Dryer for clothes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9896797-B2
Application number	US-201515304340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Apr 17, 2014
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a dryer for clothes. The dryer for the clothes includes a lint filter assembly, and a lint filter cleaning device for removing lint attached to the lint filter assembly. The lint filter assembly includes a filter frame defining an edge thereof, a mesh member attached to the filter frame to cover an inner region of the filter frame, and a partition rib including a plurality of horizontal ribs and vertical ribs which are disposed inside the filter frame. The mesh member is partitioned into a plurality of filtering blocks by the plurality of horizontal ribs and vertical ribs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dryer for clothes, comprising:
a cabinet;
a drying drum accommodated in the cabinet and into which an object to be dried is put;
a suction passage supplying hot air into the drying drum;
a heating unit disposed in any position of the suction passage to heat air introduced into the suction passage at a high temperature;
an exhaust passage through the hot air discharged from the drying drum flows;
a blower mounted on one position of the exhaust passage to forcibly blow the hot air within the drying drum;
a lint filter assembly mounted on the other position of the exhaust passage; and
a lint filter cleaning device for removing lint attached to the lint filter assembly, wherein the lint filter assembly comprises:
a filter frame defining an edge thereof;
a mesh member attached to the filter frame to cover an inner region of the filter frame; and
a partition rib comprising a plurality of horizontal ribs and vertical ribs which are disposed inside the filter frame, wherein the mesh member is partitioned into a plurality of filtering blocks by the plurality of horizontal ribs and vertical ribs.

2. The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein a flow groove for allowing cleaning water to smoothly flow is defined in a front surface of each of the horizontal ribs contacting the mesh member.

3. The dryer according to claim 2 , wherein the flow groove is defined in each of the filtering blocks, and is formed in a single or in plurality in each of the filtering blocks.

4. The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the filter frame is stepped downward in a stair shape, and
the filtering blocks adjacent to each other in a vertical direction are disposed on vertical surfaces different from each other.

5. The dryer according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of horizontal ribs has both ends connected to a stepped portion of the filter frame.

6. The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the filter blocks have a same size or sizes that are different from each other toward a lower end of the lint filter assembly.

7. The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the lint filter assembly further comprises a bracket connected to an upper end of the filter frame,
a plurality of water supply tubes for supplying cleaning water are connected to a top surface of the bracket, and
a water guide for guiding the cleaning water supplied from the plurality of water supply tubes toward the mesh member is disposed on a bottom surface of the bracket.

8. The dryer according to claim 7 , wherein the lint filter cleaning device comprises:
a control valve comprising an inflow port through which the supplied cleaning water is introduced and a plurality of supply ports respectively connected to inlets of the plurality of water supply tubes, the control valve selectively opening the plurality of water supply tubes; and
a drain pump discharging the cleaning water flowing down along the mesh member and lint lumps separated from the mesh member to the outside.

9. The dryer according to claim 8 , wherein the lint filter cleaning device further comprises a case, the case including a pump housing accommodating the drain pump and a filter housing accommodating the lint filter assembly,
wherein the pump housing and the filter housing define spaces independent from each other and are fluidly connected to each other by a communication hole defined in a wall that partitions the pump housing from the filter housing.

10. The dryer according to claim 8 , wherein a bottom part of the filter housing and a lower end of the lint filter assembly are inclined upward in a direction that is away from the communication hole.

11. The dryer according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an inflow hole through which the hot air passing through the drying drum is introduced defined in a first surface of the filter housing, the first surface configured to face a front surface of the lint filter assembly; and a discharge hole through which the hot air passing through the lint filter assembly is discharged defined in a second surface of the filter housing, the second surface configured to face a rear surface of the lint filter assembly.

12. The dryer according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of water supply tubes are disposed in a line in a width direction of the lint filter assembly on the bracket, and
the width direction of the lint filter assembly is a direction that is away from the communication hole.

13. The dryer according to claim 12 , wherein the control valve is configured to successively or selectively open the plurality of water supply tubes with a time difference so that the lint lumps respectively disposed on the plurality of filtering blocks are separated for each area with a time difference.

14. The dryer according to claim 13 , wherein one group of an odd-numbered water supply tube group and an even-numbered water supply tube group of the plurality of water supply tubes is opened first, and then an other group is opened with a time difference.

15. The dryer according to claim 13 , wherein the water supply tubes of one group of an odd-numbered water supply tube group and an even-numbered water supply tube group of the plurality of water supply tubes are successively opened with a time difference, and then the water supply tubes of an other group are successively opened with a time difference.

16. The dryer according to claim 13 , wherein the water supply tubes, which is closet to the drain pump, of the plurality of water supply tubes is opened first, and then the water supply tubes which are away from the drain pump are successively opened with a time difference.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shin Jinhyouk
• Kang Woocheol
• Kim Minseong
• Kim Sungjun

Classifications

• D06F58/22 Primary

  Lint collecting arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/02

  having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F58/10

  Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means · CPC title

• D06F58/26

  Heating arrangements, e.g. gas heating equipment (D06F58/18 takes precedence) · CPC title