KR100651831B1 - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A drum type washing machine is provided to prevent the droplet from passing through the blower and being sent into the tub, and to improve the drying performance by easily collecting the droplet at the upper part of the condensation duct. A drum type washing machine is composed of; a tub(30) installed with a drum(40) where the laundry is dried; a condensation duct(50) for providing a space where the moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub is condensed; a condense supply apparatus for supplying the water condensing the moisture; a heating apparatus(70) for heating the air passing through the condensation duct; a guide duct(60) whose one side is connected to the condensation duct and other side is connected with the tub to guide the air heated by the heating apparatus into the tub; and a section change interval satisfying the air flow rate desired for the dry of the laundry and controlling the flow speed of the air.

Description

Drum washing machine {Drum type washing machine}

1 is a cross-sectional view of a drum washing machine according to the prior art.

2 is a state diagram showing a state in which moisture is condensed in the condensation duct of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a drum washing machine according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the drum washing machine according to the present invention.

5 is a state diagram showing a state in which moisture is condensed in the condensation duct of FIG. 4.

           <Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: cabinet 20: washing machine door

30: Tub 40: Drum

50: condensation duct 53: section change section

60: guide duct 70: heating device

80: blower 90: coolant flow path

The present invention relates to a laundry machine, and more particularly, to a drum washing machine having an improved condensation duct structure.

In general, the drum washing machine is a device for washing laundry by rotating the drum by the driving force of the motor in a state in which detergent, washing water and laundry are put into the drum. The drum washing machine is less damage to the laundry and the laundry is not tangled well, knocking and rubbing has the advantage of producing a laundry effect.

Recently, a combined drum washing machine that can dry laundry by blowing hot air through a drying duct is also widely used. The combined drying drum washing machine selectively or continuously performs a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, a dehydrating stroke, and a drying stroke.

In the drying operation of the drum washing machine, the laundry is dried quickly by supplying hot air to the laundry after washing. The laundry is dried in a manner of forcibly circulating the air heated by the heater and a method of discharging the air passing through the drum to the outside.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional drum type drum washing machine. Referring to this, a conventional drum-type drum washing machine will be described.

Conventional drum washing machine is configured to include a cabinet 10 forming an external shape, a drum 40 rotatably installed in the interior of the cabinet, the door 20 for opening and closing the inlet of the drum.

The cabinet 1 has a rectangular cylinder shape, and an opening 1a into which laundry is introduced is formed on the front surface of the cabinet 1. In addition, a door 2 is installed at the front of the cabinet 1, and the door 2 communicates with the opening 1a.

A tub 3 is installed inside the cabinet 1 to store wash water, and a drum 4 is installed inside the tub. In addition, a spring member (not shown) for supporting the tub is installed above and below the tub.

A condensation duct 5 is installed at the rear of the tub, and a heating duct 6 is installed at the upper portion of the tub. Specifically, the condensation duct 5 is connected to the rear lower part of the tub, and the heating duct 6 is connected to the front upper part of the tub. Inside the heating duct 6 is provided a heater 7 for heating the air passing through the condensation duct 5.

In the condensation duct 5, the moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub 3 is condensed. In the heating duct 6, the air passing through the condensation duct 5 is heated. In addition, a blowing fan 8 for circulating air during the drying stroke is installed at a portion where the condensation duct 5 and the heating duct 6 are connected.

Looking at the operation of the conventional drum washing machine described above is as follows.

When the dehydration stroke is completed and the drying stroke is started, the blowing fan 8 is driven. When the blower fan 8 is driven, air is drawn out from the inside of the tub so that wet air flows upward along the condensation duct 5.

The upwardly flowed air is cooled by the condensed water supplied through the condensed water supply pipe (9 in FIG. 2), and part of the water vapor contained in the air is condensed. The dry air from which moisture is removed is heated by the heater 7 again, and the heated hot air is introduced into the tub to dry the laundry.

Referring to Figure 2, a state in which moisture is condensed in the condensation duct of the conventional drum washing machine will be described.

The condensation duct 5 installed at the rear of the tub has a constant cross-sectional area and is disposed perpendicularly to the rear of the tub. The condensate duct 5 is installed inside the condensation duct 5 to supply water for condensing moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub.

When the drying stroke is started, air discharged from the tub is introduced into the condensation duct 5. At the same time, the condensation duct 5 is supplied with droplets through the condensate supply pipe 9.

At this time, the air passing through the condensation duct 5 flows with a constant flow rate, and droplets having a weight smaller than the force acting on the droplets by the air flow are scattered. And, a droplet having a weight greater than the force acting on the droplet by air flow falls to the bottom of the condensation duct.

The scattered droplets 9a make the air dry by condensing moisture contained in the air. The air, which has been partially removed, flows back into the blower to circulate inside the drum washing machine.

However, the above-described conventional drum washing machine has the following problems.

First, since the cross section of the condensation duct is constant, the velocity of air in the condensation duct is constant. As a result, the droplets supplied through the condensate supply pipe are scattered throughout the condensation duct by the air flow inside the condensation duct. Therefore, the droplets scattered at the top of the condensation duct are not collected and flow into the blower. As a result, the droplets introduced into the blower is introduced into the tub has a problem that the drying performance of the drum washing machine falls.

Second, in the conventional dry washing machine, if the number of revolutions of the blower is reduced in order to prevent the scattered droplets from flowing into the blower, the flow rate of the circulated air is reduced, and thus the time for drying the laundry by the hot air becomes longer. have.

Third, if the air flow rate is circulated to prevent the scattered droplets from flowing into the blower, the air of a small flow rate is heated by the heater to increase the temperature of the air, thereby causing damage to the laundry, and frequently Temperature control is necessary.

Therefore, the conventional drum washing machine has a problem that it can not prevent the droplets scattered in the condensation duct circulating while supplying a sufficient air volume for drying the laundry.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention to provide a drum washing machine with improved condensation performance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a drum washing machine capable of supplying sufficient air volume for drying laundry, and at the same time preventing droplets scattered from the condensation duct from being circulated.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drum washing machine which can increase the drying efficiency of laundry and shorten the drying time.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drum washing machine capable of reducing the flow resistance and increasing the effective air volume.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a tub in which a laundry is dried, a tub installed, a condensation duct providing a space in which the moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub is condensed, and water condensing the moisture contained in the air. Condensate supply device for supplying a heating device, a heating device for heating the air passing through the condensation duct, and one side is connected to the condensation duct, the other side is connected to the tub to guide the air heated by the heating device to the tub And a guide duct, wherein the condensation duct provides a drum washing machine having a cross-sectional change section for adjusting the flow rate of air flowing in the condensation duct while satisfying the air flow rate required for drying the laundry.

In order to reduce the flow rate of air flowing in the upper portion of the condensation duct, the upper end surface of the condensation duct may be formed to have a predetermined ratio larger than the lower end surface.

In addition, the cross-sectional area of the condensation duct may gradually increase from the bottom to the top.

Preferably, the maximum upper cross section of the condensation duct has a cross-sectional area of 5.48 times or more than the minimum lower cross section.

The air flow rate for the maximum upper cross-sectional area of the condensation duct has a value of 2 or less, and the cross-sectional area of the condensation duct is preferably changed such that the air flow rate for the minimum lower cross-sectional area of the condensation duct has a value of 10.96 or more.

The cross-sectional change section is preferably at least 1/3 of the total length of the condensation duct.

The air outlet of the tub to which the condensation duct is connected is preferably located above the water level during the rinsing stroke of the drum washing machine.

The condensation duct may be connected to the air outlet of the tub at a height corresponding to 1/3 to 2/3 of the tub diameter.

Inner left and right side surfaces of the condensation duct may be provided with a flow path through which coolant flows to condense moisture contained in the air.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the drum washing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a drum washing machine according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the drum washing machine according to the present invention.

Referring to this, the drum washer condensation provides a space for condensing the moisture contained in the cabinet 10, the tub 30 is installed in the interior of the cabinet, the air discharged from the tub 30 It comprises a duct 50, a guide duct 60 for connecting the condensation duct 50 and the tub 30.

An opening 11 into which laundry can be put is formed in the front of the cabinet 10. One side of the cabinet is provided with a door 20 that can open and close the opening 11. The door glass 23 is installed on the door 20 to protrude toward the opening side of the tub 30.

The tub 30 functions to store the wash water during the washing and rinsing stroke, and the front surface of the tub is in communication with the opening 11. A drum 40 is rotatably installed in the tub 30, and a motor device (not shown) for transmitting a driving force to the drum 40 is installed at the rear of the tub 30.

The drum 40 is a cylindrical container in communication with the opening, which provides a space for washing and drying laundry. The upper side of the front of the drum is provided with an air inlet 31 in communication with the guide duct 60, the air outlet 33 is provided in the intermediate region of the rear of the drum in communication with the condensation duct (50).

The condensation duct 50 is vertically installed at the rear of the tub 30 and is connected to the air outlet 33 of the tub. Specifically, the condensation duct is connected to the air outlet 33 at a height corresponding to 1/3 to 2/3 of the tub diameter.

The total length of the condensation duct should ensure a minimum length for condensing moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub, that is, at least 1/3 of the tub diameter. In general, when the drum washing machine performs a washing stroke or a rinsing stroke, the water level of the washing water becomes 1/3 or less of the drum diameter.

As a result, in order to prevent a collision between the washing water and the air outlet 33 during the rinsing operation or the washing stroke, and to secure a length for sufficiently condensing the moisture contained in the air, the condensation duct 50 includes 1/3 of the tub diameter. It is connected to the air outlet 33 at a height corresponding to ˜2 / 3.

Since the condensation duct 50 is connected to the middle portion of the tub, the entire length of the condensation duct is reduced, thereby reducing the overall flow resistance. In addition, the effective air volume blown into the tub per unit time is increased to shorten the drying time of the laundry.

In addition, since the condensation duct 50 is connected at a position higher than the water level during the rinsing stroke of the drum washing machine, no bubbles are generated due to the collision between the air outlet 33 and the water, thereby reducing the load of the motor, The speed of rotation will increase.

In addition, the condensation duct 50 has a cross-sectional change section 53 for adjusting the flow rate of air flowing therein. The cross-sectional change section 53 is preferably at least 1/3 of the total length of the condensation duct. The cross-sectional change section 53 serves to smoothly connect the upper section 55 having the largest cross-sectional area and the lower section 51 having the smallest cross-sectional area as a part installed at the rear of the tub. Detailed description of the condensation duct will be described later.

The condensate duct 50 is installed inside the condensation duct 50 to supply water for condensing moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub. The condensate water supply device is connected to an external water supply unit (not shown) to supply a small amount of water into the condensation duct 50.

The condensate water supply device includes a cooling water flow path 90 formed on the inner left and right sides of the condensation duct, through which cooling water flows to condense moisture. Of course, the condensate water supply device may be in any form as long as it is a device capable of supplying a certain amount of cooling water into the condensation duct. For example, a condensate supply pipe may be installed inside the condensation duct to supply cooling water in the form of droplets.

The upper part of the tub is provided with a guide duct 60 for guiding the air passing through the condensation duct 50 into the tub 30. The inside of the guide duct is provided with a blower 80 for forcibly flowing air in the drum washing machine and a heating device 70 for heating the air.

The blower 80 is installed at the point where the guide duct 60 and the condensation duct 50 communicate, that is, the upper rear end of the tub, so that the air of the condensation duct is sucked into the drum. Of course, the blower 80 may be installed at the upper front end of the tub to suck the air through the heating device 70 to enter the drum.

The heating device 70 heats the air via the condensation duct 50 due to the operation of the blower. The heating device 70 may be installed at the upper or lower portion of the inner surface of the guide duct, or may be installed at the inner center of the guide duct. The heating device 70 includes an electric heater for heating air using electricity, a device for heating air using gas, and the like.

In addition, the guide duct is provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the air to control the operation of the heating device. The temperature sensor may cause damage to the laundry when the air exceeds a certain temperature, thereby stopping the operation of the heating apparatus.

Meanwhile, one end of the guide duct 60 and the tub 30 are connected by the gasket 13. The gasket 13 is installed along the edge of the tub 30 and has a corrugated shape to accommodate the vibration of the tub 30. The gasket 13 prevents hot air from leaking through the connection portion between the guide duct 60 and the tub 30.

In addition, a sealing member (not shown) may be inserted between the air outlet 33 and the condensation duct 50 of the tub 30. The sealing member serves to prevent the leakage of air that may occur between the gap after the tub 30 and the condensation duct 50 due to vibration generated when the drum washing machine operates. The sealing member is preferably made of a flexible material to achieve a more complete close contact structure.

Referring to the drying administration of the drum washing machine configured as described above are as follows.

When the drying operation of the drum washing machine is started, power is applied to the heating device 70 of the guide duct 60. At the same time, the blower is operated to blow air. Then, the air blown is heated by the heating device 70 while moving along the guide duct.

The heated air is introduced into the drum 40 through the air suction port 31 by the guide of the guide duct 60.

The hot air introduced into the drum 40 heats the laundry to evaporate the moisture contained in the laundry. At this time, by stirring the laundry while the drum 40 is rotated at a low speed, the laundry is evenly heated to help evaporation of moisture.

Air after drying the laundry inside the drum is discharged to the condensation duct 50 through the air outlet. At the same time, cooling water is supplied into the condensation duct by the condensate supply device.

At this time, the lower part of the condensation duct 50 has a faster flow rate of the discharged air, so that a part of the cooling water forms droplets, and the droplets are scattered due to drag caused by air flow. Droplets scattered from the lower portion of the condensation duct 50 serves to condense moisture contained in the air while moving upward.

At this time, since the air velocity is slow in the upper portion of the condensation duct, drag force received by the droplet is reduced, and is collected on the inner surface of the condensation duct. The collected condensate is lowered along the inner surface of the condensation duct.

The air from which moisture is removed is introduced into the blower 80, and the air introduced into the blower is introduced into the guide duct 60 again. Then, the air is heated by the heating device 70 and then introduced into the drum 40 along the guide duct 60. The drum washing machine dries the laundry while repeatedly performing this series of processes.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be described a state in which moisture condensation in the condensation duct according to the present invention.

When an object moves in a fluid, it is resisted by the fluid. On the contrary, even if an object is stopped in a flowing fluid, it is subject to resistance by the fluid. As shown, if the liquid droplet 91 falls freely in the flowing air, the liquid droplet 91 is forced in the direction of flow of air. That is, the droplets falling vertically in the condensation duct are subjected to gravity (W) due to its own load and drag (F _D ) due to air flow.

The gravity and the drag force act in opposite directions. When the drag caused by the air flow has a larger value than the gravity, the droplet 91 is no longer lowered and is scattered in the condensation duct. That is, the scattering of droplets occurs when the drag F _D due to air flow exceeds the weight of the droplets.

The magnitude of gravity (W) received by the droplet is mg (= πρ _w D _w ³ g / 6). Where ρ _w means the density of water and D _w Is the diameter of the droplet, and g is the acceleration of gravity.

In addition, the magnitude of the drag force F _D received by the air flow is c _w ρ _a A _w It has a V _a ^2/2. Where c _w Is the drag coefficient of the droplet, ρ _a is the density of the air, A _w is the cross-sectional area of the droplet, and V _a is the velocity of the air. The drag coefficient is determined by the cross-sectional shape of the object lying in the flowing fluid and the inclination with respect to the flow direction of the fluid.

In this embodiment, the upper and lower sections of the condensation duct are set to scatter droplets of 3 mm or less in diameter at the lower end of the condensation duct, and to collect droplets of 0.1 mm or less in diameter at the upper end of the condensation duct. That is, the condensation duct has a cross-sectional change section 53 for controlling the flow rate of the air flowing in the condensation duct while satisfying the air flow rate required for drying the laundry.

Specifically, the lower section 51 of the condensation duct is formed in a relatively small cross-sectional area to increase the flow rate of air to activate the scattering of the droplets. In addition, the upper section 55 of the condensation duct is formed to have a larger cross-sectional area than the lower section to reduce the flow rate of air to activate the collection of droplets.

In order to satisfy the above object, the maximum cross-sectional area of the upper section of the condensation duct preferably has a cross-sectional area of 5.48 times or more than the minimum cross-sectional area of the lower section. In addition, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the condensation duct satisfies the values of Q / A1 ≧ 10.96 and Q / A2 ≦ 2.00. Here, Q means the air flow flowing in the condensation duct, A1 means the minimum lower cross-sectional area of the condensation duct, A2 means the maximum upper cross-sectional area of the condensation duct.

The cross-sectional change section may be formed such that the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the bottom to the top. Of course, the upper section 55 and the lower section 51 of the condensation duct may be stepped with each other so that the cross-sectional area of the condensation duct may change abruptly.

In the lower section where the air velocity is high, the droplets are scattered into fine droplets by the drag of the air flow, and in the upper section where the air velocity is slow, the droplets serve as the condensation nucleus. Will condense.

If a sufficiently large cross-sectional area is secured in the upper section of the condensation duct so that the drag caused by the air flow is smaller than the load of the droplet, the droplet falls freely and is collected on the inner side or the bottom of the condensation duct and does not flow into the blower.

As a result, in the present embodiment, the air for drying the laundry is sufficiently supplied to the inside of the tub, and droplets are scattered at the lower part of the condensation duct and collected at the upper part of the condensation duct. For this reason, the drying time of the drum washing machine according to the present embodiment has an effect of being reduced by about 30 percent compared with the prior art.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

The effect of the drum washing machine according to the present invention described above is as follows.

First, by providing a condensation duct having a cross-sectional change section having a cross-sectional area, droplets are easily scattered at the lower portion of the condensation duct, and droplets are easily collected at the upper portion of the condensation duct.

Second, since the droplets are easily collected at the upper portion of the condensation duct, the droplets can be prevented from entering the tub through the blower. In addition, there is an advantage that the drying performance can be improved by preventing the droplets from being circulated.

Third, by connecting the condensation duct and the tub in the middle region of the tub diameter, there is an advantage of increasing the effective air flow and reducing the flow path resistance as well as shortening the drying time.

Fourth, there is an advantage that can reduce the load of the motor during the rinsing stroke by preventing the collision of the water and the connection portion during the rinsing stroke.

Fifth, by reducing the overall length and installing a condensation duct having a cross-sectional change section, it satisfies the required circulating air flow and at the same time prevents the droplets from flowing into the blower.

Claims (9)

A tub in which a drum in which laundry is dried is installed; A condensation duct providing a space in which moisture contained in the air discharged from the tub is condensed; A condensate water supply device for supplying water to condense the moisture contained in the air; A heating device for heating the air passing through the condensation duct; And One side is connected to the condensation duct, the other side is connected to the tub includes a guide duct for guiding the air heated by the heating device to the tub; The condensation duct drum washing machine having a cross-sectional change section for adjusting the flow rate of the air flowing in the condensation duct while satisfying the air flow required for drying the laundry. The method of claim 1, Drum washing machine, characterized in that the upper end surface of the condensation duct is formed to have a predetermined ratio larger than the lower end surface in order to reduce the flow rate of the air flowing on the condensation duct. The method of claim 1, The condensation duct drum washing machine, characterized in that the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the bottom to the top. The method according to claim 2 or 3, Drum top washing machine, characterized in that the maximum upper cross section of the condensation duct has a cross-sectional area of at least 5.48 times the minimum lower cross section. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The air flow rate for the maximum upper cross-sectional area of the condensation duct has a value of 2 or less, and the cross-sectional area of the condensation duct is changed so that the air flow rate for the minimum lower cross-sectional area of the condensation duct has a value of 10.96 or more. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The section change section is a drum washing machine, characterized in that more than 1/3 of the total length of the condensation duct. The method of claim 1, An air outlet of the tub to which the condensation duct is connected is located above the water level during the rinsing stroke of the drum washing machine. The method of claim 1, The condensation duct is drum washing machine, characterized in that connected to the tub at a height corresponding to 1/3 to 2/3 of the tub diameter. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The condensate water supply device is a drum washing machine including a cooling water flow path is formed on the inner left and right sides of the condensation duct, the cooling water flows to condense moisture.

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