Clothes dryer

Abstract

To provide a clothes dryer which can prevent overheating of a warm air duct even when the flame of a burner in a combustion chamber extends long.SOLUTION: In a body case 2 having a clothes take-out port 21, a clothes dryer 1 includes: a rotary drum 3 for storing clothes; a combustion chamber 5 for storing a burner 9; a warm air duct 6 for feeding the warm air heated by the burner 9 into the rotary drum 3 being communicated with the combustion chamber 5 and the rotary drum 3; and an air supply / exhaust fan 8 for supplying warm air into the rotary drum 3, and for exhausting the warm air to the outside from the rotary drum 3. The combustion chamber 5 includes an outflow port 50 of the warm air on the flow direction downstream side of the warm air. The warm air duct 6 includes an inflow port 60 of the warm air on the flow direction upstream side of the warm air. In the combustion chamber 5 and the warm air duct 6, the outflow port 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inflow port 60 of the warm air duct 6 are connected. In the warm air duct 6, a cover plate part 7 is disposed for covering at least part of a wall part 61 on the flow direction upstream side of the warm air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothes dryer that dries clothes by supplying hot air from a combustion chamber through a hot air duct into a rotary drum. [Background technology]

[0002] A clothes dryer is equipped with a rotating drum that stores clothes, a combustion chamber that stores a burner, a hot air duct that connects the combustion chamber and the rotating drum, an intake / exhaust fan that supplies hot air into the rotating drum and exhausts the hot air from inside the rotating drum to the outside, etc., all housed within a main body case of a predetermined size. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional clothes dryer in which the combustion chamber of the clothes dryer is composed of a burner and a double burner case (inner and outer) that surrounds the burner, and by creating an air flow that envelops the burner flame, it is possible to suppress the spread of the burner flame even if the combustion chamber becomes slightly oxygen-deficient, and to prevent the burner case from overheating. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-262599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, in clothes dryers, rotating drums are becoming larger to dry as many clothes as possible, and accordingly, there is a demand for more compact combustion chambers and hot air ducts. For this reason, the combustion chamber described in Patent Document 1 is configured with a double burner case, which requires a large installation space within the main body case and is not suitable for the demand for larger rotating drums. On the other hand, if the hot air duct is configured compactly and installed in a small space, dust accumulation in the filter can cause the combustion chamber to become oxygen-deficient, causing the burner flame to extend too far into the hot air duct, potentially causing the hot air duct to overheat.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a clothes dryer that can prevent the hot air duct from overheating even if the flame of the burner in the combustion chamber extends for a long time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The clothes dryer according to the present invention comprises: The washing machine is provided with a main body case having a clothing outlet, a rotary drum for accommodating clothing, a combustion chamber for accommodating a burner, a hot air duct communicating with the combustion chamber and the rotary drum for sending hot air heated by the burner into the rotary drum, and an intake / exhaust fan for supplying hot air into the rotary drum and discharging the hot air from inside the rotary drum to the outside, The combustion chamber has a hot air outlet on a downstream side in a flow direction of the hot air, The hot air duct has a hot air inlet on the upstream side in the hot air flow direction, The combustion chamber and the hot air duct are connected such that the outlet of the combustion chamber and the inlet of the hot air duct are connected, A cover plate portion is disposed within the hot air duct to cover at least a portion of the wall portion on the upstream side in the hot air flow direction.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the cover plate serves as a protective member for the wall portion upstream of the hot air flow direction in the hot air duct, so even if the flame of the burner in the combustion chamber extends into the hot air duct, the cover plate can prevent the burner flame and high-temperature hot air from directly contacting the wall portion of the hot air duct. Therefore, even if the combustion chamber becomes oxygen-deficient and the burner flame extends far, overheating of the wall portion of the hot air duct can be suppressed. Furthermore, the durability of the hot air duct is improved even if it is not made of a highly heat-resistant material.

[0008] In the clothes dryer, The hot air duct is formed in a flat shape, The cover plate portion may be configured to extend from the outlet of the combustion chamber and be inserted into the inlet of the hot air duct.

[0009] Because the hot air duct has a flat shape and the interior of the hot air duct is a flat space, attaching a cover plate to the hot air duct is time-consuming. However, according to the above-described configuration of the present invention, by extending the cover plate to the outlet of the combustion chamber, the cover plate can be easily attached to the hot air duct by connecting the outlet of the combustion chamber to the inlet of the hot air duct. This makes it easy to attach the cover plate to the hot air duct, which has a flat shape, and improves the workability of attaching the cover plate. Furthermore, by extending the cover plate to the outlet of the combustion chamber, the wall portion upstream in the hot air flow direction within the hot air duct can be covered continuously from the inlet of the hot air duct, effectively preventing overheating of the wall portion of the hot air duct.

[0010] In the clothes dryer, The clothing outlet side of the main case is the front, The combustion chamber outlet is opened at the front of the combustion chamber, The hot air duct is formed in a thin, flat shape in the front-to-rear direction, and has wall portions that bulge out on both the front and rear surfaces, The inlet of the hot air duct is opened by cutting out the corner of the wall that bulges out from the rear of the hot air duct. The combustion chamber and the hot air duct are arranged so as to overlap in the front-rear direction, and the outlet of the combustion chamber is connected to the inlet of the hot air duct, The cover plate portion can be configured to be disposed close to an upper wall portion adjacent to the inlet of the hot air duct, among the wall portions that bulge out in front of the hot air duct.

[0011] According to the above-described configuration, the hot air duct inlet is formed by cutting out a corner of the wall portion that bulges outward from the rear of the hot air duct, thereby reducing the longitudinal length of the combustion chamber and the hot air duct when connected front to back. Meanwhile, by forming the hot air duct into a thin, flat shape in the front to back direction, the upper wall portion of the wall portion that bulges outward from the front of the hot air duct, particularly the upper wall portion adjacent to the hot air duct inlet, is particularly susceptible to overheating when the flame from the burner in the combustion chamber extends too far. However, according to the above-described configuration of the present invention, the cover plate prevents the burner flame from directly contacting the upper wall portion of the hot air duct. Therefore, even when the combustion chamber and the hot air duct are arranged in a narrow space in the main body case due to the increased size of the rotating drum, overheating of the hot air duct wall due to the extension of the burner flame can be prevented.

[0012] Further, in the clothes dryer, The hot air duct has a cooling hole in a wall portion near the inlet, and a temperature sensor is provided downstream of the cooling hole to detect the temperature of the hot air in the hot air duct. The cover plate may be disposed opposite and adjacent to the cooling hole.

[0013] According to the above configuration, by providing a cooling hole in the wall near the hot air duct inlet, the air introduced through the cooling hole can further prevent overheating of the hot air duct. In this case, the air flowing in through the cooling hole may affect the detection of the hot air temperature by a temperature sensor installed downstream of the cooling hole. However, according to the above configuration of the present invention, by arranging the cover plate opposite and close to the cooling hole, the cover plate prevents the air from flowing from the cooling hole toward the temperature sensor, thereby reducing the effect of the air from the cooling hole on the detection of the hot air temperature by the temperature sensor. Therefore, the air flowing in through the cooling hole can further prevent overheating of the hot air duct, while allowing the temperature sensor to accurately detect the hot air temperature. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a clothes dryer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the combustion chamber, the hot air duct, and the fan case disposed at the rear inside the main body case. [Figure 3] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the wall portion inside the warm air duct is covered with the cover plate portion. FIG. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional perspective view in which the combustion chamber is partially cut away so that the state in which the wall portion inside the hot air duct is covered with the cover plate portion can be seen from the rear. [Figure 5] These are top-view schematic diagrams for explaining the image of the state of the flame during combustion, where (a) shows the state of the flame under normal conditions (when there is no oxygen deficiency), and (b) shows the state of the flame when there is oxygen deficiency in the combustion chamber. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are external views showing the combustion chamber, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the front side of the combustion chamber seen from diagonally above right, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the rear side of the combustion chamber seen from diagonally below left. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are external views showing a hot air duct, in which FIG. 1A is a front view showing the front surface of the hot air duct, and FIG. 1B is a rear view showing the rear surface of the hot air duct. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a burner box accommodating a burner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment has an outer shell formed by a main body case 2 in the shape of a substantially rectangular box and an opening / closing door 22 that covers a clothes outlet 21 that is opened at the front of the main body case 2. In this specification, the opening / closing door 22 side of the clothes dryer 1 is referred to as the front side, and the depth direction when viewed from the front side of the clothes dryer 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction, the lateral direction is referred to as the left-right direction, and the height direction is referred to as the up-down direction.

[0016] The main body case 2 is a box-shaped body having a front panel 2a, a rear panel 2b, a top panel 2c, a bottom panel 2d, a right side panel 2e, and a left side panel 2f. A clothing removal opening 21 is provided in the front panel 2a. A cylindrical rotating drum 3 for storing clothing is rotatably disposed in a horizontal position within the main body case 2. The rotating drum 3 has an opening on its front surface and a rear wall 31 with a warm air outlet 32 ​​consisting of multiple small holes on its rear surface. A front drum support 41 is disposed in front of the rotating drum 3, and a rear drum support 42 is disposed behind the rotating drum 3. The front drum support 41 has an annular front support portion 43 that protrudes rearward. The rear drum support 42 has a cylindrical rear support portion 44 that protrudes forward. The front end of the rotating drum 3 is supported by the outer periphery of the front support portion 43 of the front drum support 41, and the rear end is supported by the inner periphery of the rear support portion 44 of the rear drum support 42. A support shaft 83 is inserted through the center of the rear wall 31 of the rotating drum 3, and a circular back plate 33 is attached in a non-rotating state to the front end of the support shaft 83, covering the front surface of the rear wall 31 from the inside of the rotating drum 3. The back plate 33 has a plurality of small circular holes formed therein.

[0017] The clothes outlet 21 has a cylindrical shape and is attached to the inner periphery of the front support portion 43 of the front drum support 41. A semicircular warm air outlet 34 is opened in a certain area below the clothes outlet 21. A filter 35 is removably attached to the warm air outlet 34. The filter 35 collects lint and dust generated from the clothes during drying. The warm air outlet 34 is connected to a communication duct 11 disposed between the rotating drum 3 and the bottom plate 2d of the main body case 2. The rear end of the communication duct 11 is connected to an exhaust duct 12 disposed on the rear surface of the rear drum support 42. The exhaust duct 12 has a flat, cylindrical exhaust section 13.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, at the rear of the main body case 2, there are arranged a combustion chamber 5 in which a burner box 90 is disposed, a hot air duct 6 which communicates with the combustion chamber 5 and the rotating drum 3 and sends hot air heated by a burner 9 into the rotating drum 3, and a fan case 80 which houses an intake and exhaust fan 8 which supplies hot air into the rotating drum 3 and exhausts the hot air from inside the rotating drum 3.

[0019] Fan case 80 has an intake port 81 opening on the front surface and an exhaust port 82 protruding upward from the top surface. Intake port 81 of fan case 80 is connected to exhaust section 13 of exhaust duct 12, and exhaust port 82 of fan case 80 is connected to exhaust port 23 formed in upper plate 2c of main body case 2.

[0020] The rotating drum 3 and the intake and exhaust fan 8 are driven to rotate by a motor (not shown) via transmission belts 14a and 14b (see FIG. 1), respectively. When the motor rotates the rotating drum 3 at a constant rotation speed, the intake and exhaust fan 8 also rotates at the same rotation speed. As the intake and exhaust fan 8 rotates, outside air is drawn into the main case 2 through an air intake port (not shown) of the main case 2, generating an airflow inside the main case 2 toward the exhaust duct 12. The air drawn into the main case 2 is heated by the burner 9 in the combustion chamber 5 and becomes hot air. This hot air is then sent into the rotating drum 3 through the hot air duct 6. The hot air sent into the rotating drum 3 absorbs moisture from the clothes and is discharged through the hot air outlet 34. The discharged hot air then passes through the connection duct 11, the exhaust duct 12, and the fan case 80 before being exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 23 of the main case 2.

[0021] The combustion chamber 5 is disposed in the space between the upper surface of the fan case 80 and the upper right corner of the rear of the main body case 2. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the combustion chamber 5 is a box-shaped body with a generally horizontal L-shape, elongated horizontally. The combustion chamber 5 has front, rear, top, bottom, and left side walls 5a-5e formed of metal plates of a predetermined shape. The right side of the combustion chamber 5 is open, and a burner box 90 containing a burner 9 is disposed in the right region of the combustion chamber 5. The burner box 90 is disposed so that there are gaps between the front and rear walls 5a and 5b and the upper and lower walls 5c and 5d of the combustion chamber 5, allowing air to pass through. As shown in FIG. 8, two burners 9 are disposed vertically in the burner box 90. The burner 9 has a plurality of slit-shaped flame holes 91 formed vertically. The burner 9 is provided so that the burner holes 91 are exposed on the left side surface of the burner box 90, and the flame formed in the burner holes 91 extends leftward within the combustion chamber 5.

[0022] 6, the front structural wall 5a of the combustion chamber 5 is provided on the right side of the front face, and the left side of the front face of the combustion chamber 5 is open to provide a hot air outlet 50. The hot air heated by the burner 9 flows from the right side where the burner 9 is located inside the combustion chamber 5 to the left side, and is discharged from the outlet 50 on the left side of the front face. Therefore, inside the combustion chamber 5, the right side where the burner 9 is located is the upstream side in the direction of hot air flow, and the left side where the outlet 50 is located is the downstream side in the direction of hot air flow.

[0023] The outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 is open to the front of the combustion chamber 5 and is connected to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 disposed in front of the combustion chamber 5. The four sides of the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 are formed by the front end of the left wall 5e, the left front ends of the upper and lower walls 5c and 5d, and the left end of the front wall 5a. The front end of the left wall 5e, which forms the left side of the outlet 50, is notched from its lower end to near its upper end, and the left front end of the lower wall 5d, which forms the bottom side of the outlet 50, is notched from its left end to near the left end of the front wall 5a. These notches form a relief portion 51 for matching the shape of the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6. In addition, a cover plate 7 is provided at the front end of the upper wall 5c, which forms the top side of the outlet 50, by extending a flange 70 downward and bending the lower portion forward. This cover plate 7 will be described in detail later.

[0024] The hot air duct 6 is disposed in the gap between the front surface of the fan case 80 and the rear surface of the rear drum support 42 disposed behind the rotating drum 3, in the left-hand region of the front surface of the fan case 80 (see FIG. 1). The hot air duct 6 has a flat, approximately semicircular arc shape and is formed to extend in the vertical direction of the main body case 2. As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the hot air duct 6 is formed into a thin, flat shape in the front-to-rear direction of the main body case 2 by joining two metal plates each having a wall portion 61 of an approximately semicircular arc shape that bulges outward in a shallow bottom shape. The wall portion 61 bulging outward from the front of the hot air duct 6 and the wall portion 61 bulging outward from the rear of the hot air duct 6 are both composed of outer peripheral upright walls 62A, 62B and ceiling walls 63A, 63B on the top surface.

[0025] A warm air inlet 60 is provided on the rear surface of the warm air duct 6 by cutting out the uppermost corner of the rearward-bulging wall portion 61 and opening rearward. A warm air outlet 64 is provided on the front surface of the warm air duct 6, opening over substantially the entire surface of the forward-bulging wall portion 61 except for the outer peripheral edge of the ceiling wall 63A, and blowing warm air forward. The warm air inlet 60 of the warm air duct 6 is connected to communicate with the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5. The front surface of the warm air duct 6 is disposed in contact with the rear surface of the rear drum support 42, where the opening 45 is provided (see FIG. 1). The warm air outlet 64 on the front surface of the warm air duct 6 is connected to the interior of the rotating drum 3 via the opening 45 on the rear surface of the rear drum support 42 and the warm air outlet 32 ​​on the rear wall 31 of the rotating drum 3 (see FIG. 1).

[0026] The hot air heated by the burner 9 in the combustion chamber 5 is sent into the hot air duct 6 through the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, and the hot air sent into the hot air duct 6 flows from the top to the bottom of the hot air duct 6 and is discharged from the hot air outlet 64 on the front side (see FIG. 2). Therefore, in the hot air duct 6, the upper side where the inlet 60 is located is the upstream side in the flow direction of the hot air, and the lower side is the downstream side in the flow direction of the hot air.

[0027] A temperature sensor 67 that detects the temperature of the hot air inside the hot air duct 6 is attached near the inlet 60 to the ceiling wall 63B of the wall section 61 that bulges out from the rear surface of the hot air duct 6. The temperature sensor 67 detects the temperature of the hot air inside the hot air duct 6. The wall section 61 is located downstream of the temperature sensor 67 in the hot air flow direction and has a rib section 65 that protrudes inward by partially recessing the ceiling wall 63B and the standing wall 62B. The rib section 65 makes it easier to direct the flow of the hot air flowing in from the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 toward the temperature sensor 67, thereby improving the accuracy of the temperature sensor 67 in detecting the temperature of the hot air.

[0028] The hot air duct 6 and the combustion chamber 5 are arranged such that the upper rear surface of the hot air duct 6 and the left front portion of the combustion chamber 5 overlap in the front-to-rear direction, and the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 are connected in a face-to-face relationship (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 is formed by cutting out a corner of a wall portion 61 that bulges out from the rear surface of the hot air duct 6. Therefore, when the combustion chamber 5 and the hot air duct 6 are connected in a front-to-rear direction, the length in the front-to-rear direction can be reduced by the height of the wall portion 61 that bulges out from the rear surface of the hot air duct 6. The bottom and left sides of the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 are cut out to provide a recess 51 that is recessed rearward. The shape of this recess 51 matches the shape of the wall portion 61 that bulges out from the rear surface of the hot air duct 6. Therefore, the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 are connected in a face-to-face relationship.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5(a), on the upstream side of the hot air duct 6 in the hot air flow direction, hot air of a relatively high temperature that has just been introduced from the combustion chamber 5 flows. In this case, the hot air duct 6 has a hot air inlet 60 opened on the rear surface and has a thin, flat shape in the front-to-rear direction, so the wall portion 61 on the upstream side of the hot air duct 6 in the hot air flow direction is likely to become hot. In particular, the wall portion 61 near the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 is close to the inlet 60, so the hot air hits it intensively and it is likely to become hot.

[0030] Furthermore, if the amount of air supplied to the combustion chamber 5 is insufficient due to dust accumulation in the filter 35 or the like, causing the combustion chamber 5 to become oxygen-deficient, the flame of the burner 9 will extend longer. In this case, as shown in Figure 5(b), when the extended flame reaches the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, the wall portion 61 near the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 will be scorched by the flame and overheated, since the hot air duct 6 has a thin, flat shape in the front-to-rear direction. In particular, of the wall portion 61 bulging out in front of the hot air duct 6, the upper standing wall 62A adjacent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 is most likely to be scorched by the flame and overheated.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a cover plate 7 is disposed in the hot air duct 6 to cover a portion of the wall 61 near the inlet 60, which is the wall 61 on the upstream side in the direction of hot air flow. The cover plate 7 is formed by extending downward a flange 70 formed at the front end of the upper structural wall 5c, which forms the upper side of the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5, and bending the lower portion forward (see also Figure 6(a)). This cover plate 7 connects the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, and is inserted through the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 and disposed adjacent to the upper standing wall 62A adjacent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 of the wall 61 that bulges out in front of the hot air duct 6. With this configuration, the cover plate 7 serves as a protective member for the wall 61 upstream of the hot air flow direction in the hot air duct 6. Therefore, even if the flame of the burner 9 in the combustion chamber 5 extends into the hot air duct 6, the cover plate 7 prevents the flame of the burner 9 and high-temperature hot air from directly contacting the wall 61 of the hot air duct 6. Therefore, even if the combustion chamber 5 becomes oxygen-deficient and the flame of the burner 9 extends farther, the wall 61 of the hot air duct 6 can be prevented from overheating. Even if the combustion chamber 5 and the hot air duct 6 are disposed in a narrow space in the main body case 2 due to the increased size of the rotating drum 3, the wall 61 of the hot air duct 6 can be prevented from overheating due to the extension of the flame of the burner 9. This improves the heat durability of the hot air duct 6. Furthermore, the durability of the hot air duct 6 is improved even if it is not formed from a highly heat-resistant material.

[0032] Because the hot air duct 6 has a flat shape and the interior of the hot air duct 6 is a flat space, attaching the cover plate 7 to the hot air duct 6 during manufacturing the hot air duct 6 requires a lot of work. However, according to this embodiment, by extending the cover plate 7 to the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and connecting the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, the cover plate 7 can be easily disposed inside the hot air duct 6. This makes it easy to attach the cover plate 7 inside the hot air duct 6, which has a flat shape, and improves the workability of attaching the cover plate 7. Furthermore, by extending the cover plate 7 to the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5, the wall 61 on the upstream side of the hot air flow direction in the hot air duct 6 can be covered continuously from the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, effectively preventing overheating of the wall 61 of the hot air duct 6.

[0033] In this embodiment, a plurality of cooling holes 66 are formed in the upright wall 62A, which is the upper wall 61 adjacent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, among the wall portions 61 that bulge out in front of the hot air duct 6. Here, the cooling holes 66 are circular holes, and three of them are lined up in the left-right direction on the upright wall 62A so as to follow the flow direction of the hot air. This makes it possible to further prevent the wall portion 61 of the hot air duct 6 from overheating by the air introduced through the cooling holes 66.

[0034] Meanwhile, a temperature sensor 67 is installed on the wall portion 61 downstream of the cooling hole 66 in the hot air flow direction (see FIG. 7). Therefore, some of the air flowing in from the cooling hole 66 may also flow to the temperature sensor 67, which may affect the temperature detection of the hot air by the temperature sensor 67. However, in this embodiment, a cover plate 7 is disposed in the hot air duct 6 facing and close to the cooling hole 66 (see FIG. 3). This allows the cover plate 7 to suppress the flow of air from the cooling hole 66 toward the temperature sensor 67, thereby reducing the effect of the air flowing in from the cooling hole 66 on the temperature detection of the hot air by the temperature sensor 67. Therefore, overheating of the wall portion 61 of the hot air duct 6 by the air flowing in from the cooling hole 66 can be further suppressed, and the hot air temperature can be correctly detected by the temperature sensor 67.

[0035] 6, in this embodiment, each of the constituent walls 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d of the combustion chamber 5 is provided with a plurality of openings 52 and 53 for taking in air into the combustion chamber 5. By taking in air into the combustion chamber 5 through these openings 52 and 53, it is possible to prevent the constituent walls 5a to 5e of the combustion chamber 5 from overheating. In addition, it is possible to generate a sufficient amount of hot air to be sent to the rotating drum 3.

[0036] Regarding the openings 52 and 53, in the following, the openings 52 provided in the front and rear structural walls 5a and 5b and the upper and lower structural walls 5c and 5d of the combustion chamber 5 in the range from the vicinity of the flame holes 91 of the burner 9 to the vicinity of the outlet 50 on the left side will be referred to as the "first opening 52." The openings 53 provided in the rear structural wall 5b and the upper structural wall 5c of the combustion chamber 5 in the left part where the outlet 50 is located will be referred to as the "second opening 53."

[0037] The air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from the first opening 52 is supplied as tertiary air for combustion (see FIG. 5(a)) to the flame extending from the burner 9, and the combustion reaction of the fuel gas is almost completed, forming a stable flame. This prevents the flame of the burner 9 from extending too far. Primary air for combustion is supplied from the gas inlet of the burner 9, and secondary air for combustion is supplied from the gap between the burner box 90 and the combustion chamber 5.

[0038] Of the multiple first openings 52, the first openings 52 having a slit shape elongated in a direction intersecting the flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas (the same as the flow direction of the hot air) have louver-like protrusions 54 formed on the opening edge downstream in the flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas that protrude upstream in the flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas and outward from the combustion chamber 5. This makes it difficult for the air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from the first openings 52 to flow toward the burner 9, and the air surrounds the flame, preventing the flame from spreading and expanding (see FIG. 5(a)). This makes it possible to prevent overheating of the constituent walls 5a to 5e of the combustion chamber 5.

[0039] The air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from the second opening 53 dilutes the hot air heated by the burner 9, and can lower the temperature of the hot air sent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6. The temperature of the hot air sent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 can also be lowered by the air taken into the hot air duct 6 from the cooling holes 66 provided in the hot air duct 6 near the inlet 60. This makes it possible to supply hot air of an appropriate temperature to the rotating drum 3, with the temperature lowered below the flame temperature of the burner 9.

[0040] The second opening 53 provided in the rear wall 5b has a slit shape that is longitudinal along the flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas, and a louver-like protrusion 54 that protrudes upward and outward from the combustion chamber 5 is formed on the lower opening edge of the second opening 53. Therefore, air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from the second opening 53 in the rear wall 5b tends to flow downward. Air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from the second opening 53 provided in the upper wall 5c tends to flow downward. This makes it difficult for the hot air sent from the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 to head toward the upper wall 61 near the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, thereby preventing overheating of the wall 61 of the hot air duct 6.

[0041] In addition, since the second opening 53 in the rear wall 5b faces the outlet 50 on the front side of the combustion chamber 5, the air taken in through the second opening 53 in the rear wall 5b pushes the warm air flowing from the upstream side of the combustion chamber 5 toward the outlet 50, and the warm air can be smoothly sent into the warm air duct 6 through the outlet 50 and the inlet 60.

[0042] A substantially rectangular heat shield plate 15 is disposed between the upper wall 5c of the combustion chamber 5 and the upper plate 2c of the main body case 2 so as to cover the entire upper wall 5c (see FIG. 1). This heat shield plate 15 blocks the heat emitted from the upper wall 5c of the combustion chamber 5, thereby preventing the temperature of the upper plate 2c of the main body case 2 from rising.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the cover plate portion 7 may be configured to extend to the front end of the left structural wall 5e that is the left side of the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 or to the left end of the front structural wall 5a that is the right side. The cover plate portion 7 may be shaped to be close to and cover the upright wall 62A on the side adjacent to the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6 with respect to the wall portion 61 that bulges out in front of the hot air duct 6. The cover plate portion 7 is extended to the outlet 50 of the combustion chamber 5 and inserted into the inlet 60 of the hot air duct 6, but the cover plate portion 7 may also be provided on the inner surface of the wall portion 61 of the hot air duct 6 (for example, the inner surface of the ceiling wall 63A of the wall portion 61 that bulges out in front of the hot air duct 6). The cover plate portion 7 may be configured as an inner wall that covers the entire inside of the wall portion 61 on the upstream side in the hot air flow direction inside the hot air duct 6. Furthermore, the wall portion 61 of the hot air duct 6 does not necessarily have to be provided with the cooling holes 66. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 clothes dryer 2 Main unit case 3 rotating drum 5 Combustion chamber 5a Front construction wall 5b Rear construction wall 5c Upper configuration wall 5d bottom configuration wall 5e Left Wall 6 Warm air duct 7 Cover plate 8 Intake and exhaust fan 9 Burner 11 Connecting duct 12 Exhaust duct 21 Clothes removal outlet 22 Opening and closing doors 23 Exhaust port 31 Back wall 32 Warm air outlet 33 Back plate 34 Hot air outlet 35 filters 41 Front drum support 42 Rear drum support 50 Outlet 51 Relief 52 First Opening 53 Second Opening 54 Projecting piece 60 Inlet 61 Wall 62A,62B Standing wall 63A,63A Ceiling Wall 64 Warm air outlet 65 Rib section 66 cooling hole 67 Temperature Sensor 70 flange 80 Fan Case 81 Air intake 82 Discharge port 83 Spindle 90 Burner Box 91 Flame hole

Claims

1. The washing machine is provided with a main body case having a clothing outlet, a rotary drum for accommodating clothing, a combustion chamber for accommodating a burner, a hot air duct communicating with the combustion chamber and the rotary drum for sending hot air heated by the burner into the rotary drum, and an intake / exhaust fan for supplying hot air into the rotary drum and discharging the hot air from inside the rotary drum to the outside, The combustion chamber has a hot air outlet on a downstream side in a flow direction of the hot air, The hot air duct has a hot air inlet on the upstream side in the hot air flow direction, The combustion chamber and the hot air duct are connected such that the outlet of the combustion chamber and the inlet of the hot air duct are connected, A clothes dryer has a cover plate disposed in the warm air duct, the cover plate covering at least a part of a wall on the upstream side in the warm air flow direction.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, The hot air duct is formed in a flat shape, The cover plate portion extends from the outlet of the combustion chamber and is inserted into the inlet of the hot air duct.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, The clothing outlet side of the main case is the front, The combustion chamber outlet is opened at the front of the combustion chamber, The hot air duct is formed in a thin, flat shape in the front-to-rear direction, and has wall portions that bulge out on both the front and rear surfaces, The inlet of the hot air duct is opened by cutting out the corner of the wall that bulges out from the rear of the hot air duct. The combustion chamber and the hot air duct are arranged so as to overlap in the front-rear direction, and the outlet of the combustion chamber is connected to the inlet of the hot air duct, The cover plate portion is disposed adjacent to an upper wall portion adjacent to the inlet of the hot air duct, among wall portions that bulge out in front of the hot air duct.

4. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The hot air duct has a cooling hole in a wall portion near the inlet, and a temperature sensor is provided downstream of the cooling hole to detect the temperature of the hot air in the hot air duct. The cover plate is disposed opposite and adjacent to the cooling hole.

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