Steam spraying apparatus and clothing drying machine including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752772-B2
Application number	US-201314016331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

Provided are a steam spraying apparatus and a clothing drying machine including the same. The steam spraying apparatus include a flow passage forming unit, a steam generating heater, and a nozzle. The flow passage forming unit has a flow passage for guiding water introduced through an inlet to an outlet. The steam generating heater applies heat to water flowing along the flow passage. A nozzle sprays steam generated by the heating of the steam generating heater at a certain pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothing drying machine comprising:
a casing that defines an exterior;
a drum provided in the casing to receive clothing, the drum being rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis;
a rear supporter that rotatably supports a rear side of the drum;
a flow passage forming body including a flow passage that guides water introduced through an inlet to an outlet, the flow passage forming body being fixed to the rear supporter at an outside of the drum;
a steam generating heater that applies heat to water flowing along the flow passage, the steam generating heater applying heat throughout the flow passage; and
a nozzle that sprays steam generated by the steam generating heater, wherein the nozzle is fixedly coupled to the outlet to position the nozzle according to a fixed location of the flow passage forming body,
wherein the inlet of the flow passage forming body is provided at a higher level than the nozzle so that when water is supplied through the inlet, gravity causes the supplied water to be discharged through the nozzle.

2. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has a spray angle of about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane.

3. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is directed towards a lowermost end of the drum.

4. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , further including a drying heater configured such that while water is being sprayed through the nozzle, an internal temperature of the drum is maintained within a temperature range from about 30 degrees Celsius to about 40 degrees Celsius.

5. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , further including a clothing stand detachably provided in the drum to allow clothing to be placed thereon, wherein the clothing stand includes a support plate pivotably provided to adjust a contaminated part of the clothing so as to face a spray direction of the nozzle.

6. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the flow passage forming body includes:
a flow passage main body including the plurality of flow passage forming ribs and having an upper portion opened; and
a cover that covers an opened upper portion of the flow passage main body, the steam spraying apparatus further including at least one collection protrusion that protrudes from the cover toward a bottom of the flow passage main body.

7. The clothing drying machine of claim 6 , wherein a gap is provided between the collection protrusion and the bottom.

8. The clothing drying machine of claim 7 , wherein the flow passage forming body further includes:
a horizontal extension that extends from one of a left side portion or a right side portion of the flow passage main body to the other; and
a vertical extension that extends downward from one end of the horizontal extension, and a pair of collection protrusions is provided across the vertical extension.

9. The clothing drying machine of claim 8 , wherein the steam generating heater is embedded in the bottom, and the bottom includes a heater protrusion that protrudes towards an inner side of the flow passage forming body to accommodate the embedded steam generating heater.

10. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the flow passage forming body further includes a flow passage branch rib that branches fluid guided along the flow passage forming rib into an upper flow passage and a lower flow passage.

11. The clothing drying machine of claim 10 , wherein fluid branched into the upper flow passage from the flow passage branch rib is transferred between the flow passage branch rib and the flow passage forming rib.

12. The clothing drying machine of claim 10 , wherein fluid branched into the lower flow passage from the flow passage branch rib is transferred between the flow passage branch rib and an inner side surface of the flow passage forming rib.

13. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein:
the nozzle includes a guide tube that guides steam from the flow passage forming body and a nozzle tip that guides steam guided by the guide tube to a spray hole;
the nozzle tip includes a spray hole forming surface in which the spray hole is formed, the spray hole forming surface having a slit that extends in one direction across the spray hole;
the spray hole forming surface is defined by long sides that extend in a direction corresponding to the slit and short sides that connect between the long sides; and
the nozzle tip has at least one inclination surface to converge steam to the spray hole, the inclination surface having a width in an extension direction of the slit and inclined toward the long side.

14. The clothing drying machine of claim 13 , wherein the nozzle is formed of a deformable material.

15. The clothing drying machine of claim 2 , wherein the nozzle includes multiple cut portions arranged along a circumference of the spray hole.

16. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle includes a spray hole, a diameter of which ranges from about 1.5 mm to about 2 mm.

17. The clothing drying machine of claim 6 , wherein the flow passage forming body further includes a plurality of heat transferring protrusions between the plurality of flow passage forming ribs,
wherein the plurality of heat transferring protrusions protrudes from the bottom.

18. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the flow passage main body further includes a first side wall and a second side wall opposing the first side wall, and the plurality of flow passage forming ribs includes:
a first flow passage forming rib that extends from the first side wall and has one end spaced apart from the second side wall; and
a second flow passage forming rib that extends from the second side wall and has one end spaced apart from the first side wall.

19. The clothing drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the flow passage forming body includes:
a bottom heated by the steam generating heater; and
a plurality of flow passage forming ribs that protrudes from the bottom to form the flow passage on the bottom, wherein the plurality of flow passage forming ribs extends along the bottom and is alternately provided such that a flowing direction of water is switched multiple times, wherein the flow passage forming body is divided into an upstream side and a downstream side by each of the plurality of flow passage forming ribs, and wherein the flow passage forming body further includes:
a gap forming section that provides a gap above the plurality of flow passage forming ribs to allow water to flow over the plurality of flow passage forming ribs while water flows from the upstream side to the downstream side; and
a plurality of impactors that protrudes from the plurality of flow passage forming ribs towards the upstream side at a location that corresponds to the gap forming section,
wherein the gap forming section is a cutout provided for movement of water at an upper side of each of the plurality of flow passage forming ribs such that water flows over the plurality of flow passage forming ribs while flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Song Sungho
• Ye Sungmin
• Ahn Hyukjin
• Kim Minji

Classifications

• D06F58/203 Primary

  Laundry conditioning arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/263

  Gas heating equipment · CPC title

• F22B1/288 Primary

  Instantaneous electrical steam generators built-up from heat-exchange elements arranged within a confined chamber having heat-retaining walls · CPC title

• D06F39/008

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F58/04

  Details  (controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00) · CPC title