KR20220037165A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer. The clothes dryer according to one embodiment may comprise: a housing; an inlet through which an object to be dried is put in the front surface of the housing; a drum disposed in the housing and receiving the object to be dried through the inlet; and a sealing unit disposed at a front opening or a rear opening of the drum and sealing a dry air passage in the housing and the drum. The sealing unit has an annular shape surrounding the front or rear circumference of the drum. The sealing unit may include a plurality of inflatable air pockets. An objective of the present invention is to provide the clothes dryer which prevents leakage of a hot dry air.

Description

Clothes dryer {CLOTHES DRYER}

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer.

The clothes dryer shortens the drying time of an object to be dried in a wet state after washing clothes, can save the fabric of the object to be dried more than natural drying, and can remove household dust and lint.

In general, a clothes dryer for drying an object includes a housing body, a drum rotating inside the housing body, a driving device for driving the drum, an injection device for injecting air into the rotating drum, and It may include a dehumidifying device for condensing moisture, a support frame, and the like. In the clothes dryer, hot dry air is supplied to a rotating drum and passes through a dehumidifying device to dry the object to be dried. At this time, a gasket pad for sealing may be installed at the front or rear of the drum in order to prevent external leakage of air supplied to the drum.

In this regard, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3164884 B2 discloses a clothes dryer. The above invention relates to drying control through a heat exchange fan that circulates warm air in a drum for drying clothes.

The above-mentioned background art is possessed or acquired by the inventor in the process of deriving the disclosure of the present application, and it cannot necessarily be said to be a known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the present application.

SUMMARY An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer that prevents leakage of hot dry air for drying an accommodated object to be dried.

An object of the present embodiment is to provide a clothes dryer including a sealing unit capable of further strengthening the sealing by thermal expansion while supporting a rotating inner drum.

SUMMARY An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer in which a sealing part with enhanced durability is provided by more stably coupling a felt member to a sealing part.

The clothes dryer according to an embodiment includes a housing, an inlet through which an object to be dried is put in the front of the housing, a drum disposed in the housing and receiving an object to be dried through the inlet, and a front or rear opening of the drum, and It may include a dry air flow path in the housing and a sealing part sealing the drum, the sealing part has an annular shape surrounding a front or rear circumference of the drum, and the sealing part may include a plurality of inflatable air pockets. .

According to one side, the sealing part may include a first air pocket seated on the housing side and a second air pocket in contact with the first air pocket and supporting the drum.

According to one side, when the heat generated by the rotation of the drum or the high-temperature air is transferred to the first air pocket or the second air pocket, the first air pocket or the second air pocket is directed toward the drum. can inflate.

According to one side, a cross-section of the first air pocket and a cross-section of the second air pocket may have a figure 8 shape.

According to one side, a width of the portion of the first air pocket in an area in contact with the second air pocket may be smaller than a width of a portion in which the first air pocket is in contact with the housing.

According to one side, a width of a portion of the second air pocket in an area in contact with the first air pocket may be smaller than a width of a portion in which the second air pocket is in contact with the drum.

According to one side, the clothes dryer may further include a restraining part for restraining the sealing part, the restraining part may be disposed inside the housing, and the sealing part may be seated on the restraining part.

According to one side, the restraint portion may have a “C”-shaped cross-section, and the open portion of the restraint portion may face the drum.

According to one side, the sealing part may include a felt member disposed in a region in contact with the drum of the second air pocket, and the felt member may be coupled to the second air pocket by a double sewing structure.

According to one side, a groove may be provided in the outer part of the drum in contact with the sealing part so that the sealing part does not come off.

According to an embodiment, the clothes dryer is disposed in a housing, an inlet through which the object to be dried is put on the front side of the housing, a drum disposed in the housing and receiving the object to be dried through the inlet, and a front or rear opening of the drum, It may include a dry air flow path in the housing and a sealing part sealing the drum, and the sealing part may expand in a direction from the housing toward the drum due to a rise in temperature.

According to one side, the sealing part may have at least two compartments between the drum and the housing, and the width of the part where the compartments abut each other may be narrower than the width of the part adjacent to the drum or the part adjacent to the housing. there is.

According to one aspect, the clothes dryer may further include a restraining part for restraining the sealing part, wherein the restraining part is disposed inside the housing, the sealing part is seated on the restraining part, and the restraining part is the sealing part. The compartments of the sealing part may extend from the portion seated on the housing more than the portion in contact with each other.

The clothes dryer according to the exemplary embodiment may provide a control effect of high-temperature dry air capable of efficiently drying the to-be-dried object accommodated in the internal drum.

The clothes dryer according to an exemplary embodiment may provide a sealing unit in which sealing performance is improved through thermal expansion while supporting the rotating inner drum.

The clothes dryer according to an embodiment may provide a sealing unit having improved durability by more stably coupling the felt member to the sealing unit.

Effects of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a clothes dryer and a sealing unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
2 schematically shows a state according to a temperature of a sealing part according to an embodiment.
3 schematically shows a felt structure provided on a sealing part according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents and substitutes for the embodiments are included in the scope of the rights.

The terms used in the examples are used for the purpose of description only, and should not be construed as limiting. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiment, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is between each component. It will be understood that may also be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

Components included in one embodiment and components having a common function will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, descriptions described in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments as well, and detailed descriptions within the overlapping range will be omitted.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a clothes dryer 10 and a sealing unit 400 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment may include a cabinet-shaped housing 100 and an inlet 200 through which an object to be dried is put in the front of the housing 100 .

The clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment includes a drum 300 in which an object to be dried is accommodated through the inlet 200 inside the housing 100 , and a dehumidifying device disposed at a lower end of the drum 300 . (D), a sealing portion 400 disposed in the front opening or rear opening of the drum 300 and sealing the dry air flow path in the housing 100 and the drum 300 , and a sealing in contact with the drum 300 . It may include a felt member 430 attached to a portion of the portion 400 and a restraint portion 500 on which the sealing portion 400 is seated.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the drum 300 may have a cylindrical shape in which an opening is formed in the front or rear. A dehumidifying device D is provided at the lower end of the drum 300 , and the dehumidifying device D may include a heat pump or a heating duct. In the dehumidifying device D, dry high-temperature dry air having a relatively high temperature and a reduced moisture content may be generated. A dry air flow path connected between the dehumidifying device D and the front opening or the rear opening of the drum 300 may be installed. The high-temperature dry air generated from the dehumidifying device D may be introduced into the front opening or the rear opening of the drum 300 along the dry air flow path. Then, the high-temperature, dry air introduced into the drum 300 dries the object to be dried inside the drum 300 , and flows out along the flow path to be introduced into the dehumidifying device D again.

In addition, the drum 300 may be additionally provided with a rotating shaft to rotate inside the housing 100 . A roller support structure may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the drum 300 in the front or rear so that the drum 300 can rotate. A wing-shaped inner protrusion protruding inward of the drum 300 may be mounted inside the drum 300 so that the object to be dried can also move along the rotational direction when the drum 300 rotates.

In addition, the drum 300 may be provided with a structure for preventing the drum from being separated on the side of the drum 300 so as not to be separated during a process in which the clothes dryer 10 is arbitrarily transported, such as a process of distribution.

The sealing part 400 may be disposed at the front opening or the rear opening of the drum 300 and may have an annular shape. The sealing part 400 may seal a portion connecting the drum 300 rotating in the housing 100 and the flow path of the housing 100 . That is, when the drum 300 rotates at a high speed in the housing 100 , leakage may occur in the front and rear portions of the drum 300 , and the sealing part 400 is provided at the front or rear of the drum 300 , Airtightness may be maintained between the inside of the drum 300 and the dehumidifying device D.

At this time, a groove may be provided in the outer portion of the drum 300 to which the sealing part 400 is in contact so that the sealing part 400 is not separated.

When the drum 300 rotates, the felt member 430 may be provided at a portion of the sealing unit 400 in contact with the drum 300 so that the sealing unit 400 is not worn.

Since the sealing part 400 has an airtight structure that seals the dry air flow path and the drum 300 , it is possible to prevent leakage of hot dry air that dries the object to be dried contained in the drum 300 . The sealing part 400 expands in a direction from the housing 100 toward the drum 300 due to a rise in temperature, and airtight maintenance performance of preventing air leakage from the drum may be enhanced.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a restraining part 500 for restraining the sealing part 400 may be provided on the side of the sealing part 400 . The restraining part 500 may be installed on the housing 100 , and the sealing part 400 may be seated on the restraining part 500 .

The restraining part 500 may have a "C"-shaped cross-section, and in a direction in which the sealing part 400 expands by heat toward the drum 300 , the sealing part 400 is attached to the housing 100 . It may have a shape extending from the seated portion. An open portion of the “C”-shaped cross-section of the restraint unit 500 may face the drum 300 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the sealing unit 400 according to an embodiment may include at least two expandable compartments between the drum 300 and the housing 100 . The compartments may be composed of a plurality of air pockets (410, 420).

A width of a portion in which the compartments abut each other may be narrower than a width of a portion in which the compartments are adjacent to the drum 300 or adjacent to the housing 100 .

The vertical wall of the "C" cross-section of the restraining unit 500 may extend more than a portion in which one section of the sealing unit 400 contacts the vertical wall of the "C" cross-section of the restraining unit.

Specifically, the sealing part 400 includes a first air pocket 410 seated on the housing 100 side and a second air pocket 420 that is in contact with the first air pocket 410 and supports the drum. may include

A cross-section of the first air pocket 410 and a cross-section of the second air pocket 420 may have a figure 8 shape.

Referring to the enlarged view of FIG. 1 , the restraint unit 500 may be disposed on the rear inner surface of the housing 100 . In this case, the open portion of the “C”-shaped cross-section of the restraint unit 500 may be disposed inside the housing 100 , that is, in a direction toward the drum 300 . In other words, the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 may be seated on the restraining unit 500 , the restraining unit 500 , the first air pocket 410 , and the second air pocket 420 . ), the felt member 430 and the drum 300 may be arranged in the order.

A width of a portion of the first air pocket 410 in an area in contact with the second air pocket 420 may be smaller than a width of a portion of the first air pocket 410 in contact with the housing 100 . A width of a portion of the second air pocket 420 in an area in contact with the first air pocket 410 may be smaller than a width of a portion of the second air pocket 420 in contact with the drum 300 .

For example, the cross-section of the first air pocket 410 may be a pentagonal cross-section in which a seating portion of the housing 100 is flat and a portion in contact with the second air pocket 420 is a vertex. The cross-section of the second air pocket 420 may be an inverted pentagonal cross-section having a flat portion supporting the drum and a portion in contact with the first air pocket 410 as a vertex.

At the point where the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 meet, the vertex portion of the first air pocket 410 protrudes toward the second air pocket 420, and vice versa, the second air pocket 420 The vertex portion of may have a shape to accommodate the protruding vertex of the first air pocket.

Due to this shape, when the temperature rises, the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 can easily expand in the direction toward the drum 300, and when the temperature decreases and the compressive force acts on the contrary, the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 can expand. 2 The air pockets 420 can be easily contracted.

The vertical wall of the "C" cross-section of the restraining part 500 may extend more than the vertical part where the first air pocket 410 having a pentagonal cross-section contacts the restraining part 500 . Accordingly, when the first air pocket 410 is inflated, the first air pocket 410 is limited in the downward and lateral expansion by the restraining part 500 and upward (direction toward the drum 300). Only the expansion of is allowed. That is, the first air pocket 410 is expanded in the direction toward the drum 300 to form a stronger airtightness between the drum 300 and the rear surface of the housing 100 .

When heat generated by the rotation of the drum 300 is transferred to the first air pocket 410 or the second air pocket 420 , the first air pocket 410 or the second air pocket 420 . ) may expand toward the drum 300 .

2 schematically shows a state according to a temperature of the sealing part 400 according to an embodiment.

Figure 2 (a) shows a normal state of the sealing part 400 according to an embodiment, Figure 2 (b) shows a state in which the sealing part 400 according to an embodiment is expanded by heat.

Referring to FIG. 2( a ), the first air pocket 410 of the sealing part 400 is seated on the restraining part 500 , and the second air pocket 420 supports the drum 300 in contact with it. It may be disposed on the first air pocket. The second air pocket is provided with a felt member 430 at a portion in contact with the drum 300, so that when the second air pocket is expanded, the drum 300 can be more gently supported by the felt member 430, Even by rotation of the drum 300, the sealing part 400 is not worn.

Referring to FIG. 2( b ), the temperature in the vicinity of the sealing part 400 may increase due to heat such as friction heat generated while the drum 300 rotates or the temperature of the air that has passed through the dehumidifying device D . Accordingly, while the internal volumes of the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 are increased, they may expand toward the drum 300 . Through this process, the sealing part 400 can be pushed from the restraining part 500 in which the first air pocket 410 is seated while supporting the drum 300 in contact with the second air pocket 420 . Accordingly, by pushing the drum 300 to prevent air leakage from the drum 300, the airtightness can be strengthened.

Referring to FIG. 2( b ), the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 of the sealing part 400 have a pentagonal shape when pressed against the air pockets 410 and 420 of the air pockets 410 and 420 . A constant strength can be maintained throughout. As the first air pocket 410 and the second air pocket 420 expand by heat, a force F acts in a direction from the restraining part 500 toward the drum 300 due to an increase in internal volume. can be

3 schematically shows a structure of a felt 430 provided on the sealing part 400 according to an embodiment.

The sealing part 400 may include a felt member 430 disposed in a region in contact with the drum 300 of the second air pocket 420 . The felt member 430 may be coupled to the second air pocket 420 by double sewing in order to improve the durability of the salling portion 400 . Since the felt member 430 is coupled by double sewing, it is possible to guarantee a stronger bonding than bonding by bonding or double-sided bonding. Sewing lines S may be provided on both sides of the joint between the felt member 430 and the sealing part 400 in the longitudinal direction of the sealing part 400 .

Since the sealing part 400 includes the felt member 430 , it is possible to minimize loss due to friction caused by the high-speed rotation of the drum 300 . In addition, since the felt member 430 is attached to the sealing part 400 by the double sewing line S, the felt member 430 can be maintained more continuously and firmly.

Hereinafter, the role of the sealing part 400 according to the rotation of the drum 300 in the clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment will be described in detail.

First, the object to be dried may be put into the drum 300 through the inlet 200 . Subsequently, by closing the inlet 200 , the drum 300 and the dehumidifying device D may form a circulating flow path therebetween. The dry hot air generated by the dehumidifying device D flows into the drum 300 to dry the object to be dried and is converted into humid air inside the drum 300 . The humid air flows out to the drum 300 and flows back into the dehumidifying device D, so that moisture condenses and drips water, and the temperature rises, so that it can become dry air of high temperature again.

While hot dry air is circulated between the dehumidifying device D and the drum 300 along the flow path, the drum 300 is rotating to dry the object to be dried put therein. At this time, for airtightness between the drum 300 and the flow path, the sealing unit 400 is a felt member 430 coupled to the drum 300 to the sealing unit 400, and between the drum 300 and the flow path. You can support it by touching it.

When the drum 300 is stopped or rotates at a low speed, the sealing unit 400 may be supported while being in contact between the drum 300 and the flow path.

When the drum 300 rotates at high speed, high temperature and dry air may be introduced into the drum 300 while the dehumidifying device D is operated, and frictional heat between the drum 300 and the sealing unit 400 or the dehumidifying device D ), the temperature near the sealing part 400 may increase due to the temperature of the air passing through it.

Thereby, the inner air pockets 410 and 420 of the sealing part 400 may expand in the direction in which the drum 300 is pushed, and the increased volume of the air pockets 410 and 420 of the drum 300 may be increased. And it can be pressed while sealing between the flow passages. In this process, more confidentiality can be improved.

For example, when the clothes dryer 10 according to an exemplary embodiment is operated, the sealing unit 400 changes as follows. Specifically, the volume of the air pockets 410 and 420 at room temperature of 20° C. was 175 cm 3 , and friction heat or dehumidification device by rotation of the drum 300 according to the driving of the clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment Due to the air passing through (D), the temperature near the sealing part 400 was increased to 40 ℃. At this time, it was confirmed that the volume of the air pockets 410 and 420 increased to 187 cm 3 . That is, the volume of the air pockets 410 and 420 is increased by 7% when the drum 300 is rotated, and the airtightness between the drum 300 and the flow path of the dehumidifying device D is caused by the expansion of the sealing part 400 . can be further improved.

According to the clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment, the sealing part can maintain a constant strength throughout the sealing part 400 even by being pressed, and the sealing part in which airtight maintenance can be strengthened due to the expansion phenomenon as the internal temperature rises. (400) can be provided.

In addition, according to the clothes dryer 10 according to an embodiment, durability and airtightness functions may be improved by the felt member 430 to which double sewing is applied.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

10: clothes dryer
100: housing
200: inlet
300: drum
400: sealing unit
410: first air pocket
420: second air pocket
430: felt member
500: constraint
D: dehumidifier
S: seam

Claims (12)

housing;
an inlet through which the object to be dried is put in the front of the housing;
a drum disposed in the housing and receiving an object to be dried through the inlet; and
a sealing part disposed at the front opening or the rear opening of the drum and sealing the dry air passage in the housing and the drum;
including,
The sealing portion has an annular shape surrounding the front or rear circumference of the drum, the sealing portion comprising a plurality of inflatable air pockets,
clothes dryer.
The method of claim 1,
The sealing part
a first air pocket seated on the housing side; and
a second air pocket in contact with the first air pocket and supporting the drum;
including,
When heat generated by rotation of the drum or high-temperature air is transferred to the first air pocket or the second air pocket, the first air pocket or the second air pocket expands toward the drum,
clothes dryer.
3. The method of claim 2,
A cross-section of the first air pocket and a cross-section of the second air pocket have a figure 8 shape,
clothes dryer.
3. The method of claim 2,
A width of the portion of the first air pocket in a region in contact with the second air pocket is smaller than a width of a portion in which the first air pocket is in contact with the housing,
clothes dryer.
3. The method of claim 2,
A width of the second air pocket portion in a region in contact with the first air pocket is smaller than a width of a portion in which the second air pocket is in contact with the drum,
clothes dryer.
According to claim 1,
Further comprising a restraining portion constraining the sealing portion,
The restraining part is disposed inside the housing, and the sealing part is seated on the restraining part,
clothes dryer.
7. The method of claim 6,
The restraint portion has a “C”-shaped cross-section, and the open portion of the restraint portion faces the drum,
clothes dryer.
3. The method of claim 2,
The sealing part includes a felt member disposed in a region where the second air pocket is in contact with the drum,
The felt member is coupled to the second air pocket by double sewing,
clothes dryer.
According to claim 1,
A groove is provided in the outer part of the drum in contact with the sealing part so that the sealing part does not come off,
clothes dryer.
housing;
an inlet through which the object to be dried is put in the front of the housing;
a drum disposed in the housing and receiving an object to be dried through the inlet; and
a sealing part disposed at the front opening or the rear opening of the drum and sealing the dry air passage in the housing and the drum;
including,
The sealing portion is expandable in a direction from the housing toward the drum by a rise in temperature,
clothes dryer.
11. The method of claim 10,
The sealing part has at least two partitions between the drum and the housing, and a width of a portion where the partitions abut each other is narrower than a width of a portion where the partitions are adjacent to the drum or adjacent to the housing,
clothes dryer.
12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a restraining portion constraining the sealing portion,
The restraining part is disposed inside the housing, the sealing part is seated on the restraining part, and the vertical wall of the "C" cross-section of the restraining part is a vertical wall of the "C" cross-section of the restraining part. extended beyond the abutting part,
clothes dryer.

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