KR20080056431A - Steam laundry dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

A steam generator is provided to eliminate wrinkle of laundry without ironing and prevent foreign materials from entering a cartridge by installing a filter between the upper surface of a cover and the upper surface of an upper housing. A steam generator comprises a drum, a hot blast heater, a steam generator, a cartridge, and a water supply port. The water supply port is below an upper surface(321) of the cartridge and covered with a cover(322), an upper surface of which is above the upper surface of the cartridge. A filter(324) is located between the upper surface of the cover and the upper surface of the cartridge. The upper surface of the cartridge is inclined at predetermined angle.

Description

Steam laundry dryer

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

2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generator of FIG.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the steam dryer according to the present invention, a configuration diagram showing a steam generator.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the water supply source of FIG.

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the softening member of FIG. 5.

7 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the water supply source of FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a II-II 'cross-sectional view of FIG.

<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

300: water supply (cartridge) 400: pump

500: safety valve 250: nozzle

The present invention relates to a steam dryer, and more particularly, to a steam dryer that can remove or prevent wrinkles, wrinkles, etc. generated in clothing and the like.

A dryer is a household appliance in which laundry is normally washed, that is, clothes are mainly dried using high temperature 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, the laundry is dried and dehydrated laundry 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 problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a steam dryer that can prevent and / or remove wrinkles caused by clothing and the like.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a steam dryer that can easily supply water to a cartridge, as well as to easily replace a filter installed in the cartridge.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a selectively rotatable drum, a hot air heater for supplying hot hot air to the drum, a steam generator for supplying steam to the drum, and supplying water to the steam generator. A water source is included, wherein the water source provides a steam dryer, characterized in that the supply port is a relatively lower position than the upper surface of the water supply source.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to effectively prevent and / or remove wrinkles on clothes.

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

Hereinafter, in order to explain the steam dryer according to the present invention, it will be described by taking a top loading method, an electric, condensing steam dryer as an example for convenience. 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 steam dryer, and the like.

1 and 2, an embodiment of a steam dryer 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 appearance of the steam 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 appearance of a steam dryer, and includes a base 12 forming a bottom surface, a pair of side covers 14 installed vertically on 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) and the top cover 17 is 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 steam 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 Figure 3, the steam generator 200 will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 includes a water tank 210 for receiving water therein, a heater 240 mounted inside the water tank 210, and a water level sensor 260 for measuring the water level of the steam generator 200. And a temperature sensor 270 for measuring the temperature of the steam generator 200. The water level sensor 260 is generally composed of a common electrode 262, a low level electrode 264, and a high level electrode 266, so that the common electrode 262 and the high level electrode 264 are energized or the common electrode 262 and the low level electrode A high water level and a low water level are detected by the energization of 266.

One side of the steam generator 200 is connected to a water supply hose 220 for supplying water, and the other side is connected to a steam hose 230 for discharging steam, and a nozzle having a predetermined shape at the tip of the steam hose 230. 250) is preferably provided. In general, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet, and the tip of the steam hose 230 or the nozzle 25, that is, the steam discharge port, is positioned at a predetermined position of the drum 20, so that the drum 20 Steam is injected into the inside of the tank.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the steam generator 200 (hereinafter, referred to as a "heating heating method") of a method of generating steam by heating a predetermined amount of water contained in the water tank 210 of a predetermined size with the heater 240 is referred to. Although shown and described, this invention is not limited to this. That is, in the present invention, any device capable of generating steam can be used as a steam generator. For example, it is also possible to install a heater directly around the water supply hose through which the water passes, that is, to heat the water without accommodating the water in a predetermined space (hereinafter referred to as "tube heating method" for convenience).

Referring to Figure 4, another embodiment of the steam dryer according to the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, the water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 200 is removable. As in the embodiment described above, the water supply may be a faucet, but in this case the installation is complex. This is because steam dryers usually do not use water, so when using a faucet as a water supply source, it is necessary to additionally install various devices. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, using a detachable water supply source (Detachable Water Supply Source) 300, the water supply source 300 is supplied to supply water, steam the water supply source 300 filled with water It is very convenient to connect to the water supply passage of the generator 200, that is, the water supply hose 220.

In addition, the pump 400 is preferably provided between the water supply source 300 and the steam generator 200. That is, the pump 400 is connected to the water supply source 300 by inserting the drain portion of the water supply source 300 into the connection port 480, the steam generator 200 and the water supply hose 220 by Connected.

It is more preferable that the pump 400 can be rotated forward and backward, thereby supplying water to the steam generator 200 and recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200 as necessary. It is also possible to supply water to the steam generator 200 by using a water order between the water supply source 300 and the steam generator 200 without using the pump 400. However, in general, various parts and the like of the steam dryer is a standard product and because it is compactly designed, there is absolutely no shortage of structural space. Therefore, water supply using water parking is virtually impossible without changing the size of various components of the conventional dryer. Therefore, when the small pump 400 is used, since the steam generator 200 or the like can be installed without changing the size of various parts of the conventional dryer, it is very useful to use the pump 400. And, the reason for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200 is that if the steam generator 200 is not used for a long time, the heater may be damaged by the residual water, or there may be a possibility that the decayed water is used later.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, water is supplied and steam is discharged from the upper portion of the steam generator 200, but in the present embodiment, water is supplied to the lower portion of the steam generator 200, and the steam generator 200 Steam is preferably discharged from the top. This configuration is advantageous for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200.

In addition, it is preferable that the safety valve 500 is provided in the steam flow path for discharging steam from the steam generator 200, that is, the steam hose 230.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the water supply source of FIG. Hereinafter, the detachable water supply source 300 (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge") will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The cartridge 300 includes a lower housing 310 that substantially receives water, and an upper housing 320 that is detachable from the lower housing 310. When the cartridge 300 is configured as the lower housing 310 and the upper housing 320, it is easy to clean the scales accumulated in the cartridge 300, and the filters 302 and 303 and the softening member 305 and the like. This is because it is easy to separate and clean or regenerate.

It is preferable that the first filter 302 is installed in the upper housing 320. That is, it is preferable that the first filter 302 is installed at the water inlet of the upper housing 320 so that water is primarily filtered when water is supplied to the cartridge 300.

The lower housing 310 is provided with an opening and closing member 304 for selectively supplying the water of the cartridge 300 to the outside, when the cartridge 300 is separated, the water of the cartridge 300 is discharged to the outside If the cartridge 300 is installed, the water of the cartridge 300 is preferably discharged to the outside. In addition, the opening and closing member 304 is preferably connected to the second filter 303 for filtering the water, the second filter 303 is more preferably detachable. By using the first filter 302 and the second filter 303, impurities mixed in water such as fine dust may be filtered twice. Preferably, the first filter 302 uses about 50 mesh nets, and the second filter 303 uses about 60 mesh nets. Here, the 50 mesh network means that the number of meshes per predetermined area is 50. Therefore, the size of the pores constituting the mesh of the first filter 302 is larger than the size of the pores of the second filter 303, so that large foreign substances are removed. The first filter 302 is primarily filtered, and small foreign matter is filtered by the second filter 303.

In addition, it is preferable that a softening member 305 is further provided inside the cartridge 300 to soften water. In addition, the softening member 305 is more preferably detachable. As shown in FIG. 6, the softening member 305 includes a lower housing 306 in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and an upper housing 307 detachable from the lower housing 306 and in which a plurality of through holes are formed. It is preferably configured to include an ion exchange resin (not shown) filled in the space defined by the upper housing 307 and the lower housing 306.

The reason for using the softening member 305 is as follows. When the water supplied to the steam generator 200 has a high hardness, lime (calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ), etc.) is precipitated when calcium hydrogen carbonate (Ca (HCO ₃ ) ₂ ) dissolved in water is heated. This may cause corrosion of the heater. In particular, in Europe and the Americas, this phenomenon may be severe because water is a soft soft water. Therefore, it is preferable to remove calcium, magnesium ions, etc. in advance using an ion exchange resin to prevent the precipitation of lime. In addition, since the performance decreases as the soft water progresses, the ion exchange resin can be regenerated and reused with salt (NaCl). For reference, the softening process by ion exchange resin is 2 (R-SONa) + Ca2 <-> (R-SO) Ca + 2Na, and the regeneration process is (R-SO) Ca + 2NaCl <-> 2 (R -SONa) + CaCl.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the water supply source of FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line II-II ′ of FIG. 7.

The cartridge 300 according to the present embodiment has a different position where the supply port 321 to which the water is supplied is arranged as compared with the embodiment, and includes a cover 322 covering the supply port 321 and the upper housing ( Since there is a difference that the coupling part 330 is further included in the lower housing 310 so as to be easily detachable, other descriptions or reference numerals refer to the description and reference numerals described in the above embodiments. .

In the cartridge 300 according to the present exemplary embodiment, a supply port 325 may be disposed at a position relatively lower than the upper surface of the cartridge 300, that is, the upper surface 321 of the upper housing 320. . Then, when the user receives water on the upper surface of the upper housing 320, the water can be easily introduced into the supply port 325 disposed in a relatively low position on the upper surface of the upper housing 320.

The upper surface 321 of the upper housing 320 is formed to be stepped, the supply port 325 may be disposed in a relatively low position, the upper surface 321 is preferably formed to have a predetermined inclination angle. Do. Then, when the user receives the water on the upper surface 321 automatically flows to the supply port 325, it is convenient to supply water to the lower housing 310 more easily. More preferably, the inclination angle of the upper surface 321 is formed to be lowered toward the center from the outer portion, the supply port 325 may be formed in the center of the lowest position of the upper surface 321. Then, the water received on the upper surface 321 may be introduced into the supply port 325 more easily. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the filter 302 may be installed to prevent foreign matter from entering the supply port 325.

Meanwhile, as the water is filled in the lower housing 310, the user may easily recognize the water level of the water filled in the lower housing 310 through the supply port 325. Because, when the lower housing 310 is filled with water, the supply port 325 disposed at the lowest position among the upper surfaces 321 first comes into contact with water, and thus the water above the supply port 325. Because it is cold. Preferably, the supply port 325 may be disposed at a position where the water is filled above the supply port 325 when the water is filled up to an appropriate level of the lower housing 320. Then, when the user fills up the water supply port 325, the user may recognize that the water is filled up to the proper level of the lower housing 310, and thus may stop supplying water.

In addition, the supply port 325 is provided with a cover 322, it is preferable to prevent foreign matter from entering the supply port 325. In addition, the upper surface of the cover 322 is preferably disposed higher than the upper surface 321 of the upper housing 320 so that a predetermined space 324 is formed between the cover 322 and the upper surface 321. . Then, the water received on the upper surface 321 may be introduced into the supply port 325 through the space 324. More preferably, the cover 322 is preferably coupled to the supply port 325 detachably. Then, the cover 322 can be attached and detached according to the user's convenience.

The cover 322 may be attached or detached by a plurality of supports 323 fitted into the supply holes 325. Preferably, one side of the support 323 is fixed to the lower surface of the cover 322, the other side may be formed a locking jaw to be fitted to the supply port 325. Then, the cover 322 can be easily detachable as it is fitted to the supply port 325 by the support 323. The support 323 may be formed to have a predetermined length so that a predetermined space 324 is formed between the cover 322 and the upper surface 321. More preferably, the support 323 may be integrally formed with the cover 322.

In addition, the cartridge 300 may further include a predetermined filter 324 between the space 324, that is, the upper surface of the cover 322 and the upper surface 321 of the upper housing 320. Then, not only foreign matters can be prevented from entering the space 324, but also the user can easily recognize how much foreign matters are stuck in the filter 324, thereby replacing the filter 324. The timing and cleaning time can be easily determined. More preferably, the filter 324 may be installed to be detachable. Then, when the user wants to replace or clean the filter 324, it is convenient because only the filter 324 needs to be removed.

Hereinafter, the coupling part 330 for easily detaching the upper housing 320 to the housing 310 will be described.

The coupling part 330 is preferably formed to be detachably attached so that an entire surface of the lower housing 310 can be completely opened when the upper housing 320 is separated from the lower housing 310. Then, it may be easier for a user to clean the inside of the cartridge 300.

The coupling part 330 extends from one side of the upper housing 320, an extension part 332 having a hole 333 formed at a center thereof, and a protrusion 333 protruding from one side of the lower housing 310. A locking part 331 corresponding to) may be included. Here, the extension part 332 may be formed to be rotated by a predetermined angle by the connection part 334 of the upper housing 320. The connecting portion 334 is formed so that the extension portion 332 can be rotated by a predetermined angle so that the hole 333 corresponds to the locking portion 331, it may have a predetermined hinge structure. Then, as the extension part 332 is rotated by a predetermined angle by the user, the upper housing 320 is caught by the catching part 331 corresponding to the hole 333, thereby easily catching the lower housing 320. It may be detachable.

Preferably, the locking portion 331 and the hole 333 may be formed to be mutually interference fit. Then, the upper housing 320 may be more firmly coupled to the lower housing 310. More preferably, the locking jaw 335 may be further formed at the end of the locking portion 331. Then, when the locking portion 331 corresponds to the hole 333 can be easily fitted or separated by the locking jaw 335, so that the user can easily move the upper housing 320 to the lower housing 310. It is convenient because it can be attached to and detached from.

The coupling part 330 is preferably formed to prevent leakage of water contained in the lower housing 310 when the lower housing 320 is coupled to the lower housing 310. To this end, the coupling part 330 has a sealing member (sealing) for preventing the leakage of water contained in the lower housing 310 in a portion where the lower housing 310 and the upper housing 320 contact ( 360 may be further included. The sealing member 360 may be installed on at least one side of the upper housing 320 or the lower housing 310. The sealing member 360 may be made of rubber, silicon, or the like.

The coupling part 330 may further include an extension part 327 extending downward of the upper housing 320 such that a groove 326 is opened downward from an edge of the upper housing 320. Then, the sealing member 360 may be fixed by being inserted into the groove 326. More preferably, the sealing member 360 may be inserted into the groove 326 when the upper housing 320 is formed to be integrally formed with the upper housing 320. Then, the loss of the sealing member 360 may be prevented when the upper housing 320 is attached and detached.

' 형상으로 이루어짐이 바람직하다. 그러면, 상기 실링부재(360)에 홈이 형성될 뿐만 아니라, 상기 실링부재(360)는 단면이 '

'으로 형성된 상기 홈(326)에 용이하게 인써트되어 일체형으로 형성될 수 있기 때문이다.And, as shown in Figure 9, it is preferable that the groove is formed in the sealing member 360 so that the upper edge portion of the lower housing 310 can be fitted. Then, when the latching portion 331 is forcibly fitted into the hole 333, the edge of the lower housing 310 is packed into a groove formed in the sealing member 360, so that the lower housing Leaks of water contained in 310 can be more reliably prevented. More preferably, the cross section of the sealing member 360 is'

It is preferred to be in the 'shape. Then, not only a groove is formed in the sealing member 360, but the sealing member 360 has a cross section '

This is because it may be easily inserted into the groove 326 formed as' to be integrally formed.

In the present embodiment, the hole 333 is formed in the extension part 332 and the locking step 335 is formed in the locking part 331, but the locking step is formed at the end of the extension part 332. A hole may be formed in the locking portion. In another embodiment, the engaging portion may be formed at the end of the extension portion 332 instead of the hole 333. In this case, the locking jaw 335 of the locking portion 331 and the locking jaw formed at the end of the extension portion 332 are forcibly fitted, so that the upper housing 320 is firmly coupled to the lower housing 310. Can be. In addition, in the present embodiment, the groove 326 is formed on the edge of the upper housing 320, the edge of the edge portion of the lower housing 310 is fitted into the groove 326, on the contrary, the lower housing 310 Grooves may be formed at the end of the upper edge of the upper end of the upper housing 320 may be fitted into the groove.

Referring to the effects of the steam dryer 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. Moreover, according to this invention, there also exists an advantage that sterilization and smell removal of a to-be-dried thing can be performed.

Second, 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.

Third, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that not only can easily supply water to the cartridge, but also can easily replace the filter installed in the cartridge. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent foreign matters from entering the cartridge, and there is an advantage that it is easy to clean the cartridge.

Claims (9)

Optionally rotatable drum; A hot wind heater for supplying hot drum with high temperature; A steam generator for supplying steam to the drum; And Includes; a water source for supplying water to the steam generator; The water supply source is a steam dryer, characterized in that the supply port is disposed at a position relatively lower than the upper surface of the water supply source. The method of claim 1, The supply port is provided with a cover, characterized in that the upper surface of the cover is disposed higher than the upper surface of the water supply source. The method of claim 2, And a filter is provided between the upper surface of the cover and the upper surface of the water supply source. The method of claim 1, wherein The top surface of the water supply source is a steam dryer, characterized in that formed to have a predetermined angle. The method of claim 4, wherein The inclination angle of the upper surface of the water supply source is characterized in that the steam dryer is formed to be lowered toward the center. The method of claim 1, wherein Steam supply dryer is provided with the filter. The method of claim 2 or 3, Steam cover dryer characterized in that the cover is removable. The method of claim 3, wherein The filter is characterized in that the removable steam dryer. The method of claim 1, The water supply source is a steam dryer, characterized in that it comprises a lower housing for receiving water, the upper housing detachable to the lower housing.

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