WASHING/DRYING MACHINE WITH A SPIDER-SHAPED DEVICE FOR CLEANING AN AIR FILTER

• US 20170350065A1
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool EMEA SpA (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool EMEA SpA (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: BOMBARDIERI, GIOVANNI
• Granted Patent: US 10,443,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a washing/drying machine equipped with a filter cleaning device for removing filaments released by laundry items during the washing/drying cycle. For this purpose, the cleaning device comprises nozzles arranged in a spider-like pattern, which spray water onto the filtering wall, on the side thereof facing towards the drying tub.

Claims

1. A washing/drying machine comprising a washing/drying chamber, a basket for loading laundry to be treated, housed in said chamber, a circuit for circulating air taken in from the chamber and then reintroduced therein, a filter for filtering the air along the circulation circuit and comprising a cleaning device adapted to spray water onto the filter on the side thereof whereon filaments get deposited during the circulation of air in the associated circuit.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises at least one filtering wall and water is sprayed against the filtering wall substantially tangential thereto or at a small angle of incidence.

3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the filter comprises a structure that supports at least one filtering wall and one nozzle.

4. The machine according to claim 3, wherein the structure of the filter comprises means for connecting to a hydraulic circuit for supplying water to the nozzles.

5. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a structure having a substantially cylindrical geometry and supporting at least one filtering wall arranged frontally relative to the filter, and wherein the water nozzles are supported in a radial pattern relative to the filter structure.

6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the nozzles are arranged on a spider-shaped support.

7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein the nozzles are lower than and/or projecting from the filtering wall.

8. The machine according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a hydraulic circuit for recirculating water coming from the washing chamber and/or from the air circuit, to be supplied to the nozzles.

9. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the filter is located on a back wall of the washing chamber, so that the removed filaments will fall into the chamber or into an adjacent portion of the air intake circuit.

10. A washing/drying machine comprising a washing/drying chamber, a basket housed in said chamber for loading laundry to be treated, a circulation circuit for circulating air taken in from the chamber, a filter for filtering the air along the circulation circuit comprising a structure having a substantially cylindrical geometry and supporting at least one filtering wall arranged frontally relative to the filter, and a cleaning device comprising water nozzles supported in a radial pattern relative to the filter structure for spraying water onto the filter structure, on the side thereof whereon filaments get deposited during the circulation of air in the associated circuit.

11. The washing/drying machine according to claim 10, wherein the nozzles are arranged on a spider-shaped support.

12. The washing/drying machine according to claim 11, wherein the nozzles project from the filtering wall.