Device for cleaning an evaporator, in particular of lint in a clothes dryer

Abstract

 A clothes drying machine comprises a housing (1) containing a rotary drum and connected to known means (6, 7, 8, 9) such as a compressor, condenser, evaporator and vessel for cyclically heating and dehumidifying the air fed into the drum for drying the clothes contained therein.
According to the invention at least part of the water originating from the condensation of the moisture present in the air removed from the drum is directed towards a member (11) positioned at the evaporator (8) and mobile above it, said member (11) having a free end (21) provided with at least one aperture through which said condensate water can leave the member (11) and reach the evaporator (8), with said end (21) there being associated means (22) cooperating with the surface of said evaporator (8) to clean it of any material detached from the clothes contained in said drum and conveyed to the evaporator (8) by the hot, humid air (3) originating from the housing (1).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a clothes drying machine, clothes washing-drying machine or the like.

[0002] Specifically, a clothes drying machine comprises a housing containing a rotary drum and connected to a condenser for indirectly heating in known manner the dry air to be fed to the drum, a compressor connected to said condenser, and an evaporator connected to these latter, a cold dry air feed being provided from the evaporator to the condenser, hot moist air originating from the housing reaching said evaporator, with the result that said moisture condenses on the evaporator and is collected in a suitable vessel.

[0003] In a machine of the aforesaid (or similar) type the moist air from the housing entrains material or impurities (such as threads or fluff in general) which separate from the clothes placed in the drum, these clothes being dried by the air which is heated in known manner by cooperation with the condenser.

[0004] The material (such as fluff) which deposits on the evaporator acts as a screen preventing the said moist hot air which strikes the evaporator from cooling sufficiently before reaching the condenser. This obviously negatively affects the efficiency of the clothes drying machine.

[0005] In addition this fluff creates problems for the condensation of the moisture present in the hot air originating from the housing; the result is that the cooled air still contains water droplets after passage through the evaporator, and these remain in the hot air which again moves towards the housing after its passage through the condenser.

[0006] The consequence of this problem is a poor machine efficiency with inadequate drying of the clothes present in the drum.

[0007] Various solutions have been proposed to the problem of fluff on the evaporator, but these do not allow optimum cleaning of this clothes drying machine component to be obtained. In this respect, in most cases the fluff present on the evaporator is not completely removed, with the result that the aforesaid drawback are not completely overcome.

[0008] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for applying to a clothes drying machine or the like which enables the said problem of fluff on the evaporator to be solved.

[0009] A further object is to provide a device of the aforesaid type which is reliable, of simple construction and of small dimensions so as to enable it to be used in restricted spaces within the cabinet of the clothes drying machine or the like.

[0010] These and further objects which will be apparent to the expert of the art are attained by a device for cleaning an evaporator of a clothes drying machine of the aforesaid type, characterised in that at least part of the water originating from condensation of the moisture present in the air reaching the evaporator from the housing is directed towards a member positioned at the evaporator and mobile above it, said member having a free end provided with at least one aperture through which said condensate water can leave the member and reach the evaporator, said end being provided with means cooperating with the surface of said evaporator to clean it of any material detached from the clothes contained in said drum and conveyed to the evaporator by the hot, humid air originating from the housing.

[0011] The present invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing, which is provided by way of non-limited example and in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a clothes drying machine constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the device applied to the clothes drying machine of Figure 1.

[0012] With reference to said figures a clothes drying machine comprises a housing 1 containing a drum (not shown), and a refrigeration circuit 2 which cools the hot moist air 3 leaving the housing and condenses the water present in said air 3 to thus convert it into cold dry air 4, and heats said air 4 to thus convert it into hot dry air 5, which in known manner is again fed to the housing 1. The air is circulated in a known manner not further described herein.

[0013] The refrigeration circuit 2 comprises usual components, i.e. a compressor 6, a condenser 7 (cooperating with the cold dry air 4 to "generate" the hot dry air 5) and an evaporator 8 (cooperating with the hot moist air stream 3 from the housing 1 to "generate" the cold dry air stream).

[0014] Finally, the evaporator 8 is operationally connected to a vessel 9 to which the condensate water 9A which deposits on said evaporator is led.

[0015] According to the invention, the evaporator 9 cooperates with a device 10 which cleans it of material (such as threads or fluff in general) which is entrained by the hot moist air from the housing 1 and deposits on said evaporator together with the condensate water.

[0016] The device 10 comprises a member 11 provided with an arm 12 mobile in a guided manner between stationary guide elements 13 and connected at one end 14 to means 15 which cause it to undergo rectilinear reciprocating movement above the evaporator. These means, by way of example, are an electric motor 16 the output shaft 17 of which drives a disc 18 which eccentrically carries a pin 19 retained in but free to rotate within a support 20 and rigid with the end 14 of the arm 12.

[0017] This latter is at least partly internally hollow, its cavity (not shown) opening at that end 21 of the arm 12 distant from the end 14 into at least one hole provided in a substantially comb-shaped element 22 carried at said end 21 of said arm 12.

[0018] Advantageously, the comb-shaped element 22 comprises a plurality of holes along that side 23 thereof facing the evaporator 8, ducts extending between said holes and said cavity in the arm 12. This cavity is connected by a hollow connection element 24 to a duct 25 into which at least part of the condensate water 9A is fed in known manner.

[0019] Finally, from the side 23 of the comb-shaped 22 there extend a series of flexible fingers 26 or the like facing the evaporator 8 and arranged to cooperate with its surface or rather with the interstices present in it.

[0020] During the use of the device 10 (this use either occurring periodically for a predetermined time period during the operation of the clothes drying machine or being continuous during said operation, or alternatively being controlled by the user) the motor 16 drives the disc 18 which by rotating about its axis generates the movement of the arm 11 between the guides 13. At the same time, in known manner (for example by means of a small pump) water is fed into the duct 25 connected to the member 11 and passes from said duct into the arm 12 to reach the comb-shaped element 22.

[0021] This latter, in moving reciprocatingly above the evaporator 8, cooperates via its flexible teeth 26 (or bristles or brushes or the like) with the surface of said evaporator or the interstices present in it. This movement of the element 22 results in the removal from said surface of the fluff or the like which has been deposited on it. This removal is finally completed and aided by the water which falls onto the evaporator from the element 22, which water can be under slight pressure (for example by said pump which feeds it into the duct 25).

[0022] The impurities or fluff removed from the evaporator 8 fall into the vessel 9 from which they are removed in known manner. One particular embodiment of the invention has been described. However, other embodiments are possible, such as that comprising a circular element positioned and rotating (continuously in one direction or reciprocating in both directions) above the evaporator, said circular element carrying brushes or similar members projecting from said circular element in spoke formation. Water is again made to fall onto the evaporator during the cooperation of the various brushes carried by the circular element with the evaporator, said water reaching said brushes for example via ducts provided in said element and connected to said duct 25. All embodiments comprising the reciprocating or continuous movement of an evaporator cleaning element positioned above the evaporator attain the objects of the invention.

Claims

1. A device for cleaning an evaporator provided in a clothes drying machine comprising a housing containing a rotary drum and connected to a condenser for heating the dry air to be fed to the drum, and a compressor connected to said condenser, said evaporator being connected to these latter, a cold dry air feed being provided from the evaporator to the condenser, hot moist air originating from the housing reaching said evaporator, with the result that said moisture condenses on the evaporator and is collected in a suitable vessel, said device being being characterised in that at least part of the water originating from condensation of said moisture is directed towards a member (11) positioned at the evaporator (8) and mobile above it, said member (11) having a free end (21) provided with at least one aperture through which said condensate water can leave the member (11) and reach the evaporator (8), with said end (21) there being associated means (22) cooperating with the surface of said evaporator (8) to clean it of any material detached from the clothes contained in said drum and conveyed to the evaporator (8) by the hot, humid air (3) originating from the housing (1).

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the mobile member (11) moves with reciprocating rectilinear movement, and is guided in said movement by fixed elements (13).

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the mobile member (11) comprises a hollow arm (12) carrying at one end (21) means (22) for cooperating with the evaporator (8) in order to clean it, the cavity in said arm (12) being connected via a connection element (24) to a duct (25) into which that part of the condensate water directed towards the mobile member passes.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the means for cleaning the evaporator are a comb-shaped element (22) associated with the end (21) of the mobile member (11) and comprising a plurality of flexible projecting elements (26) directed towards the evaporator (8) and arranged to cooperate therewith.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the elements projecting from the comb-shaped element (22) are elastic fingers (26).

6. A device as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the elements projecting from the comb-shaped element (22) are a plurality of bristles.

7. A device as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the comb-shaped element (22) comprises at least one hole provided in that side (23) which faces the evaporator (8), said hole being close to the flexible elements (26) and being connected via ducts provided within the comb-shaped element (22) to that cavity in the arm (12) connected to the duct (25) into which at least part of the condensate water directed towards the mobile member passes.

8. A device as claimed in claims 3 and 7, characterised in that the condensate water is fed to the mobile member (11) by a pump connected into the duct (25) leading to said member.

9. A device as claimed in claims 2 and 3, characterised in that at that end (14) distant from the end (21) carrying the means (21) which cooperate with the evaporator (8), the arm (12) of the mobile member (11) is connected to a pin (19) mounted eccentrically and free to rotate about its axis on a rotary disc (18) associated with an output shaft (17) of an electric motor (16).

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the movement of the mobile arm (11) takes place during the operation of the clothes drying machine or the like or during one or more particular stages thereof.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the movement of the mobile member (11) takes place at the command of the user.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the mobile member (11) moves with continuous motion in correspondence with the evaporator (8) and comprises at least one element arranged to cooperate with the evaporator surface so as to clean it simultaneously with the action of the water leaving said mobile member.

Drawing