DRYER

Abstract

A dryer including a drum to accommodate subjects to be dried; a heat exchanger to heat and dry air flowing through the heat exchanger; and a rear plate to guide heated and dried air from the heat exchanger, the rear plate including a first opening into which the heated and dried air from the heat exchanger is introduced, a duct coupled to a rear surface of the rear plate so that the heated and dried air introduced through the first opening flows through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate, and a second opening through which the heated and dried air flowing through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate is discharged to a front side of the rear plate to be supplied to the drum.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dryer including a rear plate which is provided in the inside of the dryer, and of which structural stability has been improved, and which can secure a sufficient flow amount of hot and dry air provided to the inside of the drum.

A dryer is a device that dries subjects to be dried by supplying hot wind to the inside of a drum and by rotating the drum wherein wet clothes (referred to as subjects to be dried hereinafter) are accommodated. The dryer dries subjects to be dried accommodated in the drum by blowing hot wind (hot and dry air) to the inside of the drum. As a general example of a dryer, a clothing dryer of which subjects are wet laundry for which washing has been finished is used a lot.

SUMMARY

Aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a dryer includes a drum to accommodate subjects to be dried; a heat exchanger to heat and dry air flowing through the heat exchanger; and a rear plate to guide heated and dried air from the heat exchanger, the rear plate including a first opening into which the heated and dried air from the heat exchanger is introduced, a duct coupled to a rear surface of the rear plate so that the heated and dried air introduced through the first opening flows through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate, and a second opening through which the heated and dried air flowing through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate is discharged to a front side of the rear plate to be supplied to the drum.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rear plate may include an air guide part on a front surface of the rear plate to guide the heated and dried air discharged through the second opening to the drum.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air guide part may correspond to a rear surface of the drum, and may be concave in a direction from the front surface of the rear plate to the rear surface of the rear plate.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air guide part may have a round shape, and may guide the heated and dried air discharged through the second opening radially toward the rear surface of the drum.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second opening may be formed in a portion of the air guide part in line with the first opening.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a front end part of the duct may contact the air guide part at the second opening, and may have a shape corresponding to a rear surface of the air guide part about the second opening. A rear end part of the duct may extend toward the first opening.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rear plate may include a heater that is insertable into an inner side of the duct through the rear end part of the duct. The heater may include an entrance directed toward the first opening when the heater is inserted into the inner side of the duct, a first air introduction guide, and a second air introduction guide. The first air introduction guide and the second air introduction guide may be extended from the entrance of the heater so as to expand the entrance of the heater.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, one of the first air introduction guide and the second air introduction guide may be fixed to the rear surface of the rear plate.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rear plate may include an axis accommodating part in the air guide part, and that protrudes toward the front side of the rear plate. The dryer may further include a support shaft which is coupled to the axis accommodating part and supports the drum so that the drum is rotatable.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the axis accommodating part may be in a center of the air guide part. The air guide part and the axis accommodating part together may have a concave-convex structure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rear plate may include a first coupling projection and a second coupling projection protruding from the rear surface of the rear plate, and which are integrally formed with the rear plate. The duct may include a first coupling hole and a second coupling hole to which the first coupling projection and the second coupling projection are respectively couplable.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the rear plate may include a rear panel that is separably couplable to the rear surface of the rear plate, and which may cover the first opening, the second opening, and the duct when coupled to the rear surface of the rear plate.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the dryer may further include a blower fan which forcibly transports the heated and dried air through the first opening.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the blower fan may be adjacent to the first opening.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the blower fan may be in the first opening. The first opening may have a size bigger than an outer diameter of the blower fan so that the first opening is distanced from the outer diameter of the blower fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a side cross-section of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a base of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating an example wherein a duct, a heater, and a rear cover are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a front surface of a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a diagram wherein a duct and a heater are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a duct provided to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion to which a duct is coupled in a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a heater provided to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of hot and dry air by a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a side cross-section of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 12 is an exploded view illustrating an example wherein a duct and a heater are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The components illustrated in the embodiments and the drawings described in this specification are merely embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, and there may be various modified examples that can replace the embodiments and the drawings of this specification at the time of filing of the present application.

Also, the same reference numerals or symbols suggested in each drawing of this specification indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same functions.

In addition, the terms used in this specification are used to explain the embodiments, and are not intended to restrict and/or limit the invention disclosed herein. Also, singular expressions include plural expressions, unless defined obviously differently in the context. Further, in this specification, terms such as “include” or “have” should be construed as designating that there are such characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or a combination thereof described in the specification, but not as excluding in advance the existence or possibility of adding one or more of other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or a combination thereof.

Also, the terms including ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” and the like used in this specification may be used to describe various elements, but it is not intended that the elements are limited by the terms, and the terms are used only to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be called a second element, and a second element may be called a first element in a similar manner, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Also, the term “and/or” includes a combination of a plurality of related components described, or any one component among the plurality of related components described. Further, singular expressions include plural expressions, unless there is an obvious exception in the context.

In addition, the terms “a front end,” “a rear end,” “an upper part,” “a lower part,” “a front surface,” “a rear surface,” “an upper end,” and “a lower end,” and “an X axis direction,” “a Y axis direction,” “a Z axis direction,” etc., used in the description below were defined based on the drawings, and the form and the location of each component are not to be limited by the terms.

Hereinafter, a dryer will be explained with reference to drawings to which an embodiment of the disclosure is attached. The dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be used for drying and/or managing subjects to be dried (e.g.: clothes, shoes, sundries, etc.).

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a base of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In FIG. 1, the direction according to the X axis may be defined as a front-rear direction of the dryer 1, and the direction according to the Y axis may be defined as a left-right direction of the dryer 1, and the direction according to the Z axis may be defined as an up-down direction of the dryer 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a main body 10. The main body 10 may include a front surface 11, an upper surface 12, a side surface 13, a rear surface 14, and a lower surface 15, and may be provided in an approximately cuboid shape.

On the main body 10, a water container for return 16 may be provided. For example, the water container for return 16 may be provided in the upper part of the front surface 11 of the main body 10. The water container for return 16 may keep condensate water generated by an operation of a refrigerant cycle that will be described below.

On the main body 10, an inputter 17 for manipulation of the dryer may be provided. Specifically, the inputter 17 may be provided in the upper part of the front surface 11 of the main body 10. The inputter 17 may include at least one of a rotation switch 17a, a display 17b, or a button 17c. The rotation switch 17a may be provided such that a user can select a mode of the dryer 1 by gripping and rotating it. The display 17b may be provided to display an operation state of the dryer 1 and/or a manipulation state of the user. The display 17b may be provided such that a touch input is possible. The button 17c may be provided such that the user can select a mode, etc., of the dryer 1 by pushing it. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and various manipulation methods may be applied.

The main body 10 may include a base 60. The base 60 may be provided in the lower part of the main body 10, and form the lower surface 15. On the lower surface 15, legs 19 for supporting the main body 10 may be provided.

The dryer 1 may include a drum 20 that is provided to accommodate subjects to be dried. The drum 20 may include an entrance of the drum into which subjects to be dried are input. The drum 20 may be rotatably arranged inside the main body 10.

The dryer 1 may include a driver that rotates the drum 20. Referring to FIG. 3, the driver may include a driving motor 31 that is seated on the base 60, a pulley 32 that rotates by the driving motor 31, and a belt (not shown) that connects the pulley 32 and the drum 20, and transmits the power of the driving motor 31 to the drum 20.

The dryer 1 may suck humid outside air while the door 30 is opened, and dehumidify an outer space by discharging dried air through a refrigerant cycle of a heat exchanger 70. Here, in the dryer 1, an open type flow channel may be formed as the door 30 is opened. The dryer 1 may further include a dehumidification unit 100 such that an open type flow channel can be formed while the door 30 is closed.

Referring to FIG. 2, the drum 20 may include an inlet 21 through which air is introduced to the inside 23 of the drum, and an outlet 22 through which air is discharged from the inside 23 of the drum to the outside of the drum. The inlet 21 may be formed on one side of the drum 20, and the outlet 22 may be formed on the other side of the drum 20. For example, the inlet 21 may be an opening on the rear side of the drum 20, and the outlet 22 may be an opening on the front side of the drum 20. The opening on the front side of the drum 20 may be the entrance of the drum 20.

The inlet 21 of the drum 20 may be covered by the rear plate 200. A duct 230 of the rear plate 200 that will be described below may be in communication with the inlet 21 of the drum 20. Hot and dry air that passed through the duct 230 of the rear plate 200 may be introduced into the drum 20 through the inlet 21, and dry subjects to be dried accommodated in the drum 20. The air that got to contain a large amount of moisture after drying the subjects to be dried may get out of the drum 20 through the outlet 22.

Inside the drum 20, a plurality of lifters 24 may be arranged. The lifters may make subjects to be dried ascend or descend, and thereby make the subjects to be dried contact hot wind while floating in the space inside the drum 20.

A slot 25 may be formed on the front surface of the main body 10 such that subjects to be dried can be introduced into the drum 20, and a door 30 for opening or closing the slot 25 may be installed. The door 30 may be provided to be rotatable as it is hinge-coupled to one side of the slot 25.

In the lower part of the drum 20, a base 60 may be arranged. Referring to FIG. 3, on the base 60, a heat exchanger 70 constituting a refrigerant cycle, a compressor 73, an expansion device 74, etc., may be seated. Also, on the base 60, a blower fan 80, a driving motor 31, a pulley 32, etc., may be seated. In the upper part of the base 60, a base cover 75 may be provided so as to cover the heat exchanger 70, etc. For example, the base cover 75 may form a duct structure together with the base 60.

The blower fan 80 may be provided on the base 60. The blower fan 80 may form a flow channel of air by generating a blowing force. For example, the blower fan 80 may discharge air in a radial direction. For this, the blower fan 80 may include a rotation axis 83 formed in the center part and a plurality of blades 84 that are formed in a circumferential direction based on the rotation axis 83.

Meanwhile, in the drying mode, a closed type flow channel may be formed inside the main body 10 of the dryer 1. Here, the closed type flow channel may be a moving path of air (refer to the arrow in FIG. 2) that is constituted such that air inside the cabinet circulates the heat exchanger 70 and the drum 20. The closed type flow channel may not be in communication with the outside of the main body 10 such that air outside the main body 10 is not introduced or discharged. That is, a flow of air may form a closed loop.

A filter unit 50 may be separably mounted on the dryer 1. Specifically, the filter unit 50 may be separably mounted inside the main body 10 through an opening 65 provided in the lower part of the front surface 11. The filter unit 50 may be mounted on or separated from a unit accommodation part 61. The filter unit 50 may prevent air from deviating from the closed type flow channel. That is, the filter unit 50 may prevent the drying efficiency of the dryer 1 from being reduced. The filter unit 50 may be arranged on the base 60.

In case the dehumidification unit 100 is mounted on the dryer 1 after removing the filter unit 50 through the opening 65, the closed type flow channel may be converted into an open type flow channel. Accordingly, the dryer 1 may perform a dehumidifying operation (a dehumidification mode). That is, the dryer may be converted from the drying mode to the dehumidification mode.

Here, the open type flow channel may be a moving path of air that is constituted such that outside air is sucked inside the dryer 1 and passes through the heat exchanger 70 and the drum 20, and is then discharged outside the dryer 1. Alternatively, the open type flow channel may be a moving path of air that is constituted such that outside air is sucked inside the dryer 1 and passes through the heat exchanger 70, and is then discharged outside the dryer 1. An inlet port (not shown) and an outlet port (not shown) on opposite ends of the dehumidification unit 100 are respectively in communication with the outside of the main body 10, and a flow of air may form an open loop.

Humid outside air, i.e., air before dehumidification, may be introduced into the body 110 of the dehumidification unit 100 through the inlet port of the dehumidification unit 100. The air introduced may pass through an outlet (not shown) along an inlet flow channel provided inside the body 110. The air that passed through the outlet may penetrate the heat exchanger 70. Specifically, the air that passed through the outlet may exchange heat with an evaporator 71 and a condenser 72 as it penetrates the evaporator 71 and the condenser 72. Accordingly, the air that penetrated the heat exchanger 70 may become hot and dry air. Here, the term ‘hot’ means that the air is of a relatively higher temperature than the air before passing through the heat exchanger 70, and does not mean that the air is absolutely hot. The air of which moisture has been removed as it passed through the heat exchanger 70 may pass through the inlet 21 of the drum 20, the inside 23 of the drum 20, and the outlet 22, and may be introduced into the body 110 of the dehumidification unit 100 through the inlet (not shown) of the dehumidification unit 100 connected to the outlet 22 of the drum 20. The blower fan 80 may be arranged in a flow channel connecting the outlet 22 of the drum 20 and the inlet of the dehumidification unit 100. The blower fan 80 may make the dehumidified air move smoothly. The air introduced into the body 110 may pass through the outlet port along a discharge flow channel (not shown) of the dehumidification unit 100, and may be discharged outside the main body 10. Ultimately, air before dehumidification may be introduced from the outside and dehumidified by exchanging heat with the heat exchanger 70 inside the dryer 1, and the air after dehumidification may be discharged outside the dryer 1. By such a flow of air, a dehumidifying operation (the dehumidification mode) may be performed.

Hereinafter, the structure of the rear plate 200, and the duct 230 and the heater 250 provided to the rear plate 200 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating an example wherein a duct, a heater, and a rear cover are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a front surface of a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the rear plate 200 may be arranged on the rear side of the drum 20, and form the rear surface 14 of the dryer 1 (refer to FIG. 2). The rear plate 200 may guide hot and dry air that penetrated the heat exchanger 70 to the inlet 21 of the drum 20. Like this, the air flow channel provided in the dryer 1 may constitute a loop that leads to the base 60, the rear plate 200, and the inside 23 of the drum.

In the lower part of the rear plate 200, a first opening 201 that is in communication with an outlet 63 provided on the rear side of the base 60 may be provided. The hot and dry air that was forcibly made to penetrate the heat exchanger 70 by the blower fan 80 may pass through the outlet 63 and the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200, and may be guided to the rear side of the rear plate 200.

Referring to FIG. 5, on the front surface of the rear plate 200, an air guide part 203a that guides hot and dry air that passed through a second opening 204 to the inlet 21 of the drum 20 may be provided. The air guide part 203a may consist of a groove form that is caved into the rear side of the rear plate 200 by a specific depth. The air guide part 203a may consist of an approximately circle shape to guide air radially.

The rear plate 200 may include a second opening 204 that guides the hot and dry air that passed through the first opening 201 and moved to the rear side of the rear plate 200 to the front side of the rear plate 200. The second opening 204 of the rear plate 200 may be formed in a portion of the air guide part 203. For example, the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200 may be formed by removing a portion of the air guide part 203. The second opening 204 of the rear plate 200 may be located to be adjacent to the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200.

On the rear surface of the rear plate 200, an axis accommodation part 205 wherein a support shaft 240 (refer to FIG. 2) for supporting rotation of the drum 20 is arranged may be provided. The axis accommodation part 205 may protrude in an approximately cone shape toward the front side of the rear plate 200. In the center of the axis accommodation part 205, a penetration hole 207 into which the support shaft 240 is inserted may be provided.

The axis accommodation part 205 may be located in the center of the rear surface of the circular air guide part 203. The axis accommodation part 205 protrudes in an opposite direction to the direction in which the air guide part 203a is caved. Accordingly, the air guide part 203a and the axis accommodation part 205 may constitute a concave-convex shape of which structural stability is high.

To the center of the rear surface 27 (refer to FIG. 2) of the drum, the support shaft 240 may be connected. Also, on the rear surface 27 of the drum, a plurality of inlet holes 28 into which hot and dry air radiated by the air guide part 203a of the rear plate 200 is introduced may be provided.

In the drum 20, the center of the rear surface 27 of the drum may be supported by the support shaft 240. The support shaft 240 may be stably coupled to the penetration hole 207 of the axis accommodation part 205 by the concave-convex structure constituted by the air guide part 203a and the axis accommodation part 205 that has high structural stability. In case the drum 20 rotates in a forward direction or a reverse direction by the driving power provided from the driving motor 31 (refer to FIG. 3), reduction of durability of the rear plate 200 by vibration generated at the time of rotation of the drum 20 can be improved or minimized by the concave-convex structure.

To the rear surface of the rear plate 200, a rear cover 210 may be separably coupled. The rear cover 210 may prevent the duct 230 and the heater 250 arranged on the rear surface of the rear plate 200 from being exposed to the outside, and protect them from an outside shock.

FIG. 6 is a diagram wherein a duct and a heater are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a duct provided to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion to which a duct is coupled in a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a heater provided to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, on the rear surface of the rear plate 200, the duct 230 and the heater 250 covering the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200 may be arranged.

As the duct 230 and the heater 250 are arranged on the rear surface of the rear plate 200, the user can easily access the duct 230 and the heater 250 through a simple task of separating the rear cover 210 from the rear plate 200 when performing maintenance of the duct 230 and/or the heater 250.

The duct 230 may form a passage that guides the hot and dry air introduced from the front side to the rear side of the rear plate 200 through the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200 to the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a front end part 236a of the duct 230 may be formed to be rounded to correspond to a curvature of the axis accommodation part 205. On the front end part 236a of the duct 230, a plurality of first fastening holes 235a to which a plurality of screws (not shown) are respectively coupled so as to be screw-fastened to the rear plate 200 may be provided.

A rear end part 236b of the duct 230 may be distanced from the rear surface of the rear plate 200 by a specific interval. In this case, the heater 250 may be inserted into the space between the rear end part 236b of the duct 230 and the rear surface of the rear plate 200.

On the left side and the right side of the duct 230, a first extension part 231 and a second extension part 232 may respectively be provided. The first extension part 231 may be formed to be bent from the left side of the duct 230 toward the rear surface of the rear plate 200, and the second extension part 232 may be formed to be bent from the right side of the duct 230 toward the rear surface of the rear plate 200.

A portion 231a of the first extension part 231 and a portion 231b of the second extension 232 adjacent to the front end part 236a of the duct 230 may have shapes corresponding to the shape of the rear surface of the air guide part 203a so as to be contact with the rear surface of the air guide part 203. Accordingly, the duct 230 may surround three sides 204a, 204b, 204c of the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200. Air that passed through the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200 may be guided to the duct 230, and transported to the front side of the rear plate 200 through the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200.

On the first extension part 231 and the second extension part 232, a plurality of fastening holes 235b, 235c to which a plurality of screws (not shown) are respectively coupled so as to be screw-fastened to the rear plate 200 may be provided.

Also, on the first extension part 231 and the second extension part 232, a first coupling hole 233 and a second coupling hole 234 to which a first coupling projection 223 and a second coupling projection 224 formed in a flow channel arrangement part 203b of the rear plate 200 are respectively coupled may be provided. The first coupling projection 223 and the second coupling projection 224 may be integrally formed with the flow channel arrangement part 203b of the rear plate 200.

The duct 230 may be coupled to the rear surface of the rear plate 200 by the plurality of screws, and the first coupling projection 223 and the second coupling projection 224. Even if fastening of the screws becomes loose or is released by vibration that may be generated at the time of rotation of the drum 20, the duct 230 may be steadfastly fixed to the rear plate 200 by the first coupling projection 223 and the second coupling projection 224.

In case the ambient temperature of the dryer 1 is low as in the initial period of the operation of the dryer 1 or in winter, the temperature of the air that penetrates the heat exchanger 70 may be lower than a temperature appropriate for drying subjects to be dried (the system temperature). A dryer according to the conventional technology needed a specific preheating time for raising the air to the system temperature. The dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure can heat air introduced to the side of the duct 230 through the heater 250, and can thus raise the temperature inside the air flow channel of the dryer 1 (the flow channel that leads to the inside the of the base 60, the space between the rear plate 200 and the rear cover 210, and the inside 23 of the drum). Accordingly, the dryer 1 can raise the system temperature within a short time, and can thus reduce the preheating time of the dryer 1, and can also reduce the entire drying time that is taken for drying subjects to be dried.

The driving of the heater 250 may be controlled by a controller (not shown) provided in the dryer 1 during a predetermined time in the initial period of the operation of the dryer 1. The controller may perform control such that the heater 250 is driven if the temperature detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided inside the dryer 1 is detected to be lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature.

In the heater 250, a housing, and a heat generating member (e.g.: a sheath heater) in a form of a heating wire arranged in zigzags on the inner side of the housing may be provided. As the rear end part of the heater 250 is led into the duct 230 through the side of the rear end part 236b of the duct 230, leakage of air can be minimized (refer to FIG. 6).

Referring to FIG. 9, the heater 250 may include an entrance 251 into which air that passed through the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200 is introduced, and an exit 253 which discharges air to the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200.

On the upper end and the lower end of the entrance 251 of the heater 250, a first air inlet guide 255 and a second air inlet guide 257 that are extended to be inclined in a direction of getting farther from each other may be provided. Like this, the entrance of the heater 250 can maximize air fluidity as it is expanded by the first air inlet guide 255 and the second air inlet guide 257.

On the second air inlet guide 257 of the heater 250, a first slit 258a and a second slit 258b penetrated by screws may be provided. The second air inlet guide 257 of the heater 250 may be coupled to a heat fixing part 222 (refer to FIG. 8) of the rear plate 200 as the plurality of screws are fastened to the first slit 258a and the second slit 258b. Accordingly, the heater 250 can be steadfastly fixed to the rear surface of the rear plate 200 as the rear part of the heater 250 is inserted into the inner side of the duct 230, and the second air introduction guide 257 of the heater 250 is coupled to the heater fixing part 222 of the rear plate 200.

A heater seating part 221 to which the rear part of the heater 250 adheres may be provided between the flow channel arrangement unit 203b and the heater fixing part 222 of the rear plate 200. The flow channel arrangement unit 203b, the heater seating part 221, and the heater fixing part 222 constitute each part of the rear plate 200. The heater seating part 221 may be caved into the rear side of the rear plate 200 by a specific depth such that it does not contact and interfere with a portion 27a of the rear surface 27 of the drum as in FIG. 2. In this case, the heater seating part 221 may be caved into the rear side of the rear plate 200 more deeply compared to the flow channel arrangement part 203b and the heater fixing part 222.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of hot and dry air by a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Air that penetrated the heat exchanger 70 (refer to FIG. 2) by the blower fan 80 (refer to FIG. 2) may be converted into hot and dry air. Referring to FIG. 10, the hot and dry air that penetrated the heat exchanger 70 may move to the rear side of the rear plate 200 through the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200.

In case the heater 250 is driven, the hot and dry air may be heated as it penetrates the inside of the heater 250. The hot and dry air that penetrated the heater 250 may be guided to the duct 230, and pass through the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200.

The hot and dry air that passed through the second opening 204 of the rear plate 200 may be discharged to the air guide part 203a of the rear plate 200. The hot and dry air discharged to the air guide part 203a may be guided toward the rear surface 27 (refer to FIG. 2) of the drum in a circumferential direction along the inner circumferential surface of the air guide part 203a formed in an approximately circle shape. In this case, some of the hot and dry air may be guided toward the rear surface 27 of the drum along the rear surface 205a of the axis accommodation part 205.

Like this, the air guide part 203a provided on the front surface of the rear plate 200 is arranged to face the rear surface 27 of the drum, and a specific structure arranged between the air guide part 203a of the rear plate 200 and the rear surface 27 of the drum does not exist. The hot and dry air guided to the air guide part 203a of the rear plate 200 may be directly supplied to the inlet 21 of the drum 20 without interference. Accordingly, the dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure can supply a sufficient amount of hot and dry air that can dry subjects to be dried to the inside of the drum 20 even if the overall size increases or the processing capacity of subjects to be dried increases.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a side cross-section of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 12 is an exploded view illustrating an example wherein a duct and a heater are coupled to a rear plate of a dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The dryer 1a illustrated in FIG. 11 has the same configuration as the dryer 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 except the location of the blower fan 81 and the size of the first opening 201 of the rear plate 200. Hereinafter, in explaining the dryer 1a illustrated in FIG. 11, the location of the blower fan 81 and the size of the first opening 201-1 of the rear plate 200-1 will be mainly explained.

Referring to FIG. 11, in the dryer 1a according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the location of the blower fan 81 may be adjacent to the lower part of the rear plate 200-1.

For example, the size of the first opening 201-1 of the rear plate 200-1 may be formed to be bigger such that the blower fan 81 can be located on the inner side of the first opening 201-1. The size of the first opening 201-1 of the rear plate 200-1 may be a size to a degree that the blower fan 81 may not be interfered at the time of rotation, for example. The size of the first opening 201-1 of the rear plate 200-1 may be formed to be bigger than the outer diameter of the blower fan 81.

Referring to FIG. 12, the lower part of the rear plate 200-1 may be removed unlike the rear plate 200 illustrated in FIG. 10, such that the blower fan 81 is not interfered by the rear plate 200-1 in case it is arranged in the lower part on the rear side of the dryer 1a. Accordingly, the length in the up-down direction of the rear plate 200-1 may be shorter than the length in the up-down direction of the rear plate 200 illustrated in FIG. 10.

The rear cover 210-1 may be separably coupled to the rear surface of the rear plate 200-1. The rear cover 210-1 may have a size and a shape similar to those of the rear cover 210 illustrated in FIG. 4. When the rear cover 210-1 is mounted on the rear surface of the rear plate 200-1, the lower part 211-1 of the rear cover 210-1 may cover the blower fan 81. Accordingly, the blower fan 81 can be protected from a shock from the outside without being exposed to the outside by the rear cover 210-1, and introduction of foreign substances can be prevented or minimized.

The user can easily access not only the duct 230-1 and the heater 250-1 but also the blower fan 81 if he/she separates the rear cover 210-1 from the rear plate 200-1 when performing maintenance of the duct 230-1 and/or the heater 250-1. Accordingly, the inconvenience of having to separate the rear plate 200-1 from the dryer 1a for performing maintenance of the blower fan 81 can be removed.

The rear plate 200-1 may include a second opening 204-1 that guides hot and dry air that was moved to the lower part of the rear plate 200-1 by the blower fan 81 located on the lower side to the front side of the rear plate 200-1. The opening 204-1 of the rear plate 200-1 may be formed in a portion of the air guide part 203-1. For example, the opening 204-1 of the rear plate 200-1 may be formed by removing a portion of the air guide part 203-1.

The duct 230-1 may be mounted on the rear surface of the rear plate 200-1. The duct 230-1 may cover the opening 204-1 of the rear plate 200-1. The heater 250-1 may be inserted between the rear plate 200-1 and the duct 230-1, and may be arranged to be adjacent to the opening 204-1 of the rear plate 200-1. Accordingly, air that is transported to the lower part of the rear plate 200-1 by the blower fan 81 passes through the heater 250-1, and is then introduced into the opening of the rear plate 200-1. As the dryer 1a can heat the air introduced into the inside 23 of the drum by the heater 250-1, it can raise the temperature inside the air flow channel of the dryer 1a (the flow channel that leads to the inside the of the base 60, the space between the rear plate 200-1 and the rear cover 210-1, and the inside 23 of the drum). Accordingly, the dryer 1a can raise the system temperature within a short time, and can thus reduce the preheating time of the dryer 1a, and can also reduce the entire drying time that is taken for drying subjects to be dried.

The duct 230-1 may be screw-fastened to the rear surface of the rear plate 200-1. Also, on the duct 230-1, coupling holes 234-1 to which coupling projections 224-1 formed on the rear plate 200-1 are respectively coupled may be provided. Accordingly, the duct 230-1 is coupled to the rear surface of the rear plate 200-1 by the plurality of screws and the coupling projections 224-1 of the rear plate 200-1, and thus it can be steadfastly fixed to the rear plate 200-1 by the coupling projections 224-1 even if fastening of the screws becomes loose or is released by vibration that may be generated at the time of rotation of the drum 20.

While preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, the disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned specific embodiments, and it is apparent that various modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the disclosure belongs, without departing from the gist of the disclosure as claimed by the appended claims. Further, it is intended that such modifications are not to be interpreted independently from the technical idea or prospect of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A dryer comprising: a drum to accommodate subjects to be dried;a heat exchanger to heat and dry air flowing through the heat exchanger; anda rear plate to guide heated and dried air from the heat exchanger, the rear plate including: a first opening into which the heated and dried air from the heat exchanger is introduced,a duct coupled to a rear surface of the rear plate so that the heated and dried air introduced through the first opening flows through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate, anda second opening through which the heated and dried air flowing through the duct along the rear surface of the rear plate is discharged to a front side of the rear plate to be supplied to the drum.

2. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the rear plate includes: an air guide part on a front surface of the rear plate to guide the heated and dried air discharged through the second opening to the drum.

3. The dryer of claim 2, wherein the air guide part corresponds to a rear surface of the drum, and is concave in a direction from the front surface of the rear plate to the rear surface of the rear plate.

4. The dryer of claim 3, wherein the air guide part has a round shape, and guides the heated and dried air discharged through the second opening radially toward the rear surface of the drum.

5. The dryer of claim 3, wherein the second opening is formed in a portion of the air guide part in line with the first opening.

6. The dryer of claim 3, wherein a front end part of the duct contacts the air guide part at the second opening, and has a shape corresponding to a rear surface of the air guide part about the second opening, anda rear end part of the duct extends toward the first opening.

7. The dryer of claim 6, wherein the rear plate includes: a heater that is insertable into an inner side of the duct through the rear end part of the duct, andthe heater includes: an entrance directed toward the first opening when the heater is inserted into the inner side of the duct,a first air introduction guide, anda second air introduction guide,wherein the first air introduction guide and the second air introduction guide are extended from the entrance of the heater so as to expand the entrance of the heater.

8. The dryer of claim 7, wherein one of the first air introduction guide and the second air introduction guide is fixed to the rear surface of the rear plate.

9. The dryer of claim 3, wherein the rear plate includes: an axis accommodating part in the air guide part, and that protrudes toward the front side of the rear plate, andthe dryer further comprises a support shaft which is coupled to the axis accommodating part and supports the drum so that the drum is rotatable.

10. The dryer of claim 9, wherein the axis accommodating part is in a center of the air guide part, andthe air guide part and the axis accommodating part together have a concave-convex structure.

11. The dryer of claim 2, wherein the rear plate includes a first coupling projection and a second coupling projection protruding from the rear surface of the rear plate, and which are integrally formed with the rear plate, andthe duct includes a first coupling hole and a second coupling hole to which the first coupling projection and the second coupling projection are respectively couplable.

12. The dryer of claim 2, wherein the rear plate includes: a rear panel that is separably couplable to the rear surface of the rear plate, and which covers the first opening, the second opening, and the duct when coupled to the rear surface of the rear plate.

13. The dryer of claim 1, further comprising: a blower fan which forcibly transports the heated and dried air through the first opening.

14. The dryer of claim 13, wherein the blower fan is adjacent to the first opening.

15. The dryer of claim 13, wherein the blower fan is in the first opening, andthe first opening has a size bigger than an outer diameter of the blower fan so that the first opening is distanced from the outer diameter of the blower fan.