EP3775358B1

EP3775358B1 - A laundry dryer with reduced noise levels

Info

Publication number: EP3775358B1
Application number: EP19714183.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ergin Arslan; Firdevs BASARAN ERTAS; Can Sar; Adem KAYTAZ
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2018-04-02
Filing date: 2019-03-26
Publication date: 2022-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-26
Also published as: WO2019192884A1; EP3775358A1

Description

The present invention relates to a laundry dryer comprising an insulation member enabling reducing the motor-induced noise levels.
In laundry dryers, a drum in which the laundry items are loaded, is rotated by means of a motor, thereby enabling the laundry items mixed up in the drum to be dried homogeneously. The motor is usually placed on a motor mount fixed in a body. A major portion of the operating sound of a laundry dryer mostly consists of the noise induced by the vibrations generated during operation of a motor. Particularly in cases when a motor is driven in high revolutions, the noise and the vibrations transmitted to the body increase, and such motor-induced noise may reach disturbing levels for the users. On the other hand, motor-induced vibrations are transmitted throughout the body and cause various elements such as the body walls to vibrate, and resonance occurs if the frequency of the vibrations emitted by the motor approximates the natural vibration frequency of these elements, further increasing the noise levels. In order to meet the consumer demands for silent-operating laundry dryers, the producers have developed various applications enabling reducing the motor-induced noise levels by means of insulation members.
State of the art patent application no. WO2016034222 describes a dryer having a noise suppression member which is an intermediate support disposed between a chassis and mounting frame members on which a motor is placed. This embodiment is disadvantageous in that it causes the connection between the chassis and the mounting frame to become elastic, with a high risk of deformation over time.
The aim of the present invention is to realize a dryer whose operating noise is effectively reduced.
The laundry dryer realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the dependent claims, comprises a motor mount extending in vertical axis, having:-a pair of bearers, namely a first bearer and a second bearer, on which the motor is fixed so as to rest in between, -a supporting portion on which the bearers are disposed, extending in between the bearers so as to lie below the motor, and a seat shaped as a cavity disposed on the supporting portion, in which an insulation member with vibration damping properties is placed. The insulation member embedded in the seat provided on the supporting portion damps the motor-induced vibrations and absorbs sound. The sound generated due to the vibrations transmitted from the motor mount to the body, is thereby reduced. Fixing the insulation member in the seat on the supporting portion prevents the insulation member with elastic structure from causing non-rigidity particularly at connection regions and relative movement between parts. This enables maintaining the firmness of the connection between the motor mount and the body, preventing oscillation of the motor mount and effectively reducing the operating noise of the dryer.
In an embodiment of the invention, the seat is shaped as a horizontal groove extending into the supporting portion so as to enable the supporting portion to almost completely enclose the insulation member. The insulation member is placed in the groove-shaped seat so as to rest completely in the supporting portion. The contact surface between the insulation member and the supporting portion is thus increased, enabling the insulation member to effectively absorb the sound waves generated by the vibration transmitted to the motor mount.
In another embodiment of the invention, the supporting portion comprises a first support on which the first bearer is disposed, and a second support on which the second bearer is disposed, and the seat is provided on the first support. The seat is shaped as a groove extending from a side surface of the first support into the first support. The insulation member is placed in the seat provided on the first support, and the supporting portion is combined by mounting the first support to the second support. This embodiment is advantageous in that it facilitates placement of the insulation member. This also enables accessing the insulation member easily by detaching the first support and the second support from each other, providing ease of maintenance.
In another embodiment of the invention, a barrier is provided on the second support and disposed on the mouth of the seat so as to enable sandwiching the insulation member between the first support and the second support when they are mounted to each other. The insulation member is completely enclosed by the seat and the barrier when the first support and the second support are mounted to one another. The insulation member is thus restrained in the enclosed volume formed by the seat and the barrier in the supporting portion. This also enables supporting the insulation member from all of its surfaces, preventing it from sliding in the seat.
The invention enables a major portion of the vibration energy transmitted from the motor to the body to be absorbed by the insulation member, without compromising robustness of the connection between the motor mount and the body. Thus, vibration of the motor mount is reduced and vibration-induced noise is mitigated.
The laundry dryer realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the laundry dryer of an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the laundry dryer of another embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 is a view of the motor, motor mount and the insulation member of another embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the motor, motor mount and the insulation member of another embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 is a partial view of the motor, motor mount and the insulation member of another embodiment of the invention.

The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.

1.: Laundry dryer
2.: Body
3.: Drum
4.: Motor
5.: First bearer
6.: Second bearer
7.: Supporting portion
8.: Motor mount
9.: Seat
10.: Insulation member
11.: First support
12.: Second support
13.: Barrier
14.: Detent
15.: Opening

The laundry dryer (1) comprises a body (2), a drum (3) provided in the body (2), in which the laundry items are loaded, a motor (4) enabling rotating the drum (3), and a motor mount (8) provided in the body (2) on which the motor (4) is placed so as to enable supporting the motor (4) from two sides, having a first bearer (5) and a second bearer (6) bearing the motor (4), and a supporting portion (7) on which the bearers are disposed, extending in between the first bearer (5) and the second bearer (6). The motor mount (8) comprises a horizontal supporting portion (7) placed on the body (2), and a first bearer (5) and a second bearer (6) on which the motor (4) is placed, extending upwards from the supporting portion (7).
The laundry dryer (1) of the invention comprises at least one seat (9) provided on the supporting portion (7), and an insulation member (10) placed in the seat (9), enabling damping the vibrations emitted by the motor (4). The seat (9) is shaped as a cavity disposed on the supporting portion (7), and the insulation member (10) is placed in the seat (9). The insulation member (9) increases the weight of the supporting portion (7), enabling reducing the vibration amplitude of the supporting portion (7). This enables the natural vibration frequency of the motor mount (8) to be diverged from the frequency of the vibrations induced by the motor (4), and the vibration-induced sound to be reduced. The insulation member (10) also absorbs the vibration and sound, inhibiting the noise from spreading throughout the body (2). Thus, the operating noise of the laundry dryer (1) is significantly reduced and the noise levels are inhibited from increasing overtime by preventing deformation of the insulation member (10).
In an embodiment of the invention, the seat (9) is shaped as a cavity extending inside the supporting portion (7) in horizontal axis. The seat (9) is shaped as a horizontal groove extending in the supporting portion (7), and the insulation member (10) is sandwiched between the horizontal walls of the seat (9) extending in between the first bearer (5) and the second bearer (6). This enables increasing the contact surface between the insulation member (10) and the supporting portion (7), thereby raising the amount of vibration energy transmitted from the supporting portion (7) to the insulation member (10). The noise levels of the laundry dryer (1) is thus further reduced.
In another embodiment of the invention, the seat (9) is shaped as a rectangular prism whose one side is open. The insulation member (10) is shaped as a plate, and the seat (9) is shaped as a pocket extending inside the supporting portion (7), with a rectangular cross-section so as to conform with the shape of the insulation member (10). The insulation member (10) is placed in the seat (9) by being introduced through the open side of the seat (9). This embodiment is advantageous in that the insulation member (10) is almost completely restrained in the seat (9) with an enclosed structure. The insulation member (10) is thus placed in the seat (9) in a simple and secure manner, without using fasteners such as adhesives or screws.
In another embodiment of the invention, the supporting portion (7) comprises a first support (11) on which the first bearer (5) is disposed, and a second support (12) detachably attached to the first support (11), on which the second bearer (6) is disposed, and the seat (9) is provided on the first support (11). After placement of the insulation member (10) in the seat (9) disposed on the first support (11), the first support (11) is mounted to the second support (12), thereby rendering the motor mount (8) one-piece. The first support (11) and the second support (12) are preferably connected to each other by way of snap-fitting by means of at least one detent (14) and at least one opening (15) into which the detent (14) fits. By this, the first support (11) and the second support (12) are detached when required, enabling accessing the insulation member (10) without requiring complete disassembly of the motor mount (8) from the body (2).
In another embodiment of the invention, the first support (11) extends almost until the second bearer (6), and the seat (9) extends almost along the first support (11). The seat (9) is shaped as a groove whose mouth faces the second support (12) in the state where the first support (11) and the second support (12) are fixed to each other, and extends along the first support (11) in horizontal axis. This enables the insulation member (10) to extend almost along the supporting portion (7), further reducing the amount of vibration energy transmitted to the body (2).
In another embodiment of the invention, a barrier (13) is provided on the second support (12), enabling entrapping the insulation member (10) in the seat (9) by covering the mouth of the seat (9) when the first support (11) is mounted on the second support (12). The barrier (13) abuts the insulation member (10) when the first support (11) is mounted to the second support (12), enabling restraining the insulation member (10) between the first support (11) and the second support (12). The insulation member (10) is thus prevented from displacing and escaping from the seat (9) due to vibrations.
In another embodiment of the invention, the second support (12) is shaped as a bearing adapted for the shape of the first support (11), into which the first support (11) is engaged by being slid. The second support (12) is shaped as a bearing adapted for the shape of the first support (11), into which the first support (11) is engaged by being slid such that it encloses the first support (11). This enables reinforcing the grip between the first support (11) and the second support (12), preventing the noise likely to be caused by the first support (11) and the second support (12) vibrating independent of each other.
By means of the insulation member (10), the invention enables damping the vibrations transmitted from the motor (4) to the motor mount (8), and the vibration-induced sound, inhibiting them from being transmitted to the body (2). The invention further enables preventing the motor (4) and the motor mount (8) from vibrating in an identical frequency, effectively reducing the operating noise of the laundry dryer (1).

Claims

A laundry dryer (1) comprising a body (2), a drum (3) provided in the body (2), in which the laundry items are loaded, a motor (4) enabling rotating the drum (3), and a motor mount (8) provided in the body (2), on which the motor (4) is placed so as to enable supporting the motor (4) from two sides, having a first bearer (5) and a second bearer (6) bearing the motor (4) and a supporting portion (7) extending in between the first bearer (5) and the second bearer (6), characterized by at least one seat (9) provided on the supporting portion (7), and an insulation member (10) placed in the seat (9), enabling damping the vibrations emitted by the motor (4).
A laundry dryer (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the seat (9) being shaped as a groove extending inside the supporting portion (7) in horizontal axis.
A laundry dryer (1) according to claim 2, characterized by the seat (9) being shaped as a rectangular prism whose one side is open.
A laundry dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the supporting portion (7) comprising a first support (11) on which the first bearer (5) is disposed, and a second support (12) detachably attached to the first support (11), on which the second bearer (6) is disposed, and by the seat (9) provided on the first support (11).
A laundry dryer (1) according to claim 4, characterized by the first support (11) extending almost until the second bearer (6), and by the seat (9) extending almost along the first support (11).
A laundry dryer (1) according to any one of claim 4 or claim 5, characterized by a barrier (13) provided on the second support (12), enabling entrapping the insulation member (10) in the seat (9) by covering the mouth of the seat (9) when the first support (11) is mounted on the second support (12).
A laundry dryer (1) according to any one of the claims 4 to claim 6, characterized by the second support (12) being shaped as a bearing adapted to the shape of the first support (11), into which the first support (11) is engaged by being slid.