WO2008015237A1

WO2008015237A1 - A washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2008015237A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/057968
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bekir Ozyurt; Nihat Kandemir; Murat Dora
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2006-08-01
Filing date: 2007-08-01
Publication date: 2008-02-07
Also published as: CN101517142A; EP2049722A1; CN101517142B; EP2049722B1; ATE441754T1; DE602007002303D1; RU2401346C1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a washing machine (1) providing energy savings. In the washing machine (1) of this invention, heat generated by the motor (8) which drives the drum (13) is utilized to heat the water inside a heat exchanger (6).

Description

Description A WASHING MACHINE

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine which provides energy savings.

[0002] Washing machines necessitate water heating at various cycles, in accordance with the running program. Usually an electrical heater which requires high power is used to heat the water. Energy consumed for heating water constitutes in average 75% of the energy consumed for the entire washing process. This is why researches to reduce energy consumption have lately been concentrated on lessening the energy used by heaters.

[0003] In the state of the art United States of America patent application no. US4245488 describes how incoming cold water in a washing machine is heated by the heat diffused from semiconductor used in the motor controlling circuit. Heat is constantly exchanged between the circuit and the water circulating pump.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to produce a washing machine where the temperature of wash water will be augmented by making use of the motor circuit heat.

[0005] The washing machine designed to fulfill the objective of the present invention is described in the claims attached herewith. The washing machine which constitutes the object of this invention makes use of heat generated from the drum-driving motor to heat the cold water in the heat converting device. Water thus heated is used as wash water in the following cycles of the wash program. Studies reveal that motor heat reaches 25DC at the end of a fifteen-minute whirling and 30DC at the end of a twenty- five-minute whirling. Water running inside a heat converting device can therefore be heated up to 25DC-30DC by means of this invention. Considering that a certain number of wash programs are realized at 30DC, water heated as described above would mean either not operating the heat exchanger at all or operating it at a much lower degree.

[0006] In one application of this invention, the heat exchanger is a device separate and free from the motor and is located somewhere motionless within the body. The heat exchanger has no direct contact with the motor, and heat generated by the motor is transferred to the heat exchanger with a fan by means of artificial conveyance. The water in the heat converting device is heated as the wash program goes on, and the washing machine gets ready for a later cjcle requiring hot water. It is evident that a motor connected to a drum will vibrate all throughout its activity; whereas in the application of the present invention, the tubes of the heat exchanger do not touch the motor, heat being transferred from a distance. Therefore, vibrations emanating from the motor and the drum are not transmitted to these devices, preventing them to wear off and eventually break. This method also avoids various inconveniences which might be caused by mounting rigid devices on top of a vibrating structure. One further advantage of the application of the present invention is that it does not necessitate any modification of the motor. Hence, it can be applied onto already existing motors and washing machines.

[0007] In the application of the present invention, the fan, the motor, and the heat exchanger can be placed in various ways depending on the specificity of the fan (i.e. Is it radial or axial, in which direction does it advance, etc.).

[0008] In one application of this invention, in order to be able to better profit from the air which sweeps past the motor, a guide installed between the motor and the heat exchanger can be used. It is recommended to use a prism or a cone shaped guide with a gradually increasing cross section in the same direction as the air circulation. Thus, it becomes possible to use a heat exchanger with a surface area greater than that of the motor, and a same amount of water will be heated much more rapidly.

[0009] In one application of the present invention, water is circulated in the heat exchanger by means of a pump. This can be a specific pump with the sole function of circulating water inside the heat exchanger. But it is also possible to use either the circulation or the evacuation pump already existing in the machine.

[0010] The fan used in the application of the present invention is the same fan which serves to cool the motor. Since such fans are driven by a motor exit shaft, there will be no need for a separate fan motor.

[0011] A washing machine designed to fulfil the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0012] Figure 1 - is the schematic side view of the washing machine

[0013] Figure 2 - is the schematic side view of another application of the washing machine

[0014] Figure 3 - is the schematic top view of one other application of the washing machine

[0015] The elements illustrated in the drawings are numbered as follows:

[0016] 1. Washing machine

[0017] 2. Water entry

[0018] 3. Heater

[0019] 4. Pump

[0020] 5. Body

[0021] 6. Heat exchanger

[0022] 7. Fin [0023] 8. Motor [0024] 9. Tub [0025] 10. Fan [0026] 11. Valve [0027] 12. Control unit [0028] 13. Drum [0029] 14. Guide

[0030] A washing machine (1) comprises of a body (5),

- a tub (9) inside the body (5),

- a drum (13) which turns inside the tub (9) and where are placed the clothes to be washed, and,

- a motor (8) which drives the drum (13).

[0031] The washing machine (1) of the present invention is also equipped with a heat exchanger (6) that is in heat exchange with the motor (8), and provides the necessitating water for any one of the cycles of a wash program to be taken at an earlier cjcle and to be heated with the heat generated by the motor (8) and that it is connected to the tub (9) by one end -for transferring the heated water into the tub (9) at the relevant cjcle.

[0032] In this application, water required by the main wash cjcle can be transferred into the heat exchanger (6) for instance during a pre-wash cycle. Heat generated by the motor (8) during the pre-wash cjcle heats the water in the heat exchanger (8). When the main wash cjcle starts, the hot water in the heat exchanger (6) will be poured into the tub (9) and will be utilised as wash water.

[0033] In one application of the present invention, the motor (8) is attached to the tub (9), whereas the heat exchanger (6) is mounted apart from the motor (8) inside the body (5) somewhere motionless. In this application, heat transfer is realized by artificial conveyance. The heat exchanger (6) is not affected by the vibrations of the tub (9) nor of the motor (8), and therefore, does not easily wear off. In this application, the washing machine is equipped with a fan (10) in order to effectuate artificial conveyance. Heat generated by the motor (8) heats the air, which is then fanned towards the heat exchanger (6).

[0034] In one other application of the present invention, the washing machine (1) is equipped, in addition to the above, with:

- an entry (2) for water supply from the local water network, - a control unit (12) which serves to effectuate various functions,

- a heater (3) which heats the water up to the appropriate degree (Tp) according to the wash program selected by the user,

- a pump (4) which helps to circulate the water inside the heat exchanger (6), and,

- a valve (11) which transfers the water from the heat exchanger (6) into the tub

(9). In this application, both ends of the heat exchanger (6) are connected to the pump (4). It is recommended to use a solenoid valve with single entry - double exit. The pump will thus pour the water either into the tub (9) or into the heat exchanger (6). In this application, at any one of the stages of a selected program, the control unit (12) enables water inflow through the water entry (2). The inflowing water is naturally at the same temperature as water at the local water network (Ts). Water from the local network, although with certain variations due to climate and season, is generally between 8DC and 15DC. The control unit (12) emits a particular signal to the valve (11) in order to let the water coming in through the entry (2) to collect inside the heat exchanger (6) instead of pouring into the tub (9). Then, it operates the pump (4) and the fan (10) to enable the water coming in through the entry (2) to circulate inside the heat exchanger (6). At the start, this water is at a low temperature (Ts). The pump (4) recirculates it several times inside the heat exchanger (6). At this same time, hot air agitated by the fan (10) sweeps past the motor (8) and reaches the heat exchanger (6). Hot air heats the water circulating inside the heat exchanger (6) almost as high as the motor (8) temperature (Tm). When a selected program reaches a cjcle requiring hot water, the control unit (12) opens the valve (11) and lets the heated water in the heat exchanger (6) pour into the tub (9). It is only after this stage and if the selected program necessitates a hotter temperature that the heater (3) is activated, and the water is further heated up to the temperature required by the selected wash program (Tp). This means that the heater (3) starts heating the water not from the local water temperature (Ts) but from the motor (8) temperature (Tm) upwards, and is therefore activated for a much shorter period. Furthermore, certain wash programs requiring hot water temperature (Tp) at 30DC do not necessitate operating the heater (3) at all because the temperature of water circulating in the heat exchanger (6) is adequate enough. Therefore, energy consumption is sensibly reduced. The time that it takes water to circulate inside the heat exchanger (6) is either a fixed period predetermined by the manufacturer or is a variable period controled by sensors (not illustrated on the annexes) that measure water temperature.

[0036] In one other application of the present invention, the washing machine (1) is equipped with a heat exchanger (6) on top of which are installed fins (7) in order to augment heat transfer (Figure 1). This way, time necessary to heat the water up to motor (8) temperature (Tm) is reduced still further.

[0037] Several different types of fans (10) can be used in various applications of this invention. In one example where an air-blowing axial fan (10) is utilized, the fan (10), the motor (8) and the heat exchanger (6) are mounted one after the other in the same direction as circulates air after being stirred up by the fan (10) (Figure X). In one other example where an air- aspirating axial fan (10) is employed, the fan (10) is located in between the motor (8) and the heat exchanger (6). The fan (10) aspirates air from the top of the motor (8) and then pushes it towards the heat exchanger (6) (Figure 1). In the case where a radial fan (10) is used, the fan (6) absorbs air from the top of the motor located in front in its rotation axe and then pushes it towards the heat exchanger (6) located alongside in a radial direction (Figure 3).

[0038] In one application of the present invention, the washing machine (1) includes a guide (14) which traverses the air stirred up by the fan (10) and is mounted either between the motor (8) and the heat exchanger (6) or between the fan (10) and the heat exchanger (6), but with no direct contact with the motor (8) (Figure 2). The function of a guide (14) is to ensure that a maximum amount of the air passing over the motor (8) reaches the heat exchanger (6) with the least possible loss.

[0039] In the application of the present invention, it is recommended to activate the fan (10) with a motor (8) exit shaft, which can also serve to cool the motor (8) (Figure 2). As for the pump (4), the circulation or the evacuation pump already existing in the washing machine can be used for this purpose.

[0040] The washing machine (1) constituting the object of the present invention consumes little energy because the heater (3) operates to a lesser extent. Furthermore, as the heat exchanger (6) and the guide (14) are located apart from the motor (8), they are less subject to vibrations and are therefore less exposed to wear off.

Claims

[0001] A washing machine (1) for washing and cleaning clothes with water, comprising a body (5), a tub (9) placed within the body (5), a drum (13), which rotates inside the tub (9), wherein the clothes to be washed are emplaced, and a motor (8) which enables the drum (13) to rotate; characterized by a heat exchanger (6) that is in heat exchange with the motor (8), and provides the necessitating water for any one of the cycles of a wash program to be taken at an earlier cycle and to be heated with the heat generated by the motor (8) and that it is connected to the tub (9) by one end -for transferring the heated water into the tub (9) at the relevant cycle..

[0002] A washing machine (1) as described in Claim 1 here-above, characterized by a motor (8) attached to the tub (9) and a heat exchanger (6) which is installed apart from the motor (8) somewhere motionless within the body (5).

[0003] A washing machine (1) as described in Claim 2 here-above, characterized by a fan (10) which moves the air heated by the heat generated by the motor (8) towards the heat exchanger (6).

[0004] A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims here-above, characterized by an entry (2) through which flows water from the local water network, a control unit (12) which ensures the accomplishment of various functions, a pump (4) which helps circulate water inside the heat exchanger (6), and a valve (11) which enables water coming from the heat exchanger (6) to pour into the tub (9).

[0005] A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims here-above, characterized by fins (7) installed over the heat exchanger (6) and which facilitate heat transmission.

[0006] A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims 1 to 5 here-above, characterized by an air-blowing axial fan (10) and in the back of this fan (10) a motor (8) and a heat exchanger (6) installed one behind the other in the direction of air circulation.

[0007] A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims 1 to 5 here-above, characterized by an air-aspirating axial fan (10) mounted in between the motor (8) and the heat exchanger (6).

[0008] A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims 1 to 5 here-above, characterized by a radial fan (10) arranged in between the motor and the heat exchanger (6). A washing machine (1) as described in any one of the Claims 6 to 8 here-above, characterized by a guide (14) which passes through the air stirred up by the fan (10) but without any direct contact with the motor.