EP3111000A1

EP3111000A1 - Laundry treatment machine condenser condensate water discharge line

Info

Publication number: EP3111000A1
Application number: EP14707179.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Cumhur Ayvazoglu; Talip Caglar; Mehmet Ozbek
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2014-02-28
Filing date: 2014-02-28
Publication date: 2017-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 2034-02-28
Also published as: EP3111000B1; WO2015127985A1; TR201722549T3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment machine (1) comprising a drum (2), an air circulation duct (4) through which circulation of processing air is effected, a closed cycle fan (5) circulating processing air and a condenser (6) having drying channels (7) connected between a condenser inlet tube (8) and a condenser outlet tube (9) in the manner to be inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1), the laundry treatment machine (1) further comprising a water jet device (10) disposed within the condenser outlet tube (9) effective in eliminating lint accumulation in the condenser (6) and a discharge line (12) to discharge the condensate and lint cleaning water. The condenser outlet tube (9) is connected with the discharge line (12) by means of a discharge hose (14) having a first linear section (15) in the form of a lint accumulation region (13) whose inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) is less than the inclination of the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) adjacent to the discharge hose (14) relative to said base plane.

Description

LAUNDRY TREATMENT MACHINE CONDENSER CONDENSATE WATER DISCHARGE LINE

The present invention relates to a laundry washing and drying machine comprising a condenser. The present invention more specifically relates to a laundry treatment machine with a condenser having a condensate water and lint removal water discharge line.
A conventional clothes dryer having a condenser is a machine in the form of a tumble clothes dryer without an external vent. In a vented clothes dryer, air is typically drawn from the surrounding area, heated and blown through the clothes as the drum is rotated. Hot air then evaporates water in the fabrics, and the moisture-laden air is exhausted through a vent duct. In a drying machine with a condenser, on the other hand, air within the drum is heated, blown through the tumbling clothes, and then the moisture-laden air is passed through a heat exchanger, where the water recondenses. The same dry air is then reheated and the cycle is repeated.
The second loop in a drying machine with a condenser consists of either air or water. Some condenser dryer models are air-cooled, and use the ambient room air in this effect, by blowing it across the heat exchanger. The condensed water can be pumped away to a drain line. In combined washer/dryers, the ventless condenser system is also commonly used, but in these cases the condensers are water-cooled.
Laundry treatment machines with air-cooled condensers carry out the condensation process by using the ambient air in the drying process such that the thermal interaction between the cooling air and the closed cycle air having separate cycles is used. The cooling air is passed onto the condenser by means of a fan and thus, the moisture in the cycle air is condensed by the condenser that is being cooled. In sum air laden with moisture that comes from over the laundry passes through a processing air channel and is hereby condensed while the latter is being cooled by means of the outer environment air. Finally, after the closed cycle air is dehumidified on the condenser, it is heated by a heater and applied to the drum by being put again into the drying cycle with low relative humidity rate and at high temperature.
Fluff particles that travel through the air between the components in the closed cycle require particular attention for maintaining sound operation of the laundry treatment machines. During the closed cycle of air, lint particles come off the laundry as a result of mechanical interaction of cloth items with each other and with the drum surfaces and these particles should therefore be filtered before reaching the heater.
Fluff particles generally tend to accumulate around the condenser inlet tube and on the inner surfaces of the main housing thereof, including air ducts. Depending on the severity of the case, these particles may build up to the extent of forming a surface layer and hence lower thermal performance of the condenser, which in turn prolong drying period and cause energy losses. Fluff layers may block air flow in the condenser’s inlet tube.
Overcoming the above mentioned problems by accommodating a water jet device effective in eliminating lint accumulation in the condenser of the machine may prove utile but in this case, it should be ensured that fluff particles removed from the condenser are appropriately discharged out of the system.
A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as WO2011042345 among others, the document disclosing a filter which is disposed into a circulation channel before the condenser for collecting fluff particles in the cycle air.
The present invention provides an arrangement in relation to a laundry treatment machine with a condensate water and lint removal water discharge line, which is defined by the characterizing features as defined in Claim 1.
Primary object of the present invention is hence to provide a laundry treatment machine effectively discharging fluff particles cleared off of the condenser out of the system by means of a discharge line.
The present invention proposes a laundry treatment machine having a condenser connected between a condenser inlet tube and a condenser outlet tube in an inclined manner. The condenser outlet tube is connected with a discharge hose having two different portions, the first portion thereof providing lint accumulation by a surface sloping down with a smaller inclination angle compared to the condenser outlet tube, whereby temporary lint accumulation is provided and more lint can be discharged at once.
A second linear section of the discharge hose is more inclined with respect to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine compared to the inclination angles of the first section or the condenser outlet tube, whereby the lint that is temporarily slowed down is discharged in a swift manner. The discharge hose has a shorter distance to the base of the laundry treatment machine compared to the closed cycle fan, whereby the discharge water having a longer flow path is carried away by gravity from the center of the fan.
Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a laundry treatment machine, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.
The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.
Fig. 1 demonstrates a general schematic view of the laundry treatment machine according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 demonstrates a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal axis of the condenser according to the present invention.
Fig. 3 demonstrates an enlarged view of the detail A as indicated in Fig. 2 according to the present invention.
The following numerals are used in the detailed description of the invention:

Laundry treatment machine
Drum
Tub
Air circulation duct
Closed cycle fan
Condenser
Drying channel
Condenser inlet tube
Condenser outlet tube
Water jet device
Nozzle
Discharge line
Lint accumulation region
Discharge hose
First section
Second section
Staggered surface

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment machine (1) comprising a drum (2) in a tub (3) and an air circulation duct (4) by means of which circulation of the processing air is effected for drying of the laundry in the drum (2). A closed cycle fan (5) provides the circulation of the processing air such that the processing air is condensed by an air-cooled condenser (6). The cooling air is taken from an outer air duct by means of an open cycle fan. The cooling air is passed onto the condenser (6) to cool the same. A heater placed in the air circulation duct (4) provides the dehumidified processing air coming from the condenser (6) to be heated and sent onto the laundry. Along at least one drying channel (7) through the condenser (6), flows the processing air coming from the air circulation duct (4) by means of said closed-cycle fan (5) and at least one cooling channel, also passing through the condenser (6) draws heat from said drying channels (7). The drying channels (7) and said cooling channels are disposed in the condenser’s (6) main housing in between a condenser inlet tube (8) and a condenser outlet tube (9), the condenser inlet tube (11) communicating with the tub through a tub connection.
During the closed cycle of air, lint particles come off the laundry as a result of mechanical interaction of cloth items with each other and with the drum’s (2) inner surfaces and these particles build up as a layer on the internal surfaces along the line in which the processing air flows, to the extent that airflow can be blocked. A water jet device (10) with a plurality of nozzles (11) is provided for effectively eliminating fluff particles and individual fibers that travel through the air between the condenser inlet tube (8) and the condenser outlet tube (9) and tend to adhere to the drying channels’ (7) surfaces. The water jet device (10) is disposed within said condenser outlet tube (9) facing the main housing of the condenser (6).
The condenser’s (6) position is adjusted so as to be inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) such that the condenser outlet tube (9) level is closer to the base plane compared to the level of the condenser inlet tube (8). Likewise, the drying channels (7) also extend in an inclined manner from the condenser inlet tube (8) towards the condenser outlet tube (9) in the flow direction of the processing air, which provide the water condensed therein during the drying process to flow downhill. Additionally, a certain amount of the water being delivered by the water jet device (10) subsequent to the drying process flows in the same direction towards the condenser outlet tube (9). The condensate water collected in the drying channels (7) moves in the direction of the condenser outlet tube (9) due to the inclination of the drying channels (7) and also due to the effect of the processing air.
According to the present invention, a lint accumulation region (13) is provided to temporarily accumulate fibers and fluff particles densely so that the condensate water drained from the condenser (6) and the fiber and lint cleaning water delivered from the water jet device (11) can clear all the accumulated lint off at once and in its entirety.
In accordance with the present invention, the condenser outlet tube (9) is connected with the discharge line (12) by means of a discharge hose (14) having a first linear section (15) and a second linear section (16), said first and second sections’ inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) being respectively less and greater than the inclination of the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) immediately adjacent to said discharge hose (14). To this end, said first section (15) of the discharge hose (14) provides a lint accumulation region (13) wherein fluff particles tend to accumulate due to reduced inclination and adhere to each other to form greater size particles. Such greater particles can be slipped down the discharge hose (14) in an easier manner and a greater amount of lint can be successively discharged. The first and second sections (15, 16) of the discharge hose (14) are schematically represented by the dashed lines in Fig. 3.
In accordance with the present invention, the inlet of the discharge hose (14) is positioned closer to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) compared to the position of the closed cycle fan (5), therefore providing that the condensate water drained from the condenser (6) and the fiber and lint cleaning water delivered from the water jet device (11) flow by gravity without being sucked by the closed cycle fan (5). To further enhance this effect, a staggered surface (17) with a stepwise transition in the form of a lowered flow surface is provided in the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) adjacent to the discharge hose (14). The staggered surface (17) is schematically represented by the dashed line in Fig. 3.
In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a laundry treatment machine (1) comprising a drum (2), an air circulation duct (4) through which circulation of the processing air is effected, a closed cycle fan (5) circulating the processing air and a condenser (6) having drying channels (7) connected between a condenser inlet tube (8) and a condenser outlet tube (9) in the manner to be inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1), the laundry treatment machine (1) further comprising a water jet device (10) disposed within the condenser outlet tube (9) effective in eliminating lint accumulation in the condenser (6) and a discharge line (12) to discharge the condensate and lint cleaning water.
According to the present invention, the condenser outlet tube (9) is connected with the discharge line (12) by means of a discharge hose (14) having a first linear section (15) in the form of a lint accumulation region (13) whose inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) is less than the inclination of the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) immediately adjacent to the discharge hose (14) relative to the base plane.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge hose (14) has a second linear section (16) whose inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) is greater than the inclination of the first section (15) relative to said base plane.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the condenser’s (6) longitudinal direction is inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) such that the condenser outlet tube (9) level is closer to the base plane compared to the level of the condenser inlet tube (8).
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the inlet of the discharge hose (14) is positioned closer to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) compared to the position of the closed cycle fan (5) relative to the base plane.
In a yet still further embodiment of the present invention, a staggered surface (17) with a stepwise transition in the form of a lowered flow surface is provided in the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) adjacent to the discharge hose (14).
The present invention therefore ensures that fluff particles removed from the condenser (6) by the water jet device (10) are appropriately discharged out of the system in a cost-efficient manner without employing a pump in this effect, which is accomplished thanks to the position of the discharge hose (14) and its internal structure allowing temporary lint accumulation.

Claims

A laundry treatment machine (1) comprising a drum (2), an air circulation duct (4) through which circulation of processing air is effected, a closed cycle fan (5) circulating processing air and a condenser (6) having drying channels (7) connected between a condenser inlet tube (8) and a condenser outlet tube (9) in the manner to be inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1), the laundry treatment machine (1) further comprising a water jet device (10) disposed within said condenser outlet tube (9) effective in eliminating lint accumulation in the condenser (6) and a discharge line (12) to discharge the condensate and lint cleaning water characterized in that;

the condenser outlet tube (9) is connected with the discharge line (12) by means of a discharge hose (14) having a first linear section (15) in the form of a lint accumulation region (13) whose inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) is less than the inclination of the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) adjacent to the discharge hose (14) relative to said base plane.
A laundry treatment machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the discharge hose (14) has a second linear section (16) whose inclination relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) is greater than the inclination of the first section (15) relative to the base plane.
A laundry treatment machine (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the condenser’s (6) longitudinal direction is inclined relative to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) such that the condenser outlet tube (9) level is closer to the base plane compared to the level of the condenser inlet tube (8).
A laundry treatment machine (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inlet of the discharge hose (14) is positioned closer to the base plane of the laundry treatment machine (1) compared to the position of the closed cycle fan (5) relative to sad base plane.
A laundry treatment machine (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that a staggered surface (17) with a stepwise transition in the form of a lowered flow surface is provided in the portion of the condenser outlet tube (9) adjacent to the discharge hose (14).