EP0411080B1 - Laundry drier - Google Patents

Abstract

A laundry dryer has an interior for holding laundry that is accessible via a door. Vapor-laden warm air from the interior, on the one hand, and a cooling medium, on the other, can be introduced into a condenser. The air and the cooling medium are brought into thermally conductive contact one with the other in the condenser to cool the air. In order to obtain the smallest possible outside dimensions relative to the usable interior and to be able to easily open the condenser or remove it from the laundry dryer for cleaning purposes, the condenser is arranged on an outer panel, preferably integrated in the door.

Description

The invention relates to a tumble dryer with a housing having outer walls and an interior accessible via a door for receiving laundry, and with a condenser into which steam-laden warm air from the interior and on the other hand a cooling medium can be introduced, which cool the air in the condenser are brought into heat-conducting connection with one another.

A tumble dryer of the type mentioned above is known from DE-A-29 23 701. A clothes dryer according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from DE-A-3 115 704.

Tumble dryers of the aforementioned type, which are also referred to as "circulating air dryers" or "condensation dryers", are distinguished by the fact that they have an internal closed air circuit. In this air circuit, heated air is passed through the wet laundry by means of a blower and then fed to a condenser. In this condenser, the warm, steam-laden air flows through a first cavity, which communicates with a second cavity in a heat-conducting manner via an intermediate wall. A cooling medium, for example tap water or cold ambient air, flows through the second cavity. As a result of the cooling of the steam-laden air, at least a large part of the water vapor is condensed to water, which is then discharged into an intended collecting container. The cooled air emerging from the condenser is now heated again and sent through the wet laundry again. In condensation dryers of this type, a fluff filter is generally arranged upstream of the condenser in order to prevent the fluff carried along by the dried laundry from clogging up the heat-conducting surfaces of the condenser and thus deteriorating the heat transfer.

In the condensation tumble dryer known from DE-A-29 23 701 mentioned at the outset, the door is designed as a pure closure element without any function for the drying process. Warm air flows through the dryer drum in a direction perpendicular to the door. A cavity is provided between the door and the drum, in which the warm air is deflected downwards, to first flow through a fluff filter, which is located approximately at the level of the lower edge of the door in a horizontal orientation. The air is then redirected away from the front of the tumble dryer and flows horizontally through a heat exchanger, behind which there is a blower. The air is again deflected upwards by the blower, passes through a heating register and is then deflected a fourth time in order to now flow through the dryer drum again from the back to the front.

In the case of condensation tumble dryers, it is known per se to integrate the fluff filter in the door, so that the fluff filter is then flowed through in the door by the steam-laden warm air from the laundry treatment room.

The condenser arranged below the dryer drum in the known tumble dryer mentioned at the outset has a thin, wavy-curved and good heat-conducting partition which separates two cavities from one another in the condenser. The already heated, steam-laden air flows out of the interior of the tumble dryer through one cavity, while cold outside air flows through the other cavity, for which purpose a further fan is provided in the known tumble dryer. The flow direction for both media is in a direction parallel to the valleys, which are formed by the undulating curved partition. The flow direction of the two media is opposite.

In the known tumble dryer, the condenser can be arranged so that it can be pulled out of the chamber from time to time and very easily cleaned of deposited lint can be. How this is to be done in detail is not specified in DE-A-29 23 701.

In the known tumble dryer, the condenser occupies a relatively large space below the dryer drum.

This leads to the fact that the external dimensions of the tumble dryer are very large in relation to the capacity of wet laundry. Because of this, it is often difficult or not possible at all to set up a tumble dryer in the user's home in confined spaces, for example in small apartment apartments, such as are now increasingly used by people living alone.

A further disadvantage of the known tumble dryer is that the arrangement of the condenser below the dryer drum makes it possible to access the condenser, but considerable constructive measures must be taken in order to make the condenser really easy to remove in this unfavorable position, that even technically inexperienced users can easily remove the condenser and put it back into the dryer after cleaning.

The invention is therefore based on the object of developing a tumble dryer of the type mentioned in such a way that an extremely compact structure is produced, the capacitor also being accessible in an extremely simple manner. Furthermore, in relation to the usable interior space, significantly smaller external dimensions of the tumble dryer should be possible, that the condenser with unchanged heat exchange performance can be constructed with significantly smaller external dimensions.

This object is achieved by a clothes dryer according to claim 1, advantageous embodiments being characterized in the following subclaims.

The object underlying the invention is completely achieved in this way. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to meet the requirements for a construction that is as compact as possible, because, due to the arrangement of the capacitor on the outer skin, an extremely compact construction is possible in which the external dimensions of the tumble dryer are to a much greater extent only of the desired capacity of the tumble dryer be determined.

With the invention, it is thus possible for the first time to provide condensation tumble dryers whose outer dimensions are small in a previously unknown manner, so that now households can also use tumble dryers in which this has hitherto been due to the limited space available in the kitchen or in Bathroom was not possible. For example, due to their compact design, tumble dryers according to the invention can be hung on the wall, so that a parking space on the floor of the kitchen or the bathroom is no longer required.

If the condenser on the outer wall is thermally in good thermal contact with the outer space, the outer skin is cooled. This cooling of the outer skin has the advantage that, in addition to the use of a cooling medium, the outer space, which is much cooler than the inner space, is also cooler is used to separate the condensate from the steam-laden warm air. This is a considerable advantage over the prior art. In conventional tumble dryers, the entire heat exchange process in the condenser must take place via the cooling medium, because the condenser is arranged deep inside the tumble dryer housing. When using tap water as the cooling medium, this requires a considerable water throughput and therefore corresponding costs, while when using outside air as the cooling medium, a correspondingly large-volume condenser is required. These disadvantages are reduced to a considerable extent in the tumble dryer according to the invention, if it has an outer skin cooling, in that the warm, steam-laden air is exposed on the one hand to the artificially supplied cooling medium and on the other hand to the already existing coldness of the outside space. It is obvious that this means a significant reduction in the cooling requirement via the cooling medium, so that either the amount of cooling medium supplied or the dimensions of the condenser can be reduced.

It is particularly preferred if the outer wall is a front wall of a door of the clothes dryer, the condenser preferably being integrated in the door.

This exemplary embodiment advantageously makes it possible to clean the condenser in an extremely simple manner, because the door of the clothes dryer is an element which is easily accessible from the start. The invention makes it possible to combine the conflicting demands for the most compact possible construction on the one hand and easy accessibility of the capacitor on the other because, as a result The arrangement of the condenser in the door is an extremely compact design, in which the external dimensions of the tumble dryer are determined to a greater extent only by the desired capacity of the tumble dryer. The invention also makes it possible, in an elegant manner, to remove the condenser in an extremely simple manner and to reinsert it after cleaning, because the door of the tumble dryer is an element which is easily accessible from the start.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention with collecting means for condensed water separated from the cooled air, these collecting means are also integrated in the door.

This measure has the advantage that no installation space for the collecting means has to be provided within the actual tumble dryer housing, as is the case with conventional tumble dryers. Depending on how this is appropriate in the individual case, the collecting means integrated in the door can only comprise the channels and lines required for collecting and collecting the water, while a condensate collecting container is arranged under the door, but it is also within the scope of the present Invention also possible to integrate the condensate collecting container in the door.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention with a fluff filter connected upstream of the condenser, through which the warm air is directed, the fluff filter is also integrated in the door in a manner known per se.

This measure has the advantage that now all elements of the tumble dryer which must be accessible to the user for cleaning purposes or the like can be folded down or pulled out together with the door from the tumble dryer and are therefore extremely easily accessible.

In a preferred embodiment of the clothes dryer according to the invention, the condenser is thermally insulated from the interior by means of an insulating wall.

This measure has the advantage that the heat exchange process within the condenser can take place completely independently of the conditions prevailing inside the tumble dryer. The heat-insulating wall makes it possible to determine the line routing in the condenser with regard to its arrangement to the interior or to the exterior regardless of how, for example, the temperature in the interior of the clothes dryer is set. It is also avoided that the laundry treatment room is cooled by the cooling air flowing through the condenser.

In a further preferred variant of the invention, the condenser, the fluff filter and the insulating wall are arranged essentially parallel to the plane defined by the door.

This measure has, for example in contrast to the known tumble dryer mentioned at the outset, the advantage that an extremely compact design is produced because the aforementioned elements of the tumble dryer are arranged in a sandwich-like manner, so that the thickness is more conventional Clothes dryer doors do not have to be enlarged or only slightly enlarged.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of a tumble dryer according to the invention, with a condenser which has a first cavity for guiding the warm air, a second cavity for guiding the cooling medium, and a heat-conducting intermediate wall which largely separates the cavities, the first cavity is further provided over a heat-conducting front wall of the door is in large-scale heat-conducting connection with an outside space surrounding the tumble dryer.

This cooling of the outer skin has the advantage that, in addition to the use of a cooling medium, the outer space, which is much cooler than the inner space, is also used to separate the condensate from the steam-laden warm air. This is a considerable advantage over the prior art. In conventional tumble dryers, the entire heat exchange process in the condenser must take place via the cooling medium, because the condenser is arranged deep inside the tumble dryer housing. When using tap water as the cooling medium, this requires a considerable water throughput and therefore corresponding costs, while when using outside air as the cooling medium, a correspondingly large-volume condenser is required. These disadvantages are reduced to a considerable extent in the above-described embodiment of the tumble dryer according to the invention in that the warm, steam-laden air is exposed on the one hand to the artificially supplied cooling medium and on the other hand to the already existing coldness of the outside space. It lies Obviously, this means a significant reduction in the cooling requirement via the cooling medium, so that either the amount of cooling medium supplied or the dimensions of the condenser can be reduced.

The same applies if, in the reverse arrangement, the second cavity is also in large-area heat-conducting connection with an outer space surrounding the tumble dryer via the heat-conducting front wall of the door.

This measure has the advantage that the first cavity, which carries the warm, steam-laden air, can be connected in a simpler manner to the laundry treatment room located at the rear. On the other hand, the arrangement of the second cavity, which guides the cooling air, on the front wall has the advantage that the cooling air is in constant communication with the cooling exterior and can therefore be kept constantly at a low temperature on its way through the condenser.

In a further preferred embodiment of the clothes dryer according to the invention with a condenser divided into two cavities, in which the intermediate wall is wave-shaped, the warm air and the cooling medium in the condenser being guided in a direction essentially parallel to the valleys of the intermediate wall, that the intermediate wall is arranged on a heat-conducting front wall of the door in such a way that it rests with its bellies on it.

This measure has the advantage that the heat-conducting partition is additionally cooled by direct thermal coupling to the outside, with the result that the efficiency of the capacitor is increased still further.

It is particularly preferred in this exemplary embodiment if the intermediate wall is flattened in the region of the bellies for the purpose of a flat contact with the front wall.

This measure has the advantage that the thermal coupling of the intermediate wall to the outside space is particularly successful.

The same applies if, in another variant of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, the intermediate wall is integral with the front wall in the region of the bellies for the purpose of a flat contact with the front wall.

This measure has the advantage that an arrangement that is easier to manufacture arises, in particular when using plastic manufacturing processes.

In a further group of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the second, or alternatively also the first cavity is formed by tubes which run through the first or alternatively the second cavity.

This measure has the advantage that a capacitor can also be produced in a simple manner because the preferably cylindrical tubes can be produced in a simple manner. This also has the advantage that a very large heat transfer area arises because the tubes pass through the other cavity along their entire surface.

In a preferred development of this exemplary embodiment, the flow against the tubes is from the outside in the radial direction.

This measure has the advantage that a particularly good heat transfer occurs through the walls of the tubes, because this flow is swirled up considerably as a result of the radially directed flow.

In a further development of this variant, the tubes are radially flowed from the outside in the region of their one end, the flow is deflected in an axial direction, flows along the tubes in the axial direction, is deflected again in a radial direction and flows in this radial direction from the tubes.

This measure has the advantage that a compact condenser is produced, in which no structural measures for the inflow or outflow of the flow mentioned have to be provided beyond the axial ends of the tubes.

Another preferred variant of the tube capacitor is that the capacitor is formed by a tube battery, the tubes of which lie against one another with widened ends, while sections running between the widened ends have gaps between one another.

This measure has the advantage that a compact condenser with a large heat transfer surface is created.

It is particularly preferred if the widened ends are hexagonal in radial section in a manner known per se.

This measure has the advantage that a mechanically stable and flow-tight structure is formed at the axial ends of the tubes if the hexagonal (or also square) ends are joined together in the manner of honeycombs.

In the exemplary embodiments with a tube condenser, it is very particularly preferred if the tube condenser forms an integral plastic component with the door of the clothes dryer.

This measure has the advantage that an extremely compact, lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture construction.

In yet another group of exemplary embodiments of the invention, in which the cooling medium is air and a blower is provided for the air, the blower is also integrated in the door.

This measure has the advantage that an even more compact design of the tumble dryer is possible because the actual interior of the tumble dryer behind the door is substantially completely relieved of the components of the cooling air circuit. There is also the advantage that the cooling air duct is completely non-reactive to the other elements of the tumble dryer, in particular to the laundry treatment room, because no cooling air ducts lying at a low temperature have to be guided in the vicinity of the laundry treatment room. If, when the blower is integrated into the door, the inlet and / or outlet of the cooling air is additionally arranged in the front of the door, this additionally ensures that no sealing problems arise in the cooling air line because no detachable connecting elements are provided in the cooling air line have to. Compared to conventional tumble dryers, in which the drum drive is used simultaneously for the movement of the cooling air, the above-mentioned measures have the advantage that the drum drive is relieved of the function of the cooling air delivery and therefore can be designed with lower performance and thus smaller dimensions. Also in this case there is a symmetrical reversal of the drum with a better uniformity of drying, because by decoupling the drive of the drum on the one hand and the cooling air circuit on the other hand no longer has to be taken into account in the cooling air circuit that the drive of the drum has to work reversing. In this way, there is also a more uniform distribution of cooling air in the cooling air circuit, which in turn results in smaller dimensions of the condenser.

The same applies essentially if, in a further exemplary embodiment of the invention with air as the cooling medium and a blower for the demand of the air, the blower is integrated above the door into the housing of the clothes dryer.

Although this embodiment of the invention results in a somewhat more complicated line routing in the area of the cooling air circuit, on the other hand all the advantages mentioned above are obtained which result from the separation of the drive functions with respect to the drum and the cooling air circuit.

In both of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments of the invention, a suction fan, in particular a cross-flow fan, is preferably used.

This measure has the advantage that a large amount of air can be conveyed at low pressure in the cooling air circuit, as is desirable for the cooling purposes of the condenser is. As a result of the integration of the blower in or on the door of the tumble dryer, very short cooling air lines are naturally created, so that it is possible to work with low pressure and at the same time high air volume conveyed, unlike in conventional tumble dryers, in which the complicated routing of the cooling air circuit due to its flow resistance already occurs required a relatively high delivery pressure.

Further advantages result from the description and the attached drawing.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische, äußerst schematisierte Gesamtansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Wäschetrockners;

Fig. 1a

eine Gesamtansicht, ähnlich Fig. 1a, zur Erläuterung einer Außenhautkühlung;

Fig. 2

eine Seitenansicht, im Schnitt, entlang der Linie II-II von Fig. 3, durch die Tür des Wäschetrockners gemäß Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht, im Schnitt, entlang der Linie III-III von Fig. 2, durch die Tür des Wäschetrockners gemäß Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

eine Darstellung, ähnlich Fig. 2, jedoch für ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 5

eine Darstellung, ähnlich Fig. 3, jedoch ausschnittsweise und für ein anderes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 6

eine Darstellung, ähnlich Fig. 5, jedoch für ein noch anderes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 7

eine äußerst schematisierte Seitenansicht, im Schnitt, durch ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Wäschetrockners;

Fig. 8

eine Variante der Darstellung gemäß Fig. 7;

Fig. 9

eine Frontalansicht, von der Rückseite her gesehen, eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer Tür eines erfindungsgemäßen Wäschetrockners;

Fig. 10

eine Seitenansicht, im Schnitt, entlang der Linie X-X von Fig. 9;

Fig. 11

eine Draufsicht auf die Tür gemäß Fig. 9 und 10.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective, extremely schematic overall view of an embodiment of a clothes dryer according to the invention;

Fig. 1a

an overall view, similar to Figure 1a, for explaining an outer skin cooling.

Fig. 2

a side view, in section, along the line II-II of Figure 3, through the door of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1.

Fig. 3

a plan view, in section, along the line III-III of Figure 2, through the door of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1.

Fig. 4

a representation, similar to Figure 2, but for a further embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5

a representation, similar to Figure 3, but in sections and for another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6

an illustration, similar to Figure 5, but for yet another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7

an extremely schematic side view, in section, through a further embodiment of a clothes dryer according to the invention;

Fig. 8

a variant of the representation of FIG. 7;

Fig. 9

a front view, seen from the rear, an embodiment of a door of a clothes dryer according to the invention;

Fig. 10

a side view, in section, along the line XX of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11

a plan view of the door according to FIGS. 9 and 10.

In Fig. 1, 10 designates as a whole a circulating air dryer with an approximately cuboid housing. The housing is relatively flat in depth and height. It should be borne in mind that tumble dryers of the usual type have a depth of 60 cm in order to be able to be integrated into conventional kitchen furniture. In contrast, the present invention aims to significantly reduce the installation depth to, for example, 38 or 40 cm.

The clothes dryer 10 has a door 11 on its front side which can be pivoted about a vertical axis 12. The door 11 can, as shown in FIG. 1 in the left half at 11a, be integrated into the housing of the clothes dryer 10, so that a flush arrangement is created on the front of the clothes dryer 10. Alternatively, it is also possible to place the door 11 on the front wall of the clothes dryer 10 at the front, as indicated by 11b in the right half of FIG. 1. In both cases, it is also possible to pivot the door 11 about a horizontal axis, which can be arranged in the upper region of the door, as indicated in FIG. 1 by 12b or else below the door 11, as in FIG. 1 with 12c indicated.

In the tumble dryer 10, the interior filled with damp laundry is designated extremely schematically by 13. Arrows 14 indicate the flow of warm, steam-laden air, while opposite arrows 15 symbolize the flow of a cooling medium, for example ambient air. With 16 it is indicated that the warm air 14 circulates in a closed circuit. The cooling air 15, on the other hand, is removed from an outer space 17 surrounding the tumble dryer 10 and blown back into it. A heat exchange takes place between the warm air 14 and the cooling air 15 without these two Media are mixed together. As can already be seen from the schematic illustration in FIG. 1, the heat exchange process between warm air 14 and cooling air 15 takes place in the area of the door 11.

In Fig. 1a, the heat exchange process taking place in the area of the door 11 between the cooling air 15 and the warm, steam-laden air 14 is symbolized by a condenser 40 provided there, the structural details of which are explained in detail below. From these further explanations it is clear that an advantageous design feature of this condenser 40 can consist in the fact that the cavity of the condenser 40 which guides the warm air 14 is not only in good heat-conducting, large-area connection with a further cavity of the condenser 40 which guides the cooling air 15. In addition, it can be provided that the cavity of the condenser 40 carrying the warm air 14 is brought into contact with the outside space 17 over a large area with a further surface by thermally coupling the condenser 40 directly to the outer skin of the clothes dryer 10.

The condenser 40 need not be arranged in the door 11 of the clothes dryer 10. In preferred variants of the invention, the condenser can also be attached, as indicated by 40 ', in a top wall 18 or, as indicated by 40'', in a side wall 19 or another boundary wall of the clothes dryer 10. In the latter two cases, there would even be the advantage that a larger area would be available for heat-conducting contact with the outer skin of the tumble dryer 10 because the door 11 naturally fills only a section of the front of the dryer 10. In all cases, the condenser 40, 40 ', 40''can be configured in a cassette-like manner in order to be able to easily remove it from the door 11 or a boundary wall of the clothes dryer 10, for example to pull it out.

2 and 3 show further details for understanding the functioning of the door 11 in two mutually perpendicular sectional representations.

The door 11 is embedded in a front wall 20 of the tumble dryer 10 (11a in FIG. 1) or placed thereon (11b in FIG. 1). It comprises an essentially box-shaped housing 21 with a front wall 22, an upper wall 23 and a lower wall 24. A drainage channel 25 is integrated in the lower wall 24, which is either used as a collecting channel for a condensate or, through a corresponding drawer-like insert, can also be designed as a collecting container for the condensate.

A rear wall 26 of the housing 21 is designed as a peripheral frame. The housing 21 is laterally delimited by a right wall 27 and a left wall 28, which can be clearly seen in FIG. 3.

The housing 21 can consist entirely of metal or plastic. For embodiments of the invention it is important that the front wall 22 is a good heat conductor. For this purpose, the front wall 22 is preferably made of metal or as a very thin-walled plastic part. The housing 21 with the walls 22 to 24 and 26 to 28 can consist of several individual parts be composed of different materials, but an embodiment is preferred in which the housing 21 and inner functional parts are designed as one-piece plastic parts using modern blow molding technology (so-called blow molding technology).

In the rear wall 26, a lint filter 30 is inserted, which consists of a mechanically stable frame 31 and a filter element 32. The lint filter 30 can be removed from the rear wall 26, for example by a guide (not shown in the figures) which allows the lint filter 30 to be pulled out, pushed in, latched in or pivoted in horizontally or vertically. It goes without saying that, for cleaning or maintenance purposes, walls of the housing 21, for example the right wall 27 and / or the left wall 28, can also be designed as foldable, insertable, snap-in or pivotable elements.

The arrangement of the fluff filter 30 in the rear wall 26 is preferably such that the fluff filter 30 is flush with the rear wall of the door 11. Behind the lint filter 30, as seen from the interior 13, there is a first cavity 33, which in the vertical plane of the door 11 essentially has the extension of the filter element 32. "Flush" is also to be understood to mean that the lint filter can be inserted into a cup-shaped projection on the inside of the door, which also serves as a laundry deflector.

An insulating wall 34 adjoins the first cavity 33 and limits the first cavity 33 to the other side. In the rear wall 26, which also serves as a holder for the Fluff filter 30 and the insulating wall 34 is used, a vertical first passage 35 is provided in the vicinity of the upper wall 23, which goes from the first cavity 33. The first passage 35 leads into a second cavity 36 below the upper wall 23.

Between the insulating wall 34 and the front wall 22 of the housing 21 there is a capacitor, generally designated 40. The capacitor 40 has at least one frame 41 with lateral frame legs, between which an intermediate wall 42 is sealed. The intermediate wall 42 is, as can be clearly seen from FIG. 3, wave-shaped. The intermediate wall 42 is arranged on the front wall 22. In the embodiment shown in the upper half of FIG. 3, the intermediate wall 42 is provided with sections which are hollow-cylindrical in shape. These are in thermal contact with the front wall 22 along lines of contact 43.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in the lower half of FIG. 3, however, the bellies of the undulating intermediate wall 42 'are flattened, so that they rest on the front wall 22 under thermal contact along contact surfaces 43'. Because of this, the heat transfer in the intermediate wall 42 ′ is better than in the intermediate wall 42.

The intermediate wall 42 is located on the opposite side, preferably at a distance 44, in front of the insulating wall 34.

Due to the arrangement of the intermediate wall 42 explained above, the side facing the front wall 22 is formed third cavities 45 and fourth cavities 46 on the side facing the insulating wall 34. The fourth cavities 46 are closed at the top and bottom by means of end walls 48 and 49, so that the second cavity 36 is only connected to the third cavities 45. The third cavities 45 open on their underside into a fifth cavity 50 above the lower wall 24. The fifth cavity 50 in turn opens into a second passage 51 which extends through the rear wall 26 in the horizontal direction.

A first socket 55 is connected to the upper end wall 48 and a second socket 56 is connected to the lower end wall 49. The sockets 55, 56 open into the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.

Finally, in exemplary embodiments of the invention, a third connecting piece 57 is connected to the gutter 25 in order to transfer condensate water 58 into a collecting tank, not shown in the figures. However, it should be pointed out again at this point that the drainage channel 25 may in turn contain a collecting container, so that in this case the third nozzle 57 would be omitted.

The mode of operation of the arrangement according to FIGS. 2 and 3 is as follows:
With 60 a part of the first air flow 14 is designated, which is sucked out as warm, steam-laden air from the interior 13, ie the space of the clothes dryer 10 filled with wet laundry.

The first air stream 60 passes through the lint filter 30 so that lint from the laundry located in the air stream 60 is collected. At 61, the first air flow is then deflected upward by 90 ° and passes through the first cavity 33 and the first passage 35. At 62, the first air flow then passes through the second cavity 36 and is deflected downward by 90 ° before reaching the front wall 22 . At 63, the first air flow then passes through the third cavities 45, in order then to be deflected again in the fifth cavity 50 by 90 ° into the horizontal and to be conveyed out of the door 11 again at 64 through the second passage 51. At 65, the air flow is then in an intake duct 53 below a floor 52 of the interior 13. In the intake duct 53, a suction fan can be arranged in a manner known per se in order to maintain the first air stream 14. The air flow 14 now passes through a heating register on its closed circuit 16 at 65 and in turn reaches the interior 13.

In contrast, the second air flow 15 is generated with a part 70 by means of a blower, not shown in the figures, which is introduced from below into the second nozzle 56 and then flows through the fourth cavities 46 at 71 and then through the first nozzle at the top 55 to leave door 11 again. Here, too, the air connections arranged in the housing of the tumble dryer 10 and adjacent to the door 11 are not shown in detail.

Due to the opposing air flows 63 and 71 in the third cavities 45 and fourth cavities 46, in conjunction with the very large intermediate wall 42, a good heat exchange effect is achieved. The through the fourth cavities 46 Cool ambient air directed upward cools the warm, steam-laden air of the closed circuit 16 directed downward through the third cavities 45. Because of this, the water vapor is separated as condensate water 58 and drips down into the drainage channel 25, from where the condensate water 58 arrives via the third nozzle 57 into a collecting container which is let into the front wall 20 of the tumble dryer 10 below the door 11, unless that Collection container is arranged in the gutter 25 itself. It is also possible to design the gutter 25 or a collecting container in such a way that these elements have a downward-pointing drain valve. If, for example, the tumble dryer in a bathroom is mounted on the wall above a bathtub, the condensed water can be emptied downwards into the bathtub (or a sink or a drain) by opening the drain valve without having to remove a collecting container from the tumble dryer must become.

In addition, in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the warm, humid air flow 63 guided downward through the third cavities 45 not only via the heat-conducting partition 42 from the inside of the door 11, but also via the heat-conducting front Wall 22 of the housing 21 is cooled from the outside of the door 11. As a result of this very large heat exchange surface, the air flow 63 can be cooled down considerably despite the relatively small dimensions of the condenser 40, so that essentially all of the water vapor is obtained as condensate water 58.

To this extent, the same applies to the capacitor 40 as has already been said above regarding the housing 21, namely that the latter Although it can also be made in several pieces and from different materials, it is also preferred here to be designed as a one-piece plastic part using blow molding technology, the capacitor 40 preferably preferably being in one piece with the housing 21 itself.

The air flow in the area of the fourth cavities 46 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is only to be understood as an example.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the distances 44 are provided in order to provide better air distribution in the region of the fourth cavities 46. Instead, however, it is also possible to flow individually to the fourth cavities 46 via connecting pieces 55, 56, be it, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction, in which, for example, a lower and an upper section of the rear wall 26, when the door 11 is closed, come into contact with a corresponding counter surface of the housing of the clothes dryer 10.

The features of the heat exchanger 40 described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 apply in the same way for the case that the heat exchanger 40 is not installed in the door 11 but in another area of the outer skin of the clothes dryer 10, as is shown with 40 ' and 40 '' in Fig. 1a.

Characterized in that the components of the dryer 10 according to the invention can be made very small in relation to the usable interior 13 and due to the fact that, as far as possible, plastic components, in particular thin-walled plastic components, are used, the dryer 10 according to the invention also has a very low weight on. It it is therefore possible to provide the clothes dryer 10 with suitable fittings in order to be able to hang it on a wall.

Fig. 4 shows yet another embodiment of a door with a representation similar to Fig. 2, in which corresponding elements have been given the same reference numerals and only an "a" has been added.

4 essentially differs from that of FIGS. 2 and 3 in that the position of the third and fourth cavities 45a, 46a is reversed compared to that of FIGS. 2 and 3. 4, the air flow 63a of the closed circuit 16 is guided directly behind the insulating wall 34a, while the air flow 71a of the cooling circuit is arranged behind the front wall 22a. Because of this, the sockets 55a, 56a are located directly behind the front wall 22a, i.e. outside the first air flow 62a or 64a in the second cavity 36a or fifth cavity 50a. This results in a simpler air flow.

Due to the displacement of the third cavity 45a away from the front wall 22a, it is also necessary in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 4 to make the drainage channel 25a somewhat wider in a side view.

Characterized in that the components of the dryer 10 according to the invention can be made very small in relation to the usable interior 13 and due to the fact that, as far as possible, plastic components, especially thin-walled Plastic components are used, the tumble dryer 10 according to the invention also has a very low weight. It is therefore possible to provide the clothes dryer 10 with suitable fittings in order to be able to hang it on the wall.

5 shows a further variant of the capacitor, in which the partition walls 42b for delimiting the fourth cavity 46b or a plurality of fourth cavities 46b are formed only in sections. The bellies of the undulating intermediate wall are thus formed by the front wall 22b itself in this exemplary embodiment.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 5, the fourth cavities 46 are flowed through by the cooling air, while the warm, steam-laden air flows outside the intermediate walls 42b through the third cavity 45b.

In this case, it is also possible, for example, to omit the insulating wall 34b, as indicated in the lower half of FIG. 5. In this case, the third cavity 45b to the inside of the dryer would be limited by the fluff filter.

In a further variant of the invention according to FIG. 6, the intermediate wall 42c is designed in the form of individual tubes which extend through the third cavity 45c. In the representation of FIG. 6, the fourth cavities 46c delimited by the tubular intermediate walls 42c are flowed through by cooling air, but it is understood that alternatively the warm, steam-laden air can also be passed through the fourth cavities 46c. It goes without saying that, alternatively, it is also possible to work with or without insulating wall 34c in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 6.

7, the door 11b is placed on the front wall of the tumble dryer. In the upper area of the door 11b there is a cross-flow fan for the circulation of the cooling air 15. As shown in FIG. 7 with solid arrows, the cooling air can be sucked in and blown out through the front of the door 11b, but is shown alternatively with dashed arrows, that the cooling air can also enter or exit through the lower or upper narrow side of the door 11b.

In the variant of FIG. 8, the door 11a is integrated in the housing of the tumble dryer and is essentially flush with it on the front.

Although the cross-flow fan can also be integrated in the door in this exemplary embodiment, FIG. 8 shows the alternative case in which the cross-flow fan is integrated into the housing of the clothes dryer above the door 11a. In this case too, the cross-flow fan sucks the cooling air 15 through the condenser, with the cooling air entering and exiting again via the front of the door 11a or the housing, or cooling air being guided inside the housing, as shown in FIG 8 indicated by dashed arrows.

9 to 11 show a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which the condenser is integrated in the door of the clothes dryer. It also goes without saying in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 11 that the door with the condenser can be formed as a whole as a light plastic component, preferably as a one-piece component, in which modern techniques for producing thin-walled plastic components are used, for example the blow molding already mentioned for producing the door housing, while the capacitor components can also be produced using other techniques.

9 to 11, a door 75 is arranged in a front wall 74 of the clothes dryer. The door 75 has a box-like housing, with a front wall 76, a parallel rear wall 77, upper and lower side walls 78, 79 and right and left side walls 80, 81, with "right" and "left" each from the front, i.e. 9 seen from the side opposite to the view of FIG.

The parallelepiped-shaped housing of the door 75 formed by the walls 76 to 81 is subdivided again by means of an upper horizontal partition wall 82 and a lower horizontal partition wall 83, the said partition walls 82, 83 extending horizontally between two vertical partition walls, namely a right vertical partition wall 84 and a left vertical partition 85.

The horizontal dividing walls 82, 83 each extend in the vicinity of the upper and lower side walls 78, 79. In this way, a flat upper air duct space 86 and a flat lower air duct space 87 are created. These air duct spaces and a large condenser space 88 located therebetween are therefore not suitable across the entire width of the door 75, but only extend between the vertical partitions 84 and 85. The remaining spaces, namely a right space 89 and a left space 90 between the vertical dividing walls 84, 85 and the respectively adjacent right and left side walls 80, 81 serve to accommodate, for example, a lock 91 and, in the left space 90, hinges not shown in the figures.

The upper air guiding space 86 is connected to the outside space in terms of flow technology via a plurality of vertically running slots 93. It is also connected to the capacitor chamber 88 via openings 94 in the upper horizontal partition 82.

The lower air guide space 87 is connected to the interior of the clothes dryer via an inflow opening 95, which is arranged eccentrically to the center on the right side of the door 75 in the rear wall 77. The lower air guiding space 87 is also in fluid communication with the condenser space 88 via openings 96 in the lower horizontal partition 83.

The rear wall 77 is also provided at the level of an upper region of the condenser chamber 88 with a conical attachment 97 which extends into the interior of the clothes dryer in a manner known per se and serves as a deflector for the circulated laundry. A lint filter 98 is integrated in the attachment 97 in a manner known per se, which essentially consists of a frame 99, a sieve-like fabric 100 stretched therein and a handle 101. The fluff filter 98 can be inserted in a known manner from above into guides in the attachment 97 (not shown in the figures) and can be removed by means of the handle 101. The handle 101 can also be recessed.

The top of the attachment 97 is provided with openings 102, which represent fluidic access in the radial direction to the condenser chamber 88. Another radial flow access to the condenser chamber 88 is formed by an outflow opening 103, which is mounted just above the lower horizontal partition 83 in the rear wall 77. The outflow opening 103 is offset from the center of the door 75, specifically on the right side of the door 75, essentially in mirror image and above the inflow opening 95, as can be clearly seen from FIG. 9.

A capacitor 104, which is designed as a tube capacitor, is arranged in the capacitor space 88. The capacitor 104 consists of a battery of tubes 105. The tubes 105 each have an elongated, cylindrical section 106, which at its two ends merges into a widened end piece 108 via a cone-like widening 107. As can be clearly seen from Fig. 11, the end pieces 108 are hexagonal in radial section, so that the battery of tubes 105 arises from the fact that the tubes 105 are put together with their end pieces 108 in the manner of honeycombs.

Since the cylindrical sections 106 of the tubes 105 have a smaller diameter than the end pieces 108, spaces 109 are formed between the tubes 105. In the condenser 104, these spaces 109 form one cavity, while the interior spaces of the tubes 105 form the other cavity.

The cylindrical sections 106 take up almost the entire length of the tubes 105 because the expanded, hexagonal End pieces 108 each only have the function of creating a mechanically secure connection at the ends of the tubes 105 and also a fluid-tight seal. If this sealing works well, the horizontal dividing walls 82 and 83 may be dispensed with if the condenser 104 formed by the block of tubes 105 is then poured into the housing of the door 75 at a suitable height position or is otherwise tightly fastened.

The mode of operation of the arrangement according to FIGS. 9 to 11 is as follows:
10, a first air flow is shown in FIG. 10, which consists of the warm, steam-laden air from the interior of the tumble dryer. This first air flow 115 is circulated in a known manner and enters the conical attachment 97 via the openings 102. The first air flow 115 then flows through the fluff filter 98 in a conventional manner and then hits the tubes 105 of the condenser 104 in the radial direction, because the conical attachment 97 is not separated from the condenser space 88.

Since the condenser chamber 88 is delimited on the opposite side by the front wall 76, the first air flow 115 is deflected downward in an axial direction (in relation to the tubes 105) after entering the condenser 104, as is indicated by arrows in FIG. 10 is indicated. The air stream 115 now flows in the axial direction along the cylindrical sections 106 of the tubes 105 until it at the lower end of the condenser 104 onto the fluid-tight arrangement of the lower end pieces 108 of the tubes 105 or meets the lower horizontal partition 83. As a result, the first air flow 115 is in turn deflected in a radial direction, again towards the interior of the condenser, because at the lower end of the condenser 104 there is a possibility for the first air flow 115 to exit the condenser 104 in the form of the outflow opening 103. At this point, the air flow 115 can be guided through a channel (not shown in FIG. 10) to a blower and a heating register and can be returned to the interior of the tumble dryer, as has already been indicated for another embodiment example in FIG. 2.

A second air stream 116, which guides the cooling air, is led to the door 75 by a blower, also not shown in FIG. 10, and via a channel, also not shown, and enters the lower air guide space 87 through the inflow opening 95 through the rear wall 77 . There, the second air stream 116 is deflected upward in a radial direction and enters the lower end pieces 108 of the tubes 105 of the condenser 104 through the openings 96 in the lower horizontal partition 83. If a lower horizontal partition 83 is not provided, the second air stream 116 enters the end pieces 108 directly.

The second air stream 116 now flows through the interior 110 of the tubes 105 in the axial direction, ie essentially the cylindrical sections 106. On its way through the interior 110, the cooling air of the second air stream 116 comes into heat-conducting contact with the via the thin wall of the tubes 105 warm, flowing in the opposite direction, steam-laden air of the first air stream 115 so that heat exchange can take place. This heat exchange is greatly promoted by the thin-walled design of the tubes 105 and the considerable swirling of the first air stream 115 in the region of the condenser 104.

The second air stream 116 then enters the upper air duct space 86 at the upper end of the tubes 105 through the upper end pieces 108, the openings 94 in the upper horizontal partition 82 (if one is provided). There, the second air flow 116 is again deflected in a radial direction and leaves the door 75 through the slots 93 in the front wall 76.

Claims (19)

1. A laundry dryer comprising a housing (21) having outer walls (18, 19, 22; and 74) and an internal space (13) accessible through a door (11; and 75) for the reception of the laundry, and with a condenser (40; and 104), into which on the one hand steam-laden hot air (60; and 115) from the internal space (13) and on the other hand cool external air (15) are able to be introduced, which in the condenser (40; and 104) are brought into heatconducting relationship with one another for cooling the hot air (60; and 115), the condenser (40; and 104) being arranged on one of the external walls (18, 19, 22; and 74) of the housing (21), and possessing a first cavity (45; 45b; and 45c) for conducting the hot air (63), a second cavity (46; 46b; and 46c) for conducting the external air and an intermediate wall (42; 42b; and 42c) separating the cavities (45; 45b; 45c; 46; 46b; and 46c) over a large area, characterized in that the first cavity comprises a heat conducting external wall (22) and the second cavity is adjacent to the internal space of the laundry dryer so that the first cavity is connected via the heatconducting external wall over a large area with the external space surrounding the laundry dryer.
2. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate wall (42) is of corrugated design, the hot air (63) and the external air (15) being conveyed in the condenser (40) together in a direction substantially parallel to the troughs of the intermediate wall (42)and in that the intermediate wall (42) is so arranged on the heat conducting wall (22) that it has the bulges thereof resting thereagainst.
3. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the intermediate wall (42) has flats on the bulges for the purpose of producing large-area contact with the heat conducting wall (22).
4. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that for the purpose of producing large-area contact with the heat conducting wall (22b) at the said bulges the intermediate wall (42b) is made integral with the front wall (22b).
5. A laundry dryer comprising a housing (21) having outer walls (18,19, 22; and 74) and an internal space (13) accessible through a door (11; and 75) for the reception of the laundry, and with a condenser (40; and 104), into which on the one hand steam-laden hot air (60; and 115) from the internal space (13) and on the other hand cool external air (15) are able to be introduced, which in the condenser (40; and 104) are brought into heat-conducting relationship with one another for cooling the hot air (60; and 115), the condenser (40; and 104) being arranged on one of the external walls (18, 19, 22; and 74) of the housing (21), and possessing a first cavity (45; 45b; and 45c) for conducting the hot air (63), a second cavity (46; 46b; and 46c) for conducting the external air and an intermediate wall (42; 42b; and 42c) separating the cavities (45; 45b; and 45c; 46; 46b; and 46c) over a large area, characterized in that the first cavity is adjacent to a heat-conducting external wall (22c) with the result that it is in heat-conducting contact, via the heat-conducting external wall, with the external space surrounding the laundry dryer, and in that the second cavity is constituted by tubes (42c; and 105), which extend through the first cavity.
6. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the external sides of the tubes (105) adjacent to one end thereof are radially subjected to an impinging flow, in that the flow is diverted in an axial direction, moves along the tubes (105) in the axial direction, is diverted back into a radial direction and in such radial direction flows from the tubes (105).
7. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the condenser (104) is constituted by a bank of tubes, the tubes of which are in engagement with each other at flared ends (105) thereof, whereas sections (106) extending between the flared ends (108) have intermediate spaces (109) inter se.
8. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 7, characterized in that the heat conducting wall of the first cavity is an external wall (22; and 76) of a door (11; and 75) of the laundry dryer (10).
9. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the condenser (40; and 104) is integrated in the door (11; and 75).
10. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 9 comprising trap means for condensed water (58) from the cooled air (60), characterized in that the trap means are integrated in the door (11).
11. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 10 comprising a fluff filter (30; and 98) upstream from the condenser (40; and 104) through which the hot air (60; and 115) is passed, characterized in that the fluff filter (30; and 98) is integrated in the door (11; and 75).
12. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 11, characterized in that the condenser (40) is thermally insulated from the internal space (13) by means of an insulating wall (34).
13. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 11 and in claim 12, characterized in that the condenser (40), the fluff filter (30) and the insulating which (34) are arranged to be substantially parallel to a plane defined by the door (11).
14. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 7 through 13, characterized in that the flared ends (108) are hexagonal in radial section.
15. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 9 through 14, characterized in that together with the door (75) the condenser(104) constitutes an integral synthetic resin component.
16. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 15, in the case of which a blower is provided for the cooled external air (15), characterized in that the blower is integrated in the door (11).
17. The laundry dryer as claimed in any one or more of the claims 1 through 15, in the case of which a blower is provided for the cool external air (15), characterized in that the blower is integrated over the door (11) with the housing (21) of the laundry dryer (10).
18. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, characterized in that the blower is a suction blower.
19. The laundry dryer as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the blower is a transverse flow blower.

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