Conditioning system for a condenser dryer appliance

Abstract

A condenser dryer including a cabinet defining an indoor air vent and an external air vent, a drum rotatably mounted within the cabinet, the drum being fluidly coupled to a supply duct and a return duct, and a conditioning system positioned within the cabinet, wherein the conditioning system is fluidly coupled to the supply duct and the return duct to define a process air flow path and is fluidly coupled to the indoor air vent and the external air vent to define a cooling air flow path. A blower fan urges a flow of process air along the process air flow path and a cooling air fan urges a flow of cooling air through the cooling air flow path, wherein the cooling air fan is reversible to draw the flow of cooling air in through the indoor air vent or through the external air vent depending on conditions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A condenser dryer, comprising:
 a cabinet defining an indoor air vent and an external air vent;   a drum rotatably mounted within the cabinet, the drum defining a chamber for receipt of articles for drying, the drum being fluidly coupled to a supply duct and a return duct;   a conditioning system positioned within the cabinet, wherein the conditioning system is fluidly coupled to the supply duct and the return duct to define a process air flow path and is fluidly coupled to the indoor air vent and the external air vent to define a cooling air flow path;   a blower fan fluidly coupled to the process air flow path for urging a flow of process air along the process air flow path; and   a cooling air fan fluidly coupled to the cooling air flow path for urging a flow of cooling air along the cooling air flow path, wherein the cooling air fan is operable in a first mode of operation to draw the flow of cooling air in through the indoor air vent and discharge the flow of cooling air through the external air vent and in a second mode of operation to draw the flow of cooling air in through the external air vent and discharge the flow of cooling air through the indoor air vent.   
     
     
         2 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller in operative communication with the cooling air fan, the controller being configured to:
 operate the cooling air fan in the first mode of operation;   identify a trigger condition; and   operate the cooling air fan in the second mode of operation in response to identifying the trigger condition.   
     
     
         3 . The condenser dryer of  claim 2 , wherein identifying the trigger condition comprises:
 obtaining at least one of an indoor temperature or an outdoor temperature; and   identifying the trigger condition based at least in part on the indoor temperature or the outdoor temperature.   
     
     
         4 . The condenser dryer of  claim 2 , wherein the trigger condition is based on an outdoor temperature or a time of year. 
     
     
         5 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the indoor air vent is in fluid communication with an indoor environment. 
     
     
         6 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the external air vent is in fluid communication with an outdoor environment. 
     
     
         7 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning system comprises an air-to-air heat exchanging condenser. 
     
     
         8 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning system further comprises:
 a heating assembly positioned within the process air flow path for heating the flow of process air.   
     
     
         9 . The condenser dryer of  claim 8 , wherein the heating assembly comprises a resistance heater positioned within the return duct upstream of a return opening. 
     
     
         10 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the cooling air fan is a reversible axial fan positioned within an indoor air duct or an external air duct. 
     
     
         11 . The condenser dryer of  claim 1 , wherein the process air flow path is a closed loop airflow circuit. 
     
     
         12 . A conditioning system for a condenser dryer, the conditioning system comprising:
 a process air flow path comprising a supply duct and a return duct fluidly coupled to a drum of the condenser dryer;   a cooling air flow path comprising an indoor air duct fluidly coupled to an indoor environment and an external air duct fluidly coupled to an outdoor environment;   a condenser fluidly coupled to the supply duct, the return duct, the indoor air duct, and the external air duct such that the process air flow path and the cooling air flow path are in thermal communication with each other while remaining in fluid isolation; and   a cooling air fan fluidly coupled to the cooling air flow path for urging a flow of cooling air along the cooling air flow path, wherein the cooling air fan is operable in a first mode of operation to draw the flow of cooling air in from the indoor environment and in a second mode of operation to draw the flow of cooling air in from the outdoor environment.   
     
     
         13 . The conditioning system of  claim 12 , further comprising a controller in operative communication with the cooling air fan, the controller being configured to:
 operate the cooling air fan in the first mode of operation;   identify a trigger condition; and   operate the cooling air fan in the second mode of operation in response to identifying the trigger condition.   
     
     
         14 . The conditioning system of  claim 13 , wherein identifying the trigger condition comprises:
 obtaining at least one of an indoor temperature or an outdoor temperature; and   identifying the trigger condition based at least in part on the indoor temperature or the outdoor temperature.   
     
     
         15 . The conditioning system of  claim 13 , wherein the trigger condition is based on an outdoor temperature or a time of year. 
     
     
         16 . The conditioning system of  claim 12 , wherein the conditioning system comprises an air-to-air heat exchanging condenser. 
     
     
         17 . The conditioning system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a heating assembly positioned within the process air flow path for heating the flow of process air.   
     
     
         18 . The conditioning system of  claim 17 , wherein the heating assembly comprises a resistance heater positioned within the return duct upstream of a return opening. 
     
     
         19 . The conditioning system of  claim 12 , wherein the cooling air fan is a reversible axial fan positioned within the indoor air duct or the external air duct. 
     
     
         20 . The conditioning system of  claim 12 , wherein the process air flow path is a closed loop airflow circuit.