EP4686780A1

EP4686780A1 - Laundry dryer comprising a sealing

Info

Publication number: EP4686780A1
Application number: EP24191708.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Damian Geberle; Agata Klos
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2024-07-30
Filing date: 2024-07-30
Publication date: 2026-02-04
Also published as: CN121428794A

Abstract

Laundry dryer (100), comprising: a housing; a rotatable drum (101) for receiving laundry, wherein the rotatable drum (101) is accommodated in the housing in a rotatable manner; a bearing shield (103), which is connected with the housing, and which is attached circumferentially around an opening of the housing for accessing an interior space of the rotatable drum (101); wherein the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101) are spaced apart from each other in order to form a circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101); wherein the laundry dryer (100) comprises a rotatable sealing (119), which is attached to the rotatable drum (101) and is rotated by the rotatable drum (101), and which is adapted to fluidly seal the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101) against an exterior space (113) of the rotatable drum (101) within the housing, wherein the rotatable sealing (119) has a first end (119-1) connected to the rotatable drum (101) and a second end (119-2), which is pressed against the bearing shield (103) in order to seal the circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101).

Description

The present disclosure relates to a laundry dryer comprising a sealing.
In a conventional laundry dryer, a sealing is typically provided in order to reduce a leak of hot air from a drum of the laundry dryer to an exterior.
However, traditional sealings degrade over time due to constant exposure to high temperatures and moisture, leading to wear and tear. This degradation can cause the seals to become less effective, resulting in increased leakage of hot air and decreased drying efficiency.
Furthermore, an ineffective sealing can allow lint and dust to escape into other parts of the laundry dryer, potentially causing blockages or mechanical failures.
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved laundry dryer with an efficient sealing.
This object is achieved by way of the features of the independent patent claim. Advantageous developments are the subject matter of the dependent claims, the description, and the appended figures.
According to an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a laundry dryer, comprising: a housing; a rotatable drum for receiving laundry, wherein the rotatable drum is accommodated in the housing in a rotatable manner; a bearing shield, which is connected with the housing, and which is attached circumferentially around an opening of the housing for accessing an interior space of the rotatable drum; wherein the bearing shield and the rotatable drum are spaced apart from each other in order to form a circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum; wherein the laundry dryer comprises a rotatable sealing, which is attached to the rotatable drum and is rotated by the rotatable drum, and which is adapted to fluidly seal the interior space of the rotatable drum against an exterior space of the rotatable drum within the housing, wherein the rotatable sealing has a first end connected to the rotatable drum and a second end, which is pressed against the bearing shield in order to seal the circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum.
As a result, the rotatable drum sealing at least reduces or prevents a leak of hot air from the rotatable drum by closing off the circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum even during rotation of the rotatable drum. This ensures that the heat of the hot air is concentrated inside the drum, allowing for consistent and thorough drying of laundry. Additionally, the sealing can help to reduce an energy consumption of the laundry dryer and can prevent potential heat damage to components of the laundry dryer, which are exterior to the rotatable drum.
The laundry dryer according to the present disclosure may be adapted to dry laundry, in particular by removing or at least significantly reducing the amount of water taken up by the laundry.
According to an embodiment, a first wall of the rotatable drum has an attachment region, in particular a cavity, wherein the first end of the rotatable sealing is received, in particular clamped, inside the attachment region, in particular cavity.
As a result, the rotatable sealing can be connected to the rotatable drum in an efficient manner.
According to an embodiment, the rotatable sealing is shaped as a hollow conical frustum in an unattached state of the rotatable sealing with the rotatable drum, and/or wherein the first end of the rotatable sealing is bent radially outwards in an attached state of the rotatable sealing with the rotatable drum.
As a result, the rotatable sealing can be provided with an advantageous material tension for pressing the second end of the sealing against the bearing shield.
In the unattached state of the rotatable sealing the first end of the rotatable sealing, the first end of the rotatable sealing can be formed by the base of the hollow conical frustum with the larger diameter and the second end of the rotatable sealing can be formed by the base of the hollow conical frustum with the smaller diameter.
According to an embodiment, a first diameter of the rotatable sealing at the first end of the rotatable sealing is larger than a second diameter of the rotatable sealing at the second end of the rotatable sealing in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing, wherein in particular a diameter of the rotatable sealing is axially tapering from the first end of the rotatable sealing towards the second end of the rotatable sealing in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing.
As a result, an efficient structure for the rotatable sealing can be provided.
According to an embodiment, a curved section of the rotatable drum and a curved section of the rotatable sealing are bent in a same direction of curvature at a proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing.
As a result, the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing can be connected in an efficient, in particular elastic, manner at the proximity region.
The proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing may be a region, in which both the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing may be at least partially formed in a spiraled manner. The curved section of the rotatable drum may be arranged inside the curved section of the rotatable sealing at the proximity region. The curved section of the rotatable sealing may be arranged outside the curved section of the rotatable drum at the proximity region.
According to an embodiment, a first radius of curvature of the curved section of the rotatable sealing is greater than a second radius of curvature of the curved section of the rotatable drum at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing.
As a result, the rotatable sealing can efficiently encompass the curved section of the rotatable drum.
According to an embodiment, a first cavity is formed by the curved section of the rotatable sealing at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing, wherein the curved section of the rotatable drum is received, in particular clamped, in the first cavity at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing.
As a result, the curved section of the rotatable drum can be efficiently received, in particular clamped, by the rotatable sealing.
An end portion of the rotatable drum may contact the curved section of the rotatable sealing, in particular be clamped by the curved section of the rotatable sealing.
According to an embodiment, a second cavity is formed by the curved section of the rotatable drum at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing, wherein an end portion of the first end of the rotatable sealing extends inside the second cavity at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing.
As a result, the end portion of the first end of the rotatable sealing can be efficiently received, in particular clamped, by the rotatable drum.
According to an embodiment, the first end of the rotatable sealing is coupled to the rotatable drum in an elastic manner, in particular a spring-mounted manner, at the proximity region between the rotatable drum and the rotatable sealing, wherein the elastic coupling, in particular the spring-mounted coupling, of the proximity region applies a pressing force to the rotatable sealing, which moves the second end of the rotatable sealing towards the bearing shield; and/or wherein an air pressure in the rotatable drum is adapted to act against a first surface of the rotatable sealing facing the interior space of the rotatable drum, wherein the second end of the rotatable sealing is pressed harder against the bearing shield with increasing air pressure inside the rotatable drum.
As a result, an efficient pressing force can be provided by the rotatable sealing for sealing the rotatable drum and the bearing shield.
According to an embodiment, the rotatable sealing is made out of an elastic material, in particular rubber, more particular ethylene propylene diene monomer, EPDM, rubber.
As a result, the sealing can be efficiently manufactured and can provide an advantageous flexibility.
According to an embodiment, a contact portion is materially connected to the rotatable sealing in order to form the second end of the rotatable sealing, wherein the contact portion is pressed against the bearing shield in order to seal the circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum, wherein in particular the contact portion is circumferentially arranged at the second end of the rotatable sealing.
As a result, a suitable material of the contact portion can be chosen without reducing advantageous properties of the sealing such as a flexibility.
The contact portion may be formed as an extension of the rotatable sealing in the direction of the slant height of the rotatable sealing.
According to an embodiment, the contact portion is made out of felt, in particular felt comprising polyester fibers, acrylic fibers, and/or Teflon fibers.
As a result, a friction between the rotatable sealing and the bearing shield can be efficiently reduced, thereby increasing the longevity of the rotatable sealing.
According to an embodiment, the laundry dryer comprises an air heating arrangement, which is adapted to feed heated air in the rotatable drum in order to create an air pressure in the rotatable drum, and wherein the air pressure is adapted to act against a first surface of the rotatable sealing facing the interior space of the rotatable drum in order to press the second end of the rotatable sealing against the bearing shield.
As a result, the efficiency of the sealing can be proportionally increased with increasing stress, i.e. increasing air pressure.
According to an embodiment, the circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum is formed between a first section of the rotatable drum and a second section of the bearing shield, which are arranged, in particular, in a parallel manner, wherein the rotatable sealing is pressed against the second section of the bearing shield in order to seal the circumferential gap between the bearing shield and the rotatable drum.
As a result, the rotatable sealing can be exposed to an air pressure inside of the rotatable drum in an efficient manner.
The first section of the rotatable drum and the second section of the bearing shield may be walls of an air channel between the interior space of the rotatable drum and the exterior space of the rotatable drum, which comprises the circumferential gap. The air channel may not be part of the air heating arrangement.
According to an embodiment, a first acute angle, in particular lower than 45°, is spanned between a first surface of the rotatable sealing facing the interior space of the rotatable drum and the first section of the rotatable drum, wherein a length of the first surface of the rotatable sealing along a slant height of the rotatable sealing is greater than a cross-section of the circumferential gap; and/or a second acute angle, in particular lower than 45°, is spanned between a second surface of the rotatable sealing facing away from the interior space of the rotatable drum and the second section of the bearing shield, wherein a length of the second surface of the rotatable sealing along a slant height of the rotatable sealing is greater than a cross-section of the circumferential gap.
As a result, the rotatable sealing can be inclined in the circumferential gap in an advantageous manner in order to achieve an efficient transmission of force from the air pressure inside the rotatable drum on the first surface of the rotatable sealing facing the interior space of the rotatable drum.
The cross-section of the circumferential gap may correspond to a distance between the first wall of the rotatable drum and the second wall of the bearing shield.
The rotatable sealing may be inclined towards the interior space of the rotatable drum, in particular towards a side of the circumferential gap connected to the interior space of the rotatable drum. The first surface of the rotatable sealing and/or the second surface of the rotatable sealing may be respectively sides of a linear wall of the rotatable sealing. The length of the first surface of the rotatable sealing may be equal to the length of the second surface of the rotatable sealing.
Further examples of the principles and techniques of that disclosure are explained in greater detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1a shows a schematic representation of a laundry dryer according to an embodiment;
Fig. 1b shows a schematic representation of a rotatable sealing of the laundry dryer of Fig. 1a;
Fig. 1c shows a schematic representation of a rotatable sealing of the laundry dryer of Fig. 1a in more detail;
Fig. 1d shows a schematic representation of a connection of the rotatable sealing of the laundry dryer of Fig. 1a in more detail;
Fig. 2a and 2b show schematic representations of an unattached state of a rotatable sealing of a laundry dryer according to an embodiment.

Fig. 1a shows a schematic representation of a laundry dryer 100 according to an embodiment. Although not shown in Fig. 1a, the laundry dryer 100 comprises a housing. In the following, the laundry dryer 100 will be described with further reference to Fig. 1b, 1c, and 1d. Fig. 1b shows a schematic representation of a rotatable sealing 119 of the laundry dryer 100 of Fig. 1a, Fig. 1c shows a schematic representation of the rotatable sealing 119 of the laundry dryer 100 of Fig. 1a in more detail, and Fig. 1d shows a schematic representation of a connection of the rotatable sealing 119 of the laundry dryer 100 of Fig. 1a in more detail.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1a, the laundry dryer 100 comprises a rotatable drum 101 for receiving laundry. The rotatable drum 101 is accommodated in the housing in a rotatable manner.
As further shown in Fig. 1a, the laundry dryer 100 comprises a bearing shield 103, which is connected with the housing, and which is attached circumferentially around an opening (not shown in Fig. 1a) of the housing for accessing an interior space 111 (shown in Fig. 1b) of the rotatable drum 101.
As further shown in Fig. 1a, the laundry dryer 100 may comprise an air heating arrangement 105, which may be adapted to feed heated air in the rotatable drum 101 in order to create an air pressure in the rotatable drum 101. The heated air may be used to dry wet laundry received in the rotatable drum 101. The arrows 107 schematically illustrate a circular flow of air flowing through the air heating arrangement 105. The air heating arrangement 105 may provide dry and hot air in the rotatable drum 101, which may absorb moisture from the laundry and be recirculated back to the air heating arrangement 105. The arrows 109 schematically show the air pressure inside the rotatable drum 101 acting in various directions, such as towards an exterior space 113 (shown in Fig. 1b) of the rotatable drum 101.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1b, the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101 are spaced apart from each other in order to form a circumferential gap 115 between the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101.
The laundry dryer 100 comprises a rotatable sealing 119, which is attached to the rotatable drum 101 and is rotated by the rotatable drum 101, and which is adapted to fluidly seal the interior space 111 of the rotatable drum 101 to the exterior space 113 of the rotatable drum 101 within the housing. The rotatable sealing 119 may be made out of an elastic material, in particular rubber, more particular ethylene propylene diene monomer, EPDM, rubber.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1b and 1c, the rotatable sealing 119 has a first end 119-1 connected to the rotatable drum 101 and a second end 119-2, which is pressed against the bearing shield 103 in order to seal the circumferential gap 115 between the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101.
As schematically illustrated by the arrow 109 in Fig. 1b, the air pressure in the rotatable drum 101 created by the air heating arrangement 105 may be adapted to act against a first surface 119-3 of the rotatable sealing 119 facing the interior space 111 of the rotatable drum 101 in order to press the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 against the bearing shield 103. The air acting against the first surface 119-3 of the rotatable sealing 119 facing the interior space 111 of the rotatable drum 101 may prevent or at least reduce, as schematically illustrated by the arrows 109-1 in Fig. 1b, a flow of the air into the exterior space 113 by pressing the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 against the bearing shield 103. The second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be pressed harder against the bearing shield 103 with increasing air pressure inside the rotatable drum 101, which can improve the sealing effect of the rotatable sealing 119.
The circumferential gap 115 between the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101 may be formed between the first wall 101-1 of the rotatable drum 101 and a second wall 103-1 of the bearing shield 103, which may be arranged, in particular, in a parallel manner. The rotatable sealing 119 may be pressed against the second wall 103-1 of the bearing shield 103 in order to seal the circumferential gap 115 between the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1b, a first acute angle 104-1, in particular lower than 45°, may be spanned between a first surface 119-3 of the rotatable sealing 119 facing the interior space 111 of the rotatable drum 101 and the first wall 101-1 of the rotatable drum 101. A length of the first surface 119-3 of the rotatable sealing 119 along a slant height of the rotatable sealing 119 may be greater than a cross-section 117 of the circumferential gap 115. Additionally or alternatively, a second acute angle 104-2, in particular lower than 45°, may be spanned between a second surface 119-4 of the rotatable sealing 119 facing away from the interior space 111 of the rotatable drum 101 and the second wall 103-1 of the bearing shield 103. A length of the second surface 119-4 of the rotatable sealing 119 along the slant height of the rotatable sealing 119 may be greater than a cross-section 117 of the circumferential gap 115. The cross-section 117 of the circumferential gap 115 may correspond to a distance between the first wall 101-1 of the rotatable drum 101 and the second wall 103-1 of the bearing shield 103.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1c, a first wall 101-1 of the rotatable drum 101 may have an attachment region, in particular a second cavity 129-1. The first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be received, in particular clamped, inside the attachment region, in particular second cavity 129-1.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1c, a curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 and a curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be bent in a same direction of curvature at a proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119. A first radius of curvature of the curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be greater than a second radius of curvature of the curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119.
The proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119 may be a region, in which both the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119 may be at least partially formed in a spiraled manner. The curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 may be arranged inside the curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119 at the proximity region 125. The curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be arranged outside the curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 at the proximity region 125.
A first cavity 127-1 may be formed by the curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119 at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119. The curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 may be received, in particular clamped, in the first cavity 127-1 at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119. As schematically shown in Fig. 1d, an end portion 133 of the rotatable drum 101 may contact the curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119, in particular be clamped by the curved section 127 of the rotatable sealing 119.
The second cavity 129-1 may be formed by the curved section 129 of the rotatable drum 101 at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119. As schematically shown in Fig. 1d, an end portion 131 of the first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 may extend inside the second cavity 129-1 at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119, in particular be clamped by the curved section 129 of the rotatable sealing.
The first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be coupled to the rotatable drum 101 in an elastic manner, in particular a spring-mounted manner, at the proximity region 125 between the rotatable drum 101 and the rotatable sealing 119. The elastic coupling, in particular the spring-mounted coupling, of the proximity region 125 may apply a pressing force to the rotatable sealing 119, which moves the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 towards the bearing shield 103.
As schematically shown in Fig. 1c, a contact portion 123 may be materially connected to the rotatable sealing 119 in order to form the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119. The contact portion 123 may be made out of felt, in particular felt comprising polyester fibers, acrylic fibers, and/or Teflon fibers. The contact portion 123 may be formed as an extension of the rotatable sealing 119 in the direction of the slant height of the rotatable sealing 119 and/or may be circumferentially arranged at the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119. The contact portion 123 may be pressed against the bearing shield 103 in order to seal the circumferential gap 115 between the bearing shield 103 and the rotatable drum 101.
Fig. 2a and 2b show schematic representations of an unattached state of a rotatable sealing 119 of a laundry dryer 100 according to an embodiment. The laundry dryer 100 may be the laundry dryer shown in Fig. 1a. The rotatable sealing 119 may be the rotatable sealing 119 described for Fig. 1a-d. As described for Fig. 1a-d and not shown in Fig. 2a and 2b, the laundry dryer 100 further comprises a housing, a rotatable drum 101 and a bearing shield 103.
As schematically shown in Fig. 2a and 2b, the rotatable sealing 119 may be shaped as a hollow conical frustum in an unattached state of the rotatable sealing 119 with the rotatable drum 101. The first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be bent radially outwards in an attached state of the rotatable sealing 119 with the rotatable drum 101 (as illustrated in Fig. 1b and 1c).
A first diameter d1 of the rotatable sealing 119 at the first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 may be larger than a second diameter d2 of the rotatable sealing 119 at the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing 119. In particular, a diameter of the rotatable sealing 119 may be axially tapering from the first end 119-1 of the rotatable sealing 119 towards the second end 119-2 of the rotatable sealing 119 in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing 119.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

100: laundry dryer
101: rotatable drum
101-1: first wall
103: bearing shield
103-1: second wall
105: air heating arrangement
107: circular flow of air
109: air pressure
109-1: flow of air into the exterior space
111: interior space of the rotatable drum
113: exterior space of the rotatable drum
115: circumferential gap
117: cross-section of the circumferential gap
119: rotatable sealing
119-1: first end of the rotatable sealing
119-2: second end of the rotatable sealing
119-3: first surface of the rotatable sealing
119-4: second surface of the rotatable sealing
121: length of the first and/or second surface of the rotatable sealing
123: contact portion
125: proximity region
127: curved section of the rotatable sealing
127-1: first cavity
129: curved section of the rotatable drum
129-1: second cavity
131: end portion of the rotatable sealing
133: end portion of the rotatable drum

Claims

Laundry dryer (100), comprising:
a housing;

a rotatable drum (101) for receiving laundry, wherein the rotatable drum (101) is accommodated in the housing in a rotatable manner;

a bearing shield (103), which is connected with the housing, and which is attached circumferentially around an opening of the housing for accessing an interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101);

wherein the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101) are spaced apart from each other in order to form a circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101);
characterized in that the laundry dryer (100) comprises a rotatable sealing (119), which is attached to the rotatable drum (101) and is rotated by the rotatable drum (101), and which is adapted to fluidly seal the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101) against an exterior space (113) of the rotatable drum (101) within the housing,

wherein the rotatable sealing (119) has a first end (119-1) connected to the rotatable drum (101) and a second end (119-2), which is pressed against the bearing shield (103) in order to seal the circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 1, wherein a first wall (101-1) of the rotatable drum (101) has an attachment region, in particular a cavity (129-1), wherein the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) is received, in particular clamped, inside the attachment region, in particular cavity (129-1).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotatable sealing (119) is shaped as a hollow conical frustum in an unattached state of the rotatable sealing (119) with the rotatable drum (101), and/or wherein the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) is bent radially outwards in an attached state of the rotatable sealing (119) with the rotatable drum (101).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 3, wherein a first diameter (d1) of the rotatable sealing (119) at the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) is larger than a second diameter (d2) of the rotatable sealing (119) at the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119) in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing (119), wherein in particular a diameter of the rotatable sealing (119) is axially tapering from the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) towards the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119) in the unattached state of the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a curved section (129) of the rotatable drum (101) and a curved section (127) of the rotatable sealing (119) are bent in a same direction of curvature at a proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 5, wherein a first radius of curvature of the curved section (127) of the rotatable sealing (119) is greater than a second radius of curvature of the curved section (129) of the rotatable drum (101) at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claims 5 or 6, wherein a first cavity (127-1) is formed by the curved section (127) of the rotatable sealing (119) at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119), wherein the curved section (129) of the rotatable drum (101) is received, in particular clamped, in the first cavity (127-1) at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a second cavity (129-1) is formed by the curved section (129) of the rotatable drum (101) at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119), wherein an end portion (131) of the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) extends inside the second cavity (129-1) at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the first end (119-1) of the rotatable sealing (119) is coupled to the rotatable drum (101) in an elastic manner, in particular a spring-mounted manner, at the proximity region (125) between the rotatable drum (101) and the rotatable sealing (119), wherein the elastic coupling, in particular the spring-mounted coupling, of the proximity region (125) applies a pressing force to the rotatable sealing (119), which moves the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119) towards the bearing shield (103); and/or
wherein an air pressure in the rotatable drum (101) is adapted to act against a first surface (119-3) of the rotatable sealing (119) facing the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101), wherein the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119) is pressed harder against the bearing shield (103) with increasing air pressure inside the rotatable drum (101).
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotatable sealing (119) is made out of an elastic material, in particular rubber, more particular ethylene propylene diene monomer, EPDM, rubber.
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a contact portion (123) is materially connected to the rotatable sealing (119) in order to form the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119), wherein the contact portion (123) is pressed against the bearing shield (103) in order to seal the circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101), wherein in particular the contact portion (123) is circumferentially arranged at the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 11, wherein the contact portion (123) is made out of felt, in particular felt comprising polyester fibers, acrylic fibers, and/or Teflon fibers.
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the laundry dryer (100) comprises an air heating arrangement (105), which is adapted to feed heated air in the rotatable drum (101) in order to create an air pressure in the rotatable drum (101), and wherein the air pressure is adapted to act against a first surface (119-3) of the rotatable sealing (119) facing the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101) in order to press the second end (119-2) of the rotatable sealing (119) against the bearing shield (103).
Laundry dryer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101) is formed between a first wall (101-1) of the rotatable drum (101) and a second wall (103-1) of the bearing shield (103), which are arranged, in particular, in a parallel manner, wherein the rotatable sealing (119) is pressed against the second wall (103-1) of the bearing shield (103) in order to seal the circumferential gap (115) between the bearing shield (103) and the rotatable drum (101).
Laundry dryer (100) according to claim 14, wherein a first acute angle (104-1), in particular lower than 45°, is spanned between a first surface (119-3) of the rotatable sealing (119) facing the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101) and the first wall (101-1) of the rotatable drum (101), wherein a length (121) of the first surface (119-3) of the rotatable sealing (119) along slant height of the rotatable sealing (119) is greater than a cross-section (117) of the circumferential gap (115); and/or
wherein a second acute angle (104-2), in particular lower than 45°, is spanned between a second surface (119-4) of the rotatable sealing (119) facing away from the interior space (111) of the rotatable drum (101) and the second wall (103-1) of the bearing shield (103), wherein a length (121) of the second surface (119-4) of the rotatable sealing (119) along a slant height of the rotatable sealing (119) is greater than a cross-section (117) of the circumferential gap (115).