Patent Application
20240376660
The present disclosure relates generally to laundry appliances and more particularly to a lint filter with an integrated cooler for a front-load washer and dryer combination appliance.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute as prior art.
Laundry appliances (i.e., laundry machines, washing machines, and dryers) are prolific in both residential and commercial settings. Traditionally, separate washer and dryer machines have been used in tandem to clean and dry laundry. However, there is a growing market for washer and dryer combination appliances where a single machine performs both the washing and drying functions, thereby eliminating the need for two separate machines. There are a number of different names used to describe washer and dryer combination appliances, including without limitation, “washer/dryer combos” and “all-in-one washer dryers.” While these units save space compared to separate washer and dryer machines, combining the washing and drying functions into a single appliance presents a number of engineering challenges.
Many washer and dryer combination appliances have a front-load appliance configuration, where the washer and dryer combination appliance includes a cabinet with a front opening that is accessed by a front-mounted appliance door. A drum is positioned in and is rotatable with respect to the cabinet. During tumbling, a motor housed within the cabinet rotates the drum. The drum typically has a front end with a drum opening that provides access to a laundry compartment inside the drum.
Washer and dryer combination appliances are gaining in popularity because they save space compared to a set of separate washer and dryer appliances and because they do not require the act of transferring laundry between separate appliances between the wash and drying cycles. This allows consumers to simply load laundry into the washer and dryer combination appliance and select the desired wash and drying cycle settings and they do not have to return again until the laundry is washed and dried. However, performing the drying cycle in the same appliance that performed the wash cycle presents a number of engineering challenges due to the presence of water inside the drum during the wash cycle and the resulting levels of humidity that remain inside the appliance during the drying cycle. Solutions that improve the performance and efficiency of the drying cycle in washer and dryer combination appliances in the face of these challenges are needed.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure includes a combination washer and dryer appliance. The combination washer and dryer also includes a cabinet. The combination washer and dryer also includes a drum housing positioned within the cabinet. The combination washer and dryer also includes a drum rotatably supported within the drum housing and including at least one drum wall that defines a laundry compartment within the drum. The combination washer and dryer also includes a drying air circulation path that extends from a drying air inlet positioned in the at least one drum wall to a drying air outlet positioned in fluid communication with the laundry compartment in the drum. The combination washer and dryer also includes a filter coil disposed adjacent to the drying air inlet. The combination washer and dryer also includes a condensing system that includes the filter coil located on the at least one drum wall at the drying air inlet and a second coil located in the cabinet and outside of the drying air circulation path, the filter coil and second coil being arranged in fluid communication and containing a heat-transfer fluid such that the filter coil acts as both a lint filter and a condenser to dehumidify drying air entering the drying air inlet and such that the second coil acts as a heat exchanger for transferring heat to ambient air located inside the cabinet.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The combination washer and dryer appliance may include a heater positioned within the drying air circulation path. The filter coil may include a spiral. The filter coil may include a condenser coil. The second coil may include an evaporator coil. The evaporator coil may include an evaporator improvement device coupled thereto. The evaporator improvement device may include fins or microchannels. The second coil is disposed in a secondary duct disposed outside the drying air circulation path. The secondary duct may include a fan circulating air disposed therein. The filter coil is coupled to a drum wall. The filter coil is coupled to an air drying circulation duct in the air drying circulation path. May include an air drying circulation duct in the air drying circulation path, said drying air circulation path may include a flap of ambient air introduction into the drying air circulation path.
One general aspect includes a combination washer and dryer appliance. The combination washer also includes a cabinet. The combination washer and dryer also includes a drum housing positioned within the cabinet. The combination washer and dryer also includes a drum rotatably positioned within the cabinet, said drum including an end wall, said drum defining a laundry compartment therein. The combination washer and dryer also includes an air drying circulation duct that extends from a drying air inlet positioned in the end wall to a drying air outlet positioned in fluid communication with the laundry compartment in the drum. The combination washer and dryer also includes a heater positioned within the air drying circulation duct. The combination washer and dryer also includes a condenser system may include a condenser filter coil located proximate the end wall at the drying air inlet and a second coil located in the cabinet and outside of the air drying circulation duct, the condenser filter coil and the second coil being arranged in fluid communication and contain heat-transfer fluid such that the condense filter coil acts as both a lint filter and a condenser to dehumidify drying air entering the drying air inlet and such that the second coil acts as a heat exchanger for transferring heat to ambient air located inside the cabinet.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The combination washer and dryer appliance where the condenser filter coil may include a spiral. The second coil may include an evaporator coil. The evaporator coil may include an evaporator improvement device coupled thereto, said evaporator improvement device may include fins or microchannels. The second coil is disposed in a secondary duct disposed outside the air drying circulation duct. The secondary duct may include a fan circulating air disposed therein. The filter coil is coupled to a drum wall or to the air drying circulation duct. The air drying circulation duct may include a flap for receiving ambient air.—
Advantageously, the condensing systems described herein improve the drying performance of the washer and dryer combination laundry appliance by reducing the humidity of the air inside the laundry compartment, which is heated and recirculated during a drying cycle. Improved drying performance is realized because warm dry air provides better drying performance than warm moist air.
Other advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, various aspects of a washer and dryer combination laundry appliance 20, 20′ are illustrated.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
For purposes of description herein the terms “up,” “down,” “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the assembly as oriented in
With reference to
The front appliance door 26 includes an outer wall 30 that presents an outer door surface 31, which faces out away from the front opening 24 in the cabinet 22 when the front appliance door 26 is in the closed position and an inner wall 32 that faces the front opening 24 in the cabinet 22 when the front appliance door 26 is in the closed position. The front appliance door 26 also includes a door perimeter 33 and a bowl 34. The door perimeter 33 is configured to abut the cabinet 22 when the front appliance door 26 is in the closed position. The bowl 34 is provided on the inner wall 32 of the front appliance door 26 and is spaced radially inward of the door perimeter 33. At least a portion of the bowl 34 is received in the front opening 24 in the cabinet 22 when the front appliance door 26 is in the closed position. Among other functions, the bowl 34 prevents laundry inside the laundry appliance 20 from accumulating in the front opening 24 during tumbling and particularly during the wash cycle of the laundry appliance 20. Although other materials can be used, in the illustrated example, the front appliance door 26 is made of metal, while the bowl 34 is made of a molded plastic material.
The laundry appliance 20 includes a drum housing 36 with a cylindrical shape that is mounted inside the cabinet 22 on dynamic mounts 38, which keep the drum housing 36 from rotating, but permit limited degrees of freedom that allow the drum housing 36 to move/oscillate relative to the cabinet 22 during tumbling. The drum housing 36 includes a front ring 40, a rear drum housing wall 42, and a drum housing sidewall 44 that extends longitudinally from the front ring 40 to the rear drum housing wall 42 to define a drum housing cavity 46 inside the drum housing 36. The front ring 40 of the drum housing 36 includes a drum housing opening 48 positioned in at least partial alignment with the front opening 24 in the cabinet 22.
A drum 50 is positioned in the drum housing cavity 46 and is supported therein such that the drum 50 is rotatable with respect to the drum housing 36 about a longitudinal axis 52. The drum 50 also has a cylindrical shape and extends longitudinally between a front drum end 54 and a rear drum end 56. The drum 50 includes a drum opening 58 at the front drum end 54, a rear drum wall 60 at the rear drum end 56, and a drum sidewall 62 that extends longitudinally between the front drum end 54 and rear drum end 56. The drum sidewall 62 includes an outer surface 64 that faces the drum housing sidewall 44. The front drum end 54, the drum sidewall 62, and the rear drum wall 60 cooperate to define a laundry compartment 66 inside the drum 50. The front opening 24 in the cabinet 22, the drum housing opening 48 in the front ring 40 of the drum housing 36, and the drum opening 58 at the front drum end 54 are at least partially aligned with one another and therefore provide access to the laundry compartment 66 inside the drum 50 when the front appliance door 26 is in the open position. Thus, it should be appreciated that in use, laundry (e.g., clothes, towels, and/or bedding, etc.) is placed inside the laundry compartment 66 where it is first cleaned during the wash cycle and then dried during the drying cycle of the laundry appliance 20.
A drive shaft 68, fixedly coupled to the rear drum end 56, is supported by a bearing pack 70 such that the drive shaft 68 and the drum 50 rotate together as a single unit within the cabinet 22. An electric motor 72, positioned in the cabinet 22, operates to drive rotation of the drive shaft 68, which in turn drives rotation of the drum 50 within the drum housing 36 and the cabinet 22 during operation of the laundry appliance 20, such as during washing and tumbling.
As best seen in
Referring now to
To improve the drying performance, the laundry appliance 20 includes a condensing system 86 as is illustrated in
Referring now to
In
Referring now to
A flap valve 100 may be used to draw ambient air into the flow path 82 within the air drying circulation duct. An actuator 102 may be used to open and close the flap valve 100.
Many modifications and variations of the apparatus and assemblies described in the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility.
