EP2376703B1

EP2376703B1 - A condensation device for a drier

Info

Publication number: EP2376703B1
Application number: EP09771548A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jierui Pang; Wenfeng Pang
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2008-12-09
Filing date: 2009-12-08
Publication date: 2012-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-08
Also published as: CN201354430Y; CN102245826B; WO2010066719A1; EP2376703A1; CN102245826A

Description

[Field of the Invention]

The present invention relates to a condensation device for a drier comprising a heat exchanging unit, a positioning frame and a connector; wherein the heat exchanging unit comprises at least one drying air channel formed from a heat conductive material and at least one cooling air channel disposed at one side of the drying air channel, the positioning frame comprises a set of through holes connected to the drying air channel, and the connector connects with the drying air channel.
A condensation device of this generic type is disclosed in EP 1 726 905 A2 .

[Description of the Related Art]

Typically, driers are household appliances including driers solely used for drying clothes and driers with multiple functions, such as a washer-drier. A drier is usually equipped with a condensation device for moisture removal by condensing drying air containing steam from a rotating barrel.
One type of condensation device comprises a heat exchanging unit composed of a drying air channel and a cooling air channel, which are separated by a heat isolation board made from a highly heat-conductive material. Typically, there are heat dissipation units disposed in the cooling air channel. The drying air from the rotating barrel passes through the drying air channel, and external air passes through the cooling air channel. As a result of the temperature difference between the drying air and the external air, when the drying air and the external air pass through the condensation device, heat exchange occurs via the heat dissipation unit and the heat isolating board. As a result, the temperature of the drying air is reduced and the air-borne moisture is condensed and separated from the drying air.
The drying air channel and the cooling air channel are usually connected by a plurality of sheet members which are fixed by a positioning frame disposed at the end of each sheet member. In addition, to provide connection with an extra air transport tunnel, the positioning frame is usually connected to a connector and further connected to air channels via the connector.
In the prior art, the heat exchanging unit and the connector are respectively connected to the positioning frame, such that three components are mutually connected via the positioning frame. The heat exchanging unit is not directly connected to the connector. The connection between the three components requires two steps to complete: connecting the positioning frame to the heat exchanging units or the connector first, and then connecting the other component to the positioning frame.

[SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION]

An objective of the present invention is to provide a condensation device for a drier that is easy to assemble.
To achieve the above-mentioned objective, a condensation device for a drier of the present invention is provided comprising a heat exchanging unit, a positioning frame and a connector. The heat exchanging unit comprises at least one drying air channel formed from a heat conductive material and at least one cooling air channel at one side of the drying air channel. The positioning frame comprises a set of through holes connected to the drying air channel, and the connector connects with the drying air channel. Further, the connector has a containment slot for receiving the positioning frame, and the positioning frame, the connector and the heat exchanging unit are mutually fixed by direct connection. Further still, the heat exchanging unit has a first connecting slot and a second connecting slot adjacent to an opening of the drying air channel, and side walls of the positioning frame and the connector extend into the first connecting slot and the second connecting slot.
Because the positioning frame, the connector and the heat exchanging unit are mutually fixed by direct connection, the three components are fixed together in a single step and the manufacturing process is simplified.
One of the improvements provided by the present invention is that glue is filled between the first connecting slot and the second connecting slot, and the heat exchanging unit, the positioning frame and the connector are thus mutually glued. The glue connection simplifies connecting the three components together in a single step.
Another improvement provided by the present invention is that the condensation device for a drier further comprises two positioning frames and connectors. Two side boards are respectively disposed at two sides of the drying air channel, and one set of heat dissipation units is sandwiched in a space formed by the side boards and the drying air channel. A space adjacent to the opening of the drying air channel not occupied by the heat dissipation unit provides the first connecting slot and the second connecting slot. The side walls of the positioning frames and the connectors block the first connecting slot and the second connecting slot to form a cooling air channel enclosed by the side boards and the side walls of the drying air channel, wherein air is allowed to pass through the heat dissipation unit. Another improvement provided by the present invention is that the condensation device for a drier further comprises two drying air channels, and the set of heat dissipation units is sandwiched between the two drying air channels. A third connecting slot is formed adjacent to the opening of the drying air channels, and the positioning frame has a seal strip extending into the third connecting slot and blocking the third connecting slot to form a third cooling air channel enclosed by the drying air channels.
As another improvement, the seal strip of the positioning frame and the side walls of the positioning frame are connected by ribs and through holes are formed between the ribs.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS]

Other novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic view of a drier;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the components in a condensation device;
FIG.3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heat exchanging unit, a positioning frame and a connector assembled; and
FIG.4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heat exchanging unit, a positioning frame and a connector separated.

[DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT]

As shown in FIG. 1, a drier 1 comprises an outer barrel 2, a rotating barrel 3 optionally installed inside the outer barrel 2, a first air channel 4 for connecting a condensation device 5 with the outer barrel 2, a second air channel 6 for connecting the condensation device 5 with a fan 7 and a drying tunnel 8 connected with the other end of the fan 7. The other end of the fan 7 is further connected to the outer barrel 2 via the drying tunnel 8. The drying tunnel 8 has a heating device 9 for heating air passing through the drying tunnel 8, and the condensation device 5 is used for cooling the hot and wet air from the outer barrel 2 to condense and separate the air-borne moisture from the air.
As shown in FIG. 2, the condensation device 5 comprises a heat exchanging unit 10, and the heat exchanging unit 10 comprises two drying air channels 11 made of a heat conductive material and two cooling air channels 12 disposed between and on two sides of the drying air channels 11. Two ends 11a, 11b of the drying air channels 11 are respectively connected to a positioning frame 13 and a connector 14 (the connecting frame and the connector on the end 11b are not shown) and further respectively connected to a first air channel 4 and a second air channel 6, through which passes the drying air from the outer barrel 2. Two ends 12a, 12b of the cooling air channel 12 are respectively connected to the external environment. Therefore, the external air flows into the cooling air channel 12 and exchanges heat with the drying air in the drying air channel 11 to condense the moisture from the drying air.
As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the heat exchanging unit 10 further comprises two side boards 15 respectively disposed on two sides of the drying air channels 11. A heat dissipation unit 16 that air passes through is installed in a space formed between the side boards 15 and the drying air channels 11 and between the two drying air channels 11. The spaces adjacent to the ends 11a, 11 b of the drying air channel 11 are not blocked by the heat dissipation unit 16, which forms a first connecting slot 17a, a second connecting slot 17b and a third connecting slot 17c. The positioning frame 13 comprises two side walls 18. A seal strip 19 is connected to the side walls 18 by ribs 20, and through holes are connected to form the drying air channel 11 between the ribs. The connector 14 comprises two side walls 22, and a containment slot 23 is disposed in a space formed by the side walls 22. The containment slot 23 is connected to the drying air channel 11 for receiving the positioning frame 13. The side walls 18, 22 of the positioning frame 13 and the connector 14 extend into the first connecting slot 17a and the second connecting slot 17b, and the seal strip 19 of the positioning frame 13 extends into the third connecting slot 17c. Glue 24 is filled between the first connecting slot 17a, the second connecting slot 17b and the third connecting slot 17c, and thus the heat exchanging unit 10, the positioning frame 13 and the connector 14 are glued together and block the first connecting slot 17a, the second connecting slot 17b and the third connecting slot 17c. The cooling air channel 12 is enclosed by the side boards 15 and the two drying air channels 11. Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

A condensation device (5) for a drier (1) comprising a heat exchanging unit (10), a positioning frame (13) and a connector (14); wherein the heat exchanging unit (10) comprises at least one drying air channel (11) formed from a heat conductive material and at least one cooling air channel (12) disposed at one side of the drying air channel (11), the positioning frame (13) comprises a set of through holes connected to the drying air channel (11), and the connector (14) connects with the drying air channel (11); characterized in that: the connector (14) has a containment slot (23) for receiving the positioning frame (13), and the positioning frame (13), the connector (14) and the heat exchanging unit (10) are mutually fixed by direct connection, and further in that the heat exchanging unit (10) has a first connecting slot (17a) and a second connecting slot (17b) adjacent to an opening of the drying air channel (11), and in that side walls (18, 22) of the positioning frame (13) and the connector (14) extend into the first connecting slot (17a) and the second connecting slot (17b).
The condensation device (5) as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that glue (24) is filled between the first connecting slot (17a) and the second connecting slot (17b), and the heat exchanging unit (10), the positioning frame (13) and the connector (14) are glued together.
The condensation device (5) as claimed in one of claims 1 and 2, further characterized in that the condensation device (5) comprises two positioning frames (13) and connectors (14), and two side boards (15) are respectively disposed at two sides of the drying air channel (11), and a set of heat dissipation units (16) is sandwiched in a space formed by the side boards (15) and the drying air channel (11), a space adjacent to the opening of the drying air channel (11) not occupied by the heat dissipation units (16) forms the first connecting slot (17a) and the second connecting slot (17b), and the side walls (18, 22) of the positioning frames (13) and the connectors (14) block the first connecting slot (17a) and the second connecting slot (17b) to form a cooling air channel (12) enclosed by the side boards (15) and the side walls of the drying air channel (11), wherein air is allowed to pass through the heat dissipation units (16).
The condensation device (5) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further characterized in that the condensation device (5) comprises two drying air channels (11), the set of heat dissipation units (16) is sandwiched between the two drying air channels (11), a third connecting slot (17c) is formed adjacent to the opening of the drying air channels (11), and the positioning frame (13) has a seal strip (19) extending into the third connecting slot (17c) which blocks the third connecting slot (17c) to form a third cooling air channel (12) enclosed by the drying air channels (11).
The condensation device (5) as claimed in claim 4, further characterized in that the seal strip (19) of the positioning frame (13) and the side walls (18) of the positioning frame (13) are connected by ribs (20) and through holes are formed between the seal strip (19) of the positioning frame (13) and the side walls (18) of the positioning frame (13).