EP2990521A1 - Laundry dryer - Google Patents
Laundry dryer Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2990521A1 EP2990521A1 EP14182918.4A EP14182918A EP2990521A1 EP 2990521 A1 EP2990521 A1 EP 2990521A1 EP 14182918 A EP14182918 A EP 14182918A EP 2990521 A1 EP2990521 A1 EP 2990521A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- drum
- bulkhead
- laundry dryer
- cabinet
- dryer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Images
Classifications
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/02—Domestic laundry dryers having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
- D06F58/04—Details
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/02—Domestic laundry dryers having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/02—Domestic laundry dryers having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
- D06F58/04—Details
- D06F58/06—Mountings for the rotating drums
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/20—General details of domestic laundry dryers
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/20—General details of domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/24—Condensing arrangements
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a laundry dryer having a cabinet in which a drum is rotatably supported. The drum has a back wall facing a plastic bulkhead which includes a portion of at least one drum support assembly.
- Laundry dryers typically have a bearing structure or cabinet which generally includes a basement on which a front wall and a rear wall, as well as lateral walls, are mounted. In the cabinet, accessible via a door, a laundry drum is mounted, rotatable around an axis. Such an axis can be horizontal, vertical or tilted. The drum, where the laundry items are contained in order to be dried, is actuated through an electric motor, for example by means of a drive belt, and it is rotatably supported in the front and rear areas thereof by means of pairs of wheels or rollers. In some other solutions, the drum is supported at the front part thereof through an abovementioned pair of rollers and at the rear part by a shaft, preferably coaxial with the rotational axis of the drum. The drum in operation is made to rotate in order to cause agitation of the laundry items to be dried, which repeatedly tumble with the drum while being exposed to a drying air flow.
- The dryer air flow is generated by an air generator, which includes a circuit for conveying a flow of drying air, including a duct along which a fan forces the air into the drum, after the air itself has been heated. The hot air traverses the inside of the drum and is saturated with the moisture transferred by the laundry items contained therein, which items are thus progressively dried. The hot air is generated for example by means of an electrical resistance or using a heat pump. The hot air is generally introduced into the drum through the back of the same and the moist air exits from the drum through the front thereof, which is provided with a central opening, used - in case of front load machines - even with the aim of loading and unloading the laundry items.
- In some prior art dryers, the drum practically consists of a cylindrical wall having open ends, and gaskets of large diameter are provided at the front end and rear end of the cylindrical wall. The laundry is therefore confined between the cylindrical wall, the door of the dryer and the back wall of the cabinet. This solution has several drawbacks, first of all the wear-and-tear of the large gaskets and the continuous contact and friction between the laundry items (which rotate) and the back wall of the cabinet (which is stationary). This movement may damage the laundry items or cause entanglement of the latter. In addition, friction between tumbling laundry and stationary back wall of the cabinet causes energy losses and undesired electrical power consumption to rotate the drum.
- In other known solutions, the drum has a back wall which is configured as a separate piece with respect to the peripheral cylindrical wall, and rigidly fixed thereto.
- For such dryers, for example the one disclosed in
EP 2631354 , in some solutions an additional metal closing component is provided, that is cylindrical-shaped, protruding towards the outside of the cabinet and coupled to an opening of the rear wall of the cabinet in order to guarantee the passage of the drying air to the drum. - However, the construction of such rear wall of the cabinet is rather complex and requires many different components that have to be assembled together. This increases the overall costs of the final dryer.
- The present invention relates to a laundry dryer in which the design of the rear portion, i.e. of the rear part, of the laundry dryer, is improved aiming for achieving a good compromise between performances of the laundry dryer and costs of the same.
- Furthermore, another object of the laundry dryer of the invention is to reduce the number of components with respect to prior art laundry dryer, thereby simplifying the assembly of the same.
- Last, but not least, a further object of the laundry dryer of the invention is to provide a rear portion that can be applicable to different types of laundry dryers, either supported by a shaft or by rollers or by a combination of the two, by means of simple modifications of the rear portion design. Advantageously, rollers comprise a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material. In this way noise generated by the contact between drum and rollers is reduced.
- According to an aspect, the invention relates to a laundry dryer comprising:
- a dryer cabinet, comprising a front wall and a rear wall;
- a drum rotatably accommodated within said cabinet, said drum having a first and a second end, said second end being fixedly closed by a back wall which rotates unitarily with the drum;
- a drying air generator, apt to generate a flow of drying air through said drum;
- at least one drum support assembly to rotatably support said drum along an axis of rotation within said cabinet;
wherein said rear wall comprises- a rear bulkhead to which the second end of said drum is coupled in an axially rotating manner, said rear bulkhead being realized as an integral piece in plastic material and facing on one side said drum back wall and on the other side the exterior of the cabinet, and including a portion of said at least one drum support assembly.
- It should also be observed that, in the present description and in the attached claims, the terms "plastic material" and the like, are used to indicate any plastic, i.e. polymeric or synthetic material, or based on plastic, i.e. polymeric or synthetic material, possibly added with fillers suitable to improve the functional and robustness characteristics thereof, such as minerals, textile synthetic fillers and so on and so forth.
- Furthermore, when relative terms such as "front", "back", "rear", "lateral", "top", "bottom", etc. are used, they refer to the normal operational position of the laundry dryer when in use, e.g. located on a floor which usually is (substantially) horizontal. The location of a door of the laundry dryer, generally coupled to a front wall of the cabinet in order to access the drum, defines the "front" of the dryer itself. Given the horizontal plane on which the laundry is located, "top" and "bottom" - as their normal common meaning - refer to the position of an object along a vertical axis.
- With the term "laundry dryer" or "dryer" both an appliance having drying function only, or a combined washerdryer appliance, which is capable of performing both washing and drying cycles, are meant.
- The laundry dryer of the invention includes a drying chamber, such as a drum, in which the load, e.g. clothes or other laundry, to be dried is placed. The drum of the dryer of the invention is a closed drum, i.e. it includes a mantle, for example cylindrically shaped, one of whose ends is closed by a back wall or a flange, which rotates as a single piece together with the mantle when the drum is driven into rotation. The connection between the mantle and the back wall or flange can be of any type, and it depends on the material in which mantle and/or back wall or flange are/is realized. The back wall of the drum is preferably perforated, e.g. it includes a plurality of apertures, so that air to dry clothes or any other laundry can be introduced through the rear wall.
- The drum is part of a process air circuit, in particular a closed-loop circuit in case of a condensed dryer or an open circuit in case of a vented dryer, which in both cases includes a process air conduit for channeling a stream of air to dry the load. The process air circuit is connected with its two opposite ends to the drum. More specifically, hot dry air is fed into the drying chamber, flowing over the laundry, and the resulting humid (and to a lower temperature cooled down) air exits the same. In case of a closed-loop drying air circuit, the humid air stream, rich in water vapor, is then fed into a humidity removal element, such as a heat exchanger. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the humid air is fed to an evaporator of a heat pump system, where the moist process air is further cooled down and the humidity present therein condenses. The resulting cool dry air is then heated up before re-entering again in the drying chamber by means of a hot drying air generator, which can be for example a condenser of the heat pump system, and the whole loop is repeated till the end of the drying cycle. Alternatively or in addition, to remove humidity from humid air stream exiting the drum, an air-air type heat exchanger may be used. Such heat exchanger receives ambient air as cooling fluid to cool down and remove humidity from humid air stream passing therethrough. Furthermore, the hot drying air generator may comprise an electrical or gas powered heating device. In a vented dryer, ambient air is taken into the dryer via an inlet duct, such air is heated up by a hot drying air generator, such as condenser of the heat pump system and/or an electrical or gas powered heating device, before entering the drum. Heated air flowing through and on humid laundry contained in the drum, removes humidity from laundry. Humid air stream exiting the drum may be optionally dehumidified by an evaporator of a heat pump system, or an air-air type heat exchanger as explained above, before being exhausted outside the dryer.
- Thus, the process air conduit to channel the flow of drying air includes an air passage that brings such drying air from the hot drying air generator to the inside of the drum from its rear end, i.e. through its back wall. In other possible solutions of laundry dryer, air is fed from the front of the drum and flows in direction of the rear of the drum.
- The dryer furthermore includes a cabinet or bearing structure, comprising preferably a basement, a front wall and a rear wall. A power cord, provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains. The front wall is advantageously provided with a through opening, at which a door is mounted to access the drum in order to locate or remove the laundry. Front wall includes a front bulkhead which is preferably made of a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material, as an integral, i.e. single, unitary piece. The front bulkhead is preferably formed by an injection moulding process. In this way, a number of components arranged in the front part of the cabinet may be advantageously integrated in a single unitary plastic piece forming the front bulkhead. A front part of the drum is rotatably coupled to the front bulkhead. In the front bulkhead a through opening is preferably provided, a door is mounted at said opening to access the drum in order to locate or remove the laundry. The front bulkhead is then preferably covered by a panel which extends around the through opening and defines the external front surface of the front wall of cabinet.
- The basement rests on a floor and its vertical distance from the floor may be advantageously adjusted through regulating feet provided on the lower surface of the basement facing the floor.
- The rear wall of the cabinet forms a rear bulkhead which may include an aperture facing the back wall of the drum or it has one or more wall portions facing the back wall of the drum. Furthermore, the rear bulkhead might include further or different aperture(s). The rear bulkhead forms part of the air process circuit that brings process air to (or from) the drum. Preferably, a rim of the rear drum end abuts against the rear bulkhead and even more preferably a gasket is interposed therein between. The rear bulkhead is substantially the major part of the rear wall of the cabinet, facing on one side the back wall of the drum, or anyhow the interior of the cabinet, and on the other side the exterior or the outside of the cabinet.
- According to the invention, the rear bulkhead is realized in plastic, e.g. polymeric, material as a single, unitary element. The fact that the rear bulkhead is realized in plastic allows a minimization of the numbers of elements included in the rear wall of the dryer of the invention, as it will be better detailed below. Indeed, with a single producing process, for example with the same molding process, preferably an injection molding process, the bulkhead can be realized including a plurality of additional functional elements for the dryer that do not have to be realized separately and then assembled.
- Within the cabinet, the drum is rotatably mounted for rotating according to a substantially horizontal or tilted rotation axis. At least one drum support assembly for rotatably supporting the drum in this rotation around this given rotation axis is provided for within the cabinet.
- According to the invention, a portion of the at least one of said drum support assembly of the drum is formed at the rear bulkhead. The rear bulkhead thus has also the function to hold at least partially via a support assembly the drum for its rotation.
- In this way, the plastic rear bulkhead integrates different functions, it forms part of the drying air circuit, and it includes a portion of the support assembly for the rotatable support of the drum. The configuration of the rear portion of the dryer is thus simplified, limiting the number of elements, and thereby reducing the assembly time, in particular of the rear wall of the cabinet.
- According to the above mentioned aspect, the dryer of the invention may include, alternatively or in combination, one or more of the following characteristics.
- Advantageously, said drum support assembly includes a holder and a drum support element, said holder being provided on said rear bulkhead.
- The drum support assembly includes a drum support element which is for example a shaft or a roller (or both) and a respective holder is provided according to this embodiment at the rear bulkhead. The holder can be of any type and it depends or follows the configuration of the drum supporting element.
- In an embodiment, said rear bulkhead includes a drum aperture facing the back wall of the drum and said rear wall further includes a rear cover connected to said rear bulkhead for closing said drum aperture so that said rear bulkhead and said rear cover form an air passage for said drying air flow to said back wall of said drum.
- As mentioned above, in the process air circuit, the process air exits the drum, preferably passes through the basement where generally the hot air generator is located and then re-enters the drum. Preferably, a portion of the process air circuit is formed in the rear bulkhead as well.
- In order to form the portion of the process air circuit, or air passage, to introduce the drying air from the hot drying air generator into the drum, the rear wall of the cabinet further includes a rear cover which closes a drum opening preferably realized in the bulkhead itself, which faces the back wall of the drum, so that a close air passage for the drying air is so realized. The rear cover and bulkhead form a closed air passage for drying air exiting the basement and entering the drum. Preferably, such air is blown by a fan, which might be for example also housed in the bulkhead itself. Thus, in this embodiment the rear wall of the cabinet is substantially realized in two pieces, the bulkhead and the cover. The cover on one side faces the back wall of the drum and on the other side the exterior of the cabinet. The combination of the bulkhead and the cover forms the outer rear surface of the cabinet of the dryer. No further panels are preferably present covering said external rear surface.
- The rear portion of the dryer thus includes only few elements in order to form the complete rear wall of the dryer cabinet.
- Advantageously, said laundry dryer includes an impeller of a fan and said rear bulkhead includes a fan aperture for accessing said impeller.
- Preferably, the process air is blown by a fan preferably located within the rear bulkhead and more preferably in the air passage formed in the rear bulkhead. In order to access the fan or the impeller of the same, a fan aperture is formed in the rear bulkhead.
- More preferably, said rear bulkhead includes an integrally formed bulge portion facing said rear back wall of said drum and said rear wall includes a lid connected to said rear bulkhead to cover said fan aperture.
- Instead of having a drum aperture and a fan aperture, in an embodiment the bulkhead includes a single aperture, the fan aperture, and a lid, which covers such a fan aperture. In this embodiment, the air passage for the drying air from the basement to the drum is formed by the rear bulkhead, which also preferably hosts the fan, and the lid which closes the fan aperture forming a closed passage. The air passage is thus substantially a closed cavity formed in the rear bulkhead.
- Alternatively, said fan aperture is covered by said rear cover which extends to cover both said drum aperture and said fan aperture.
- In this different embodiment, both apertures, the drum aperture and the fan aperture are present in the rear bulkhead, however in order to limit the number of components of the rear wall, the rear cover covers both of them, i.e. the cover extends widely enough to cover both apertures.
- Preferably, the cover and/or lid are/is realized in plastic, i.e. polymeric, material.
- In this way, also the cover and/or the lid can have easily any form or can be easily integrated to the rear bulkhead, or themselves/itself may integrate other components of the laundry dryer.
- Preferably, said hot drying air generator includes a condenser of a heat pump system.
- Heat pump dryers generate temperatures lower than dryers including electrical or gas powered air heating devices. Therefore it is preferred to equip a dryer having a plastic, i.e. polymeric, rear bulkhead with a heat pump system as hot drying air generator, so as to avoid any possible melting of the plastic bulkhead due to higher local temperatures at which different hot drying air generators may work.
- In an advantageous embodiment, said drum support assembly includes a shaft, said shaft being connected to said back wall of the drum, said shaft defining said axis of rotation of said drum.
- In order to rotate the drum around a given rotation axis, several possibilities are known. Among them, the drum can be rotatably supported by a shaft arranged at the drum back wall. Preferably, in addition to the shaft, also rollers, generally in the number of two, are used in combination to the shaft to support the drum and are present at or in proximity of the front end of the drum. Instead or rollers, a friction reducing surface may be provided in the region where the front drum end is rotatably coupled to the cabinet front wall. Such friction reducing surface acts as a supporting surface for the drum. The shaft can be supported by a bearing. Depending on whether the shaft is located on the rear bulkhead or in the back wall of the drum, the bearing can be respectively located at the drum itself, e.g. for example integrated or mounted in the back wall of the drum, or at the rear bulkhead, for example integrated or mounted to the latter. In the latter case, a metallic bearing cross integrated in the plastic of the rear bulkhead can be envisaged, e.g. cast to the plastic material of the bulkhead. More preferably, said shaft is fixed to said back wall and said portion of at least one drum support assembly includes a bearing for said shaft.
- In case the drum support assembly includes a shaft and a bearing, the shaft could be located at the back wall of the drum, and the portion of drum support assembly located at the rear bulkhead includes the bearing. For example, the bearing might be embedded in a ring, provided to support the shaft, and said ring is held by supporting ribs which can be realized in the rear bulkhead as well, for example in the center of the drum aperture facing the back wall of the drum and closed by the cover. This ring is advantageously realized integral to said rear bulkhead, thanks to the plastic material of the latter that allows a relatively easy integration in a single piece of different elements.
- In case said shaft is located at the rear bulkhead, the bearing - generally realized in metal - is fixed on the back wall of the drum itself.
- Alternatively or in addition, said drum support assembly includes a roller.
- The drum can be rotatably supported either by a shaft coupled with a bearing at the back of the drum and by rollers supporting the front of the drum, or only by rollers, for example two rollers at the back of the drum and two rollers at the front of the drum. However, any different number of rollers is included in the invention as well.
- More preferably, said at least drum support assembly includes a boss or a bracket for supporting said roller.
- In case the dryer includes as supporting elements rollers in the back of the drum, in addition or alternatively to the shaft, the rear bulkhead includes a boss where the roller can be fixed. The boss might further include a pin where the roller can be fastened, for example by screws or a snap-fitting combination. Alternatively to bosses, brackets can be formed as well.
- In an advantageous embodiment, said portion of drum support assembly is integrally formed with said rear bulkhead.
- Due to the fact that the rear bulkhead is realized in plastic material as a single body, additional structural elements, such as the portion of drum support element, e.g. the holder of the drum support element, can be realized as well integrally, i.e. in a single unitary piece, therewith. In this way, the assembly of different parts is minimized.
- Preferably, the dryer of the invention includes a basement having an upper shell and a lower shell, said basement defining an additional air passage for said drying air flow.
- In a preferred embodiment, the cabinet includes a basement resting on a floor to which the rear wall and the front wall are connected. The hot drying air generator includes a drying air conduit for the process air, a portion of which is located, or formed, within the basement. Advantageously, the basement may comprise two members or portions forming the drying air conduit when joined one another. The basement further includes an outlet for the drying air.
- In other words, the basement of the dryer also defines a part of the process air conduit for the drying air. For example, in case of a heat pump dryer, the basement is so arranged to house the heat exchangers of the heat pump system.
- More preferably, said basement is realized in plastic, i.e. polymeric, material.
- As seen, the use of plastic allows creating in a substantially free manner different shapes. In this way, the outline of the air channel can be optimized because the most suitable shape of the channel can be formed, enhancing the efficiency of the dryer. Preferably, such plastic basement is used in connection with a heat pump system and a rear bulkhead made in plastic as well, because lower temperatures than in a dryer having an electric or gas powered hot drying air generator are obtained.
- In an advantageous embodiment, said bulkhead includes a water collector for the collection of condensed water, said water collector being integral to said bulkhead.
- The plastic bulkhead allows the integration of many functional components of the dryer in a single unitary piece.
- Further advantages of the present invention will be better understood with non-limiting reference to the appended drawings, where:
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Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a laundry dryer realized according to the present invention; -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the laundry dryer ofFig. 1 with an element of the casing removed for showing some internal components; -
Fig. 3 is a perspective view, in a disassembled configuration, of the basement of the dryer offig. 1 orFig. 2 ; -
Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view of a portion of the previous Figures; -
Fig. 5 is a perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of a portion of the dryer of the invention; -
Fig. 6 is a perspective view partially disassembled of the rear wall of the cabinet of the dryer of the invention of the embodiment offig. 5 ; -
Fig. 7 is a side view of the rear wall of the dryer cabinet ofFig. 6 ; -
Fig. 8 is a perspective exploded view of a second embodiment of a portion of the dryer of the invention; -
Fig. 9 is a perspective view partially disassembled of a variant of the second embodiment of the dryer of the invention offig. 8 ; - and
-
Fig. 10a and Fig. 10b are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of a detail of the rear wall of the dryer of the invention made according to a further preferred embodiment. - With initial reference to
Figs. 1 and2 , a laundry dryer realized according to the present invention is globally indicated with 1. -
Laundry dryer 1 comprises an outer box casing orcabinet 2, preferably but not necessarily parallelepiped-shaped, and a drying chamber, such as adrum 3, for example having the shape of a hollow cylinder, for housing the laundry and in general the clothes and garments to be dried. Thedrum 3 is preferably rotatably fixed to thecabinet 2. Access to thedrum 3 is achieved for example via adoor 4, preferably hinged tocabinet 2, which can open and close anopening 4a realized on the cabinet itself. - More in detail,
cabinet 2 generally includes afront wall 20, arear wall 21 and twosidewalls 25, all mounted on abasement 24. Preferably, thebasement 24 is realized in plastic material. Preferably,basement 24 is molded via an injection molding process. Preferably, on thefront wall 20, thedoor 4 is hinged so as to access the drum. The cabinet, with its walls, defines the volume of thelaundry dryer 1. Advantageously,basement 24 includes an upper and alower shell portion figure 3 detailed below). Thebasement 24 rests on a floor and its vertical distance from the floor may be advantageously adjusted through regulatingfeet 46 provided on the lower surface of the basement facing the floor. - The
dryer 1, and inparticular basement 24, defines an horizontal plane (X,Y) which is substantially the plane of the ground on which thedryer 1 is situated, thus it is considered to be substantially horizontal, and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the plane (X,Y). -
Laundry dryer 1 also preferably comprises anelectrical motor assembly 50 for rotating, on command, revolvingdrum 3 along its axis insidecabinet 2.Door 4 andelectrical motor assembly 50 are common parts in the technical field and are considered to be known; therefore they will not be described in detail. - Further,
laundry dryer 1 may include an electronic central control unit (not shown) which controls both theelectrical motor assembly 50 and other components of thedryer 1 to perform, on command, one of the user-selectable drying cycles preferably stored in the same central control unit. The programs as well other parameters of thelaundry dryer 1, or alarm and warning functions can be set and/or visualized in acontrol panel 11, preferably realized in a top portion of thedryer 1, such as abovedoor 4. - With reference to
Figures 2 , and5 to 9 , therotatable drum 3 includes a mantle, having preferably a substantially cylindrical,tubular body 3c, which is preferably made of metal material, is arranged inside thecabinet 2 and is apt to rotate around a general rotational axis R which can be horizontal, i.e. parallel to the (X,Y) plane, or tilted with respect to the latter. Themantle 3c defines afirst end 3a and asecond end 3b and thedrum 3 is so arranged that thefirst end 3a (including a circularfront rim 3f) of themantle 3c is faced to the laundry loading/unloading opening realized on thefront wall 20 of thecabinet 2 and thedoor 4, while thesecond end 3b has also arim 3e which shows preferably a circular shape.
The second orrear end 3b of the drum 3 (includingrim 3e) is closed by a back wall 8.
Preferably, drum back wall 8 is faced to therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 and is permanently and rigidly coupled to thesecond end 3b ofmantle 3c of thedrum 3 so as to close saidsecond end 3b. Back wall 8 forms, together withlateral mantle 3c, a substantially cylindrical, cup-shaped rigid container structured for housing the laundry to be dried. Preferably the drum back wall 8 is coupled to thecircular rim 3esecond end 3b ofmantle 3c of thedrum 3.
In a preferred embodiment, therotatable drum 3 is formed only by two bodies joined together, one of said two bodies being themantle 3c and the other of said two bodies being the back wall 8 which is permanently fixed to therear end 3b of saidmantle 3c and rotates therewith whendrum 3 rotates. - Preferably, the back wall 8 is furthermore suitably perforated so as to allow a stream of drying air to flow through the back wall 8 of the tubular shaped body of the
drum 3.
The perforated portion of back wall 8 is located approximately at the center of the back wall 8 so as to be substantially coaxial to the longitudinal rotational axis R of therotatable drum 3, and is preferably substantially circular in shape. The remaining portion of the back wall 8, including anouter rim 8a thereof, is not perforated. Perforations in the back wall 8 will be called, in the following, vents 65. -
Dryer 1 additionally includes a process air circuit which comprises thedrum 3 and aprocess air conduit 18, depicted as a plurality of arrows showing the path flow of a process air stream through the dryer 1 (seeFigures 3 ,5 and8 ). In thebasement 24,process air conduit 18 is formed by the connection of theupper shell 24a and thelower shell 24b.Air process conduit 18 is preferably connected with its opposite ends to the two opposite sides ofdrum 3, i.e. first and secondrear end mantle 3c. Process air circuit also includes a fan or blower 12 (shown infig. 3 ). - The
dryer 1 of the invention additionally comprises a hot drying air generator, that in the depicted embodiment includes a condenser of aheat pump system 30. Theheat pump system 30 includes a first heat exchanger (called also condenser) 31 and a second heat exchanger (called also evaporator) 32 (seefigure 3 ).Heat pump 30 also includes a refrigerant closed circuit (partly depicted) in which a refrigerant fluid flows, when thedryer 1 is in operation, cools off and may condense in correspondence of the condenser 31, releasing heat, and warms up, in correspondence of the second heat exchanger (evaporator) 32, absorbing heat. Acompressor 33 receives refrigerant in a gaseous state from theevaporator 32 and supplies the condenser 31, thereby closing the refrigerant cycle. In the following the heat exchangers are named either condenser and evaporator or first and second heat exchanger, respectively. More in detail, the heat pump circuit connects via piping 35 (seeFig. 3 ) the second heat exchanger (evaporator) 32 via thecompressor 33 to the condenser 31. The outlet of condenser 31 is connected to the inlet of theevaporator 32 via an expansion device (not visible), such as a choke, a valve or a capillary tube. - Preferably, in correspondence of
evaporator 32, thelaundry dryer 1 of the invention may include a condensed-water canister (also not visible) which collects the condensed water produced, when thedryer 1 is in operation, insideevaporator 32 by condensation of the surplus moisture in the process air stream arriving from the drying chamber (i.e. drum) 3. The canister is located at the bottom of theevaporator 32. Preferably, through a connecting pipe and a pump (not shown in the drawings), the collected water is sent in a reservoir located in correspondence of the highest portion of thedryer 1 so as to facilitate a comfortable manual discharge of the water by the user of thedryer 1. - The condenser 31 and the
evaporator 32 of theheat pump 30 are located in correspondence of theprocess air conduit 18 formed in thebasement 24. - In case of a condense-type dryer - as depicted in the appended figures - where the process air circuit is a closed loop circuit, the condenser 31 is located downstream of the
evaporator 32. The air exiting thedrum 3 enters theprocess air conduit 18 and reaches theevaporator 32 which cools down and dehumidifies the process air. The dry cool process air continues to flow through theprocess air conduit 18 till it enters the condenser 31, where it is warmed up by theheat pump 30 before re-entering thedrum 3. - It is to be understood that in the
dryer 1 of the invention, an air heater, such as an electrical heater, can also be present, in addition to theheat pump 30. In this case,heat pump 30 and heater can also work together to speed up the heating process (and thus reducing the drying cycle time). In the latter case, preferably condenser 31 ofheat pump 30 is located upstream the heater. Appropriate measures should be provided to avoid the electric heater to fuse plastic components of thedryer 1. - With reference to
Figures 2 and4 , thefront rim 3f ofdrum 3, e.g. the circular front rim of the substantiallycylindrical mantle 3c, is furthermore coupled in preferably substantially airtight and axially rotating manner to thefront wall 20 ofcabinet 2, preferably with the interposition of a first circular sealing gasket (not depicted).Front wall 20 is preferably coupled tobasement 24.Front wall 20 includes afront bulkhead 70 where theopening 4a for thedoor 4 is realized and to which thedrum 3 is coupled for rotation. Thefront bulkhead 70 is then preferably covered by apanel 20a extending around theopening 4a and defining the external front surface of thefront wall 20 ofcabinet 2. Thefront bulkhead 70 is preferably made of a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material, as an integral, i.e. single, unitary piece. Advantageously, a portion of theprocess air conduit 18 is formed integrally with the front bulkhead. Process air exits the drum through an air-vent 14 formed in thefront bulkhead 70. Such air-vent 14 is preferably shaped so as to receive an air filter therein. - With reference to
Figs. 5 to 9 , therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 includes a supporting panel orrear bulkhead 60. The back wall 8 ofdrum 3 substantially faces therear bulkhead 60 and is coupled in substantially airtight and axially rotating manner to it with the interposition of a second circular sealinggasket 62. Front circular gasket (not shown) and rearcircular sealing gasket 62 are preferably substantially coaxial to the longitudinal rotational axis R of thedrum 3.
Therear bulkhead 60 is made in a plastic, for instance polymeric, material by means, for instance, of an injection molding process. - A power cord (not shown in the drawings), provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet through a
passage 45 and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 includes only two elements, therear bulkhead 60 and acover 61 or alid 610, simplifying the construction of theback wall 21 of thecabinet 2. In particular, therear bulkhead 60 includes afirst surface 60a facing the interior of thecabinet 2, such as the back wall 8 of thedrum 3, and asecond surface 60b facing the exterior or the outside of thecabinet 2. Optionally, therear bulkhead 60 includes at least a portion of a, more preferably a whole,fan housing 150 to house an impeller (not depicted) of the fan 12 (shown inFig. 3 ) of the process air circuit.
Two possible embodiments of therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 of thedryer 1 are envisaged.
A first embodiment is now described with reference toFigs. 5 to 7 . In the depictedlaundry dryer 1, therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 forms arear bulkhead 60 which faces the whole back wall 8 of thedrum 3, and it is realized as a single, unitary, piece. Preferably, therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 includes also afan housing 150, covered by alid 610 which is attached, in a detachable manner, to therear bulkhead 60. Thus afan aperture 61a is formed in thebulkhead 60 which is closed by thelid 610, fan aperture used to access thefan 12, and in particular an impeller of the same (not visible in the appended drawings shown inFigs 5 to 7 ). Theaperture 61a is located substantially below the location of the back wall 8 and faces the interior of thecabinet 2, in this example, thebasement 24 and more preferably anoutlet 19 of the air from thebasement 24. Therear bulkhead 60 further includes a portion facing the back wall 8 of thedrum 3 having preferably a substantially circularcentral bulge 141 which protrudes outwardly (when assembled within the cabinet 2).
As can be seen clearly inFigs. 6 and 7 , in this embodiment, theaperture 61a, when therear wall 21 of thecabinet 2 is assembled, is closed by thelid 610.
Furthermore, as illustrated in the above example, thewhole fan housing 150 is realized within therear wall 21 and it is composed by a first cup-shaped portion 142 (which belongs to the rear bulkhead 60) and thelid 610.
The first cup-shapedportion 142 is provided with a throughopening 142a, in the example shown circular, for housing the relevant shaft (not shown) of thefan 12 having an impeller (not shown). Of course, the impeller is housed in thehousing 150. Thesame opening 142a is also used for the inlet process air to enter thefan 12. Therefore, in theprocess air conduit 18, air exits the basement, where it has been heated and/or dried by the drying air generator - heat pump 30 -, fromoutlet 19, and enters into thefan housing 150. From thefan housing 150, which is a closed element being thefan aperture 61a closed bylid 610, a conduit portion formed by therear bulkhead 60 and thelid 610 channels air to thecentral bulge 141 from where air enters into thedrum 3 via the back wall 8.
Coming back toFigure 5 , agroove 144 is preferably provided outside an outline of thecentral bulge 141. Thegroove 144 is preferably apt to house the aforementioned second sealing gasket 62 (see above). It is obvious for the man skilled in the art that thegroove 144 could be replaced by a gasket supporting collar which protrudes from the inner face of therear bulkhead 60.
The sealinggasket 62 is preferably encircled and fitted/recessed into thegroove 144, and is suitably shaped/dimensioned so as to permanently come in abutment against therear rim 3e of therotatable drum 3 without interruption all around the perimeter of the latter, so as to avoid any air leakage between therear rim 3e ofrotatable drum 3 and the supportingrear bulkhead 60.
In the example shown, thedrum 3 is preferably structured for being rotatably supported by a drum support assembly, including a plurality ofrollers 10 which are arranged - off-axis with respect to the general rotational axis R of the drum 3 - approximately at the twoaxial ends drum 3, with their rotation axis substantially parallel to the general rotational axis R of thedrum 3, so as to allow the tubular body of thedrum 3 to rotate about the longitudinal reference or general rotational axis R inside thecabinet 2. Preferably, two ofsuch rollers 10 are located at thefront end 3a of thedrum 3 and two other ofsuch rollers 10 are located at theback end 3b of thedrum 3. Advantageously,rollers 10 comprise a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material.
Two rollers (or more) are fixed to therear bulkhead 60. Further, the drum support assembly includes, bosses or pins orbrackets 101 by means of which the rollers are attached to the rear bulkhead and are fixed therein by means of screws or snap-fitting connections (not depicted in the present drawings). The bosses or brackets are preferably formed as a single unitary piece with the rear bulkhead.
Therear bulkhead 60 thus includes a supportingboss 101 of the corresponding supportingroller 10, which is preferably built also in one piece (preferably via an injection molding process) with the rear bulkhead 60 (see for examplefigures 5 and7 ). More preferably, all supporting bosses of therollers 10 located in proximity of therear end 3b ofdrum 3 are located at, and more preferably integral to, therear bulkhead 60. Each supportingboss 101 protrudes inwardly from therear bulkhead 60, i.e. protrudes towards therotatable drum 3 when therear bulkhead 60 is mounted on thecabinet 2.
In an advantageous embodiment, thebosses 101 could be conically shaped, tapered outwardly and provided with acentral bore 102. The idle supportingroller 10 in turn may comprise a bearing which is mounted on the supportingboss 101 by means of a screw (bearing and screws not shown in the drawings).
Therollers 10 located at the front of thedrum 3 may be either connected to thefront bulkhead 70 or they might be connected to one of the twoshells basement 24. For example,Fig. 2 shows aroller 10 connected to theupper shell 24a of the basement via abracket 101a. Afront bulkhead 70 made of a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material allows forming, if desired, a roller support as an integral piece of the front bulkhead. - A second embodiment is now described with reference to
Figs. 8 and9 . Elements which are identical in the first and second embodiment will not be further described. In this second embodiment, therear bulkhead 60 includes a throughdrum aperture 64 located in front of the back wall 8 of thedrum 3, thus from thisdrum aperture 64 the back wall 8 is visible. Further, therear wall 21 includes acover 61 which is coupled to therear bulkhead 60 in order to closeaperture 64. In this embodiment, the rear wall 31 further includes thefan housing 150 having a similar shape as in the first embodiment. As in the precedent embodiment, preferably therear bulkhead 60 includes a portion of thefan housing 150, for example the first cup-shapedportion 142 definingaperture 61a. However in this embodiment, thecover 61, by means of one of itsportions 143, closes both throughdrum aperture 64 andfan aperture 61a, therefore forming, together with thefirst portion 142, the housing for thefan 150. In this case, therear bulkhead 60 does not include, or includes a limited,central bulge 141. The bulge, in turn, is formed in thecover 61 which comprises acentral bulge 146.
A power cord (not shown in the drawings), provided with a plug, exits from the rear wall of the cabinet through apassage 45 and serves for powering the laundry dryer when connected to power mains. - In a different embodiment, not depicted, the
rear wall 21 includes bothcover 61 andlid 610 as two separate pieces coveringdrum aperture 64 andfan aperture 61a respectively.
Also in the second embodiment, thegroove 144 is formed so as preferably to house theaforementioned sealing gasket 62.
In this embodiment, in theprocess air conduit 18, air exits the basement fromoutlet 19 and enters into thefan housing 150. From thefan housing 150, closed bycover 61, a conduit portion channels air to thecentral bulge 146 from where air enters into thedrum 3 via the back wall 8. The conduit portion is thus formed by therear bulkhead 60 and thecover 61. - In the embodiment of
fig. 8 , thedrum 3 is preferably structured for being rotatably supported by a drum support assembly which includes a plurality ofrollers 10 which are arranged in an analogous manner as in the first embodiment ofFigs. 5-7 .
Two rollers (or more) are fixed to therear bulkhead 60, for example they are attached via bosses or pins orbrackets 101 to the rear bulkhead and are fixed therein by means of screws or snap-fitting connections (not depicted in the present drawings). The bosses or brackets are preferably formed as a single unitary piece with the rear bulkhead.
Therollers 10 located at the front of the drum may be either connected to thefront bulkhead 70 or they might be connected to one of the twoshells basement 24. For example,Fig. 2 shows aroller 10 connected to theupper shell 24a of the basement via abracket 101a. Afront bulkhead 70 made of a plastic, i.e. polymeric, material allows forming, if desired, a roller support as an integral piece of the front bulkhead. Said roller support is designed to rotatably receive the roller. -
Fig. 9 shows a variant of the second embodiment offig. 8 . Thebulkhead 60 is analogous to the embodiment offig. 8 with the exception of the drum support assembly for thedrum 3, as detailed below. In this variant ofFig. 9 , thedrum 3 is supported in rotation by a drum support assembly including ashaft 41 connected to the back wall 8 of thedrum 3. Theshaft 41 is supported in turn by a bearing 40 which is located at therear bulkhead 60. Thus the bulkhead includes a portion of the drum support assembly including thebearing 40. Thebearing 40 is located inside aplastic ring 67 positioned at the center ofaperture 64 and supported byribs 68. Theshaft 41 is preferably coaxial with the general rotational axis R ofdrum 3.
Thering 67 is located substantially coaxially withshaft 41 so that the latter can be inserted in, and thereby supported by thering 67. Preferably,ring 67 andribs 68 are made of plastic material, more preferably of the same plastic material as therear bulkhead 60. Further,plastic ring 67 andplastic ribs 68 could be realized integral to therear bulkhead 60. - It is to be understood that also in the first embodiment, where the
rear wall 21 is formed by therear bulkhead 60 and thelid 610, thedrum 3 can be supported by a shaft (this variant of the first embodiment is not shown in the appended drawings), the construction of the drum support assembly including a shaft being the same as in the variant depicted inFig. 9 with the exception ofcover 61 which is substituted bylid 610 and anintegral bulge 141 is formed on therear bulkhead 60. - In all the embodiments shown, the flow of drying air generated by the
heat pump 30 is as follows. The humid air from the laundry (processed in the drum 3) exits thedrum 3 from itsfront end 3a. The process air circuit 18 (depicted as arrows in the Figures) communicates with, i.e. is fluidly connected to, thefront end 3a of therotatable drum 3 via a pass-throughopening 17 made in thebasement 24, for example in theupper shell 24a, which is further in flow communication withair vent 14 provided in thefront bulkhead 70 of thecabinet 2. The air comes out of thedrum 3 via the escape air-vent 14 incorporated in the preferably funnel-shaped coupling element of thefront bulkhead 70 that delimits/surrounds the laundry loading/unloading opening 4a onfront wall 20 of thecabinet 2. Furthermore, in the examples shown, in particular inFig. 3 , a central/intermediate section of theprocess air conduit 18 preferably extends across thebasement 24 ofcabinet 2, where preferably also theheat exchangers 31, 32 are housed, and the circulated drying process air is dehumified and heated. Advantageously, the lower andupper shells process air conduit 18 and more preferably also include further cavities or seats adapted to receive therein further operational components of the dryer for operating a drying process. Air exits the basement through theoutlet 19. Theprocess air conduit 18 includes a further portion realized in theback wall 21 of thecabinet 2 and this portion is formed by the back wall 8 of the drum, by therear bulkhead 60 and by thecover 61 or by thelid 610. The air from thebasement outlet 19 enters thefan housing 150 and this conduit portion channels air exiting from theoutlet 19 into thedrum 3 through the apertures or vents 65 realized in the back wall 8.
In this way, intake air-vents 65 incorporated into the rear wall 8 ofdrum 3 are in communication with, i.e. are fluidly connected to, theprocess air conduit 18 so as to receive the stream of hot air produced by theheat pump 30 located in thebasement 24.
Preferably the back wall 8 of tubular body (or drum) 3 is located/arranged within the perimeter of thebulge 141 on rear bulkhead 60 (Fig. 5 ) or, alternatively, onbulge 146 of cover 61 (Figs. 7 or8 ).
The bulge (141 inFigs.5 to 7 or 146 inFigs. 8 and9 ) furthermore has advantageously a peripheral diameter lower than the nominal diameter of themantle 3c of thedrum 3 and/or the outer diameter of back wall 8 of thedrum 3, and preferably also greater than the peripheral diameter of the perforated portion of back wall 8, so that the perforated portion of back wall 8 is located/arranged approximately at center of the bulge.
Lastly, thebulge 141 of supportingrear bulkhead 60 shown inFig. 5 preferably communicates with theoutlet 19 via a pass-throughopening 66 realized on the bottom of the same bulge. Theopening 66 andoutlet 19 are preferably connected via an air passage formed within, at least for a portion, thefan housing 150.
Indeed, in both embodiments, fan 12 (Fig. 3 ) is blowing air exiting theheat pump 30 to thedrum 3 and it is preferably located in front of theoutlet 19. Thefan 12 thus blows air inside therear wall 21 of thedryer 1, i.e. between therear bulkhead 60 and thecover 61 or betweenrear bulkhead 60 andlid 610, so that the air can enter thedrum 3 via thevents 65 in the back wall 8 of thedrum 3. In all depicted embodiments, preferably thecover 61 or thelid 610 is attached to the outer face of supportingrear bulkhead 60, preferably in substantially airtight manner.
In case thelid 610 is present, thelid 610 is suitably shaped/structured to fluidly connect thebulge 141 of the supportingrear bulkhead 60 to theoutlet 19, so as to channel the stream of hot air produced byheat pump 30 towards thebulge 141.
In case thecover 61 is present, which forms thebulge 146, therear bulkhead 60 and thecover 61 together form a conduit so that the air from thebasement 24 can enter thebulge 146 and flow in thedrum 3. - With reference now to all embodiments, the
laundry dryer 1 includes at least a drum support assembly for a support, such as theshaft 41/bearing 40 or therollers 10/brackets 101a orbosses 101, of thedrum 3, a portion of which (e.g.bosses 101, bearing 40) is realized at therear bulkhead 60 and more preferably integral to the plasticrear bulkhead 60. - However, additional drum support assembly can be present which do not include a portion provided at the rear bulkhead. For example, in all embodiments, the drum is supported also by one or
more rollers 10, generally two, located at the front of thedrum 3.
In this case, each of the rollers located at the front of the drum also includes a holder, which can be placed in different locations. The holder, for example a boss or a bracket realized in an analogue manner as the boss or bracket formed at the rear bulkhead, is provided either: - in said
front bulkhead 70; - in said
upper shell portion 24a of thebasement 24; or - in said
lower shell portion 24b of thebasement 24. - In addition, one portion of a drum support assembly is always realized at the rear bulkhead, but also at the rear of the drum other drum support assemblies can be realized as well. Thus, in addition to the shaft or to one roller connected to the rear bulkhead, a further roller can be realized, said roller being connected to the
upper shell portion 24a of the basement or to thelower shell portion 24b of the basement. - As depicted in
Figs. 10a and 10b , therear bulkhead 60 may further include other functional elements of the dryer, thanks to its plastic fabrication that makes the integration of additional elements easy. In the mentioned drawing, therear bulkhead 60 further includes awater collector 200 for the collector of water that may spill from a condensate drawer. Condensate drawer is known in the art and will not be further detailed. As shown, thewater collector 200 is integral with the bulkhead forming a single piece. In this embodiment, preferably also the bosses forrollers 10 are integral with the bulkhead, so that an easy assembly of the dryer is achieved.
Claims (15)
- A laundry dryer (1) comprising:• a dryer cabinet (2), comprising a front wall (20) and a rear wall (21);• a drum (3) rotatably accommodated within said cabinet (2), said drum (3) having a first (3a) and a second end (3b), said second end being fixedly closed by a back wall (8) which rotates unitarily with the drum (3);• a drying air generator (30), apt to generate a flow of drying air through said drum (3);• at least one drum support assembly (10; 41; 101; 40) to rotatably support said drum (3) along an axis (R) of rotation within said cabinet (2);• wherein said front wall (20) comprises a front bulkhead (70) to which the first end (3a) of said drum is coupled in an axially rotating manner, said front bulkhead being realized in plastic material as an integral piece, and said rear wall (21) comprises■ a rear bulkhead (60) to which the second end (3b) of said drum is coupled in an axially rotating manner, said rear bulkhead being realized as an integral piece in plastic material and facing on one side said drum back wall (8) and on the other side the exterior of the cabinet, and including a portion (40; 101) of said at least one drum support assembly (10; 41; 101; 40).
- The laundry dryer according to claim 1, wherein said drum support assembly (10; 41; 101; 40) includes a holder (40; 101) and a drum support element (41, 10), said holder being provided on said rear bulkhead (60).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said rear bulkhead (60) includes an drum aperture (64) facing the back wall (8) of the drum (3) and a rear cover (61) connected to said rear bulkhead (60) closing said drum aperture, so that said rear bulkhead (60) and said rear cover (61) form an air passage for said drying air flow to said back wall (8) of said drum (3).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, including an impeller of a fan (12) and wherein said rear bulkhead (60) includes a fan aperture (61a) for accessing said impeller.
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 4, wherein said rear bulkhead (60) includes an integrally formed bulge portion (141) facing said back wall (8) of said drum (3), and said rear wall (21) of said cabinet (2) includes a lid (610) connected to said rear bulkhead (60) to cover said fan aperture (61a).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 2, wherein said fan aperture (61a) is covered by said rear cover (61) which extends to cover both said drum aperture (64) and said fan aperture (61a).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said drying air generator (30) includes a condenser (31) of a heat pump system.
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one drum support assembly (10; 41; 101; 40) includes a shaft (41), said shaft (41) being connected to said back wall (8) of the drum (3), and said shaft (41) defining said axis of rotation (R) of said drum (3).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 8, wherein said shaft (41) is fixed to said back wall (8) and said portion of at least one drum support assembly (40; 101) includes a bearing (40) for said shaft (41).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one drum support assembly (10; 40) includes a roller (10).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 10, wherein said at least one drum support assembly includes a boss (101) or a bracket for supporting said roller (10).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein said portion of said drum support assembly (10; 41; 101; 40) is integral to said rear bulkhead (60).
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, including a basement (24) having an upper shell (24a) and a lower shell (24b), said basement defining an additional air passage for said drying air flow.
- The laundry dryer (1) according to claim 13, wherein said basement (24) is realized in plastic material.
- The laundry dryer (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said rear bulkhead (60) includes a water collector (200) for the collection of condensed water, said water collector (20) being integral to said rear bulkhead.
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP14182918.4A EP2990521B1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2014-08-29 | Laundry dryer |
CN201580042081.4A CN106574425B (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-07-29 | Clothesdrier |
PCT/EP2015/067416 WO2016050384A2 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-07-29 | Laundry dryer |
AU2015327371A AU2015327371B2 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-07-29 | Laundry dryer |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP14182918.4A EP2990521B1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2014-08-29 | Laundry dryer |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP2990521A1 true EP2990521A1 (en) | 2016-03-02 |
EP2990521B1 EP2990521B1 (en) | 2017-03-08 |
Family
ID=51417225
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP14182918.4A Active EP2990521B1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2014-08-29 | Laundry dryer |
Country Status (4)
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EP (1) | EP2990521B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN106574425B (en) |
AU (1) | AU2015327371B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2016050384A2 (en) |
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CN107513842A (en) * | 2017-09-13 | 2017-12-26 | 青岛海尔洗衣机有限公司 | The assembling structure and rotary drum washing machine of a kind of impeller and interior bucket |
ES2725686A1 (en) * | 2018-03-02 | 2019-09-26 | Bsh Electrodomesticos Espana Sa | Household appliance comprising a heater and a heat pump (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
EP3690130A4 (en) * | 2017-09-29 | 2021-06-02 | Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. | Clothes dryer |
EP3964626A1 (en) * | 2020-09-04 | 2022-03-09 | LG Electronics Inc. | Laundry treatment apparatus |
EP3964636A1 (en) * | 2020-09-04 | 2022-03-09 | LG Electronics Inc. | Apparatus for treating laundry |
EP4039867A1 (en) * | 2021-02-08 | 2022-08-10 | LG Electronics Inc. | Laundry treating apparatus |
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CN111118783B (en) * | 2019-12-13 | 2022-10-14 | 铜陵群力机械有限公司 | Labor protection glove washing and drying machine |
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CN107513842A (en) * | 2017-09-13 | 2017-12-26 | 青岛海尔洗衣机有限公司 | The assembling structure and rotary drum washing machine of a kind of impeller and interior bucket |
CN107513842B (en) * | 2017-09-13 | 2022-09-09 | 青岛海尔洗衣机有限公司 | Assembly structure of impeller and inner barrel and impeller washing machine |
EP3690130A4 (en) * | 2017-09-29 | 2021-06-02 | Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. | Clothes dryer |
ES2725686A1 (en) * | 2018-03-02 | 2019-09-26 | Bsh Electrodomesticos Espana Sa | Household appliance comprising a heater and a heat pump (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
EP3964626A1 (en) * | 2020-09-04 | 2022-03-09 | LG Electronics Inc. | Laundry treatment apparatus |
EP3964636A1 (en) * | 2020-09-04 | 2022-03-09 | LG Electronics Inc. | Apparatus for treating laundry |
US11549208B2 (en) | 2020-09-04 | 2023-01-10 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Apparatus for treating laundry |
EP4039867A1 (en) * | 2021-02-08 | 2022-08-10 | LG Electronics Inc. | Laundry treating apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2015327371A1 (en) | 2017-02-02 |
AU2015327371B2 (en) | 2019-10-24 |
WO2016050384A2 (en) | 2016-04-07 |
WO2016050384A3 (en) | 2016-05-19 |
CN106574425B (en) | 2019-09-13 |
EP2990521B1 (en) | 2017-03-08 |
CN106574425A (en) | 2017-04-19 |
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