Clothes dryer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016153136-A1
Application number	US-201514791710-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A clothes dryer having a lint collecting device for collecting lint is disclosed. The clothes dryer includes: a drum; a duct through which drying air discharged from the drum flows; and a lint removing device disposed in a path of the duct to filter lint contained in the air, wherein the lint removing device includes a cylindrical lint filter of which a part of an outer surface is open, a screw having a spiral blade rotatably provided in an axial direction of the lint filter, a contact rib formed at an opening of the lint filter, and an elastic member configured to protrude to an outside of the blade to be in contact with an inner surface of the lint filter and the contact rib.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A clothes dryer comprising:
a drum; a duct through which drying air is discharged from the drum; and a lint removing device disposed in a path of the duct to filter lint contained in the air, wherein the lint removing device includes,
a cylindrical lint filter of which a part of an outer surface is open;
a screw having a spiral blade rotatably provided in an axial direction of the lint filter;
a contact rib formed in an axial direction at the part of the outer surface of the lint filter that is open; and
an elastic member configured to protrude to an outside of the spiral blade to be in contact with an inner surface of the lint filter and the contact rib.

2 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the contact rib is disposed to be in contact with a circumference of the inner surface of the lint filter.

3 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the lint removing device includes a frame member in which to install the lint filter, and the frame member includes an air introduction part, a lint processing part and a lint drawing part.

4 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the lint filter includes a mesh filter and a filter frame configured to extend in a circumferential direction of the lint filter to support the mesh filter.

5 . The clothes dryer according to claim 4 , wherein the filter frame includes a frame beam part configured to extend in an axial direction of the lint filter, and a plurality of frame parts vertically disposed from the frame beam part.

6 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein a frame part is installed to be inclined in the axial direction of the lint filter.

7 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member comprises one of a rubber material, a resin material and a brush.

8 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein an installation part for installing the elastic member is formed at an outer edge of the blade.

9 . The clothes dryer according to claim 8 , wherein the installation part includes a groove or a protrusion.

10 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the lint filter has a circumferential length R and a length R′ of the opening, and the length R′ of the opening is R′/R=¼.

11 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein an angle θ [°] of the blade connected outward from a rotating shaft of the screw is 45<θ<70.

12 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the screw is configured to rotate at a rotational speed Rs [rpm] of 20<Rs<25.

13 . The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , further comprising a screw motor configured to rotate the screw, and a controller configured to control a rotating motion of the screw motor.

14 . The clothes dryer according to claim 13 , wherein the controller changes a rotation motion of the screw motor so that a reverse rotation motion in which the lint is conveyed from a downstream side of the axial direction of the lint filter toward an upstream side thereof is performed for a predetermined period of time, and then a forward rotation motion in which the lint is conveyed from the upstream side toward the downstream side is performed.

15 . A lint removing device disposed in a path of a duct to filter lint from air exhausted from a clothes dryer, the lint removing device comprising:
a frame member including a lint processing part; a lint filter disposed at the lint processing part of the frame member and having a cylindrical shape of which a part of an outer surface is open; a screw having a spiral blade rotatably provided in the lint filter; a contact rib formed in an axial direction at the part of the outer surface of the lint filter that is open; and an elastic member configured to protrude to an outside of the spiral blade to be in contact with an inner surface of the lint filter and the contact rib.

16 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein the lint filter includes a mesh filter, and a filter frame configured to extend in a circumferential direction of the lint filter to support the mesh filter.

17 . The device according to claim 16 , wherein the filter frame includes a frame beam part configured to extend in an axial direction of the lint filter, and a plurality of frame parts vertically disposed from the frame beam part.

18 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein a frame part is installed to be inclined in the axial direction of the lint filter.

19 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein the elastic member includes one of a rubber material, a resin material and a brush.

20 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein an installation part for installing the elastic member is formed at an outer edge of the blade.

21 . A lint removing device that removes lint from air flowing out from an exhaust vent of a clothes dryer, the lint removing device comprising:
a frame member; a screw formed lengthwise in the frame member and including a rotating shaft, a blade, and an elastic member installed at an outer edge of the blade; a cylindrically shaped lint filter having an inner diameter to act as a collecting surface for the lint and wherein a predetermined gap is formed between the inner diameter of the lint filter and an outer diameter of the blade, wherein the elastic member is installed on the blade to protrude radially into the gap to thereby maintain contact with the inner diameter of the lint filter.

22 . A lint removing device that removes lint from air flowing out from an exhaust vent of a clothes dryer, the lint removing device comprising:
a frame member; a lint filter having a cylindrical shape of which a part of an outer surface is open; a screw formed lengthwise in the frame member and disposed within the lint filter, the screw including a rotating shaft, a blade having a spiral shape, and an elastic member installed at an outer edge of the blade, wherein the elastic member is configured to maintain contact with an inner circumference of the lint filter.

23 . The lint removing device of claim 22 , wherein a height of the elastic member is controlled to minimize wear of the lint filter.

24 . The lint removing device of claim 22 , further comprising an installation part, wherein the installation part is installed at an outer edge of the blade over an entire circumference along the spiral shape of the blade, and the elastic member is fitted onto the installation part, and thus attached to the outer edge of the blade.

25 . The lint removing device of claim 24 , wherein an outer edge of the blade is maintained in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the lint filter.

26 . The lint removing device of claim 22 , further comprising:
a plate-shaped contact rib that extends in an axial direction of the lint filter and stands upright, wherein the plate-shaped contact rib is formed at an opening side of the lint filter.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoichi Matsunobu
• Tomoyuki Okuno
• Yasushi Urai

Classifications

• D06F58/22 Primary

  Lint collecting arrangements · CPC title