GB2226390A - Domestic laundry drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A laundry drying machine has a drum which rotates about a horizontal axis and a conduit 12 for discharge of the moist air, the intake opening of which is disposed in the annular space between the internal wall of the closure door and the loading opening of the casing. On the internal edge of an annular projection for slidably supporting the front edge of the drum there is provided a seat for snap-engagement fixing of a ring 16 which, co-operating with sealing means provided on the internal wall of the closure door, permits closure of the passage for the moist air between said internal wall of the door and the edge of the loading opening in the casing; said closure ring permitting the alternative use of closure doors provided with passages and moist air filter means 19. <IMAGE>

Description

DOMESTIC LAUNDRY DRYING MACHINE The invention relates to a domestic laundry drying machine of the type having a drum which rotates about a horizontal axis and which is provided with a front loading opening.

In particular, the invention concerns a laundry drying machine in which the opening of the drum is supported slidably around the front opening of the casing of the machine and the moist air issuing from the laundry drum can be passed either by way of a filter element disposed in the moist air discharge conduit or by means of a simple and advantageous modification of the machine, through filter elements provided in the door of the loading opening.

Laundry drying machines can be of the open circuit type, if the moist air issuing from the drum is discharged from the machine, or of the closed circuit type if the moist air is collected by a condensation device and thus freshly heated and returned through the laundry drum.

It is known to provide laundry driers of the open circuit type with at least one filtration device for retaining the fluff transported by the moist air and for preventing blockages in the air discharge conduits and malfunctioning of the air circulating fan.

One of the more widely used constructions involves inserting a filter device in the form of a bag or baffle inside the conduit for discharge of the moist air, for example as described in German patent number 2427461.

In regard to condensation-type laundry drying machines, it is known to use at least two filtration devices, one with coarse meshes and the other with fine meshes, which are disposed in series in the path of the flow of moist air in order more efficiently to prevent fluff from being deposited on the surfaces of the condensation device.

In that type of machine the more widespread construction provides fixing the two filters on the inside wall of the closure door, as described for example in German patent application number 2607372.

The two solutions in regard to positioning of the filtration devices also require a modification to the circuit for the air issuing from the drum.

In actual fact, when using one solution, the moist air has to be passed through the body of the closure door, which is suitably apertured and provided with filters, while in the other solution the moist air flows around the door before entering the opening of the discharge conduit.

The modification to the circuit for the air issuing from the drum involves a different configuration in respect of the wall supporting the front side of the drum since, with the construction involving filters which are fitted into the closure door, it is necessary to provide a pneumatic sealing effect between the closure hole and the loading opening of the drum.

That structural diversification as between the two filtration assemblies is however disadvantageous in consideration of the growing need to rationalise the assembly and storage of machines using components which are unified as far as possible and which make it possible to provide for the construction of more types of machines.

Therefore it would be desirable, and this is the main aim of the invention, to provide a laundry machine having a wall for supporting the drum which permits a machine design configuration having a filter device in the conduit for discharge of the moist air and which by means of a simple modification, alternatively or in addition to the preceding construction, makes it possible to provide a machine design configuration having the filter device fitted into the closure door of the machine.

According to the present invention, there is provided a laundry drying machine of the type having a drum which rotates about a horizontal axis and comprising an external casing provided with a front loading opening and an associated closure door having at least the internal wall extending inwardly towards the opening of the drum, a drum rotatably mounted to the rear wall of the casing and with the edge of its loading opening supported slidably and sealingly by a projection disposed on a panel extending inwardly of the front wall of the casing and delimiting therewith a conduit for discharge of the moist air, the intake opening of which conduit is disposed in the annular space between the internal wall of the closure door and the lading opening of the casing, a circuit for the drying air comprising means for taking air from the external environment, heating it and passing it successively through the rear wall and the front opening of the drum, through means for filtering the moist air, and through said discharge conduit, wherein on the internal edge of said annular projection for slidably supporting the front edge of the drum there is provided a seat for snap-engagement fixing of a ring which, co-operating with sealing means provided on the internal wall of the closure door, permits closure of the passage for the moist air between said internal wall of the door and the edge of the loading opening in the casing; said closure ring permitting the alternative use of closure doors provided with passages and moist air filter means.

The invention will be described by way of nonlimitative example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of part of the front zone of a laundry drying machine according to the invention, in the version which is provided with a fluff filter within the discharge conduit, and Figure 2 is a view in section similar to that shown in figure 1 of a laundry drying machine also provided with a filter device in the closure door for the loading opening.

The laundry drying machine according to the invention substantially comprises an external casing of which the drawings show only the front wall 3 with the loading opening 4 and the associated porthole-type closure door 5, a drum 6 supported within the casing of the machine and rotatable about a horizontal axis by known means (not shown), and a circuit for the drying air which is also known but not shown.

In general terms the circuit for the drying air comprises means for taking the air from the outside environment, heating it and passing it successively through the rear wall and the front opening of the drum, through filter means disposed upstream of the drum, and then discharging it into the area outside the machine.

The drum 6 is pivoted in the rear wall of the machine and supported slidably and sealingly at its opening 7 for loading the laundry therein.

In particular the edge 8 of the loading opening 7 of the drum 6 is supported by an annular projection 9, on to which are fitted sliding shoes or blocks and a felt sealing member which is known per se and which is disposed on a panel 10 extending peripherally with respect to the loading opening 4 and in adjacent relationship to the front wall 3 of the casing.

At a position corresponding to the lower edge of the loading opening 4 of the casing, the panel 10 has an opening 11 through which the moist air issuing from the drum passes into a discharge conduit 12 defined between said panel 10 and the front wall 3 of the machine. Accommodated in the mouth of the opening 11 is a filter device 13 in the form of a bag which, in the machine shown in figure 1, constitutes the sole moist air filter device.

In this version of the machine, the air issuing from the drum 6 flows to the opening 11 of the conduit 12 through the annular gap between the wall 14 of the closure door 5 and the annular projection 9 which supports the drum 6.

It should be noted that provided on the inward edge of the annular projection 9 is a step 15 which acts as a snap-engagement fixing seat for a ring 16 (see figure 2) for also permitting the front panel 10 to be used in a laundry drying machine which, alternatively to or in addition to the filter 13 shown in figure 1, provides filter devices which are incorporated in the door 5 (see figure 2).

In this second type of machine the closure door 5 is formed by an internal wall 14 provided with perforations 17 and an external blind or blank wall 18.

Between its internal and external walls 18 the door 5 removably houses a filter baffle 19 incorporated in a support frame 20.

In known manner the filter 19 and the associated support frame 20 can be inserted by a sliding motion into a corresponding transverse passage 21 provided in the cavity of the door 5 and held in position therein by engagement and air-sealing means (known but not shown). Fitted onto the internal wall 14 of the door 5 is a peripheral seal 22 cooperating with the ring 16 for the purposes of closing off the annular passage defined by the internal wall 14 of the door 5 and the annular projection 9 on the panel 10.

Consequently, the moist air issuing from the drum 6 has to pass successively through the perforations 17 and the filter baffle 19 before entering the opening 11 and the conduit 12.

In this version of the machine the opening 11 also accommodates a filter device 13 similar to that shown in figure 1 and capable of ensuring more effective filtration of the moist air issuing from the drum 6.

This construction is also advantageously used in condensation-type laundry drying machines in which the conduit 12 is connected to an air dehumidification device.

Alternatively to the above described embodiment the filter device 19 may be of the type incorporating a plurality of filter meshes and a simple apertured grill may be positioned in the opening 11 in place of the bag-type filter 13.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that, by virtue of the ring 16, the wall 10 supporting the drum 6 may advantageously be unified both for a laundry drying machine with a single filter device which is fitted into the discharge conduit 12 of the machine, and for a laundry drying machine provided with a plurality of filter devices, at least one of which is positioned within the closure door 5.

Claims (2)

1. A laundry drying machine of the type having a drum which rotates about a horizontal axis and comprising an external casing provided with a front loading opening and an associated closure door having at least the internal wall extending inwardly towards the opening of the drum, a drum rotatably mounted to the rear wall of the casing and with the edge of its loading opening supported slidably and sealingly by a projection disposed on a panel extending inwardly of the front wall of the casing and delimiting therewith a conduit for discharge of the moist air, the intake opening of which conduit is disposed in the annular space between the internal wall of the closure door and the lading opening of the casing, a circuit for the drying air comprising means for taking air from the external environment, heating it and passing it successively through the rear wall and the front opening of the drum, through means for filtering the moist air, and through said discharge conduit, wherein on the internal edge of said annular projection for slidably supporting the front edge of the drum there is provided a seat for snap-engagement fixing of a ring which, co-operating with sealing means provided on the internal wall of the closure door, permits closure of the passage for the moist air between said internal wall of the door and the edge of the loading opening in the casing; said closure ring permitting the alternative use of closure doors provided with passages and moist air filter means.

2. A laundry drying machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.