The present invention relates to a laundry washing-drying machine comprising an air duct wherein the drying air is circulated.

In laundry washing-drying machines, the laundry is generally placed into a drum that is rotated in a tub. The laundry in the drum is dried by passing the drying air delivered through a circulation duct over the laundry. The tub is connected to the body by means of dampers that prevent the vibrations that occur due to the rotation of the drum from being transferred to the body. The position of the air duct is of utmost importance due to the space limitations in the body. When the air duct have a structure that narrows down and widens at certain sections so as not to prevent the positions of other components in the body, the air flow in the air duct becomes irregular, which causes the drying duration to increase and the efficiency of the drying process to decrease. Considering especially the movable structure of the dampers and their movement, most of the volume in the body is used for the dampers and for the movement thereof, and therefore, other components cannot be positioned in the vicinity of the dampers.

In the state of the art European Patent Application No. EP1960586, a laundry washing drying machine is disclosed, comprising an air duct that does not take up too much space in the body.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a laundry washing-drying machine that enables the volume in the body to be utilized efficiently.

The laundry washing-drying machine realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof comprises a body; a tub that is disposed in the body and wherein the washing process is performed; a drum that is disposed in the tub, that is rotated in the tub by means of a motor and wherein the laundry is loaded; an air duct that is arranged in the body, that opens into the tub and through which the air to be blown onto the laundry is circulated, and at least one damper with one end connected to the tub and the other end to the body. The damper moves together with the drum and dampens the movement of the tub, enabling the vibrations transferred to the body to be decreased. The laundry washing-drying machine of the present invention comprises the damper that is positioned in the body so as to be at least partially in the air duct. At least one opening through which the damper is passed is provided on the air duct, allowing the damper to extend into the air duct, and the opening is covered by means of a sealing element. Thus, the need for allocating additional space in the body for placing the damper is eliminated, and the air duct can be formed so as to have a sufficient width.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper is passed through two openings provided on the air duct so as to enter from one side of the air duct and exit from the other side. As the need for fixing the damper in the air duct is eliminated, ease of placement is provided.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element is fixed to the circumference of the opening at one end so as to move together with the damper and attached to the damper at the other end. The sealing element changes form with the movement of the damper. Thus, the formation of gaps between the sealing element and the damper during the movement of the damper is prevented, and the risk of air leaks is effectively eliminated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element is accordion- shaped. Thus, the sealing element is enabled to be highly flexible in all directions.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element is attached onto an upper section of the damper remaining above the opening so as not to enter the air duct. Thus, the sealing element is prevented from blocking the air flow in the air duct.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the part of the damper that is in the air duct is covered with an insulation layer, and the insulation layer enables the damper to be almost completely insulated from the drying air that flows in the air duct. Thus, the damper is protected from corrosion.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a heat exchanger on which the humidity carried by the drying air is condensed is positioned in the air duct so as to be before the part of the damper in the air duct at the downstream of the air flow. Thus, the damper is enabled to contact the drying air that is dehumidified and protected against damages such as rusting and corrosion.

By means of the present invention, the need for decreasing the width of the air duct for placing the damper is eliminated, and thereby, the decrease in the flow rate of the drying air is minimized and the drying performance is increased effectively.

The laundry washing-drying machine realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the schematic view of the laundry washing-drying machine related to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the air duct, the damper and the sealing element related to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 - is the partial schematic view of the laundry washing-drying machine related to another embodiment of the present invention.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Laundry washing-drying machine

2. Body

3. Drum

4. Tub

5. Damper

6. Air duct

7. Opening

8. Sealing element

9. Insulation layer

10. Heat exchanger The laundry washing-drying machine (1) comprises a body (2); a drum (3) that is disposed in the body (2) and wherein the laundry is placed; a tub (4) in which the drum

(3) is moved; at least one damper (5) that provides the connection between the tub (4) and the body (2) and that enables the movements of the tub (4) to be dampened during the movement of the drum (3), and an air duct (6) that opens into the tub (4) and wherein the drying air is circulated. The drum (3) is rotated in the tub (4) around a rotation axis by means of a motor (not shown in figures). The tub (4) is attached to the body (2) profiles or the body (2) walls by means of dampers (5) such as springs, dampening means, shock absorbers, etc. The damper (5) moves together with the tub

(4) and enables the vibrations and oscillatory movements caused by the unbalanced loads in the rotating drum (3) to be compensated. Furthermore, the body (2) comprises an air duct (6) wherein the drying air flows and that enables the drying air passed through the laundry to be dried to be delivered into the drum (3).

The laundry washing-drying machine (1) of the present invention comprises one or more than one opening (7) provided on the air duct (6); the damper (5) that is passed through one or more than one opening (7) so that at least a portion thereof is positioned in the air duct (6), and at least one sealing element (8) that is produced from flexible material, that is positioned between the damper (5) and the air duct (6) so as to cover the opening (7) and that prevents the drying air from leaking into the body (2). The damper (5) extends into the air duct (6) through the opening (7) so that at least a part thereof is positioned in the air duct (6). The opening (7) is a wide hole that is formed on the air duct (6) so as to allow the damper (5) that moves in the horizontal and vertical directions during the dampening of the movements of the tub (4) to move without hitting the walls of the air duct (6). The flexible sealing element (8) that covers the opening (7) is disposed between the wall of the opening (7) and the damper (5) in order to prevent the air that flows in the air duct (6) from leaking and spreading into the body (2) by passing through the opening (7). The sealing element (8), thanks to its flexible structure, stretches during the movement of the damper (5) and prevents the drying air from leaving the air duct (6). Thus, the damper (5) is positioned in the body (2) so as to cause minimum loss of volume in the air duct (6), and the drying performance is improved by minimizing the pressure loss of the drying air in the air duct (6).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper (5) is passed through a plurality of openings (7) so that the ends of the former that are connected to the body (2) and the tub (4) remain outside the air duct (6). At least two openings (7) are provided on the opposite walls of the air duct (6), in other words, on the ceiling and the base thereof, and the damper (5) is passed through the air duct (6) so as to enter the air duct (6) through an opening (7) and extends out of the air duct (6) through the other opening (7). Thus, the damper (5) is positioned so that a middle section thereof between the ends that are connected to the body (2) and the tub (4) remains in the air duct (6). Consequently, the end sections of the damper (5) that are connected to the body (2) and the tub (4) are enabled to be positioned outside the air duct (6) and protected against corrosion due to the humidity. Thus, operational flaws that may occur in the movable connection regions are eliminated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (8) is attached onto the damper (5) so as to stretch with the movement of the damper (5). The sealing element (8) is fixed to the wall of the opening (7) from one edge and to the damper (5) from the other edge so as to move together with the damper (5). Thus, the contact between the sealing element (8) and the damper (5) is prevented from being interrupted due to deformations that may occur in the sealing element (8) over time or in cases such as the presence of unbalanced load in the drum (3) where the amplitude of the movement of the damper (5) is large, providing an efficient sealing.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (8) is bellows- shaped. Thus, the sealing element (8) is enabled to move in all directions in harmony with the movement of the damper (5).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (8) is positioned so as to remain almost completely outside the air duct (6). The sealing element (8) is fixed onto a part of the damper (5) remaining outside the air duct (6) so as not to enter the air duct (6) through the opening (7). Thus, the sealing element (8) is prevented from blocking the air flow in the air duct (6). In another embodiment of the present invention, the part of the damper (5) remaining in the air duct (6) is covered with an insulation layer (9) that enables the sealing element (5) to be insulated from the drying air. The insulation layer (9) is air impermeable and prevents the humid drying air from reaching the damper (5). Thus, the humidity in the drying air is prevented from condensing on the damper (5), and the part of the damper (5) remaining in the air duct (6) is enabled to be kept dry.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a heat exchanger (10) that enables the drying air to be dehumidified is provided in the air duct (6), and the damper (5) is positioned in the air duct (6) so as to be after the heat exchanger (10) according to the flow direction. In this embodiment, the laundry washing-drying machine (1) is preferably of heat pump type, and two heat exchangers (10) enabling the drying air to be dehumidified and heated are provided in the air duct (6). The damper (5) extends in the air duct (6) so as to remain behind the heat exchanger (10) that enables the drying air to be dehumidified. Thus, dehumidified drying air is passed over the damper (5), and the humidity is prevented from condensing on the surface of the damper (5).

By means of the present invention, since the need for allocating extra volume in the vicinity of the air duct (6) for placing the damper (5), in other words, the need for decreasing the width of the air duct (6) is eliminated, flow profile of the drying air in the air duct (6) is improved and the drying process is enabled to be performed quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, since the volume in the body (2) is used efficiently, the other components in the body (2) are enabled to be placed easily.