KR100774487B1 - 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 clothes dryer includes a cabinet, a drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet, a driving unit supplying rotational force to the drying container, a first air flow passage connected to one side of the drying container, and the drying container. A second air flow path connected to the other side of the second air flow path and connected to an outside of the cabinet, a first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing through the first air flow path, and heat exchange with air flowing through the second air flow path It includes a second heat exchanger, wherein the first air passage and the second air passage is located in the lower portion of the drying vessel.

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.

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;

5 is a plan view showing the parts installed on the clothes dryer bottom according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of air and refrigerant in the clothes dryer according to the invention.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the interior of the clothes dryer according to the present invention.

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 that can be discharged to the outside in a state where water is sufficiently removed from the dried 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 connected to one side of the drying vessel A first air flow path that is connected to the other side of the drying vessel and is connected to the other side of the drying container, and a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air flowing through the first air flow path, and the And a second heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing through a second air flow path, wherein the first air flow path and the second air flow path are positioned under the drying container.

The first heat exchanger heats up the air flowing through the heat exchange, and the second heat exchanger dehumidifies the air flowing through the heat exchange. The first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger form a thermodynamic cycle through separate compressors and expansion means installed in the cabinet and pipes connecting them.

The front of the cabinet is formed with an opening that allows entry and exit of the dry matter into the drying container.

At least one of the first air flow path and the second air flow path is provided with a fan for causing air flow, and the fan receives a rotational force by the driving 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 path connected to the other side of the drying container and connected to an outside of the cabinet, a first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing through the first air flow path, and a second air flow path The clothes dryer includes a second heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air, and a damper for opening and closing the flow path is provided in the second air flow path.

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.

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

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described, but these embodiments are only for understanding the present invention, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will recognize the present invention within the scope of the following claims. Various modifications and improvements will be possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

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.

A first heat exchange part 30 is installed in the first air flow path 20. The first heat exchanger 30 is heated to heat the air flowing into the first air flow path 20 to change the temperature. Therefore, the air passing through the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel 16 in a state of being heated.

In addition, a second heat exchange part 32 is installed at a rear end of the second air flow path 22. The second heat exchange part 32 takes heat from the air discharged through the second air flow passage 22 from the drying vessel 16 and changes the state to a dehumidified state. Therefore, the air passing through the second heat exchange part 32 is discharged to the outside of the cabinet 12 in a dehumidified 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.

The air entering the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel in a state of being heated by receiving heat from the first heat exchanger 30. To this end, the first heat exchanger 30 uses a condenser that supplies heat to the flowing air. The second heat exchanger 32 uses an evaporator that absorbs heat from the flowing air so as to remove moisture from the air discharged from the drying vessel.

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 receives heat from the condenser and is heated to a temperature of about 50 ° C. or higher, preferably 50 to 75 ° C. Therefore, the temperature of the air entering the drying vessel is lower than that by the heater method, and does not damage the dry matter.

Compressor 34, which is a component of the vapor compression cycle, can be installed at various positions inside the cabinet.

4, it can be seen that the compressor 34 is located on the side of the first air flow path 20. In particular, the compressor 34 is located in front of the first heat exchanger 30. In this case, since the heat generated by the compressor 34 primarily raises the air entering the first air flow path 20, the temperature of the air passing through the first heat exchange part is further increased.

On the other hand, the compressor 34 may be installed on the second air flow path 22 side. 5, it can be seen that the compressor 34 is installed next to the second heat exchange part 32 on the second air flow path 22 side. In this case, since the air passing through the second heat exchanger 32 cools the compressor 34, the overall efficiency of the steam compression cycle system is increased.

6 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, the direction of which passes from the first heat exchanger 30 to the second heat exchanger 32 via the expansion mechanism 36 and again. The second heat exchanger 32 passes through the compressor 34 to the first heat exchanger 30. 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 after passing through the first heat exchange portion 30, and then passes through the second heat exchange portion 32 through the second air passage 22 to the outside of the cabinet. And the direction of flow of this air is indicated by the dotted arrow.

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 is installed and at least a part of the second air flow path 22 in which the second heat exchange part 32 is installed is a drying container ( It is appropriate to install in the lower part of 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.

7 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. Therefore, the drive unit 18 may 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. 7, 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. 4) may be installed in the first air flow path 20 before the first heat exchanger to remove contaminants, such as dust, included in the incoming air.

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 is heat exchanged while passing through the high temperature first heat exchanger 30. The air, which has been changed to a high temperature, continuously passes through the inside of the first air passage 20 to reach one side of the drying vessel 16.

Air passing through the first 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 passes through the second air flow passage 22 to remove moisture contained in the air through heat exchange with the second heat exchanger 32 and is changed to low temperature and low humidity to the outside of the cabinet 12. Is released.

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 particular, by installing the compressor at the inlet of the first air passage or the outlet of the second air passage, the efficiency of the steam compression cycle system can be increased.

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 second heat exchange part of the heat generating system removes moisture from the discharged air, it is possible to avoid the discharge of the wet air into the building according to the operation of the dryer.

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 vessel, 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.

As described above, the present invention can increase the energy efficiency of the dryer by including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger serving as a heat pump. In addition, the moisture of the air discharged from the dryer can be removed.

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 extend the time that the hot air stays in the drying drum by changing the opening and closing degree of the damper provided between the drying vessel and the air discharge passage. Therefore, much water can be removed from the dry matter at the beginning of the drying process, and energy consumption of the dryer can be reduced.

Claims (17)

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; A first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing through the first air flow path, and It includes a second heat exchanger for heat exchange with the air flowing in the second air flow path, The first air passage and the second air passage is characterized in that located in the lower portion of the drying vessel Clothes dryer. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange part heats up the air flowing through the heat exchange, and the second heat exchange part dehumidifies the air flowing through the heat exchange. The clothes dryer of claim 2, wherein the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part form a thermodynamic cycle through a separate compressor and expansion means installed in the cabinet and a pipe connecting them. The method of claim 3, wherein the first heat exchanger is a condenser in which heat is transferred from the flow medium flowing through the pipe to the inlet air, and the second heat exchanger is an evaporator in which heat is transferred from the inflow air to the flow medium flowing through the pipe. Clothes dryer. The clothes dryer of claim 3, wherein the compressor and the expansion means are installed under the drying container. The clothes dryer of claim 3, wherein the compressor is installed at the side of the first air passage. 7. The clothes dryer of claim 6, wherein the compressor is installed in front of the first heat exchange part of the first air flow path. The clothes dryer of claim 3, wherein the compressor is installed at the second air flow path. 9. The clothes dryer of claim 8, wherein the compressor is installed after the second heat exchange part of the second air flow path. 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 11, 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 15, 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 16, 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.

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