KR100740836B1 - laundry dryer with steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dryer having a steam generator. The present invention includes a drum having an opening for accommodating a dry matter and a hot air inlet, a steam generator for making steam, and one side connected to the steam generator, and the other side having a steam supply part for supplying steam to the drum. And a generator, wherein a tip of the steam supply is located at least at the front and rear of the drum, respectively.

Dryer, Steam Generator, Hot Air, Steam Supply Unit, Nozzle

Description

Dryer with steam generator

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a dryer according to the present invention

2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 is a perspective view showing an example of the steam generator of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 3.

5 is a graph showing the correlation of the control factors of the control method of the dryer according to the present invention

6 is a schematic front view illustrating an installation position of a steam supply unit of a steam generator as an embodiment of the dryer according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of FIG. 6

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

10: cabinet 20: drum

30: front supporter 40: rear supporter

50: lint duct 60: blower unit

70: motor 80: exhaust duct

90: hot air heater 200: steam generator

250: steam jet 230: steam supply

The present invention relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dryer having a steam generator so as to effectively remove or prevent wrinkles or wrinkles generated in a dry object such as clothing.

A dryer is a household appliance which normally drys laundry which is wash | cleaned, ie, a to-be-dried thing using hot air. In general, the dryer includes a drum accommodating the object to be dried, a driving source for driving the drum, heating means for heating air introduced into the drum, and a blower unit for sucking or discharging air in the drum.

 The dryer may be classified into an electric dryer and a gas dryer according to a method of heating air, that is, a heating means. The electric dryer heats air using electric resistance heat, and the gas dryer heats air using heat generated by combustion of gas. If the dryers are classified differently, they can be classified as condensation dryers and exhaust dryers. In the condenser dryer, the air that has been heat-exchanged with the dry matter in the drum is circulated without being discharged to the outside of the dryer, and in a separate condenser, heat is exchanged with the outside air to make condensate and discharged to the outside. In the exhaust dryer, the air, which has been heat exchanged with the dry matter in the drum and becomes humid, is discharged directly to the outside of the dryer. If the dryer is classified into another method, it may be divided into a top loading method and a front loading method according to a method of inputting a dry matter to the dryer. In the top loading method, the dry material is introduced from the upper side of the dryer. In the front loading method, the dry material is injected from the front of the dryer.

The above-mentioned conventional dryer has the following problems.

In general, laundry is dehydrated and the laundry is dehydrated is put into the dryer to dry. However, due to the principle of water washing, wrinkles are generated in the laundry in which water washing is completed, and the generated wrinkles are not completely removed in the drying process in the dryer. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that a separate ironing is required to remove wrinkles existing in the dry matter such as laundry which has been dried in the conventional dryer.

In addition, wrinkles, wrinkles, folds, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "wrinkles") are generated even when clothes and the like are normally stored and used in addition to laundry after washing. The development of a device that can easily remove wrinkles in accordance with the normal use, storage, such as clothing was required.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention to provide a dryer having a steam generator that can prevent and eliminate the occurrence of wrinkles in the dried object to be dried.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dryer having a steam generator for a dryer that can remove wrinkles formed on clothes or the like without using an iron or the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a drum for receiving a dry object and having an opening for introducing hot air; A steam generator for making steam, and one side is connected to the steam generator and the other side includes a steam generator having a steam supply for supplying steam to the inside of the drum, the front end of the steam supply is at least the front end of the drum and Provided is a dryer, which is located at the rear end, respectively.

And, at least one of the front end of the steam supply is preferably located above the drum. In addition, the front end of the steam supply is preferably located in the center of the drum. In addition, the tip of the steam supply is preferably disposed to face the center of the drum.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the steam generator is preferably located at the top of the drum. Further, the steam generator is more preferably located on the side of the drum.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of wrinkles in the dried object to be dried, and to effectively remove the generated wrinkles.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, in order to explain the dryer according to the present invention and a control method thereof, a top loading method, an electric type, and a condensation type dryer will be described as examples. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and of course, the present invention may be applied to a front loading method, a gas type, a condensation type dryer, or the like.

1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of a dryer having a steam generator according to the present invention will be described.

A rotatable drum 20, a motor 70 for driving the drum 20, and a belt 68 are installed in the cabinet 10 constituting the exterior of the dryer. In addition, a heater 90 (hereinafter referred to as a "hot air heater" for convenience) generated by the hot air heater 90 to heat the air to create a high temperature air (hereinafter referred to as "hot air") at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. Hot air supply duct 44 for supplying the hot air to the drum 20 is provided. In addition, an exhaust duct 80 for discharging humid air heat-exchanged with the object to be dried in the drum 20, a blower unit 60 for sucking the humid air, and the like are also provided. On the other hand, a steam generator 200 for generating high temperature steam is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. In this embodiment, an indirect drive method for rotating the drum 20 using the motor 70 and the belt 68 for convenience is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a direct drive method (Direct Drive Type) in which a motor is directly connected to the rear surface of the drum 20 to directly rotate the drum 20.

Each component will be described in detail as follows.

The cabinet 10 forms an outer shape of the dryer, and includes a base 12 forming a bottom surface, a pair of side covers 14 installed vertically from the base 12, and the side cover 14. The front cover 16 and the rear cover 18, which are respectively installed on the front and rear of the, is configured to include a top cover 17 located on the upper side of the side cover (14). The control panel 19 having various operation switches or the like is normally located on the top cover 17 or the front cover 16, and the door 164 is provided on the front cover 16. The rear cover 18 is provided with an inlet 182 for allowing outside air to flow therein and an exhaust hole 184, which is a final passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside.

The inner space of the drum 20 functions as a drying chamber in which drying proceeds, and the lift 22 is installed inside the drum 20 by dragging and dropping the dry object to invert the dry object to increase the drying efficiency. desirable.

On the other hand, the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 are provided between the drum 20 and the cabinet 10 (front cover 16 and rear cover 18). A drum 20 is rotatably installed between the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40, and a sealing for preventing leakage between the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 and the drum 20, respectively. A member (not shown) is provided. That is, the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 form a drying chamber by blocking the front and rear surfaces of the drum 20 and serve to support the front and rear ends of the drum 20.

The front supporter 30 is formed with an opening for communicating the drum 20 with the outside of the dryer, the opening is selectively opened and closed by the door 164. In addition, the front supporter 30 is connected to the lint duct 50 which is a passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside, and the lint duct 50 is provided with a lint filter 52. One side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the lint duct 50, the other side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust duct 80 is provided at the rear cover 18. It communicates with the exhaust hole 184. Therefore, when the blower unit 60 is operated, the air in the drum 20 is discharged to the outside through the lint duct 50, the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust hole 184. At this time, foreign matter such as lint is filtered in the lint filter 52. In general, the blower unit 60 includes a blower 62 and a blower housing 64, and the blower 64 is generally connected to and driven by a motor 70 for driving the drum 20.

The rear supporter 40 is formed with an opening 42 which is usually composed of a plurality of through holes, and the hot air supply duct 44 is connected to the opening 42. The hot air supply duct 44 communicates with the drum 20 to serve as a passage for supplying hot air to the drum 20. Therefore, the hot air heater 90 is installed at a predetermined position of the hot air supply duct 44.

Meanwhile, a steam generator 200 for generating steam and supplying the steam to the inside of the drum 20 is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the steam generator 200 will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 has a steam generator for making steam, one side is connected to the water supply source and the other side is a water supply unit connected to the steam generator, one side is connected to the steam generator and the other side is steam inside the drum It is configured to include a steam supply for supplying. In addition, it is preferable that a steam ejecting part is provided at the tip of the steam supply part to effectively eject steam to the drum. That is, the steam ejecting portion has a function of effectively making the angle (steam injection angle) of steam injected into the drum, the distribution of steam (steam spray distribution), and the like effectively. Of course, the steam supply unit and the steam ejecting unit are not necessarily physically distinct components, but may be integrally formed.

3 and 4 illustrate that the steam supply unit is disposed on one side of the steam generator and the steam supply unit is disposed on the other side, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the water supply unit and the steam supply unit may be located on the same side, and it is possible to change the installation position appropriately.

3 and 4, a specific example of the steam generator will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 is connected to one side of the water tank 210, the heater 240 mounted inside the water tank 210, and one side of the water tank 210 to supply water therein. It is configured to include a water supply hose 220, and a steam hose 230 connected to the other side of the water chamber 210 to discharge steam. The tip of the steam hose 230 is preferably provided with a nozzle 250 of a predetermined shape. Typically, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet, and the tip or nozzle 25 of the steam hose 230 is located at a predetermined position of the drum 20, so that the inside of the drum 20 is located. Steam is injected.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the water tank 210 and the heater 240 correspond to the steam generating unit, the water supply hose 220 corresponds to the water supply unit, and the steam hose 230 corresponds to the steam supply unit, and the nozzle Reference numeral 25 denotes a steam ejecting portion.

Referring to Figures 1, 6 and 7, the installation of the steam generator in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 is preferably located above the drum 20, that is, between the top of the drum 20 and the top cover 17. This is because the space S between the drum 20 and the top cover 17 is a relatively large space within the cabinet 10, so that the steam generator 200 is provided in this space. It is because of its excellent usability. In addition, if the steam generator 200 is installed in this part, the top cover 17 can be removed and repaired when the steam generator 200 is abnormal, which is advantageous in terms of service.

The tip of the steam generator 200, in particular the steam supply unit 230, is located at least at the front and rear ends of the drum 20. Of course, in order to configure this, the tip of the steam supply unit 230 should be configured with a plurality. Therefore, although not shown in detail in the drawings, for example, the steam supply unit 230 itself is branched a plurality of steam generating unit 210, or the steam supply unit 230 a plurality of branches of the tip end of the steam supply unit 210 It is also possible.

If comprised as mentioned above, it becomes possible to wet the to-be-dried thing inside the drum 20 more effectively. This is because, when steam is supplied at the front end and the rear end of the drum 20, the dry matter contained in the drum 20 can be wetted for a short time in the front-rear direction. In addition, when the front end of the steam supply unit 230 disposed at the front and rear ends of the drum 20 is controlled using a valve (not shown) or the like, the angle, distribution, etc. of the steam injected into the drum 20 can be more precisely controlled. Can be adjusted so that the dry matter can be more effectively wetted.

On the other hand, it is preferable that only the tips of the steam supply unit 230 of the steam generator 20 are disposed adjacent to the opening 42 of the drum 20 rather than the entire steam generator 200. Here, the front end of the steam supply unit 230 means a portion supplying actual steam to the drum 20 and may be a front end of the steam supply unit 230 itself or a steam ejecting unit such as a nozzle 250.

At this time, the front end of the steam supply unit 230 is preferably located in the center rather than biased to both sides of the drum. (See FIG. 6) In addition, the front end of the steam supply unit 230 is directed toward the center of the drum 20 More preferred.

On the other hand, the front end of the steam supply unit 230 is sufficient if the front end and the rear end of the drum 20, it is also possible to install in any direction up, down, left and right of the drum (20). For example, one end of the steam supply unit 230 is the upper end of the drum 20, the other end of the steam supply unit 230 is disposed in the lower portion of the drum 20, so that steam is supplied from the top and bottom at the same time You may.

Referring to the operation of the dryer provided with a steam generator according to the present invention.

According to the present invention, the tip of the steam supply unit 230 is disposed adjacent to the opening 42 of the drum 20 which is a passage of hot air. Therefore, the steam jetted to the drum 20 mixes with the hot air to reach the dry matter inside the drum 20. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible for steam to wet and dry the object effectively and uniformly.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the tip of the steam supply 230 is normally located behind the drum 20. Because the opening part 42 of the drum 20 is normally located at the rear of the drum 20, the tip of the steam supply part 230 disposed adjacent to the opening part 42 is naturally located at the rear of the drum 20. Done. Therefore, there is also an advantage that it is possible to avoid the condensed water that can be generated at the tip of the steam supply unit 230 to directly contact the dry matter. By the way, according to the experiment, when the condensed water comes into direct contact with the dry matter, the drying and wrinkle removal effect is lowered. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively absorb the dry matter while preventing the condensate from directly contacting the dry matter, and as a result, the drying and wrinkle removal performance is improved.

On the other hand, the tip of the steam supply unit 230 of the steam generator 200 is positioned adjacent to the opening 42 of the drum 20, the steam generator is preferably located on the upper side of the drum (20). . This is because the upper side portion is larger in space utilization in relation to the top cover 17 than the center upper portion of the drum 20.

 On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the steam generator 200 of the method of generating steam by heating a predetermined amount of water contained in the water tank 210 of a predetermined size with a heater 240, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Do not. That is, in the present invention, any device capable of generating steam can be used as a steam generator. For example, it is possible to use a method in which a heater is directly installed around a water supply hose through which water passes, that is, the water is heated without accommodating water in a predetermined space.

1, 2 and 5, a dryer and a control method according to the present invention will be described.

The control method of the dryer according to the present invention consists of a moisture absorption step and a drying step. That is, the control method of the dryer according to the present invention has a moisture absorption step before the drying step, unlike the conventional dryer. The moisture absorption step refers to a step of infiltrating moisture into the dry matter and swelling the dry matter. The drying step can be used in the same or similar manner as the drying step of a general dryer.

The moisture absorption step and the drying step will be described in detail as follows.

The dry object, for example, laundry dehydrated is put into the drum 20, and the dryer is operated by pressing the dryer operation button. When the dryer is operating, the hygroscopic step begins. In the moisture absorption step, the steam generator 200 is operated. That is, the heater 240 of the steam generator 200 is operated to generate water by heating water, and the generated steam is injected into the drum 20. Normally, when the heater 240 is operated, steam is not immediately generated and steam is generated when a predetermined time elapses, and an amount of steam increases as time passes. If moisture is sufficiently absorbed in the dry item, the operation of the steam generator 200 is stopped. The time of the moisture absorption step may vary depending on the type of dry matter, it is preferable to select appropriately through experiments. Because, according to the research results of the present inventors, the higher the moisture absorption rate or moisture content of the dry matter, the better the wrinkle removal effect. By the way, there is a difference in the degree of moisture absorption even at the same humidity depending on the type of fiber. For example, even at the same humidity, the moisture absorption rate of polyester was low, while the moisture absorption rate of cotton was relatively high.

Therefore, it is preferable to determine the optimum moisture absorption rate, determine the time of the moisture absorption step that can achieve the moisture absorption rate, and adjust the moisture absorption step according to the type of fiber. On the other hand, the operation method of the steam generator 200 in the moisture absorption step is not limited and may be appropriately controlled to achieve a predetermined moisture absorption rate. For example, it is possible to operate the steam generator 200 at the start of the moisture absorption step and to stop the steam generator 200 at the end. Alternatively, it is of course possible to operate the steam generator 200 intermittently. Alternatively, it is also possible to determine the optimum moisture absorption amount according to the dry object by experiment, etc., and to mount the humidity sensor on the drum 20 to stop the moisture absorption step when the dry object is absorbed by the predetermined moisture absorption amount.

On the other hand, in the moisture absorption step, it is preferable to stir the dry matter. This is because, when the dry matter is properly stirred, the dry matter can absorb water evenly. Although the stirring method of a to-be-dried thing is not limited in this invention, it is preferable to rotate the drum 20 suitably. In this case, the rotation method of the drum 20 such as the rotation speed of the drum 20, the rotation direction, and the like is not particularly limited and can be appropriately determined. As an example, it is preferable to repeat the forward and reverse rotation of the drum 20, and it is more preferable to rotate the drum 20 intermittently.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the hot air heater 90 does not operate in the moisture absorption step, and it is preferable to operate the hot air heater 90 after the moisture absorption step, that is, at the start of the drying step.

On the other hand, it is preferable to operate the blower 62 in the moisture absorption step, it is more preferable to operate intermittently. A part of the steam injected into the drum 20 in the moisture absorption step may be condensed. In this case, by operating the blower 62, condensed water or humid air immediately before condensation may be discharged to the outside of the drum 20. Because it can. According to the research results of the present inventors, when the moisture of the liquid rather than the steam state is absorbed by the dry matter, fine wrinkles increase. Accordingly, it is preferable to discharge the liquid condensed water to the outside so as not to be directly absorbed by the dry matter. Operating the blower 62 in the moisture absorption stage may be particularly suitable for condensation dryers.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 6, the front end of the steam supply unit 230 is disposed adjacent to the opening 42 of the drum 20, while preventing the condensed water from directly contacting the object to be dried It is possible to effectively absorb moisture, and as a result, the drying and wrinkle removal performance is improved.

Steam is ejected to the drum 20 effectively, and thus it is possible to more effectively prevent wrinkles on the dry matter.

Next, the drying step will be described. In the drying step, the hot air heater 90 and the blower 62 operate to supply hot air to the inside of the drum 20 so that the dry object and the hot air inside the drum 20 exchange heat to dry the dry object. In the drying step, the steam generator 200 is preferably stopped. In the drying step, the control method of the dryer may use a conventional general control method, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the experimental results of the present inventors, although there is a difference depending on the type of the dried material, for example, the type of cloth and the degree of moisture absorption, adding the moisture absorption step before the drying step, the effect of removing wrinkles and preventing was assured.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the laundry dehydrated in the washing machine as an example of the object to be dried, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, clothes worn for one day or clothes stored in a crumpled state for a predetermined time, that is, clothes that are already dried and have less wrinkles, can be removed from the dryer according to the present invention. That is, it is also possible to use the dryer according to the present invention as a kind of wrinkle removal device.

The effects of the dryer and its control method according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that can effectively prevent or eliminate the occurrence of wrinkles or wrinkles in the dried product to be dried. In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that wrinkles or wrinkles in the clothes in a dry state can be effectively removed without additional ironing.

Second, according to the present invention, the front end of the steam generator or the steam supply for the dryer is located at the front end and the rear end of the drum at the same time, it is possible to effectively absorb the dry matter, the result is improved drying and wrinkle removal performance.

Claims (6)

A drum accommodating a dry object and having an opening for introducing hot air; In the dryer comprising a steam generator for making steam, and a steam generator having one side is connected to the steam generator and the other side to supply steam to the inside of the drum, And a front end of the steam supply unit is located at least at the front and rear ends of the drum. The dryer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the tip of the steam supply unit is positioned above the drum. 3. The dryer of claim 2, wherein the tip of the steam supply unit is located at the center of the drum. The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tip of the steam supply part is disposed to face the center of the drum. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the steam generator is located at a front end of the drum. 6. The dryer of claim 5, wherein the tip of the steam supply unit is located at the center of the drum, and the steam generator is located at the side of the drum.

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