EP0854225A2

EP0854225A2 - New drying system for laundry dryer

Info

Publication number: EP0854225A2
Application number: EP98500010A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ismael Gracia Boved
Original assignee: Balay SA
Current assignee: BSH Balay SA
Priority date: 1997-01-21
Filing date: 1998-01-20
Publication date: 1998-07-22
Also published as: ES2147069B1; EP0854225A3; ES2147069A1

Abstract

New drying system for dryer washing machines, being of the kind of those dryer washing machines that once the washing and centrifugal cycle have finished, the drying process starts for leaving the clothes on the point for being ironed or ready to put them in the wardrobe, so that all the components of the system are inserted into the hole of the machine door (1), being formed the hollow with truncated cone shape of the same one by a drilled sheet (2) of little thickness remaining, both the body (3) of the resistances and the ventilator sails (4) that are located into the hollow with truncated cone shape, directed to the machine opening in contact with the water that is evacuated through the lower holes (7).

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION.

As is expressed in the title of the present descriptive report, the following invention consists of a new drying system for dryer washing machines, being it applicable once the machine has finished its washing and centrifugal cycle for allowing the drying of the clothes and their collection once the drying cycle has finished, or being ready to be ironed, so that the new system is installed into the hollow with truncated cone shape of the door, so that the conventional assembly that is used with the same aim is reduced in a drastical way.

Through the new drying system that is incorporated into the conventional hollow with cone truncated shape of the washing machines doors, the complex installation that usually is assembled in the dryer washing machines can be eliminated, for carrying out the drying process of the clothes so that the economical cost of the machine is diminished in a radical way.

In this way, both the resistance and the ventilator with its corresponding motor are incorporated into the own door for causing the direct entrance of hot air through the access door, favouring the drying of the clothes because a bigger efficiency is obtained.

Besides, the body of plastic material with a concave shape that defines the external cavity of the door, can be substituted by a body with a drilled sheep of little thickness, so that the body of the resistances and the sails, that generate the draught, remain in contact with the water, and the installation will have the necessary insulation for causing the watertightness both the door and the components that can not remain in contact with the water, such as the motor that activates the sails.

FIELD OF APLICATION.

The new drying system for dryer washing machines is applicable in those automatic washing machines that we wish they act as dryer machines of the clothes in the last work cycle, so that if the same machine incorporates the cycles of washing and drying, it is not necessary to use independent machines for each one of the operations, obtaining an economic saving and a space saving.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

Conventionally, the washing machines and the dryer machines of clothes are usually manufactured like independent machines, so that the washing machines realize the washing cycle and the centrifugal cycle and once all the cycle has finished if we do not have a dryer machine, the clothes have to be hanged out usually in the exterior for their drying while if we have an independent dryer machine, the clothes are introduced into the same one for their drying so that the clothes can remain totally dry for being directly put into the wardrobe.

Without the use of drying machines above all if it is winter, the problem of the not appropiate drying of the clothes in the open air emerges, having to hang out the clothes in internal clotheslines or to place them near the radiators or on them, so that we can have the dry clothes when we wish.

To solve this problem that is aggravated if there are several children at home that dirty a lot of clothes that must be washed in time, we have to adquire dryer machines that are independent of the washing machines.

In this way, several difficulties emerge. Thus, the first of them is the high economic cost that means to adquire two independent machines and besides there is an added difficulty that consists on their difficult location because of the usual lack of space in the great majority of the housings.

In order to overcome these difficulties, various solutions have been though up as to try to manufacture the dryer machine according to some smaller dimensions than the standard of the usual washing machines, or else to pile up both machines remaining the dryer machine on the washing machine.

Bearing in mind all these difficulties, the solution more appropriate logically is the incorporation of the functions of washing and drying in an only appliance. For that, the dryer washing machines realize first the cycle of washing-centrifuge, and once it has finished, they start the drying process, which must be done with the half of the maximum load that is prescribed for being effective.

Thus, the dryer washing machines incorporate the conventional elements for realizing the washing process and likewise, they must incorporate the drying system, which is based on the incorporation of a ventilator, a condenser in which the interchange of heat takes place and a tunnel with the heaters for the air heating from which the hot air without humidity is introduced to the internal part of the tank.

In this way, the apparatus incorporates a ventilator that absorbs the hot air which is saturated of humidity from the internal part of the tank, through the condenser, which receives a supply of cold water for causing the interchange whit the hot air that is saturated of humidity so that the water cooling and the humidity extraction are carried out, passing the cooled air without humidity to the tunnel of the heaters.

For favouring the operation of heat interchange, the interchanger can be made of metal instead of plastic.

The cooled air without humidity is impeled by the ventilator to the conduction tunnel to to the tank, in which there are some resistances that cause its heating, being introduced to the tank through the upper part that is related to the door, existing the difficulty of the losses of load through the tunnel structure, given that all the components must adapt oneself to be able to be located in the apparatus chassis.

For all that, the industrialization process is complex because there are to realize the fastening and fixing of all the components that are related to the drying system and thus, all that has repercussions on the own whole of the apparatus given that all these components are a part of the vibrant washing machine, so that all that must be had into account when the suitable counterweights are placed. Thus, the cited counterweights must have a bigger weight than the ones that conventionally are used, so that how it is limited by the own space of the machine, it implicates the necessary incorporation of some counterweights that are made of materials more heavy that the concrete, with the consequent increase of price of the whole.

Likewise during the usual industrialization process, it differs in two assembly lines; one for the washing machines and other for the dryer washing machines, increasing the industrialization complexity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.

In the present report a new drying system for dryer washing machines is described, so that once the washing cycle and the centrifugal cycle have finished, the drying cycle starts for leaving the clothes on the point for being ironed or ready to put them in the wardrobe, so that the drying system is installed into the hollow with truncated cone shape that is defined in the own door of the washing machine. This hollow is defined by a drilled sheet of little tickness so that the body that carries the resistances, and the ventilator sails are introduced into the cited hollow with truncated cone shape, being pointed to the entrance of the machine in contact with the water that is evacuated through the lower holes that have been made in the own sheet.

The lower front base of the drilled sheet, has their holes inclined downwards for carrying the hot air without humidity to the clothes that are placed into the drum. In this way, the air accedes directly to the drum where the clothes are placed so that the conventional system is clearly improved because the air has not to be carried through not any tunnel to the tank with the logical waste of effectiveness that it means. Besides, how the clothes can be dried in less time because of the bigger efficiency that is obtained, the electric consumption also is diminished.

In the other hand, the motor that activates the ventilator sails and other elements, are insulated of access cavity of the washing water. Because of this motive, the system has the corresponding watertight joints for the ventilator spindle and the connection cables that are conducted through the lateral hose.

Likewise, the washing machine door can have a transparent zone for being able to observe the clothes that are placed into the drum and the washing water, so that the cited zone can be located in the door sides, or it can define a surrounding zone of little thickness.

The location into the door hollow of the drying system for dryer washing machines, let eliminate the components that form the conventional drying system, as well as their fastening to the vibrant whole, reducing the industrialization with an added advantage that consists in as the system has not to be assembled in the vibrant whole of the machine, it is not necessary to modify the counterweights of the washing machines as it conventionally happens in their adaptation to dryer washing machines.

Definitively, the industrialization is reduced in a drastical way, since the washing machines and the dryer washing machines can be assembled in an only assembly line because the only difference among them is the door, so that it means a great advantage and the cost of the dryer machines is lightly reduced.

In order to complement the description which is made hereinafter and for the purpose of providing a better understanding of its characteristics, the present descriptive report is accompanied by a drawing , in whose figures the most significant details of the invention are represented in an illustrative and not limitative way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGNS.

Figure 1.- It shows a view of the door of the dryer washing machine according to a section by a vertical transverse plain, where we can observe how the body of the resistances and the sails that cause the draught remain into own door hollow, as well as those elements that allow its working.

Figure 2.- It shows a front view of the dryer washing machine door, in which there is a transparent lateral space for allowing the observation of the clothes.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT.

In view of the above cited figures and in accordance with the used numbering , we can observe how the door (1) of the dryer washing machine has a structure like the conventional structures, in which the transparent plastic body that has a truncated cone shape, has been substituted by a drilled sheet (2) of little thickness, in whose hollow the body (3) has been located. This body (3) has the resistances for the heating of the draught that is generated by the sails (4).

Both the body (3) with the resistances and the ventilator sails (4) remain in contact with the washing water that penetrate in the hollow that is generated by the sheet (2) throught the holes (6) and (7) while other components, such as the activation motor (5) of the sails, are protected because they are placed in a space where the water does not enter and the spindle that transmits the movement will have the corresponding watertight joint.

Thus the water, that penetrates in the hollow that is generated by the drilled sheet (2) of little thickness, will be evacuated through the lower holes (7) while the holes (6) of the frontal part of the sheet (2) will be materialized with a sure slant for favouring the direct effect of the hot draught against the clothes that are placed in the bottom of the drum.

The connection cables will be carried through the hose (8) without not any problem for the perfect working of the apparatus in all its functions, remaining all them perfectly insulated in their passing through the watertightness walls.

In this way, the concept of drying system incorporated in dryer washing machines is radically changed, since the same one is incorporated in the hollow that the own machine door defines that has not any utility, and the access of the hot air to the clothes is directly realized through the access opening, improving the drying process and diminishing the consumption.

Likewise, the elimination of all those conventional components that are used in the drying process of the clothes means a great advantadge, not only because of the elimination of the cited components (lodging, ventilator, condenser, tunnel that carries the hot air to the tank) but also because of the industrialization since the execution of all the fastenings from the cited components to the vibrant whole of the washing machine is eliminated.

Besides, as the conventional drying system must be assembled in the vibrant whole of the washing machine, it requires its adaptation to the weight that it has to support, so some modifications must be done in all the whole, such as to have counterweights of more weight, with an added difficulty because of the available space is limited that consists in its material must be different than the conventional one, and thus the concrete counterweight must be substituted by a metalic counterweight, heavier and more expensive.

All that does the industrialization of the washing machines and drying washing machines is carried oth through lines practically differentiated while with the new drying system the assembly line of both machines is the same, since in the case of the dryer washing machines, we only have to incorporate a door with the drying sistem assembled in it, while the rest of components will be equal for both machines.

Definitively, the new drying system for being incorporated in dryer washing machines, represents a very important economical saving so that the machine becomes an apparatus more obtainable for the general public.

In the other hand, the door (1) of the dryer washing machine can have a transparent zone (10) for the user can observe the clothes during the several operative cycles. This zone can be located according to the aesthetic, and thus it could be placed in relationship to any of both side passages, or else to define a surrounding area of little width.

Claims

NEW DRYING SYSTEM FOR DRYER WASHING MACHINES, being of the kind of those automatic dryer washing machines that once the washing and centrifugal cycle have finished, the drying process starts for leaving the clothes on the point for being ironed or ready to put them in the wardrobe. This system is characterized because all the components of the system are inserted into the hole of the machine door (1) so that the gap of the same, with truncated cone shape, is made up of a drilled sheet (2) of little thickness, remaining both the body (3) of the resistances and the ventilator sails (4) that are located into the hollow with truncated cone shape and directed to the opening of the machine in contact with the water that is evacuated through the lower holes (7).
NEW DRYING SYSTEM FOR DRYER WASHING MACHINES according to the first claim and characterized because the smaller frontal base of the sheet (2) has some holes (6) inclined downwards for carrying the hot draught that lacks humidity to the clothes that are containe in the drum.
NEW DRYING SYSTEM FOR DRYER WASHING MACHINES according to the first claim and characterized because the starting motor (5), the sails (4) and other components stay insulated with regard to the cavity of access of the washing water, having the corresponding watertight joints for the spindle of the sails (4) and the connection cables that cross through the lateral hose (8).
NEW DRYING SYSTEM FOR DRYER WASHING MACHINES according to the first claim and characterized because the washing machine door (1) has a transparent zone (10) where we can observe both the clothes that are contained in the drum and the washing water.