KR20070052155A - Clothes dryer with vapor compression cycle system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer having a steam compression cycle system, comprising: a cabinet, a drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet, a first air flow passage connected to one side of the drying container, A second air flow passage connected to the other side and connected to the outside of the cabinet, a third air flow passage extending from one surface of the cabinet to the other surface, and a driving unit for providing rotational force to the drying container, The first air flow path is provided with a first heat exchanger for heat exchange with the incoming air, and provides a clothes dryer comprising a second heat exchanger and a compressor for heat exchange with the air introduced into the third air flow path.

Clothes dryer, exhaust system, steam compression cycle

Description

Clothes dryer with steam compression cycle system {CLOTHES DRYER WITH VAPOR COMPRESSION CYCLE SYSTEM}

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a clothes dryer according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the clothes dryer according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing a lower structure of the clothes dryer according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigerant and air flow in the clothes dryer according to the invention.

5 is a perspective view of a part of a clothes dryer according to the present invention;

*** Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing ***

10: Clothes dryer 12: Cabinet

16: Drying container 18: Drive part

20: first air passage 22: second air passage

24: 3rd air flow path 30: 1st heat exchange part

31: air intake unit 32: second heat exchange unit

34: compressor 36: expansion means

38: Piping 40: Fan

40 ': auxiliary fan

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, and more particularly, to an exhaust type clothes dryer including a steam compression cycle system.

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 dry matter is dried with hot air of 100 ° C. or higher, the damage is likely to occur depending on the material of the dry matter 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.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer with improved energy efficiency and low power consumption.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a clothes dryer with less possibility of damage to the dry matter due to the hot air during the drying process.

In addition, another object of the present invention to provide a clothes dryer excellent in the performance and operation efficiency of the component.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cabinet, a drying vessel rotatably installed in the cabinet, a first air passage connected to one side of the drying vessel, and connected to the other side of the drying vessel. A second air flow passage connected to the outside of the cabinet, a third air flow passage extending from one surface of the cabinet to the other surface, and a driving unit for providing rotational force to the drying container, wherein the air introduced into the first air flow passage And a first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with the air, and a second heat exchanger and a compressor configured to exchange heat with air introduced into the third air flow path.

In the present invention, it is preferable to provide an air intake unit through which air is introduced from the bottom surface to the first air passage. Preferably, the third air flow path further includes cooling means for generating an air flow to cool the drive unit and the compressor, and the cooling means is a fan that causes air flow from the second heat exchange unit to the drive unit and the compressor. Do.

The present invention has a primary feature of preventing damage to the dry matter and improving drying efficiency by employing a heat pump using a steam compression cycle instead of a heater type heating. Of course, it is also possible to employ a heater as an auxiliary heating source in the clothes dryer according to the present invention.

In addition, the present invention improves the operation characteristics of the components by forming an appropriate air flow path between the components constituting the heat pump to obtain its own cooling effect. Accordingly, there is a secondary feature to improve the overall drying efficiency of the clothes dryer.

In addition, another feature of the present invention is that the air sucked into the dryer and used for drying the dried object is blocked from the internal space of the dryer so that it is not affected by other heat sources (heater, compressor, heated drum, etc.) in the dryer. This ensures stable operation of the heat pump system during dryer operation.

1 shows an example of a clothes dryer 10 according to the present invention. The cabinet 12 is provided with an inlet 14 through which a dry matter can enter and exit on a front surface, and the inside is empty, and a drying container is rotatably installed therein.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the clothes dryer in more detail, Figure 3 is a plan view showing the components installed on the clothes dryer bottom.

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, as for the transmission means of rotational force, the belt 42 extended and fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the drying container 16 from the drive shaft of the drive part 18 is suitable. The driving unit may transmit rotational force to the fan 40 installed in the second air flow path 20 to cause air flow.

The first air passage 20 through which intake air flows is connected to one side of the drying vessel 16, and the second air passage 22 through which exhaust air discharged from the drying vessel flows to the other side thereof. The first air flow path 20 is connected to an air suction grile 31 formed at a bottom surface of the first air flow path 20 without being exposed to the outside of the cabinet 12 so as to suck air from the outside rather than inside the dryer. do.

The air intake unit 31 is a passage through which the air is introduced into the first air flow path 20 while being disconnected from other parts of the cabinet 12. Blocking the flow into the first air flow path 20. The outlet 22 ′ of the second air flow passage 22 is exposed outside the cabinet 12, preferably behind the cabinet.

The shape of the 1st air flow path 20 and the 2nd air flow path 22 does not need to be restrict | limited in particular, 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 a condenser and is changed to a heated state by applying heat from air flowing into the first air flow path 20. Therefore, the air passing through the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel 16 in a state of being heated.

A third air passage 24 is formed inside the cabinet 12 as another air passage not connected to the drying vessel 16. The third air flow passage 24 extends from the opening 12 'behind the cabinet to the inside of the cabinet, and the second heat exchange part 32 is provided inside the third air flow passage 24. The second heat exchanger is an evaporator that serves to dehumidify or lower the temperature by taking heat through heat exchange with the air introduced therein. The third air flow passage 24 has an inlet on one side of the dryer, and forms one flow passage so as to include all of the second heat exchanger 32, the driving unit 18, and the compressor 34. The end of is formed on the other side of the dryer. On the other hand, the third air flow path 24 may include a filter (not shown) for removing dust and the like from the air flowing into the inlet.

Preferably, the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 32 form a thermodynamic cycle. 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.

An air flow fan 40 is installed in the second air flow path 22. As the fan 40, a multi-rotor sirocco fan is suitable. The fan 40 receives the rotational force from the driving unit 18 to generate an air flow through which the air is discharged from the first air passage 20 to the outside through the drying vessel 16 through the second air passage 22. .

The other side of the drive unit is equipped with an auxiliary fan 40 'in the form of an axial fan. The auxiliary fan 40 'generates an air flow flowing through the third air flow passage 24 to the drive unit 18 to cool the drive unit 18 and the compressor 34. When the air flow sucked in from the outside into the third air flow path is formed, the performance of the auxiliary fan, which is a low static pressure fan, may be increased to increase the air volume. In addition, since the second heat exchange part 32 is installed in a line with the auxiliary fan 40 ′ in the third air flow path, the air flow generated from the auxiliary fan 40 ′ is transferred to the second heat exchange part 32. The temperature is lowered while passing through), further improving the cooling of the driving unit 18 and the compressor 34. As such, the auxiliary fan 40 'is installed to generate air flow flowing through the third air passage 24 to the driving unit 18, thereby cooling the driving unit 18 and the compressor 34, thereby increasing performance and efficiency. And the service life is extended. In addition, heat exchange of the second heat exchanger 32 installed in the third air flow passage 24 is actively performed, and positively affects cooling of the compressor 34, thereby improving overall efficiency of the steam compression cycle. do.

Figure 4 schematically shows the flow of the refrigerant and the flow of air on the air flow path in the steam compression cycle system in the clothes dryer according to the present invention.

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.

Air flowing into the first air passage 20 enters the drying vessel 16 after passing through the first heat exchange part 30 and is discharged through the second air passage 22 again. Is shown. In addition, the flow of air flowing into the third air passage 24 is indicated by a dotted arrow.

The air entering the first air flow path 20 receives the heat from the first heat exchanger 30 and is heated to a temperature of about 50 ° C. or higher, preferably 50 to 75 ° C.

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 portion of the first air flow path 20 in which the first heat exchanger 30 is installed is appropriately installed at the bottom of the drying vessel 16, and the third air flow path 24 and the remaining components are provided. It is appropriate to install below the drying container, preferably on the cabinet bottom.

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.

5 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 vessel 16, and the belt 42 is connected to the driving unit 18 to transmit the rotational force to the drying vessel 16. The drive unit 18 is also connected to a fan 40 installed in the second air flow path 22 to drive the fan. In addition, the auxiliary fan 40 ′ is also connected to the driving unit 18 to receive the rotational force.

Thus, the drive unit 18 can rotate the drying vessel 16 and the two pans 40, 40 ′ simultaneously. Thus, by driving the drying vessel 16 and the pans 40 and 40 'at the same time with only one drive unit 18, it is advantageous to increase the space utilization inside the cabinet and to eliminate the need for additional equipment.

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 changes to a high temperature while passing through the first heat exchange part 30 to reach one side of the drying vessel 16. Air entering the drying vessel is maintained at a temperature of about 50 to 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 hot air introduced into the drying vessel 16 is transferred to the heat-contained dry matter while being in contact with the moisture-containing dry matter, and the moisture is transferred from the dried water to exit the dry vessel as the high humidity air. The air flowing out of the drying vessel is discharged out of the cabinet 12 through the second air flow passage 22.

The clothes dryer of the present invention as described above can obtain an improved effect in terms of drying efficiency while preventing damage to the drying of the dry matter, and various modifications and improvements can be made to those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea set forth in the claims below. will be.

The clothes dryer according to the present invention exhibits two to three times the heating performance when using the same electric power by using a heat generation system by a steam compression cycle compared to the heater method. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced. In particular, cooling means for cooling the drive unit are provided to increase drive performance and efficiency. In addition, it is possible to further improve the overall cycle efficiency by forming a third air flow path, and installing a second heat exchanger therein to increase heat exchange according to the air flow. In addition, the components of the heat pump can be arranged organically to maximize the cooling effect to maximize the performance of the system.

In addition, since the temperature of the air flowing into the drying container is low compared to the drying by the heater method, there is an advantage that the damage of the dry matter is prevented.

In addition, since the clothes dryer has a compact volume and occupies a small area inside the building, there is an advantage in space utilization.

Claims (7)

Cabinets, A drying container rotatably installed in the cabinet; 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 third air flow path extending from one side of the cabinet to the other side; It includes a drive unit for providing a rotational force to the drying vessel, The first air flow path is provided with a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the air introduced therein, and includes a second heat exchanger and a compressor that exchange heat with the air introduced into the third air flow path. 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 third heat exchange part heats down the air flowing through the heat exchange. 3. The method of claim 2, 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 third 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 1, wherein an air intake unit through which air flows from a bottom surface is installed in the first air passage. The clothes dryer of claim 1, further comprising cooling means for cooling the drive unit and the compressor by generating an air flow in the third air flow path. 6. The clothes dryer of claim 5, wherein the cooling means is an auxiliary fan that generates air flow in the three air flow paths. The clothes dryer of claim 6, wherein the auxiliary fan is connected to the driving unit to receive rotational force from the driving unit.

Images