Patent Application
20230220603
The present invention concerns a laundry drying and/or washing appliance equipped with an autonomous fire or fire departure extinguishing system.
The patent application FR-A1-2 614 209 describes a firefighting device for electrical appliance containing inflammable components and in particular for a washing machine or tumble dryer.
A laundry drying and/or washing appliance is a domestic appliance that comprises a rotating drum into which laundry is placed for washing with water and a cleaning agent, or wet laundry for drying it by stirring. The drum is usually driven in rotation by a belt driven by an electric motor. A washing machine can have a tumble dryer function. In both cases, the drum of the appliance can be passed through by a flow of hot air so as to facilitate the drying of the laundry while it is being stirred. The heating and hot air flow generation system of the appliance may comprise a gas burner or an electric heater for example.
This domestic appliance is the cause of many domestic fires. The heating and the stirring of the laundry in the drum generates inflammable dust which accumulates inside the appliance and is likely to become inflamed, in particular when deposited on very hot portions of the appliance such as the motor or the heating system. A fire departure caused by the inflammation of the dusts can lead to a larger fire in the appliance, in particular by inflammation of the drive belt of the drum.
The above-mentioned patent application proposes to install a tank in the form of a pressurised bomb in a washing machine, this tank being connected to normally closed pipelines that can rupture at a certain temperature threshold. These pipelines extend to portions of the appliance that are subject to undergo overheating or fire, such as electrical devices, resistors, motor, inflammable components, etc. The firefighting substance contained in the tank is at least slightly pressurised and the distribution pipelines are made of a material intended to fuse to ensure that the pipelines break or open when they are licked by flames or when the temperature of their environment exceeds a predetermined threshold. In this way, as soon as conditions of overheating or inflammability arise that could lead to a fire inside the appliance, the pipelines break and automatically distribute the firefighting substance to immediately extinguish the development of a possible fire.
However, the solution described in this patent application is not entirely satisfactory because the fire extinguishing system formed by the tank and the pipelines is complex and time-consuming to install in a domestic appliance. It comprises several elements that must be installed and attached one after the other and connected to each other in the appliance. These elements are located in several areas inside the appliance so that the installation of the system in the appliance can only be done when this appliance is manufactured. Similarly, in the event of maintenance, it is necessary to dismount several face panels of the appliance to gain access to the system. The system described in this application cannot therefore be easily integrated into an existing appliance that was not originally designed to be equipped with this system.
The present invention provides a solution to at least some of the above problems, which is simple, effective and economical, and at the same time allows a simple and quick integration into the specific environment of a laundry drying and/or washing appliance.
The invention proposes an appliance for drying and/or washing laundry, comprising:
characterised in that it further comprises an autonomous fire extinguishing device, this device comprising:
and in that the device is configured to be mounted in said enclosure by dismounting and removing of said first face panel, the device comprising two portions, referred to as a first portion in the shape of cradle which extends between the drum and the motor, from said first face panel to a face panel of the enclosure opposite said first face panel and a second portion which extends on the side of said first face panel, said first portion being formed by a first segment of the pipe which forms a loop delimiting the periphery of said cradle, and said second portion being formed by a second segment of the pipe.
Firstly, it is important to note that the fluid, possibly under pressure, is stored directly in the pipe and therefore there is no independent tank connected to the pipe. The pipe has both ends sealed.
The pipe has an elongated shape and is made of a material that facilitates its shaping by heating (referred to as thermoforming), before being mounted in the appliance, as well as allowing the release of the fire-extinguishing fluid by fusion and bursting.
A special particularities of the device and the pipe is that it is specially designed and shaped for its integration into a laundry drying and/or washing appliance. It has a very small overall dimension. The pipe is arranged in two segments. A first segment of the pipe forms a cradle extending between the drum and the motor. A cradle is usually rounded or hollowed in shape, allowing it to extend around the drum and fit its shape. The pipe forms a loop which allows it to extend over the entire area between the motor and the drum, which is a critical area for fire development, without the risk of disrupting the operation of the appliance. The second segment of the pipe extends on the side of the removable face panel and for example along a portion of the drive belt of the drum.
One of the advantages of the device is that it can be easily installed in the appliance, from one face of it, by dismounting and removing the corresponding face panel which is removable. The general shape of the device imposed by the thermoforming of the pipe is its final shape. This shape facilitates the installation of the device in the appliance because, to mount the device, it is sufficient to interpose the cradle between the drum and the motor and then to attach the second segment of the pipe to the enclosure or to an element of the appliance.
For the purpose of this invention, a cradle is defined as a loop-shaped structure. The cradle (its structure or its loop) may extend in a plane or may define a planar surface. Alternatively, the cradle (its structure or its loop) may have a curved shape and define a curved surface. In yet another variant, the cradle (its structure or its loop) has a more complex shape or is even in at least two portions.
The appliance according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination with each other:
The present invention also relates to a kit for an appliance as described above, characterised in that it comprises:
the device being configured to be mounted in the enclosure of the appliance by dismounting and removing said first face panel, the device comprising two portions, referred to as a first portion in the shape of cradle which extends between the drum and the motor, from said first face panel to a face panel of the enclosure opposite said first face panel and a second portion which extends on the side of said first face panel, said first portion being formed by a first segment of the pipe which forms a loop delimiting the periphery of said cradle, and said second portion being formed by a second segment of the pipe, and
The invention will be better understood and other details, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description made by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
The appliance 10 comprises a generally parallelepipedal external enclosure 12 in which are located:
The enclosure 12 comprises several face panels 12a, 12b, some of which are removable. In a known manner, such an appliance 10 may comprise a top or front loading hatch 19. Where the appliance comprises a top loading hatch, the appliance comprises face panels, in number of 4 (front, rear and lateral), at least some of which are removable to provide access, after dismounting and removing of at least one of these panels, to the interior of the enclosure and of the appliance. Where the appliance comprises a front loading hatch, for example in the shape of porthole, the appliance comprises face panels of which at least one lateral panel is removable for the same reason.
The drum 14 defines any washing and/or drying volume and is adapted to its use (private or professional).
As can be seen in
The motor 16 comprises an output shaft (not visible) which drive in rotation the drum 14 about its axis 15 by means of a belt 24. The belt 24 extends around the drum 14 and the output shaft of the motor 16, or a pulley driven by that shaft, and extends generally in a substantially horizontal plane P1. In the example shown, the plane P1 is parallel to the lateral face panels 12a of the appliance 10. The axis of rotation of the drum 14 is also horizontal and perpendicular to these panels 12a. In the case of an appliance with a front opening porthole hatch, the plane P1 would extend parallel to the rear face panel of the appliance and the axis of rotation of the drum would be perpendicular to this rear panel.
The heating system 18 may be of any type and is for example of the resistance heating type, gas burner type, etc. The system 18 may be located under the drum 14 or on one side of the drum 14.
The fire extinguishing device 20 is specifically designed to be integrated into the appliance 10 and comprises an elongated pipe 26 closed at both longitudinal ends.
The ends of the pipe 26 can be closed by means of plugs which are fitted and attached to the pipe, for example by gluing or welding. Alternatively, the ends of the pipe 26 could be directly closed by deforming and welding its material.
The pipe 26 comprises a fusible thermoplastic wall delimiting an internal space 28 in which a fire-extinguishing fluid 29 is stored, possibly under pressure (see
At least one of the ends of the pipe 26 could be equipped with a valve for filling the pipe with fire-extinguishing fluid 29, as described in the application FR-A1-3 088 215.
The fire-extinguishing fluid 29 is configured to be released by fusion of the wall of the pipe under the effect of heat from a fire or fire departure,
The pipe 26 is thermoformed to impose a particular shape on it in the unstressed free state corresponding to its mounting position within the enclosure 12. The material of the pipe will be described in more detail in the following with reference to
The device 20 essentially comprises two portions best seen in
The device 20 is configured to be mounted in the enclosure 12 by dismounting and removing one of the removable face panels, referred to as the front panel 12b in the example shown.
The second segment 32 of the pipe 26 is located on the side of the panel 12b to facilitate the installation and the attachment of the device 20 in the appliance. The cradle 30 extends from this panel 12b to the opposite face panel, in this case the rear panel.
It is understood that the dismounting and the removal of the panel 12b is sufficient to gain access to the device 20 and, more importantly, is sufficient to mount and attach this device in the enclosure 12. The cradle shape of the first segment of the pipe 26 facilitates its insertion around the drum 14, and between this drum 14 and the motor 16.
The cradle 30 extends in three intersecting planes, P2, P3 and P4 respectively:
P3 comprises a horizontal straight sector 36b which is located above the sectors 26a of the intermediate plane, and which is parallel to a horizontal straight sector 26c of the second plane P4.
The second segment 32 of the pipe is generally L-shaped. It comprises a horizontal straight sector 32a running along the sector 26c of the second plane P3. This second segment 32 further comprises a vertical straight sector 32b.
It can be seen that the sectors 26a, 32b extend respectively in vertical planes P5, P6 and P7 parallel to each other and to the aforementioned plane P1. P1 is located here between P6 and P7. In other words, the cradle 30 has a width measured in the plane P2, between the sectors 26a, which is less than the width of the second segment 32. The width of this segment 32 corresponds substantially to the length of the sector 32a of this segment.
It can be seen that the two free ends 26x of the pipe 26 are carried by the sector 26c and the sector 32b respectively.
The pipe 26 may be attached to an element of the appliance 10 at two locations, for example in the area Z1 on the inside of a face panel of the enclosure 12, and in the area Z2 on a plastic casing located inside the enclosure (for example that surrounding the motor 16 or a fan). The attachment can be done by means of plastic members.
One of these ends 26x of the pipe 26 is preferably equipped with a pressure sensor 34 which is configured to measure the pressure of the fluid 29 and which is connected to the monitoring and controlling member 22 of the appliance 10.
The member 22 is configured to put the appliance 10 into a disable mode when the pressure sensor 34 emits a signal corresponding to a pressure of the fluid 29 below a predetermined threshold. The member 22 may further be configured to emit a signal to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone of the smartphone type, in order to warn the user or the owner of the appliance in case of malfunction of the latter.
Alternatively, the pipe 14 could be equipped with a sensor to measure other parameters than pressure, such as temperature for example.
As schematically shown in
The internal layer may be made of a material with a low permeability with respect to the fire-extinguishing fluid 29, i.e. with a permeability of less than or equal to 1 cm3·25 μm/m2·atm·24 h. For example, it is made of fluorinated thermoplastic material or EVOH.
The external layer is made of a thermoplastic polyamide material, which generally has a permeability greater than that of the internal layer, and for example greater than or equal to 1 cm3·25 μm/m2·atm·24 h.
It is preferable that the lower permeability layer is located within the higher permeability layer. Otherwise, there would be a risk of migration for the gas through the more permeable internal layer and stagnation of this gas at the interface between the two layers, which could lead to a delamination of the layers.
It is also advantageous to make the pipe in two layers rather than a single layer of low-permeability material, as this material is relatively expensive. In order to have a sufficient strength, in particular under pressure, a single-layer pipe should have a high thickness of low permeability layer. In the case of a two or multi-layer pipe, this strength is provided by the higher permeability layer or layers, and the lower permeability layer may be relatively thin enough to ensure the required impermeability function.
In another variant not shown, the layer could be arranged between two layers. This configuration would allow to improve the mechanical strength of the layer during the step of forming the pipe (and thus avoid any risk of tearing of this layer), while guaranteeing an optimal sealing of the pipe.
At least one of the wall materials has a fusible property under the effect of the heat generated by a fire or a fire departure, and in particular under the effect of a temperature greater than or equal to 70° C., or even 120° C.
In the example described above, both layers have such a fusible property.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the pipe 26 has an external diameter of between 10 and 30 mm, and preferably between 10 and 20 mm. The wall thickness is between 1 and 3 mm, preferably between 1 and 2 mm. The length of the pipe 26 is for example between 1 and 5 m
The fire-extinguishing fluid can be stored in the aforementioned space or cavity at a pressure of more than 1 bar and up to 10 bar, 20 bar or even 30 bar.
The fire-extinguishing fluid preferably does not comprise HFC gas of the type R236Fa because this gas has a very high PWP or GWP of around 9400.
The fire-extinguishing fluid preferably has a PWP or GWP of 5000 or less. The fluid may comprise at least one gas HFC and/or C6F12O, and/or CO2. Among the gases HFC that can be used, the gases R227ea and R125 are preferred as they have a PWP or GWP of around 3400-3500. For example, DuPont® markets gases of this type under the names FE-25 and FM-200.
CO2 is advantageous because it has a PWP or GWP of 1.
Finally, C6F12O is also advantageous because it has a PWP or GWP of 1. The company 3M in particular markets this type of gas under the name Novec® 1230 (FK-5-1-12).
The elements already described in the foregoing and illustrated in the drawings are designated by the same references.
In
It can be seen that the motor 16 and the heating system 18 can have different dimensions and positions in the enclosure of the appliance 10. This is also the case for the belt 24.
It is also noted that the shape, the dimensions, and the position of each of the portions of the pipe 14 can be adapted to the dimensions and positions of the motor 16, and/or the system 18 and/or the belt 24. It can also be seen from
The present invention also relates to a kit which comprises a device 20 as described above and attachments, such as the aforementioned plastic members, to allow the device 20 and in particular its pipe 26 to be mounted and attached in an appliance 10. This kit can therefore be considered as a transformation kit of a new or old appliance in order to equip it with an autonomous fire extinguishing device.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005219 | May 2020 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/058936 | 4/6/2021 | WO |
