ES2334013T3 - COMBINED WASHING AND DRYING CLOTHING MACHINE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Combined clothes washing and drying machine, possibly of the recirculating type, comprising a tub, a rotating drum holding the clothes to be washed, and supplied with water from the mains via electromagnetic valves, a detergent/additive dispenser and a conduit provided with a siphon, said tub being connected to a circuit comprising a condenser, air circulating means and means for heating the drying air. The condenser is connected to the tub of the machine through a further circuit comprising a pump, for the water needed to cool the condenser. Preferably, the circuit for the condenser cooling water is connected downstream of the lint filter of the machine. The cooling water for the condenser is supplied into the tub via said electromagnetic valves, at least one of which is energized recurrently. <IMAGE>

Description

Combined washing and drying machine clothes.

The present invention relates to a machine combined automatic adapted to wash and / or dry clothes.

These combined machines, which are known generally in the art under the term of washer-dryers are widely known for mainly comprise a tub adapted to contain, usually inside a rotating drum, clothes that can be washed, clarified, squeezed by centrifugation and / or dried thanks to the enabling of appropriate water transport circuits, as well as of a drying circuit by which heated air that is has been progressively loading with moisture removed from clothing contained in the tub is forced to circulate through or in correspondence of condensing means for the condensation of such moisture

In particular, the transport circuits of water mentioned above comprise a product dispenser for washing and / or rinsing, which may have, for example, the shape of a removable drawer or similar and that is arranged so that it is capable of being supplied from one or more nozzles with water adapted to drag said washing and / or rinsing products and transport them to the tub through a siphon arrangement.

Wastewater is collected at the bottom of said siphon to cut the existing communication between the tub and said container of washing products, thus preventing, for example during the drying phase of the clothes, that the hot air loaded of moisture that is present in the tub escape into the environment outside through the same product container.

On the other hand, during the operation of the machine, it can happen very easily that the water level residual in the siphon decrease in such a way that it makes the own siphon is virtually ineffective against unwanted escape above mentioned hot air loaded with moisture, with the various problems and inconvenience this may imply, as you well know not only experts in the field, but also users.

This unwanted incidence of siphon emptying it can be caused, for example, by water losses caused by the oscillations of the machine during a phase of squeezing by centrifugation of the laundry cycle and / or evaporation of the wastewater contained in the siphon due to heating at that the same water is exposed during certain phases of operation of the machine, in particular during the process of drying of clothes.

It has been recently proposed (request for Italian patent number PN2000A000059, filed by the same applicant) a solution with a view to eliminating inconvenience previously cited. This solution consists in making use of valve means that govern the flow of water through of the dispenser compartments of washing products for let them run temporarily at periodic intervals in order to enter a dosed amount of siphon into water intended to completely fill the same siphon, that is, ensure that the siphon is constantly in a condition of completely full.

Although the solution mentioned above is certainly very effective to achieve your goal, follow requiring that an additional solenoid valve be used controlled type to supply a certain amount of water, duly taken from the water supply network, at condenser that equips the machine. As a matter of fact, this condenser has to be cooled in order to allow it to condense properly the moisture extracted from the clothes that are being dried by the air circulating inside the machine.

In addition, it is a continuous flow of water that let in this case for steam condensation purposes and this amount of water to be allowed in this way in the machine has, of course, to be continuously extracted from it by the bomb Machine drain. As a result, this drain pump has of running practically in a continuous way and this can easily understood that it involves obvious disadvantages in terms of energy consumption and overall reliability of the machine.

GB 1 526 095 describes a machine of treatment of washed clothes in which a region of the wall inside of the treatment drum container facing this treatment drum forms a surface of condensation.

GB 2 172 977 describes a machine washing machine with a tumble dryer that has a system of condensation, in which an amount of water is fed through of the condensation system during the washing operation or rinsed at a speed sufficiently higher than what it has place during a drying operation in order to drag particles of fluff out of the system.

Therefore, the main purpose of this invention consists in providing a combined washing machine and drying clothes in which one of said valves is removed electromagnetic, in particular the one used to power the condenser circuit, and reduce overall water consumption, while at the same time the conditions of operation of the condenser in a combined washing machine and clothes drying provided with a loop condensation circuit closed.

According to the present invention, these objectives, along with others that will be evident from the description Next, they are achieved in a combined washing and drying machine of clothing of the aforementioned class, in which the electromagnetic water inlet valve for the condenser, while a water recirculation arrangement is enabled to recirculate water that is taken from the water supply network  and to introduce it into the machine wash tub through the other solenoid valves intended to supply water to the product dispenser and washing aids, in the which this water is delivered to the condenser through another circuit of water transport.

Anyway, the features and advantages of the combined machine for washing and drying clothes according to the The present invention will be more readily understood by the annexed claims and the exposure contained in the description which follows, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are schematic views of the water transport circuits of a combined washing machine and drying clothes of the traditional type and of the type designed to recirculate the wash liquid, respectively;

Figure 3 is a schematic view. simplified water transport circuits of a machine of the type shown in figure 1, but made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic view. simplified water transport circuits of a machine of the type shown in Figure 2, but made in accordance with the present invention; Y

Figure 5 is a view of an embodiment Improved combined laundry and drying machine illustrated in figure 4.

With reference to figure 3, a machine combined washing and drying clothes mainly comprises a wash tub 10 inside which is rotatably mounted a drum 11 that is adapted to contain the clothes that are due wash and dry

The machine also comprises a container or dispenser 12 provided with compartments for containing and dispensing  the products and wash and rinse aids, which can be supplied selectively with the water entering from the supply network 13 through electromagnetic valves 14, 15. Water from the supply network flows then from the dispenser 12 to the tub 10 through a tube 16 in which a siphon-shaped portion 17 is included. This siphon-shaped portion 17 collects wastewater to form normally a hydraulic obstruction that prevents air loaded with moisture that is present in the tub 10, in particular during the laundry washing and drying phases of the cycle of operation, escape to the outside environment through tube 16 and the dispenser 12.

To carry out the process of drying clothes previously mentioned, the machine is provided with a condenser  18 which is connected to tub 10 within a circuit that it also includes air circulation means 19 and means 20 of air heating The hot air laden with moisture is taken from inside tub 10 and cooled in condenser 18 by means of cold water that enters from the supply network of water 13.

According to the present invention, cold water used to condense moisture removed from clothing is delivered  to capacitor 18 through an additional circuit 21 of water transport that reaches the condenser 18 starting from the filter of lint 22 included in the water discharge circuit of the machine, which also includes a drain pump 25. In the condensation circuit 21 is included a circulation pump 23. The water necessary for condensation purposes is taken from the network of water supply 13 activating the valves electromagnetic 14 and / or 15 in a pulsating manner, that is, recurring, in order to be able to enter the tub 10, through the conduit 16 and siphon 17, a minimum amount of water that Recirculate after the tub to the condenser, and vice versa.

This innovative solution gives rise to a series of advantages compared to prior art solutions. In First, a significant reduction in the consumption of global water through this water recirculation of condensation.

In addition, this allows a valve to be removed. magnetic, that is, the one dedicated exclusively to the end of condensation: this valve is actually replaced by a valve electromagnetic 15 which is intended to make a plurality of functions, that is, first to let the wash water and / or rinse into the tub and then supply the cooling water to the condenser for moisture condensation purposes and, of this mode, automatically provide the amount of water that is you need to act as a "plug" in siphon 17, just as This has been described previously.

In addition, the drain pump 25 turns out to be under much less effort due to the fact that Condensate is discharged periodically and not continuously. This elimination of the solenoid valve to supply water to the condenser and the replacement of such a valve with a pump recirculation allow the probability of occurrence of failures or breakdowns, since an electromagnetic valve it is a component part much more delicate than a pump small capacity Finally, thanks to the fact that it really recirculates Water through the machine's lint filter, the condenser is effectively protected against the possibility of deposit lint in the condenser itself, thus eliminating a cause important malfunction of the condenser.

With reference to figure 4, it can be noted that this illustrates a combined machine for washing and drying clothes of a generally more complex class, specifically of the type that it comprises a circuit to recycle both the wash water and the rinse water The recycling circuit 30 includes a pump recycled 31 and preferably part of the filter located in the lower portion of the machine, under the tub, and ascends to the top of said tub. It should be appreciated that the remaining reference numbers in figure 4 are the same as the used in figure 3 to indicate the component parts that they are also present in the machine illustrated in said figure 3.

In an advantageous manner, with reference to the Figure 5, use can be made of a common conduit 31A, which part of said filter 22, to feed both the condenser pump 23 as said recirculation or recycled pump 31.

In particular, the pump 23 for recirculation of condenser cooling water and condensed water and the pump 31 for the recirculation of the wash / rinse water is mounted on a mutually aligned arrangement in the same conduit 32 extending from filter 22; in particular said recirculation pump 31 is arranged in a conduit 32A that it comes from said pump 23 of condensed water and water refrigerant.

It can easily be seen that with this second type of machine you also get the same advantages as the indicated in relation to the first type of machine above described

Claims (5)

1. Combined laundry washing and drying machine comprising a tub (10) adapted to accommodate a rotating drum (11) for containing clothes and to be fed with water from the supply network (13) through means valve (14, 15), a dispenser (12) of rinsing products / rinsing aids and a conduit (16) provided with a siphon arrangement (17) adapted to be normally filled completely with residual water, said tub being connected with a circuit comprising a condenser (18), circulation means (19) and heating means (20) for circulating and heating the drying air, respectively, a filter (22) being arranged between the tub (10 ) and the drain pump (25) of the machine, characterized in that the condenser (18) is connected to the tub (10) of the machine through an additional circuit (21) comprising circulation means (23), preferably a pump, to circulate and l condenser cooling water, and because said circuit (21) for the circulation of condenser cooling water (18) is connected downstream of the filter (22) of the machine. 2. Combined laundry washing and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the condenser cooling water (18) is supplied to the tub (10) through the valve means, these valve means being electromagnetic valves ( 14, 15) and being at least one of them operated in a pulsating manner, that is, in recurrent impulses. 3. Clothes washing machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with a recirculation circuit (30) and a corresponding recirculation pump (31) arranged along the extension of said recirculation circuit. 4. A laundry machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said pump (23) for recirculating the condensed water and said recirculation pump (31) are mounted in a cascade arrangement of mutually aligned along the same section of a conduit (32) coming from said tub (10). 5. Washing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said section of the duct (32) comes from said filter (22).