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EP-4737633-A1 - LAUNDRY TREATING DEVICE

EP4737633A1EP 4737633 A1EP4737633 A1EP 4737633A1EP-4737633-A1

Abstract

Laundry treating device including: a heat exchanger (1), configured to perform heat exchange by using gas used for treating laundry; and a cleaning unit (4), configured to clean at least a windward surface (10) of the heat exchanger (1) facing towards the gas (8) with a cleaning fluid, a spraying direction of the cleaning fluid is along the windward surface, where the heat exchanger (1) and the cleaning unit (4) at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction of the cleaning fluid.

Inventors

  • Wang, Yongjia
  • SAGÜES GARCÍA, Xabier
  • LENG, Yin
  • XU, YONGGANG
  • ZHANG, RUI

Assignees

  • BSH Hausgeräte GmbH

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251022

Claims (10)

  1. A laundry treating device, characterized by comprising: a heat exchanger (1), wherein the heat exchanger (1) is configured to perform heat exchange with gas (8) used for treating laundry (9); and a cleaning unit (4), wherein the cleaning unit (4) is configured to clean at least a windward surface (10) of the heat exchanger (1) facing towards the gas (8) by using a cleaning fluid (43), a spraying direction (44) of the cleaning fluid (43) is along the windward surface (10), wherein the heat exchanger (1) and the cleaning unit (4) at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction (44) of the cleaning fluid (43).
  2. The laundry treating device according to claim 1, characterized in that : the heat exchanger (1) is provided with a notch (11) on the windward surface (10), and the cleaning unit (4) is at least partially disposed in the notch (11).
  3. The laundry treating device according to claim 2, characterized in that : the cleaning unit (4) comprises a flow pipe (40) for the cleaning fluid (43) to flow, outflow holes (41) are provided on a wall of the flow pipe (40), to at least clean the windward surface (10) by using the cleaning fluid (43) flowing out from the outflow holes (41), and the flow pipe (40) is at least partially disposed in the notch (11); and/or the notch (11) is a long strip-shaped notch extending in a heat exchanger extending direction (15), wherein the heat exchanger extending direction (15) is transverse to a gas flow direction (81) of the gas (8).
  4. The laundry treating device according to claim 3, characterized in that : in a cross section of the heat exchanger (1) that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction (15), the notch (11) matches the flow pipe (40); and/or in a cross section of the heat exchanger (1) that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction (15), the notch (11) is in a rounded corner shape; and/or the flow pipe (40) extends in the heat exchanger extending direction (15), and a plurality of the outflow holes (41) are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction (15); and/or in a vertical direction (6), the outflow holes (41) are located at an upper side of the windward surface (10); and/or the laundry treating device comprises a cover (3) for the heat exchanger (1), and the flow pipe (40) is integrated into or mounted on the cover (3).
  5. The laundry treating device according to claim 4, characterized in that : the cover (3) comprises a concave portion (33), wherein the concave portion (33) forms at least a part of the flow pipe (40) and is suitable for being provided in the notch (11), the outflow hole (41) is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion (33), the cover (3) is provided with a sealing cap (7), and the sealing cap (7) is configured to cover an opening (36) of the concave portion (33) to form the closed flow pipe (40).
  6. The laundry treating device according to claim 4, characterized in that : the heat exchanger (1) comprises a first heat exchanger (13) used as an evaporator and a second heat exchanger (14) used as a condenser, wherein the first heat exchanger (13) is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger (14) in the gas flow direction (81) of the gas (8), and the first heat exchanger (13) and the second heat exchanger (14) are respectively configured with the cleaning unit (4).
  7. The laundry treating device according to claim 6, characterized in that : the first heat exchanger (13) and the second heat exchanger (14) share the cover (3), the cleaning unit (4) of the first heat exchanger (13) comprises a first flow pipe (401) used as the flow pipe (40), the cleaning unit (4) of the second heat exchanger (14) comprises a second flow pipe (402) used as the flow pipe (40), and both the first flow pipe (401) and the second flow pipe (402) are disposed on the cover (3).
  8. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that : the windward surface (10) is a vertical surface; and/or the spraying direction (44) is the vertical direction (6); and/or the gas (8) is perpendicular to the windward surface (10) and flows through the heat exchanger (1).
  9. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that : the cleaning unit (4) is a flushing unit configured to flush the windward surface (10) by using liquid; and/or the heat exchanger (1) is in a square shape; and/or the heat exchanger (1) is a microchannel heat exchanger or a finned heat exchanger.
  10. The laundry treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that : the laundry treating device is a washer-dryer or a dryer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to a laundry treating device, and in particular, to a washer-dryer or a dryer. BACKGROUND In homes, laundry treating devices are usually used for treating laundry. In addition to a laundering function, a high-end laundry treating device usually has a drying function. To achieve the drying function, heated gas needs to be passed through the laundry. The gas is usually heated to a suitable temperature by using a heat exchanger. The gas flows to a windward surface of the heat exchanger, and then passes through the heat exchanger. However, a lot of fluffs are usually mixed in the gas. The fluffs accumulate on the windward surface of the heat exchanger and block the gas from passing through the windward surface. Therefore, a cleaning unit is disposed. Currently, the cleaning unit and the heat exchanger are independent of each other, resulting in occupying a large volume. SUMMARY An objective of embodiments of this application is to provide a laundry treating device, so that a compact structure of a cleaning unit and a heat exchanger can be obtained. According to a first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a laundry treating device, including: a heat exchanger, configured to perform heat exchange with gas used for treating laundry; anda cleaning unit, configured to clean at least a windward surface of the heat exchanger facing towards the gas by using a cleaning fluid, a spraying direction of the cleaning fluid is along the windward surface, wherethe heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least partially overlap with each other in the spraying direction of the cleaning fluid. Therefore, sizes of the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit at least in the spraying direction are compact. According to an optional embodiment of this application, the heat exchanger is provided with a notch on the windward surface, and the cleaning unit is at least partially disposed in the notch. Therefore, a volume occupied by the heat exchanger and the cleaning unit is small. According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cleaning unit includes a flow pipe for the cleaning fluid to flow, outflow holes are provided on a wall of the flow pipe, to at least clean the windward surface by using the cleaning fluid flowing out from the outflow holes, and the flow pipe is at least partially disposed in the notch; and/or the notch is a long strip-shaped notch extending in a heat exchanger extending direction, and the heat exchanger extending direction is transverse to a gas flow direction. Through the flow pipe, the cleaning unit can be achieved by using a simple structure and an entire windward surface can be conveniently cleaned. The long-strip shaped notch make it easy to manufacture and clean the entire windward surface. According to an optional embodiment of this application, in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch matches the flow pipe; and/or in a cross section of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the heat exchanger extending direction, the notch is in a rounded corner shape; and/orthe flow pipe extends in the heat exchanger extending direction, and a plurality of the outflow holes are provided in sequence in the heat exchanger extending direction; and/orin a vertical direction, the outflow holes are located at an upper side of the windward surface; and/orthe laundry treating device includes a cover for the heat exchanger, and the flow pipe is integrated into or mounted on the cover. The notch matches the flow pipe, so that space saving is maximized and impact on the size of the heat exchanger is reduced. The rounded corner shape of the notch makes the notch easy to be manufactured, and therefore, the flow pipe matching the notch also be in a rounded corner shape, so that the circulation of the fluid is smoother. In another optional embodiment, the notch may alternatively be in another shape such as a square shape or a triangular shape. Through the plurality of outflow holes, the cleaning fluid can be evenly sprayed out in the heat exchanger extending direction. The outflow holes are located at the upper side of the windward surface, so that especially the cleaning fluid in a liquid state can perform more effective cleaning through gravity. The flow pipe is disposed on the cover, so that the structure is simple. According to an optional embodiment of this application, the cover includes a concave portion, where the concave portion forms at least a part of the flow pipe and is suitable for being provided in the notch, the outflow hole is provided at a bottom portion of the concave portion, the cover is provided with a sealing cap, and the sealing cap is configured to cover an opening of the concave portion to form the closed flow pipe. Therefore, the flow pipe can be conveniently formed and is easily manufactured. According to an optional embodiment of this applicat