FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to dryer appliances and/or combination washer and dryer appliances, and more particularly to a blower assembly for such appliances that minimizes internal airflow leakage during a drying cycle thereof.
BACKGROUND
Combination washer and dryer appliances have become increasingly popular in recent years. In particular, combination washer and dryer appliances are often attractive because of the utility and space savings of having one appliance performing the functions of two similarly sized appliances.
Sufficient airflow is critical to any laundry appliance, particularly in fulfilling the requirements of a drying cycle for combination washer and dryer appliances. Many conventional combination units rely on a blower assembly to assist with the drying cycle. The blower assembly often includes a housing and a motor to drive an impeller positioned within the housing to rotate the impeller to urge a flow of air along a main airflow path through the drying appliance.
However, issues may arise in such systems due to internal leakage of air within the blower assembly. Internally leaked air may result in a decreased net airflow used for drying, reducing the drying efficiency of the laundry appliance. In particular, the inappropriate recirculation of internally leaked air into the main airflow path at an inlet of the blower assembly may cause turbulence at the inlet and decrease aerodynamic blower efficiency. Such inefficiencies demand higher power draw to maintain a net blower outlet air flow rate required to complete a drying cycle.
Accordingly, a blower assembly that maximizes aerodynamic efficiency while also reducing internal air leakage would be welcomed in the art. As such, the present disclosure is directed to a blower assembly having an improved impeller design that is configured to recirculate leaked air along an airflow path with the main airflow flow path in an aligned manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In an aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a blower assembly for an appliance. The blower assembly includes a motor, a housing, and an impeller. The blower assembly defines a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and an axial direction. The housing includes a front wall that defines a primary airflow inlet and a rear wall that defines a primary airflow outlet with the front wall. The housing has a volute. The impeller is positioned within the volute. The impeller is mechanically coupled to the motor to rotate the impeller within the housing about an axis of rotation. The rotation of the impeller directs a primary airflow from the primary airflow inlet to the primary airflow outlet along a primary airflow path. The impeller includes a hub wall arranged adjacent to the rear wall of the housing. The impeller also includes a shroud wall spaced apart from the hub wall adjacent to the front wall. The shroud wall is spaced apart from the front wall along the axial direction to define a gap therebetween that allows a secondary airflow to flow therethrough. An impeller inlet is defined, at least in part, by an inner edge of the shroud wall. Further, the inner edge of the shroud wall has a shroud feature that causes the secondary airflow from the gap to align with the primary airflow to minimize turbulence.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a laundry appliance. The laundry appliance has a cabinet, a motor, and a blower assembly mounted within the cabinet. The cabinet defines an interior volume having a cabinet inlet and a cabinet outlet. The blower assembly is mounted within the cabinet. The blower assembly defines a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and an axial direction. The impeller assembly includes a housing and an impeller. The housing has a front wall defining a primary airflow inlet and a rear wall defining a primary airflow outlet with the front wall. The rear wall defines an annular receptacle for receiving the motor, and the housing has a volute. The impeller is positioned within the volute and is mechanically coupled to the motor to rotate the impeller about an axis of rotation. Rotation of the impeller directs a primary airflow from the cabinet outlet to the cabinet inlet along a primary airflow path. The impeller includes a hub wall arranged adjacent to a motor side of the housing adjacent to the rear wall. The impeller includes a shroud wall spaced apart from the hub wall and positioned adjacent to an inlet side of the housing adjacent to the front wall. The shroud wall is spaced apart from the front wall along the axial direction to define a gap therebetween that allows a secondary airflow to flow therethrough. An impeller inlet is defined, at least in part, by an inner edge of the shroud wall. Further, the inner edge of the shroud wall has a shroud feature that causes the secondary airflow from the gap to align with the primary airflow to minimize turbulence.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
FIG. 1 provides a front, perspective view of a laundry appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 provides an internal, perspective view of the laundry appliance of FIG. 1 with a portion of a cabinet of the laundry appliance removed to reveal certain internal components of the laundry appliance;
FIG. 3 provides a sectional, perspective view of an exemplary blower assembly for a laundry appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 provides a detailed, sectional view of a portion of the exemplary blower assembly of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 provides an exploded view of the exemplary blower assembly of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 6 provides a graph of total pressure rise (Pa) (y-axis) versus flow rate (CFM) (x-axis) for a blower assembly of a laundry appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative flow direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the flow direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the flow direction to which the fluid flows.
Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a laundry appliance 10 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, as shown, the laundry appliance 10 is a combination washer/dryer appliance and may also be referred to herein as a multifunction laundry appliance or washer/dryer combination appliance. FIG. 2 provides an internal sectional, perspective view of laundry appliance 10. While described in the context of a specific embodiment of laundry appliance 10, using the teachings disclosed herein, it will be understood that laundry appliance 10 is provided by way of example only. Other laundry appliances having different appearances and different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter as well. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “articles,” “clothing,” or “laundry” include but need not be limited to fabrics, textiles, garments, linens, papers, or other items which may be cleaned, dried, and/or otherwise treated in a laundry appliance.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the laundry appliance 10 includes a cabinet 12 having a front panel 14, a rear panel 16, a left side panel 18 and a right side panel 20 spaced apart from each other by the front and rear panels 14 and 16, a bottom panel 22, and a top cover 24. As used herein, terms such as “left” and “right” or “front” and “back” refer to directions from the perspective of a user facing the laundry appliance 10 for accessing and/or operating the laundry appliance 10. For example, in an embodiment, a user may stand in front of the laundry appliance 10, e.g., at or near the front panel 14, to access door 33 and/or inputs 70. A drum 26 or tub is mounted within the cabinet 12. A laundry basket may be mounted within the drum 26, defining a chamber for receipt of articles of clothing for treatment, e.g., washing, rinsing, spinning, tumbling, and/or drying.
In some embodiments, one or more selector inputs 70, such as knobs, buttons, touchscreen interfaces, etc., may be provided or mounted on the cabinet 12, e.g., on a control panel 71 thereof and are in operable communication (e.g., electrically coupled or coupled through a wireless network band) with a processing device or controller 56. The control panel 71 may also include a display 64. The controller 56 may also be provided in operable communication with various components of the laundry appliance 10, such as the various components of a blower assembly 110 (described herein below) and/or a heat exchanger 80 of the laundry appliance 10. In turn, signals generated in the controller 56 direct operation of such components in response to the inputs 70. As used herein, “controller” may refer to one or more microprocessors, microcontroller, ASICS, or semiconductor devices and is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The controller 56 may be programmed to operate laundry appliance 10 by executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., non-transitory media). The controller 56 may include, or be associated with, one or more memory elements such as RAM, ROM, or electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM). For example, the instructions may be software or any set of instructions that when executed by the controller 56, cause the controller 56 to perform operations. It should be noted that controllers as disclosed herein are capable of and may be operable to perform any methods and associated method steps as disclosed herein. For example, in some embodiments, methods disclosed herein may be embodied in programming instructions stored in the memory and executed by the controller 56.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the door 33 of the laundry appliance 10 may further include a window 36 (FIG. 1) for viewing of a chamber 25 and/or laundry articles therein, e.g., during operation of the laundry appliance 10. Furthermore, as shown, the laundry appliance 10 may include a detergent drawer 52 slidably mounted within front panel 14. Thus, in an embodiment, the detergent drawer 52 receives an additive (e.g., detergent, fabric softener, bleach, or any other suitable liquid or powder) and directs the additive to the chamber 25 during operation of the laundry appliance 10.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5, the laundry appliance 10 further includes a blower assembly 110 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, the blower assembly 110 includes a housing 120 defining a primary airflow inlet 138 (FIG. 3) and a primary airflow outlet 134 (FIG. 2). Generally, the housing 120 may be formed by front and rear walls 122, 124 joined at a coupling seam 136 with a volume (e.g., volute) being defined therebetween. Further, the housing 120 may define an annular receptacle 175 for receiving a motor 180. Being configured to receive the motor 180, the annular receptacle 175 provides the benefit of conserving space within the cabinet 12 by reducing the amount of additional space required outside the housing 120 to place the motor 180. Further, as generally shown in FIGS. 3-5, the motor 180 is coupled to an impeller 150 positioned within the volume (e.g., volute) of the housing 120 to rotate the impeller 150 so as to direct a primary airflow through the blower assembly 110.
As shown in FIG. 2, the blower assembly 110 is located atop the cabinet 12 and has a supply duct 86 coupled between the primary airflow outlet 134 of the housing 120 and the cabinet inlet 82. A return duct 88 may also be coupled within the cabinet 12 and may extend between a cabinet outlet 84 and the blower assembly 110 and/or the heat exchanger 80. Furthermore, the drum 26 is upstream of the heat exchanger 80 and the blower assembly along the return duct 88. In such embodiments, during operation of the laundry appliance 10, the heat exchanger 80 receives relatively moist, humid, air from the drum 26 via the return duct 88 such that the heat exchanger 80 heats the air and the supply duct 86 supplies the heated air to the drum 26. The air is directed along the primary airflow path 155 (FIG. 4) via the blower assembly 110. In some embodiments, the primary airflow path is a closed-loop path such that the blower assembly 110 and the heat exchanger 80 are disposed along the closed-loop path.
Referring now particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, the blower assembly 110 can define a radial direction R, an axial direction A, and a circumferential direction C. The radial direction R may be orthogonal relative to the axial direction A. The circumferential direction may be defined about the axial direction A.
Further, as shown, the housing 120 of the blower assembly 110 generally includes a front wall 122 and a rear wall 124. Generally, as shown, the front wall 122 is spaced apart from the rear wall 124 and defines a volute 140 therebetween. In some embodiments, the housing 120 includes an outer portion defining an outer volute 142 and an inner portion defining an inner volute 144. The outer volute 142 surrounds the inner volute 144 in the radial direction R such that the outer volute 142 is radially positioned outside of the inner volute 144. The outer volute 142 of the housing 120 may have a first length L1 extending in the axial direction A between the front wall 122 and the rear wall 124 of the housing 120. The inner volute 144 has a second length L2 that extends in the axial direction A between the front wall 122 and the rear wall 124 of the housing 120. Although the two lengths extend along the axial direction A, the first length L1 corresponds to the outer volute 142, which is radially positioned outside of the inner volute 144. Further, as depicted in FIG. 3, the first length L1 of the outer volute 142 is greater than the second length L2 of the inner volute 144. In some embodiments, the volute 140 may have a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape. In another embodiment, as shown, the front wall 122 and/or the rear wall 124 may have a generally arcuate shape.
Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the impeller 150 may be positioned within the volute 140 and, more particularly, within the inner portion 144 of the volute 140. Further, as shown, the impeller 150 includes, at least, a shroud wall 152 and a hub wall 154 arranged adjacent to the rear wall 124 of the housing 120. Specifically, as shown, the hub wall 154 is spaced apart from the rear wall 124 of the housing 120 in the axial direction A. Further, as shown, the shroud wall 252 is adjacent to the front wall 222 of the housing 120 and is spaced apart from the hub wall 154 along the axial direction A with a plurality of impeller blades 158 arranged therebetween. Further, as shown, the shroud wall 152 is spaced apart and separated from the front wall 122 via a gap 156. In addition, as shown, and similar to the front wall 122, the shroud wall 152 may also have an arcuate shape.
Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shroud wall 152 and at least a portion of the front wall 122 of the housing 120 can be substantially parallel. Thus, the impeller 150 may be mechanically coupled to the motor 180 such that the motor 180 can drive rotation of the impeller 150 within the housing 120 about an axis of rotation to direct airflow from the primary airflow inlet 138 to the primary airflow outlet 134 along the primary airflow path 155. In an embodiment, for example, the axis of rotation may be concentrically aligned with the axial direction A.
Accordingly, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the front wall 122 of the housing 120 may define a primary airflow inlet 138 through which airflow along the primary airflow path 155 may enter the blower assembly 110. Moreover, as shown, the primary airflow outlet 134 (FIG. 2) may be defined by the front wall 122 and the rear wall 124, such as when the front wall 122 and the rear wall 124 are joined together at the coupling seam 136 (FIG. 2).
Referring now to FIG. 4, a partial sectional view of the blower assembly 110 depicted in FIG. 3 is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. During operation of the blower assembly 110, the motor 180 drives rotation of the impeller 150 along the axial direction A to direct the primary airflow 155 along the primary airflow path 155. The primary airflow inlet 138 may define a first diameter in the radial direction R. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an inner edge 160 of the shroud wall 152 may define a second diameter in the radial direction R. The second diameter may be greater than the first diameter. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner edge 160 may be at least partially aligned with the primary airflow inlet 138 along the axial direction A such that the inner edge 160 of the shroud wall 152 overlaps the primary airflow inlet 138 at a common position along the axial direction A. For instance, at least a portion of the airflow inlet 138 is positioned directly between the inner edge 160 of the shroud wall 152 and an axis defined by the axial direction A. Thus, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the primary airflow inlet 138 may be configured to allow both airflow in the primary airflow path 155 and airflow in the secondary airflow path 148 to pass therethrough, as will be discussed in further detail below.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a gap 156 is defined between the front wall 122 and the shroud wall 152. Accordingly, the gap 156 defined between the shroud wall 152 and the front wall 122 can allow the secondary airflow 148 to flow therethrough. During operation, as the primary airflow 155 is urged from the primary airflow inlet 138 to the primary airflow outlet 134, at least a portion of the primary airflow 148 leaks into the gap 156. Specifically, the portion of the primary airflow 148 that passes between the shroud wall 152 and the outer volute 142 enters the gap 156 and is referred to herein as the secondary airflow 148. As such, as shown in FIG. 4, the secondary airflow 148 may be reintroduced into the primary airflow 155 after it passes through the gap 156.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to design features implemented into the blower assembly 110 such that reintroduction of the secondary airflow 148 with the primary airflow 155 does not cause undue turbulence. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the inner edge 160 of the shroud wall 152 may include a shroud feature 200 that causes the secondary airflow 148 from the gap 156 to align with the primary airflow 155. In an embodiment, the shroud feature 200 and the primary airflow inlet 138 are located on an airflow inlet side of the housing 120. Specifically, as shown, the primary airflow 155 may pass through the primary airflow inlet 138 in a first direction, as indicated via arrow 155 which is representative of the primary airflow 155. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the shroud feature 200 of the shroud wall 152 causes the secondary airflow 148 from the gap 156 to align with the primary airflow 155 entering the primary airflow inlet 138 along the first direction so as to minimize turbulence. Furthermore, in an embodiment, the shroud feature 200 is configured to cause a pressure drop in the gap 156 between the shroud wall 152 and the front wall 122 of the housing 120 so as to restrict further leakage of the secondary airflow 148 into the gap 156.
Still referring to FIG. 4, the shroud feature 200 may be disposed adjacent to a housing feature 220 of the housing 120. Specifically, as shown, the primary airflow inlet 138 of the housing 120 may define the housing feature 220, such that at least a portion of the housing feature 220 is aligned with the shroud feature 200. Further, as shown, the arrangement of the shroud feature 200 with the housing feature 220 is configured to direct the secondary airflow 148 into a direction aligning with a flow direction of the primary airflow 155. In particular, because the secondary airflow 148 is redirected by the shroud feature 200, at least in part, in cooperation with the housing feature 220, a pressure drop results in the gap 156 between the shroud wall 152 and the front wall 122 of the housing 120. In this way, further leakage of air into the gap 156 can be restricted. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the housing feature 220 can overlap the shroud feature 200 in the axial direction A. For instance, at least a portion of the housing feature 220 is positioned directly between the shroud feature 200 and an axis defined by the axial direction A. In some embodiments, as shown, the housing feature 220 at least partially encloses the shroud feature 200. In addition, the configuration of the housing feature 220 can have an arcuate shape. Similarly, the shroud feature can be arcuate in shape so as to correspond with a shape of the housing feature 220. As such, in some embodiments, the arcuate shape of the shroud feature 200 can be configured such that it fits within the arcuate shape of the housing feature 220. For instance, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, at least a portion of the front wall 122 of the housing 120 can have a convex surface and at least a portion of the front wall 122 may have a concave surface such that the housing feature 220 has a hook shape. Thus, the curved shroud feature 200 may be received within the hook shape. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, at least a portion of the housing feature 220 may overlap the shroud feature 200. e.g., in the axial direction. In further embodiments, the shroud feature may have any suitable shape, such as a J-shape or a L-shape.
Turning now to FIG. 6, a graph of total pressure rise (Pa) (y-axis) versus flow rate (CFM) (x-axis) generated by a blower assembly of a laundry appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. As shown, the blower assembly described herein allows for improved pressure conditions within the laundry appliance such that there is an improved flow rate. Further, in an embodiment, line 310 represents a blower pressure-flow rate characteristic that depicts the pressure rise across the blower assembly operating at a range of flow rates. Moreover, as shown, point 312 on line 310 represents the maximum pressure at which operation of the blower assembly is stable. In addition, as shown, line 320 represents a system resistance curve that shows the pressure resistance through a closed-loop system (e.g., a pressure resistance of the system for a range of flow rates through the system such as the pressure resistance represented/posed by all components in the air flow path, except for the blower assembly). Accordingly, as shown, line 310 and line 320 intersect at an operating point 322 of the blower assembly. The difference in total pressure between point 312 and the operating point 322 provides an allowance for inefficiencies germane to drying operations of a laundry appliance, such as filter clogging. Thus, as shown, the blower assembly described herein allows for improved pressure conditions within the laundry appliance such that there is an improved flow rate.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Patent Application
20240352657
