KR100774486B1 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a clothes dryer for supplying heat with a heat pump to the air entering the drying air. Specifically, the dryer includes a cabinet, a drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet, a driving unit for supplying rotational force to the drying container, a first air flow passage connected to one side of the drying container, and the drying container. And a second air flow passage connected to the other side and connected to the outside of the cabinet, and a first heat exchange portion and a second heat exchange portion configured to exchange heat with air introduced into the first air flow passage. The second air flow path may further include a damper for opening and closing the flow path.

Description

Clothes Dryer {CLOTHES DRYER}

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, and more particularly, to an exhaust type clothes dryer including a steam compression cycle system. In the clothes dryer, the heat supplied from the heat exchange cycle system is supplied to the inlet air to dry the dry matter, thereby improving drying efficiency.

The clothes dryer is mainly used to remove moisture from the finished clothes and to dry it.

The clothes dryer may be classified into an exhaust method and a condensation method according to the treatment method of the wet air generated while drying the dry items. The former is a method of discharging the humid air discharged from the dryer to the outside, the latter is a method of condensing the wet air discharged from the dryer to remove the moisture and circulating the moisture-removed air back to the dryer.

In general, an exhaust type dryer has an intake duct and an exhaust duct connected to a rotatable drum provided inside a cabinet, and a heater is installed in the intake duct. As the air outside the dryer is introduced into the intake duct by the driving of the fan, it is heated to a high temperature by a heater, where the heating temperature reaches about 100 ° C. This hot air flows into the drying drum inside the dryer to dry the dry matter inside the drum. In the drying process, the hot air contains moisture contained in the object to be dried, and high humidity air is discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct.

The conventional clothes dryer which transfers heat to the inlet air by using the heater can shorten the overall drying time by the rapid air heating of the heater, and can be manufactured in a large capacity, while the inlet air is heated by the heater. As a result, the energy consumption is high. In particular, since the dried object is dried with hot air at 100 ° C. or higher, there is a high possibility that damage may occur depending on the material of the dried object during the drying process.

On the other hand, the condensation type clothes dryer has the advantage of being able to be built-in type because there is no need for the exhaust duct to release air to the outside of the clothes dryer, and the energy efficiency is higher than the exhaust method, but drying time There is a disadvantage that it is difficult to manufacture a long and large capacity.

Under such a background, there is a need for an improved clothes dryer with high energy efficiency and no damage to the dry matter.

On the other hand, there is a problem that the drying efficiency is relatively low in the use of the clothes dryer in a high humidity area, for example, near the coast or long rainy season. The reason is that the air used to dry the object contains a large amount of moisture. The air containing a large amount of water is introduced into the drying drum without being sufficiently removed even though the temperature is raised by the heater, so that a large amount of time is required for drying the dried object, and as a result, the energy consumption required to complete the drying is increased. Therefore, there is a demand for a clothes dryer for supplying air to a drying drum in a state where water is sufficiently removed from the incoming air.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a clothes dryer.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the components installed on the clothes dryer bottom of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of air and refrigerant in the clothes dryer according to the invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the interior of the clothes dryer according to the invention.

7 is a plan view showing the air flow flowing into the clothes dryer.

8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a part of a clothes dryer having a damper.

9 is a graph showing a change in temperature (or humidity) inside a drying vessel.

Technical challenge

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clothes dryer which has improved energy efficiency and is less likely to be damaged by the hot air during the drying process.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer capable of introducing air to a drying drum in a state in which water is sufficiently removed from the incoming air.

In addition, another object of the present invention to provide a compact clothes dryer with improved space utilization.

Technical solution

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a cabinet, a drying vessel rotatably installed in the cabinet, a drive unit for supplying rotational force to the drying vessel, and is connected to one side of the drying vessel A first air passage, a second air passage connected to the other side of the drying vessel and connected to an outside of the cabinet, and a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger to exchange heat with air introduced into the first air passage; There is provided a clothes dryer comprising a section.

Preferably, the first air flow path and the second air flow path are positioned under the drying container, and the first heat exchange part is preferably located in front of the second heat exchange part in the first air flow path.

The cabinet is provided with an opening in which a dry item can be taken in and out of the drying container and a drying container therein.

At least one of the first air flow path and the second air flow path is provided with a fan for generating an air flow, the fan is preferably received a rotational force by the drive unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a cabinet, a drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet, a driving unit for supplying rotational force to the drying container, a first air flow passage connected to one side of the drying container, A second air flow passage connected to the other side of the drying vessel and connected to an outside of the cabinet, and a first heat exchange portion and a second heat exchange portion configured to exchange heat with air introduced into the first air flow passage; 2 The air passage is provided with a clothes dryer provided with a damper for opening and closing the passage.

The second air flow path is provided with a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor in front of the damper, and the damper is in at least two or more states including an open state and a closed state according to a predetermined value of a signal detected from a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. Controlled.

According to another feature of the present invention, a cabinet, a drying vessel rotatably installed in the cabinet, a drive unit for supplying rotational force to the drying vessel, a first air flow passage connected to one side of the drying vessel, A second air flow passage connected to the other side of the drying vessel and connected to an outside of the cabinet, and a first heat exchange portion and a second heat exchange portion configured to exchange heat with air introduced into the first air flow passage; There is provided a clothes dryer in which an auxiliary air inlet is formed on one air passage.

The auxiliary inlet is preferably formed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The following examples are only preferable examples for understanding the present invention, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention, and those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention within the scope of the following claims. Various modifications and improvements will be possible.

First, referring to FIG. 1, an example of a clothes dryer 10 according to the present invention is shown. The cabinet 12, which is provided with the inlet 14 on its front surface, is empty inside, and a drying container is rotatably installed therein.

2 and 3 illustrate the internal structure of the clothes dryer in more detail. The drying vessel 16 is a cylindrical structure that is installed to rotate about an axis that is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the cabinet 12.

The drying vessel 16 is rotatable under a rotational force supplied from a driving unit 18, for example, a motor, installed at a lower portion of the cabinet 12, preferably on the bottom surface of the cabinet 12. Usually, the belt which is extended and fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the drying container 16 from the drive shaft of the drive part 18 is suitable for the transmission means of rotational force. As will be described later, the drive unit may be installed inside the cabinet 12 to transmit the rotational force to the fan 40 causing the air flow.

4 is a view illustrating various elements installed in a cabinet bottom surface of a clothes dryer according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the drying container 16 has a first air flow path 20 through which suction air flows. ) Is connected, and the other side is connected with a second air flow passage 22 through which exhaust air discharged from the drying vessel flows. Although the inlet may not be exposed to the outside of the cabinet 12, the outlet of the second air passage 22 may be exposed to the outside of the cabinet 12.

The shape of the 1st air flow path 20 and the 2nd air flow path 22 does not need to be specifically limited, The direction or the position of each part which comprises a flow path may be changed suitably for the space inside a cabinet.

The first air flow path 20 is provided with a first heat exchange part 30 and a second heat exchange part 32. The heat exchange parts 30 and 32 remove heat from the air flowing into the first air flow path 20 to remove moisture, and also apply heat to change the temperature. Therefore, the air passing through the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel 16 in a dried and heated state.

Preferably, the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 32 form a thermodynamic cycle. For this purpose, the cabinet 12 further includes a compressor 34 and an expansion mechanism 36. The compressor 34 and the expansion mechanism 36 are preferably installed below the drying vessel or lower than the drying vessel, and the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 32 and the pipe 38. Connected to form a closed loop. This cycle corresponds to a vapor compression cycle and acts as a heat pump on the air flowing through the first air flow path 30.

5 schematically shows the flow of the refrigerant and the flow of air in the cycle. Appropriate refrigerant flows in the pipe 38 connecting the elements constituting the cycle, and the direction of the refrigerant flows from the second heat exchanger 32 to the first heat exchanger 30 through the expansion mechanism 36. The first heat exchanger 30 passes through the compressor 34 to the second heat exchanger 32. The flow direction of this refrigerant is indicated by the solid arrow.

The air flowing into the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel 16 through the two heat exchange parts 30 and 32 and is discharged through the second air passage 22 again. It is shown.

The air entering the first air flow path 20 is first to remove moisture from the first heat exchanger 30, and receives heat from the second heat exchanger 32 to enter the drying vessel in a dry state heated up. desirable. Therefore, the first heat exchanger 30 uses an evaporator that absorbs heat from the flowing air, and the second heat exchanger 32 uses a condenser that supplies heat to the air that flows. It is preferable to provide the part in front of the second heat exchange part. The heat exchange parts 30 and 32 are generally equipped with a plurality of heat exchange fins for widening the heat transfer area in the pipe through which the refrigerant passes. The flowing air primarily transfers heat to the evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant and removes moisture, and then receives heat from the condenser and raises the temperature to a temperature of about 50 ° C. or higher, preferably 50 to 75 ° C. do.

Each element constituting the cycle, that is, the first heat exchanger 30, the second heat exchanger 32, the compressor 34, the expansion mechanism 36, and the pipe 38 connecting them are all inside the cabinet 12. In particular, it is preferable to be provided at the lower part of the drying container 16. To this end, at least a part of the first air flow path 20 in which the first heat exchange part 30 and the second heat exchange part 32 are installed is appropriately installed at the bottom of the drying vessel 16, and the second air flow path It is appropriate to install at least a portion of the 22 at the bottom of the drying vessel 16.

This arrangement eliminates the need to increase the volume of the cabinet, effectively utilizing the interior space, resulting in a compact clothes dryer. If the elements are exposed outside the clothes dryer or the cabinet becomes bulky, the installation area of the clothes dryer inside the building will also increase, resulting in less space utilization.

6 shows a part of a clothes dryer according to the invention. As shown, the belt 42 is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the drying container 16, and the belt 42 is connected to the rotating shaft 18a of the driving unit 18 to transmit the rotational force to the drying container 16. The drive unit 18 is also connected to a fan 40 installed in the second air flow path 22 to drive the fan. Thus, the drive unit 18 can rotate the drying vessel 16 and the fan 40 at the same time. As such, by driving the drying vessel 16 and the fan 40 together with only one driving unit 18, the space utilization inside the cabinet can be increased, and no additional device is required. Although the fan 40 is installed in the 2nd air flow path 22 near the drying container 16 in FIG. 6, if it can only receive rotation force from the drive part 18, it may be installed on a 1st air flow path. Do.

Meanwhile, a filter (21 in FIG. 3) may be installed in the first air flow path 20 before the first heat exchanger to remove contaminants such as dust included in the air introduced therein.

Looking at the drying process of the clothes dryer of the present invention having such a configuration as follows.

When the fan 40 is driven by the rotation of the driving unit 18, a suction force is generated, and air outside the dryer flows into the inlet of the first air passage 20. The introduced air passes through the first heat exchange unit 30 to remove moisture contained in the air through primary heat exchange. The air changed to low temperature and low humidity while passing through the first heat exchange part 30 undergoes secondary heat exchange while passing through the second heat exchange part 32 having a high temperature. The air changed by the high temperature and low humidity continues to pass through the inside of the first air passage 20 to reach one side of the drying vessel 16.

Air passing through the second heat exchanger 32 maintains a temperature of about 50 ~ 75 ℃. The hot air which maintains this temperature can perform drying smoothly, without damaging the to-be-drying object inside the drying container 16.

The air of high temperature and low humidity introduced into the drying container 16 transfers heat while being in contact with a dry object containing moisture, and also receives moisture from the dry object and exits the drying container with high humidity air. The high humidity air flowing out of the drying vessel is discharged to the outside of the cabinet 12 through the second air flow passage 22.

In the clothes dryer according to the present invention, the heat generation system by the steam compression cycle shows two to three times the heating performance compared to the heater method when using the same power. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced. In addition, since the temperature of the air flowing into the drying vessel is low compared with the drying by the heater method, damage of the dry matter is less. In addition, since the first heat exchanger of the heat generating system removes moisture from the air flowing into the first air flow path, the dry object is dried with low humidity air. Therefore, drying efficiency is improved. In particular, it will be effective for drying clothes in humid areas.

If the clothes dryer is used in a dry area, the dehumidification process of the heat exchange in the first heat exchange part will not be necessary. In addition, since the temperature of the air is lowered during the dehumidification process, the overall system efficiency may be lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to make air contact with a 2nd heat exchange part immediately without passing through the heat exchange in a 1st heat exchange part.

Figure 7 shows a clothes dryer of a modified structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Air flows into the filter 21 provided at the inlet side of the first air flow path 20. In addition, an additional auxiliary air inlet 50 is formed at a side surface of the first air passage. The auxiliary air inlet 50 may be exposed to the outside of the cabinet 12 as shown, may not be exposed. The auxiliary air inlet 50 is preferably formed on the side of the first air flow path between the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 32. The auxiliary air inlet 50 may be provided with a filter 51 for removing dust and the like contained in the outside air.

By forming the auxiliary air inlet 50, the first air passage 20 has two air inlets. The air supplied to the drying vessel 16 through the first air flow path includes air passing through the first heat exchange part 30 and air passing directly through the second heat exchange part 32 without passing through the first heat exchange part. The air flowing through the auxiliary air inlet 50 and passing through only the second heat exchange part 32 is introduced into the dry air 16 at a relatively high temperature because there is no heat loss due to heat exchange with the first heat exchange part 30. Can be.

By diversifying the air inlet in the first air passage as described above, the air supplied to the drying vessel can obtain the dual effect of reducing heat loss and dehumidifying. It may also lead to an improvement in the overall efficiency of the vapor compression cycle system.

Hereinafter, a clothes dryer according to a second aspect of the present invention will be described.

The exhaust type dryer injects hot air into one side of the drying container and discharges wet air to the other side. This process is always the same from the beginning to the end of drying. If hot air stays inside the drying vessel for a while and then immediately exits the drying drum, it is not efficient in terms of energy use. In other words, the energy consumption is large during the entire drying process.

In the present invention, by controlling the air flow so that the time the air stays in the drying container is changed according to the drying process to increase the energy efficiency. In a preferred embodiment, the air flow is controlled by installing a damper that can open and close the flow path on the second air flow path through which air is discharged.

8 schematically illustrates a part of the clothes dryer provided with a damper.

The damper 60 is provided in the second air flow passage 22 near the drying vessel 16. A sensor 62 is installed to sense the temperature or humidity of the air discharged from the drying vessel 16 toward the damper 60. The damper 60 is controlled according to the temperature or humidity sensed by the sensor 62 to adjust the flow of air passing through the second air flow path 22.

The method of controlling the opening and closing of the damper can be variously selected depending on the dry state of the object to be dried or the air discharged from the drying vessel.

With reference to FIG. 9, the change with time of the temperature A or humidity B discharge | emitted from a drying container is shown. The degree of opening and closing of the damper may be changed based on the saturation point Ps at which the rate of increase of temperature sensed by the sensor is lowered or the rate of humidity decreases.

For example, it is also possible to measure the temperature of the air outlet portion of the drying vessel so that the damper is closed when the temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 60 ° C), and open the damper when the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature. In addition, it is also possible to measure the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet portion of the drying vessel to close the damper until a predetermined value or more, and to open the damper if the damper exceeds a predetermined value.

In this way, the damper is closed at the beginning of drying to increase the time for which the hot air stays in the drying vessel, and the damper is opened at the middle or end of drying to increase the discharge of air. Therefore, in the early stage of drying, the time that hot air comes into contact with the object to be dried can be efficiently used for drying even with a small air flow. In addition, energy consumption may be reduced by lowering the heating degree of air instead of increasing the air flow rate during the middle or end of drying.

On the other hand, if the damper is completely turned off for a long time, the pressure in the drying vessel may be excessively increased or a load may be placed on the fan causing air flow. In order to prevent this, it may include the step of partially opening the damper. That is, when the pressure in the drying vessel is reached to reach a predetermined pressure or reaches a predetermined value before reaching a predetermined temperature or humidity at the air outlet of the drying vessel, the damper is opened slightly in advance, and then the temperature or humidity reaches a predetermined value. A multi-step damper control method may be used that completely opens the damper.

The present invention can appropriately control the humidity and temperature of the air flowing into the drying vessel by including the first heat exchange portion and the second heat exchange portion serving as a heat pump.

In addition, when the steam compression cycle system is installed in the lower portion of the drying container as in the present invention, the internal structure of the dryer is used as it is, and there is no need for a separate volume increase. In other words, the space required for installing the system is smaller than when installing on the side or rear of the cabinet.

In addition, the present invention can control the flow path resistance of the air by changing the opening and closing degree of the damper provided between the drying vessel and the air discharge flow path. Increasing the flow path resistance can extend the time for which hot air stays inside the drying drum to remove a large amount of moisture from the dry matter early in the drying process. Therefore, the energy consumption of the dryer can be reduced.

Claims (18)

Cabinets, A drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet; A driving unit for supplying rotational force to the drying vessel; A first air passage connected to one side of the drying container; A second air flow passage connected to the other side of the drying vessel and connected to an outside of the cabinet; It includes a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger for heat exchange with the air introduced into the first air flow path Clothes dryer. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein the first air passage and the second air passage are located under the drying container. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange part dehumidifies the inlet air through heat exchange, and the second heat exchange part heats up the intake air through heat exchange. The clothes dryer of claim 3, wherein the first heat exchange part is positioned in front of the second heat exchange part in the first air flow path. The clothes dryer of claim 3, wherein the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part form a thermodynamic cycle by a compressor and expansion means separately installed in the cabinet and a pipe connecting them. The method of claim 5, wherein the first heat exchanger is an evaporator in which heat is transferred to the flow medium flowing through the pipe from the inlet air and the second heat exchanger is a condenser that heat is transferred to the inlet air from the flow medium flowing through the pipe Clothes dryer. The clothes dryer of claim 5, wherein the compressor and the expansion means are installed under the drying container. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein an opening is formed on a front surface of the cabinet to allow entry and exit of a dry item. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first air passage and the second air passage is provided with a fan for causing air flow, and the fan receives a rotational force by the driving unit. The clothes dryer of claim 9, wherein the fan is installed in the second air passage. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein air of 50 to 75 ° C. flows into the drying container through the first air passage. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein a filter is installed in the first air passage before the first heat exchange unit. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein a damper for opening and closing the flow path is provided in the second air flow path. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor is installed in the second air flow path in front of the damper. The clothes dryer of claim 14, wherein the damper is controlled in at least two states including an open state and a closed state according to a predetermined value of a signal detected from a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein an auxiliary air inlet is formed on the first air passage. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary inlet is formed between the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein a filter is provided at the auxiliary air inlet.

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