CN109385856B

CN109385856B - Clothes dryer

Info

Publication number: CN109385856B
Application number: CN201810895579.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 椎桥贞男; 河野哲之; 西肋智; 堀田凉子; 横山广; 小辻贵行
Original assignee: Kowa Co Ltd; Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Kowa Co Ltd; Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2017-08-08
Filing date: 2018-08-08
Publication date: 2021-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-08
Also published as: JP7010625B2; CN113215797A; CN113215797B; CN113215798B; CN113215798A; CN109385856A; JP2019030506A

Abstract

In the clothes dryer of the embodiment, the filter unit includes: a box having an inlet part and an outlet part of the drying air connected to the drying air circulation duct; a filter panel provided on the top surface of the case and blocking the take-out port in an attached state of the filter unit to the main body; a filter member provided on a mounting wall of the filter member of the cartridge to capture the thread end; a cleaning member movably disposed in the case and configured to remove the thread ends accumulated on the filter member by moving; and an operation member for moving the cleaning member to perform a sweeping operation; the cleaning member is provided with an opening portion that communicates from the inlet portion side to the outlet portion side even when the cleaning member is positioned on the inlet portion side in the cartridge.

Description

Clothes dryer

The present application is based on and claims priority from japanese patent application No. 2017-153298, filed 8/8 in 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer.

Background

There is a clothes dryer which supplies warm air into a storage chamber in which clothes are stored to dry the clothes. In the clothes dryer, there is a fear that lint coming out of clothes and called lint is scattered to the outside of the machine or enters a heat exchanger portion. Therefore, in order to prevent the yarn ends from scattering, a filter for trapping the yarn ends is provided in the air passage. In this case, in order to prevent the clogging of the filter and the reduction of the air volume, a user usually performs a cleaning operation of the filter periodically using a brush, cloth, or the like to remove the accumulated lint. In addition, in the conventional clothes dryer, it is also considered to provide a lint removing device for automatically cleaning the filter for catching lint.

Conventionally, it takes time and effort for a user to clean a filter. Further, when a motor-driven thread end removing device is provided, the structure is complicated and expensive.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer which has a relatively simple structure and in which a filter member for catching a thread end can be easily cleaned.

The clothes dryer of the embodiment comprises: an accommodating groove which is arranged in the main body and accommodates clothes; a dry air circulation duct provided in the main body to circulate and supply dry air to the housing tank; and a filter unit which is provided to be able to enter and exit from an outlet of the top surface portion of the main body, is arranged in a midway portion of the drying air circulation duct in an attached state of being attached to the main body, and captures a thread end included in the drying air; characterized in that the filter unit comprises: a box having an inlet part and an outlet part for the drying air connected to the drying air circulation duct; a filter panel provided on a top surface of the case, the filter panel closing the outlet in an attached state in which the filter unit is attached to the main body; a filter member provided on a mounting wall of the filter member of the cartridge and capturing the thread end; a cleaning member movably disposed in the case and configured to remove the thread ends accumulated on the filter member by moving; and an operation member for moving the cleaning member to perform a sweeping operation; the cleaning member is provided with an opening portion communicating from the inlet portion side to the outlet portion side in a state where the cleaning member is positioned on the inlet portion side in the cartridge.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an external appearance of a washing and drying machine according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the washing and drying machine according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal right side view of an upper duct portion according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical right side view of the upper duct portion in a state where the filter unit is removed according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a left side view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1 in a state where the filter cover is closed.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1 in a state where the filter cover is opened and the cleaning member is at the lowest position.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1, with a filter cover removed.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal left side view of the filter unit according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a portion E of fig. 10 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional side view showing a side view of the moving mechanism housing part according to embodiment 1 with an outer wall removed to show a normal position of the operation member and a standby position of the cleaning member corresponding to the normal position.

Fig. 13 is a side view showing a position of the operation member during movement with an outer wall of the moving mechanism housing portion removed and a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a lowest position of the cleaning member corresponding to the position, in accordance with embodiment 1, arranged vertically.

Fig. 14 is a side view showing a pushing-in position of the operation member with an outer wall of the moving mechanism housing portion removed and a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a position of the cleaning member being lifted corresponding to the pushing-in position, in accordance with embodiment 1, arranged vertically.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main portion of fig. 14 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 8) showing a state of variation in thickness dimension at the left and right positions of the blade of the cleaning member according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of variation in thickness dimension at right and left positions of the squeegee according to embodiment 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiment 1 applied to a drum-type washing and drying machine having a washing function and a drying function will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 16. Fig. 1 and 2 show the appearance of a drum-type washing and drying machine as a clothes drying machine according to the present embodiment. A main body 1, which is an outer casing of the washing and drying machine, has a substantially rectangular box shape, and a bottom portion is provided with a platen 2. A circular entrance 3 for taking in and out clothes is provided at a substantially central portion of the front surface of the main body 1. A door 4 is openably and closably attached to the front surface of the main body 1 to open and close the doorway 3. An operation panel 5 is provided in front of the top surface of the main body 1. Further, a detergent supply box 6 is provided on the left end side of the upper portion of the main body 1.

Although not shown, the following mechanisms are provided in the main body 1 as is well known. That is, a water tank having a substantially cylindrical shape with a front surface opened and communicating with the inlet/outlet 3 is provided in the main body 1. In the water tub, a drum is provided as a housing tank for housing clothes. The water tank is elastically supported on the platen 2 via an elastic support mechanism. The drum is in a cylindrical shape having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the water tank. The drum is connected to a drive mechanism such as a motor at the center on the back side thereof and is rotationally driven. Further, a water supply mechanism is provided in the main body 1, which is located above the water tank, and supplies water into the water tank. The bottom of the rear part of the water tank is provided with a water outlet. The drain port is connected to a drain pipe via a drain valve.

The water tank is provided with an air outlet at a position close to the right of the front top surface. Further, the water tank is provided with an air supply port near the left side of the back surface portion. Although not shown in detail as a whole, a drying air circulation duct for circulating and supplying warm air for drying into the drum is provided outside the water tank in the main body 1. An inlet of the drying air circulation duct is connected to the discharge port of the water tank. The outlet of the drying air circulation duct is connected to the supply port of the water tank. The drying air circulation duct extends upward from the outlet of the water tank at the upper portion of the inside of the main body 1, then bends rearward, and extends rearward at the right side edge portion of the upper portion of the inside of the main body 1.

In this case, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, a portion of the drying air circulation duct extending rearward at the right side portion of the upper portion in the main body 1 is referred to as an upper duct 8. As shown in fig. 3, a filter unit 7 is provided in the upper duct 8 portion. The upper duct 8 has a rectangular cross section, and a rectangular opening 8a is formed in an upper wall portion of the arrangement portion of the filter unit 7. The structure of the filter unit 7 will be described later. The drying air circulation duct extends further rearward from the filter unit 7, i.e., the upper duct 8, and then bends downward and extends on the rear surface side of the water tub, and is folded in a U-shape and connected to the supply port of the water tub.

A dehumidification section and a warm air supply device are provided midway in the dry air circulation duct and downstream of the upper duct 8. The dehumidification section is configured to condense moisture contained in the drying air by, for example, heat exchange, i.e., water-cooling dehumidification, thereby performing dehumidification. The warm air supply device includes a fan device and a heater. Further, a heat pump may be used as the dehumidification section and the warm air supply device.

Thus, if the warm air supply device is driven during the drying operation, the dry air, which is the air in the water tank, is sucked into the dry air circulation duct from the discharge port. This drying air flows backward through the filter unit 7 of the upper duct 8 as indicated by an arrow a in fig. 3. Then, the drying air is dehumidified by the dehumidifying section, heated by the heater to become warm air, and supplied from the supply port into the water tank. At this time, when the drying air passes through the filter unit 7, the thread included in the drying air is caught.

The filter unit 7 and its peripheral structure will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 16. Here, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, a rectangular outlet 9, which is slightly larger than the rectangular opening 8a of the upper duct 8, is formed in the top surface of the main body 1 so as to communicate with the upper side of the rectangular opening 8 a. The outlet 9 and the rectangular opening 8a are connected to each other through a step 9 a. The filter unit 7 is substantially divided into a box 10 disposed in the upper duct 8 and a filter panel 11 provided on the top surface of the box 10 and disposed so as to close the outlet 9. The filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1 so as to be detachable from above the outlet 9 with respect to the main body 1, in other words, so as to be accessible.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, a backup filter unit 12 is provided in the upper duct 8. The backup filter unit 12 is composed of a plastic frame-shaped portion 13 formed in a lattice shape, and a filter member 14 made of, for example, nonwoven fabric provided to close the opening of the frame-shaped portion 13. The frame-shaped portion 13 is formed into a plate shape having a substantially L-shaped side surface, i.e., a lattice frame shape. Specifically, the frame-shaped portion 13 integrally includes: a rectangular plate-shaped bottom surface portion located below the rectangular opening 8a and arranged in a floating manner in the vicinity of the bottom portion in the upper duct 8; and a rectangular plate-shaped rear surface portion rising upward from the rear edge of the bottom surface portion and connected to the rear edge portion of the rectangular opening 8 a. In this way, a space for accommodating the cartridge 10 of the filter unit 7 is formed in the upper duct 8 below the outlet 9 by the left and right side walls of the upper duct 8 and the backup filter unit 12.

As shown in fig. 5 to 9, the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is formed of plastic and has a rectangular box shape with an open front surface and a slightly long lateral length when viewed from the front. The case 10 has left and right side walls and an upper wall, and the bottom wall and the rear wall are formed as filter member mounting walls 10a that are connected in a substantially circular arc shape when viewed from the side. The upper wall portion of the cartridge 10 is opened in a laterally long manner at a portion thereof closer to the front in this case. The filter panel 11 is provided so as to overlap with the top surface of the cartridge 10. As shown in fig. 6, 9, and 12 to 14, the filter member attachment wall 10a is formed in a lattice frame shape having a plurality of ribs in the vertical and horizontal directions and a plurality of rectangular openings between the ribs. A filter member 15 made of, for example, nonwoven fabric is provided to close the plurality of openings of the filter member attachment wall 10a from the back side.

As shown in fig. 3, in the attached state of the filter unit 7 to the main body 1, the front opening of the case 10 is disposed so as to be continuous with the opening of the upper duct 8. The front opening of the cartridge 10 serves as an inlet 16 for the drying air. The filter member mounting wall 10a of the cartridge 10 is disposed on the upper front side inside the back filter unit 12. The opening of the filter member mounting wall 10a serves as an outlet for the drying air. When the drying air passes through the inside of the cartridge 10 of the filter unit 7, the lint contained in the drying air is caught by the filter member 15. When a part of the lint contained in the dry air passes through the filter member 15 without being captured by the filter member, the lint is captured by the filter member 14 of the backup filter unit 12.

As shown in fig. 7, 8 and the like, a filter cover 17 made of plastic is provided at the inlet portion 16 of the front surface of the cartridge 10. The filter cover 17 has a rectangular frame shape and has cross bars 17a integrally formed in a cross shape inside thereof. As shown in fig. 10 and 11, an air-passage packing 18 having a rectangular frame shape is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the front surface of the filter cover 17 by a packing pressing portion 19 made of plastic. As shown in fig. 3, in the attached state of the filter unit 7 to the main body 1, the air-passage packing 18 of the filter cover 17 is closely attached to the duct peripheral wall portion 20 of the upper duct 8, and the airtight state of the upper duct 8 is maintained.

The filter cover 17 is rotatably supported at its lower edge portion by the cartridge 10 via a hinge portion 17b (see fig. 8 and the like). Thus, the filter cover 17 is provided so as to be openable and closable between a closed state (see fig. 7 and 12) in contact with the periphery of the inlet portion 16 on the front surface of the cartridge 10 and an open state (see fig. 8 and 14) in which the inlet portion 16 is opened.

Although not shown in detail, in the closed state of the filter cover 17, an engaging portion provided on the filter cover 17 and an engaged portion provided on the cartridge 10 side are engaged with each other, and the closed state of the filter cover 17 is maintained by a frictional force therebetween. The user can easily release the engagement by pulling the upper portion of the filter cover 17 to the front side. As will be described later in detail, a thin moving mechanism housing portion 21 is integrally provided in the left side wall portion of the cartridge 10 in the left-right direction, as shown in fig. 6, 8, and the like. The moving mechanism housing portion 21 includes an outer plate portion 21a on the outer side of a left side wall portion constituting the inner surface of the cartridge 10.

As shown in fig. 3, 9, and the like, the filter panel 11 is formed in a thin rectangular box shape made of plastic, and is formed in a stepped thin rectangular box shape having a peripheral wall portion formed entirely corresponding to the stepped portion 9a of the ejection port 9. The filter panel 11 is mounted on the top surface of the cartridge 10. At this time, as shown in fig. 2, a slightly laterally long rectangular hole 11a for a hand is formed in the top surface of the filter panel 11, and a plug 22 for closing the hole 11a is openably and closably provided. As shown in fig. 3 and the like, an upper gasket 23 for tightly sealing a space between the rectangular opening 8a of the upper duct 8 and the lower end portion of the filter panel 11 is provided at the peripheral edge portion.

In this way, in a normal state, that is, in use of the washing and drying machine, as shown in fig. 3, the filter panel 11 is fitted into the stepped portion 9a, and the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1. In this way, the cartridge 10 is accommodated above the backup filter unit 12 in the upper duct 8. At this time, the airtight state of the upper duct 8 is maintained by the upper gasket 23 and the air-passage gasket 18. Thus, the drying air flowing in the direction of arrow a in the upper duct 8 of the drying air circulation duct passes through the filter member 15 from the inlet portion 16 of the cartridge 10, and the lint is captured by the surface of the filter member 15.

In the present embodiment, the filter unit 7 is provided with a cleaning member 24 for cleaning the filter member 15. Further, an operation member 25 operated by a user and a moving mechanism 29 for moving the cleaning member 24 by the operation of the operation member 25 are provided. The cleaning member 24 is rotatably provided in the case 10. The cleaning member 24 is configured to move along the filter member mounting wall 10a by rotating, and to sweep off the thread ends accumulated on the surface of the filter member 15. Specifically, as shown in fig. 8, 12 to 15, the cleaning member 24 includes a support 26 having a rectangular frame shape, and a rubber blade 27 attached to a lower edge portion of the support 26.

As shown in fig. 8, the support body 26 is formed of plastic in a rectangular plate shape, and has a rectangular opening 26a in the center. As shown in fig. 8, 14, 15, and the like, the blade 27 integrally includes a plate-like portion having a rectangular thin plate shape elongated in the left-right direction in the drawing, and a wiping portion 27a provided on a front end side portion (a lower side portion in fig. 8, and the like) of the plate-like portion and having a rounded cross section. The upper edge of the plate-like portion of the scraper 27 is fixed to the lower edge of the support 26.

The cleaning member 24 has a left end portion of an upper edge portion of the support member 26 connected to a pivot shaft 28 (see fig. 10), and the pivot shaft 28 is disposed at an upper portion near a front portion of the left inner wall of the cartridge 10. The right end of the upper edge of the support body 26 is rotatably supported by the right side wall of the cartridge 10. The rotating shaft 28 penetrates an inner wall of the cartridge 10, has a distal end positioned in the moving mechanism housing 21, and is coupled to a drive gear 30 (see fig. 12 to 14) constituting a moving mechanism 29. At this time, the longitudinal length of the cleaning member 24 and the position of the rotating shaft 28 correspond to the curvature radius, which is the curvature of the filter member 15. As a result of the rotation of the cleaning member 24, the sweeping portion 27a at the tip end of the scraper 27 moves along the filter member 15 of the filter member mounting wall 10a so as to draw the surface thereof, as indicated by the trajectory L in fig. 15.

The cleaning member 24 can be rotated between the following 3 positions. Namely: a standby position as shown in fig. 12, which is disposed at a lower surface portion of the filter panel 11 as a ceiling portion in the cartridge 10; rotated to a lowest position near the entrance portion 16 in the cartridge 10 as shown in fig. 13; three positions of the spring-up position beyond the lowest position and toward the front as shown in fig. 14. The cleaning member 24 is rotated from the standby position to the pop-up position through the lowest position by a moving mechanism 29 described later. Thereby, the sweeping portion 27a of the squeegee 27 moves in the arrow C direction along the surface of the filter member 15, and the thread end sweeping operation is performed. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the cleaning member 24 is at the lowest position as viewed from the front, and the inlet 16 side and the outlet side communicate with each other through the opening 26 a.

At this time, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the filter member mounting wall 10a of the cartridge 10 extends substantially horizontally at the front end portion of the lower portion, which is a position closer to the inlet portion 16. Therefore, the rotation locus L of the sweeping portion 27a of the blade 27 at the distal end portion of the cleaning member 24 deviates. Therefore, as shown in fig. 9, the filter member mounting wall 10a has no opening at the distal end portion thereof, and has a smooth surface 10b on the top surface thereof, on which the filter member 15 is not present. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 16, the thickness dimension t of the plate-like portion of the blade 27 is configured to be different depending on the position in the left-right direction. At this time, the thickness dimension t of the plate-like portion of the blade 27 varies so as to be relatively thin on the left side, which is the side where the rotation shaft 28 exists, and gradually becomes thicker as it goes to the right side.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, 11, 15, and the like, a projecting wall 38 is integrally provided on the lower surface of the filter panel 11 so as to extend in the left-right direction. The projecting wall 38 is fitted into the case 10 through an opening in the upper wall of the case 10, and is disposed on the front side, which is the inlet side of the rotating shaft 28 portion at the upper end of the cleaning member 24. Further, in the present embodiment, an inner gasket 39 for preventing air leakage is provided at a joint portion between the case 10 and the filter panel 11.

As shown in fig. 12 to 14, the operating member 25 is a rod-like member that is thin in the left-right direction and long in the front-rear direction, and is disposed in the moving mechanism housing portion 21. The operating member 25 has a long hole 31 extending in the front-rear direction, and front and rear 2

pins

32, 32 provided in the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 are disposed in the long hole 31. Thereby, the operating member 25 is supported movably in the front-rear direction in the moving mechanism housing portion 21, and the moving range thereof is limited. The rear end of the operation member 25 is a pressing portion 25a pressed by the user, and the front end is a concave pressing portion 25b curved.

Further, teeth 33 having tooth tops and tooth bottoms alternately in the front-rear direction are formed on the upper edge portion of the operation member 25. The tooth portions 33 are engaged with the tooth portions of the drive gear 30. With the moving mechanism 29 configured as described above, if the operating member 25 is moved in the front-rear direction, the drive gear 30 is rotated, and the cleaning member 24 is rotated via the rotary shaft 28. In this case, as shown in fig. 12, when the operation member 25 is at the innermost position, the cleaning member 24 is at the standby position. When the operating member 25 is pushed forward (in the direction of arrow D) from this state, the cleaning member 24 moves to the lowest position in the intermediate state shown in fig. 13. Further, as shown in fig. 14, the cleaning member 24 is located at the bounce position at the push-in position where the operation member 25 is located at the forefront.

As shown in fig. 5, 6, and 9, a U-shaped cutout 21b is provided in the outer plate portion 21a of the moving mechanism housing portion 21 so that the pressing portion 25a on the distal end side of the operating member 25 is partially exposed. As shown in fig. 5, 8, and 9, the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 has a front opening 21c elongated in the longitudinal direction formed on the front surface of the cartridge 10, i.e., on the inlet portion 16 side. The pushing portion 25b of the operating member 25 is moved in and out of the front opening 21 c. As shown in fig. 7, in the closed state of the filter cover 17, the front opening 21c is closed by the left side of the filter cover 17.

A tongue-shaped projecting piece 34 is integrally provided on the filter cover 17 at a position corresponding to the front opening 21c, which is the push-out portion 25b, so as to project rearward. Thus, as shown in fig. 12, in the closed state of the filter cover 17, the operation member 25 is positioned at the innermost side by the protruding piece portion 34 abutting on the pushed-out portion 25b and pushing rearward. The position of the operation member 25 is referred to as a normal position. In the normal position of the operating member 25, the cleaning member 24 is located at the standby position.

From this state, if the operation member 25 is moved forward (in the direction of arrow D), the cleaning member 24 is rotated in the direction of arrow C, passes through the lowest position, and reaches the pop-up position, as shown in fig. 13 and 14. In conjunction with this movement, the protruding piece 34 is pushed forward by the push-out portion 25b, and the filter cover 17 is opened forward. The position of the operating member 25 shown in fig. 14 is referred to as a pushed-in position. On the other hand, if the filter cover 17 is closed from the open state, the protruding piece portion 34 pushes the push-out portion 25b rearward, and the operation member 25 moves rearward from the pushed-in position to be moved to the normal position. Thus, the cleaning member 24 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow C and returned to the standby position.

As shown in fig. 5 and 9, a finger hooking recess 35 is provided in the lower portion of the front side of the outer plate portion 21a of the left side surface of the case 10 of the filter unit 7. The finger hooking recess 35 is located on the side surface of the operation member 25 on the arrangement side, and hooks a finger, for example, an index finger or a middle finger, which is different from the thumb, for pushing the operation member 25 when the user operates the operation member 25.

The filter unit 7 configured as described above is attached so as to be accessible from the extraction port 9 of the main body 1. At this time, the operation member 25 provided in the filter unit 7 is disposed below the filter panel 11 in the normal position and inside the outlet 9 as viewed in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the operating member 25 is disposed below the upper pad 23 and inside the upper pad 23 as viewed in the vertical direction. When cleaning the filter member 15 described later, the filter unit 7 is taken out upward from the main body 1 through the take-out port 9 in a stopped state of the washing and drying machine.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the filter unit 7 is taken out, the filter cover 17 may be in an incompletely closed state, that is, a so-called half-locked state. However, the filter cover 17 is configured to be relatively pressed by the duct surrounding wall portion 20 to be in a closed state as the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1. More specifically, as shown in fig. 11, a projecting portion 36 projecting rearward is integrally provided on the duct surrounding wall portion 20. The projection 36 is configured to press the gasket pressing portion 19 of the filter cover 17 relatively to be in a closed state when the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1.

Next, the cleaning operation of the filter member 15 in the washing and drying machine having the above-described configuration will be described. In the washing and drying machine, when clothes are dried or washed and dried, a user stores the clothes in the drum, performs desired program setting on the operation panel 5, and then starts the operation. Then, the control device operates the dehumidification portion and the warm air supply device to rotate the drum, for example, intermittently, thereby performing the drying operation. As described above, the air in the water tub is sucked into the drying air circulation duct from the discharge port, and passes through the filter unit 7 of the upper duct 8 as indicated by the arrow a in fig. 3. During operation of the washing and drying machine, the operating member 25 of the filter unit 7 is located at the normal position, and the cleaning member 24 is located at the standby position.

In the drying operation, the air sucked from the water tub into the drying air circulation duct contains the lint coming out of the clothes, but the lint is caught by the filter member 15 while passing through the filter unit 7. Then, the air passes through the backup filter unit 12, flows through the upper duct 8 and further through the dry air circulation duct, is dehumidified by the dehumidification unit, is heated by the heater, and is supplied from the supply port into the water tank as warm air. In this way, the clothes in the water tub, i.e., the drum, are dried. Here, if the thread ends caught by the filter member 15 are accumulated on the surface of the filter member 15, the thread ends may be clogged and the air volume may be decreased. Therefore, when the thread ends are accumulated to some extent on the filter member 15, the user performs the cleaning operation of the filter member 15 as follows in the operation stop state of the washing and drying machine.

That is, first, the user puts his hand on the hole 11a while pushing the plug 22 on the top surface of the filter panel 11, and takes out the filter unit 7 upward from the take-out port 9. Further, since the filter unit 7 is located on the right side of the main body 1, it is conceivable that the filter unit is taken out by putting the right hand on the hole portion 11a more frequently than the filter unit is taken out by the left hand. Next, the user positions the filter unit 7 above the trash can, for example, tilts the filter unit 7 so that the inlet portion 16 faces downward. Then, the pressing portion 25a of the operation member 25 in the normal position as shown in fig. 12 is pushed in.

Then, as shown in fig. 13 and 14, the operation member 25 moves in the direction of arrow D toward the push-in position, and the cleaning member 24 rotates in the direction of arrow C from the standby position, passes through the lowest position, and moves to the pop-up position. The protruding piece 34 is pushed forward by the pushing-out portion 25b of the operating member 25, and the filter cover 17 is opened forward. At this time, the user can, for example, engage the index finger or middle finger of the left hand left in the finger engaging recess 35 on the left side surface and push the operation member 25 with the thumb.

By the above-described cleaning operation, the scraper 37 of the cleaning member 24 moves along the surface of the filter member 15 so as to draw an arc when viewed from the side, and the thread ends accumulated on the top surface of the filter member 15 are swept away. The swept-off thread end drops downward from the entrance portion 16 and is discarded into the trash. In this case, the thread ends swept by the scraper 37 are discharged from the inlet portion 16 while sliding on the top surface of the smooth surface 10b of the filter element mounting wall 10 a. Thus, the lint accumulated on the surface of the filter member 15 is removed, the lint trapping function is recovered, and a large air volume in the dry air circulation duct can be secured.

Then, the user closes the filter cover 17 in the open state by hand. Thereby, the protruding piece portion 34 of the filter cover 17 presses the push-out portion 25b, and the operation member 25 is moved backward (in the direction opposite to the arrow D), so that the operation member 25 is returned to the normal position. In response, the cleaning member 24 is returned to the standby position by being rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow C. Next, the user fits the filter unit 7, which has been cleaned, into the outlet 9 from above, and attaches it to the main body 1. At this time, the filter cover 17 may be in an incompletely closed state, i.e., a so-called half-locked state. However, when the filter unit 7 is fitted, the protrusion 36 of the duct surrounding wall 20 presses the gasket pressing portion 19 of the filter cover 17 relatively, and the filter cover 17 is closed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the cleaning member 24, the operation member 25, the moving mechanism 29, and the like are provided in the filter unit 7, and the user performs the cleaning operation of the filter member 15 by operating the operation member 25 in a state where the filter unit 7 is detached from the main body 1. Therefore, the cleaning workability is good, and the filter member 15 that captures the thread ends can be easily cleaned. Further, a relatively simple structure in which the cleaning member 24 or the operation member 25 can be provided in the filter unit 7 is sufficient.

At this time, the support 26 of the cleaning member 24 is formed in a rectangular frame shape, and an opening 26a communicating from the inlet portion 16 side to the outlet portion side is provided even in a state where the cleaning member 24 is located at the lowest position. Here, since the cleaning member 24 is disposed in the case 10, there is a concern that stains including thread ends may accumulate in a portion which becomes a so-called dead space such as a deep portion of the cleaning member 24 in the case 10. However, the user can insert a cleaning tool such as a brush into the deep inside of the case 10 through the opening 26a of the cleaning member 24 to perform cleaning, for example, in a state where the cleaning member 24 is located at the lowest position. Therefore, the cleaning performance of the cartridge 10 can be improved.

Since the opening 26a is provided at the center of the cleaning member 24, the cleaning tool can be made to have a wider range and the cleaning performance can be improved as compared with the case where the opening is provided at the end of the cleaning member 24. It is needless to say that the cleaning member 24 can be ensured in shape.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 24 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis, and a protruding wall 38 arranged on the inlet side of the rotation axis portion is provided on the filter panel 11. This enables efficient cleaning operation by rotation of the cleaning member 24. Further, by disposing the projecting wall 38 at the front, it is possible to suppress the yarn ends, dust, and the like from entering the rotating shaft portion and accumulating. Since the inner packing 39 for preventing wind leakage is provided at the joint portion between the cartridge 10 and the filter panel 11, the effect of preventing the accumulation of lint at the joint portion or the leakage of dry wind is more excellent.

In the present embodiment, a front opening 21c is provided on the inlet portion 16 side of the moving mechanism housing portion 21 provided in the cartridge 10 and having the moving mechanism 29. In the closed state of the filter cover 17, the front opening 21c of the moving mechanism housing 21 is closed by the filter cover 17. Thus, in the closed state of the filter cover 17 during normal operation, the front opening 21c is closed by the filter cover 17, and thus, it is possible to prevent a thread end, dust, or the like from entering the moving mechanism housing portion 21.

In the present embodiment, a portion of the filter member mounting wall 10a of the cartridge 10 that deviates from the rotation locus L of the sweeping range of the scraper 27 as the cleaning member 24 is formed as the smooth surface 10b where the filter member 15 is not present. Thus, since the filter member 15 is present in the sweeping range of the cleaning member 24, the thread ends accumulated on the filter member 15 can be reliably cleaned. Further, by forming the portion of the filter member attaching wall 10a that is deviated from the sweep range as the smooth surface 10b, the accumulated thread ends can be easily discharged through the smooth surface 10b portion.

Further, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the blade 27 of the cleaning member 24 is configured to be thinner on the driving side, that is, on the side of the rotating shaft 28, and gradually become thicker as it is separated from the driving side. Here, since the blade 27 of the cleaning member 24 has a large transmission of the driving-side force, the sweeping ability is also increased. As the blade moves away from the driving side, the force is not easily transmitted to the blade 27, and the sweeping ability tends to become smaller. By configuring such that the thickness of the blade 27 is made thinner on the driving side and thicker on the side away from the driving side, the thread end on the surface of the filter member 15 can be swept with a substantially uniform force over the entire width direction of the blade 27. As a result, the cleaning can be prevented from becoming uneven.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained in addition to the above. That is, the operation member 25 is disposed below the filter panel 11 and inside the outlet 9 as viewed in the vertical direction. In this way, in a normal state, that is, in an attached state of the filter unit 7 to the main body 1, the operating member 25 is blocked by the filter panel 11 and does not appear in appearance, so that the appearance can be improved. Further, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation in which the user operates the operation member 25 in the attached state of the filter unit 7 to the main body 1. Since the operation member 25 does not protrude outside the outlet 9 when viewed in the vertical direction, the operation member 25 does not catch on the outlet 9 portion on the main body 1 side when attaching and detaching the filter unit 7 to and from the main body 1, and the attachment and detachment work can be smoothly performed.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the filter unit 7 is provided with a frame-shaped upper gasket 23 for hermetically sealing the gap with the outlet 9. The operation member 25 is disposed below the upper pad 23 and inside the upper pad 23 as viewed in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to hermetically seal the space between the filter unit 7 and the outlet 9 with the upper gasket 23, thereby preventing leakage of the drying air. Not only can the attachment and detachment of the filter unit 7 be performed smoothly, but also the operation member 25 can be made visually appealing and erroneous operation by the user can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, if the operation member 25 is operated to the pushed-in position, the filter cover 17 is configured to be automatically opened in conjunction with the movement of the cleaning member 24. This saves the user's time and effort, and allows the yarn end to be discharged from the inlet 16. Further, if the filter cover 17 is displaced to the closed state, the cleaning member 24 and the operation member 25 can be returned to the original positions so as to be so-called automatic. Therefore, the user's labor can be saved and the usability can be improved.

Also, even in a so-called half-locked state in which the closing of the filter cover 17 is incomplete, the filter cover 17 is brought into a closed state as the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1. Therefore, the user can attach the filter cover 17 to the main body 1 without being conscious of whether or not the filter cover is completely closed, and can use the filter cover easily. Of course, the airtight state of the dry air circulation duct can be maintained well by the air passage spacer 18 provided on the filter cover 17. At this time, the protrusion 36 integrally provided on the duct peripheral wall portion 20 is configured to press the filter cover 17 relatively to be in a closed state. This makes it possible to reliably close the filter cover 17 with a simple configuration.

In the present embodiment, the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is provided with a finger engaging recess 35 for engaging a finger different from the finger pressing the operating member 25. Thus, the user can engage the finger with the finger engaging recess 35 and press the operation member 25 with another finger using this portion as a fulcrum, and at this time, the user can easily apply force to the pressed finger, and can smoothly operate the operation member 25. Since the finger hooking recess 35 is provided on the inlet portion 16 side below the pressing portion 25a of the operation member 25, the positional relationship between the pressing portion 25a and the finger hooking recess 35 is more effective for the user because it is easy to operate and is disposed with force.

In the present embodiment, the filter unit 7 is disposed on the right side of the center of the main body 1, and the operation member 25 is provided on the left side surface of the cartridge 10 of the filter unit 7. Thereby, in a case where the user grips the filter unit 7 with the right hand, the operating member 25 comes to a position where it is easy to operate with the left hand. Therefore, the user can smoothly perform the cleaning operation without changing the grip with the right or left hand in the state where the filter unit 7 is removed.

Fig. 17 is a view showing embodiment 2, and shows a cross-sectional structure of blade 41 provided on cleaning member 24. In embodiment 2, the thickness of the plate-like portion of the blade 41 is also thin on the driving side and thick on the side away from the driving side, but in this case, the thickness is configured to increase in multiple stages as the blade travels rightward in the drawing. This allows the thread ends on the surface of the filter member 15 to be swept off with substantially uniform force over the entire width of the scraper 41.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be extended and modified as described below, for example, although not shown in the drawings. Even in the case where the closing of the filter cover 17 is incomplete in a so-called half-locked state, there is provided a structure for bringing the filter cover 17 into a closed state as the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1. Specifically, in embodiment 1, the projection 36 is provided on the duct peripheral wall portion 20, and the filter cover 17 is pressed against the projection. Alternatively, a rib having a convex shape protruding forward may be provided on the filter cover 17 side, and when the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1, the rib presses the duct peripheral wall portion 20 to close the filter cover 17. This also allows the filter cover 17 to be reliably closed with a simple configuration.

In the above embodiment, the filter unit 7 is disposed on the right side of the center of the main body 1, but the filter unit 7 may be disposed on the left side of the center of the main body 1. At this time, it is preferable to provide the operating member 25 on the right side surface of the cartridge 10. It is preferable to provide the operating member 25 on the right side face of the cartridge 10 as a position that is easily operated with the right hand with the user gripping the filter unit 7 with the left hand. This allows the user to smoothly perform cleaning without changing the grip with the right or left hand in the state where the filter unit 7 is removed.

In each of the above embodiments, the sweeping portion 27a at the tip end of the scraper 27 is formed in a flat shape extending over the entire width direction of the filter member mounting wall 10a, but a portion of the filter member mounting wall 10a corresponding to the rib in the longitudinal direction may be formed in a notched shape. In other words, a plurality of unit blades may be arranged in the width direction so as to correspond to each region exposed in the width direction of the filter member 15, that is, where no rib is present. The filter element attaching wall 10a is formed with ribs to easily separate and sweep the thread ends. If there are 1 unit squeegee for each region of the filter member 15, the thread ends can be swept.

In the case where a plurality of unit blades corresponding to the ribs are arranged in line as described above, the width of each unit blade may be smaller than the width of a region of the filter member 15 located between the ribs. This reduces the sliding resistance of each unit blade, and suppresses the operating force of the operating member to a small value. In some regions in the width direction of the filter member 15, the sliding resistance of the scraper may become large at the center portion and small at both end portions. Therefore, each unit blade may be configured to have a shape that reduces sliding resistance, for example, a shape that reduces elasticity, shortens length, increases thickness, and reduces width, on the central portion side of the filter member 15. On both end portions, a shape that increases the sliding resistance may be formed in contrast to this.

In the above embodiment, the opening 26a of the support 26 of the cleaning member 24 is provided at the center of the support 26, but the support may be provided in an "i" shape on the front side, and the openings may be provided on both the left and right sides of the cleaning member, for example. Thus, the position, shape, and the like of the opening can be appropriately changed. Further, the cleaning member 24 is configured to include the

rubber blades

27 and 41, but may be in the form of a brush, a sponge, a cloth made of bundled fibers, or the like instead of the blades. The cleaning member may be configured to perform cleaning of the filter member arranged in a plane by linearly reciprocating and sliding the cleaning member, not by rotation.

The filter cover 12 or the moving mechanism housing 21 may be provided with a gasket for the moving mechanism housing that seals the periphery of the front opening 21c of the moving mechanism housing 21 in a closed state of the filter cover 21. This can more reliably prevent the yarn ends or dust from entering the moving mechanism housing portion 21. Further, a clogging determination means for determining the clogging state of the filter member 15 may be provided, and when the clogging determination means determines that the clogging of the filter member 15 is large, the clogging determination means may notify the user of the increase in the clogging state to prompt the cleaning of the filter member 15.

In addition, the washing and drying machine is not limited to the drum type, and may be a so-called vertical shaft type in which the axes of the water tank and the rotary tub point in the vertical direction. Further, the clothes dryer may be configured to have no washing function. Further, the heat pump (refrigeration cycle) may be provided as the dehumidifying means, or the warm air supply device may not be provided with the dehumidifying means. Various modifications can be made to the structure of the drying air circulation duct. The above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiment can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present embodiment and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer is provided with:

an accommodating groove which is arranged in the main body (1) and accommodates clothes;

a drying air circulation duct (8) which is provided in the main body (1) and circulates and supplies the drying air to the housing tank; and

a filter unit (7) which is provided so as to be able to enter and exit from an outlet (9) on the top surface of the main body (1), is disposed in the midway of the drying air circulation duct (8) in an attached state of being attached to the main body (1), and captures a lint contained in the drying air;

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the filter unit (7) is provided with:

a box (10) having an inlet (16) and an outlet for the drying air connected to the drying air circulation duct (8);

a filter panel (11) provided on the top surface of the case (10) and blocking the outlet (9) in an attached state in which the filter unit (7) is attached to the main body (1);

a filter member (15) which is provided on a mounting wall (10a) of the filter member (15) of the cartridge (10) and captures a thread end;

a cleaning member (24) movably provided in the case (10) and configured to remove the thread ends accumulated on the filter member (15) by moving the cleaning member and discharge the thread ends from the inlet (16); and

an operation member (25) for moving the cleaning member (24) to perform a sweeping operation;

the cleaning member (24) is provided with an opening (26a) which communicates from the inlet (16) side to the outlet side in a state where the cleaning member (24) is positioned on the inlet (16) side in the cartridge (10).

2. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

the opening (26a) of the cleaning member (24) is provided at the center of the cleaning member (24).

3. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

the cleaning member (24) is configured to move along the surface of the filter member (15) by rotating around a rotating shaft (28) to remove the thread end;

the filter panel (11) is provided with a protruding wall (38) disposed on the inlet portion (16) side of the rotating shaft (28).

4. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

an inner gasket (39) for preventing air leakage is provided at a joint portion between the case (10) and the filter panel (11).

5. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

the cartridge (10) is provided with a moving mechanism accommodating part (21) having a moving mechanism (29) for moving the cleaning member (24) by the operation of the operating member (25), and the moving mechanism accommodating part (21) is provided with a front opening (21c) on the inlet part (16) side;

a filter cover openably and closably provided in an inlet portion (16) of the cartridge (10) of the filter unit (7); and is

The front opening (21c) of the moving mechanism housing section (21) is closed by the filter cover in the closed state of the filter cover.

6. The clothes dryer of claim 5,

the filter cover or the moving mechanism accommodating part (21) is provided with a gasket for the moving mechanism accommodating part (21) which seals the periphery of the front opening (21c) of the moving mechanism accommodating part (21) in a closed state of the filter cover.

7. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

the portion of the mounting wall (10a) of the filter member (15) of the cartridge (10) that deviates from the sweeping range of the cleaning member (24) is a smooth surface (10b) where the filter member (15) is not present.

8. The clothes dryer of claim 1,

the cleaning member (24) is provided with scrapers (27, 41) that slide on the surface of the filter member (15), and the scrapers (27, 41) are configured such that the thickness thereof is thinner on the drive side and thicker on the side away from the drive side.