Tumble dryer with passive extinguishing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573003-B2
Application number	US-201213680167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2012
Priority date	Dec 1, 2011
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A tumble dryer includes a drum receiving laundry to be dried and a container accommodating an extinguishing agent, with the drum and the container being connected by a first line. A first temperature-activated valve is arranged in the first line in thermal contact with the interior of the drum and provided to close the container and to open automatically at a temperature produced by a fire. Further connected to the container is a second line which has a mouth feeding into a region of a base plate of the tumble dryer. A second temperature-activated valve is configured to close the second line in a region of the mouth and to open automatically at the temperature produced by the fire. The first and second valves are hereby positioned in such a way that either the first valve or the second valve opens automatically at the temperature produced by the fire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tumble dryer, comprising:
a drum;
an extinguishing system including,
a container to accommodate an extinguishing agent;
a first line connecting the container with an interior of the drum; and
a first valve assembly in the first line to detect a temperature in the interior of the drum so as to automatically open and permit flow of the extinguishing agent from the container into the interior of the drum when the detected temperature exceeds a specific limit value, the first valve assembly including a first valve chamber, a first tube arranged in an end of the first line, a first conical element inserted into the first tube, a first spring arranged at a base of the first valve chamber which forms a first impact surface, and a first valve having a first thermo-bulb to detect the temperature, and which is arranged longitudinally between the first spring and a lower end of the first conical element such that the first spring is to press the first thermo-bulb upwards and thereby hold the first valve closed against the pressure of the extinguishing agent.

2. The tumble dryer of claim 1 , wherein the first thermo-bulb is to engage in a depression in the lower end of the first conical element.

3. The tumble dryer of claim 1 , wherein the first tube has a first conical widening region into which the first conical element is inserted, and a first ring seal is to provide for a closure of the first conical widening region.

4. The tumble dryer of claim 1 , further comprising a second line connected to the container and feeding into a region of a base plate of a housing of the tumble dryer.

5. The tumble dryer of claim 4 , further comprising a second valve assembly arranged in the second line to detect a temperature in a region of the base plate so as to automatically open and permit flow of the extinguishing agent from the container into the region of the base plate when the detected temperature exceeds a specific limit value.

6. The tumble dryer of claim 5 , wherein the second valve assembly comprises a second valve chamber, a second tube arranged in an end of the second line, a second conical element inserted into the second tube, a second spring arranged at a base of the second valve chamber which forms a second impact surface, and a second valve having a second thermo-bulb to detect the temperature, and which is arranged between the second spring and a lower end of the second conical element.

7. The tumble dryer of claim 6 , wherein the second tube has a second conical widening region into which the second conical element is inserted, and a second ring seal is to provide for a closure of the second conical widening region.

8. The tumble dryer of claim 6 , wherein the second thermo-bulb is to engage in a depression in the lower end of the second conical element.

9. A dryer, comprising:
a housing which is delimited underneath by a base plate;
a drum;
a front end shield for mounting the drum in the housing;
an extinguishing system including,
a container arranged in the housing to accommodate an extinguishing agent, and connected with an interior of the drum via a first line, the container having a closable filling opening for the extinguishing agent; and
a first valve assembly in thermal contact with the interior of the drum, and which detects a temperature in the interior of the drum so as to automatically open and permit flow of the extinguishing agent from the container into the interior when the detected temperature exceeds a specific limit value, the first valve assembly including a first valve chamber, a first tube arranged in an end of the first line facing away from the container, a first conical element inserted into the first tube, a first spring arranged at and contacting a base of the first valve chamber which forms a first impact surface, and a first valve having a first thermo-bulb to detect the temperature, and which is arranged longitudinally between the first spring and a lower end of the first conical element such that the first spring is to press the first thermo-bulb upwards and thereby hold the first valve closed against the pressure of the extinguishing agent.

10. The dryer of claim 9 , wherein the first thermo-bulb is to engage in a depression in the lower end of the first conical element.

11. The dryer of claim 9 , wherein the first tube has a first conical widening region into which the first conical element is inserted, and a first ring seal is to provide for a closure of the first conical widening region.

12. The dryer of claim 9 , further comprising a second line connected to the container and feeding into a region of the base plate.

13. The dryer of claim 12 , further comprising a second valve assembly, arranged in the second line in thermal contact with a region of the base plate, and which detects a temperature in the region of the base plate so as to automatically open and permit flow, by force of gravity, of the extinguishing agent from the container into the region of the base plate when the detected temperature exceeds a specific limit value.

14. The dryer of claim 13 , wherein the second valve assembly comprises a second valve chamber, a second tube arranged in an end of the second line, a second conical element inserted into the second tube, a second spring arranged at and contacting a base of the second valve chamber which forms a second impact surface, and a second valve having a second thermo-bulb to detect the temperature, and which is arranged between the second spring and a lower end of the second conical element.

15. The dryer of claim 14 , wherein the second tube has a second conical widening region into which the second conical element is inserted, and a second ring seal is to provide for a closure of the second conical widening region.

16. A dryer, comprising:
a housing which is delimited underneath by a base plate;
a drum;
an extinguishing system including,
a container arranged above the drum to accommodate an extinguishing agent, the container having a closable filling opening for the extinguishing agent;
a first line directly connected to the container;
a second line branching off the first line to connect the container with a first region in the housing; and
a first valve assembly arranged in the second line to detect a temperature in the interior of the drum so as to automatically open and permit flow of the extinguishing agent from the container into the interior when the detected temperature exceeds a specific limit value, the first valve assembly including a first valve chamber, a first tube arranged in an end of the second line, a first conical element inserted into the first tube, a first spring arranged at and contacting a base of the first valve chamber which forms a first impact surface, and a first valve having a first thermo-bulb to detect the temperature, and which is arranged longitudinally between the first spring and a lower end of the first conical element such that the first spring is to press the first thermo-bulb upwards and thereby hold the first valve closed against the pressure of the extinguishing agent.

17. The dryer of claim 16 , further comprising a third line branched off the first line to connect the container with a second region in the housing, the second region being spaced apart from the first region.

18. The dryer of claim 17 , further comprising a second valve assembly, arranged in the second line in thermal contact with a region of the base plate, and which detects a temperature in the region of the base plate so as to automatically open and permit f

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Grunert Klaus
• Steffens Günter

Classifications

• D06F58/50

  Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of blowers · CPC title

• D06F58/20

  General details of domestic laundry dryers  (D06F59/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A62C3/00 Primary

  Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places ({in oil wells E21B29/08, A62C35/00; in mines or tunnels E21F5/00} ; for nuclear reactors G21C9/04) · CPC title

• A62C37/14

  with frangible vessels · CPC title

• D06F2058/2858

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic