JPH0444559B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The invention relates generally to an apparatus for handling textile products or the like, in which the products are contained in a drum rotatably mounted within a housing. a treating fluid is contained within the housing;
Such fluids then pass through the drum and thus flow through the fabric in order to handle the fabric as desired. In one aspect, the invention relates to an improvement in a tumble dryer in which heated air flows through the product as it is rotated within a drum, the drum being arranged in a generally horizontal direction. The arranged axis, which will be detailed later,
It rotates within the housing around an axis that is inclined at a relatively small angle with respect to the horizontal plane. In another aspect, the invention relates to an improvement in substantially closing the annular space between the walls of the housing, the housing forming a cylindrical surface of the drum of a dryer or other apparatus of this type. The enclosure defines on one side a portion of the drum periphery and a space within the housing in which heated air or other handled fluid is accommodated.

In the drawings, like reference symbols are used throughout to indicate like parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the details of the accompanying drawings, a dryer, designated generally by the reference numeral 20, includes a housing 21 supported on a surface 22 and an interior of the housing for rotation relative to the housing about a generally horizontal axis. and an open-ended drum 23 attached to the drum. More particularly, the housing 21 includes an outer portion having a front wall 25 and a rear wall 26, side walls 27 and 28, and a top wall 29 and a bottom wall 30. The bottom wall of the outer housing is connected to surface 2 by the base.
2, the base includes a bottom wall 31, side walls 27A and 28A, an open front end 25A and a rear wall 2.
6A, the lower end of which supports wall 31 above surface 22.

The top wall 29 and bottom wall 30 of the upper housing portion are
The drum 2 is inclined at a small angle to the horizontal plane and, as will be described, for rotation about an axis extending at the same angle.
3 is mounted within the upper housing part. The front wall 25 of the outer housing has an opening 32 opposite the open upper end of the drum, and the rear wall 26 of the outer housing has an opening 34 opposite the open lower end of the drum. There is. The opening 32 and thus the upper end of the drum is connected to the door 33
adapted to be covered and uncovered by
The door is mounted within a pocket formed within the front wall and is vertically movable therein in response to fluid actuator 33A. The opening 34 and thus the lower end of the drum is adapted to be opened and closed by a door 35, which door is pivotally mounted on the housing as will be described. In this way, door 33
is opened, the wet product on the conveyor 50 can be deposited into the drum through the opening 32;
It can then be lowered from the drum through the opening 34 when the door 35 is opened.

The upper edge of door 35 is pivotally attached to the housing and swings between a closed position, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1, and an open position, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. The actuator for so moving the door comprises an arm 36 connecting the door to a reciprocating actuator 38, which is supported on a bracket 37 on the housing.
As shown in FIG.
4 can be extended to swing the door towards the outside of the wall 26 to close it, or swing the door to a position where the dried product can slide out of the lower end of the drum. Therefore, it can be reduced.

The drum 23 extends from one end of the housing to the other for locating its ends adjacent the front and rear walls. The drum is then supported within the housing and rotated relative to the housing by rollers 42 near each end and on either side of the bottom half of the drum. These rollers are mounted on a shaft 43 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the drum and has ends in contact with bearings in the front wall 25 and rear wall 26 of the housing. As shown in Figure 1,
At least one shaft is driven by an electric motor 44 mounted below housing wall 30 and outside wall 28A and connected by a belt 45 to a sheave on one end of the shaft.

Each end of the drum has an outwardly extending flange on the end, the flange on the upper end of the drum facing inwardly to the adjacent front wall 25 of the housing; and the flange on the lower end of the drum extends through the opening 3 in the rear wall 26 of the outer housing.
4 is fitted inside. A flange on the upper end of the drum may be accompanied by a seal for sliding engagement with the wall 25, and a flange on the lower end of the drum may include a seal for sliding engagement with the wall 25.
Adjacent to the door 35 when the door is closed.
The drum is held against axial movement relative to the housing by a roller assembly including a pair of rollers 47 mounted on brackets 48 within the housing; , can engage opposite sides of the flange 46 on the upper end of the drum.

The housing 21 has an inner portion having a shell 40 extending the length of the intermediate portion of the drum flange 46;
The shell then includes arcuate portions 40A and 40B disposed in spaced apart relationship around the respective upper and lower ends of the drum. A duct 52 connects a hole in the bottom wall 30 of the outer housing to an opening in the bottom of the arched portion 40B to form an inlet into the space associated with the drum;
and an opening 40C in the bottom of the arched portion 40A.
forms an exit from the space relative to the drum.

The inner housing portion further includes transverse walls 51 or partitions that extend between intermediate portions 40A and 40B of shell 40, between housing side walls 27 and 28, and between top and bottom walls 29 and 30 of the housing. It extends between the housing and separates the space inside the housing. The outer portion of a ring 60 of Teflon or other low friction material having an inner diameter that closely surrounds the drum is then securely mounted within an annular recess 61 formed around the inner portion of the shell. adjoins the wall 51 intermediate the entrance to said space and the exit from said space. More specifically, the cylindrical wall of the drum is perforated on both sides of the ring 60, so that when the end of the drum is closed during rotation, a tight closure of the ring within the recess is achieved. will provide a substantial seal between the drum and the wall and the inlet 52
so that hot air entering the drum flows through the perforations to the right side of the ring 60 and into the outlet 40C through the drum axially and from the perforations in the drum to the left side of the ring. would be substantially limiting.

As shown in FIG. 4, a wall 62 extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical wall of the shell, and a flange 63 on the outside of wall 62 connects with wall 51 to form a recess. There is. As will be further understood from FIG. 4, the ring 60 fits closely around the unperforated annular portion of the drum, so that for the purposes previously described, Such a part is a heat sink for cooling.
form. As shown, the recess 61 is sized such that the ring is free to move radially during rotation of the eccentric drum without weakening on the ring, as previously described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,
The wall 62 and flange 63 are interrupted proximate the upper side of the drum, and the arcuate shell portion 40A is slotted to receive a bracket 64, which is connected to the ring 6.
0 ends 60A and 60B are interconnected and mounted on the inner housing wall 51 by rivets 65. As will be apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, the ends of the rings are overlapped and spring biased toward each other in order to hold the rings tightly around the drum 23. In this way, a rod 66 is connected to each end of the ring.
extends through a flange 67 on the end of the bracket, and a coil spring 68 is compressed between the outside of flange 67 and a spring retainer 69 which is secured to the outside end of the rod by a locking nut. It is mounted on the
This allows the force of the spring to be adjusted to control how tightly the ring tightens around the drum. Thus, although the drum 23 is free to rotate within the ring 60, the ring is nevertheless sufficiently tight around the drum that substantially all of the heated air moves axially past the drum. do.

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, the duct 52 has side walls 53 and end walls 54.
The end wall extends downwardly from an opening in the bottom of arched portion 40B to an opening in bottom 30. The left roller 42 extends through a slot in the shell portion 40A and into the upper space and supports the upper end of the drum. and the right roller extends into the lower space portion through a slot in the shell portion 40A;
Supports the lower end of the drum.

A gas burner 55 is mounted on the bottom wall 31 of the base of the housing adjacent the open left end of the housing, and gas is supplied to the burner by a pipe 56 extending from a suitable source to the burner; This causes the fresh air to be heated before passing through the ducts in the base and into the inlet 52, and thus the drum and ring 60.
and the inner housing shell on the right side. As shown in FIG. 1, a first baffle plate 58 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 31 of the chamber inside the housing to a height above the level of the burner outlet, and another baffle plate 59 extends downwardly from the intermediate wall 31 inside the chamber to a level that substantially coincides with the upper end of the baffle plate 58 in the horizontal direction. As a result, the baffle plate not only cooperates to produce the mixing of fresh air with heated air, but also prevents any direct path between the burner flame and the inlet. Obviously, the fresh air entering the duct can be heated by any other suitable heat source.

An opening is formed in the top wall 29 of the outer housing near the upper end of the drum on the left side of wall 51 above shell portion 40A, mounted on the top wall and connected at its right end to suction blower 71A. The blower is further mounted on the top wall 29 towards the rear end of the housing. As indicated by the arrows, heated air flows from within the drum and through the perforations into the upper portion of the drum, causing it to flow to the left side of the ring 60. More specifically, and as best understood from FIGS. 1 and 3, heated air in the upper space portion passes therefrom via outlet 40C and then into the air blow plenum ( It passes to the left of the wall 51 and above the top of the arched portion 40A before entering the opening leading to the air blower plenum. In this manner, the product is prevented from collecting in the upper part of the left-hand end of the drum, and thus the air flow is prevented from being restricted before passing from the space into the outlet.

The inclination of the drum with respect to the horizontal plane is such that its axis of rotation is inclined at an angle of the order of 7.5 degrees towards the air inlet side of the space below the partition or transverse wall 51, and in any case there is no axial movement through the drum. Under the influence of heated air passing through the drum, the wet product slides downward towards the lower edge of the drum, but the dry product is spread out in such a way that it is deposited uniformly onto the bottom of the drum. The inclination of the drum is well selected.

As previously mentioned, in the embodiment of the apparatus for substantially closing the space between the outer edge of the drum and the shell 40 illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the sealing ring 60' is a sealing ring. 60
, in which its inner diameter fits closely around the edge of the drum 23 and its outer part is closely received inside the sides of the recess 61 and inside the recess. It has an outer end spaced apart from the outer end, all as shown in FIG. The ring differs in cross-section in that it is "T" shaped with a wide flange providing its inner diameter, which fits closely around the drum and has an annular recess 61. It has a narrow web that fits within. As previously mentioned, the wide flange on the inner diameter of seal ring 60' provides a large cross-sectional area for better wear distribution during rotation of the drum inside the ring.

Further, as mentioned above, the overlapping ends 60'A and 60'B of the ring 60' are connected to a bracket 64 on the wall 51 in a particularly well-fitting manner for the ring, which Teflon,
or other plastic materials that not only have low friction properties and high resistance to heat that would be encountered in a tumble dryer or the like, but also have low tensile strength. Made in Japan. More particularly, the ends of the ring 60' are arranged in such a way as to hold the ring in a close-fitting relationship around the drum 23, despite the tendency of Teflon to soften at elevated temperatures. It is connected to the bracket 64 and can therefore, if connected to the bracket in the manner described above, allow the clevis pin to be pulled through one or both ends.

Therefore, as described above and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, at the inner end of the recess,
The web of the ring 60' is intermediate between the ring flange and the shell wall 40A in which the outer portion of the ring is received, while the first set of holes 70 and the second set of holes 71 are located therein. formed at spaced locations along the length of the ring, with each set of alternating rings extending in opposite and diagonal directions. Thus, for example, the left-most holes of the set 70 of adjacent holes shown in FIG. 12 extend downward and to the right, while their right-most holes extend upward and to the right. There is. Conversely, the leftmost hole of the adjacent holes in set 71 extends upward and to the right;
while their rightmost holes extend downward and to the right. More specifically, the first wire 73
A second wire 74 is threaded sequentially through alternating holes of the second set 70 of holes, and a second wire 74 is threaded sequentially through alternating holes of the second set 71 of holes. Wires extend alternately over longitudinally disposed portions of the ring on both sides, the front and back sides as seen in FIG. 11 and the top and bottom as seen in FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 11, the ends of the wires extending from the extreme holes of each set of holes at each end of the ring are interconnected, and the clevis pins 75 are connected to their connected ends. The loop extends through the loop on the top end. Next, the rod 66 extends through the hole in the flange 67 of the bracket.
clevis is connected to the ring 60 and a coil spring 68 is disposed between the outside of the flange and a spring retainer 69 on the outside end of the rod.
The ends of ring 60' are pulled resiliently in opposite directions as described above in connection with.

As shown in FIG. 12, there is preferably some slack in wires 73 and 74, and spring retainer 69 can be adjusted accordingly. This allows for differences in the rate of expansion between the wire and the plastic ring 60', and thus allows the ring to be held closely around the drum 23, but the hot air does not reach the product. , so it does not press too tightly against both sides of holes 70 and 71.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, each hole in each set is substantially adjacent to a hole in the other set;
The other set of holes extend in opposite diagonal directions so that the wires 73 and 74 extend substantially coextensive with each other on opposite sides of the web of the ring. They intersect each other in adjacent holes. More specifically, as shown, the holes intersect and cross each other approximately midway on each side of the web of the ring, so that wires 73 and 74 are arranged in two sets. intersect in adjacent holes, so they will also be adjacent to each other.

As further noted above, in the embodiment of the apparatus for substantially closing the space between the drum and the shell 40 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the seal ring 60'' has a cross-section of As far as shape and materials are concerned, Figures 11 and 1
The sealing ring 60' of the embodiment of FIG. 2 may be identical to the seal ring 60' of the embodiment of FIG. It exists in the form of tightening. Therefore, as in the case of ring 60', the outer part of ring 60'' has an annular recess 6
having both side surfaces that closely fit inside both sides of 1;
and an outer end, the outer end extending from the outer end of the recess to permit radial movement between the recess and the outer end during rotation of the drum. spaced from.

However, in the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15, the two sets of holes 76 and 77 are equally spaced apart from the set of holes 70 and 71 in ring 60'. and are similar in that they extend in opposite diagonal directions, and further, each hole in each set is substantially similar to a hole in the other set extending in an opposite diagonal direction. They are similar in that they are adjacent to each other. however,
Although substantially alternating and adjacent, the holes of one set do not intersect the holes of the other set, but are instead staggered relative to each other in the longitudinal direction. More specifically, and as best shown in FIG. 14, each set of adjacent holes intersect each other on alternate faces of the ring web. Therefore, each hole 7
Although the portions of wires 78 and 79 threaded through alternating sets of wires 6 and 77 extend over both sides of the ring, they do not overlap each other as in the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13. They do not span the same space. Although the lateral forces on the seal ring may therefore be somewhat unbalanced, this embodiment provides a larger body of ring material across which the wires are attached with their ends in opposite directions. When pressed, the inner diameter of the seal ring tightens to pull it tightly around the drum 23.

As will be appreciated, the ends of wires 78 and 79 are connected to each other and to bracket 64 as described and shown in connection with FIG.

Considering the overall operation of the dryer, the door 33 is opened and the door 35 is closed so that the damp cloth or other textile product to be dried is transferred to the conveyor 50.
Allows it to be placed in the dryer. When the door 33 is closed, the drum can be rotated so that the product rolls within it, and for this purpose longitudinal ribs are provided on the inner diameter of the cylindrical wall of the drum. At the same time, an air blower is started to cause fresh air to be drawn above the gas burner and thereby heated;
At the same time, the heated air passes into the drum via the inlet and the lower space part and then axially through the drum and through the punched holes into the ring 6.
0 (or ring 60' or 60''), into the upper space section and from there to the outside of the dryer via an air blower. As it is rotated, the product will descend towards the lower right-hand end of the drum and thus the heated The product will descend to a position where air will pass through the product. As the hot air leaves the upper end of the drum, it will pass through the upper end of outlet 40A before passing into the air blower. When the product is sufficiently dry, the rotation of the drum is stopped, the gas burner is turned off, and the door 35 is opened to allow the dried product to be lowered through the lower end of the drum. As previously mentioned, the slope of the drum will facilitate lowering through the opening in its right-hand end.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially side and partially vertical cross-sectional view of a dryer constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing the path of heated air passing through the dryer; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dryer as seen along dashed line 2--2 in FIG. 1, showing the gas burner in the fresh air duct below the housing. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dryer as seen along dashed line 3--3 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dryer as seen along dashed line 4--4 of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the drum and housing, and showing a ring surrounding the drum and received within an annular recess in the housing wall, the housing wall defining the space between the drum and the housing at their ends; Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the portion of the dryer indicated by circle "5" in Figure 3, showing the bracket for mounting the ring on the housing; Figure 6 shows the broken line 6-- in Figure 5.
6 is a top view of the bracket of FIG. 5 as seen along line 6; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inner portion of the dryer housing and drum extracted from within the outer portion of the housing; FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of the dryer as seen along dashed line 8--8 in FIG. with arrows indicating the direction of flow; FIG.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of the portion of the drum within circle "9" of FIG. 1, including the roller assembly that holds the drum against axial movement relative to the housing; FIG. 9 is a top view of the roller assembly of FIG. 9 as seen along dashed line 10--10 of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the dryer similar to FIG. 5; 12 shows a ring held closely around the drum periphery in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 1
Fig. 13 is a further enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the ring of Fig. 1, showing how the wire is tightened through the hole in the ring; Fig. 13 is a side view of the wire and ring of Fig. 12; FIG. 14 is a view of a ring similar to FIG. 12 as seen along dashed line 14--14 of FIG. 15, but in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. and FIG. 15 is a side view of the wire and ring of FIG. 14. 20... Dryer, 21... Housing, 23...
...Drum, 25...Front wall, 25A...Front end, 2
6, 26A... Rear wall, 27, 27A, 28, 28
A, 53...Side wall, 29...Top wall, 30, 31...
...bottom wall, 32, 34...opening, 33, 35...door, 33A, 38...actuator, 42...
Roller, 44...Electric motor, 46, 63, 67
...Flange, 40...Ciel, 40A, 40
B, 40C, 40D... Arched portion, 50...
Conveyor, 51...Transverse wall or partition, 52
...Duct, 55...Gas burner, 60,60',
60″...Ring, 64...Bracket, 66...
... Rod, 68 ... Coil spring, 70,7
1...hole, 73, 74...wire, 75...clevis pin.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A housing, a substantially cylindrical drum mounted within the housing for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, a device for so rotating the drum, and an article comprising: in a tumble dryer comprising a device capable of being loaded into and unloaded from the drum, the drum for defining one space on one side of the drum and another space on the other side of the drum; a partition separating the space between the drum and the housing intermediate the ends of the housing, the housing comprising a device for providing an air inlet to the one spatial portion and an air outlet from the other spatial portion; , the drum has its rotational axis inclined at a relatively small angle toward the air inlet side of the partition with respect to the horizontal plane, and has a device connecting both the space parts and the inside thereof, and has a device that connects both the space parts and the inside thereof, and the drum is configured to have a device that connects both the space portions and the inside thereof, and is configured to have a device that connects both the space portions and the inside of the partition. Tumble drying, characterized in that it comprises a device for fluid flow from the inlet through said one space into the drum, and from the inside of the drum to the outside and through the outer space to the outlet. Machine. 2. The air inlet is below the drum, the device for communicating air includes an air blower device above the housing, and the housing includes a device connecting the air outlet and the air blower device. Dryer listed. 3. The device for circulating air comprises a fresh air duct below the housing which is open at one end and connected to the inlet at the other end;
3. The dryer according to claim 2, further comprising a heat source located within the duct near the open end of the duct and below the other space portion of the housing. 4. A dryer according to claim 1, wherein the connecting device comprises a punched hole in the cylindrical wall of the drum. 5. The dryer according to claim 4, wherein both ends of the drum are closed during rotation. 6. A device capable of loading and unloading products into and from a drum is provided with an opening passing through both ends of the drum and housing, and the housing has a gap between a position covering the opening of the housing and the drum and a position not covering the opening. 6. A dryer according to claim 4, further comprising a door that is movable. 7. The housing includes a wall surrounding an outer space around the drum, an inner part that is open at the bottom of the drum defining an air outlet, and a wall disposed above the wall of the inner part, and the housing an outer portion open to the exterior of the drum, whereby the hot air exiting from the perforations in the upper portion of the drum is routed through said other spatial portion through an exit outlet before exiting the dryer. 7. A dryer according to claim 6, which passes downwardly through the dryer. 8. A dryer according to claim 1, wherein the device for rotating the drum includes rotatable rollers that can engage the edges of the drum. 9. the separating device comprises a ring closely surrounding the drum and an annular recess in the housing;
9. A dryer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the ring is closely accommodated for radial movement relative to the housing. 10 The drum is inclined at a relatively small angle with respect to the horizontal plane in order to place one end above the other end to define an upper and a lower space, and the air inlet extends into the lower space. an outlet is provided from the upper cavity, and heated air flows from the inlet through the lower cavity into and out of the drum;
The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which communicates with the outlet via the upper space portion. 11 a housing, a substantially cylindrical drum mounted within the housing for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, a device for so rotating the drum, and a product mounted within the drum; a tumble dryer comprising a device for unloading the drum, said drum having perforations in its cylindrical wall on both sides of the unperforated annular portion, and heated air passing through the perforations. through the drum on one side of the annular portion, and through the perforations into and out of the drum on the other side of the annular portion, and to the outside of the drum. A tumble dryer featuring 12 a device for separating an annular space within the housing surrounding the drum containing a ring closely surrounding the annular portion of the drum; and a recess in the housing receiving the ring for radial movement during rotation of the drum. Claim 11 comprising:
Dryer as described in section. 13 comprising a housing in which a handling fluid can be accommodated, and a drum for housing the fabric article and mounted for rotation within the housing and at the same time through which the handling fluid is circulated, the housing having a cylindrical shape of the drum a wall having an annular recess surrounding the wall and having an inner diameter surrounding the cylindrical surface of the drum and opposite sides closely received within the sides of the recess and an outer end spaced from an outer end of the recess; an outer portion having a split ring adapted to permit limited radial movement therebetween, the split ring having an outer portion having a the hole having at least one set of holes formed at positions disposed along its length and extending in opposite diagonal directions with respect to its length; At least one wire is threaded continuously through the alternating holes with the holes extending alternately across both sides of the ring, and as the drum rotates inside the housing, the cylinder of the drum Apparatus for handling fabric products, characterized in that it includes a device for connecting the ends of the wire to the wall so that the inner diameter of the ring is held tightly around the shaped surface. 14. The ring has other sets of holes formed throughout the ring at locations disposed along its length, with alternating holes extending in opposite diagonal directions with respect to its length. Other wires with holes and threaded continuously through other sets of alternating holes extend alternately across both sides of the ring, said connecting device further extending at the ends of the wires. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for interconnecting the parts. 15 The alternating holes in each set are generally equally spaced and each hole in each set is substantially adjacent to the holes in the other set so that the wires are 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the device extends over oppositely facing portions of the sides of the ring, intersecting each other. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein adjacent holes intersect each other approximately midway along the sides of the ring. 17. The device of claim 15, wherein adjacent holes intersect near alternating sides of the ring. 18 The ring is "T" shaped in cross section and has a wide inner surface forming its inner diameter,
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the wire is then threaded through a hole in the thin web of the ring intermediate the wide side of the ring and the open end of the recess. 19. The device of claim 13, wherein the ring is formed from a self-lubricating plastic material. 20. The device of claim 13, wherein the plastic material is Teflon or other material having relatively high heat resistance and low tensile strength. 21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a tumble dryer and the fluid is heated air, the air flowing through a drum and the fabric within the drum. 22 The drum has openings on both sides of its cylindrical surface, so that heated air is passed into the drum on one side of the wall and out of the drum on the other side of the wall. Claim 21
Apparatus described in section.