KR20080056627A - Steam laundry dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

A steam dryer is provided to prevent damage to laundry by not fixing a nozzle with an assembling member such as a bolt. A steam dryer comprises a drum, a hot blast heater, a steam generator, and a steam supply unit(2000). The steam supply unit is installed on the upper part of a rear supporter(40), facing the center of the drum, and has a nozzle unit(2200), and a nozzle fixing unit. The nozzle unit supplies steam into the drum. The nozzle fixing unit has an assembling unit on the rear surface to detachably fix the nozzle unit close to the drum.

Description

Steam laundry dryer

The present invention relates to a steam dryer, and more particularly, to a steam dryer capable of uniformly spraying steam on a cloth or the like, and preventing damage to cloth or the like during driving.

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 condensation 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 the condensate is made by exchanging heat with external air in a separate condenser to discharge it 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.

On the other hand, the above-described 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 wrinkles generated once are not completely removed in the drying process in the dryer. Therefore, in the case of using a conventional dryer, there is a disadvantage in that a separate ironing is required in order to remove wrinkles existing in the dry matter such as laundry which has been dried.

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.

In addition, the present invention provides a steam dryer that can prevent damage to clothes, such as when drying clothes.

An object of the present invention as described above is a drum rotatably installed in the cabinet; Hot air heater for heating the air to supply hot air of the drum; A steam generator which forms steam to supply steam to the drum; And a steam supply unit including a nozzle unit for injecting steam generated by the steam generator into the drum, and a nozzle fixing unit having a coupling part at a rear surface thereof to detachably fix the nozzle unit adjacent to the drum. Achieved by a steam dryer.

Referring to the effect of the steam dryer according to the present invention.

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, it is possible to spray steam evenly to cloth or the like, which can more effectively remove wrinkles generated on the cloth or the like.

Fourth, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to work more easily when installing or removing the nozzle for ejecting steam.

Fifth, according to the present invention, since the nozzle is fixed by the fitting method, the cloth and the like will not be damaged as compared with the case of fixing by a fastening member such as a bolt.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, in the following to explain the steam dryer according to the present invention, for convenience, the top-loading, electric, condensation type dryer will be described as an embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and of course, the present invention may be applied to a front loading method, a gas type, a condensation type dryer, or the like.

1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembled state of a steam dryer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. 1.

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

The cabinet 10 forms the appearance of a steam dryer according to the present invention, and various components described below are installed therein. First, inside the cabinet 10, a drum 20 rotatably installed, a motor 70 for driving the drum 20, and a belt 68 are installed. In addition, at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10, 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 high temperature air (hereinafter referred to as "hot air"). A hot air supply duct 44 for supplying hot air to the drum 20 is installed. 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 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 described above is described in detail as follows.

The cabinet 10 forms the exterior of the dryer, and includes a base 12 forming a bottom surface, a pair of side covers 14 installed perpendicular to the base 12, and a front side of the side cover 14. And a top cover 17 disposed at an upper portion of the front cover 16 and the rear cover 18 and the side cover 14 respectively installed at the rear surface. 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 inside the drum 20, a lift 22 is installed to drag and lift the object to invert the object to invert the object to increase the drying efficiency. Do.

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

The front supporter 30 is formed with an opening for communicating the drum 20 with the outside of the dryer, the opening is selectively opened and closed by the door 164. In addition, the front supporter 30 is connected to the lint duct 50 which is a passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside, and the lint duct 50 is provided with a lint filter 52.

One side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the lint duct 50, the other side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust duct 80 is an exhaust hole provided in the rear cover 18. In communication with (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. In this case, foreign matter such as lint and the like is filtered by 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 and serves 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.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generator in FIG. Referring to Figure 3, the steam generator 200 will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 includes a water tank 210 in which water is accommodated therein, a heater 240 mounted in the water tank 210, a water level sensor 260 for measuring the level of the steam generator 200, and It is configured to include 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 the water supply hose 220 for supplying water, the other side is connected to the steam hose 230 for discharging steam, the steam supply for injecting steam to the tip of the steam hose 230 Preferably, unit 250 is provided. Typically, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet, the tip of the steam hose 230 or the steam supply unit 250 is located at a predetermined position of the drum 20, the drum 20 Steam is injected into the

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).

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a steam generator in a steam dryer according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 4, another embodiment of the steam dryer according to the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, a water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 200 may be detachably installed, or the water supply source may be fixedly installed although not shown in the drawing. As in the above embodiment, the water supply may be a faucet, but in this case the installation is complicated. This is because, in general, the dryer does not use water, and thus, when the faucet is used as a water supply source, various apparatuses and the like must be additionally installed. Therefore, as in this embodiment, using a detachable water supply source (Detachable Water Supply Source) 300, to separate the water supply source 300 to fill the water, the water supply source 300 filled with water to the steam generator ( It is very convenient to use by connecting to the water supply flow path of the water supply hose 220 of 200).

In addition, the pump 400 is preferably provided between the water supply source 300 and the steam generator 200. It is more preferable that the pump 400 is capable of forward and reverse rotation to supply water to the steam generator 200 or to recover residual water of the steam generator 200 as necessary.

On the other hand, 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. Here, 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 from the upper portion of the steam generator 200, Preferably, the steam is configured to be discharged. 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 passage, ie, the steam hose 230, for discharging steam from the steam generator 200.

Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the detachable water supply source 300 (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge" for convenience) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The cartridge 300 is configured to include 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 330 and 340 and the softening member 350 to be described later. This is because it is easy to separate or clean the back.

It is preferable that the first filter 330 is installed in the upper housing 320. That is, it is preferable that the first filter 330 is installed at the water inlet 322 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 (see FIG. 4, 360) for selectively supplying the water of the cartridge 300 to the outside. The opening / closing member 360 prevents the water of the cartridge 300 from being discharged to the outside when the cartridge 300 is separated, and the water of the cartridge 300 is discharged to the outside when the cartridge 300 is installed. In addition, the opening and closing member 360 is preferably connected to the second filter 340 for filtering water, the second filter 340 is more preferably detachable.

In the present invention, the first filter 330 and the second filter 340, the impurities mixed in water such as fine dust can be filtered in a double. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the first filter 330 use about 50 mesh nets, and the second filter 340 use 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 330 is larger than the size of the pores of the second filter 340, so that large foreign substances are removed. The first filter 330 is primarily filtered, and small foreign matter is filtered by the second filter 340.

In addition, the inside of the cartridge 300 is preferably provided with a softening member 350 for softening the water. Furthermore, the softening member 350 is more preferably installed detachably.

The reason for using the softening member 350 in the present invention 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.

6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing one embodiment of a pump according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pump 400 serves to selectively supply water to the steam generator 200. In addition, the pump 400 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, it is preferable to selectively supply water to the steam generator 200, or to recover the water of the steam generator 200.

The pump 400 may use a gear type, a pulsating type, a diaphragm type, or the like. Even in pulsating and diaphragm pumps, it is possible to control the flow of fluid in the forward and reverse directions by changing the polarity of the circuit momentarily.

6 illustrates a gear pump 400 as an example of a pump 400 that can be used. The gear pump 400 includes a pair of gears 420 inside the case 410, and the case 410 is provided with an inlet 430 and an outlet 414. That is, according to the rotation direction of the gear 420, water may be discharged from the inlet 430 to the outlet 414 or from the outlet 414 to the inlet 430.

7 is a front view showing a state in which a steam supply unit for injecting steam in the steam dryer of the present invention is installed.

Referring to FIG. 7, the steam supply unit 250 may be detachably installed at an upper side adjacent to the drum (refer to FIG. 1 and 20), and preferably, the rear supporter 40 disposed on the rear surface of the drum 20. ) Is installed on top of it. More preferably, the steam supply unit 250 is disposed to face the center of the drum 20 so that the steam is directed toward the center of the drum. In this way, when the steam supply unit 250 is installed adjacent to the drum 20 to the upper portion of the supporter 40 to face the central portion of the drum 20, the steam injected from the steam supply unit 250 is Sprayed toward the central portion of the drum 20 may be evenly sprayed with steam or the like in the drum (20).

In addition, the steam supply unit 250 is preferably installed adjacent to the opening 42 for supplying hot air to the drum, so that the steam is injected from the rear of the drum to the front. This is because, inside the drum, air normally flows out of the opening 42 formed in the rear supporter 40 at the rear part and exits to the lint duct (see FIG. 1, 50) below the door 104 located at the front part. Therefore, the flow path of air is approximately directed from the opening 42 to the lint duct 50. Therefore, when the steam supply unit 250 is installed adjacent to the opening 42 to inject steam toward the lower portion of the door 104 of the front portion, the injected steam flows smoothly along the air flow path so that the cloth inside the drum You will be asked evenly.

On the other hand, the applicant carried out the experiment to compare the wrinkle removal effect of the steam injection when the steam supply unit is installed in the upper rear side adjacent to the drum and the other position of the drum as described above. Specifically, in the present experiment, when the steam supply unit is installed on the upper front and the rear of the drum, the wrinkle removal effect of the steam injection was compared.

8 is a graph showing the wrinkle removal effect of the cloth according to the installation position of the steam supply unit according to the experiment. In this experiment, a cloth of the same material was put in four drums, steam was sprayed for 13 minutes, and again dried by supplying hot air generated by a hot air heater (see FIG. 1, 90) for 10 minutes and drying it once. Defined as, the drying was repeated five times according to each position of the nozzle to compare the wrinkle removal effect.

On the other hand, the wrinkle elimination effect was expressed as a numerical value by comparing the specimens and the fabrics that the test is prescribed by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). That is, in the AATCC, the specimens indicating the degree of wrinkles are defined from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates the most severe degree of wrinkles, and 5 indicates the weakest degree of wrinkles. Therefore, in the above experiment, the degree of wrinkles was expressed as a numerical value compared to the specimen after drying the cloth.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 8, the wrinkle removal effect is 3.1 on average when the steam supply unit is installed on the upper front of the drum, and the wrinkle removal effect is average when the steam supply unit is installed on the rear top of the drum. It can be seen that 3.2. Therefore, it can be seen from the above experimental results that the steam supply unit is more effective in removing wrinkles than the steam supply unit installed in the upper part of the drum.

In addition, it can be seen that the degree of wrinkle of the cloth is not constant and its distribution is diffused in the case where the steam supply unit is installed in the upper front side as compared to the case in which the upper side of the drum is installed in the upper part. When the steam supply unit is installed in the upper part of the front to spray steam, the flow path of the air flowing from the rear surface of the drum and flowing toward the lower part of the door 104 and the spraying direction of the steam collide with each other, and the steam is caused by the air. This is because it spreads a lot to the side and the top. Therefore, when steam spreads in this way, steam will not be uniformly adhered to cloth etc., and the wrinkle degree of cloth will not be constant.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a structure in which the steam supply unit 250 is detachably installed to the rear supporter 40 on the rear surface of the drum 20. There are a variety of ways to install the steam supply unit, generally using a flat head screw (flat head screw).

That is, to fix the steam supply unit to the desired position using a flat head screw. By the way, such a system may damage the cloth inside the dryer due to the protruding portion of the flat head screw. That is, even if the head uses a flat head screw, the screw may protrude even finely, especially if the screw is loosened after using the dryer for a long time, the degree of protrusion becomes severe. Since the steam supply unit is installed adjacent to the rotating drum, when the screw protrudes as described above, when the cloth or the like passes through the steam supply unit when the dryer is driven, the cloth or the like is protruded by the protruding portion of the screw. It gets caught and is damaged.

In addition, when the flat head screw is used as described above, it is very inconvenient to fix the steam supply unit because the screw has to go through a process of fastening or detaching the screw each time the steam supply unit is fixed or separated.

Therefore, the present invention provides a steam supply unit that can be easily fixed while solving the above problems. A description with reference to the drawings is as follows.

9 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit 250 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is separated from the rear supporter 40.

Referring to FIG. 9, the steam supply unit 250 according to the present exemplary embodiment may include a nozzle unit 252 having a supply port 254 through which steam is injected, and an extension formed from the nozzle unit 252 to support the rear supporter 40. And a nozzle fixing unit 256 that is detachably fixed to it. Here, the nozzle fixing part 256 may be molded and connected to a separate member from the nozzle part 252, but preferably, the nozzle fixing part 256 is integrally formed with the nozzle part 256. As a result, the steam supply unit 250 can be molded and manufactured more easily.

On the other hand, the nozzle fixing part 256 is provided with a coupling part on the back thereof and detachably fixed to the rear supporter 40. That is, in the present embodiment, the coupling part is provided on the rear surface of the nozzle fixing part 256, and the front surface of the nozzle fixing part 256 and the surface of the nozzle part 252 form a smooth surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, the coupling portion does not protrude from the front surface of the nozzle fixing unit 256, thereby preventing damage to the cloth or the like while the dryer is being driven.

One or more fastening protrusions 258 and 259 are formed on the rear surface of the nozzle fixing unit 256 to protrude, and a predetermined groove of the rear supporter 40 corresponds to the fastening protrusions 258 and 259. 41, 42) are formed.

Meanwhile, the fastening grooves 41 and 42 extend from the first inserting portions 41a and 42a and the first inserting portions 41a and 42a having a width into which the fastening protrusions 258 and 259 can be inserted. Preferably, the projections 258 and 259 include first fixing portions 41b and 42b to which the projections 258 and 259 can be fixed. Here, the first fixing portion (41b, 42b) has a width corresponding to the fastening protrusions (258, 259), or have a width of a small size, so that the fastening protrusions (258, 259) can be fixed. do. That is, in the present embodiment, the fastening grooves 41 and 42 have a shape in which the width thereof becomes narrower from the first inserting portions 41a and 42a to the first fixing portions 41b and 42b. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, the first fixing parts 41b and 42b are preferably formed to draw arcs about the center of each other.

Looking at the process of fixing the steam supply unit 250 having the above-described configuration to the rear supporter 40 as follows. First, the operator inserts the fastening protrusions 258 and 259 formed in the steam supply unit 250 into the first inserting portions 41a and 42a of the fastening grooves 41 and 42 of the rear supporter 40, respectively. Subsequently, the worker rotates the steam supply unit 250 in the direction in which the first fixing parts 41b and 42b are formed. For example, the worker rotates the steam supply unit 250 in the counterclockwise direction. In this case, since the first fixing parts 41b and 42b have a width corresponding to the fastening protrusions 258 and 259, or have a width smaller than the fastening protrusions 258 and 259, the fastening protrusions 258 and 259 have a first height. It is inserted into and fixed to the government parts 41b and 42b in a fixed manner. Since the method of separating the steam supply unit 250 from the rear supporter 40 is the reverse of the above-described process, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the member number 43, which is not described in the drawing, shows an opening formed in the supporter 40, and the rear end portion 251 extending from the back of the steam supply unit 250 has a steam generator ( 200).

10 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the steam supply unit 1250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is separated from the supporter 40. The steam supply unit of this embodiment has a difference in configuration of the fastening protrusion and the fastening groove corresponding to the fastening protrusion, as compared with the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, the difference will be described.

Referring to FIG. 10, coupling portions 1258a and 1259a may be formed at distal ends of the coupling protrusions 1258 and 1259 of the present embodiment, and coupling portions 1258a and 1259a may be formed at other portions of the coupling protrusions 1258 and 1259. It is preferred that the diameter is larger than the diameter. Meanwhile, the fastening grooves 1041 and 1042 may include second insertion portions 1041a and 1042a having an area size corresponding to the coupling portions 1258a and 1259a so that the coupling portions 1258a and 1259a can be inserted therein, and the second insertion portions 1041a and 1259a may be inserted into the coupling grooves 1041a and 1259a. It is preferable to include second fixing portions 1041b and 1042b extending from the portions 1041a and 1042a to have a width corresponding to the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259 or to have a width of a minute size. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 10, the second fixing parts 1041b and 1042b are preferably formed to draw arcs about the center of each other.

Looking at the process of fixing the steam supply unit 1250 having the above-described configuration to the rear supporter 40 as follows. First, the operator inserts the engaging portions 1258a and 1259a of the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259 formed in the steam supply unit 1250 into the second inserting portions 1041a and 1042a of the fastening grooves 1041 and 1042 of the rear supporter 40. Each). Subsequently, the operator rotates the steam supply unit 1250 in the direction in which the second fixing portions 1041b and 1042b are formed, that is, counterclockwise. In this case, since the second fixing parts 1041b and 1042b have a width corresponding to the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259 or have a width smaller in size, the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259 have a second height. It is inserted into and fixed to the governments 1041b and 1042b by an interference fit type. In addition, in the present embodiment, the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259 at the second fixing portions 1041b and 1042b of the fastening grooves 1041 and 1042 by the engaging portions 1258a and 1259a formed at the distal ends of the fastening protrusions 1258 and 1259. ) Is prevented from being spaced apart. Since the method of separating the steam supply unit 1250 from the rear supporter 40 is the reverse of the above-described process, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

11 is a front view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit 2000 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is installed in the rear supporter 40, and FIG. 12 is a rear view of the steam supply unit 200 according to the embodiment of FIG. 11. It is a rear perspective view which shows the state installed in the supporter 40. FIG.

11 and 12, the steam supply unit 2000 according to the present embodiment includes a nozzle part 2200 for injecting steam and a front surface forming a nozzle fixing part to which the nozzle part 2200 is detachably fixed. The cover 2100 and a ring member 2400 forming a coupling part for fixing the nozzle part 2200 to the front cover 2100.

Here, the front cover 2100 is preferably located above the supporter 40. Specifically, although not shown in the drawing, the front cover 2100 is inserted into and fixed to the opening formed in the supporter 40.

Meanwhile, the front surface of the front cover 2100 forms a smooth surface, and an opening 2130 is formed at the lower portion of the front cover 2100. Through the opening 2130, the nozzle unit 2200 may inject steam into the drum (see FIG. 1, 20). In this case, since the steam supply unit 2000 is positioned above the supporter 40, the opening 2130 may be formed to be opened downward as shown in the drawing. As a result, the steam injected from the steam supply unit 2000 is directed toward the center of the drum (see FIG. 1 and 20).

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the nozzle unit 2200 is installed on the rear surface of the front cover 2100, the steam injected from the steam supply port 2240 of the nozzle unit 2200 is the opening 2130 of the front cover 2100 It is supplied to the drum 20 through. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the tip of the nozzle unit 2200 in which the nozzle supply port 2240 is formed does not protrude to the surface of the front cover 2100, whereby the dryer 20 drives and the drum 20 rotates. In addition, the drying object is caught by the nozzle unit 2200, thereby preventing the phenomenon of being damaged.

Meanwhile, the member number 2300 which is not described in FIG. 12 shows the connector 2300 connected to the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200, which will be described in detail later.

A coupling relationship between the front cover 2100 and the nozzle unit 2200 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembled state of the steam supply unit according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, as described above, the steam supply unit 2000 according to the present embodiment includes a front cover 2100 and a front cover 2100 detachably fixed to the rear supporter 40 (see FIG. 11). It is provided with a ring member 2400 for fixing the nozzle portion 2200 and the front cover 2100 is detachably positioned on the back.

As described above, the front cover 2100 is inserted into and fixed to an opening (not shown ) formed in the upper portion of the supporter 40. Specifically, the front cover 2100 is formed of a plate having a circular shape, the opening (see Fig. 11, 2130) is formed downward as described above. In addition, as described above, the steam of the nozzle unit 2200 is supplied into the drum 20 through the opening 2130.

Meanwhile, at least one fixing member 2110 protrudes from a rear surface of the front cover 2100, and a locking member 2420 corresponding to the fixing member 2110 is formed at the ring member 2400. When the front cover 2100 is fixed to the rear supporter 40, the fixing member 2110 protrudes to the rear surface of the rear supporter 40, and the fixing member 2110 is interposed between the rear supporter 40. The front cover 2100 is fixed by combining the ring member 2400.

Here, it is preferable that at least one fixing member 2110 is formed along the rear edge of the front cover 2100. In the present embodiment, the four fixing members 2110 are formed to have a central angle of 90 ° along the rear edge of the front cover 2100, but is not limited thereto. Specifically, the fixing member 2110 has a vertical portion 2112 vertically extending from the rear surface of the front cover 2100, and an extension portion 2114 extending from the vertical portion 2112 to form a locking groove 2116. It is provided.

On the other hand, the ring member 2400 is formed to correspond to the circular body 2410 corresponding to the circular shape of the front cover 2100, and the fixing member 2110 of the front cover 2100 along the body 2410 A locking member 2420 is provided. The body 2410 has a circular shape approximately corresponding to the front cover 2100, the locking member 2420 protrudes to correspond to the locking groove 2116 of the fixing member 2110 along the outside of the body 2410 2422. In addition, it is preferable that at least one rotating bar 2430 is formed in the body 2410 to rotate the ring member 2400. As will be described later, the ring member 2400 is a rotation bar that can rotate the ring member 2400, the locking member 2420 is coupled to the fixing member 2110 of the front cover 2100 while rotating a predetermined angle ( 2430 is preferred.

Therefore, when the front cover 2400 is inserted into the opening at the front of the supporter 40, the fixing member 2110 penetrates through the opening to protrude to the rear surface of the supporter 40. That is, the opening of the supporter 40 is smaller than the front cover 2100, and a groove (not shown ) is formed at a position corresponding to the fixing member 2110 so that the fixing member 2110 is the supporter 40. Protrude to the back of the).

As such, when the fixing member 2110 of the front cover 2100 protrudes to the rear surface of the rear supporter 40, the user closes the ring member 2400 to the rear supporter 40 and uses the rotary bar 2430. 13, the protrusion 2422 of the locking member 2420 is inserted into the locking groove 2116 of the fixing member 2110 to be fixed by rotating at a predetermined angle, for example, clockwise in FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 illustrates a state in which the locking member 2420 is fixed to the fixing member 2110 by rotating the ring member 2400 as described above. In FIG. 14, the rear supporter 40 and the nozzle unit 2200 are not illustrated for convenience of description.

Referring to FIG. 14, the ring member 2400 is rotated in a clockwise direction so that the locking member 2420 of the ring member 2400 is inserted into and fixed to the locking groove 2116 of the fixing member 2110 of the front cover 2100. You can see that. Accordingly, the front cover 2100 is fixed by the ring member 2400 with the supporter 40 interposed therebetween.

On the other hand, in the configuration as described above, when removing the front cover 2100, the user rotates the ring member 2400 in a counterclockwise direction. That is, the user applies a force counterclockwise to the rotation bar 2430 of the ring member 2400 so that the locking member 2420 of the ring member 2400 is locked by the fixing member 2110 of the front cover 2100. 2116, the ring member 2400 may be separated. The ring member 2400 is separated, and the user can detach the front cover 2100 from the front of the porter 40.

On the other hand, the back of the front cover (2100) guides the movement of the ring member 2400 when the ring member 2400 is coupled, and further has at least one guide member 2140 to prevent the flow of the ring member 2400 It is preferably formed. Specifically, the guide member 2140 is formed on the rear surface of the front cover 2100 to correspond to the inner diameter of the ring member 2400. That is, the guide member 2140 is formed such that a virtual circle formed along the outer surface of the one or more guide members 2140 corresponds to the inner circumferential surface of the ring member 2400. As such, when the guide member 2140 is disposed, when the ring member 2400 is coupled to the front cover 2100, the guide member 2140 is first inserted along the inner circumference of the ring member 2400, and the ring member ( 2400 is rotated and fixed.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the nozzle part 2200 is detachably fixed to the rear surface of the front cover 2100.

In detail, a catching jaw 2150 of one mover is formed on a rear surface of the front cover 2100, and a catching bar 2230 corresponding to the catching jaw 2150 is formed in the nozzle unit 2200. Therefore, in the case of fixing the nozzle unit 2200, the worker fixes the locking bar 2330 of the nozzle unit 2200 to the locking step 2150 of the front cover 2100 to fix the nozzle unit 2200. In addition, when the nozzle unit 2200 is fixed as described above, the front cover 2100 is preferably provided with at least one support member 2160 for supporting the nozzle unit 2200. The support member 2160 is firmly supported so that the nozzle part 2200 does not sag downward when the nozzle part 2200 is fixed to the front cover 2100. On the other hand, the nozzle unit 2200 is preferably installed to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the front cover 2100 to inject steam to the center of the drum 20. Therefore, the locking bar 2330 formed in the nozzle unit 2200 is formed in consideration of this. For example, as illustrated in the drawing, when three locking jaws 2150 are formed on the rear surface of the front cover 2100, the upper hooks are locked compared to the locking bars 2330 fixed to the locking jaws 2150 of both sides. The length of the locking bar 2330 fixed to the jaw 2150 may be longer. This makes it possible to install the nozzle portion 2200 so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle.

Meanwhile, a steam supply port (refer to FIG. 11 and 2240) for supplying steam is formed at the front end of the nozzle unit 2200, and is connected to a steam generator (see FIG. 4 and 200) at the rear end to supply steam to the steam supply unit 2000. It is preferable that the connector 2300 for supplying the is connected.

In this case, the connector 2300 may be fixed to the rear end of the nozzle unit 220 by fitting. In detail, the connector 2300 includes an upper body 2310 connected to the steam generator 200, and a lower body 2320 inserted into the nozzle unit 2200. The upper body 2310 is connected to the steam generator 200 and the pipe (not shown), etc., the lower body 2320 is inserted into the nozzle unit 2200 is connected. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper body 2310 and the lower body 2320 may be bent at a predetermined angle. As described above, since the nozzle part 2200 is installed to form a predetermined angle with the rear surface of the front cover 2100 so that the nozzle part 2200 faces the center of the drum 20, the lower body 2320 of the connector 2300 is the nozzle part 2200. This is because the upper body 2310 is formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the ground in consideration of the connection to the steam generator 200.

Meanwhile, one or more fixing protrusions 2330 are formed in the lower body 2320 of the connector 2300, and a fixing groove 2210 corresponding to the fixing protrusions 2330 is formed at a position adjacent to the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200. One or more are formed. Therefore, when an operator inserts the lower body 2320 of the connector 2300 through the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200, the fixing protrusion 2330 of the connector 2300 is the fixing groove 2210 of the nozzle unit 2200. Inserted into the connector 2300 is fixed.

However, when the connector 2300 is inserted into and fixed to the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200 and the diameter of the lower body 2320 of the connector 2300 is slightly larger than the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200, the lower body It is difficult to insert 2320 into the rear end of the nozzle portion 2200. Therefore, in the present embodiment, at least one cutting groove 2220 is provided at the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200 so that the connector 2300 can be easily inserted. Here, the cutting groove 2220 is formed to a predetermined length at the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200.

Accordingly, when the connector 2300 is inserted into the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200, the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200 may be opened with a predetermined elasticity by the cutting groove 2220, so that the lower portion of the connector 2300 may be opened. Even if the diameter of the body 2320 is larger than the nozzle portion 2200, the connector 2300 can be connected. On the other hand, the material of the front cover 2100, the nozzle portion 2200, the connector 2300 and the ring member 2400 is not limited, but may be made of synthetic resin, preferably made of synthetic resin having elasticity.

On the other hand, between the upper body 2310 and the lower body 2320 of the connector 2300, it is preferable that the engaging projection 2340 is formed along the outer circumference. The locking protrusion 2340 is spaced apart from the end of the lower body 2320 by a predetermined length to protrude along the outer circumference of the connector 2300. As such, when the locking protrusion 2340 is formed, when the connector 2300 is inserted into the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200, the fixing protrusion 2330 of the connector 2300 is fixed to the groove 2210 of the nozzle unit 2200. The connector 2300 may be prevented from being inserted beyond a predetermined length through the rear end of the nozzle unit 2200 even though the connector 2300 is not inserted into the tube.

On the other hand, the steam supply unit described in this embodiment can be applied in addition to the dryer having a removable water supply source (300). For example, the fixed water supply source may be used as the water supply source 300, or the external faucet may be used.

15 is a perspective view illustrating an installation example of the above-described components.

Referring to Figure 15, it will be described a preferred embodiment of the installation of the components of the steam line around the steam generator according to the present invention.

A drawer-type container (hereinafter referred to as a "drawer") 700 is installed at one side of a cabinet (see FIG. 1 and 10) forming an appearance of the steam dryer so as to be able to be pulled in and pulled out, and preferably a drawer ( The cartridge 300 is detachably mounted to the 700. In this case, rather than connecting the cartridge 300 directly to the pump 400, the cartridge 300 is mounted on the drawer 700, and the drawer 700 is indirectly pumped in / out of the drawer 700. It is preferred to bind / separate at 400.

The drawer 700 is preferably provided at the front of the steam dryer, for example, the control panel 19, and the supporter 820 is installed at the rear side of the control panel 19. Specifically, the supporter 820 is installed in substantially parallel to the top frame 830, the drawer guide 710 for guiding and supporting the drawer 700 in the supporter 820 and the top frame 830 is installed It is preferable. On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, it is preferable that the top guide is provided on a part of the upper part of the drawer guide 710.

The upper and one side (front direction of the steam dryer) of the drawer guide 710 is opened, the drawer 700 is drawn in / out through the front opening of the steam dryer, the pump 400 is drawer guide 710 is preferably provided on the other side of the upper surface.

As described above, the drawer 700 is preferably installed in front of the dryer in terms of ease of use. FIG. 10 illustrates a dryer in which the control panel 19 is installed in the front cover, so that the drawer 700 is introduced / retracted from the control panel 19. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the control panel is installed in the top cover as shown in FIG. 1, the drawer 700 may be directly installed in the front cover.

On the other hand, when the cartridge 300 is mounted in the drawer 700, at least both sides of the cartridge 300 correspond to both sides of the drawer 700, and are preferably closely coupled to each other. In addition, it is preferable that recesses 301 are formed on both sides of the cartridge 300 so that the cartridges 300 can be attached and detached, and the cartridges 700 are detached using the recesses 301.

Referring to Figure 15, the method of supplying water to the cartridge 300 will be described.

When the user withdraws the drawer 700, the cartridge 300 is also withdrawn. In this state, the cartridge 300 is removed from the drawer 700. Water is supplied to the water inlet 322 to the cartridge 300 in the removed state, thereby filling the cartridge 300 with water. When the cartridge 300 in the water filled state is mounted on the drawer 700 again, and the drawer 700 is pushed in, the opening and closing member 360 of the cartridge 300 is automatically connected to the pump 400, and the cartridge Water of 300 flows out toward the pump 400.

After the completion of the use of the steam dryer, it is possible to remove the cartridge 300 from the drawer 700 as opposed to the above. In the present invention, since the cartridge 300 is composed of the upper housing 320 and the lower housing 310, it is easy to clean the removed cartridge 300.

According to the experimental results of the present inventors, although there are differences depending on the type of clothes, for example, the type of cloth and the degree of moisture absorption, the present invention has the effect of removing wrinkles and preventing them. The laundry dehydrated in the washing machine may be used as an example of the object to be dried, but is not limited thereto. For example, clothing that is worn for about a day, that is, clothes that are already dried and less wrinkled, can be particularly useful in this case if it is possible to remove wrinkles in the dryer according to the present invention. That is, it is also possible to use the dryer according to the present invention as a kind of wrinkle removal device.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the steam dryer according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is disassembled;

2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG.

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

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a steam generator in a steam dryer according to another embodiment of the present invention,

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

6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an embodiment of the pump in FIG.

7 is a front view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit of FIG. 4 is installed;

8 is a graph showing the effect of removing wrinkles according to the position of the steam supply unit,

9 is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit according to the first embodiment of FIG. 7 is separated from the supporter;

10 is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit according to the second embodiment in FIG. 7 is separated from the supporter;

11 is a front view illustrating a state in which a steam supply unit according to a third embodiment of FIG. 7 is mounted on a rear supporter;

12 is a rear perspective view illustrating a state in which the steam supply unit of FIG. 11 is mounted on a rear supporter;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembled state of the steam supply unit of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a ring member is coupled to a front cover in FIG. 13 (not shown in FIG. 14 for the convenience of the description); and

15 is a perspective view illustrating an installation example of the components of FIG. 4.

<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

Claims (22)

A drum rotatably installed in the cabinet; Hot air heater for heating the air to supply hot air of the drum; A steam generator which forms steam to supply steam to the drum; And And a steam supply unit including a nozzle unit for injecting steam generated by the steam generator into the drum, and a nozzle fixing unit having a coupling part at a rear surface thereof to detachably fix the nozzle unit adjacent to the drum. Steam dryer characterized in that. The method of claim 1, The steam supply unit is a steam dryer, characterized in that detachably fixed to the rear supporter located on the back of the drum. The method of claim 2, The steam supply unit is a steam dryer, characterized in that located on top of the supporter. The method of claim 3, The steam supply unit is a steam dryer, characterized in that arranged to face the center of the drum. The method of claim 2, And the nozzle unit and the nozzle fixing unit are integrally formed. The method of claim 5, The coupling unit is a steam dryer, characterized in that detachably fixed in the interference fit type. The method of claim 6, The coupling portion is composed of one or more fastening protrusions provided on the back of the nozzle fixing part, The rear supporter is provided with a fastening groove corresponding to the fastening protrusion, wherein the fastening protrusion is fixed to the fastening groove by a steam dryer. The method of claim 7, wherein The fastening groove may include a first insertion part into which the fastening protrusion may be inserted, and a first fixing part extending from the first insertion part to fix the fastening protrusion. The method of claim 7, wherein A coupling portion is formed at the distal end of the fastening protrusion, The fastening groove may include a second insertion part into which the coupling part may be inserted, and a second fixing part extending from the second insertion part to fix the fastening protrusion. The method of claim 2, The nozzle fixing portion is detachably fixed to the rear supporter is made of a front cover to which the nozzle portion is fixed, The coupling part is a ring member coupled to the rear supporter via the rear surface of the front cover; And a fixing member formed on a rear surface of the front cover to correspond to the ring member. The method of claim 10, An opening is formed in the front cover, and the nozzle unit sprays steam to the drum through the opening, and is not exposed to the surface of the front cover. The method of claim 11, The steam supply unit is located in the upper portion of the supporter, the steam dryer, characterized in that the opening is formed to open downward. The method of claim 11, The back of the front cover steam dryer, characterized in that provided with one or more locking jaw to which the nozzle portion is detachably fixed. The method of claim 13, The back of the front cover is provided with a steam dryer, characterized in that provided with at least one support member for supporting the nozzle. The method of claim 10, The back of the front cover the steam dryer, characterized in that provided with at least one guide member for guiding movement when the ring member is coupled to the fixing member of the front cover, and prevents the flow of the ring member. The method of claim 10, The ring member has a circular body; And a locking member provided along the body and coupled to the fixing member. The method of claim 16, The ring member is a steam dryer, characterized in that the engaging member is coupled to the fixing member while rotating at a predetermined angle. The method of claim 17, The body of the ring member is steam dryer, characterized in that one or more rotating bars are formed to rotate the ring member. The method of claim 10, The rear end of the nozzle unit further comprises a connector connected to the steam generator detachably connected to the steam dryer. The method of claim 19, One or more fixing protrusions are formed in the connector, and the rear end of the nozzle unit has a fixing groove corresponding to the fixing protrusions. The method of claim 20, And at least one cutout groove formed at a rear end of the nozzle portion by a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle portion. The method of claim 20, And a locking protrusion for fixing the position when the connector is connected to the rear end of the nozzle unit.

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