Clothes dryer

Abstract

To maximize the capacity of the rotating drum housed within the main unit case. [Solution] The clothes dryer 1 has a main body case 11 containing a rotating drum 3 for storing clothes, a combustion chamber 5 for housing a burner 9, and a fan case 4 located behind the rotating drum 3 that houses an intake / exhaust fan 21 which takes in air into the combustion chamber 5, supplies the air heated by the burner 9 as hot air into the rotating drum 3, and exhausts the hot air from the rotating drum 3 to the outside. The burner 9 is located in a burner box 7 which has an end plate 70 with a flame hole opening 71 through which a row of flame holes 91 is inserted so that the flame holes 90 are exposed into the combustion chamber 5. The end plate 70 has an outer opening 72 outside the flame hole opening 71 for allowing air to flow into the combustion chamber 5, and has a vertical wall 73 that protrudes more than the flame holes 90 from the opening edge of the outer opening 72 on the flame hole opening 71 side toward the opening direction of the flame holes 90.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothes dryer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a clothes dryer has been proposed in which an air supply and exhaust fan is provided behind a rotating drum, a combustion chamber in which a burner is housed is provided below the side of the rotating drum, and an air supply duct is provided to connect the combustion chamber and a warm air outlet provided in front of the rotating drum. Also, there is a clothes dryer in which an air supply and exhaust fan is provided above the rotating drum, a combustion chamber is provided behind the rotating drum, a warm air outlet is provided on the rear wall of the rotating drum, a warm air exhaust outlet is provided on the inner surface of an opening / closing door in front of the rotating drum, and an exhaust duct is formed inside the opening / closing door (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). These clothes dryers are configured to take in air inside the main body case into the combustion chamber by rotationally driving the air supply and exhaust fan, supply the air heated by the burner into the rotating drum as warm air from the warm air outlet, and exhaust the warm air from the rotating drum to the outside.

[0003] By the way, since the size of the entire clothes dryer is determined for each product, when a combustion chamber in which a burner is arranged horizontally with its flame holes facing outward in the left-right direction is provided below the side of the rotating drum as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the rotating drum by the width of the combustion chamber. Further, when heating the air taken into the combustion chamber by the air supply and exhaust fan and supplying the warm air to the rotating drum from the front warm air outlet as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to deflect the flow path direction of the warm air in the combustion chamber from the left-right direction to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the width of the combustion chamber becomes larger, and it is necessary to further reduce the diameter of the rotating drum.

[0004] On the other hand, as in Patent Document 2, if the intake and exhaust fans are positioned above the rotating drum, the diameter of the rotating drum needs to be reduced by the thickness of the intake and exhaust fans and the motor that drives them. Also, in Patent Document 2, the combustion chamber is positioned further rear than the fan case, so space must be secured at the rear of the main case to accommodate the protrusion of the combustion chamber. As a result, the length in the front-to-back direction in which the rotating drum can be housed within the main casing becomes smaller, and the length of the rotating drum in the front-to-back direction also becomes smaller accordingly.

[0005] Therefore, all types of clothes dryers have the problem of having a limited rotating drum capacity. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-277292 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-192660 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The present invention solves the above problems, and its objective is to maximize the capacity of the rotating drum housed within the main body case without increasing the size of the clothes dryer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, A clothes dryer having a roughly rectangular box-shaped main case with a clothes removal opening at the front, and an opening / closing door for opening and closing the clothes removal opening, Inside the main case, A rotating drum for storing clothes, A combustion chamber housing the burner, It has a fan case located behind the rotating drum, which houses an intake and exhaust fan that takes in air into the combustion chamber, supplies the air heated by the burner as hot air into the rotating drum, and exhausts the hot air from inside the rotating drum to the outside. The burner has a row of flame holes arranged in a predetermined interval between them. The burner is located in a burner box having an end plate with flame openings through which a row of flame holes is inserted, so that the flame holes are exposed into the combustion chamber. The end plate has an external opening outside the flame hole opening to allow air to flow into the combustion chamber. The end plate provides a clothes dryer having an upright wall that protrudes more than the flame hole, extending from the opening edge on the flame hole side of the outer opening toward the flame hole opening direction.

[0009] According to the above-described clothes dryer, the fan case is located behind the rotating drum, and the intake / exhaust fan and motor are not located above the rotating drum. Therefore, the capacity of the rotating drum housed within the main case can be increased without increasing the overall size of the clothes dryer.

[0010] When inserting the flame holes of a burner into the flame hole opening, the size of the flame hole opening must be larger than the size of the flame holes to be inserted for mounting purposes. As a result, air flowing into the vicinity of the flame holes through the gap between the burner and the flame hole opening can cause combustion problems such as the flame being extinguished or the base of the flame being cooled, causing the flame to lift. However, with the above-described clothes dryer, an outer opening is formed on the end plate, outside the flame hole opening, to allow air to flow into the combustion chamber. This allows the air flowing into the combustion chamber to be dispersed to the outer opening, reducing the amount of air passing near the burner's flame holes through the gap between the burner and the flame hole opening. This allows for the stable formation of a combustion flame in the burner.

[0011] According to the above-described clothes dryer, the vertical wall makes it difficult for air flowing into the combustion chamber from the outer opening to flow towards the flame hole, thus enabling a more stable combustion flame to be formed in the burner.

[0012] Preferably, in the above clothes dryer, A hot air outlet is provided on the rear wall of the rotating drum to guide hot air into the rotating drum. An air intake duct is provided between the rear wall of the rotating drum and the fan case, connecting the combustion chamber and the hot air outlet. A hot air outlet is provided at the front of the rotating drum where the clothes are removed, to expel hot air from inside the rotating drum. A communication duct is provided that connects to the hot air outlet and extends from the clothing removal opening through the gap formed between the rotating drum and the upper, lower, left, and right peripheral walls of the main case to the rear of the rotating drum. An exhaust duct is provided between the rear wall of the rotating drum and the fan case, connecting the hot air outlet and the fan case via a connecting duct.

[0013] According to the above-described clothes dryer, an air supply duct is provided between the rear wall of the rotating drum and the fan case, connecting the combustion chamber and the hot air outlet, which allows for an even larger diameter of the rotating drum. Furthermore, according to the above-described clothes dryer, a hot air outlet is provided on the rear wall of the rotating drum, and a hot air exhaust port is provided at the clothes removal opening at the front of the rotating drum, allowing for the installation of an air filter at the front of the main body case, which improves usability.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above-described clothes dryer, the hot air outlet is provided at the clothes removal opening in front of the rotating drum, and the intake and exhaust fan is provided at the rear of the rotating drum. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an exhaust passage that discharges hot air from the front to the rear inside the main case. However, since a connecting duct is provided in the gap formed between the rotating drum, which has a certain diameter, and the peripheral walls on the top, bottom, left, and right of the main case, an exhaust passage with a certain cross-sectional area can be formed without increasing the height or width of the connecting duct. As a result, even if an exhaust passage is provided in the gap formed between the rotating drum and the peripheral walls, a rotating drum with a large diameter can be accommodated inside the main case. In addition, in the above-described clothes dryer, there is no need to provide an exhaust duct inside the opening and closing door, so airtightness can be improved and costs can be reduced.

[0015] Preferably, in the above-described clothes dryer, The combustion chamber and the air supply duct are connected such that the downstream opening of the combustion chamber, which is the connection part between the combustion chamber and the air supply duct, and the upstream opening of the air supply duct overlap in the front-rear direction.

[0016] According to the above-described clothes dryer, since the protrusion of the combustion chamber backward is suppressed, the length of the rotary drum in the front-rear direction can be increased while suppressing the length of the main body case in the front-rear direction. Further, according to the above-described clothes dryer, a part of the combustion exhaust gas and the air taken into the combustion chamber can be made to flow linearly from the combustion chamber into the air supply duct.

[0017] Preferably, in the above-described clothes dryer, a heat prevention device for preventing abnormal overheating of the combustion chamber, and a fixing plate for fixing the heat prevention device near the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, and an air intake opening for taking air in the main body case into the combustion chamber is provided in the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, The fixing plate is installed at a certain distance from the constituent wall of the combustion chamber in which the air intake opening is provided.

[0018] When a fan failure such as a fan belt coming off occurs, the negative pressure due to the rotational drive of the air supply and exhaust fan does not occur, so the combustion exhaust gas stays in the combustion chamber, and if the abnormal state continues further, the combustion flame and combustion exhaust gas leak from the combustion chamber. Also, since air is not taken into the main body case from the outside, the cooling air for cooling the combustion chamber becomes insufficient. As a result, the combustion chamber becomes overheated abnormally, and the temperature of the constituent wall of the combustion chamber rises. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a heat prevention device for detecting a fan failure near the constituent wall of the combustion chamber. On the other hand, even if the cooling air decreases due to a filter clogging other than a fan failure or the opening of the opening / closing door during the drying operation, the temperature of the constituent wall of the combustion chamber rises. Therefore, if the heat prevention device is directly attached to the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, there is a possibility that the temperature rise of the constituent wall of the combustion chamber due to a filter clogging or the like is detected by the heat prevention device.

[0019] However, according to the above-described clothes dryer, the fixing plate for fixing the overheat prevention device is installed at a certain distance from the constituent wall of the combustion chamber provided with the air intake opening. Therefore, even if the cooling air decreases due to filter clogging or the like, the cooling air passes between the air intake opening and the fixing plate, so the detection unit of the overheat prevention device is hardly directly affected by the temperature of the constituent wall. Also, even when filter clogging or the like occurs, as long as the fan is not malfunctioning, the air supply and exhaust fan is rotating normally. Therefore, the air taken into the main body case from the outside flows toward the air intake opening formed in the constituent wall of the combustion chamber. For this reason, the air flowing toward the air intake opening can cool the overheat prevention device fixed to the fixing plate facing the constituent wall of the combustion chamber provided with the air intake opening. Thereby, it is possible to prevent false detection of overheat abnormality in the combustion chamber.

[0020] Preferably, in the above-described clothes dryer, the detection unit of the overheat prevention device is disposed on the opposite surface of the surface of the fixing plate facing the constituent wall of the combustion chamber.

[0021] According to the above-described clothes dryer, since the detection unit of the overheat prevention device is disposed on the opposite surface of the surface of the fixing plate facing the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, it is possible to further reduce the influence of the temperature of the constituent wall of the combustion chamber.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view showing a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a main part of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing the vicinity of the combustion chamber of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a burner and a burner box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] The following describes a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a clothes dryer according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is a schematic rear view with the rear wall of the main body case omitted, and Figure 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the main components arranged in front of and behind the rotating drum. As shown in Figure 1, the clothes dryer 1 according to this embodiment has an outer casing composed of a roughly rectangular box-shaped main body case 11 and an opening / closing door 12 that covers the clothes removal opening 100 opened on the front of the main body case 11 from the front side. In this specification, the side with the opening / closing door 12 of the clothes dryer 1 is referred to as the front side, the depth direction is referred to as the front-to-back direction, the width direction as the left-to-right direction, and the height direction as the up-and-down direction when viewing the clothes dryer 1 from the front side.

[0024] The main case 11 has a front wall 11a through which the clothing removal opening 100 opens, a rear wall 11b facing the front wall 11a in the front-to-back direction, and a peripheral wall 110 consisting of upper and lower walls 11c, 11d and left and right walls 11e, 11f that connect the upper and lower left and right sides of the front wall 11a and the rear wall 11b.

[0025] Inside the main case 11, a cylindrical rotating drum 3, having a circular opening 130 on its front side, is housed in a sideways position. An annular front ring 31 protruding forward is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the front opening 130 of the rotating drum 3. An annular front drum support 14 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the clothing removal opening 100 on the rotating drum 3 side, and an annular front support portion 140 is provided protruding rearward from the outer peripheral portion of the front drum support 14. A ring-shaped front sealing member 201 is provided around the outer peripheral edge of the front support portion 140 of the front drum support 14.

[0026] The inner circumferential surface of the front ring 31, which is provided in the opening 130 of the rotating drum 3, faces the outer circumferential surface of the front support portion 140 of the front drum support 14, and is supported in contact with the outer circumference of the front sealing member 201. This prevents the hot air from the front of the rotating drum 3 from leaking out of the opening 130 into the main body case 11.

[0027] A semicircular opening (hereinafter referred to as the "hot air outlet") 121 is provided in a certain area below the cylindrical clothing outlet 100. A removable mesh air filter 19 is attached to the hot air outlet 121. When the hot air in the rotating drum 3 is sent into the exhaust duct 20 via the hot air outlet 121 and the connecting duct 120 (described later), the air filter 19 removes any floating debris and lint in the rotating drum 3.

[0028] A rear wall 133 is connected to the rear end of the body 131 of the rotating drum 3. A circular recess that bulges outward is formed on the outer circumference of the rear wall 133. A cylindrical support shaft 15 is inserted through the center of the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3.

[0029] The support shaft 15 is inserted through a rear drum support 111 which is erected inside the main body case 11 behind the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3. The rear drum support 111 is formed in a roughly U-shape by shaping a single metal plate into a predetermined shape, having a flat plate portion and bent portions that are bent backward at both left and right ends of the flat plate portion. A circular protrusion that bulges forward is formed on the outer circumference of the flat plate portion of the rear drum support 111. The protrusion has an opening 112 of a certain width in an annular region facing the duct connection port 171 formed on the front surface of the air supply duct 17, which will be described later. The rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3 is connected to the outer circumference of the intermediate portion of the support shaft 15 via a bearing. An annular rear support portion 113 that protrudes forward is formed on the outer circumference of the protrusion of the rear drum support 111.

[0030] The rear wall 133 that forms the recess at the rear of the rotating drum 3 bulges outward, and the bulging annular outer surface faces the inner surface of the rear support portion 113 of the rear drum support 111 via a ring-shaped rear sealing member 202.

[0031] A transmission belt 160 is stretched between the outer circumference of the rotating drum 3 and the drum drive pulley on one end (not shown) of the output shaft of the motor 16. Although not shown, tension is applied to the transmission belt 160 by a belt tensioning mechanism.

[0032] Furthermore, a fan pulley 151 is attached to the rear end of the support shaft 15, and a fan belt 155 is stretched between the fan pulley 151 and a fan drive pulley 154 attached to the output shaft on the other end of the motor 16. Thus, the rotating drum 3 and the intake and exhaust fan 21 are rotated by a common motor 16 via belt transmission.

[0033] A flat, roughly semi-circular air intake duct 17 is provided in the left region of the rear side of the rear drum support 111 to supply hot air heated by the burner 9 into the rotating drum 3. The air intake duct 17 is formed by joining two metal plates that have been molded into a predetermined shape. An inlet (upstream opening) 170 is provided at the upper rear of the air intake duct 17, which opens to the rear and communicates with the combustion chamber 5, which will be described later. In addition, a duct connection port 171 is provided on almost the entire front surface of the air intake duct 17, which opens to the front and blows hot air forward. Therefore, the air intake duct 17 and the gap between the rear drum support 111 and the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3 constitute part of the air intake passage.

[0034] At the center of the rear side of the rear drum support 111, an exhaust duct 20 is provided, which has a flat, cylindrical exhaust section 200 that fits into the inner circumference of a roughly semi-circular air intake duct 17 and opens to the front and rear. The rear opening of the exhaust section 200 (hereinafter referred to as the "exhaust outlet") 210 faces the air intake port 40 of the fan case 4, and the front opening of the exhaust section 200 is closed by contacting the rear surface of the rear drum support 111. The exhaust duct 20 extends diagonally downward and to the right from the exhaust section 200 and widens to the left and right at its lower end. Furthermore, the lower end of the exhaust duct 20 has an opening that opens forward, and the exhaust duct 20 is connected to a connecting duct 120 that extends from the hot air outlet 121 in the area below the clothes removal opening 100 through the gap G formed between the rotating drum 3 and the lower wall 11d of the main body case 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "lower gap") to the rear of the rotating drum 3 via the opening at the lower end of the rear drum support 111. As a result, the hot air discharged from the hot air outlet 121 is sent to the fan case 4 through the connecting duct 120 and the exhaust duct 20.

[0035] Behind the supply air duct 17 and the exhaust duct 20, a fan case 4 is provided to house the supply and exhaust fan 21. The fan case 4 is formed into a flat, roughly cylindrical box shape by joining a shallow dish-shaped front wall 43 that opens to the rear and is molded to a predetermined shape, and a flat plate-shaped rear wall 44 that is molded to a predetermined shape. The fan case 4 has an intake port 40 that opens in the front wall 43 and communicates with the exhaust outlet 210 of the exhaust duct 20, and a discharge port 41 that protrudes upward tangentially from the circumferential surface of the fan case 4 and communicates with the exhaust port 10 formed in the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11. Therefore, in this embodiment, by rotating the supply and exhaust fan 21, outside air is drawn into the main body case 11 from an intake port of the main body case 11 (not shown). Then, the hot air heated by the burner 9 in the combustion chamber 5, which will be described later, is guided into the rotating drum 3 through the supply air duct 17 described above. Furthermore, the hot air inside the rotating drum 3 is discharged to the hot air outlet 121 described above, and the discharged hot air is guided into the fan case 4 through the connecting duct 120 and the exhaust duct 20, and exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 10 of the main body case 11.

[0036] Multiple small circular holes (hereinafter referred to as "hot air outlets") 135 are drilled radially from the support shaft 15 in the recess of the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3, and the hot air sent to the air supply duct 17 is guided through these hot air outlets 135 into the gap between the rear wall 133 and the cover plate 153, which will be described later.

[0037] A roughly disc-shaped fixing flange 152, which extends outward, is fixed to the front end of the support shaft 15. Furthermore, a disc-shaped cover plate 153, which covers substantially the entire front surface of the rear wall 133 from the inside of the rotating drum 3, is fixed to the front of this fixing flange 152 in a non-rotating state. Although not shown, a plurality of small circular holes are drilled in an annular region of a predetermined width on the outer circumference of the cover plate 153.

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the main part showing the vicinity of the combustion chamber 5. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, a roughly horizontal L-shaped combustion chamber 5 is arranged in the space S formed at the corner between the fan case 4 and the upper wall 11c and the right wall 11f of the peripheral wall 110 of the main body case 11. The combustion chamber 5 is formed by joining a plurality of metal plates formed into a predetermined shape, and has front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom constituent walls 51 to 56.

[0039] The lower structural wall 56 of the combustion chamber 5 has an upwardly convex, approximately semi-circular arc shape that roughly matches the outer circumference shape of the fan case 4. As a result, the fan case 4 and the combustion chamber 5 face each other with a narrow gap between them, and the vertical height of the combustion chamber 5 is suppressed.

[0040] The length of the combustion chamber 5 in the front-to-back direction is greater than that of the fan case 4, and the rear surface of the roughly horizontally L-shaped rear structural wall 52 is in approximate contact with the flange portion that protrudes outward at the outer peripheral edge of the front wall 43 of the fan case 4. For this reason, the combustion chamber 5 does not protrude further rearward than the fan case 4 in the front-to-back direction (see Figure 1). In addition, in this embodiment, there are no components that protrude further rearward than the fan case 4 other than the bearing of the support shaft 15 provided on the rear wall 44 of the fan case 4, and the fan case 4 is positioned close to the rear wall 11b of the main case 11.

[0041] Furthermore, as previously described, a roughly semi-circular air intake duct 17 is provided between the rear drum support 111 and the fan case 4. As a result, a gap equal to the length of the air intake duct 17 is formed in front of the right region of the front wall 43 of the fan case 4 where the combustion chamber 5 is located. Therefore, the combustion chamber 5 is positioned such that its front structural wall 51 is located in the gap in front of the front wall 43 of the fan case 4. This makes it possible to provide a combustion chamber 5 with a certain length in the front-to-back direction without having the combustion chamber 5 protrude further rearward than the fan case 4.

[0042] The front structural wall 51 has a deformed pentagonal shape, and its length in the left-right direction is smaller than that of the rear structural wall 52. Therefore, an outlet (downstream opening) 57 is open to the front on the left side of the front structural wall 51 of the combustion chamber 5. This outlet 57 of the combustion chamber 5 is connected to an inlet (upstream opening) 170 provided on the upper rear surface of the intake air duct 17, so as to face it in the front-rear direction. Since the front structural wall 51 of the combustion chamber 5 is located in front of the front wall 43 of the fan case 4, the combustion chamber 5 and the intake air duct 17 are arranged to overlap in the front-rear direction. Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, the outlet 57 of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 170 of the intake air duct 17 are connected so as to partially overlap in the front-rear direction. This makes it possible to suppress the combined length of the combustion chamber 5 and the intake air duct 17 in the front-rear direction, and also allows warm air to be sent linearly from the combustion chamber 5 to the intake air duct 17. Note that the combustion chamber 5 and the intake air duct 17 may be formed as a single integrated unit, either partially or entirely.

[0043] The upper structural wall 55 of the combustion chamber 5 has a roughly rectangular shape with its length in the left-right direction and extends roughly horizontally from near the right wall 11f of the main body case 11 to the left of the center of the main body case 11 in the left-right direction. Therefore, in this combustion chamber 5, the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction. The right structural wall 53 inside the combustion chamber 5 has a roughly rectangular shape and extends roughly vertically downward from near the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11 to about the height of the upper half of the fan case 4. The left structural wall 54 of the combustion chamber 5 extends roughly vertically downward from near the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11 to above the fan case 4.

[0044] Near the right end of the combustion chamber 5 is a burner box 7 containing the burners 9 shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, two burners 9 are arranged vertically within the burner box 7. Each burner 9 has multiple (in this case, 10) flame holes 90 arranged in a row (in this case, 2 rows) in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals, forming multiple (in this case, 4 rows) of flame holes 91 in parallel in the front-to-back direction within the burner box 7. Each flame hole 90 has a vertically elongated slit shape and has a partition plate in the center for flame retention. Furthermore, all flame holes 90 open approximately horizontally toward the same leftward direction. Therefore, the combustion exhaust flows from right to left along the longitudinal direction of the combustion chamber 5. Although not shown, the gas inlets of each burner 9 open downward with their opening directions aligned, and gas nozzles face the gas inlets. The number of burners 9, the shape, number, and arrangement structure of the flame holes 90 can be set as appropriate.

[0045] The burner box 7 is formed in a box shape by joining together a plurality of metal plates formed into a predetermined shape. When the burner box 7 is placed in the combustion chamber 5, the burner box 7 has an end plate 70 on its left side through which two rows of flame holes 91 of each burner 9 are inserted, so that the flame holes 90 of the burner 9 are exposed into the combustion chamber 5. The flame hole opening 71 has dimensions in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions that are slightly larger than the dimensions of the two rows of flame holes 91 of the burner 9 through which it is inserted, for ease of installation. In addition, openings (hereinafter referred to as "outer openings") 72 for allowing air to flow into the combustion chamber 5 are opened at the upper and lower ends of the end plate 70, which is spaced outward in the vertical direction from both the upper and lower ends of the flame hole opening 71. Preferably, the outer opening 72 has an opening area larger than the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71 when the rows of flame holes 91 of the burner 9 are inserted into the flame hole opening 71. The outer openings 72 may also be formed at the front and rear ends of the end plate 70, spaced outward in the front-rear direction from the front and rear ends of the flame opening 71.

[0046] At the opening edge of the outer opening 72 on the side of the flame hole opening 71, a vertical wall 73 is formed by cutting and raising both the upper and lower ends of the end plate 70, so as to be higher than the protruding height of the flame hole 90 in the leftward direction, which is the opening direction of the flame hole 90. As a result, air drawn into the combustion chamber 5 from the right side of the combustion chamber 5 flows in not only through the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71, but also dispersed into the outer opening 72. Furthermore, if the outer opening 72 is formed to be larger than the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71, air will flow more easily into the combustion chamber 5 from the outer opening 72. In addition, the vertical wall 73 makes it more difficult for air flowing into the combustion chamber 5 from the outer opening 72 to flow towards the flame hole 90.

[0047] Multiple first air intake openings 58 are provided at predetermined intervals in the front and rear and upper and lower structural walls 51, 52, 55, and 56 of the combustion chamber 5, extending from near the flame hole 90 of the burner 9 to the center in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the combustion chamber 5 (the first air intake opening 58 of the upper structural wall 55 is not shown). The first air intake openings 58 formed in the front and rear structural walls 51 and 52 have a slit shape that is longitudinal in the vertical direction. The first air intake openings 58 formed in the upper and lower structural walls 55 and 56 also have a slit shape that is longitudinal in the front-rear direction. In addition, multiple second air intake openings 60 are provided at predetermined intervals to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the rear structural wall 52. The second air intake openings 60 have a slit shape that is longitudinal in the left-right direction and face the outlet 57 (downstream opening) of the combustion chamber 5. By rotating the intake and exhaust fan 21, air from inside the main body case 11 is drawn into the combustion chamber 5 through these first and second air intake openings 58 and 60.

[0048] A louver-shaped first projection 59 is formed on the first opening edge 58a on the downstream side of the combustion exhaust of the first air intake opening 58, which is longitudinal in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions, and protrudes outward from the combustion chamber 5 on the upstream side of the combustion exhaust flow path (i.e., the burner side). As a result, the air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from these first air intake openings 58 is less likely to flow toward the burner 9 side.

[0049] Furthermore, a louver-shaped second projection 61 is formed on the lower second opening edge 60a of the second air intake opening 60, which is elongated in the left-right direction, projecting upward and outward from the combustion chamber 5. As a result, the air taken into the combustion chamber 5 from these second air intake openings 60 flows more easily downward. In addition, the second air intake opening 60 faces the outlet 57, which is connected to the inlet 170 of the air supply duct 17. This allows combustion exhaust and air flowing from the upstream side of the combustion chamber 5 to be smoothly guided to the air supply duct 17 via the outlet 57 and inlet 170.

[0050] A roughly rectangular heat shield plate 62 is installed between the upper structural wall 55 of the combustion chamber 5 and the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11, so as to cover the entire upper structural wall 55. This prevents the temperature of the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11 from rising even when the upper structural wall 55 of the combustion chamber 5 is heated by the combustion flame.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2, a roughly rectangular fixing plate 63 is connected to the heat shield 62, extending downward from the rear edge of the heat shield 62 at a certain distance away from the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5, approximately parallel to it. A detection unit 301 of an overheat prevention device 300, consisting of a thermal fuse or an OHS (Over Heat Switch), is fixed to the rear surface of the fixing plate 63. When the detection unit 301 of the overheat prevention device 300 detects a temperature above the overheat prevention temperature, it prohibits combustion of the burner 9.

[0052] According to this embodiment, the combustion chamber 5 is located in the space S formed between the fan case 4 and the upper wall 11c and the right wall 11f of the peripheral wall 110 at the rear of the main body case 11. Since the combustion chamber 5 is not located below and to the side of the rotating drum 3, and the intake / exhaust fan 21 and motor 16 are not located above the rotating drum 3, the capacity of the rotating drum 3 housed in the main body case 11 can be increased without increasing the size of the clothes dryer 1. Depending on the configuration of the clothes dryer 1, the combustion chamber 5 can be located in any position within the space formed between the fan case 4 and the upper, lower, left, and right peripheral walls 110 at the rear of the main body case 11. For example, the combustion chamber 5 may be located in the space formed between the fan case 4 and the upper wall 11c and the left wall 11e. Alternatively, the combustion chamber 5 may be located in the space formed between the fan case 4 and the lower wall 11d and the left wall 11e or the right wall 11f.

[0053] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since an air supply duct 17 is provided between the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3 and the fan case 4 to connect the combustion chamber 5 and the hot air outlet 135, the diameter of the rotating drum 3 can be further increased. Also, according to this embodiment, since the hot air outlet 135 is provided on the rear wall 133 of the rotating drum 3 and the hot air discharge port 121 is provided at the clothing removal opening 100 at the front of the rotating drum 3, an air filter 19 can be attached to the front of the main body case 11, making it easy to use.

[0054] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the hot air outlet 121 is provided at the front of the main body case 11 and the intake and exhaust fan 21 is provided at the rear of the rotating drum 3, it is necessary to provide an exhaust passage to discharge hot air from the front to the rear inside the main body case 11. However, since the connecting duct 120 is formed in the lower gap G formed between the rotating drum 3, which has a certain diameter, and the lower wall 11d of the main body case 11, it is possible to form an exhaust passage with a certain size and cross-sectional area without increasing the height of the connecting duct 120. As a result, even if an exhaust passage is provided in the lower gap G between the rotating drum 3 and the lower wall 11d, a rotating drum 3 with a large diameter can be housed inside the main body case 11. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide an exhaust duct inside the opening and closing door 12, airtightness can be improved and costs can be reduced. The connecting duct 120 may also be provided in the gap formed between the rotating drum 3 and the upper wall 11c or the left and right walls 11e, 11f of the main body case 11. For example, by providing a connecting duct 120 in the lateral gap formed between the rotating drum 3 and the left wall 11e, an exhaust passage with a certain size cross-sectional area can be formed without increasing the width of the connecting duct 120, and a large-diameter rotating drum 3 can be housed in the main body case 11.

[0055] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the combustion chamber 5 and the air intake duct 17 are connected such that the outlet 57 (downstream opening) of the combustion chamber 5 and the inlet 170 (upstream opening) of the air intake duct 17, which are the connection points between the combustion chamber 5 and the air intake duct 17, overlap in the front-to-back direction. This prevents the combustion chamber 5 from protruding to the rear, allowing the length of the rotating drum 3 to be increased while keeping the length of the main body case 11 in the front-to-back direction low. In addition, according to this embodiment, combustion exhaust and air taken into the combustion chamber 5 can be flowed linearly from the combustion chamber 5 into the air intake duct 17.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the flame hole row 91 of the burner 9 is inserted into the flame hole opening 71 formed in the end plate 70 of the burner box 7, the size of the flame hole opening 71 needs to be larger than the size of the flame hole row 91 that is inserted for mounting purposes. As a result, air flowing into the vicinity of the flame holes 90 through the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71 may cause combustion problems such as the flame being extinguished or the base of the flame being cooled, causing the flame to lift. However, according to this embodiment, since an outer opening 72 is formed in the end plate 70 further out than the flame hole opening 71, the air flowing into the combustion chamber 5 can be dispersed not only through the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71 but also through the outer opening 72, thereby reducing the amount of air passing through the vicinity of the flame holes 90 of the burner 9 from the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71. This allows for the stable formation of a combustion flame in the burner 9. In particular, by forming an outer opening 72 that is larger than the gap between the burner 9 and the flame hole opening 71, a more stable combustion flame can be formed in the burner 9. Furthermore, since a vertical wall 73 is provided on the opening edge of the outer opening 72 on the side of the flame hole opening 71, and is larger than the protruding height of the flame hole 90, it is possible to make it difficult for air to flow from the outer opening 72 towards the flame hole 90. This further allows for the formation of a more stable combustion flame in the burner 9.

[0057] Incidentally, in the above-mentioned clothes dryer 1, if a fan malfunction occurs, such as the fan belt 155 coming off the pulleys 151 and 154, the negative pressure generated by the rotational drive of the intake and exhaust fan 21 will not be produced. As a result, combustion exhaust will not flow from the combustion chamber 5 towards the intake duct 17, and the combustion exhaust will accumulate in the combustion chamber 5. Furthermore, if the abnormal condition continues, combustion flames and combustion exhaust will leak from the combustion chamber 5. In addition, since air will no longer be drawn into the main body case 11 from the outside, there will be insufficient cooling air to cool the combustion chamber 5. As a result, the combustion chamber 5 will overheat abnormally, and the temperature of the constituent walls 51-56 of the combustion chamber 5 will rise. In particular, the upper constituent wall 55 is located near the upper wall 11c of the main body case 11, making it difficult for air to flow through, so its temperature rises quickly. For this reason, it is desirable to install an overheat prevention device 300 for fan malfunction detection near the upper constituent wall 55. On the other hand, in the above-mentioned clothes dryer 1, even if the amount of cooling air decreases due to reasons other than fan failure, such as filter clogging or opening of the door 12 during drying operation, the temperature of the upper structural wall 55 will rise. Therefore, if the overheat prevention device 300 is directly attached to the upper structural wall 55, there is a risk that the temperature rise of the upper structural wall 55 due to filter clogging or the like will be detected by the overheat prevention device 300.

[0058] However, according to this embodiment, the fixing plate 63 that secures the overheat prevention device 300 is connected to a heat shield plate 62 that is spaced apart above the upper structural wall 55, and is also spaced a certain distance apart from the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5, where the first air intake opening 58 is opened. The detection unit 301 of the overheat prevention device 300 is located on the opposite side of the fixing plate 63 from the side facing the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5. Therefore, even if the amount of cooling air decreases due to filter clogging or the like, a certain amount of cooling air passes between the first air intake opening 58 and the fixing plate 63, so the detection unit 301 of the overheat prevention device 300 is not directly affected by the temperature of the upper structural wall 55 or the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5. Furthermore, even if filter clogging or the like occurs, the intake and exhaust fan 21 rotates normally unless there is a fan malfunction, so the air taken into the main body case 11 from the outside flows toward the first air intake opening 58 formed in the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5. Therefore, the air flowing toward the first air intake opening 58 can cool the overheat prevention device 300, which is fixed to the fixing plate 63 facing the rear structural wall 52 of the combustion chamber 5 where the first air intake opening 58 is located. In particular, if the fixing plate 63 is positioned such that the first air intake opening 58 and the second air intake opening 60 are located downstream of the fixing plate 63 in the flow path of the combustion exhaust, air will be drawn into the combustion chamber 5 passing near the fixing plate 63, thus efficiently cooling the overheat prevention device 300. Furthermore, if a fan failure occurs, the temperature of the entire structural wall of the combustion chamber 5 will rise, so the temperature rise can be detected via the heat shield plate 62 and the rear structural wall 52. This prevents false detection of overheating abnormalities in the combustion chamber 5. Furthermore, the fixing plate 63 for securing the overheat prevention device 300 may be connected to any location, for example, the main body case 11, without being connected to the heat shield plate 62, as long as it can distinguish between overheating of the combustion chamber 5 due to fan failure and temperature rise due to flame lifting caused by filter clogging, etc.

[0059] As described above, according to this embodiment, the capacity of the rotating drum 3 housed in the main body case 11 can be increased without increasing the size of the clothes dryer 1. This makes it possible to provide a clothes dryer 1 that is compact yet has a large drying capacity. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 1. Clothes dryer 3-rotation drum 4 Fan Case 5 Combustion chamber 57 Outlet 58 First air intake opening 60 Second air intake opening 7 Burner Box 70 End plate 71 Flame hole opening 72 Outer opening 73 Vertical wall 9 burners 90 flame hole 11 Main unit case 11c Upper wall 11d Lower wall 11e Left wall 11th floor, right wall 110 Peripheral wall 12 Opening and closing doors 20 Exhaust duct 21 Intake and exhaust fan 17. Air supply duct 170 Inlet 120 Connecting duct 100 Clothes retrieval opening 300 Overheat protection device 301 Detection Unit S space G Gap

Claims

1. A clothes dryer having a roughly rectangular box-shaped main case with a clothes removal opening at the front, and an opening / closing door for opening and closing the clothes removal opening, Inside the main case, A rotating drum for storing clothes, A combustion chamber housing the burner, It has a fan case located behind the rotating drum, which houses an intake and exhaust fan that takes in air into the combustion chamber, supplies the air heated by the burner as hot air into the rotating drum, and exhausts the hot air from inside the rotating drum to the outside. The burner has a row of flame holes arranged in a predetermined interval between them. The burner is located in a burner box having an end plate with flame openings through which a row of flame holes is inserted, so that the flame holes are exposed into the combustion chamber. The end plate has an external opening outside the flame hole opening to allow air to flow into the combustion chamber. The end plate is a clothes dryer having an upright wall that protrudes more than the flame hole, extending from the opening edge on the flame hole side of the outer opening toward the direction of the flame hole opening.

2. In the clothes dryer according to claim 1, A hot air outlet is provided on the rear wall of the rotating drum to guide hot air into the rotating drum. An air intake duct is provided between the rear wall of the rotating drum and the fan case, connecting the combustion chamber and the hot air outlet. A hot air outlet is provided at the front of the rotating drum where the clothes are removed, to expel hot air from inside the rotating drum. A communication duct is provided that connects to the hot air outlet and extends from the clothing removal opening through the gap formed between the rotating drum and the upper, lower, left, and right peripheral walls of the main case to the rear of the rotating drum. A clothes dryer equipped with an exhaust duct that connects the hot air outlet to the fan case via a connecting duct between the rear wall of the rotating drum and the fan case.

3. In the clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, In a clothes dryer, the combustion chamber and the air intake duct are connected such that the downstream opening of the combustion chamber and the upstream opening of the air intake duct, which are the connection points between the combustion chamber and the air intake duct, overlap in the front-to-back direction.

4. In the clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, An overheat prevention device to prevent abnormal overheating of the combustion chamber, It has a fixing plate that secures the overheat prevention device near the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, The combustion chamber's structural walls are provided with air intake openings to draw air from inside the main case into the combustion chamber. A clothes dryer in which a fixed plate is installed at a certain distance from the constituent wall of the combustion chamber, which has an opening for air intake.

5. In the clothes dryer according to claim 4, In a clothes dryer, the detection unit of the overheat prevention device is located on the opposite side of the fixed plate from the side facing the constituent wall of the combustion chamber.

Images