EP1674837B1

EP1674837B1 - Laundry dryer machine

Info

Publication number: EP1674837B1
Application number: EP04425949.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Silvano Fumagalli
Original assignee: Candy SpA
Current assignee: Candy SpA
Priority date: 2004-12-23
Filing date: 2004-12-23
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2024-12-23
Also published as: EP1674837A1

Description

The present invention refers to a laundry dryer machine.
Laundry dryer machines are known which are provided with devices for the detection of the level of the condensation water. In fact most part of said machines are provided with tanks for the collection of the condensation water due to the flow of humid warm air coming out of the basket where the laundry to be dried is contained. The humid air when condensing is collected in tanks usually located under the condenser; said tanks can be fixed or of the removable type.
When the condensation water in said tanks reaches a pre-established level, normally a level near the level of the tank's full load, the water contained in the same tank must be discharged.
The devices normally used for the detection of said pre-established level in the condensation water tank are pressure switches.
DE 2933513 discloses a laundry dryer machine comprising a laundry basket for the containment of the laundry to be dried, means for the conveying of heated air inside said basket, heat exchanger means passed through by the air coming from the basket, at least one tank for the collection of the condensation water produced by said heat exchanger means and means for the detection of the reaching of a pre-established level of water inside the tank.
DE 3708516 discloses a laundry dryer machine as defined in the preamble of claim 1.
DE 10201767 discloses optical means comprise first means suitable to emit an infrared ray and second means suitable to receive said infrared ray, third means connected with said second means and suitable to detect the degree of reception of the infrared ray. The first means are arranged at a certain distance from the second means and the optical means are arranged outside of the tank; the last comprises an extension placed between the first and the second means.
EP 1006231 discloses a method for controlling washload drying in a clothes drying apparatus, in which an air flow is heated up and used to remove moisture from the washload and convey the same moisture into a collecting container. The variation in the level of the water so removed from the washload is repeatedly detected at pre-set time intervals and the heating of the air flow is turned off in response to said variation being detected to show a decrease below a pre-determined value during at least one of said time intervals.
In view of the state of the art herein described, an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry dryer machine with a new device for the detection of the level of the water in the tank containing the condensation water.
According to the present invention, this object is obtained by means of a laundry dryer machine as defined in claim 1.
The characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, which are illustrated as non limiting examples in the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial schematic side view of a laundry dryer machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a top view of a part of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a schematic front view of one part of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a schematic front view of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a top view of the single tank used in the laundry dryer machine in Figure 1;
Figure 7 is partial schematic side view of a laundry dryer machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a schematic front view of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a schematic top view of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 7;
Figure 10 is a top view of the single tank used in the laundry dryer machine in Figure 7;
Figure 11 is a partial schematic side view of a laundry dryer machine according to a third embodiment which does not form part of the present invention;
Figure 12 is a view more in detail of one part of the laundry dryer machine in Figure 11.

With reference to Figures 1-6 a laundry dryer machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. Said machine is provided with a cabinet 1 having an opening 2 for the loading of the laundry on the front wall 3 of the cabinet 1. The laundry dryer machine comprises a door 4 suitable to close the opening 2 of the cabinet 1 and a basket 5 suitable to contain the laundry that must be dried; the door is hinged to the front wall 3 of the cabinet 1. The basket 5 can be fixed or it can be made rotate by an electric motor and opportune kinematical means. The basket 5 comprises an opening lined up with the opening 2 of the cabinet 1 for the loading of the laundry to be dried.
The laundry dryer machine comprises a heat exchanger device 6 through which the humid air coming from the basket 5 passes. The humid air that passes through the device 6 gets cooled by means of cold air coming from a fan 32 driven by a motor 33, as better visible in Figure 5; in such way droplets of water are produced by the device 6. The air coming from the device 6 is sent toward a duct 30 and there it is heated by the resistors present inside the duct 30; the heated air is directed by means of a fan 31 toward the basket 5 in order to dry the laundry. The device 6 is preferably arranged under the basket 5, as visible in Figures 1 and 4.
Under the device 6 a unit 10 for the collection of the condensation water coming from the same device 6 is arranged. Said unit 10 comprises means 11 made up of a sheet metal shaped as a funnel suitable to collect the condensation water coming from the device 6. Said sheet metal has a hole 12 for the outflow of the condensation water being collected. Under said sheet metal 11 a tank 13 is arranged having a hole 14 for the inlet of water which corresponds to the hole 12 of the sheet metal 11, as better visible in Figures 1 and 4. The tank 13 rests on the bottom 8 of the laundry dryer machine inside an interpage 9 obtained within the bottom part of the machine. Preferably the tank is of the removable type and it has a handle 15 for the extraction of the same from the interpage 9 from the front part of the laundry dryer machine, as better visible in Figures 1 and 6.
The unit 10 comprises optical means 20 for the detection of the reaching of a pre-established level P of water inside said the tank 13, as better visible in Figures 1-3. Said optical means comprise a LED emitter 21 and a LED receiver 22 arranged at a certain distance from each other; the LED 21 emits an infrared ray which is received by the LED 22. The optical means 20 comprise a device 200 connected with the LED 22 and suitable to detect the degree of reception of the infrared ray; in fact the lower or the higher absorption of the infrared ray depends on the interposed mean and it is therefore possible to discriminate the presence of water from the air. The LED 21 and 22 are respectively arranged on two extensions 23 and 24 of the optical means 20 at a certain distance D from each other; between said extensions 23 and 24 an extension 17 of a recess 16 of the tank 13 is arranged. The latter is preferably made of polypropylene, that is a material transparent to the infrared rays. The optical means are preferably connected with an electronic timer (not visible in the figures) that it is suitable to stop the operation of the laundry dryer machine when the pre-established water level P inside the tank 13 is reached.
With reference to figures 7-10 a laundry dryer machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown; the elements equal to the first embodiment will be identified by the same numerical references. The laundry dryer machine of said second embodiment differs from the laundry dryer machine of the first embodiment because it comprises two tanks 130, 131 for the collection of the condensation water coming from the heat exchanger 6 through which the air coming from the basket 5 passes. The air that passes through the device 6 gets cooled by means cold air coming from a fan 32 driven by a motor 33, as better visible in Figure 9. The air coming from the device 6 is sent toward a duct 30 and there it gets heated by the resistors present inside the duct 30; the heated air is directed by means of a fan 31 toward the basket 5 in order to dry the laundry. The device 6 is preferably arranged under the basket 5, as visible in Figures 7-9.
The laundry dryer machine comprises a unit 10 for the collection of the condensation water coming from the same device 6. Said unit 10 comprises means 11 made up of a sheet metal shaped as a funnel suitable to collect the condensation water coming from the device 6. Said sheet metal has a hole 12 for the outflow of the condensation water being collected. Under said sheet metal 11 the tank 130 is arranged which has a hole 14 for the inlet of water which corresponds to the hole 12 of the sheet metal 11, as better visible in Figures 7 and 8; the tank 130 is similar to the tank 13 of the first embodiment. The tank 130 rests on the bottom 8 of the laundry dryer machine inside an interspace 9 obtained within the bottom part of the machine; the tank 130 is fastened to the interspace 9.
The unit 10 comprises optical means 20 for the detection of the reaching of a pre-established water level P inside said tank 130, as better visible in Figure 7.
The optical means 20 in the laundry dryer machine of the second embodiment of the invention are arranged in proximity of the front part of said machine whereas in the machine of the first embodiment they were arranged in proximity of the back part.
The tank 130 is in hydraulic connection with a tank 131 arranged above the basket 5 in an interspace 51 located in proximity of the top 50 of the cabinet 1. Said hydraulic connection is made by means of a pump 41 which allows the transport of the condensation water from the tank 130 to the tank 131 through a duct 42. The pump 41 is connected with the tank 130 from which it takes the condensation water that is brought through the duct 42 to the tank 131 through a an inlet hole 43.
Preferably the tank 131, better visible in figure 10, is of the removable type and it has a handle 44 for the extraction of the same from the interspace 51 from the front part of the laundry dryer machine.
With reference to Figures 11-12 a laundry dryer machine according to a third embodiment which does not form part of the present invention is shown; the elements equal to the first embodiment will be identified by the same numerical references. The laundry dryer machine of said third embodiment differs from the laundry dryer machine of the first embodiment because it comprises two tanks 140, 141 for the collection of the condensation water coming from the heat exchanger device 6 though which the air coming from the basket 5 passes; the device 6 is preferably arranged under the basket 5, as visible in Figure 11.
The laundry dryer machine comprises a unit 10 for the collection of the condensation water coming from the same device 6. Said unit 10 comprises means 110 made up of a sheet metal shaped as a funnel suitable to collect the condensation water coming from the device 6. Said sheet metal has a hole 120 for the output of the condensation water being collected. Under said sheet metal 110 tank 140 having a hole for the inlet of water 145 is arranged to correspond to the hole 120 of the sheet metal 110, as better visible in Figure 12. The tank 140 rests on the bottom 8 of the laundry dryer machine and it is fastened there.
The unit 10 comprises optical means 20 for the detection of the reaching of the pre-established level of water P inside said tank 140. The optical means 20 in the laundry dryer machine of the third embodiment are arranged in proximity of the back part of the laundry dryer machine. Differently from the previous embodiments the LED 21 and 22, respectively connected with two extensions 23 and 24 of the optical means 20, are arranged inside the tank 140 in directed contact with the condensation water being collected.
Another tank 141, in hydraulic connection with the tank 140, is arranged inside an interstice 90 obtained in the bottom part of the machine. The hydraulic connection is made by means of a valve 150. Preferably the tank 141 is of the removable type and it has a handle 144 for the extraction of the same from the interspace 90 from the front part of the laundry dryer machine. The valve 150 is such as not to make any water from the tank 140 outflow when the tank 141 is removed from the interspace 90.

Claims

Laundry dryer machine comprising a laundry basket (5) for the containment of the laundry to be dried, means (30, 31) for the conveying of heated air inside said basket (5), heat exchanger means (6) passed through by the air coming from the basket (5), at least one tank (13; 130, 131; 140, 141) for the collection of the condensation water produced by said heat exchanger means (6), optical means (20) for the detection of the reaching of a pre-established level of water (P) inside said tank (13; 130, 131; 140, 141), characterised in that said optical means (20) comprises first means (21) suitable to emit an infrared ray and second means (22) suitable to receive said infrared ray, third means (200) connected with said second means (22) and suitable to detect the degree of reception of the infrared ray, said first means (21) being arranged at a certain distance (D) from said second means (22), said first means (21) and said second means (22) are arranged outside of the tank (13; 130, 131), said tank comprising an extension (17) arranged between said first means (21) and said second means (22) the extension (17) of the tank being made of a material transparent to the infrared ray, said first means (21) and said second means (22) being respectively arranged on two extensions (23, 24) of the optical means (20) at the certain distance (D) from each other.
Machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a first (130; 140) and a second (131; 141) tank in hydraulic connection with each other, said optical means (20) operating on one of said tanks (130; 140).
Machine according to claim 2, characterised in that said first tank (130; 140) is fastened to the laundry dryer machine and said second tank (131; 141) is removable from the laundry dryer machine.
Machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said first tank (130) is arranged under the basket (5) and said second tank (131) is arranged above the basket.
Machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises additional means (32, 33) suitable to send cool air to the heat exchanger device (6) for the production of said condensation water.