Patent Publication Number: US-2021189635-A1

Title: Clothes dryer

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0172405 filed on Dec. 20, 2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure relates to a clothes dryer with an improved base structure. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     10003 In general, a clothes dryer is a device that dries wet laundry accommodated in a drum by forcibly blowing hot air into the drum. Clothes dryers may be classified into condensation type dryers and exhaust type dryers. 
     The condensation type dryer dries laundry through circulation of air in which humid air generated from laundry in a drum is dried through a heat exchanger and then the dried air is sent back to the drum. This condensation type dryer does not require a separate exhaust duct, and thus may be simply installed. 
     Condensed water may be generated in the process of removing moisture from humid air through a heat exchanger. The clothes dryer includes a discharge structure for discharging condensed water to the outside. 
     However, in such a discharge structure, because the flow direction of humid air in the clothes dryer and the discharge direction of condensed water are the same, the humid air may leak to the outside through the condensed discharge structure. This may affect the humidity around the clothes dryer. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an aspect of the disclosure to provide a clothes dryer in which humid air in the clothes dryer does not leak to the outside by improving the structure of a base. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a clothes dryer includes a main body, a drum accommodating an object to be dried and configured to be rotatable in the main body, a heat exchanger configured to heat exchange air introduced from the drum, and a base disposed below the drum to mount the heat exchanger thereon, wherein the base includes a guide side wall extending along a flow direction of the air, and a discharge port configured to discharge condensed water generated in the heat exchanger to a sump, and wherein the discharge port is provided on one side of the guide side wall to prevent air from leaking into the discharge port. 
     The base may include a body on which the discharge port is formed, and a mounting plate seated on a portion of the body to support the heat exchanger. 
     The mounting plate may include at least one discharge hole formed to discharge condensed water generated in the heat exchanger to a lower portion of the mounting plate. 
     The body may include a plurality of inclined surfaces provided below the mounting plate to guide the condensed water passed through the at least one discharge hole to the discharge port. 
     The plurality of inclined surfaces may include a first inclined surface inclined in a first direction, and a second inclined surface inclined in a second direction opposite to the first direction to join the first inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface may be inclined in a third direction in which the discharge port is formed to guide the discharge of the condensed water to the discharge port. 
     The body may include a transverse partition wall extending from the body toward the drum to partition a space in which the condensed water is accommodated. 
     The transverse partition wall may include a groove formed by being cut to distribute the pressure of air acting on the discharge port. 
     The mounting plate may include at least one rib extending to the lower portion of the mounting plate to interrupt the flow of air passed through the at least one discharge hole. 
     The at least one rib may be spaced apart from the body by a predetermined distance so that the condensed water flows. 
     The at least one rib may extend in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of air. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a clothes dryer includes a main body, a drum accommodating an object to be dried and configured to be rotatable in the main body, a heat exchanger configured to heat exchange air introduced from the drum, and a base disposed below the drum to accommodate various components, wherein the base comprises a plurality of inclined surfaces guiding condensed water generated in the heat exchanger, and a discharge port opened to discharge the condensed water, and wherein the discharge port is formed such that a direction in which the condensed water passes through the discharge port is different from a direction in which an airflow passes through the heat exchanger. 
     The plurality of inclined surfaces may include a first inclined surface inclined in a first direction, and a second inclined surface inclined in a second direction opposite to the first direction. 
     The base may include a valley formed at a point where the first slope and the second slope join, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface may be inclined in a third direction toward the discharge port. 
     The condensed water may be guided to the discharge port along the valley. 
     The base may include a mounting plate seated on the plurality of inclined surfaces to support the heat exchanger. 
     The mounting plate may include at least one discharge hole formed to discharge condensed water generated in the heat exchanger to a lower portion of the mounting plate. 
     The mounting plate may include at least one rib provided perpendicular to a flow direction of air to interrupt the flow of the air passed through the at least one discharge hole. 
     The at least one rib may extend to the lower portion of the mounting plate and is spaced apart from the base by a predetermined distance so that the condensed water flows. 
     The base may include a transverse partition wall extending from the body toward the drum to partition a space for collect the condensed water. 
     The transverse partition wall may include a groove formed by being cut to distribute the pressure of air acting on the discharge port. 
     Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. 
     Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device. 
     Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a base of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a mounting plate and a body of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion A in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the mounting plate of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a base of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 through 6 , discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device. 
     Configurations shown in the embodiments and the drawings described in the present specification are only the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and thus it is to be understood that various modified examples, which may replace the embodiments and the drawings described in the present specification, are possible when filing the present application. 
     Like reference numbers or signs in the various figures of the application represent parts or components that perform substantially the same functions. 
     The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to restrict and/or to limit the disclosure. For example, the singular expressions herein may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
     The terms “comprises” and “has” are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof. 
     It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms, and the terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. 
     For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. The term “and/or” includes any combination of a plurality of related items or any one of a plurality of related items. 
     The terms “front,” “rear,” “upper portion,” “lower portion,” “upper end” and “lower end” used in the following description are defined with reference to the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms. 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a clothes dryer  1  may include a main body  10  and a drum  20  rotatably provided in the main body  10 . 
     The main body  10  may include an upper plate  12 , a left plate (not shown), a right plate (not shown), a front plate  13 , a rear plate  11 , and a base  100 . An embodiment of the disclosure illustrates that the front plate  13 , the upper plate  12 , the left plate, the right plate, etc. forming the main body  10  are separately provided and assembled, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, at least some of the front plate  13 , the upper plate  12 , the left plate, the right plate, etc. of the main body  10  may be integrally formed. 
     The front plate  13  of the main body  10  is provided with an inlet  13   a  for allowing clothes, which is an object to be dried, to be put in or taken out of the drum  20 . The inlet  13   a  may be opened and closed by a door. A control panel  14  configured to control the operation of the clothes dryer  1  may be provided at an upper portion of the body  10 . 
     The drum  20  may be provided inside the main body  10  to accommodate the object to be dried. An opening  21  corresponding to the inlet  13   a  may be formed on a front surface of the drum  20 . The opening  21  may also be opened and closed by a door. Inside the drum  20 , a plurality of lifters  22  may be disposed along a circumferential direction of the drum  20 . The lifter  22  raises and drops the object to be dried so that the object to be dried may be effectively dried. A roller  23  may be provided on an outer circumferential surface of the drum  20  to support the drum  20  to rotate smoothly. 
     The clothes dryer  1  may include a driving device  30  configured to drive the drum  20 . The driving device  30  may include a driving motor  31  mounted on the base  100 . The driving motor  31  may include a pulley  33  and a belt  34 . The pulley  33  may be connected to a rotation shaft  32  connected to the driving motor  31 . When the rotation shaft  32  is rotated by the driving motor  31 , the pulley  33  may also rotate together with the rotation shaft  32 . The belt  34  may connect the pulley  33  and the drum  20  to transmit the rotation of the pulley  33  to the drum  20 . 
     The clothes dryer  1  may circulate air to dry the object to be dried inside the drum  20 . The main body  10  may include a duct  40  configured to form a circulation passage for removing humid air in the drum  20  from the drum  20  and supplying dry air to the drum  20 . 
     The duct  40  may include an inlet duct  41  to introduce humid air in the drum  20  into the duct  40 , an outlet duct  43  to discharge hot air to the drum  20 , and a connection duct  42  to connect the inlet duct  41  and the outlet duct  43 . 
     A circulation passage  50  through which air flows in the duct  40  may be formed. The circulation passage  50  may include an inlet passage  51 , a connection passage  52 , and an outlet passage  53 . The inlet passage  51  may be formed by the inlet duct  41  provided to introduce air passed through the inside of the drum  20 . The connection passage  52  may be connected to the outlet passage  53 . The connection passage  52  may be formed by the connection duct  42  connecting the inlet duct  41  and the outlet duct  43 . The outlet passage  53  may be connected to the connection passage  52 . The outlet passage  53  may be formed by the outlet duct  43  for discharging hot air to the drum  20 . 
     The inlet duct  41  may be disposed at a lower portion of the front surface of the drum  20 . The outlet duct  43  may be disposed at a rear of the drum  20 . The connection duct  42  may be disposed below the drum  20 . The connection duct  42  may be installed on the base  100 . 
     Hot and dry air may be supplied into the drum  20  through the outlet duct  43  disposed at the rear of the drum  20 . The object to be dried inside the drum  20  may be dried by the hot and dry air. The air that has dried the object to be dried may become hot and humid. The hot and humid air in the drum  20  may be discharged below the drum  20  through the inlet duct  41 . 
     A filter  60  may be installed in the inlet duct  41 . The filter  60  may filter out foreign substances such as lint contained in the air passed through the drum  20 . Air filtered by the filter  60  may be discharged into the drum  20  through the connection duct  42  and the outlet duct  43 . 
     Hot and humid air in the drum  20  is introduced into heat exchangers  71  and  72  along the inlet passage  51  in the inlet duct  41 . The air that has been heated and dried through the heat exchangers  71  and  72  (see  FIG. 2 ) may be circulated by being discharged into the drum  20  again along the outlet passage  53  in the outlet duct  43 . The air circulation as above may be induced by a blowing fan  44  installed on the inlet passage  51  side. 
     The clothes dryer  1  may include the blowing fan  44 . The blowing fan  44  generates a circulation airflow in which hot and humid air in the drum  20  is introduced into the circulation passage  50  and hot and dry air passed through the heat exchangers  71  and  72  is discharged to the drum  20 . The blowing fan  44  may be driven together by the driving motor  31  driving the drum  20 , but the disclosure is not limited thereto. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a base of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the clothes dryer  1  may include the base  100 . The base  100  may be disposed below the drum  20  to accommodate various components. The heat exchanger  71  and  72 , the driving device  30 , and the blowing fan  44  may be accommodated and mounted in the base  100 . 
     The base  100  may include a body  110  and a mounting plate  120  supporting the heat exchangers  71  and  72 . The base  100  may include a cover  130  configured to form a passage through which air flows. The cover  130  may cover a dehumidifying unit  70  and the blowing fan  44 . A portion of the cover  130  may form the connection duct  42 . The circulation passage  50  through which air flows may be formed in the cover  130 . 
     The dehumidifying unit  70  may include the evaporator  71 , the condenser  72 , and a compressor  73 . The heat exchangers  71  and  72  may include the evaporator  71  and the condenser  72 . Also, although not shown, the dehumidifying unit  70  may further include an expansion valve. 
     Hot and humid air discharged from the drum  20  is introduced into the heat exchangers  71  and  72  through the blowing fan  44 . The hot and humid air may first pass through the evaporator  71  of the dehumidifying unit  70 . A refrigerant that absorbs heat by expanding due to a pressure drop may flow inside the evaporator  71 . The refrigerant absorbs heat while evaporating in the evaporator  71 , and the hot and humid air passing through the evaporator  71  loses moisture while cooling and becomes cold and dry air. That is, the hot and humid air discharged from the drum  20  turns into cold and dry air while passing through the evaporator  71 . 
     The cold and dry air passed through the evaporator  71  may pass through the condenser  72 . The refrigerant compressed and overheated by the compressor  73  may flow inside the condenser  72 . The overheated refrigerant releases heat while flowing through the condenser  72 , and the cold and dry air passing through the condenser  72  is heated to become hot and dry air. That is, the cold and dry air passed through the evaporator  71  turns into hot and dry air while passing through the condenser  72 . 
     When a drying process starts, the driving motor  31  operates, thereby operating the drum  20  and the blowing fan  44 . The blowing fan  44  generates a flow of air. The air becomes hot and dry air while passing through the evaporator  71  and the condenser  72  and may be introduced into the drum  20 . The hot and dry air introduced into the drum  20  deprives moisture from the object to be dried accommodated in the drum  20  to dry the object to be dried. At the same time, the hot and dry air turns into hot and humid air. The hot and humid air may be introduced into the heat exchangers  71  and  72  again along the inlet passage  51  to turn into hot and dry air. This hot and dry air may be discharged to the drum  20  again. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a mounting plate and a body of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and  FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion A in  FIG. 3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the base  100  may include the body  110  and the mounting plate  120  supporting the heat exchangers  71  and  72 . 
     The mounting plate  120  may be seated on the body  110  to accommodate and support the evaporator  71  and the condenser  72 . Condensed water may be generated in the process of discharging moisture while the hot and humid air discharged from the drum  20  is cooled in the evaporator  71 . The mounting plate  120  may include at least one discharge hole  121  to allow condensed water to be discharged below the mounting plate  120 . Through this, the condensed water generated in the evaporator  71  may be collected in the body  110  below the mounting plate  120  through the discharge hole  121 . 
     The body  110  may include a sump  111  to collect condensed water. The body  110  may include a discharge port  112  provided to allow condensed water to be introduced into the sump  111 . The body  110  may include a plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  below the mounting plate  120 . 
     The body  110  may include the plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  provided below the mounting plate  120  to guide the condensed water passed through the discharge hole  121  of the mounting plate  120  to the discharge port  112 . 
     The plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  may include the first inclined surface  113  and the second inclined surface  114 . The first inclined surface  113  may be formed to be inclined in a first direction of directing to the second inclined surface  114 . The second inclined surface  114  may be formed to be inclined in a second direction of directing to the first inclined surface  113 , which is opposite to the first direction. The first inclined surface  113  and the second inclined surface  114  may be formed to be inclined together in a third direction of directing to a place where the discharge port  112  is formed. A valley  115  may be formed at a point where the first inclined surface  113  and the second inclined surface  114  join. 
     The body  110  may include the discharge port  112  that is open to discharge condensed water to the sump  111 . The discharge port  112  may be provided on one side of a guide side wall  116   b . The guide side wall  116   b  may extend in the direction of airflow. That is, the discharge port  112  may be formed to be open in parallel with the airflow direction of humid air. 
     The discharge port  112  may be provided at the lowest point of the first inclined surface  113  and the second inclined surface  114 . Therefore, the condensed water flowing along the plurality of inclined surfaces may be guided to the discharge port  112  along the valley  115  by gravity. The guided condensed water may pass through the discharge port  112  and be introduced into the sump  111  through a third inclined surface. 
     In addition to condensed water, humid air may be introduced into a lower portion of the mounting plate  120  through the discharge hole  121  of the mounting plate  120 . The flow direction of air may be formed in a direction A by the blowing fan  44 . As described above, because the discharge port  112  is formed parallel to the flow direction of air, humid air does not easily pass through the discharge port  112 . 
     Therefore, by the formation structure of the discharge port  112  as above, humid air may not be discharged to the outside of the clothes dryer  1  through the discharge port  112 . In addition, the humidity outside the clothes dryer  1  may be kept relatively constant. 
     The body  110  may include a partition wall  116 . The partition wall  116  may include a transverse partition wall  116   a  and the guide side wall  116   b.    
     The guide side wall  116   b  may extend along the airflow direction of humid air. Humid air may flow along the guide side wall  116   b . The discharge port  112  may be provided on one side of the guide side wall  116   b  in parallel with the guide side wall  116   b.    
     The partition wall  116  may extend from the body  110  upwardly of the drum  20  side. The transverse partition wall  116   a  may be formed to partition a space for collecting condensed water. 
     The body  110  may include a groove  117  formed by being cut on the transverse partition wall  116   a.    
     As described above, humid air may pass together through the discharge hole  121  of the mounting plate  120  through which condensed water passes. The humid air passed through the discharge hole  121  flows to the lower portion of the mounting plate  120 . The groove  117  may be formed on the transverse partition wall  116   a  to minimize an amount in which the air flowed to the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  leaks to the discharge port  112 . Through this, the humid air flowed to the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  may re-join into the circulation passage  50  through the groove  117 . Therefore, the condensation recovery rate of the clothes dryer  1  may be increased. 
     In addition, the pressure of air may be prevented from being concentrated to the discharge port  112  as the discharge port  112  is positioned on the guide side wall  116   b  and the groove  117  is positioned on the transverse partition wall  116   a . That is, the pressure of air acting on the discharge port  112  may be distributed. Through this, the amount of air of being discharged to the discharge port  112  may be reduced. 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the mounting plate of the clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and  FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a base of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the mounting plate  120  may include at least one rib  122  on a lower surface. The at least one rib  122  may extend downwardly of the mounting plate  120 . Also, the at least one rib  122  may be formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction A through which air flows. 
     The at least one rib  122  may be formed to be spaced apart from the plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  provided below the mounting plate  120  by a predetermined distance in order not to interfere with the flow of condensed water passed through the discharge hole  121  of the mounting plate  120 . 
     Specifically, it may be appropriate that a distance between the at least one rib  122  and the plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  is 5 mm. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the distance may be slightly longer or shorter than 5 mm. Because the distance between the at least one rib  122  and the plurality of inclined surfaces  113  and  114  is formed relatively short, the flow of humid air to the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  may be minimized. 
     In other words, the at least one rib  122  is formed on the lower surface of the mounting plate  120  to interrupt the flow of humid air passed through the discharge hole  121 . In addition, a space between the mounting plate  120  and the body  110  may be formed narrowly to the maximum. Through this, the pressure of air in the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  may increase. Because air moves from a place with a relatively high pressure to a place with a relatively low pressure, by maintaining the pressure of air in the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  at a certain level, a phenomenon in which air is discharged to the lower portion of the mounting plate  120  through the discharge hole  121  may be minimized. Accordingly, the amount of air discharged through the discharge port  112  formed on the body  110  may be reduced, and thus the condensation recovery rate of the clothes dryer  1  may be increased. Therefore, the performance of the clothes dryer  1  may be improved. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the mounting plate  120  may support the evaporator  71  and the condenser  72 . The discharge hole  121  may be formed on the mounting plate  120  corresponding to a lower portion of the evaporator  71 . A plurality of inclined surfaces may be formed below the mounting plate  120 . The at least one rib  122  may be provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate  120 . The rib  122  provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate  120  may be formed to be spaced apart from the plurality of inclined surfaces. Accordingly, while the discharge of condensed water through the spaced apart space is facilitated, the amount of leaked air may be reduced through the structure of the rib  122 . Through this, the performance of the clothes dryer  1  may be improved by increasing the condensation recovery rate of the clothes dryer  1 . 
     As is apparent from the above, leakage of humid air in a clothes dryer, which affects the surroundings of the clothes dryer, can be minimized. 
     Further, the performance of the clothes dryer can be improved by increasing the condensation recovery rate of the clothes dryer. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described with various embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.