Patent Abstract:
A dryer including an air condensing unit that can use cooling water to reduce air moisture by condensation in a non-contact manner. The air condensing unit includes a condensing duct and a hollow rib enclosed inside the condensing duct. During a drying process, cooling water flows through the hollow rib and, at the same time, air coming from the tub flows through the hollow rib and is cooled off by the cooling water. The cooled air exits the condensing duct and flows back to the tub after travelling through a drying duct that includes a heater.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and benefit of from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0086875, filed on Jun. 18, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to dryers, and more particularly, to air flow path configurations in dryers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In general, a drum-type washing machine has the dual functions of washing and drying laundry. 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  shows a configuration a drum-type washing machine. It includes a dryer  30  configured to capture moist air from a tub  20  and return high-temperature and dry air back into the tub  20 . The tub  20  includes a drum  21  for accommodating laundry. 
         [0005]    The dryer  30  includes a condensing duct  40  with one side coupled to the tub  20 ; a blast fan  50  coupled to the other side of the condensing duct  40 ; and a drying duct  60  with one side coupled to the condensing duct  40  via the blast fan  50  and the other side coupled to the tub  20 . The drying duct  60  includes a heater  70  embedded therein. The moist air in the tub  20  is captured into the condensing duct  40  and is condensed and turned into low-temperature dry air. The condensed low-temperature dry air is transformed into high-temperature dry air by the heater  70  within the drying duct  60 . The high-temperature dry air is then introduced into the drying duct  60  via the blast fan  50  and supplied back to the tub  20 . 
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a condensing duct  40  in a conventional drum-type washing machine  10  shown  FIG. 1 . Damp air flows from the tub  20  to the condensing duct  40  through an inlet  41  and comes into contact with cooling water flowing in the condensing duct  40 . The damp air is cooled off by the cooling water and thus condensed. The damp air with reduced humidity is discharged to the drying duct  60  through an outlet  42  and the blast fan  50 . 
         [0007]    In the condensing duct having the above-described structure, the contact time between the air and the cooling water may not be long enough to allow the air to be condensed sufficiently. To solve this problem, Korean Patent Laid-open publication No. 10-2012-0073583 discloses a technique of improving the drying effect by providing a bypass to increase a contact time between air flowing within the condensing duct and cooling water supplied into the condensing duct. The drawback to this technique is that the air and the cooling water come into direct contact with each other, and the cooling water may be drawn into the drying duct when the air is sucked into the drying duct from the condensing duct by the blast fan. However, the cooling water vapor may cause unwanted corrosion of various components, such as the blast fan, the drying duct and other components. Furthermore, the vapor may return to the tub through the blast fan and the drying duct and consequently counteract the drying efficiency. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Embodiments present disclosure provides a drying assembly capable of improving drying effect by increasing a contact area between air and cooling water while adopting a non-contact type drying mechanism. The air and the cooling water do not come into direct contact with each other. Thus, the drying assembly and adjacent components can be protected from being corroded by water vapor. Further, the present disclosure also provides a manufacturing method for the drying assembly. 
         [0009]    However, the problems sought to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above description and other problems can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. 
         [0010]    In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a drying assembly comprising: a tub which can contain wash water therein; a condensing duct coupled to one side of the tub and having therein an empty space through which air flows; an air inlet opening which is provided at one side of the condensing duct coupled to the tub, and through which the air is introduced into the condensing duct; an air outlet opening which is provided at the other side of the condensing duct opposite from the one side coupled to the tub, and through which the air is discharged out of the condensing duct; a blast fan provided at the other side of the condensing duct where the air outlet opening is provided, a drying duct one side of which is coupled to the blast fan and the other side of which is coupled to the tub; a heater provided within the drying duct; and a rib provided within the condensing duct and having therein a hollow space into which the cooling water is introduced. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the rib may have a spiral shape. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, the rib may further include an inlet through which the cooling water is introduced into the hollow space and an outlet through which the cooling water is discharged out of the hollow space. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment, the drying assembly may further comprise a cooling water storage unit including a storage tank for storing the cooling water therein, a cooling water injection port and a cooling water discharge port, wherein the cooling water is supplied into the hollow space within the rib from the storage tank through the cooling water injection port which is coupled to the inlet of the rib, and the cooling water is discharged out into the storage tank from the hollow space within the rib through the cooling water discharge port which is coupled to the outlet of the rib. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, the cooling water injection port may be disposed at a lower end portion of the cooling water storage unit, and the cooling water discharge port may be disposed at an upper end portion of the cooling water storage unit. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment, the air inlet opening may be disposed at a lower end portion of the condensing duct, and the air outlet opening may be disposed at an upper end portion of the condensing duct. 
         [0016]    In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a manufacturing method for a drying assembly comprises: installing a rib having a hollow space therein, and provided with an inlet through which cooling water is introduced into the hollow space and an outlet through which the cooling water is discharged out of the hollow space; installing a condensing duct having an empty internal space in which the rib is installed, and provided with an air inlet opening through which air is introduced and an air outlet opening through which the air is exhausted; coupling a tub to one side of the condensing duct where the air inlet opening is provided; and coupling a blast fan to the other side of the condensing duct where the air outlet opening is provided; and coupling one side of a drying duct equipped with a heater to the blast fan and the other side to the tub. 
         [0017]    In one embodiment, the manufacturing method may further comprise installing a cooling water storage unit which includes a storage, a cooling water injection port and a cooling water discharge port and is configured to circulate the cooling water through the hollow space within the rib, and installing the cooling water injection port to the inlet of the rib, and coupling the cooling water discharge port to the outlet of the rib. 
         [0018]    According to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, by adopting the non-contact type drying mechanism in which the air and the cooling water do not come into contact with each other, the drying assembly and components around it can be advantageously protected from being corroded by moisture, and drying efficiency can be improved. 
         [0019]    The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, as defined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    Embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which like reference characters designate like elements and in which: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a configuration a conventional drum-type washing machine; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a condensing duct  40  in the conventional drum-type washing machine shown  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates the configuration of an exemplary drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary condensing duct enclosing a rib according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the rib inside the condensing duct of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary condensing duct coupled to a cooling water storage unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart describing an exemplary manufacturing method of a drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the present invention. The drawings showing embodiments of the invention are semi-diagrammatic and not to scale and, particularly, some of the dimensions are for the clarity of presentation and are shown exaggerated in the drawing Figures. Similarly, although the views in the drawings for the ease of description generally show similar orientations, this depiction in the Figures is arbitrary for the most part. Generally, the invention can be operated in any orientation. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates the configuration of an exemplary drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary condensing duct  120  of the drying assembly in  FIG. 3  with a rib  150  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the drying assembly  100  includes a tub  110 , the condensing duct  120 , a blast fan  130 , a drying duct  140 , a heater (not shown) and the rib  150 . During operation, the tub  110  contains wash water. A drum (not shown) for accommodating laundry therein is disposed within the tub  110 . 
         [0031]    The condensing duct  120  has a hollow structure and has an air inlet opening  121  directing to the tub  110  and an air outlet opening  122  directing to the blast fan  130 . Damp air flows from the tub through the condensing duct  120  where it is converted to low-temperature dry air through condensation by cooling water. The low-temperature dry air is then discharged to the drying duct  140  via the blast fan  130 . 
         [0032]    The blast fan  130  and the tub  110  are coupled to opposite sides of the condensing duct  120 . The blast fan  130  is configured to discharge the low-temperature dry air from the condensing duct  120  to the drying duct  140 . 
         [0033]    The drying duct  140  has one side coupled to the blast fan  130  and the other side coupled to the tub  110 . The drying duct  140  is configured to convert the low-temperature dry air introduced by the blast fan  130  into high-temperature dry air and then discharge the high-temperature dry air into the tub  110 . 
         [0034]    A heater (not shown) may be embedded in the drying duct  140  and serve to heat the air. 
         [0035]    The rib  150  is hollow and disposed inside the condensing duct  120  and allows the cooling water to flow through. The rib  150  has an inlet  151  on one end for introducing the cooling water into its internal space  153  and an outlet  152  on the other hand for discharging the cooling water. 
         [0036]    The operation of the drying assembly  100  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described as follows. Moist air within the tub  110  is drawn into the condensing duct  120  by the blast fan  130  and condenses into low-temperature dry air through heat transfer with cooling water present inside the condensing duct  120 . The condensed low-temperature dry air is driven into the drying duct  140  by the blast fan  130  and turned into high-temperature dry air by the heater (not shown) inside the drying duct  140 . The blast fan  130  then draws the high-temperature dry air from the drying duct  140  back into the tub  110 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the rib disposed inside the condensing duct of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 . Damp air is introduced into the condensing duct  120  through its air inlet opening  121  and exchanges heat with cooling water flowing inside the rib  150  in a non-contact manner. That is, the air and the cooling water exchange heat with each other while the air is in contact with an external wall surface  154  of the rib  150  and the cooling water is in contact with an internal wall surface  155  of the rib  150 . As a result, the temperature of the air can decrease. The cooled air can contain less moisture compared to the air before being subjected to the cooling. Thus, the cooled air becomes dry. The low-temperature dry air obtained through this condensation process is then discharged into the drying duct  140  through the air outlet opening of the condensing duct  120 . Since the hollow space  153  within the rib  150  in which the cooling water flows is isolated from the inside of the condensing duct  120  in which the air flows, the blast fan  130  does not draw the cooling water into the drying duct  140  when it draws the air from the condensing duct  120  into the drying duct  140 . As air flowing through the condensing duct does not encounter water vapor generated from the cooling water, the overall drying efficiency of the dryer can be improved. Furthermore, the blast fan  140 , the drying duct  140  and their adjacent components remain protected from corrosion that would have been caused by water vapor in the conventional art, as described above. 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, the rib  150  has a spiral shape, as shown in  FIG. 4 . With this spiral shape, a heat exchange area between the cooling water flowing inside the rib  150  and the air flowing inside the condensing duct  120  can be increased, so that drying efficiency can be improved. In addition, the spiral shape prolongs heat exchange time, which further contributes to drying efficiency. 
         [0040]    In this embodiment, the condensing duct  120  of  FIG. 4  has the air inlet opening  121  on its lower portion and the air outlet opening  122  on its upper portion. In this configuration, the air flows upward (from the lower end of the condensing duct  120  toward the upper end) is impeded by its gravity, which further prolongs the time for the air travelling through the condensing duct  12 . Thus, the heat exchange time between the air and the cooling water inside the rib  150  also increases. As a result, drying efficiency can be further improved. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary condensing duct coupled to a cooling water storage unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a cooling water storage unit  160  is installed within the condensing duct  120  and configured to supply cooling water into the rib  150 . The cooling water storage unit  160  includes: a storage tank  161  for storing cooling water; a cooling water injection port  162  coupled to the inlet  151  of the rib  150 ; and a cooling water discharge port  163  coupled to the outlet  152  of the rib  150 . The cooling water stored in the storage tank  161  is supplied into the rib  150  through the cooling water injection port  162 . The supplied cooling water flows in the hollow space  153  and is then discharged out into the storage tank  161  the rib  150  through the cooling water discharge port  163  which is coupled with the outlet  152  of the rib  150 . 
         [0043]    In this embodiment, the cooling water injection port  162  is disposed on the lower end of the cooling water storage unit  160 , and the cooling water discharge port  163  is disposed on an upper end of the cooling water storage unit  160 . If the cooling water injection port  162  is located above the cooling water discharge port  163 , the cooling water introduced from the cooling water storage unit  160  into the rib  150  would flow downwards from the upper end of the rib  150  toward the lower end. If a flow rate of the cooling water is too low, some region in the hollow space  153  may not be filled with the cooling water. As a consequence, heat exchange between the air and the cooling water within the condensing duct  120  may not be adequate. In this embodiment, however, since the cooling water supplied into the hollow space  153  of the rib  150  from the cooling water storage unit  160  flows upwards from the lower end of the rib  150  toward the upper end, the entire region of the hollow space  153  is filled with the cooling water. Thus, heat exchange between the air and the cooling water within the condensing duct  120  is efficient. 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart for describing an exemplary manufacturing method of a drying assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0045]    Referring to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 7 , the drying assembly  100  has tub  110  and a drum (not shown) for accommodating laundry. The drying assembly  100  includes a condensing duct  120 , a blast fan  130 , a drying duct  140  and a heater (not shown). 
         [0046]    To manufacture the drying assembly  100  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a hollow rib  150  is coupled to an inlet and an outlet used for water to flow in and out (S 100 ). Then, a condensing duct  120  with the rib  150  disposed inside is installed (S 200 ). The condensing duct  120  includes an air inlet opening  121  through which air is injected, and an air outlet opening  122  through which the air is discharged. Then, the tub  110  is coupled to the condensing duct  120  on the side where the air inlet opening  121  is disposed. The blast fan  130  is installed on the other side of the condensing duct  120  where the air outlet opening  122  is located (S 300 ). Then, one side of the drying duct  140  including the heater (not shown) is coupled to the blast fan  130 , and the other end of the drying duct  140  is coupled to the tub  110  (S 400 ). 
         [0047]    According to one exemplary embodiment, a drying assembly  100  may further include a cooling water storage unit  160 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , the cooling water storage unit  160  includes a storage tank  161  for storing cooling water therein, a cooling water injection port  162  coupled to an inlet  151  of the rib  150  and a cooling water discharge portion  163  coupled to an outlet  152  of the rib  150 . 
         [0048]    In addition, the cooling water storage unit  160  is installed (S 500 ). The storage unit  160  includes the storage tank  161 , the cooling water injection port  162  and the cooling water discharge port  163 . Then, the cooling water injection port  162  is coupled to an inlet  151  of the rib  150 , and the cooling water discharge port  163  is coupled to an outlet  152  of the rib  150  (S 600 ). Through this process, the drying assembly  100  according to the present exemplary embodiment can be manufactured. 
         [0049]    Although certain preferred embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3