EP3604664B1

EP3604664B1 - Clothes drying equipment air duct structure and clothes drying equipment

Info

Publication number: EP3604664B1
Application number: EP18776368.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kun Yang; Yiping Bian; Lin Hou
Original assignee: Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Chongqing Haier Front Loading Washing Machine Co Ltd
Current assignee: Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Chongqing Haier Front Loading Washing Machine Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-03-29
Filing date: 2018-03-23
Publication date: 2022-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-23
Also published as: EP3604664A4; CN108660719A; WO2018177204A1; EP3604664A1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of garment drying, and in particular, to an air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus and a clothes drying apparatus.

BACKGROUND

In a washing and drying machine in the related art, an air inlet and a heating device of a clothes dryer or a washing and drying machine are connected to each other through an air inlet duct, and cool air is heated by the heating device and then enters a drum through the air inlet duct. In the internal arrangement of current clothes dryers and washing and drying machines, most of them are increase the power of the heating device in order to achieve the purpose of increasing the drying speed. However, when the power of the heating device is increased, the temperature of the drum's air inlet would be relatively high, affecting the normal operation of equipment. In addition, traditional the air duct design will result in uneven temperature distribution at the drum's air inlet, resulting in a poor drying efficiency and even damage to the clothes due to local high temperatures.
In solving the problem of high air inlet temperature, those skilled in the art often respond by increasing the air intake or opening an additional cool air inlet outside the air inlet. However, for the clothes dryers or the washing and drying machines, there are many restrictions on the structure and sizes, where the power of a fan usually already reaches the limit of the clothes dryers or the washing and drying machines, such that no more additional air intake can be provided, while external cool air entering from the cool air inlet changes along with ambient temperature and is difficult to control.
EP2628845A1 discloses a laundry treatment machine, in particular dryer or washing machine having drying function, comprising: a laundry storing compartment; a heat exchanger (28) adapted to transfer heat between a refrigerant contained within the heat exchanger and process air passing through the heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger has an outlet (29) where the process air exits the heat exchanger; a blower (30) adapted to convey the process air in a loop through the laundry storing compartment and the heat exchanger (28), wherein the blower has a suction inlet (19) and is arranged downstream the heat exchanger with respect to the process air flow direction; an air channel (16) adapted to guide the process air from the heat exchanger outlet (29) to the blower suction inlet (19); and a flow guiding and partition unit (40) arranged within the air channel (16) and comprising at least one flow partition wall (42, 44, 46). CN205775468U discloses a heat pump installation box for a heat pump clothes dryer or a heat pump washer-dryer, which includes, inter alia, an air duct guide plate 200 mounted on the base 100 and defining an air guide channel 210 together with the base 100, and further includes multiple shaped air guide ribs 300 that are connected to the base 100 or the air duct guide plate 200 and that are disposed in the air guide channel 210. The multiple shaped air guide ribs 300 extend from the drying air inlet 211 to the drying air outlet 212 along the length of the air guide channel 210 to evenly guide the drying air from the drying air inlet 211 to the drying air outlet 212.

SUMMARY

The present invention, as defined in claim 1, provides an air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus that can effectively reduce and uniformly distribute the temperature at the air inlet.
An air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus includes a hollow air duct disposed between a heating device and an air inlet of the clothes drying apparatus, and an air guiding structure arranged inside the hollow air duct. The air guiding structure separates the hollow air duct partially into a first bypass duct and a second bypass duct that are arranged side by side.
A single original hot air flow heated by the heating device is divided by the air guiding structure into two split hot air flows, where a first split hot air flow is guided and accelerated by the first bypass duct, and a second split hot air flow is guided and decelerated by the second bypass duct, and the accelerated split hot air flow and the decelerated split hot air flow are converged at the air inlet to form a turbulent hot air flow.
According to the present invention, a cross-sectional area of the first bypass duct is gradually decreased along a flowing direction of the hot air flow, and a cross-sectional area of the second bypass duct is gradually increased along the flowing direction of the hot air flow.
Optionally, the air guiding structure includes a fixed plate and an air guiding plate that are disposed perpendicularly to each other, the fixed plate is fixed to an inner wall of the hollow air duct, and the air guiding plate is arranged perpendicular to the inner wall of the hollow air duct and is configured for separating the hollow air duct partially into the first bypass duct and the second bypass duct.
Optionally, the air guiding plate includes a main body plate and two diverting plates each of which is disposed at an obtuse angle with the main body plate.
The main body plate is perpendicularly fixed to a side of the fixed plate, and is disposed to form an L shape with the fixed plate, and the two diverting plates are symmetrically arranged at and fixedly connected to opposite sides of the main body plate.
Optionally, an angle α formed between the main body plate and each of the diverting plates lies in the range of 140 to 170 degrees.
Optionally , a diagonal of the fixed plate coincides with an axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct.
Optionally, an angle β formed between the main body plate and the axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct lies in the range of 130 to 170 degrees.
Optionally, at least one reinforcing rib is arranged at a junction between the fixed plate and the air guiding plate.
Optionally, the fixed plate is provided with a fixing through hole, and a side of each of the diverting plates adjacent to the fixed plate is provided with a fixing insertion plate.
The present invention further provides a clothes drying apparatus, including the above-mentioned air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus.
In the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus of the present invention, the air guiding structure arranged in the hollow air duct splits the single original hot air flow split into a fast and slow splitting hot air flow, which then form a turbulent hot air flow at the air inlet, thus effectively reducing and uniformly distributing the temperature at the air inlet, improving the safety and reliability of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus, improving the drying efficiency of the clothes drying apparatus, and avoiding the damage to the clothes due to local high temperatures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG 1 is a schematic view of an air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus arranged between a heating device and an air inlet according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the internal of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of hot air flow splitting inside the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an air guiding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front view of an air guiding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

200. Heating device; 200. Air inlet;
Hollow air duct; 11. First bypass duct; 12. Second bypass duct; 2. Air guiding structure; 21. Fixed plate; 211. Fixing through hole; 22. Air guiding plate; 221. Main body plate; 222. Diverting plate; 2221. Fixing insertion blade; 23. Reinforcing rib.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS 1 to 5, an air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged between a heating device 100 and an air inlet 200 inside a clothes drying apparatus, and includes a hollow air duct 1 and an air guiding structure 2 inside the hollow air duct 1. The air guiding structure 2 separates the hollow air duct 1 partially into a first bypass duct 11 and a second bypass 12 that are arranged side by side. During the operation of the drying apparatus, the single original hot air flow heated by the heating device 100 is split by the air guiding structure 2 into two split hot air flow. The first split hot air flow is guided and accelerated by the first bypass duct 11, the second split hot air flow is guided and decelerated by the second bypass duct 12, and the accelerated split hot air flow and the decelerated split hot air flow are converged at the air inlet 200 to form a turbulent hot air flow. The arrangement of the air guiding structure 2 in the hollow air duct 1 makes the single original hot air flow split into a fast and slow splitting hot air flow to form a turbulent hot air flow at the air inlet 200, thus effectively reducing and uniformly distributing the temperature at an air inlet 200, enhancing the safety and reliability of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus, improving the drying efficiency of the clothes drying apparatus, and avoiding damage to the garment due to local high temperatures.
In the present embodiment, a cross-sectional area of the first bypass duct 11 is gradually decreased along a flowing direction of the hot air flow, and a cross-sectional area of the second bypass duct 12 is gradually increased along the flowing direction of the hot air flow. The arrangement of the first bypass duct 11 and the second bypass duct 12 is simple and reliable in structure, which is able to conveniently and efficiently split the original hot air flow into a fast split hot air flow and a slow split hot air flow.
In an embodiment, the air guiding structure 2 includes a fixed plate 21 and an air guiding plate 22 that are disposed perpendicularly to each other, the fixed plate 21 is fixedly attached to an inner wall of the hollow air duct 1. The air guiding plate 22 is arranged perpendicular to the inner wall of the hollow air duct 1 and is configured for separating the hollow air duct 1 partially into the first bypass duct 11 and the second bypass duct 12. The arrangement of the fixed plate 21 and the air guiding plate 22 is simple in structure and has a low cost, and can safely and reliably achieve the splitting of the original hot air flow.
In an embodiment, the air guiding plate 22 includes a main body plate 221 and two diverting plates 222 each of which is disposed at an obtuse angle with the main body plate 221. The main body plate 221 is vertically fixed to a side of the fixed plate 21, and is disposed in an L shape with the fixed plate 21, and the two diverting plates 222 are symmetrically arranged at and fixedly connected to opposite sides of the main body plate 221. Optionally, in the present embodiment, the main body plate 221 and the diverting plate 222 are integrally formed. The arrangement of the main body plate 221 and the diverting plate 222 is simple in molding preparation, reliable in the splitting function, and improves the safety and reliability of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus. The obtuse angle formed between the main body plate 221 and the diverting plate 222 effectively reduces wind resistance and improves the air flow guiding effect of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus on the basis of gentle air flow guiding.
Optionally, as illustrated in FIG.5, in the present embodiment, an angle α formed between the main body plate 221 and each of the diverting plates 222 lies in the range of 140 to 170 degrees. Optionally, the included angle α in the present invention is equal to 163 degrees. In the above arrangement, taking the structural strength into consideration, the air guiding structure 2 has a better splitting effect on the original hot air, so that the temperature at the air inlet 200 is more uniform, and is more significantly reduced.
Optionally, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in an embodiment, a diagonal of the fixed plate 21 coincides with an axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct 1, and an angle β formed between the main body plate 221 and the axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct 1 lies in the range of 130 to 170 degrees. Optionally, the included angle β in the present invention is equal to 155 degrees. The above-mentioned arrangement further enhances the air flow guiding effect, thereby improving the reliability of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus.
In an embodiment, at least one reinforcing rib 23 is arranged at a junction between the fixed plate 21 and the air guiding plate 22.Optionally, in the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, one reinforcing rib 23 is provided. Due to mechanical characteristics of the plate-like structure of the air guiding plate 22 and the arrangement of the reinforcing ribs 23, the safety and reliability of the air guiding plate 22 during the splitting process is improved, and the service life of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus is improved.
Optionally, in the present embodiment, the fixed plate 21 is provided with a fixing through hole 211, a fixing member such as a screw passes through the fixing through hole 211 to fix the fixed plate 21 to the inner wall of the hollow air duct 1, a fixing insertion blade 2221 is provided on a side of the diverting plate 222 adjacent to the fixed plate 21, and is configured to be inserted into a corresponding slot (not shown in the figure) on the inner wall of the hollow air duct 1.Optionally, in order to increase the reliability of the fixing, two fixing through holes 211 are provided. The matching arrangement of the fixing through hole 211 and the fixing insertion blade 2221 makes the fixing of the air guiding structure 2 in the hollow air duct 1 more firm, and improves the safety and reliability of the air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus.
In an embodiment, the fixed plate 21, the air guiding plate 22, and the reinforcing rib 23 are integrally formed. In an embodiment, the fixed plate 21, the air guiding plate 22, and the reinforcing rib 23 are integrally formed by a stamping process. The above arrangement reduces the processing cost and improves the structural strength and service life of the air guiding structure 2.
The present embodiment further provides a clothes drying apparatus, Optionally, the clothes drying apparatus includes the above-mentioned air duct structure of the clothes drying apparatus. In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned clothes drying apparatus may be a clothes dryer and a washing and drying machine, or may be other devices capable of implementing a drying function.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus according to the present invention effectively reduces and uniformly distributes the temperature at the air inlet, improves the drying efficiency of the clothes drying apparatus, and avoiding damage to the clothes due to local high temperatures.

Claims

An air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus, comprising:
a hollow air duct (1), disposed between a heating device (100) and an air inlet (200) of the clothes drying apparatus, the air inlet (200) being configured for introducing air into a drum of the clothes drying apparatus; and

an air guiding structure (2), arranged inside the hollow air duct (1) and operative to separate the hollow air duct (1) partially into a first bypass duct (11) and a second bypass duct (12) that are arranged side by side;

characterized in that,

wherein a single original hot air flow heated by the heating device (100) is divided by the air guiding structure (2) into two split hot air flows, wherein a first split hot air flow is guided and accelerated by the first bypass duct (11), and a second split hot air flow is guided and decelerated by the second bypass duct (12), and the accelerated split hot air flow and the decelerated split hot air flow are converged at the air inlet (200) to form a turbulent hot air flow;
wherein a cross-sectional area of the first bypass duct (11) is gradually decreased along a flowing direction of the hot air flow, and a cross-sectional area of the second bypass duct (12) is gradually increased along the flowing direction of the hot air flow.
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air guiding structure (2) comprises a fixed plate (21) and an air guiding plate (22) that are disposed perpendicularly to each other, wherein the fixed plate (21) is fixed to an inner wall of the hollow air duct (1), and the air guiding plate (22) is arranged perpendicular to the inner wall of the hollow air duct (1) and is configured for separating the hollow air duct (1) partially into the first bypass duct (11) and the second bypass duct (12).
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 2, wherein the air guiding plate (22) comprises a main body plate (221), and two diverting plates (222) each of which is disposed at an obtuse angle with the main body plate (221);
wherein the main body plate (221) is perpendicularly fixed to a side of the fixed plate (21), and is disposed to form an L shape with the fixed plate (21); and

the two diverting plates (222) are symmetrically arranged at and fixedly connected to opposite sides of the main body plate (221).
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 3, wherein an angle α formed between the main body plate (221) and each of the diverting plates (222) lies in the range of 140 to 170 degrees.
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 4, wherein a diagonal of the fixed plate (21) coincides with an axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct (1).
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 5, wherein an angle β formed between the main body plate (221) and the axis of symmetry of the hollow air duct (1) lies in the range of 130 to 170 degrees.
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein at least one reinforcing rib (23) is arranged at a junction between the fixed plate (21) and the air guiding plate (22).
The air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of claim 7, wherein the fixed plate (21) is provided with a fixing through hole (211), and a side of each of the diverting plates (222) adjacent to the fixed plate (21) is provided with a fixing insertion plate (2221).
A clothes drying apparatus, comprising the air duct structure of a clothes drying apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8.