Patent Application
20170044707
Contemporary laundry treating appliances include clothes dryers that utilize a heating element, such as a gas or electric heater or a heat pump, to heat air forced through the clothes dryer to dry a load of washed clothes. Contemporary laundry treating appliances can also include condensing dryers. Traditionally, clothes dryers can include a cylindrical drum held between opposing bulkheads with a felt seal along the interface between the drum and to bulkheads to retain the heated air during the drying cycle. The loss of heated air through the interface can negatively impact the drying time and lead to resource waste.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a clothes dryer having at least one bulkhead, and a drum with a peripheral wall terminating in an edge having a circumferential lip defining an open end and proximate the at least one bulkhead. A seal having opposing ends and a wing, wherein the seal is mounted about the circumferential lip to define a gap between the opposing ends and the wing abuts the bulkhead to seal the drum relative to the bulkhead. A variable shape spacer located within the gap. The body is made of thermally expanding material such that the gap varies in length depending on the thermal expansion of the seal and the spacer varies in shape in response to the gap varying to occlude the intervening gap.
In the drawings:
FIG.6 is a first orientation of the seal with the flexible wings pinched against the bulkhead in the radial direction.
The laundry treating appliance of
A rotatable drum 28 comprising a cylindrical wall terminating in a front edge and rear edge may be disposed within the interior of the cabinet 12 between opposing stationary rear and front bulkheads 30 and 32, which collectively define a drying chamber 34, for drying laundry. Alternatively, the drum 28 and bulkheads configuration may be of a different type, some non-limiting examples are: a closed end drum (for example, closed rear end), a non-stationary rear bulkhead or a non-stationary inlet grill type.
The front bulkhead 30 may have an opening that aligns with the open face of the front wall 18. The drum 28 may have a circumference larger than that of the door 26 such that part of the front bulkhead 30 covers a portion of the front face of the drum 28. Thus, when the door 26 may be in a closed position, it closes the face of the cabinet 12 and not the entire face of the drum 28. However, the drum 28 may be considered to be closed when the door 26 is in the closed position.
The drum 28 may further optionally have one or more lifters or baffles 29. In most dryers, there are multiple baffles. The baffles 29 may be located along the inner surface of the drum 28 defining an interior circumference of the drum 28 and may be oriented generally parallel to a rotational axis of the drum 28. The baffles 29 facilitate the tumbling action of the fabric load within the drum 28 as the drum 28 rotates about the rotational axis. Alternatively, a textured surface may be used in place of or in addition to the baffles 29.
An air flow system may be of any conventional type and is provided to draw air into and exhaust air from the treating chamber 34. As illustrated, the air flow system has a supply conduit 38 coupled to the treating chamber 34 by an inlet 40 in the rear bulkhead 32 and an exhaust conduit 44 coupled to the treating chamber 34 by a lint filter 45. A blower 46 is provided to first draw air through the inlet duct, into the heating chamber, and exhausting air from the heating chamber through the outlet duct. A heating element 42 may be provided within the inlet duct to heat the air as it passes through on the way to the treating chamber 34.
A motor 54 may be coupled to the drum 28 through a belt 56 (or any other means for indirect drive such as a gearbox) and a drive shaft may rotate the drum 28. Some non-limiting examples of indirect drive are: three-phase induction motor drives, various types of single phase induction motors such as a permanent split capacitor (PSC), a shaded pole and a split-phase motor. Alternately, the motor 54 may be a direct drive motor, as is known in the art. Some non-limiting examples of an applicable direct drive motor are: a brushless permanent magnet (BPM or BLDC) motor, an induction motor, etc.
A dispensing system 57 may be provided to the clothes dryer 10 to dispense one or more treating chemistries to the treating chamber 34 according to a cycle of operation. As illustrated, the dispensing system 57 may be located in the interior of the cabinet 12 although other locations are also possible. The dispensing system 57 may be fluidly coupled to a water supply 68. The dispensing system 57 may be further coupled to the treating chamber 34 through one or more nozzles 69. As illustrated, nozzles 69 are provided to the front and rear of the treating chamber 34 to provide the treating chemistry or liquid to the interior of the treating chamber 34, although other configurations are also possible.
As illustrated, the dispensing system 57 may include a reservoir 60, which may be a cartridge, for a treating chemistry that is releasably coupled to the dispensing system 57, which dispenses the treating chemistry from the reservoir 60 to the treating chamber 34. The reservoir 60 may include one or more cartridges configured to store one or more treating chemistries in the interior of cartridges. A suitable cartridge system may be found in U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000022 to Hendrickson et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Household Cleaning Appliance with a Dispensing System Operable Between a Single Use Dispensing System and a Bulk Dispensing System,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
A mixing chamber 62 may be provided to couple the reservoir 60 to the treating chamber 34 through a supply conduit 63. Pumps such as a metering pump 64 and delivery pump 66 may be provided to the dispensing system 57 to selectively supply a treating chemistry and/or liquid to the treating chamber 34 according to a cycle of operation. The water supply 68 may be fluidly coupled to the mixing chamber 62 to provide water from the water source to the mixing chamber 62. The water supply 68 may include an inlet valve 70 and a water supply conduit 72. It is noted that, instead of water, a different treating chemistry may be provided from the exterior of the clothes dryer 10 to the mixing chamber 62.
The treating chemistry may be any type of aid for treating laundry, non-limiting examples of which include, but are not limited to, water, fabric softeners, sanitizing agents, de-wrinkling or anti-wrinkling agents, and chemicals for imparting desired properties to the laundry, including stain resistance, fragrance (e.g., perfumes), insect repellency, and UV protection.
The dryer 10 may also be provided with a steam generating system 80 which may be separate from the dispensing system 57 or integrated with portions of the dispensing system 57 for dispensing steam and/or liquid to the treating chamber 34 according to a cycle of operation. The steam generating system 80 may include a steam generator 82 fluidly coupled with the water supply 68 through a steam inlet conduit 84. A fluid control valve 85 may be used to control the flow of water from the water supply conduit 72 between the steam generating system 80 and the dispensing system 57. The steam generator 82 may further be fluidly coupled with the one or more supply conduits 63 through a steam supply conduit 86 to deliver steam to the treating chamber 34 through the nozzles 69. Alternatively, the steam generator 82 may be coupled with the treating chamber 34 through one or more conduits and nozzles independently of the dispensing system 57.
The steam generator 82 may be any type of device that converts the supplied liquid to steam. For example, the steam generator 82 may be a tank-type steam generator that stores a volume of liquid and heats the volume of liquid to convert the liquid to steam. Alternatively, the steam generator 82 may be an in-line steam generator that converts the liquid to steam as the liquid flows through the steam generator 82.
It will be understood that any suitable dispensing system and/or steam generating system may be used with the dryer 10. It is also within the scope of the invention for the dryer 10 to not include a dispensing system or a steam generating system.
Referring now to
The user interface 16 may be provided having operational controls such as dials, lights, knobs, levers, buttons, switches, and displays enabling the user to input commands to a controller 14 and receive information about a treatment cycle from components in the clothes dryer 10 or via input by the user through the user interface 16. The user may enter many different types of information, including, without limitation, cycle selection and cycle parameters, such as cycle options. Any suitable cycle may be used. Non-limiting examples include: Casual, Delicate, Super Delicate, Heavy Duty, Normal Dry, Damp Dry, Sanitize, Quick Dry, Timed Dry, and Jeans.
The controller 14 may implement a treatment cycle selected by the user according to any options selected by the user and provide related information to the user. The controller 14 may also comprise a central processing unit (CPU) 74 and an associated memory 76 where various treatment cycles and associated data, such as look-up tables, may be stored. One or more software applications, such as an arrangement of executable commands/instructions may be stored in the memory and executed by the CPU 74 to implement the one or more treatment cycles.
In general, the controller 14 will effect a cycle of operation to effect a treating of the laundry in the treating chamber 34, which may or may not include drying. The controller 14 may actuate the blower 46 to draw an inlet air flow 58 into the supply conduit 38 through the rear vent 37 when air flow is needed for a selected treating cycle. The controller 14 may activate the heating element 42 to heat the inlet air flow 58 as it passes over the heating element 42, with the heated air 59 being supplied to the treating chamber 34. The heated air 59 may be in contact with a laundry load 36 as it passes through the treating chamber 34 on its way to the exhaust conduit 44 to effect a moisture removal of the laundry. The heated air 59 may exit the treating chamber 34, and flow through the blower 46 and the exhaust conduit 44 to the outside of the clothes dryer 10. The controller 14 continues the cycle of operation until completed. If the cycle of operation includes drying, the controller 14 determines when the laundry is dry. The determination of a “dry” load may be made in different ways, but is often based on the moisture content of the laundry, which is typically set by the user based on the selected cycle, an option to the selected cycle, or a user-defined preference.
The seals 100 do not form a complete loop because the seals 100 are made from a material that thermally expands/contracts. Depending on the size of the clothes dryer 10, the seals 100 may have a length of 6 to 8 feet, which can lead to a length extension of up to 1 inch when the seal thermally expands under the temperatures encountered in the clothes dryer 10. This amount of thermal expansion renders impractical a continuous loop configuration for the thermal seals 100. Thus, a linear configuration is contemplated for the seals 100, with the spacer 102 filling in the gap between the ends. A coupler, illustrated in one example as a pin 109, is provided to couple the opposing ends of the seal 100 and provide a support for mounting the spacer 102.
Referring to
The seal 100 further includes flexible wings 104 which extend out from the body 105, which are used to form a seal relative to the corresponding bulkhead 30, 32. While two wings 104 are illustrated, fewer or more wings can be used. The wings 104 can be arranged such that they form an axial and/or radial seal between the corresponding pairs of bulkhead 30, 32 and lip 103.
The spacer 102 has a passageway 110, which is sized to receive the pin 109. The spacer 102 can have any variable shape that allows for the filling of the gap 101 in response to the changing size of the space 101 caused by the thermal expansion/contraction of the seal 100. As illustrated, the spacer 102 is made from a sheet of folded material, folded on itself and sewn or in an accordion fold, that provides the spacer with the ability to vary its shape in response to a change in the gap 101. In the folded-body configuration, the spacer 102 can be made out of felt or any other material capable of being folded.
The pin 109 is sized to be received within the apertures 108 of the opposing ends of the seal 100 and passing through the passageway 110 of the spacer. The pin 109 can be made of steel, plastic, or any suitable material capable of being bent to follow the same radius as the dryer drum 28. The pin 109 only needs to be long enough to span the gap 101 formed when the seal 100 terminates in opposing ends while remaining fixed in the apertures 108. The relationship between the pin 109, the apertures 108, and passageway 110 is such that the pin does not deleteriously interfere with the thermal expansion/contraction of the seal 100 or the changing of shape of the spacer 102.
When assembled, the spacer 102 is provided between the opposing ends of the seal 100 and is mounted to the pin 109. The pin 109 slides through the passageway 110 of the spacer 102 and is fixed in the aperture 108 of the seal 100 so that the pin 109 holds the spacer 102 in place between the opposing ends of the seal 100.
To install the seal 100, a person or machine presses the seal 100 over the lip 103 such that the recess 106 of the attachment 107 receives the lip 103, with the fingers 107a, 107b applying a compression force to the lip 103 to aid in retaining the seal 100 to the lip 103.
The spacer 102 and pin 109 can be mounted to the seal before or after the seal 100 is mounted to the lip lip 103. In either case, the pin 109 is inserted into the apertures 108 of the opposing ends of the seal 100 and inserted through the passageway 110 of the spacer 102. The spacer 102 can be mounted to the pin 109 before either end of the pin 109 is inserted into the aperture 108 of the seal 100 or after one end of the pin 109 is inserted into one of the apertures 108. For ease of final assembly, it is contemplated that the spacer 102 and pin 109 will be mounted to the seal 100 prior to the mounting of the seal 100 to the lip 103.
The general sealing function of the seal 100 will now be described with respect to
The seal 100 can accommodate the relative movement of the drum 28 and the bulkhead 30, 32 through flexible wings 104, which are configured and shaped in such a way that they can flex to accommodate the relative change in position of the drum 28 and bulkhead 30, 32.
Furthermore the axial and radial movement which causes sliding is facilitated by a low friction surface along the wing side 104a which is in contact with the bulkhead 30, 32 allowing the seal 100 to slide with the movement and shifting of the drum 28. The seal 100 can be coated with a low friction surface along the side 104a or it can be co-extruded during production to include two different materials, one being a low friction surface for the side in contact with the bulkhead 30, 32.
Benefits of this invention will now be described which include ease of assembly and reduced airflow loss. While the prior art comprises seals made entirely of felt, requiring an adhesive such as glue to install them, the extruded drum seal 100 is easily placed due to its design in which the annular recess of the seal is molded to receive the lip of the drum 28. When in place pressure variations in the drum cause the wings of the extruded drum seal 100 to self-seal which reduces the airflow loss compared to the prior art. The prior art felt seals can lose up to 30% of the airflow within the dryer drum 28 due to their inefficient sealing technology while the extruded drum seal 100 of the invention allows only 3% loss through the small spacer. Since the present invention is easier to assemble and reduces airflow losses, it also saves consumers in energy costs and contributes to shorter drying times.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.
