and the considerable resulting savings in energy. The major item which is now available upon the market, is the microwaves oven, which is rapidly gaining much popularity.
Based on our knowledge of microwave technology, their appears to be no reason why other present day household, commercial, and indus-trial equipmen-t cannot be heated by microwaves~
It is therefore the object of this invention to pro-vide a clothes drie~ which is heated by microwaves, to replace the now used driers which are heated by gas or electricity~ and thus save a great deal of energy, time, and cost of operation.
In describing the invention reference will be made to the attached drawings in which,-Figure 1, is a diagram of the invention, and Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of one oP its components~
In the drawings, the drier is shown having an outer, stationary, somewhat cubical shell 1, which contains a rotary, round drum 4. The shell is provided with a centrally located round loading door 2 in its front wall. The door 2 is concen-tric with a round hole in the drum 4. The shell ~ is also provided with a vent 3, through which air and vapor is ex-pelled during the drying operation. The drum 4 is supported in its rear by a single central shaft which rotates within a bearing in the rear wall of the shell 1. A drive 5, powered by an electric motor9 rotates the drum 4. The rear wall of the drum is provided with a plurality of vents 17s and on the inside, the rear wall is covered entirely by a conical baffle 6, the vortex of which points towards the center of the loading door 2.
Centrally located on the rear of the door 2 is a circular case 7 wherein is contained a reflector 8, in the center of which is a single or several magnetron tubes 10 which shoot the microwaves 12 towards the baffle 6, so that said waves are re~lected in a path shown by 13 and 14. Vents 17 are provided in the rear wall of the drum, and vents 16 are provided in the conical wall of the baffle 6. The vents 16 are covered with a rounded, partly spherical cover 15, facing the direction of travel of the microwaves, so that these waves can be reflected; however, the vent coverings 15 have an opening 18, at one location on their rims, as shown in Figure 2.Vents 9 ~re also provided in the casing 7.
A fan or blower 11 is provided, in a suitable location within the outer shell 1, for the purpose of exhausting hot air and vapors formed during the drying process, and for maintaining a partial vacuum within the drum 4.
The drying operation takes place when the microwaves pass through the wet clothes on their way to the rear of the rotating drum, and on their way back after being reflected by the baffle 6.
Various standard timing, heating, and pressure con-trols can be provided as required~ to control the operating time of the drier, the safe temperature and pressure, and generally the safety of the opera-tion.

Claims (2)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:-

1. A mechanized clothes drier in which wet clothes are dried by being tumbled within a rotating drum during the appli-cation of heat, and in which the heating element consists of a passage of very short, high frequency, electro magnetic waves, known as microwaves, through the said wet clothes, comprising in combination, a stationary outer shell provided with a vent, and a clothes loading door in its front wall; a round drum in which the clothes to be dried , are contained, rotating within said outer shell; a motorized drive mechanism for rotating said drum, loca-ted within said shell; a fan for exhausting hot air and vapor formed during the drying process, and for maintaining a partial vacuum within said drum; a circular casing attached centrally to the rear of said shell door and containing therein an open faced reflector within which is located one or more magnetron tubes for creating and discharging microwaves; a circular opening in the front of the drum, concentric with the loading door of the outer shell, so that when said loading door is closed, said circular casing projects freely and partly into said drum open-ing, allowing the microwaves to be discharged into said drum;
a conical, vented baffle, covering the entire rear wall of said drum, its vertex pointing directly to the magnetron containing casing; and standard timing and temperature control devices to provide proper and safe operation of the drier.

2. A device such as described in Claim 1 in which the baffle vents are partly covered to prevernt the microwaves from passing through said vents.