Standwäschetrockner

Abstract

The invention relates to a free-standing clothes dryer with a drying area and uprights (1) articulated thereto, wherein the drying area has two transverse frame profiles (3), connecting transverse profiles (13), and support means (5) for hanging laundry items. The foldable uprights (1) are articulated in a joint (2), and stop means (10 or 11) are provided on at least one of the joints. These stop means move with the upright (1) and, upon reaching the upright position, strike against a stop that limits the folding movement. Known upright clothes dryers have the disadvantage that, due to their elasticity, they can give the impression of reduced stability. This is improved by the invention in that the stop is formed by a section of the frame profile (3) or an intermediate element arranged on the frame profile (3), wherein the stop means (11 or 12) is supported directly or indirectly on the frame profile (3) via the intermediate element.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a free-standing clothes dryer for laundry items with a drying field and a foldable frame for placement on a floor or other surface according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The generic upright clothes dryers preferably have a drying area and hinged support brackets mounted on two opposite sides of the drying area that can be folded downwards. The drying area is formed by two transverse frame profiles and cross profiles that connect the end regions of the frame profiles to form a continuous frame. Lines or rods run from one side to an opposite side of the frame as support means for hanging laundry. In the connection areas of the frame profiles with the cross profiles, a joint with a first joint part is provided, to which the profiles are attached. The support brackets are hingedly mounted on the drying area as feet via a second joint part.

[0003] The foldable uprights are designed in such a way that the uprights on two opposite sides of the drying area can be folded around the cross profiles or the frame profiles from a storage position, in which they lie below the drying area and parallel to it, into a setup position in which they can be folded downwards, usually by more than 90°, to form a standing frame. To limit the pivoting angle of the feet, stop means are provided on at least one of the joints assigned to the uprights. These stop means move with the movement of each upright and hit a stop when the assigned upright is reached. In addition to the drying area, the upright tumble dryers often have folding wings that can be folded out on both or one side of the sides, which can be used to create additional drying options.

[0004] Freestanding clothes dryers of this type with a longitudinally extendable drying area are known from EP 4 039 866 A1. Other freestanding clothes dryers with joints for connecting the feet to the drying area are known from EP 2 913 432 A2, KR 20 0 449 083 Y1, and EP 0 931 871 A1.

[0005] These well-known freestanding clothes dryers have proven themselves in practice, as they require little storage space when folded and offer a large drying area when unfolded. However, since a comparatively high weight hangs on the freestanding dryer after the drying area is hung with wet laundry, even a low degree of elasticity in the connections leads to distortion of the frame, giving the user the impression that the frame is unstable due to wobbling. Furthermore, the mechanical stability should be increased.

[0006] DE 20 2021 100 420 U1 discloses a free-standing clothes dryer comprising a rectangular, horizontally aligned drying frame with longitudinal and transverse profiles when unfolded. U-shaped leg frames or individual legs are pivotably attached to the longitudinal struts via joints. The longitudinal profiles extend beyond the joint and are connected at their free ends to the transverse profiles to form the surrounding drying frame. This design has the disadvantage that the joint and the connection of the longitudinal profiles to the transverse profiles are separate components, which increases the manufacturing and assembly effort.

[0007] DE 42 10 308 A1, in turn, discloses a freestanding clothes dryer in which the frame of the drying area is formed by a circumferential, closed profile, with the upright brackets being hinged to this frame via a bolt connection. The supporting parts of such freestanding clothes dryers are usually made entirely of metal profiles and have the disadvantage that the design variety is limited and the construction of the hinge must remain comparatively simple, resulting in a lower quality impression.

[0008] The object of the invention is therefore to create a free-standing tumble dryer whose frame has greater torsional rigidity and load-bearing capacity.

[0009] This object is achieved according to the invention by a free-standing clothes dryer according to claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0010] The new upright dryer has been optimized with regard to the special design of the joint. While in conventional upright dryers, the stops for limiting the swivel angle of the support brackets are implemented within the joint, which is usually made of plastic, the invention now uses stops that are positioned and designed with stop means in such a way that they are not supported on an abutment in the joint itself, but rather directly or indirectly on or against the frame profile.

[0011] What's new is the fact that the frame profile absorbs the forces of the stop. This can, of course, be achieved directly by resting the stop device on the frame profile in the corresponding position, in which the feet are extended. However, sleeves, shell-like, or other intermediate pieces can also be provided, which, in addition to having a dampening effect to cushion the impact when the stop position is reached, can also exhibit a certain degree of elasticity.

[0012] In known upright clothes dryers, the joint consists of a first joint part made of plastic, to which a pipe socket is provided as an insertion point for the frame profile. The ends of the feet, in turn, in many known upright clothes dryers are held in pipe sockets on the second joint part. The cross profiles are usually made of plastic and have receptacles for the hanging devices for the laundry items in the form of lines or rods. The first joint part can be part of the cross profile or be connected to it integrally or in one piece. The usually tubular frame profile, in turn, is usually a steel tube, but can also be made of light metal, particularly aluminum. This design, however, means that the joint transfers forces from the drying area to the feet exclusively via the plastic joint parts.

[0013] Since a purely plastic joint inevitably has a certain amount of play in the articulated mounting of the two joint parts, and since the respective parts are always deformable to a certain extent due to the limited wall thicknesses required for injection molding and economic reasons, this joint results in relative mobility between the ends of the frame profile and the ends of the support bar, which the user perceives as wobbling. Furthermore, the weight of the wet laundry also imposes transverse stress on the joint, which can lead to faster failure due to damage to the joint.

[0014] Thanks to the new design in the joint area, the stops are supported by the significantly more deformation-resistant frame profile. This reduces the possibility of elastic deformation, especially in the area against which the lifting device rests in the erected position. The lifting device itself can still be made of plastic, allowing it to be relatively solid and thus subject to only minimal deformation.

[0015] To further increase stability, as is already known from the prior art, a pair of upper and lower lifting devices can be provided in each joint. While in the new design the upper lifting device rests on the top side of the frame profile, the lower lifting device presses against the underside of the frame profile from below. For this purpose, the lifting devices are arranged opposite one another when viewed from the axis of rotation of the joint. To ensure sufficiently large contact surfaces, the joint and the frame profile are preferably designed so that the frame profile extends horizontally beyond the axis of rotation into the joint. In the erected position, the upper lifting device then comes into contact with the top side of the frame profile in front of the axis of rotation, while the lower lifting device abuts the frame profile from below behind the axis of rotation.

[0016] The frame profile is usually a round tube, although the applicability of the invention is not limited to this. In any case, it has a high degree of buckling stability, which is utilized according to the invention to achieve sufficient stability within the joint and the attachment means. In a preferred embodiment, the joint has a connecting bolt concentric with the axis of rotation. This connecting bolt extends through the second joint part into the first joint part and is preferably made of a stable, low-wear material. This can be a steel bolt or a bolt made of plastic or a light metal. In particular, the connecting bolt preferably also extends into the frame profile. As a result, the position of the frame profile is fixed, particularly in the horizontal direction, relative to the axis of rotation.

[0017] If, as in the case of round tubes, the frame profile has a curved surface at right angles to its longitudinal extent, the attachment means can be adapted to this surface shape to create a surface pressure. Alternatively, the attachment means can also contact the frame profile not only from above or below, but also have lateral guide means so that they also encompass the frame profile laterally. Both designs have the advantage that the play of the joint is reduced and thus the impression of stability is greater. This increases the torsional rigidity of the joint. Furthermore, the first joint part, to which the frame profile and the cross profile are attached, has a sleeve-like receptacle for the end region of the frame profile. This results in stable guidance, which also counteracts tilting movements of the joint relative to the frame profile.

[0018] The stop means can be arranged within the joint. In the preferred embodiment, the first joint part has channel- or groove-like guide channels or recesses curved concentrically to the axis of rotation, in which the stop means connected to the second joint part are preferably guided and movable back and forth. The ends of these channel- or groove-like guide channels or recesses represent the stops.

[0019] Additional locking devices can be provided within the channel- or groove-like guide channels or recesses, which, for example, lock the stops in place when the dryer is in the set-up or storage position. This prevents the feet from being moved out of the set-up position by lifting the dryer, especially when the feet are folded at an angle of more than 90°. On the other hand, the locking devices can prevent the dryer from accidentally unfolding when folded.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0021] In the drawings shows: Fig. 1 a three-dimensional view of a free-standing tumble dryer, Fig. 2 the in Fig. 1 shown freestanding tumble dryer in a view from above, Fig. 3 the in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shown freestanding clothes dryer in a side view, Fig. 4 the area of ​​a joint in a three-dimensional, enlarged view as an exploded view, Fig. 5 a sectional view according to section line II of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 a sectional view along section line II-II, Fig. 7 a sectional view along section line III-III of Fig. 3 and Fig. 8 a sectional view along section line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

[0022] In Fig. 1 shows a freestanding clothes dryer according to the invention. The freestanding clothes dryer has a central drying area, which has frame profiles 3 on the front and rear. The frame profiles 3 are connected to a surrounding frame via cross profiles 13. Supporting elements 5, here in the form of thin rods, run within this frame. Laundry items are clipped or hung on these supporting elements 5. In principle, the invention is, of course, applicable to all forms of supporting elements 5. In the illustrated embodiment, foldable extensions, namely a first folding wing 4 and a second folding wing 6, are provided on both sides of the drying area.

[0023] The advantage of the joints 2 of the upright tumble dryer shown here is that these joints 2 form both the joint 2 for the upright bracket 1 and the folding wings 4, 6. At the same time, the design as a plastic injection-molded part in the joint 2 allows the stops to be implemented particularly easily via stop means 10, 11 guided in stop means guides 8, 9. A further advantage is that the inner sections of the joints 2 are integrally formed in the cross profiles 13. The cross profiles 13 and the two inner, first joint parts provided on both sides of the respective cross profile 13 are thus manufactured together as an injection-molded part. This not only reduces manufacturing costs but also facilitates assembly of the upright tumble dryer.

[0024] The drying area can be placed on the floor or another surface using the upright bracket 1. The cross profiles 13 and the frame profiles 3 are connected to each other via first joint parts at all corners of the drying area. These first joint parts, in turn, are connected to second joint parts, to which the ends of the upright brackets 1 are attached. This allows the upright brackets 1 to be folded inward and upward, allowing the upright clothes dryer to be folded into a flat package. To do this, the first folding wing 4 and the second folding wing 6 are placed on top of the drying area.

[0025] Fig. 2 shows the free-standing tumble dryer from Fig. 1 in a top view. The frame profiles 3 are designed here as metallic round tubes, in particular as steel tubes. The end regions of the round tubes of the frame profiles 3 are inserted into the plastic joints 2, as in the case of the upright clothes dryer known from the prior art. Fig. 3 shows the free-standing tumble dryer from the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in a side view. It can be seen here that the upper ends of the support brackets 1 are also inserted into the plastic components of the joint 2. Extensions in the form of a first folding wing 4 on the left side and a second folding wing 6 on the right side are provided on both sides of the drying area.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the folding wings 4, 6 consist of two opposing plastic arms, between which support means 5 for laundry items run. Here, these support means 5 are designed as rods, so that a further connection of the plastic arms to synchronize the folding movement is not necessary. Insofar as the support means 5 are deformable lines, a transverse profile should be provided, particularly at the ends of the arms, to form a connection between the two arms of each folding wing 4, 6. The arms of the folding wings 4, 6 are designed in the lower region such that their ends can be connected to the joint 2 and interact, so that the arms of the folding wings 4, 6 can also be pivotally mounted on the joint 2, independently of the other function of the joint 2.

[0027] Fig. Figure 4 shows the area of ​​the joint 2 in an enlarged exploded view. The joint 2 has a left, first joint part, which is integrally connected to the cross profile 13. The cross profile 13 is a plastic profile with rib-like reinforcements that increase the bending stiffness in the vertical direction. From the cross profile 13, the support means 5 for the laundry items run to the opposite cross profile 13. To the right of the first joint part, the second joint part is shown in the illustration, which in turn is connected to the upper end of the support bracket 1. For this purpose, this end is inserted into a receiving sleeve of the second joint part. In the illustrated embodiment, the support brackets 1 are also metal profiles, which, as in Fig. 1, are joined together in the lower corner areas using plastic elements to form an essentially U-shaped bracket.

[0028] The arm of the second folding wing 6 is hinged to the second hinged part. The hinge 2 thus has a dual function: firstly, the hinged mounting of the support bracket 1 on the cross profile 13 via the first hinged part, and secondly, the hinged mounting of the second folding wing 6 on the hinge 2. Both hinged functions are independent of each other. The hinged parts of the hinge 2 are rotatable about an axis of rotation running along the cross profile 13 or concentrically to the cross profile 13. They are connected to each other via a connecting pin 7, about which the second hinged part and the lower section of the arm of the second folding wing 6 are rotatable.

[0029] The Fig. 5 to 8 show the joint 2 in detailed representations in different sectional views. Fig. 5 shows the section along section line II from Fig. 2. The frame profile 3 extends into the joint 2 and is penetrated by the connecting bolt 7. The upper and lower areas of the interior of the joint 2 serve as the upper lifting device guide 8 and the lower lifting device guide 9. The lifting devices, namely the upper lifting device 10 and the lower lifting device 11, are guided back and forth in these curved, channel-like cavities.

[0030] The Fig. The position shown in Figures 5 to 8 is the installation position of the upright tumble dryer. Due to the upright movement of the upright bracket 1 within the upper sling guide 8, the upper sling 10 is rotated counterclockwise to the left, making contact with the insertion sleeve, which is part of the joint 2 and into which the frame profile 3 is inserted. As a result, the upper sling 10 presses directly against the wall of the insertion sleeve and thus indirectly against the tube of the frame profile 3.

[0031] In the lower area, the lower lifting device 11 is located in the lower lifting device guide 9, resting against the underside of the insertion sleeve. The lower lifting device 11 is also moved counterclockwise by the raising movement. Here, too, the force is transferred directly to the end of the frame profile 3. Inwardly projecting thickened portions are provided in the outer walls of the upper lifting device guide 8 and the lower lifting device guide 9, which serve as locking lugs 12, so that the lifting devices 10, 11 are held in position against a locking resistance. Locking lugs 12 are also provided, which similarly retain the lifting devices 10, 11 in the storage position.

[0032] The new joint 2 is now characterized in that the frame profile 3 does not end in a socket extending from the outer part of the joint 2 in the direction of the frame profile 3, but rather that the socket and thus also the outer region of the frame profile 3 penetrates the joint 2 up to beyond the axis of rotation of the joint 2. Due to the fact that in the illustrated embodiment the upper stop means 10 presses on the frame profile 3 from above and the lower stop means 11 presses on the frame profile 3 from below, the joint 2 is securely held in the erected position.

[0033] The contact surface of the sling attachments 10, 11 can be curved, adapted to the curvature of the round profile of the frame profile 3. Alternatively, the insertion sleeve can also be designed so that it is flat in the area of ​​the contact surface and thus also presses against the then flat sling attachments 10, 11 via surface pressure.

[0034] Fig. 6 shows a sectional view along the section line II-II in Fig. 2. Here, the insertion sleeve for frame profile 3 is still barely cut, but visible from the side. The attachment of the support bracket 1 is visible in the lower section. The profile of the support bracket 1 tapers toward the joint 2 and is inserted from below into the equally tapered insertion sleeve.

[0035] In the Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are sectional views along the section lines III-III and IV-IV of Fig. 3. They each show a side view of the joint 2. In particular, Fig. 7 shows that the connecting bolt 7 is driven through the hinged part of the folding sash 4 and the second joint part into the first joint part and then into the frame profile 3. The articulated parts thus rotate around the connecting bolt 7. At the same time, the metallic connecting bolt 7 ensures stability within the joint 2.

[0036] The connecting bolt 7 can be driven into the metallic frame profile 3. Fig. Figure 8 shows a knurling or step on the outer contour of the connecting bolt 7, which serves as a trigger or retraction safety feature. The right head area of ​​the connecting bolt 7 (see Figure 8) Fig.7) is thickened, so that this head section also acts as a pull-out safety device. In conjunction with the pull-out safety device formed by the ribbing or stepping, the thickened head section 3 is able to hold the relatively rotatable parts of the illustrated joint 2 together. This results in increased stability of the joint 2 and thus of the upright dryer.

[0037] In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the lifting means 10, 11 are guided within the upper lifting means guide 8 and the lower lifting means guide 9 integrated in the joint 2, i.e., they are integrated into the joint 2. This essentially corresponds to the design of the upright tumble dryers known from the prior art, whereby in the known upright tumble dryers, the lifting means guides 8, 9 were arranged in the housing of the joint 2 and at a distance from the frame profile 3, which previously did not protrude into the joint 2. Since the joint 2 was not solid, this resulted in an elasticity that is now avoided by the new design of the joint 2.

[0038] In a similar way, stability can of course also be increased if the lifting means 10, 11 are arranged outside the joint 2. In this case, in the erected position, the upper lifting means 10 would abut the upper side of the frame profile 3 in front of the joint 2, while the lower lifting means 11 would be positioned behind the axis of rotation and behind the joint 2 from below against the frame profile 3, which then also protrudes laterally from the joint 2. Here, too, a locking option could be provided in which the lifting means 10, 11 are guided along the outer contour of the joint 2 and locking elevations are provided on this outer contour.

[0039] The movement of the folding wings 4, 6 can also be limited by stops. This is not necessary in the folded position, as contact with the central drying area effectively limits the movement. However, locking means can be provided at this point to hold the folded folding wings 4, 6 in the storage position. In the unfolded position, the folding wings 4, 6 can be supported on the cross profile 13 or the support bracket 1 to form a stop.

[0040] As an alternative to the travel limitations for the folding movement of the folding wings 4, 6 formed by the components of the upright tumble dryer itself, a similar guide of stops in corresponding channel-like grooves analogous to the stop guides 8, 9 can also be provided here. For example, the folding wings 4, 6 can have stops that are guided outside the second joint part, in which case the corresponding grooves in which the stops can be moved back and forth are also arranged on the first joint part and further outwards relative to the stop guides 8, 9. The lower area of ​​the folding wings 4, 6 can then be bell-shaped, with the exception of the area to be kept free for the movement of the stand brackets 1, and can encompass the first joint part. List of reference symbols: 1 stand bracket 2 joints 3 frame profile 4 First folding wing 5 load-bearing means 6 Second folding wing 7 connecting bolts 8 Upper lifting gear guide 9 Lower lifting gear guide 10 Upper lifting device 11 Lower lifting gear 12 locking lug 13 Cross section

Claims

[1] Free-standing clothes dryer with a central drying field and two support brackets (1) mounted on the drying field, wherein • the drying field has frame profiles (3) on the front and rear sides, cross profiles (13) connecting the end regions of the frame profiles (3) to form a surrounding frame, and support means (5) extending from one side to an opposite side in the frame for hanging items of laundry, • a joint (2) is provided in the connection areas of the frame profiles (3) with the cross profiles (13), • one end region of one of the frame profiles (3) and one end region of one of the cross profiles (13) are connected to each other in a rotationally fixed manner, • the foldable support brackets (1) are mounted and designed in such a way that they are hinged, each with a leg in one of the joints (2), that the support brackets (1) can be folded around the cross profiles (13) or the frame profiles (3) on two opposite sides of the drying field from a storage position to an erection position, and • stop means (10 or 11) are provided on at least one of the joints (2) assigned to the support brackets (1), which are moved along with the movement of each support bracket (1) and, when the erected position of the assigned support bracket (1) is reached, abut against a stop limiting the folding movement, characterized bythat the stop is formed by a section of the frame profile (3) or an intermediate element arranged on the frame profile (3), wherein the stop means (11 or 12) is supported directly or indirectly via the intermediate element on the frame profile (3) and the frame profile (3) extends behind the axis of rotation of the joint (2). [2] Freestanding tumble dryer according to claim 1, characterized by that the stop is an upper stop formed by the upper side of the frame profile (3) or the upper side of the intermediate element, wherein the intermediate element is designed in the form of a sleeve or shell placed on the frame profile (3) and stop means (11) are supported on the stop from above in the erected position. [3] Freestanding clothes dryer according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized bythat the stop is a lower stop formed by the underside of the frame profile (3) or the underside of the intermediate element, wherein the intermediate element is designed in the form of a sleeve or shell placed on the frame profile (3) and stop means (10) are supported against the stop from below in the erected position. [4] Freestanding clothes dryer according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized by that the joint (2) has a first joint part connected to the transverse profile (13) and a second joint part which is directly or indirectly connected to the support bracket (1) and is connected to the first joint part so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein the frame profile (3) is connected to the first joint part and the stop means (10, 11) are arranged on the second joint part. [5] Freestanding clothes dryer according to the preceding claim, characterized bythat the frame profile (3) extends into the first joint part of the joint (2). [6] Freestanding tumble dryer according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the frame profile (3) extends through the complete joint (2). [7] Freestanding clothes dryer according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the joint (2) has a connecting bolt (7) on which the first joint part and the second joint part are rotatably mounted or about which the first joint part and the second joint part are rotatable, wherein the connecting bolt (7) extends into the frame profile (3). [8] Freestanding clothes dryer according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the connecting bolt (7) is detachably mounted in the frame profile (3) or that the frame profile (3) and the connecting bolt (7) are firmly connected to one another. [9] Free-standing clothes dryer according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized bythat the joint (2) has, in the area connected to the frame profile (3) in a rotationally fixed manner, a channel-like or groove-like upper lifting means guide (8), in which the upper lifting means (10) connected to the support bracket (1) is moved back and forth during the pivoting movement of the support bracket (1) from the storage position to the erected position and from the erected position to the storage position, wherein ends of the upper lifting means guide (8) form the stop for the upper lifting means (10). [10] Freestanding clothes dryer according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized bythat the joint (2) has, in the area connected to the frame profile (3) in a rotationally fixed manner, a channel-like or groove-like lower lifting means guide (9), in which the lower lifting means (11) connected to the support bracket (1) is moved back and forth during the pivoting movement of the support bracket (1) from the storage position to the erection position and from the erection position to the storage position, wherein ends of the lower lifting means guide (9) form the stop for the lower lifting means (11). [11] Free-standing clothes dryer according to the preceding claim or according to claim 9, characterized bythat the channel-like or groove-like lifting means guide (8 and / or 9) has locking means which can be elastically displaced by the lifting means (10 or 11) and which are in the form of locking lugs (12) or locking lips projecting into the channel-like or groove-like lifting means guide (8 and / or 9) and which, when the lifting means (10 and / or 11) are in contact, are able to hold the lifting means (10 and / or 11) in a locking position. [12] Free-standing clothes dryer according to one of claims 4 to 11, characterized by that the transverse profile (13) is a plastic profile, wherein the end region is designed such that it integrally forms the first joint part of the joint (2). [13] Free-standing clothes dryer according to one of claims 4 to 12, characterized by that the frame profile (3) is formed by a hollow or solid tubular profile, in particular made of metal. [14] Free-standing clothes dryer according to one of claims 4 to 13, characterized bythat the upright clothes dryer has a first folding wing (4) and / or a second folding wing (6) for expanding the drying field by folding out the folding wings (4,6), wherein the folding wings (4,6) are connected in an articulated manner to the first joint part and the pivoting movement into a folded-out position of the folding wings (4,6) remote from the drying field is limited by stops. [15] Freestanding clothes dryer according to the preceding claim, characterized byin that the stops for the movement of the folding wings (4, 6) are formed by stop means (10, 11) which are guided in stop means guides (8, 9) in the first joint part, which are formed by channel- or groove-like sections of the first joint part and form the stop for the opening movement of the folding wings (4, 6), wherein the movement of the stops for the movement of the folding wings (4, 6) runs along a circular path concentric with the axis of rotation of the joint (2), which has a larger or smaller diameter relative to the circular path of the movement of the upper stop means (10) and the lower stop means (11).

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