GB2089952A

GB2089952A - Laundry Drier

Info

Publication number: GB2089952A
Application number: GB8129614A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-10-21
Filing date: 1981-10-01
Publication date: 1982-06-30
Also published as: NL8104720A; DE3039685A1

Abstract

A laundry drier comprises a reversibly drivable laundry drum and a centrifugal blower, drivable by the drum drive, for the drying air, the drum drive and the blower being non- rotatably coupled with each other and the blower having straight blades (20). The housing (15) of the blower has an outflow region (16) arranged symmetrically with respect to the blower axis (shaft 10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Laundry Drier The present invention relates to a laundry drier.

In a laundry drier with a reversibly drivable laundry drum and a radial blower, drivable by the drum drive, for the drying air, it is preferred for reasons of economy to have the drum drive also drive the radial blower directly, On reversal of the drum drive, however, a blower with curved blades conveys too small a quantity of air in the reverse direction of rotation.

There is accordingly a need for a laundry drier in which substantially equal conveying performances in both rotational directions can be achieved with direct coupling of drum drive and radial blower.

According to the present invention there is provided a laundry drier comprising a laundry drum, drive means for driving the drum in opposite rotational directions, a radial blower drivable by the drive means to provide drying air for drying laundry in the drum, the blower being directly coupled to drive output means of the drive means and comprising straight blades, and a blower housing provided with means defining an outflow region arranged symmetrically with respect to the blower axis.

An arrangement in which the blower blades are straight and the blower is, for example, rigidly coupled to the drive motor of the laundry drum can dispense with the need for special motors for the drum drive and blower or with a special device for the reversal of rotational direction of the laundry drum. The blower may be able to convey equally large quantities of air in both rotational directions so that the drum is drivable in reverse without impairment of the blower performance. The reliability of an arrangement of that kind is appreciably greater by contrast to an arrangement in which special devices or gears are needed for the reversal of rotational direction. By dispensing with additional gears or other such devices, the drive performance of the drum drive motor can be kept small.

If the outflow region consists of a single outflow funnel, the blower noise can be kept at a low level. On the other hand, the conveying performance of the blower is particularly good if the outflow region contains two outflow funnels which are separated each from the other by a partition.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of a laundry drier embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic section end view, in the direction of inducted air, of a prior art blower unit, Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but of a blower unit in a drier according to a first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but of a blower unit in a drier according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a laundry drier which has a housing 1 with a laundry drum 2, which is mounted to be horizontally rotatable and which is provided at an end face with a closable laundry charging opening 3 including, for example, a fluff filter. Arranged in the lower part of the laundry drier is a drive motor 4, which drives the drum through a belt 5 and a warm air blower 6 through a shaft 10 of the motor. Air conveyed by the flower flows around a heater 8 in an air feed channel 7 and passes through a protective grating 9 arranged at a rear wall of the drum and then into the drum interior.

Moist exhaust air escapes through openings in the opening 3.

In a prior art blower unit (Fig. 2), in which the blower 6 is directly connected to the motor 4, the drum 2 is driven in only one rotational direction.

The blower 6 has a housing 11, which is illustrated in section in Fig. 2. An outflow region 1 2 of the housing comprises an outflow funnel, which is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the axis of the blower shaft 10 and which opens directly into the air feed channel 7. The blades 1 3 of the blower are curved in rotational direction so that as much air as possible is conveyed out of a central induction region 14 and into the outflow region 12. In the opposite rotational direction, this blower is unsuitable for conveying of air into the air feed channel 7.

In a first embodiment of the present invention as shown in Fig. 3, instead of being shaped as in Fig. 2 the blower housing 15 has an outflow region 16 arranged symmetrically to the axis of the blower shaft 10. The outflow region 16 includes two outflow funnels 17 and 18, which are separated from each other by a partition 19.

Both outflow funnels 17 and 18 open together into the air feed channel 7 and are flowed through alternatively by the expelled exhaust air according to rotational direction, the funnel 17 conducting air in the case of clockwise rotation and the funnel 1 8 in anticlockwise rotation. The blades 20 of the blower are straight so that the centrifugal effect is the same in both rotational directions.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the blower unit is substantially the same as that of the embodiment of Fig. 3, but the housing 21 has an outflow region 22 which opens into a single outflow funnel 23. By suitable shaping of this outflow funnel 23, an equally good conveying effect is possible in both rotational directions of the blower wheel with the straight blades 20.

The substantially equal conveying effect attainable in both rotational directions of the blower units of Fig. 3 and 4 enables non-rotatable coupling of the blower with the drum drive so that additional drive means for operation of the blower on reversal of the drum drive are not needed.

Claims

1. A laundry drier comprising a laundry drum, drive means for driving the drum in opposite

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Laundry Drier The present invention relates to a laundry drier. In a laundry drier with a reversibly drivable laundry drum and a radial blower, drivable by the drum drive, for the drying air, it is preferred for reasons of economy to have the drum drive also drive the radial blower directly, On reversal of the drum drive, however, a blower with curved blades conveys too small a quantity of air in the reverse direction of rotation. There is accordingly a need for a laundry drier in which substantially equal conveying performances in both rotational directions can be achieved with direct coupling of drum drive and radial blower. According to the present invention there is provided a laundry drier comprising a laundry drum, drive means for driving the drum in opposite rotational directions, a radial blower drivable by the drive means to provide drying air for drying laundry in the drum, the blower being directly coupled to drive output means of the drive means and comprising straight blades, and a blower housing provided with means defining an outflow region arranged symmetrically with respect to the blower axis. An arrangement in which the blower blades are straight and the blower is, for example, rigidly coupled to the drive motor of the laundry drum can dispense with the need for special motors for the drum drive and blower or with a special device for the reversal of rotational direction of the laundry drum. The blower may be able to convey equally large quantities of air in both rotational directions so that the drum is drivable in reverse without impairment of the blower performance. The reliability of an arrangement of that kind is appreciably greater by contrast to an arrangement in which special devices or gears are needed for the reversal of rotational direction. By dispensing with additional gears or other such devices, the drive performance of the drum drive motor can be kept small. If the outflow region consists of a single outflow funnel, the blower noise can be kept at a low level. On the other hand, the conveying performance of the blower is particularly good if the outflow region contains two outflow funnels which are separated each from the other by a partition. An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of a laundry drier embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic section end view, in the direction of inducted air, of a prior art blower unit, Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but of a blower unit in a drier according to a first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but of a blower unit in a drier according to a second embodiment of the invention. Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a laundry drier which has a housing 1 with a laundry drum 2, which is mounted to be horizontally rotatable and which is provided at an end face with a closable laundry charging opening 3 including, for example, a fluff filter. Arranged in the lower part of the laundry drier is a drive motor 4, which drives the drum through a belt 5 and a warm air blower 6 through a shaft 10 of the motor. Air conveyed by the flower flows around a heater 8 in an air feed channel 7 and passes through a protective grating 9 arranged at a rear wall of the drum and then into the drum interior. Moist exhaust air escapes through openings in the opening 3. In a prior art blower unit (Fig. 2), in which the blower 6 is directly connected to the motor 4, the drum 2 is driven in only one rotational direction. The blower 6 has a housing 11, which is illustrated in section in Fig. 2. An outflow region 1 2 of the housing comprises an outflow funnel, which is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the axis of the blower shaft 10 and which opens directly into the air feed channel 7. The blades 1 3 of the blower are curved in rotational direction so that as much air as possible is conveyed out of a central induction region 14 and into the outflow region 12. In the opposite rotational direction, this blower is unsuitable for conveying of air into the air feed channel 7. In a first embodiment of the present invention as shown in Fig. 3, instead of being shaped as in Fig. 2 the blower housing 15 has an outflow region 16 arranged symmetrically to the axis of the blower shaft 10. The outflow region 16 includes two outflow funnels 17 and 18, which are separated from each other by a partition 19. Both outflow funnels 17 and 18 open together into the air feed channel 7 and are flowed through alternatively by the expelled exhaust air according to rotational direction, the funnel 17 conducting air in the case of clockwise rotation and the funnel 1 8 in anticlockwise rotation. The blades 20 of the blower are straight so that the centrifugal effect is the same in both rotational directions. In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the blower unit is substantially the same as that of the embodiment of Fig. 3, but the housing 21 has an outflow region 22 which opens into a single outflow funnel 23. By suitable shaping of this outflow funnel 23, an equally good conveying effect is possible in both rotational directions of the blower wheel with the straight blades 20. The substantially equal conveying effect attainable in both rotational directions of the blower units of Fig. 3 and 4 enables non-rotatable coupling of the blower with the drum drive so that additional drive means for operation of the blower on reversal of the drum drive are not needed. Claims

1. A laundry drier comprising a laundry drum, drive means for driving the drum in opposite rotational directions, a radial blower drivable by the drive means to provide drying air for drying laundry in the drum, the blower being directly coupled to drive output means of the drive means and comprising straight blades, and a blower housing provided with means defining an outflow region arranged symmetrically with respect to the blower axis.

2. A drier as claimed in -claim 1, said outflow region being in the form of a single funnel.

3. A drier as claimed in claim 1, said outflow means being in the form of two funnels separated by a partition.

4. A laundry drier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A laundry drier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.