JP3840631B2 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001]
  The present inventionIsClothes dryingIn machineIn particular, the outflow of warm airOrThe present invention relates to a dehumidifying clothes dryer having a labyrinth seal structure that blocks or suppresses the inflow of cooling air and prevents condensed water on the internal warm air side from leaking to the external cooling air side.
[Prior art]
[0002]
  As a conventional clothes dryer of this type, there is a dehumidifying rotary drum clothes dryer. This is a rotatable drum that constitutes a drying chamber inside a box-shaped housingIs storedA door for taking in and out clothing and the like is provided on the front surface of the box-shaped housing.
[0003]
  On the other hand, a dehumidifying double-sided fan having both heat exchange means and air blowing means is provided at the center of the rear surface of the box-type housing, and the outer periphery of the fan is connected to the outside of the hot air circulating in the rotating drum. Blocks leakage (outflow) and intrusion of cooling air (inflow)OrIn order to suppress, a plurality of concentric annular labyrinth seals are provided.
[0004]
  The labyrinth seal of the conventional clothes dryer is provided with a casing that partitions the internal warm air side and the external cooling air side on the outer peripheral portion of the double-sided fan, and in the gap between the casing wall surface and the fan outer peripheral wall surface facing the casing wall, A plurality of non-contacting annular seal pieces projecting from the fan side and the casing side so as to loosely fit each other in a concentric arrangement are provided.And / orControls inflow of cooling airOrIt is designed to shut off.
[0005]
  Insideas well asHereinafter, the configuration of the annular seal pieces protruded so that the outer annular seal pieces alternately bite will be referred to as “alternate seals”. The configuration of the annular seal piece in which the flow direction of the leaking hot air forms a radial flow from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side will be referred to as “outward labyrinth” hereinafter. Here, the configuration of the annular seal pieces provided in a plurality of concentric arrangements in the radial direction as described above is generally called “radial flow labyrinth”.
[0006]
  In this way, the outflow of warm airOrBlocks inflow of cooling airOrAs a conventional technique for suppressing labyrinth seals, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-155498as well asThere exists a thing of the structure shown by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 09-108498.
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0007]
  The object of the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-155498 is to provide a labyrinth seal shape that does not deteriorate the fan performance of the double-sided fan, and the casing wall is inclined so as not to interfere with the fan performance.
[0008]
  For this reason, as the annular seal piece moves away from the rotation center of the double-sided fan, its protruding height is gradually increased, but the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is being obtained by the frictional resistance between the annular seal pieces. The biting depth in the axial direction composed of the annular seal piece protruding from the casing side and the annular seal piece protruding from the double-sided fan side is made as long as possible.
[0009]
  Therefore, the total depth of mutual penetration of both annular seal pieces is large, and the double-sided fan sideas well asThe height of the annular sealing piece protruding from the casing side is set to be considerably high.
[0010]
  Further, the object of the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-108498 is to prevent the condensed water from leaking to the cooling air side by providing an annular rib or a drain hole on the annular seal piece protruding from the casing side. However, the configuration of the labyrinth seal is basically the same as the conventional example.
[0011]
  That is, the biting depth in the axial direction composed of the annular seal piece projecting from the casing side and the annular seal piece projecting from the double-sided fan side is deep.as well asThe height of the annular seal piece protruding from the casing side is considerably high.
[0012]
  As described above, both conventional technologies have a hot air leak rate.as well asDouble-sided fan side to reduce scattering of water condensed by fanas well asThe height of the annular seal piece protruding from the casing side is ensured to be quite high, and the following problems may occur.
[0013]
  In general, in a conventional clothes dryer, warm air and cooling air respectively flow on the front and back of a double-sided fan, and the warm air is cooled and dehumidified by the cooling air through the double-sided fan. In this case, in the labyrinth seal, the inner side is in contact with the warm air and the outer side is in contact with the cooling air, so if there is a leaking hot air containing moisture, the leaking hot air is cooled by the annular seal piece on the cooling air side. It is dehumidified and unnecessary condensed water is generated in the labyrinth seal.
[0014]
  The condensed water gathers into large water droplets that leak from the labyrinth seal and scatter around. In other words, the plurality of annular seal pieces on the cooling air side constituting the labyrinth seal serve as cooling fins and easily cause further condensate scattering.
[0015]
  In view of the above problems, the problem of the present invention is to ensure a labyrinth effect equal to or higher than that of the conventional one, that is, seal leakage performance, and in the labyrinth seal portion, unnecessary condensed water is generated and scattered in a clothes dryer or the like. It is to provide a labyrinth seal structure that does not.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
[0016]
  Above issuesIn order to solve this problem, the present invention has a casing having a drying chamber, a blowing means provided on the rear surface of the casing for circulating warm air in the drying chamber, and a blowing means for cooling air, which are integrally formed on the front and back sides. A double-sided fan and a casing that partitions hot air and cooling air provided on the outer periphery of the double-sided fan A concentric circle is provided in each of a wall surface, a fan outer peripheral wall surface provided on the outer peripheral portion of the double-sided fan so as to face the casing wall surface and with a gap in the fan axial direction, and a gap between the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the casing wall surface. In a clothes dryer having a radial labyrinth seal that is projected in a non-contact manner and has a plurality of annular seal pieces, the fan outer peripheral wall surface is disposed on the warm air side, and the casing wall surface is disposed on the cooling air side. The labyrinth seal is arranged such that the hot air leakage direction is a flow toward the inner peripheral side in the fan radial direction, and the plurality of annular seal pieces provided on the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the casing wall surface are respectively fan shafts. A plurality of pairs of annular seal pieces that are distributed in the direction and face each other at the same position, and the tips of the annular seal pieces of each pair are spaced from each other via a gap. The gap position at the tip of each pair of the annular seal pieces that are provided facing each other in the fan axial direction is on the fan outer peripheral wall surface side with respect to the center of the gap between the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the casing wall surface. The total projecting height of the annular seal piece provided on the casing wall surface side is the sum of the projecting height of the annular seal piece provided on the fan outer peripheral wall surface side. It is characterized by being formed smaller.
[0017]
  When configured as above,Since the labyrinth seal has an inward labyrinth structure in which the direction of hot air leaks toward the inner periphery in the radial direction of the fan, the centrifugal force of the air flow acts in the direction against the flow of inwardly leaking hot air Therefore, the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) can be improved.
[0018]
In addition, because of the “opposing seal” structure in which the ends of each pair of annular seal pieces are opposed to each other with a gap between them, the labyrinth effect ( Since the seal leakage performance is obtained, an effect equal to or higher than that of a so-called “alternate seal” in which the annular seal pieces bite alternately can be exhibited. In particular, the gap position at the tip of each pair of annular seal pieces adjacent to each other in the fan axial direction is alternately shifted to the fan outer peripheral wall side and the casing wall side with respect to the center of the gap between the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the casing wall surface. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the shape resistance due to a rapid change in the flow path cross-sectional area.
[0019]
  Moreover, since the total projection height of the annular seal piece provided on the casing wall surface side is formed smaller than the total projection height of the annular seal piece provided on the fan outer peripheral wall surface side,The height of the annular seal piece on the cooling air side wall surface is higher than the annular seal piece on the hot air side wall surface.smallAccordingly, the surface area of the cooling fin that can easily generate unnecessary condensed water can be reduced.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020]
  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the annular seal piece 15 on the double-sided fan 5 side is provided on the wall surface 5a on the warm air 9 side, the annular seal piece 16 on the casing 14 side is provided on the wall surface 14a on the cooling air 10 side, and the labyrinth seal 8 has a so-called “inward labyrinth” structure in which a radial flow from the outer peripheral side 8a toward the inner peripheral side 8b is formed.
[0022]
  Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of annular seal pieces 15 and 16 provided so as to protrude from the double-sided fan side wall surface 5a and the casing side wall surface 14a in a concentric arrangement in the axial direction are respectively provided on the front end surfaces of the annular seal pieces. However, it has a structure of “opposing seal” facing each other on the front end surface of the other annular seal piece.
[0023]
  Thus, when comparing the structure of the “inward labyrinth” of the present embodiment in which the leaking hot air is directed in the inner circumferential direction and the “outward labyrinth” in which the leaked hot air is directed in the outer circumferential direction, the “outward labyrinth” is The centrifugal force of the air flow acts in a direction that promotes the flow of the outward leaking hot air 17.
[0024]
  On the other hand, in the “inward labyrinth” of the present embodiment, the centrifugal force of the air flow works in a direction against the flow of the inwardly leaking hot air 17, so that the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is improved “Orientation labyrinth” is more advantageous.
[0025]
  In the so-called “alternate seal” in which the annular seal pieces bite alternately, the main resistance of the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is obtained by the frictional resistance caused by the viscosity of the fluid.
[0026]
  On the other hand, in the “opposing seal” of this embodiment, the main resistance of the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is to be obtained by the shape resistance resulting from a rapid change in the flow path cross-sectional area. The resistance can exert an effect equal to or higher than that of the conventional one.
[0027]
  Here, the protruding height LCS of the two annular seal pieces 16b on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is configured to be lower than the annular seal piece 15a (height LHS) having the lowest protruding height on the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9. Has been.
[0028]
  Note that the number of annular seal pieces 16b having a low protruding height is not necessarily two, but may be one, or may be three or more depending on the situation. Furthermore, the position of the annular seal piece 16b having a low protruding height need not be limited to the location shown in FIG.
[0029]
  Note that the structure shown in FIG.Embodiment ofWhen the projecting height of the two annular seal pieces 16b having a low projecting height on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is zero (no projection) (16x)Reference exampleIt is. In the figures, LCS and LHS indicate that L is the height, C is the cooling air side, H is the hot air side, and S is the lowest height, and these symbols will be used hereinafter.
[0030]
  FIG.According to this embodiment shown inWhile maintaining the same labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) as before, cooling is performed because the height of the annular seal piece 16b on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is lower than the height of the annular seal piece 15a on the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9a. The amount (surface area) of the annular seal piece 16 on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 that functions as a fin is reduced, and the labyrinth seal 8 is prevented from generating unnecessary condensed water.OrCan be suppressed.
[0031]
  For example, in the structure of the labyrinth seal 8 shown in FIG. 1, when an actual machine test was performed, the height of the four annular seal pieces 16 protruding from the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a protrudes from the hot air 9 side wall surface 5a. In the case of the same dimensions as the height of the four annular seal pieces 15, water droplets scattered from the labyrinth seal 8 to the surroundings were occasionally confirmed, and the dehumidification (ratio of the recovered water amount to the evaporated water amount) was also about 55 to 60%.
[0032]
  On the other hand, when the height of the two low annular seal pieces 16b protruding from the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is extremely zero (no protrusion) (FIG. 2).Reference example), The water droplets visibly scattered were hardly confirmed, and the dehumidification was improved to 65% or more.
[0033]
  Here, in each annular seal piece, the narrowest radial gap (spacing) P is in production.as well asIf there is no problem in contact during operation, it is desirable to narrow it to about 2 to 3 mm.
[0034]
  In general, however, the fan 5 and the casing 14as well asTemperature level during production / molding and drying operation of the labyrinth seal 8as well asDue to temperature change, humidity change, impregnation with oil component, etc., the fan 5 and the casing 14as well asLabyrinth seal 8 in-planeas well asSince it deforms in the out-of-plane direction, if the seal gap is too narrow, the annular seals 15 and 16 may come into contact with each other.
[0035]
  For this reason, if there is a concern about exposure to such an environment, the clearance may be increased to 5 mm or more. This is a severe environmental test, if the seal gap is about 2 to 3 mm, the seals may contact each other, but if the seal gap is secured to 5 mm or more, it was confirmed that the seals do not contact each other. It is a result.
[0036]
  Needless to say, the seal gap may be in the range of 2 to 5 mm. If the seal gap is widened, the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) deteriorates. Needless to say, measures such as increasing the number of pieces are required.
[0037]
  As other embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 3, you may comprise so that the quantity (surface area) of the annular seal piece 16 which protrudes from the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a which functions as a cooling fin may be decreased.
[0038]
  That is, the total LC (= LC1 + LC2 + LC3 + LC4) of the protruding heights of the plurality of annular seal pieces 16 (four in the figure as an example) on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is replaced with the plurality of annular seal pieces on the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9 What is necessary is just to make it less than the total LH (= LH1 + LH2 + LH3 + LH4) of 15 protrusion heights.
[0039]
  The effect in these cases is the same as described above, and the amount (surface area) of the annular seal piece on the cooling air side wall surface that acts as a cooling fin is reduced, thereby preventing unnecessary condensed water from being generated in the labyrinth seal.OrCan be suppressed. In the above embodiment, the protruding height of the annular seal piece may be uneven for each seal piece.
[0040]
  FIG.It is a reference example,It is an example of an "inward alternating labyrinth" structure. The direction of the warm air 17 in the labyrinth seal 8 has an “inward labyrinth” structure from the outer peripheral side 8a toward the inner peripheral side 8b as in FIG.
[0041]
  However, the plurality of annular seal pieces 15 and 16 provided so as to protrude from the double-sided fan side wall surface 5a and the casing side wall surface 14a in a concentric arrangement in the axial direction are respectively provided in the gaps between the opposite annular seal pieces. It has a structure of an “alternate seal” that loosely fits so as to bite alternately.
[0042]
  Reference exampleIn the “alternate seal”, the protrusion height LCS of one annular seal piece 16b on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is the height of the annular seal piece 15a having the lowest protrusion height on the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9. It is configured lower than LHS.
[0043]
  Here, in FIG.Reference exampleSimilarly, the projecting height of the annular seal piece 16b having a low projecting height may be zero (no projection). Further, as another concept, as shown in FIG. 3, the total of the protruding heights of the plurality of annular seal pieces 16 (three in the figure as an example) on the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a is applied to the hot air 9 side wall surface 5a. It may be less than the total protrusion height of a plurality of annular seal pieces 15. The effects in these cases are the same as described above.
[0044]
  Here, it is important to reduce the radial gap P between the annular seal pieces bitten alternately.as well asIf possible in operation, it should be as narrow as 2-3 mm. However, as described in the explanation of FIG. 1, when it is difficult, it may be 5 mm or more, or about 3 to 5 mm.
[0045]
  FIG. 5 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleIt is an example of the "outward facing type labyrinth" structure. An annular seal piece 15 on the double-sided fan 5 side is provided on the cooling air 10 side wall surface 5a, an annular seal piece 16 on the casing 14 side is provided on the hot air 9 side wall surface 14a, and the direction of the leaking hot air 17 in the labyrinth seal 8 is The structure is an “outward labyrinth” from the circumferential side 8b to the outer circumferential side 8a.
[0046]
  The “outward labyrinth” is generally inferior to the “inward labyrinth” in the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance), but even in this case, the protruding height of one annular seal piece 15a on the side wall surface 5a of the cooling air 10 is set. If the height of the annular seal piece 16b having the lowest protruding height on the side wall surface 14a of the hot air 9 is set lower than the height, an effect close to that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
[0047]
  Here, in FIG.Reference exampleSimilarly to the above, the protrusion height of the annular seal piece 15a having a low protrusion height may be zero (no protrusion). As another concept, as shown in FIG. 3, the total height of the protrusions of the plurality of annular seal pieces 15 (four in the figure as an example) on the side wall surface 5a of the cooling air 10 is set on the side wall surface 14a of the hot air 9. It may be less than the total protrusion height of a plurality of annular seal pieces 16. The effects in these cases are the same as described above.
[0048]
  FIG. 6 and FIG.Reference exampleThis is an example of an “outward alternating labyrinth” structure. In FIG. 6, the protrusion height LCS of one annular seal piece 15a on the side wall surface 5a of the cooling air 10 is configured to be lower than the height LHS of the annular seal piece 16b having the lowest protrusion height on the side wall surface 14a of the hot air 9. Has been.
[0049]
  7 is the same as FIG.Reference exampleSimilarly to FIG. 6, the protrusion height of the annular seal piece 15a having a low protrusion height in FIG. 6 is set to zero (no protrusion; 15x). As another idea, as shown in FIG. 3, the total height of the protrusions of a plurality of annular seal pieces 15 (three as an example in the figure) on the cooling air 10 side wall surface 5a is on the hot air 9 side wall surface 14a. It may be less than the total protrusion height of the plurality of annular seal pieces 16. The effects in these cases are the same as described above.
[0050]
  next,8 and 10 areEach shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is an example in which the annular seal pieces of the various structures are combined.
[0051]
  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the “inward labyrinth”, the “alternate seal” and the “opposite seal” are mixed, and the vicinity of the outer peripheral side 8a of the labyrinth seal 8 is an alternating seal 8x. Near the side 8b is an opposing seal 8y.
[0052]
  In this case, as shown in the figure, the number of the annular seal pieces 15 protruding from the hot air 9 side wall surface 5a is four, and the number of the annular seal pieces 16 protruding from the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a is three. The protruding height of one annular seal piece 16b on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 is configured to be lower than the height of the annular seal piece 15a having the lowest protruding height on the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9.
[0053]
  Alternatively, the total protrusion height of the plurality of annular seal pieces 16 on the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a may be less than the total protrusion height of the plurality of annular seal pieces 15 on the hot air 9 side wall surface 5a. .
[0054]
  The effects in these cases are the same as described above. Although not shown in the figure, mixing of “alternate seal” and “opposite seal” can be realized in “outward labyrinth”.
[0055]
  Embodiment shown in FIG.In the “inward labyrinth”, in the embodiment in which various seal structures are mixed, the protruding height of one annular seal piece 16b on the side wall surface 14a of the cooling air 10 becomes the side wall surface 5a of the hot air 9 It is configured to be lower than the height of a certain annular seal piece 15a having the lowest protruding height.
[0056]
  Alternatively, the total protrusion height of the plurality of annular seal pieces 16 on the cooling air 10 side wall surface 14a is configured to be smaller than the total protrusion height of the plurality of annular seal pieces 15 on the hot air 9 side wall surface 5a. . For this reason, the effect in these cases is the same as that described above.
[0057]
  In the reference example shown in FIG.In order to further block the hot air leakage in the labyrinth seal 8, the end 14x of the casing 14 is extended to the hot air 9 side, and the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is further improved by the gap 8z formed by the extended end 14x. ing.
[0058]
  Further, also in FIG. 10, a rib 20 constituting a seal is provided at the forefront of the hot air 9 side wall surface 5 a of the fan 5, and an end portion 14 x of the casing 14 facing it is extended, and the rib 20 and the extended end 14 x are configured. The labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is improved by the gap 8z.
[0059]
  In the case of FIG. 9 and FIG.In either case, the rib 20 at the tip of the fan 5as well asSince the extended end 14x of the casing 14 is located on the warm air 9 side, the labyrinth effect (seal leakage performance) is improved, and the casing 14 is not directly exposed to the cooling air 10 and there is no fear of acting as a cooling fin.
[0060]
  The labyrinth seal 8 of the present invention described in the above embodimentas well asThe double-sided fan 5 and the casing 14 may be made of a resin such as polypropylene, or a synthetic resin material.OrIf expansion / contraction due to impregnation of oil component becomes a problem, use a material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, or a material that does not impregnate the oil component on the exposed surface that touches hot airFor exampleWhat is necessary is just to coat | cover or coat with the synthetic resin etc. which do not contain a rubber component.
[0061]
  Moreover, you may apply | coat the coating material which is hard to impregnate an oil component to an exposed surface. Moreover, you may comprise with the material itself which does not impregnate an oil component. The material in this case may also be a synthetic resin such as polypropylene that does not contain a rubber component. In addition, metals such as aluminum and magnesium, not resin materialsas well asYou may comprise with a nonmetallic material.
[0062]
  In the above configuration, the exposed surface may be made of a material not impregnated with an oil component, and the exposed surface may be a hydrophilic surface. In this case, it is desirable that the materials not impregnated with the oil component have a hydrophilic property together.
[0063]
  The present invention can be used not only for labyrinth seals for clothes dryers, but also for labyrinth seals provided between low-temperature air with a low temperature level and high-temperature air containing a large amount of moisture such as water vapor.
[0064]
  That is, the protrusion height of one annular seal piece on the low temperature air side wall surface is configured to be lower than the height of the annular seal piece having the lowest protrusion height on the high temperature air side wall surface, or is on the low temperature air side wall surface. What is necessary is just to make the sum total of the protrusion height of a some annular seal piece less than the sum total of the protrusion height of the some ring seal piece in a hot air side wall surface.
[0065]
  As a result, the annular seal piece on the low-temperature air side is reduced from acting as a cooling fin, unnecessary condensed water is not generated in the labyrinth seal, and scattering to the surroundings is also blocked.OrIt is suppressed.
[0066]
  Hereinafter, a clothes dryer to which the labyrinth seal according to the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of a dehumidifying rotary drum clothes dryer. A front side of the box-shaped housing 1 is provided with a door 2 through which clothes and the like that are to be dried are taken in and out. A rotatable rotating drum 4 constituting the drying chamber 3 is housed in the box-shaped housing 1. It has been.
[0067]
  On the other hand, a double-sided fan 5 having both a heat exchanging means capable of dehumidification and a blower means is provided on the rear surface of the box-shaped housing 1 with the central portion as a central axis 32. The double-sided fan 5 is a belt. 6 is rotated by a motor 7 through 6. The motor 7 is also a driving source for rotating the rotary drum 4.
[0068]
  An annular labyrinth seal 8 is disposed in the portion A in the figure. The annular labyrinth seal 8 is configured in a concentric arrangement that blocks and suppresses leakage (outflow) of the warm air 9 circulating inside the rotary drum 4 to the outside and entry (inflow) of the cooling air 10 into the inside. Yes. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an electric heater as a heating means, 12 denotes a lint filter, and 13 denotes a drain discharge port for discharging the collected water (condensed water).
[0069]
  Next, the labyrinth seal structure (part A) in FIG. 11 will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a detailed side cross-sectional view showing an enlarged reference example of the labyrinth seal 8. A casing 14 for partitioning the hot air 9 and the cooling air 10 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the double-sided fan 5, and an outer peripheral wall surface 5a of the rotating double-sided fan 5 and a stationary casing wall surface 14a provided so as to face it axially. A plurality of annular seal pieces 15 and 16 groups are provided in the axial gap.
[0070]
  The group of annular seal pieces 15 and 16 (three in the figure; a, b, c) protrude from the double-sided fan 5a side and the casing side 14a so as to loosely fit each other in a concentric arrangement in the axial direction. Outflow of warm air 9as well as/OrThe inflow of the cooling air 10 is suppressed and blocked.
[0071]
  Here, as shown in the figure, a configuration of an “alternate seal” that protrudes from the double-sided fan 5a side and the casing side 14a so as to alternately bite into the gaps between the opposing annular seal pieces, It has become.
[0072]
  Further, for example, the flow direction 17 of the slightly leaking warm air is an “outward labyrinth” that forms a radial flow from the inner peripheral side (near the fan 5) 8b to the outer peripheral side 8a as shown in the figure. The so-called “radial flow labyrinth” is configured.
[0073]
  In general, in the clothes dryer shown in FIG. 11, warm air 9 and cooling air 10 flow on the front and back sides of the double-sided fan 5, and the warm air 9 is cooled and dehumidified by the cooling air 10 through the double-sided fan 5. In this case, also in the labyrinth seal 8, the inside is in contact with the warm air 9 and the outside is in contact with the cooling air 10.
[0074]
  Therefore, if there is a leaking hot air 17 containing moisture, the leaking hot air 17 is cooled and dehumidified by the annular seal piece on the cooling air side, and unnecessary condensed water tends to be generated in the labyrinth seal 8. In other words, the plurality of annular seal pieces on the cooling air side serve as cooling fins and easily cause further condensate scattering.
[0075]
  According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the cooling air side annular seal piece has a lower height than the warm air side, so that the cooling air side annular shape is maintained while maintaining a labyrinth effect (seal performance) equal to or higher than that of the conventional one. The cooling fin effect of the seal piece is reduced, unnecessary condensed water is prevented from being generated in the labyrinth seal, and the amount of water splashing around the water droplet can be reduced.
[0076]
  Furthermore, when the present invention is applied to an “inward labyrinth”, further improvement of the labyrinth effect can be expected due to the effect of centrifugal force. Therefore, the seal gap can be made wider than before, and the productivity is extremely excellent. And it becomes a labyrinth seal for clothes dryers which can prevent contact between seals at the time of operation.
【The invention's effect】
[0077]
  As described above, according to the present invention, a labyrinth effect equal to or higher than that of the conventional one, that is, seal leakage performance is ensured, and unnecessary condensed water is generated and does not scatter in the labyrinth seal portion of a clothes dryer, for example. A structure is obtained. Further, by adopting a so-called inward labyrinth, a labyrinth seal structure can be obtained in which the seal interval can be made wider than before, the productivity is extremely excellent, and contact between the seals during operation can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0078]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of an inwardly facing seal.
FIG. 2 of the present inventionReference exampleFIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of an inward facing seal having a height of zero.
FIG. 3OtherIt is side surface sectional drawing which shows this embodiment and shows an example of an inward facing type seal.
FIG. 4 is still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleFIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing an example of an inward alternating seal.
FIG. 5 is still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleFIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an example of an outwardly facing seal.
FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleFIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of an outward alternating seal.
FIG. 7 is still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleFIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of an outward alternating seal having a height of zero.
FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of a seal in which alternating and opposed types are mixed.
FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.Reference exampleFIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an example of an inwardly facing seal with a gap provided at the inlet.
FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of an inwardly facing seal having ribs.
FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing an example of a clothes dryer.
12 is a side sectional view showing details of a portion A in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
[0079]
  1 Box-type housing
  2 door
  3 Drying room
  4 Rotating drum
  5 Double-sided fan
  6 Belt
  7 Motor
  8 Labyrinth seal
  9 Hot air
  10 Cooling air
  11 Electric heater
  12 Waste thread filter
  13 Drain outlet
  14 Casing
  15 Double side fan side seal piece
  16 Casing side sealing piece
  17 Leaky hot air
  20 Ribs
  32 Central axis

Claims (1)

A housing having a drying chamber, a two-sided fan and the blowing means and blowing means of the cooling air is formed in inextricably to circulate warm air into the drying chamber provided on the rear surface of the casing, the outer periphery of the double-sided fan a casing wall dividing the hot air and cooling air provided in the section, and the fan outer circumferential wall surface which is provided at a gap to the fan axis direction is opposed to the casing wall surface to the outer peripheral portion of the double-sided fan, the fan outer periphery In a clothes dryer having a radial labyrinth seal in which a plurality of annular seal pieces are provided in a non-contact manner by concentrically projecting in a gap between a part wall surface and the casing wall surface,
The fan outer peripheral wall surface is arranged on the warm air side, the casing wall surface is arranged on the cooling air side, and the leakage direction of the hot air of the labyrinth seal is a flow toward the inner peripheral side in the fan radial direction,
The plurality of annular seal pieces provided on the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the casing wall surface include a plurality of pairs of annular seal pieces provided to be opposed to the same position by being dispersed in the fan axial direction, respectively.
The tips of the annular seal pieces of each pair are provided to face each other with a gap therebetween, and the gap position of the tips of the annular seal pieces of each pair adjacent to each other in the fan axial direction is determined by the fan outer peripheral wall surface and the With respect to the center of the gap with the casing wall surface, the fan outer peripheral wall surface side and the casing wall surface side are alternately shifted and provided,
The total protrusion height of the annular seal piece provided on the casing wall surface side is formed smaller than the total protrusion height of the annular seal piece provided on the fan outer peripheral wall surface side. Clothes dryer.

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