阅读说明：本技术 使纺织品干燥的改进 (Improvements in drying textiles ) 是由 T·J·艾比 D·J·汤姆斯 A·G·布彻 于 2018-05-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种用于改善滚筒式干衣机的干燥性能的装置(100、200),其包括大体上弯曲的三维主体部分(102、202)和设置在主体部分的面向外的表面上的热反射层(104、204)。还提供一种制造用于改善织物干燥设备的干燥性能的装置的方法。(The present invention provides a device (100, 200) for improving the drying performance of a tumble dryer comprising a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion (102, 202) and a heat reflective layer (104, 204) arranged on an outwardly facing surface of the body portion. A method of manufacturing a device for improving the drying performance of a fabric drying appliance is also provided.)

1. An apparatus for improving drying performance of a tumble dryer, comprising:

a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion; and

a heat reflective layer disposed on an outward facing surface of the body portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of about 30-100 mm.

3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the device has a weight of about 3-55 g.

4. A device according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the ratio of the maximum cross-sectional dimension to the weight is at least 1.15.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the ratio is between about 2 and 5.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the body portion is substantially spherical, cylindrical, conical, annular or ovoid, or defines at least part of such a three-dimensional shape.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the body portion is substantially spherical.

8. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body portion is a substantially hollow body defining at least one wall portion and an interior region.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the wall portion has a thickness between about 0.4mm and about 1 mm.

10. The device of claim 8 or 9, wherein the wall portion includes at least one opening extending into the interior region.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the wall portion includes a plurality of spaced apart openings, each opening extending into the interior region.

12. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the body portion comprises a substantially non-thermally conductive material.

13. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one heat reflective layer comprises a metallic material.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one heat reflective layer comprises aluminum.

15. The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body portion comprises plastic.

16. Use of a device according to any of the preceding claims for improving the drying performance of a textile drying apparatus.

17. A method of manufacturing a device for improving the drying performance of a textile drying apparatus, comprising:

providing a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion; and

a heat reflective layer is disposed on an outward facing surface of the body portion.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising applying an adhesive to the outwardly facing surface of the body portion prior to disposing the heat reflective layer on the outwardly facing surface of the body portion.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein disposing comprises applying a powder coating on an outward facing surface of the body portion.

20. The method of any of claims 17 to 19, wherein the thermally reflective layer comprises aluminum.

21. The method of any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the body portion comprises plastic.

22. The method of any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the body portion is substantially spherical.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a dryer for removing moisture from textiles. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to an arrangement in a tumble dryer to reduce the time and energy required to dry at least one textile product located in the tumble dryer.

Background

Dryers, commonly referred to as "tumble dryers", are power equipment for domestic or industrial use that typically remove moisture from laundry and/or other textiles shortly after being subjected to a wash cycle in a washing machine. Conventional dryers typically include a rotating drum, referred to as a "drum," through which heated air is circulated to evaporate moisture held in the textiles. The drum is rotated to maintain the space between the articles being dried and to increase the efficiency of the drying process. The hot humid air is usually vented to the atmosphere to allow more dry, heated air into the drum and the drying process is continued until the textiles are substantially free of moisture and dry, or water is extracted by an internal condenser and the extracted water is collected in a container and subsequently emptied by the user.

However, conventional dryers are particularly inefficient and require a significant amount of time and effort to adequately dry the textiles. Over-drying is also a common phenomenon that wastes more time and energy. The environmental impact of dryers is particularly acute in the united states and canada, where over 80% of households own dryers. Furthermore, it is known that certain laundry items adhere together during the drying cycle, which adversely affects the drying of those laundry items.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that significantly increases the efficiency of a tumble dryer in terms of time and energy without transferring chemicals or deposits to the textiles being dried and/or the atmosphere during the drying process.

It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that significantly reduces the time and energy required to dry textiles in a home or industrial tumble dryer.

It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a single use or reusable apparatus that allows a tumble dryer to efficiently and effectively dry textiles such as laundry.

It is an object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide an apparatus that reduces the time and energy required for a tumble dryer to dry at least one textile product, while ensuring that the textile product moves relative to the drum during the drying process and is in an inflated state, and that the apparatus is not damaged by the introduction of the apparatus.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for improving drying performance of a tumble dryer, the apparatus comprising:

a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion; and

a heat reflective layer disposed on an outward facing surface of the body portion.

Optionally, the device has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of about 30-100 mm.

Optionally, the device weighs about 3-55 grams.

Optionally, the maximum cross-sectional dimension to weight ratio is at least 1.15.

Optionally, the ratio is between 2 and 5.

Optionally, the body portion is substantially spherical, cylindrical, conical, annular, or ovoid, or the body portion defines at least a portion of such a three-dimensional shape.

Optionally, the body portion is substantially spherical.

Optionally, the body portion is a substantially hollow body defining at least one wall portion and an interior region.

Optionally, the wall portion has a thickness of between about 0.4mm and about 1 mm.

Optionally, the wall portion comprises at least one opening extending into the interior region.

Optionally, the wall portion includes a plurality of spaced apart openings, each opening extending into the interior region.

Optionally, the body portion comprises a substantially non-thermally conductive material.

Optionally, the at least one thermally reflective layer comprises a metallic material.

Optionally, the at least one thermally reflective layer comprises aluminum.

Optionally, the body portion comprises plastic.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the use of an apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention for improving the drying performance of a textile drying apparatus.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a device for improving the drying performance of a fabric drying appliance, the method comprising:

providing a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion; and

a heat reflective layer is disposed on an outward facing surface of the body portion.

Optionally, the method further comprises applying an adhesive to the outwardly facing surface of the body portion prior to disposing the heat reflective layer on the outwardly facing surface of the body portion.

Optionally, the arranging comprises applying a powder coating on an outwardly facing surface of the body portion.

Optionally, the thermally reflective layer comprises aluminum.

Optionally, the body portion comprises plastic.

Optionally, the body portion is substantially spherical.

Drawings

Certain embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a substantially solid device according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a substantially hollow device according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a set of test results associated with different heat reflecting devices according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows diameter/weight data for maximum cross-section versus% improvement in drying performance for the table in FIG. 3; and

fig. 5 illustrates the data diagram of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a substantially solid or core 102 and a heat reflective surface layer 104 thereon to provide the apparatus with an outwardly facing and substantially curved surface 106 having heat reflection. It will be understood that the term "layer" as used for the thermally reflective layer includes coatings, films and the like.

The device 100 as shown is substantially spherical, but may be substantially pyramidal, conical, egg-shaped or cuboid, etc., and has a substantially curved heat reflective outer surface. The heat reflective surface is suitably provided by a separate coating/layer/film applied to the outer surface of the body portion. For example, the polymeric body portion may be coated with a powder such as aluminum to provide a device that is substantially curved and has heat reflection.

The diameter of the spherical device as shown in fig. 1 is about 60mm, but may be about 40mm to about 100mm depending on the material and desired weight of the body portion 102. Depending on the thickness/material of the thermally reflective layer supported thereon, a 60mm diameter spherical device 100 has a substantially solid polyurethane foam or polystyrene body section/core 102 weighing about 5 to 15 g. A celluloid (celluloid) ball having a diameter of about 40mm weighs about 3 g. Suitably, the device has a weight of less than about 55g, and suitably about 15-40g, so that the device is not entangled in the textile being dried, thereby preventing the device from effectively reflecting heat in all directions of the drum (especially into the center of the drum) and throughout the textile to be dried.

Fig. 2 illustrates an apparatus 200 according to some alternative embodiments of the present invention. The device 200 includes a generally hollow body portion 202 and a heat reflective layer 204 thereon to provide the device with an outwardly directed heat reflective and generally curved surface 206. Optionally, at least one aperture 208 is provided in the hollow body portion to provide access to an interior region 210 of the device 100. Active ingredients, e.g., perfumes, powder/liquid softeners, and the like, can be placed in the interior region 210 through the aperture 208 prior to placing the device in the tumble dryer, and the ingredients can be gradually released from the device through at least one aperture during the drying cycle. Suitably, as shown, the device 200 optionally includes a plurality of spaced apart apertures 208 extending into the interior region 210. However, the device may be substantially hollow without any holes in its walls.

The thickness of the walls of the hollow body portion 202 is suitably between about 0.4mm and about 1.0mm, and the thermally reflective layer/coating 202 is a few microns thick. The diameter of the device 200 is about 40mm to about 100mm, depending on the material and desired weight of the body portion. Suitably, the device has a weight of less than about 55 grams, suitably from about 15 to 40 grams. The hollow acrylic spheres having a powder coating of aluminum and a maximum diameter of about 100mm weighed about 36g, and the hollow acrylic spheres having a powder coating of aluminum and a diameter of about 60mm weighed about 6.5 g.

The substantially hollow body portion 202 may be a metallic material, such as stainless steel, aluminum, silver, gold, etc., or suitably a plastic material, such as acetal (polyoxymethylene), acrylic, cellulose acetate, polystyrene, polyester, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene, nitrile, nylon TM, polypropylene, PTFE, PVC, etc. Suitably, the body portion is substantially resistant to collapse/collapse during the drum drying cycle, inexpensive, uncomplicated to manufacture (e.g., by molding), strong, lightweight, and substantially heat resistant.

The heat reflective layer 104, 204 is suitably a relatively thin layer of a metallic material (e.g., a metal, metal alloy, or metal oxide) or a colored and polished plastic material, suitably between about 0.01mm and 0.5mm thick. The heat reflective layer may be silver, gold, aluminum, or the like. Suitably, alloys/mixtures of aluminium may be used. The outer surface of the heat reflective layer is suitably silver, gold, amber gold, copper, bronze or the like in colour. A lacquer may be used to protect the outer surface of the heat reflective layer and provide its color. Suitably, the heat reflective layer/coating may be applied to the body portion by polishing, painting, powder coating, wet or dry coating or wrapping, or the like.

It is desirable that a hollow body, generally spherical or the like, made of a relatively rigid material such as plastic or metal, retain its shape in use and be substantially resistant to collapse/crumpling during drying. The outer surface of the body portion is substantially smooth and curved to reduce the risk of catching and damaging the drum and textile articles being dried. The weight of the substantially hollow body portion is minimized and, therefore, the noise level during the drying cycle is also reduced. The substantially smooth and curved body ensures that the device is not bound by the drying textiles as it rotates, but rather helps agitate the drying textiles to ensure that the items remain in motion relative to the drum of the tumble dryer, as well as remaining inflated during the drying process, without moving/jamming the items themselves.

The applicant carried out a number of tests using a conventional washing machine, a conventional tumble dryer, 2kg of white cotton cut into 4x 500g pieces, a sample of drying aid to be tested and a balance for weighing the sample. Each test was repeated at least ten times, approximately twenty times, and the average results were recorded. The total weight of the attached cotton sheet (interlocked cotton sheet) was first recorded before the sheet was placed in the washing machine. A 30 minute cold wash cycle was performed, which included a 1200 spin speed cycle without any addition to the machine. The wet sheet was immediately removed from the washing machine and the total weight "after wash" was recorded. The moist sheet was then placed in a tumble dryer and a drying cycle was performed for 60 minutes. The sheet was then immediately removed from the drum dryer and the total "after-drying" weight was recorded. The Residual Moisture Content (RMC) was calculated as a percentage using the following formula:

the moist sheet was then returned to the tumble dryer until completely dry for reuse in subsequent testing.

As shown in the table of FIG. 3, hollow PVC spheres (sphere 1) having a diameter of 65mm and a weight of 46g without a heat-reflective outer surface had a significant adverse effect on the drying performance (-36%) of the tumble dryer. Similarly, the drying performance of acrylic spheres (spheres 6) with a matt black outer coating and a diameter of 60mm and a weight of 6.5g was reduced by-5%. Thus, it can be seen that the spherical device having a heat reflective outer surface improves the dryer performance of the tumble dryer compared to the other results that follow.

Spheres 2 and 3, each consisting of a hollow rubber core covered in aluminum foil, although slightly different in diameter and weight, did not improve the drying performance, negligible compared to the control. The maximum cross-sectional diameter/weight ratios of the two samples were 1.01 and 1.08, respectively. The results for spheres 12 to 16 with a slightly higher maximum cross-sectional dimension/weight ratio between 1.15 and 1.73 show an improved drying performance compared to the control between 12% and 26%. The ball 12 comprises a solid polyurethane foam section with an aluminium foil covering. As best shown in the table of fig. 4, the optimum ratio is between 2.1 and 5.1 in order to improve drying performance. As the results for spheres 4, 5 and 9 show, drying performance decreases from optimum with increasing maximum size to weight ratio, although the performance of these samples is still desirable. Thus, the size and weight of the device is a particularly important factor in combination with the heat reflective outer surface to improve the drying performance of the tumble dryer.

The drying performance of hollow aluminum spheres (spheres 9) of 58 mm diameter and 11.9 g weight (ratio 4.87) was improved by only 2%. This result indicates that a device having a poor thermally conductive conductor (e.g., a plastic material) and a thermally reflective outer surface is desirable.

Many other tests were performed to evaluate the performance of devices having non-spherical cross-sections. It was found that the polyurethane foam cubes covered in the aluminium foil and having no curved surface had a particularly adverse effect on the drying performance of the tumble dryer, whereas the essentially egg-shaped samples of different weights (evaluated for the effect on the maximum size/weight ratio by increasing the weight internally) all showed an improvement in the drying performance.

Thus, it has been shown that a device according to some embodiments of the present invention, comprising a substantially curved three-dimensional body portion and a heat-reflective outer surface, has a particularly desirable effect on the drying performance of a tumble dryer. Suitably, the body portion is a hollow and substantially spherical body portion, which is non-thermally conductive or at least a poorly thermally conductive material, such as acrylic or polypropylene or the like, and has an aluminium coating. Suitably, the body portion has a maximum diameter of about 40 to 100mm and a weight of about 3 to 40 g. Suitably, the maximum cross-sectional dimension is, for example, at least 1.15, and approximately between 2.1 and 5.1, of the maximum diameter to weight ratio of the device.

Accordingly, certain embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus, use and method that significantly improves the efficiency and performance of the laundry drying process of a tumble dryer in terms of time and energy without imparting chemicals or residue to the textiles being dried and/or being discharged into the atmosphere or a drainage system during the drying process. It is desirable to reduce the time and energy required for home or industrial tumble dryers to dry textile materials. Shorter drying times are desirable if there is a rapid need for laundry and/or if, for example, a household is to dry a lot of laundry and/or if the existing tumble dryers are concerned that catch fire and therefore are at night or when they are not at home. Shorter drying times also mean less fibre damage, thus extending the life of the textiles and the tumble dryer itself. In view of the increased drying performance, the tumble dryer can be operated at a lower drying temperature, thereby saving energy and cost and further extending the life of the textiles and dryer heaters. The presence of non-metallic means according to certain embodiments of the present invention also helps to reduce/prevent static buildup between the articles being dried. The apparatus may be reusable, thereby saving material, waste, cost and energy, and one or more apparatuses may be used in a single drying cycle, depending on the desired drying performance and/or the amount/characteristics of textiles to be dried. The substantially curved and smooth outer surface of the device ensures that the risk of damage to the textile articles is minimized/prevented and also that the device is continuously moved relative to the item or items and does not get stuck or jammed. The apparatus also helps to separate, aerate and soften textiles during the tumble drying cycle without substantially increasing the noise or vibration level of the tumble dryer.