CONDENSER LAUNDRY DRYER

Abstract: In a laundry dryer having a rotatable drum, with circula­ tion of the drying air in a closed circuit and circulation of the condensing air in an open circuit, and provided with a conde­ nser unit havign a cooling air outlet opening, a deflector element is provided for mounting adjacent the cooling air outlet of the condenser unit. The deflector element may selec­ tively be mounted in one of two positions for deflecting the cooling air excaping from the condenser unit directly towards a discharge opening of the machine or towards the interior of the machine, and for at the same time defining an enclosed chamber underneath the condenser unit. The first position of the deflector element permits a removable condensate collec­ tor receptacle to be placed in an upper portion of the dryer, while in the second position of the deflector element, the removable receptacle is accommodated in the enclosed chamber underneath the condenser unit. The invention permits the construction of the dryer to be standardized as far as possible with a view to the accommoda­ tion of the receptacle in either position.

Description: The present invention relates to a condenser laundry dryer, particularly of the domestic type having a rotating drum, in which the discharge flow of the cooling air of the condenser unit may selectively be directed along different discharge flowpaths from the machine, depending on the location of the condensate collector receptacle, which in the laundry dryer according to the invention may be positioned in an upper or a lower portion of the machine. In known condenser laundry dryers, the condensed water is collected in a receptacle removably accommodated in the interior of the machine so that it can be emptied when the collected water attains a maximum filling level. The condensate collector receptacle is usually of the open-top type. In the more economic models of laundry dryers, it is usually placed directly underneath the condenser unit so as to be filled with the condensate flowing from the surfaces of the condenser by the action of gravity. In the more sophisticated models of laundry dryers, (see eg. GB-A-2 115 126) the receptacle is frequently placed at a more convenient location in an upper portion of the machine so as to be removable therefrom. In this case, the condensed water accumulates in a collector disposed below the condenser and is conveyed therefrom to the collector receptacle by means of a transfer conduit connected to a centrifugal pump. The positioning of the condensate collector receptacle sometimes in the lower portion and sometimes in the upper portion of the machine has finally resulted in the construction of functionally and structurally widely different laundry dryers. In addition to requiring different indispensable components, such as the transfer conduit with the associated centrifugal pump, the two basic types of dryers arc provided with different discharge flowpaths for the cooling air, resulting in an uneconomical diversification in the manufacture of dryers conforming to one or the other basic type. It would thus be advantageous, and is therefore an object of the invention, to provide a laundry dryer the construction of which is standardized as far as possible for the two basic types of dryers for thus enabling the condensate collector receptacle to be selectively positioned in a lower portion or an upper portion of the machine, so that the desired dryer model can be obtained by carrying out simple modifications during the final stage of assembly. A laundry dryer of this construction would also be more readily adaptable to the composition of so-called laundering columns, in which case the laundry dryer would be placed on top of a laundry washing machine, so that, to be readily accessible, the condensate collector receptacle would necessarily have to be located in the lower portion of the machine. These objects are attained according to the invention in a laundry dryer having a rotatable drum, with circulation of the drying air in a closed circuit, and an open cooling air circuit for a condenser, said dryer being provided with a removable condensate collector receptacle and a condenser unit housed in a box-shaped container formed with inlet and outlet openings for the condensing air, wherein a deflector element mounted on the outlet opening of the box-shaped container is adapted to selectively assume one of two positions in a first of which it cooperates with the walls of the dryer and with baffles integrally formed with the box-shaped container to form a conduit for the discharge of the condensing air to the exterior, and in the second of which it forms a partition defining a chamber for the accomodation of the removable receptacle below the condenser unit, and simultaneously establishes communication of the condenser unit with the interior of the hous ing of the dryer. The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more clearly evident from the following description, given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the laundry dryer according to the invention, figs. 2 and 3 show longitudinal sectional views of the laundry dryer of fig. 1 with a condensate collector receptacle accommodated respectively in an upper portion and a lower portion of the dryer, fig. 4 shows a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in fig. 3, and figs. 5 and 6 show sectional views of the dryer taken respectively along the lines V-V and VI-VI in figs. 2 and 3. The laundry dryer 10 according to the invention is of the type having a rotatable drum (not shown) and includes an air-cooled condenser unit 11 housed in a box-shaped container 12 fixedly mounted in a lower portion of the dryer. The cooling air for condenser unit 11 is aspirated by means of a fan 13 through an opening 14 formed in a bottom portion 15 of a front wall 30 of the dryer. The interior rim of opening 14 is extended towards the interior of the machine so as to permit the respective part of bottom portion 15 to be received in a connector element 16 to thus define a flowpath for the air aspirated by fan 13. Fan 13 is rotated by a motor 17 of the machine so as to convey the aspirated air through the drying air condenser unit 11 and to expel it from box-shaped housing 12 through at least one outlet opening 18 formed in the housing opposite an inlet opening 19 thereof. Box-shaped housing 12 is integrally formed with a lower baffle 20 delimiting an area below condenser unit 11. Adjacent the side of the machine baffle 20 is upwards extended by a lateral baffle 21. Baffles 20 and 21 and the bottom of box-shaped container 12 cooperate with the bottom 22 of the machine to define a chamber 31 communicating with the remainder of the dryer 10 through a passage 24 (fig. 3) extending between cooling air outlet opening 18 and a sidewall 23 of the machine 10. The above described machine is adapted to accommodate a condensate collector receptacle 25 selectively in chamber 31 underneath condenser unit 11 (figs. 3, 6) or in an upper portion of dryer 10, as diagrammatically shown in fig. 2. For preparing the machine to the configuration with receptacle in the upper position, provisions are made for the application to cooling air outlet opening 18 of a deflector element 26 having a substantially L-shaped cross-section and extending over the full length of opening 18 between front wall 30 of the machine and lateral baffle 21 of box-shaped container 12. Deflector element 26 may be secured to the upper boundary of outlet opening 18 by means of threaded fasteners or in a snap fit, and in engagement with the adjacent sidewall 23 of the machine, as shown in fig. 2, so as to deflect the cooling air towards chamber 31 underneath container 12, from where the air escapes to the exterior of machine 10 through openings 27 in the base of the housing. This solution offers the additional advantage that the cooling air escaping from condenser unit 11 at a temperature which is always lower than that of the drying drum is prevented from sweeping the walls of the drum and from thereby impairing the efficiency of the drying process, instead of which it is directly discharged from the machine. For obtaining a laundry dryer with receptacle 25 accommodated in chamber 31, the same deflector element 26 is secured to the lower rim of outlet opening 18 and in contact with sidewall 23 of the machine in the position depicted in fig. 3. In this position, deflector element 26 deflects the air escaping from outlet opening 18 upwards into the free space in the interior of the machine, from which it escapes through openings 28 formed in the rear wall 29 of the machine. There is thus attained the main object of providing a laundry dryer 10 the construction of which is standardized as far as possible with a view to the accommodation of the condensate collector receptacle 25 in the two positions by simply repositioning deflector element 26 to obtain the desired dryer model. Depending on the positioning of deflector element 26 and collector receptacle 25, the dryer has of course to be provided with the known components required for its operation in the respective configuration. It is for instance known to provide box-shaped container 12 with a lower opening (not shown in the drawings), which in the configuration with receptacle 25 in the lower position permits the condensate to flow into a hopper 40 communicating with receptacle 25 (figs. 3, 6). In the configuration with receptacle 25 in the upper position, on the other hand, provisions are made for the addition of a pump (not shown) for the transfer of the liquid from hopper 40 to receptacle 25 via a transfer conduit 41 (figs. 2, 5).

Claims: A laundry dryer (10) having a rotatable drum, with circulation of the drying air in a closed circuit and an open cooling air circuit for a condenser provided with a removably mounted condensate collector receptacle (25) and a condenser unit (11) housed in a box-shaped container (12) formed with inlet and outlet openings (19,18) for the condensing air, characterized in that a deflector element (26) mounted on said outlet opening (18) of said box-shaped container (12) is adapted to selectively assume one of two positions, in the first of which it cooperates with the walls of the machine (10) and with baffles (20, 21) integrally formed with said box-shaped container (12) to define a flowpath for the discharge of the condensing air to the exterior of the machine, and in the second of which it defines a chamber (31) below said condenser unit (11) for the accommodation of said removable receptacle (25), at the same time establishing communication of said condenser unit (11) with the interior of the housing of the machine (10). A laundry dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that in said first position said deflector element (26) is mounted along the upper rim of said outlet opening (18) so as to cooperate with a sidewall (23) and the bottom (22) of the machine (10), and with a lateral baffle (21) and a lower baffle (20) extending into contact respectively with said sidewall (23) and said bottom (22) of the machine (10) for thus forming a discharge flowpath for the cooling air towards discharge openings (27) provided in said chamber (31). A laundry dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that in said second position said deflector element (26) is mounted along the lower rim of said outlet opening (18) for deflecting the flow of the cooling air towards discharge openings (28) formed in the rear wall (29) of the machine, and for defining, in cooperation with said sidewall (23), said bottom (22), and said baffles (20, 21), a closed chamber (31) underneath said box-shaped container (12) of the condenser unit for the accommodation therein of the removable condensate collector receptacle (25). A laundry dryer according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said deflector element (25) has a substantially L-shaped cross-section and is secured at one of its ends, by means of threaded fasteners or in a snap fit, to the upper or lower rim of said cooling air outlet opening (18) so that its other end contacts the adjacent sidewall (23) of the machine (10).

Inventors: DEL FRATE, FRANCO
Applicants: INDUSTRIE ZANUSSI S.P.A.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: D06F58
IPC codes: D06F58