CN109423871B

CN109423871B - Device for cleaning a component arranged in a household appliance

Info

Publication number: CN109423871B
Application number: CN201810952167.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·德雷班特; R·埃迪戈尔; L·莱
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2017-08-23
Filing date: 2018-08-21
Publication date: 2023-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-21
Also published as: CN109423871A; DE102017214719A1; EP3447184A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning components arranged in a household appliance, comprising: a collecting container (3) which can be removed from the household appliance (1) and is used for receiving condensate (28) to be removed; a rinsing container (18) for storing rinsing condensate (28), the rinsing container having a condensate outlet (40); a supply device (32) which selectively supplies the previously collected condensate (28) to the collection container (3) and/or the rinsing container (18); and an outlet control device (50) which controls the condensate outlet (40) such that a condensate surge (42) flows out through the condensate outlet to the component (2) as required. In order to optimize the device with regard to installation space requirements and to efficiently provide a minimum amount of condensate, the rinsing container (18) is configured in a container housing (14) by which the collecting container (3) is received.

Description

Device for cleaning a component arranged in a household appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for cleaning components arranged in a household appliance, comprising: a collecting container which can be removed from the household appliance for receiving the condensate to be removed; a rinsing container for storing rinsing condensate, having a condensate outlet; a supply device for selectively supplying the previously collected condensate to the collection container and/or the rinsing container; and an outlet control device that controls the condensate outlet such that a surge of condensate flows out through the condensate outlet to the component as desired.

Background

The household appliance may be a dryer, in particular a clothes dryer. Within the scope of the present invention, the term "laundry dryer" is to be understood here as meaning, in general, a machine with the aid of which textiles, for example laundry, can be heat-treated, in particular for drying. The term "dryer" includes pure dryers as well as so-called washer-dryers, which combine the functions of laundry washing and laundry drying.

In a laundry dryer which operates according to the circulating air principle with a circulating process air flow, the previously heated process air in the laundry drum is separated as condensate from the moisture absorbed by the laundry to be dried, subsequently in the cooling process, before the drier process air is heated again and supplied to the laundry drum. The condensate which precipitates out when the process air is cooled on a heat exchanger, which can be, for example, an evaporator of a heat pump in a known manner, is usually received in a condensate collecting tank and fed to a condensate collecting tank.

From german patent document DE 197 01 225 B4, a condensate collecting container for a clothes dryer is known, which can be removed from the clothes dryer by a user as required for removing condensate collected in the condensate collecting container and supplied to the condensate collecting container by a pump from a condensate collecting tank. The condensate collecting container is received by the container shell and is provided on its upper side with a drainage opening in a recess formed on the upper side of the condensate collecting container for escaping condensate. When the condensate collection vessel reaches its maximum filling level, the condensate fed by the pump continues to flow forming an overflow which is led back to the condensate collection tank via a siphon and a lower water tubule running through the collection vessel and a subsequently obliquely arranged outflow pipe. An electrode assembly is arranged at the free end of the outflow tube body in order to detect an overflow of the condensate collection container by means of a resistance measurement. In DE 197 01 225 B4, no cleaning function of any type for the components of the drying machine is mentioned.

In dryers, in particular so-called heat pump dryers, in which a heat exchanger with thin aluminum sheets is generally used, it is very important for their performance and, if necessary, even their lifetime to keep sensitive components, such as, in particular, the heat exchanger and/or a fluff filter subjected to napping, fluff-free or clean regularly and thoroughly. In addition to the mechanical lint filter, which is arranged in the process air circuit and which generally does not achieve a 100% filter effect, cleaning devices are known which, as explained at the outset, reuse precipitated condensate, which is received in the lower region of the dryer, when cooling the process air with moisture.

German laid-open publication DE 10 2013 222 926 A1 describes such an active cleaning or rinsing device based on the so-called sewer principle for cleaning dryer components arranged in a household appliance. Connected to the outlet opening of the flushing agent chamber is a so-called downcomer which conducts the flushing agent flowing out of the flushing agent chamber to the component to be cleaned or to a diffuser (so-called diffuser) arranged there. In order to initiate such a flushing process, a discharge valve is provided in the sewer pipe, which discharge valve can discharge flushing agent as required.

A container for a dryer that can be removed from the dryer is known from an earlier, unpublished german patent application with official document number 10 2016 216 695.6. The container is divided into a flushing agent chamber and a condensate chamber, which serves as a storage for the condensate to be removed. The flushing agent chamber has a flushing agent chamber inlet opening and a flushing agent chamber outlet opening, in which a downpipe adjoins in the installed state of the container. When the level of the flushing agent stored in the flushing agent chamber rises above a predetermined level, the outlet control device operating according to the siphon principle can, as required, cause the flushing agent to flow out of the flushing agent chamber outlet. To purge excess condensate from the condensate chamber, the user removes the container from the dryer.

A device of the type mentioned at the outset is known from german laid-open patent application DE 10 2007 016 074 A1, which has a collecting container that can be removed from a household appliance, in particular a clothes dryer, for receiving condensate to be removed. A second rinsing container, which is arranged separately from the collecting container, serves for storing condensate, which is provided for the cleaning means (rinsing condensate). Condensate precipitated from the cooled process air is collected in a condensate sump and fed by an electric pump to a distributor having two output connections, one of which leads to a collection container and the other to a rinsing container. The rinsing container has a discharge opening which is connected to the sewer pipe by a normally closed closure element, through which the condensate can flow as required to the rinsing nozzle directed toward the component to be cleaned. The control device is connected to an actuating input of the closure element, which can be configured, for example, as a spring-loaded closure disk. The actuation of the closing disk can be effected by means of an electromagnetic relay.

Disclosure of Invention

On this background, the object of the invention is to optimize a device of the type mentioned at the outset with regard to its installation space requirement and to efficiently provide the minimum amount of condensate required for an effective cleaning process.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a device having the features of the independent claim. Preferred optional developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims, described in the following description or shown in the drawings.

According to the invention, in an apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning: the rinsing container is formed in a container housing, by which the collecting container is received. The rinsing container is therefore at least in part designed as a container housing which itself at least partially receives the collecting container.

An important aspect of the invention is that, unlike previous solutions, the rinsing container and thus the rinsing device or the so-called rinsing water chamber are separated from the (removable) condensate container and integrated into the condensate container housing. According to the invention, a collection container (condensate container) which remains (can be removed by the user for cleaning) is received in the condensate container housing. The condensate container housing thus serves in a dual function both for receiving the removable collecting container and (at least partially) as a reservoir chamber or reservoir volume for the condensate (as flushing condensate). In this context, the term "condensate" is to be understood in a broad sense within the scope of the present invention and also includes, for example, an alternatively or additionally supplied rinsing liquid, for example tap water, which can be supplied, for example, at the start of operation, in order to achieve cleaning even if a sufficient amount of condensate is not yet present or does not precipitate from the process air.

A further advantage of the invention is that installation space for the collecting container and the reservoir volume for supplying flushing condensate, which is often limited by design reasons, can be optimally utilized. In this case, the container housing can be configured in such a way that dead spaces which would otherwise not be available, for example, due to lateral recesses of the container which can be removed, can be used optimally.

A further advantage is that a very simply configured and therefore inexpensive collecting container can be used in the device according to the invention. Finally, in contrast to the embodiment of the condensate container shown at the beginning, which is not disclosed in advance, the functional separation during removal of the collecting container with the condensate to be removed ensures that unintentional emptying is avoided, since the collecting container of the device according to the invention no longer requires an opening on the bottom side.

According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention: the outlet control operates according to the siphon principle. Preferably, the condensate can be supplied to the rinsing container until the condensate level there is only a few millimeters below the fill level which initiates the siphon effect.

The necessary control of (initially temporarily) stopping the further flow of condensate into the rinsing chamber can be achieved by suitable actuation of the condensate feed pump and/or by measurement or sensor measures. Thus, the supply device can be loaded just below the fill level at which the siphon effect is initiated, so that it now continues to supply condensate to the collecting container. If a cleaning process is to be triggered (which can be provided, for example, as standard after each drying cycle of the dryer), the supply device is switched over again and the condensate is now conveyed further into the rinsing container. The fill level of the condensate in the rinsing container (liquid level) thus increases further and triggers the siphon process by exceeding a structurally predefined level.

This configuration of the invention advantageously eliminates the need for mechanically operated components of the vent control device. This also eliminates handling and operating noises which may be associated with mechanical handling.

The invention is preferably designed in a structurally developed manner: the drain control device has a pipe connection which is guided through the bottom of the container housing and is surrounded by a pipe which is closed on the upper side, the open end of which faces the bottom of the container housing and the height of which is set such that the level of the condensate rises above a predetermined height, a siphon process being triggered which enables flushing condensate to flow out of the pipe connection.

In terms of the operability of the collecting container and the availability of the interior of the dryer, which can be used for flushing the container compartment, a preferred development of the invention provides that the flushing condensate-containing compartment of the container housing is located below the bottom of the received collecting container.

Drawings

The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of an embodiment shown in the drawing. Shown here are:

figure 1 shows the corresponding device in longitudinal section,

FIG. 2 shows the device according to FIG. 1 from an oblique upper perspective view, and

fig. 3 the device according to fig. 2 with the collection container removed.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1, 2 and 3 show an embodiment of a device for cleaning a component 2 arranged in a household appliance 1 in longitudinal section or in a perspective view obliquely above. In this embodiment, the household appliance is a dryer (not further shown). The component 2 may be a component of the laundry dryer subject to impurities or contaminants, such as a heat exchanger of a heat pump, particularly present in the laundry dryer, for recovering energy from the process air. The device comprises a condensate collecting container 3 which is configured in a known manner for receiving the condensate to be removed and is covered by a front covering panel. The front cover plate can be pulled out forward in the direction of the arrow 5 together with the collecting container 3 as required. This removed state is shown in a perspective view in fig. 3. The collecting container 3 has an opening 8 in the rear region 6. In the installed state, the end 9 of the feed line 10 opens into the opening 8.

The collecting container 3 is fitted into a receiving space 12 of a container housing 14 that matches the outer geometry of the collecting container. The container housing 14 extends below the collecting container with a receptacle 16, which is configured approximately as a flushing container 18 in the container housing 14. The rinsing container 18 serves for receiving and temporarily storing rinsing condensate 19, which is used for cleaning the component 2 as explained in more detail below. In this embodiment, the volume 16 of the rinsing reservoir 18 is located completely below the bottom 3a of the collecting reservoir 3.

An inlet opening 20 into which a supply line 21 projects is provided in the rear region 14a of the container housing. The other end 22 of the feed line 21 is connected to the output 23 of a two-way valve 24. The other output 25 of the valve 24 is connected to the other end of the feed line 10. The valve 24 is connected on the input side to a supply line 26, through which the condensate 28, which was received in a condensate collection tank 30 before being supplied by means of a pump 27, is supplied. The condensate can be, for example, condensate 31 that is precipitated on component 2 when the process air cools there. The pump 27 and the valve 24 are controlled by a control unit, not shown in detail, and thus form a supply device 32 which supplies the condensate 28 selectively to the collecting container 3 or to the rinsing container 18.

The tank shell 14 and thus the rinsing tank 18 have a condensate outlet 40, through which a condensate surge 42, indicated by an arrow, flows as required to the component 2. The condensate surge 42 flows here via a downcomer 43 to a discharge nozzle 44 which is directed in a known manner, for example, towards a sheet of the heat exchanger (component) 2 which is not shown.

The condensate drain 40 is controlled by a drain control device 50. The outlet control device 50, which operates according to the siphon principle, has an annular suction region 52, the suction opening 53 of which is arranged in a relatively sealed manner (at a height B) above a bottom 54 of the container housing 14 there. The outlet control device 50 comprises a pipe connection 56 which passes through the bottom of the container housing 14 and is surrounded by a pipe piece 59 which is closed in an upper region 58 and whose open end 60 faces the bottom 54 forming the annular suction region 52. The height of the pipe or the end of the pipe connection 56 projecting into the pipe 59 is set such that a rise in the condensate level 70 above the level a triggers a siphoning process which enables flushing condensate to flow out of the pipe connection in a flush-like manner. In this embodiment, the volume of the flushing reservoir 18 is located below the bottom 3a of the collecting reservoir 3.

During normal operation of the dryer, precipitated condensate 31 is first collected in a condensate collection tank 30. The condensate is then supplied as rinsing condensate 19 on demand to the rinsing container 18 by the actuation of the pump 27 and via the supply device 32 via the supply line 21 until the liquid level 70 is located just below the level a. The switching valve 24 is then switched so that the condensate 28, which is now delivered by the pump 27, reaches the collecting container 3 via the feed line 10. The control of the switching valve 24 can be effected by a float, not shown, which detects the liquid level in the flushing container, or by controlling the pump 27 as a function of the delivery parameters of the pump.

If, for example, a cleaning process of the assembly 2 initiated by the program control of the laundry dryer 1 is now to be triggered, the switching valve 24 is switched over again, so that the supply of condensate 28 to the rinse container 18 as rinse condensate 19 now continues. With a relatively small amount of additional condensate, the liquid level 70 rises above the height A. A siphon effect is thereby initiated and the rinsing condensate 19 stored in the rinsing chamber 18 overflows by means of a siphon effect beyond the upper edge of the pipe connection 56 and falls as clean rinsing agent into the sewer pipe 43. In this case, air which may be compressed or trapped on the bottom 58 in the upper region is entrained, so that a reliable siphon is ensured until the level of condensate drops back to the level B. At this point, the intake area 52 draws in air, thereby ending the siphoning effect of this cycle. Thereby, the flushing agent surge 42 is stopped and the flushing chamber 18 can be refilled in the manner explained before.

List of reference numerals

1. Household appliance

2. Component

3. Condensate collecting container

3a bottom

4. Covering plate

5. Arrow head

6. Rear region

8. Opening of the container

9. End part

10. Input pipeline

12. Receiving space

14. Container shell

14a rear area

16. Containing chamber

18. Flushing container

19. Rinse condensate

20. Access opening

21. Input pipeline

22. End part

23. Output end

24. Two-way valve

25. Output end

26. Input pipeline

27. Pump and method of operating the same

28. Condensate of a steam generator

30. Condensate collection tank

31. Condensate which precipitates

32. Feeding device

40. Condensate drain

42. Surge of condensate

43. Drain pipe

44. Discharge nozzle

50. Outlet control device

52. Suction area

53. Suction opening

54. Bottom part

56. Pipe joint

58. Upper region of pipe joint

59. Closed pipe fitting

60. Open end of pipe

70. Condensate level

Height A

And B height.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning a component arranged in a household appliance, having:

-a collecting container (3) removable from the household appliance (1) for receiving condensate (28) to be removed;

-a rinsing vessel (18) for storing rinsing condensate (28), the rinsing vessel having a condensate drain (40);

-a supply device (32) which selectively supplies the previously collected condensate (28) to the collection container (3) and/or to the rinsing container (18); and

-an outlet control device (50) controlling the condensate outlet (40) such that a condensate surge flow (42) flows out through the condensate outlet to the component (2) as required,

wherein,

the rinsing container (18) is configured in a container housing (14) by which the collecting container (3) is received, wherein the collecting container (3) is mounted in a receiving space (12) of the container housing (14) that matches the outer geometry of the collecting container,

wherein the container housing (14) has a receptacle (16) extending below the collecting container (3), the receptacle (16) being designed as a rinsing container (18) in the container housing (14),

wherein the top of the receiving space (12) of the container housing (14) is open, and the top part of the rinsing container (18) is formed by the bottom (3 a) of the collecting container (3) when the collecting container (3) is inserted into the receiving space (12) of the container housing (14).

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

-said outlet control means (50) operating according to the siphon principle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2,

-the outlet control device (50) has a pipe connection (56) passing through the bottom (54) of the tank shell (14), which pipe connection is surrounded by a pipe (59) closed on the upper side, the open end (60) of which pipe faces the bottom (54) of the tank shell (14) and the height of which pipe is set such that the condensate level (70) rises above a predefined height (a) triggering a siphon process, which siphon process enables flushing condensate (28) to flow out of the pipe connection (56).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

-the volume (16) of the container shell (14) storing the flushing condensate is located below the bottom (3 a) of the receiving collecting container (3).