JPH01236097A - Dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a convenient and extending/contracting drying machine by making the both attachment parts of a support frame extending/contracting possible and also supporting the both end wall parts of a rotary drum so as to be freely and coaxially rotatable in the attachment parts of the support frame. CONSTITUTION: The extending/contracting drying machine is provided with a rear part housing (attachment part) 11 and a front part housing (attachment part) 12. The front housing 12 is formed in size to be internally fitted inside the rear housing 11 so as to be slidable. The both housings 11 and 12 are connected by parallel scale mechanisms (displacement control means) 13 and 13 in the upper and the lower parts. The rotary drum 40 is provided with a cylindrical rear part 41, a cylindrical center part 42 and a cylindrical front part 43. The center part 42 is fitted inside the rear part 41 and the front part 43 is titled inside the rear part 41 together with the outer side of the center part 42 in an axial direction so as to be freely slidable. The rotary drum 40 is constituted to be extending/contracting possible in the axial direction and supported by the both housings 11' and 12 so as to be freely rotatable with bearings 44 and 44 which are respectively attached to the rear part housing 11 and the front part housing 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to dryers in general, and particularly to dryers suitable for use in drying laundry. Hereinafter, a laundry dryer will be taken as an example for explanation, but it goes without saying that the dryer of the present invention can also be used as a dehumidifying device for articles other than laundry.

"Conventional technology and its problems - 1 In recent years, dryers that transfer laundry to dry in a high-temperature air stream have become popular in general households. However, these dryers are not widely used in the laundry rooms of many homes. Because of this, it is often difficult to find space within the laundry room to install a dryer with an appropriate capacity. Due to this shortage, dryers are often mounted on walls, but the bulk of conventional dryers has the undesirable effect of taking up a large amount of work space in laundry rooms.

The present invention was made to alleviate the above-mentioned disadvantages, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dryer that is easy to use. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the following description.

1. Means for Solving Problem 1 One embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a dryer in the following broad sense. That is, this dryer includes a support frame having two opposing mounting sections connected to each other, an extendable rotary drum supported within the support frame and having two opposing end wall sections, and this dryer. The apparatus includes a driving means for rotationally driving the rotating drum and a regulating air circulation means for supplying air into the rotating drum. The support frame is expandable and retractable so as to move both attachment parts closer to and away from each other. Further, one of the both end walls of the rotary drum has an opening for taking in and taking out the material to be dried, and both end walls are rotatably supported around the same axis by the mounting portion of the support frame.

The rotating drum is composed of a plurality of annular bodies nested together, and has a contracted form in which the annular bodies overlap each other, and an operating form in which the annular bodies are stretched in the axial direction to form a drying drum (extended form). It is preferable that it can take both forms.

Seal means may be provided between the annular bodies to prevent fluid from leaking out from the rotating drum in the operating configuration. Further, a plurality of protrusions that protrude radially inward may be provided on the inner surface of the annular body, and these protrusions may facilitate transmitting rotational motion to the laundry in the drum when the drum rotates. Alternatively, the rotating drum may be constituted by a series of flat segments, the movement of which imparts rotational motion to the laundry.

Of course, if desired, other means for contracting the drum may be employed, such as a bellows or a mesh on a portion of the drum. The mesh portion may be provided with a plurality of projections that project radially inwardly when the drum is in the extended state, so that the rotational movement of the drum is transmitted to the laundry in the drum by these projections. Alternatively, the rotating drum may be constituted by a series of flat segments, the movement of which imparts rotational motion to the laundry.

The support frame is constituted by a plurality of housing segments nested in each other so that the support frame expands and contracts to serve as an outer frame surrounding the rotating drum in the contracted configuration and an outer frame surrounding the rotating drum in the expanded configuration. It is preferable to be there. Seal means may be provided between the housing segments to prevent fluid from leaking out of the support frame during expansion. Of course, if necessary, other means for expanding and contracting the support frame may be employed, such as a hollow portion provided on a portion of the support frame.

The movement of transformation from the retracted configuration to the expanded configuration may be controlled by displacement control means such that relative movement of the housing segments is limited to movement along the axis of the rotating drum.

A preferred embodiment of the displacement control means is a parallel ruler mechanism. Each link constituting this parallel ruler mechanism has one end pivotally connected to one of the housing segments, and the other end connected to a sliding means.

The sliding means is slidably connected within a slot formed in one of the other housing segments. Additionally, locking means may be provided for fixing the sliding means at a desired position within the slot.

Embodiment 1 In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention and to put the present invention into practical use, typical embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the telescopic dryer of the present invention includes a rear housing (attachment part) 11 and a front housing (attachment part) 12. The front housing 12 is formed in a size that can be slidably fitted into the rear housing 11, and both housings 11.12 are connected at their upper and lower parts by a parallel ruler mechanism (displacement control means) 13.13. ing. Each parallel ruler mechanism 13 includes a pair of link arms 14, 14, and these link arms 14
14 are pin-coupled by a pivot 15 at approximately the center of each. One link arm 14 has one end attached to one side of the rear housing 11 via a pin 16, and the other end attached to the front housing 12 with a sliding pin 17 (
(sliding means). The other link arm 14 has one end attached to one side of the front housing 12 via a pin 16, and the other end attached to the rear housing 11 via a sliding pin 17. Both sliding pins 17.17 are slidably fitted into slots 18.18 formed in the other sides of the rear housing song 11 and the front housing song 12, respectively.

A lock rod 19 is connected to the lock rod pivot 2 in the front housing 12.
The locking rod 19 has a vertical rod 21 having an operation/S handle 22.
is installed. At the end of the locking rod 19 remote from the vertical rod 21, engaging projections 23,23 are formed, which partially cover the slot 18.

A contact surface 24 on one side of the engagement projection 23 faces the end surface of the slot 18, and an inclined surface 25 on the other side of the engagement projection 23 faces toward the center of the slot 18.

A plurality of rectangular louvers 26 are provided between the rear housing 11 and the front housing 12 to fill the space therebetween.
is installed. A louver slot 28 is formed in each louver 26, as shown in FIG. 5, and a louver pin 27 on the link arm 14 is slidably fitted into this louver slot 28. In other words, each louver 26 is held at each position by this configuration.

The rotating drum 40 includes a cylindrical rear part 41, a cylindrical central part 42, and a cylindrical front part 43. The central portion 42 is fitted into the rear portion 41 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Further, the front part 43 is fitted to the outside of the central part 42 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and is also fitted into the rear part 41 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Thus, the rotating drum 40 is configured to be expandable and retractable in the axial direction.

The rotating drum 40 is connected to the rear housing 11 and the front housing 11.
It is rotatably supported by both housings 11.12 via bearings 44.44 respectively attached to the housing 12. Seal rings 4-8, 48 are interposed between the parts 41, 41, 43 of the rotating drum 40, so that the parts 41, 42, 43 are sealed when the rotating drum 40 is extended in the axial direction. It has become. An air exhaust port 45 is formed on the rear end surface of the rear portion 41, and the air inside the rotating drum 40 is exhausted to the outside through the air exhaust port 45 by the suction force of the fan 46. The air outlet 45 is covered by a perforated cover 47 and a lint filter. The central portion 42 has a plurality of fin-like projections 50 projecting radially inwardly from an inner surface thereof;
However, by contacting the laundry inside the rotating drum 40 while the rotating drum is rotating, the rotational motion of the drum 40 is transmitted to the laundry. A plurality of air intake ports 51 are formed in a row on the front surface of the front portion 43, and air heated by a ring-shaped heater 52 is introduced into the rotating drum 40 through these air intake ports 5. ing.

An opening 53 provided in the front section 43 for loading and unloading laundry, and an opening 54 provided at a position corresponding to the opening 53 on the front housing 12 are provided during operation of the dryer.
It is closed by a door 55. The door 55 has a transparent plate 57 at its center, and is rotatably attached to the front housing 12 via a hinge 56. Handles 58 and 58 are provided on both front sides of the front housing 12, and an operating handle 22 is provided in one of the handles 58.
is included.

The fan 46 and the rotating drum 40 are rotationally driven by an electric motor 60. A drum drive pulley 61 connected to the rotating drum 40 via a tram drive belt 62 is attached to the front end of the rotating shaft of the motor 6o.

The drum drive belt 62 is wound around the outside of the rear portion 4I of the rotating drum 40. A fan drive pulley 63 is attached to the rear end of the rotating shaft of the motor 60. The fan 46 is mounted on a fan bearing 65 on the fan housing 66.
The fan shaft 64 is inserted into the fan shaft 64 . A fan pulley 67 is attached to the fan shaft 64, and this fan pulley 67 is connected to the fan drive pulley 63 via a fan drive belt 68. is released to the outside via the

When the dryer 10 is retracted, the front housing 12 and the louver 26 are housed in the rear housing 11, as shown in FIG. 2.43 are in a state where they overlap each other. In this contracted state (retracted form), the pins 17 at the ends of the plurality of link arms 14 are fixed at the outer end positions of the slots 18 by the engagement protrusions 23 of the lock rods 19. That is, the locking rod 19 holds the front housing 12 in the rear housing I1.

To enable the dryer 10, press the operating handle 2.
2 forward, the lock rod 19 is swung and its engagement protrusion 23 is moved rearward. As a result, the engagement protrusion 23 is disengaged from the pin 17, and the pin 17 becomes slidable within the slot 18. Next, pull the handle 58,
Do not pull out the front housing 12 and the louver 26 from inside the rear housing 11 until the pin 17 slides on the inclined surface 25 of the engagement protrusion 23 and overcomes the engagement protrusion 23. Then, the lock rod 19 swings and the engagement protrusion 23 moves forward and engages with the pin 17, so that the dryer IO is fixed in an extended state (extended state).

During the pulling out operation, the front part 43 and the middle part 42 of the rotary drum 40 are also slid in the axial direction and are pulled out from within the rear part 41, so that the rotary drum 40 is in an extended configuration.

Next, the door 55 is opened and wet laundry etc. are placed into the rotating drum 40.

Next, turn on the dryer and heat the heater 52,
Drive the motor 60. That is, the fan 46 and the rotating drum 40 are rotated. As the fan 46 rotates, outside air is drawn into the dryer 10 through the louvers 26 and reaches the heater 52 through the ventilation hole 70, where it is heated and then rotated through the air intake port 51. is introduced into the drum 40. The air within the rotating drum 40 is then guided outside the rotating drum 40 via the cover 47 and the fan 46, and further exhausted to the outside of the dryer 10 via the exhaust duct 69.

When the rotary drum 40 is in operation, the protrusion 50 in the central portion 42 of the rotary drum 40 hits the laundry items in the drum 40 and transmits the rotational force of the drum 40 to them.
The laundry is dried by tumbling in a stream of hot air.

7 and 8 show other embodiments of the invention. The dryer 80 of this embodiment includes a housing (support frame) 81 whose central portion is formed by a bellows 82, and as the bellows 82 expands and contracts, the front part 83 of the housing 81 moves toward and away from the rear part 84. ing.

The movement of the front portion 83 of the housing 81 relative to the rear portion 84 is as follows:
It is controlled by a parallel ruler mechanism 85. Parallel ruler mechanism 85
is equipped with a pair of link arms 86, 86. Each link arm 86 has one end pin-coupled to the housing 8I, and has a sliding pin 87 at the other end. This sliding pin 87 is connected to a slot 90 formed in the housing 81.
It is slidably fitted inside. A notch 91 is provided at the inner end of the slot 90. When the pin 87 fits into the notch 91, the parallel ruler mechanism 85 is locked and the housing 81 is held in an extended state.

The rotary tram 92 has a rear plate 93, a front plate 94, and a hollow 95 extending between the front and rear plates 93,94. The bellows 95 has a plurality of through holes 96 uniformly distributed throughout the bellows 95, through which an air flow is introduced into the rotating drum 92.

An opening 97 having a flange portion is formed in the front plate 94 of the rotating drum 92, and laundry is taken in and out of the rotating drum 92 through the opening 97. A bearing 100 is disposed around the flange of the opening 97. When the dryer 80 is in operation, the opening 97 is closed by the door 101.

The rotating drum 92 is connected to the motor 10 via a drive heald 103.
2 and is rotationally driven by this motor 102.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show still other embodiments of the present invention. This dryer 110 includes a rear segment 112,
It includes a housing 111 (supporting frame) consisting of a central segment 113 and a front segment 114. The rotating drum 115 has a rear flange 116 that extends into the rear segment 112 via a bearing 117 and a bearing 120.
A front flange 118 is attached to the front segment 114 via i-1. The central portion 121 of the rotating drum 115 is formed of a net-like article. This reticulated article extends from the rear flange 116 when the housing 111 is extended.
When tension is applied between the front flange 118 and the front flange 118,
A hyperbolic outer peripheral surface is formed as shown in FIG. An opening 122 inside the front flange 118 is for loading and unloading laundry into the rotating drum 115, and this opening 122 is closed by a door 123 during operation.

The seal material 124 seals between the rear segment 112 and the center segment 113 and between the center segment 113 and the front segment 114.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, but the scope of the present invention extends to modifications and design changes that are easy for those skilled in the art, as indicated in the claims of the present application. Needless to say, it extends.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

Since the dryer of the present invention is expandable and retractable, its depth dimension can be changed. Therefore, when not in use, the dryer can be pushed back into the retracted form, resulting in a small, space-saving dryer, and when in use, by pulled forward and into the extended form, the dryer can have a large capacity. For example, if this dryer is placed directly above a washing machine, by retracting the dryer, opening the lid of the washing machine can be prevented from interfering with closing. It can also be used by installing it behind the laundry room door. 4

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dryer in an extended mode, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dryer in a contracted mode, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a dryer in an extended mode. Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the dryer in the contracted form, Fig. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view of the dryer in the extended form, and Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of the dryer in the contracted form. A partially cutaway plan view, FIGS. 7 and 8 show other embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 7 being a side sectional view of a dryer in an extended configuration, and FIG. 8 being a side sectional view of a dryer in an extended configuration. Plan view, No. 9
FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of the dryer in the extended form, and Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the dryer in the extended form.
3 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the dryer housing shown; FIG. 10.80.110 Dryer, 11 Rear housing (attachment), 12 Front housing (attachment),
13.85 ・Parallel ruler mechanism (displacement control means), 1
4,86 Link arm, 17.87 Sliding pin (
sliding means), 18.90 ... slot, 19
Lock rod (locking means), 40, 92, 115 ・
Rotating drum, 41. Rear part (annular body), 42 Central part (annular body), 43. Front part (annular body), 46 Fan (
Adjustment air circulation means), 48.124・Seal ring (
sealing means), 50 protrusion, 53.97, 122.
・ Opening, 60, 102 ・ Motor (driving means), 8
1.111 Housing (support frame), 82.95
・・Bellows, 83,114・Front part (housing segment), 84,112 Rear part (housing segment)
, 93... Rear plate (end wall part), 94 Front plate (end wall part).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A support frame having two mounting portions facing each other, a telescopic rotating drum supported within the support frame and having two end walls facing each other, and this rotating drum. and a regulating air circulation means for supplying air into the rotating drum, wherein both the mounting portions are arranged in a state in which the support frame brings the mounting portions close to each other. The rotary drum is connected to each other so that it can take both a contracted form and an extended form in which both attachment parts are spaced apart from each other, and one of both end walls of the rotating drum is provided with an opening for taking in and out the dried material. Further, the dryer is characterized in that both end wall portions are coaxially rotatably supported by the mounting portion. 2) The rotating drum is composed of a plurality of annular bodies that are nested in each other, and this configuration allows the rotating drum to be contracted into a contracted configuration and extended in the axial direction to be in an extended configuration. A dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3) the support frame is constituted by a plurality of housing segments nested within each other, such that the support frame can be contracted to form an outer frame surrounding the rotating drum in the contracted configuration and extended in the axial direction; 3. The dryer according to claim 2, wherein the dryer is made into an outer frame that surrounds the rotating drum in the extended form. 4) The movement of the housing segment when changing from the contracted configuration to the expanded configuration is controlled by a displacement control means, so that the relative movement of the housing segment is limited to movement in the axial direction of the rotating drum. A dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that: 5) The displacement control means includes a plurality of parallel ruler mechanisms,
Each of the link arms constituting each parallel ruler mechanism is pivotally connected at one end to one of the housing segments, and has sliding means at the other end, the sliding means being formed on the other housing segment. 5. The dryer according to claim 4, further comprising locking means slidably connected to the slot and locking means for fixing the sliding means at a desired position within the slot. 6) The dryer according to claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the annular body is provided with a protrusion that protrudes radially inward. 7) A sealing means is provided between the annular bodies, and the circumferential surface of the rotating drum in the extended form is sealed substantially without any gaps by the sealing means, according to claim 2. dryer. 8) The dryer according to claim 3, wherein sealing means is provided between the housing segments. 9) The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the rotating drum has a bellows portion on its main body, and the bellows portion is expandable and contractible in the axial direction of the rotating drum. 10) The support frame includes a bellows portion in its main body,
2. The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the bellows portion is expandable and retractable in the axial direction of the rotating drum.