Patent Application
20100199511
The present invention relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer.
In general, a clothes dryer is a device that absorbs moisture from objects to be dried (load) by blowing hot air generated by a heater into a drum and thereby dries the load. Clothes dryers may be roughly categorized into an exhaust type clothes dryer and a condensation type clothes dryer, according to the method employed for handling the humid air occurring when absorbing the moisture and drying the load.
The exhaust type clothes dryer employs a method for exhausting the humid air flowing from the drum to the outside of the dryer. However, it requires an exhaust duct for exhausting the moisture evaporated in the drum to the outside. In particular, when gas heating is employed, the exhaust duct needs to be installed being extended long enough to the outdoors, considering that carbon monoxide, etc. as a product of combustion are also exhausted.
Meanwhile, the condensation type clothes dryer uses a recirculation method that removes moisture by condensing the moisture from the humid air flowing from the drum in a heat exchanger and then re-circulates the moisture-removed dry air back into the drum. However, the drying air flow forms a closed loop, making it difficult to use gas as a heating source.
A ductless dryer overcomes the demerits of the exhaust type dryer and the condensation type dryer. That is, the ductless dryer can be maintained at a low cost by using gas as the heating source and does not require an additional exhaust duct to be extended to the outdoors.
Meanwhile, the heat exchanger in the conventional condensation type clothes dryer is generally an air-cooled heat exchanger, thereby being unable to fully condense moisture contained in gas supplied from the drum up to a required level. Accordingly, the moisture would be introduced back into the drum through the heat exchanger or be greatly contained in gas exhausted to the outside.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer having a structure which enables temperature-humidity of gas introduced from a drum to closely reach a required level.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer comprising: a case; a drum disposed inside the case and for receiving objects to be dried therein; and a hot air supplying unit for supplying hot air into the drum and drying the objects to be dried, the dehumidifying apparatus, comprising: a plurality of dehumidifying units.
Here, the plurality of dehumidifying units may include a first dehumidifying unit for removing moisture from air directly flowing from the drum; and a second dehumidifying unit for removing moisture again from the air flowing from the first dehumidifying unit.
In the dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer according to one aspect of the present invention, moisture contained in air exhausted by the plurality of dehumidifying units is removed in multiple steps, thereby capable of rapidly and effectively controlling humidity of exhausted air to a required level.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and 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.
In the drawings:
Description will now be given in detail of the dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Here, the dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer is not limited to a ductless dryer which discharge the dehumidified air to the outside of the body, but may also be applied to various types of dryers, such as a general condensation type or circulation type dryer, and the like.
Referring to
A door 111 is mounted on a front surface of the main body 110 to enable loading of clothes into the drum 120. A foot 113 is disposed at a lower portion of the main body 110 to support the main body 110. A belt 131 for rotating the drum 120 and a motor 135 for supplying a driving force to the belt 131 are mounted inside the main body 110. A pulley 137 for winding the belt 131 is disposed on a shaft of the motor 135.
The drum 120 is a container having an inner space into which clothes, etc., as objects to be dried, can be loaded. A plurality of lifters 121 are installed inside the drum 120 so as to lift the clothes.
The hot air supplying unit 140 includes a valve 141 controlling the supplying of gas, a gas burner 143 mixing the gas supplied from the valve 141 with an air supplied from the outside, igniting it, and then generating hot air, and a hot air supplying duct 145 communicating the gas burner 143 with the drum 120 so as to supply the generated hot air to the drum 120. In order to indirectly determine the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions through a numerical value of a flame current by detecting the flame current, a flame rod extending to an edge of a flame may be installed in the hot air supplying unit 140.
Preferably, the valve 141 is implemented as a solenoid valve so as to sensitively adjust the amount of gas supplied.
While being supplied by the valve 141, the gas burner 143 heats the air with the heat generated when the gas supplied from the valve 141 is mixed with the outside air and then burned. The hot air generated by being thusly heated is provided to the drum 120 through the hot air supplying duct 145.
The heat exchanger 150 includes fins 151 and a tube 153. The heat exchanger 150 condenses moisture from the air of high temperature and humidity coming out of the drum 120 through a heat exchange method of air to water by using water of low temperature, to thereby dry the air. An inlet of the heat exchanger 150 is connected to the drum 120 by the circulation duct 180, and an outlet thereof is connected to an exhaust duct 161. That is, the air discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct 161 via the heat exchanger 150.
The heat exchanger 150 is an example of a first dehumidifying unit for removing moisture by condensing gas flowing from the drum 120. Other types of a means capable of cooling exhausted air of high temperature and humidity for condensation or directly removing moisture contained in air may also be employed.
The fins 151 are thin metallic plates having excellent thermal conductivity and are laminated as a plurality of thin vertical metallic plates having a minute distance therebetween so as to contact the air of high temperature and humidity as it passes through.
Water of low temperature (22° C.) is circulated through the tube 153. The tube 153 penetrates the fins 151 in a serpentine manner. Both ends of the tube 153 are connected to water lines (not shown) for supplying and draining water of low temperature. A water container (not shown) for collecting condensed water, which is generated during the condensation process and dropped, is installed at a lower portion of the heat exchanger 150.
The circulation duct 180 includes a filter installation duct 181 providing a space where the filter 200 is installed, a fan installation duct 182 connected to the filter installation duct 181 and providing a space where the fan 133 is installed, and a connection duct 183 for connecting the fan installation duct 182 and the heat exchanger 150. Here, the fan 133 is connected to a shaft of the motor 135 and is supplied a driving force from the motor 135. To be certain, a plurality of motors 135 may be provided so as to respectively supply a driving force to the belt 131 and the fan 133.
Referring to
The heat exchanger 150 is installed inside the condenser case 300 which entirely covers the heat exchanger 150. The condenser case 300 may be tightly sealed so as to maintain its sealed state.
A refrigerant flowing through the tube 153 is heat-exchanged with air introduced from the drum 120 through the connection duct 183 in the heat exchanger 150. Water may be used as such refrigerant. During the heat exchange, the moisture contained in the air is condensed, thereby generating condensate water. The condensate water flows along the heat exchanger 150, and is directed to the lower portion of the condenser case 300.
The lower portion of the condenser case 300 serves as a container (water tank) for containing the condensate water flowing down from the heat exchanger 150. A lowermost water tank 350 is disposed at one side of the condenser case 300 so as to be communicated with the lower portion of the condenser case 300 (i.e., the water tank) by a communication pipe 351.
The lowermost water tank 350 is disposed at a relatively lower position than the water tank (i.e., the lower portion of the condenser case 300). Accordingly, the condensate water contained in the lower portion of the condenser case 300 may be introduced to the lowermost water tank 350.
The lowermost water tank 350 is connected to a condensate water outlet pipe 255. The lowermost water tank 350 may further include a pump. Then, the condensate water received in the lowermost water tank 350 by the pump may be drained to the outside through the condensate water outlet pipe 255.
Meanwhile, the condensate water outlet pipe 255, a refrigerant inlet pipe 251, a refrigerant outlet pipe 253, and a pipe coupling plate 257 may form to be one assembly for modularization. Such module is implemented as a pipe module 250 as shown in
Here, the refrigerant inlet pipe 251 is a path (passage) through which a refrigerant (e.g., water) is introduced to the heat exchanger 150 from the outside. The refrigerant outlet pipe 253 is a path (passage) through which the refrigerant flowing from the heat exchanger 150 is discharged to the outside.
Reference numerals 252, 254 and 256 denote control valves for each pipe. The control valve is implemented as a solenoid valve.
In this embodiment, based on a direction of gas flow from the heat exchanger 150, an air-cooled heat exchange module 400 as a second dehumidifying unit is installed at a rear side of the heat exchanger 150. The air-cooled heat exchange module 400 may be disposed on the exhaust duct 161. A cooling side of the air-cooled heat exchange module 400 is disposed to face a channel through which gas flowing from the heat exchanger 150 passes.
In order to improve operation efficiency of the air-cooled heat exchange module 400, it is preferable that a channel of the exhaust duct 161 is bent (
The air-cooled heat exchange module 400 is comprised of a fan 401 and a heat sink 402. The heat sink 402 includes a heat radiation fin 403, a heat exchange plate 404 and a heat absorption fin 405.
Description of the air-cooled heat exchange module 400 with such configuration is given as follows. As shown in
The gas flowing from the heat exchanger 150 is introduced into the exhaust duct 161. The introduced gas is then heat-exchanged with the air-cooled heat exchange module 400 formed on a wall of one side of the exhaust duct 161.
More specifically, the heat absorption fin 405 absorbs heat of the gas, and the absorbed heat is transferred to the heat radiation fin 403 through the heat exchange plate 404. Such heat may be exhausted to the outside through the open air supplied to the heat radiation fin 403 by the fan 401.
That is, humidity of gas has primarily been controlled by being heat-exchanged while passing the heat exchanger 150 as a temperature-humidity controller. Then, the humidity of the gas is controlled again by being heat-exchanged with the air-cooled heat exchange module 400. Therefore, the humidity of gas may be controlled to be relatively closer to the required level of humidity.
Meanwhile, the condensate water generating when heat is exchanged between the air-cooled heat exchange module 400 and gas flows along the exhaust duct 161, thus to be contained in the lower water tank of the condenser case 300.
Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Same explanations as those given in the first embodiment of the present invention are omitted.
Referring to
The water-cooled heat exchange module 410 may include a water supply pipe 411, a heat exchange pipe 412, a water drain pipe 413, a heat radiation fin 415, a heat exchange plate 416 and a heat absorption plate 417. That is, the fan and the heat radiation fin in
Cool water introduced into the water supply pipe 411 is configured to cool the heat radiation fin 415 while flowing through the heat exchange pipe 412, and after the heat exchange, to be discharged to the outside through the water drain pipe 413.
The water supply pipe 411 for supplying water may be separately formed from the refrigerant inlet pipe 251, or integrally formed with the refrigerant inlet pipe 251. The humidity of gas may be re-adjusted while being heat-exchanged with the water-cooled heat exchange module 410.
Referring to
If gas flowing through the exhaust duct 161 is cooled by contacting the heat absorption side of the thermoelectric element 422, moisture remaining in the gas is saturated, thereby being condensate water. An outer plate 423 of the thermoelectric element 422 which radiates by the heat exchange is cooled by the fan 421.
Referring to
With such configuration, gas primarily dehumidified while flowing from the heat exchanger 150 may be secondarily dehumidified while passing through the desiccant 430.
Such second dehumidifying units described in the above embodiments may be used in various combinations thereof. For instance, both the air-cooled heat exchange module 400 and the desiccant 430 may be used together.
According to the dehumidifying apparatus for a dryer in one aspect of the present invention, humidity of gas has primarily been controlled by being heat-exchanged when gas passes through the heat exchanger serving as the first dehumidifying unit, and then is secondarily controlled when the gas passes through the second dehumidifying unit. Therefore, it has an effect of controlling the humidity of gas to be relatively closer to the required level of humidity.
The above embodiments have described a case having two dehumidifying units, however, it is not meant to limiting the number of the dehumidifying units. A plurality of dehumidifying units may be provided in consideration of dryer capacity, and the like.
The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.
As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2007-0089678 | Sep 2007 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR08/05183 | 9/3/2008 | WO | 00 | 3/3/2010 |
