CN113966421A

CN113966421A - Vertical washing and drying integrated machine

Info

Publication number: CN113966421A
Application number: CN202080035789.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 川村保; 吉田贤司; 三觜绅平
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-28
Filing date: 2020-05-26
Publication date: 2022-01-21
Also published as: JP2020192089A; JP7343856B2; WO2020238879A1

Abstract

A vertical washing and drying integrated machine can reduce wrinkles of washed objects in drying operation. The vertical washing and drying integrated machine comprises: a motor generating a driving force; a washing tub for receiving laundry and rotated by a driving force of a motor; a rotary wing which receives the driving force of the motor and rotates in the washing barrel; a brake for stopping the rotation of the washing tub; a clutch for cutting off or connecting a transmission path of the driving force from the motor to the washing tub; an air supply part for supplying air into the washing tub; and a control section. The control part controls the motor, the brake, the clutch and the air supply part to execute the drying operation of drying the washings in the washing barrel. During the drying operation, the control unit operates the motor to rotate the rotary wing, releases the brake, and cuts off the transmission path through the clutch to enable the washing tub to be in a free state.

Description

Vertical washing and drying integrated machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a vertical washing and drying integrated machine.

Background

The vertical electric washing machine described in patent document 1 includes: the washing and dehydrating machine comprises an outer frame with an upper cover forming a clothes inlet, an outer cover for opening and closing the clothes inlet, an outer barrel arranged in the outer frame, a washing and dehydrating barrel arranged in the outer barrel and used for accommodating washings, and a stirring wing arranged in the washing and dehydrating barrel. The outer cover is provided with an air intake window hole and an air intake window cover for opening and closing the air intake window hole. The electric washing machine performs a cold wind drying mode in a state where the suction window cover is opened. In the cold air drying mode, a ventilation operation for integrally rotating the washing and dehydrating tub and the stirring blade at a high speed and a cloth changing operation for rotating the stirring blade in a state where the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tub is stopped are repeated. In the ventilating operation, since the external air is sucked into the washing and dehydrating tub from the air suction window, the laundry rotating together with the washing and dehydrating tub and the agitating blade in the washing and dehydrating tub is dried by contacting with the air.

In the electric washing machine described in patent document 1, during the cloth replacement operation in the cool air drying mode, the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub is agitated and moved by the rotating agitating blade. On the other hand, at this time, the washing and dehydrating tub is in a stationary state where rotation is stopped. Therefore, unnecessary friction is generated between the laundry and the inner surface of the washing and dehydrating tub, the laundry is easily knotted by a mechanical force generated by the friction, and the laundry is easily wrinkled due to the knotting.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2004-105232

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine which can reduce wrinkles of laundry during a drying operation.

Means for solving the problems

The invention relates to a vertical washing and drying integrated machine, which comprises: a motor generating a driving force; a washing tub having an inlet and an outlet for laundry formed at an upper end thereof and a bottom wall at a lower end thereof for receiving the laundry, the washing tub being rotated by a driving force of the motor; a rotary wing disposed on the bottom wall in the washing tub and rotated by receiving a driving force of the motor; a brake for stopping rotation of the washing tub; a clutch which cuts off or connects a transmission path of the driving force from the motor to the washing tub; an air supply part for supplying air into the washing barrel; and a control unit that controls the motor, the brake, the clutch, and the air supply unit to perform a drying operation for drying laundry in the washing tub, wherein in the drying operation, the control unit operates the motor to rotate the rotary wing, releases the brake, and cuts off the transmission path by the clutch to set the washing tub in a free state.

In the drying operation, the control unit may operate the brake to bring the washing tub into a stationary state during a first period, and may bring the washing tub into the free state during a second period after the first period.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine further includes a detection unit for detecting a load amount of the laundry in the washing tub, and the control unit determines a timing of bringing the washing tub into the free state based on the load amount detected by the detection unit.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, in the drying operation of the vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine, the laundry in the washing tub is agitated by the rotating blades and dried by blowing the air fed from the air blowing unit. At this time, since the washing tub is in a free state, even if the laundry is agitated by the rotating wings and moves, the washing tub can rotate along with the laundry without interfering with the movement of the laundry. Therefore, unnecessary friction is not easily generated between the washing and the inner surface of the washing tub, and the washing is not easily knotted. Therefore, the laundry is not easily wrinkled due to knotting. As a result, wrinkles of the laundry during the drying operation can be reduced. In addition, the cloth damage of the washing can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, since the laundry is in a wet state in the first period before the final stage in the drying operation, the laundry is not easily tangled even if the washing tub is in a stationary state and friction is generated between the laundry and the inner surface of the washing tub. In the reverse mode, the washing tub is in a stationary state during the rotation of the rotary wing during the first period, thereby promoting the agitation of the laundry in the washing tub, and thus, even heavy laundry can be efficiently dried. Further, since the laundry dried to a certain degree is likely to wrinkle as the first period passes, the laundry in the washing tub is not likely to be knotted and wrinkles due to knotting are not likely to be generated in the laundry because the washing tub is in a free state in the second period, which is the final stage after the first period. As a result, the laundry can be efficiently dried and wrinkles of the laundry can be reduced during the drying operation.

Further, according to the present invention, since the time to place the washing tub in the free state is determined according to the load amount of the laundry in the washing tub, it is possible to achieve more efficient drying of the laundry and further reduction of wrinkles of the laundry by optimizing the time to place the washing tub in the free state.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional right side view of a vertical washer dryer all in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main portion of the vertical washer dryer shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vertical washing and drying machine.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a washing and drying operation performed in the vertical washing and drying machine.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing a temporal change in temperature in the washing tub during the drying process in the washing and drying operation.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a drying process.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a vertical washing and drying integrated machine; 4: a washing tub; 4B: a bottom wall; 5: a rotary wing; 7: an air supply part; 9: a motor; 24: an entrance and an exit; 40: a brake; 41: a clutch; 60: a control unit; 64: a rotational speed reading device; q: and (5) washing the articles.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal right side view of a vertical washing and drying machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vertical direction in fig. 1 is referred to as a vertical direction Z of the vertical washing and drying machine 1, and the horizontal direction in fig. 1 is referred to as a front-rear direction Y of the vertical washing and drying machine 1. Among the vertical directions Z, the upper side is referred to as an upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as a lower side Z2. Of the front-rear direction Y, the left side in fig. 1 is referred to as a front side Y1, and the right side in fig. 1 is referred to as a rear side Y2.

The vertical washing and drying integrated machine 1 comprises: a cabinet 2 constituting the outer casing thereof, an outer tub 3 accommodated in the cabinet 2, a washing tub 4 accommodated in the outer tub 3, and a rotary wing 5 accommodated in the washing tub 4. The vertical washing and drying integrated machine 1 comprises: a duct 6 connected to the tub 3, a blowing part 7 for blowing air into the tub 4 from the duct 6, and a heating part 8 for heating the air blown into the tub 4 by the blowing part 7. The vertical washing and drying machine 1 includes a motor 9 generating a driving force for rotating the washing tub 4 and the rotary wing 5, and a brake clutch mechanism 10 applying a brake to the rotation of the washing tub 4 or intermittently transmitting the driving force of the motor 9 to the washing tub 4.

The case 2 is made of, for example, metal and is formed in a box shape. The upper surface 2A of the case 2 is formed to be inclined so as to extend toward the upper side Z1 as approaching the rear side Y2, for example. The upper surface 2A and the upper end of the rear surface 2B of the case 2 may be formed as a separate upper panel from the case 2 and may be detachably attached to the case 2. Hereinafter, a portion of the upper panel that spans the rear end portion of the upper surface 2A and the upper end portion of the rear surface 2B is sometimes referred to as a Back Plate (Back Plate). An opening 15 is formed in the upper surface 2A to communicate the inside and outside of the case 2. A door 16 for opening and closing the opening 15 is provided on the upper surface 2A. An operation portion 17 formed of a liquid crystal operation panel or the like is provided in a region around the opening portion 15 in the upper surface 2A. The user of the vertical washing and drying machine 1 can select the operation conditions of the washing and drying operation performed in the vertical washing and drying machine 1 by operating the operation unit 17, or instruct the vertical washing and drying machine 1 to start or stop the washing and drying operation.

The outer tub 3 is made of, for example, resin and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The outer tub 3 has a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall 3A arranged in the vertical direction Z, a bottom wall 3B closing a hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from a lower side Z2, and an annular wall 3C that is formed by wrapping an end edge of the circumferential wall 3A on an upper side Z1 side and projects toward a center side of the circumferential wall 3A. An inlet/outlet 18 communicating with the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the upper side Z1 is formed inside the annular wall 3C. The doorway 18 faces the opening 15 of the box body 2 from the lower side Z2 and communicates therewith. The annular wall 3C is provided with a door 19 for opening and closing the doorway 18. The bottom wall 3B is formed into a substantially horizontally extending disk shape, and a through hole 3D penetrating the bottom wall 3B is formed at a center position of the bottom wall 3B.

The outer tub 3 can store water. The water supply path 20 connected to the faucet is connected to the annular wall 3C of the outer tub 3 from the upper side Z1, and the tap water is supplied from the water supply path 20 into the outer tub 3. A water supply valve 21 that opens and closes to start or stop water supply is provided in the middle of the water supply path 20. The drain passage 22 is connected to the bottom wall 3B of the tub 3 from the lower side Z2, and the water in the tub 3 is discharged to the outside of the machine from the drain passage 22. A drain valve 23 that opens and closes to start or stop drainage is provided in the middle of the drain passage 22.

The washing tub 4 is made of, for example, metal, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape one turn smaller than the outer tub 3, and can accommodate the laundry Q therein. The washing tub 4 has a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall 4A arranged in the vertical direction Z, and a bottom wall 4B provided at a lower end of the washing tub 4 and blocking a hollow portion of the circumferential wall 4A from a lower side Z2.

The inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 4A is the inner circumferential surface of the washing tub 4. The upper end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the circumferential wall 4A is the inlet/outlet 24 that exposes the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 4A to the upper side Z1. An access opening 24 is formed at an upper end of the washing tub 4. The inlet/outlet 24 is opposed to and communicates with the inlet/outlet 18 of the tub 3 from the lower side Z2. The user puts in and takes out the laundry Q from the upper side Z1 through the opened opening 15, the

gates

18 and 24, and the washing tub 4.

The washing tub 4 is coaxially housed in the outer tub 3. The washing tub 4 housed in the outer tub 3 is rotatable about an axis J forming a central axis thereof and extending in the vertical direction Z. In addition, a plurality of through holes 4C are formed in the circumferential wall 4A and the bottom wall 4B of the washing tub 4, and water in the outer tub 3 can pass between the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 4 through the through holes 4C. Therefore, the water level in the outer tub 3 is identical to the water level in the washing tub 4.

The bottom wall 4B of the washing tub 4 is formed in a disc shape, extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall 3B at an interval on the upper side Z1 of the bottom wall 3B of the outer tub 3, and has a through hole 4D penetrating the bottom wall 4B at a position of a center of the bottom wall 4B coinciding with the axis J. A tubular support shaft 25 is provided on the bottom wall 4B, and the support shaft 25 extends along the axis J to the lower side Z2 while surrounding the through hole 4D. The support shaft 25 is inserted through the through hole 3D of the bottom wall 3B of the tub 3, and the lower end of the support shaft 25 is positioned below the bottom wall 3B Z2.

The rotary blade 5, a so-called pulsator, is formed in a disk shape with the axis J as the center, and is disposed on the bottom wall 4B in the washing tub 4 so as to be concentric with the washing tub 4. A plurality of radially arranged blades 5A are provided on the upper surface of the rotary wing 5 facing the inlet/outlet 24 of the washing tub 4. The rotary wing 5 is provided with a rotary shaft 26 extending from the center thereof along the axis J to the lower side Z2. The rotation shaft 26 is inserted through the hollow portion of the support shaft 25, and the lower end of the rotation shaft 26 is located at a lower side Z2 of the bottom wall 3B of the outer tub 3.

The duct 6 is a tubular flow path disposed outside the tub 3 in the casing 2, for example, disposed above the annular wall 3C of the tub 3 at the upper side Z1 and extending in the front-rear direction Y. The front end of duct 6 is bent and connected to the upper end of annular wall 3C from upper side Z1, and the rear end of duct 6 is located at the upper end of rear surface 2B of casing 2, specifically, the rear plate. An outlet 6A is formed in a portion of the front end portion of the duct 6 connected to the annular wall 3C, and an inlet 6B is formed in a portion of the rear end portion of the duct 6 located at the rear plate. The inside of the duct 6 is in a state of being communicated with the inside of the tub 3 via the outlet 6A, and is in a state of being communicated with the outside of the vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine 1 via the inlet 6B.

The blowing unit 7, a so-called fan, includes a rotary blade 28 disposed inside the duct 6 and a motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary blade 28. When the rotary blade 28 rotates, the air outside the vertical integrated washer dryer 1 is sucked into the duct 6 through the inlet 6B as indicated by the thick dotted arrow, then sent into the washing tub 4 from the upper side Z1 through the through hole 4C of the washing tub 4 and the inlet 24 from the outlet 6A of the duct 6, and then changed in flow direction to flow to the inlet 24 and the outlet 18 of the upper side Z1. In front of the air flowing to the upper side Z1, there is a door 19 in a state where the doorway 18 is closed. An opening 19A closed by a filter 29 is formed in the door 19. The air flowing to the upper side Z1 flows out of the tub 3 through the opening 19A, and is discharged to the outside of the vertical washing and drying machine 1 through a gap (not shown) provided in the cabinet 2. Foreign substances such as dust contained in the air are captured by the filter 29. In addition, unlike the present embodiment, the inlet 6B may be connected to the tub 3 to circulate air between the duct 6 and the tub 3 and send the air into the washing tub 4. In short, the case where air is sent from the duct 6 into the washing tub 4 is hereinafter referred to as "air blowing".

The heating unit 8 is a known heater and is disposed inside the duct 6. The heating unit 8 is turned on and is energized to generate heat, thereby heating the air sent into the washing tub 4 through the duct 6. On the other hand, since the heating unit 8 is turned off and is not turned off, heating of the ambient air is stopped.

The motor 9 is an electric motor such as an inverter motor. The motor 9 is disposed at a lower side Z2 of the tub 3 in the casing 2. The motor 9 has an output shaft 30 that rotates about the axis J, and outputs the generated driving force from the output shaft 30. The output shaft 30 is coupled to the lower end of the support shaft 25 of the washing tub 4 via the brake clutch mechanism 10. The output shaft 30 is coupled to the lower end of the rotating shaft 26 via a speed reduction mechanism 31.

Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of the main parts of the washing tub 4, the rotary wing 5, the brake clutch mechanism 10, and the speed reduction mechanism 31, shown in cross section. The speed reduction mechanism 31 and the brake clutch mechanism 10 will be described in detail below.

The speed reduction mechanism 31 is disposed inside the tubular support shaft 25 in the washing tub 4. The support shaft 25 is formed with a large diameter portion 25A whose diameter is one turn larger than the upper and lower portions thereof in a portion in which the reduction mechanism 31 is housed. The integrated vertical washing and drying machine 1 includes a cylindrical housing 32 that accommodates at least the large-diameter portion 25A of the support shaft 25. The casing 32 is fixed to the bottom wall 3B of the outer tub 3. An annular flange portion 32A that projects outward in the radial direction of the housing 32 is provided at a middle portion of the housing 32 in the vertical direction Z. The case 32 may be vertically divided at the flange portion 32A. A vertical shaft 32B extending from the flange 32A to the lower side Z2 is fixed to the flange 32A. The housing 32 includes a stay 32C that protrudes outward in the radial direction of the housing 32 and is connected to the lower end of the longitudinal shaft 32B.

An example of the speed reduction mechanism 31 is a planetary gear mechanism. The speed reduction mechanism 31 in this case has: a sun gear 33 coupled to an upper end portion of the output shaft 30 of the motor 9, a plurality of planetary gears 34 disposed around the sun gear 33 and meshing with the sun gear 33, an outer gear 35 surrounding the planetary gears 34 and meshing with the planetary gears 34, and a carrier 36 rotatably holding the planetary gears 34 and coupled to a lower end portion of the rotating shaft 26 of the rotor blade 5. When the motor 9 generates a driving force and the output shaft 30 rotates, the sun gear 33 rotates integrally with the output shaft 30. As described above, the planetary gears 34 revolve around the sun gear 33 while rotating on their own axes, and thereby the carrier 36 rotates along with the rotation shaft 26. Therefore, the rotary wing 5 coupled to the rotary shaft 26 rotates around the axis J at a speed lower than that of the output shaft 30 of the motor 9 by the driving force of the motor 9 being transmitted. Since the rotary wing 5 and the motor 9 are always connected to each other, the rotary wing 5 rotates in conjunction with the operation of the motor 9.

The brake clutch mechanism 10 includes a lever 39, a brake 40, a clutch 41, and an actuator 42. The lever 39 has a body portion 39A, and is coupled to the longitudinal axis 32B of the housing 32 at the body portion 39A so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis 32B. The lever 39 has a first projecting portion 39B projecting laterally from, for example, an upper end portion of the main body portion 39A and a second projecting portion 39C projecting laterally from, for example, a lower end portion of the main body portion 39A.

The brake 40 is, for example, a brake band, and surrounds the large diameter portion 25A of the support shaft 25 in the housing 32. The stopper 40 has one end fixed to the housing 32 and the other end pulled out from the inside of the housing 32 and fixed to the body portion 39A of the lever 39. The stopper 40 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 25A or the outer peripheral surface away from the large diameter portion 25A as the lever 39 rotates.

When the lever 39 is rotated clockwise in a plan view, the stopper 40 rolls around the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 25A and abuts against the outer peripheral surface. The brake 40 at this time is in an operating state, and the rotation of the support shaft 25, that is, the washing tub 4 is stopped by a frictional force between the brake 40 and the large diameter portion 25A. On the other hand, when the lever 39 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view, the stopper 40 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 25A. At this time, since the stopper 40 is in the released state and the frictional force between the stopper 40 and the large diameter portion 25A is reduced, the washing tub 4 can be rotated. An urging member 43 made of a coil spring or the like is provided on the vertical shaft 32B supporting the rod 39 in the housing 32, and the stopper 40 is constantly urged clockwise in plan view by the urging member 43 so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 25A.

The clutch 41 includes a first engaging member 44 fixed to the output shaft 30 of the motor 9, a second engaging member 45 coupled to the lower end portion of the support shaft 25 of the washing tub 4, a biasing member 46 for biasing the second engaging member 45 toward the first engaging member 44, and an arm 47 for moving the second engaging member 45 in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 39.

The first engagement member 44 is an annular body disposed coaxially with the output shaft 30. The upper end of the first engagement member 44 is provided with concave-convex teeth 44A arranged along the circumferential direction of the first engagement member 44. The second engagement member 45 is an annular body disposed coaxially with the first engagement member 44 and above the first engagement member 44 by Z1. Concave-convex teeth 45A arranged along the circumferential direction of the second engagement member 45 are provided at the lower end of the second engagement member 45. An annular flange 45B protruding outward in the radial direction of the second engagement member 45 is provided at the upper end of the second engagement member 45.

The second engagement member 45 is integrally rotatable with respect to the support shaft 25 of the washing tub 4 and movable in the up-down direction Z. The biasing member 46 is formed of a coil spring or the like wound around the support shaft 25, and biases the entire second engagement member 45 to the lower side Z2 at all times by pressing the flange portion 45B of the second engagement member 45 from the upper side Z1.

The arm 47 is configured to connect the second protrusion 39C of the lever 39 and the flange portion 45B of the second engaging member 45. Since the lateral shaft 48 supported by the housing 32 is connected to the middle of the arm 47, the arm 47 can swing about the lateral shaft 48. An upper end portion constituting one end portion of the arm 47 faces the second protruding portion 39C from the downstream side in the clockwise direction in the plan view in fig. 2. The lower end portion of the other end portion constituting the arm 47 is opposed to the flange portion 45B of the second engagement member 45 from the lower side Z2.

In the clutch 41 shown in fig. 2, the second projection 39C of the lever 39 pushes one end portion of the arm 47, whereby the arm 47 is in a state of being swung in the following manner: the other end portion thereof pushes up the second engaging member 45 against the urging force of the urging member 46. At this time, since the teeth 45A of the second engaging member 45 are in a state of being apart from the teeth 44A of the first engaging member 44, the output shaft 30 of the motor 9 and the support shaft 25 of the washing tub 4 are in a cut-off state. That is, the clutch 41 shown in fig. 2 is in a state of cutting off the transmission path of the driving force from the motor 9 to the washing tub 4.

In the state of fig. 2, when the lever 39 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view such that the second projecting portion 39C of the lever 39 no longer presses one end portion of the arm 47, the arm 47 swings such that the other end portion thereof descends. Thereby, the second engaging member 45 is lowered toward the first engaging member 44 by the urging force of the urging member 46, and is engaged with the teeth 44A of the first engaging member 44 and the teeth 45A of the second engaging member 45. Therefore, the driving force can be transmitted from the output shaft 30 of the motor 9 to the support shaft 25 of the washing tub 4. That is, the clutch 41 connects a transmission path of the driving force from the motor 9 to the washing tub 4. Therefore, the washing tub 4 can be rotated by the driving force of the motor 9.

The actuator 42 is constituted by a torque motor, for example. The brake clutch mechanism 10 includes a wire rope 49 connecting the actuator 42 and the first projection 39B of the lever 39. The actuator 42 is switched on to pull the cable 49 section by section, thereby enabling the lever 39 to be rotated in stages. If the brake clutch mechanism 10 in fig. 2 is referred to as a first state, in the first state, the brake 40 is in an operating state, and the clutch 41 is in a state of cutting off a transmission path of the driving force from the motor 9 to the washing tub 4. The washing tub 4 at this time is in a stationary state where rotation is stopped. In the present embodiment, the normal brake clutch mechanism 10 is in the first state.

When the actuator 42 rotates the lever 39 by a predetermined amount in the counterclockwise direction in a plan view by pulling the wire 49 by one step, the brake clutch mechanism 10 is brought into the second state (not shown). In the second state, brake 40 is in a released state, and clutch 41 is continuously in a state of cutting off the transmission path of the driving force from motor 9 to washing tub 4. The washing tub 4 is in a free state capable of freely rotating at this time.

When the actuator 42 further pulls the wire rope 49 to rotate the lever 39 further counterclockwise in a plan view, the brake clutch mechanism 10 is set to the third state (not shown). In the third state, the brake 40 is continuously in the released state, and the first engaging member 44 is engaged with the second engaging member 45, so that the clutch 41 is in a state of connecting the transmission path of the driving force from the motor 9 to the washing tub 4. In this case, the washing tub 4 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 9, similarly to the rotary blade 5. When the actuator 42 is turned off, the lever 39 is rotated in the reverse direction by the biasing force of the biasing member 43, and the brake clutch mechanism 10 is switched to the third state, the second state, and the first state in this order. When the brake clutch mechanism 10 is in the first state, the wire 49 returns to the initial position.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vertical washing and drying machine 1. The vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine 1 includes a control unit 60 as an example of a control unit and a detection unit. The control unit 60 is configured as a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU61, a memory 62 such as a ROM or a RAM, and a timer 63, and is built in the case 2 (see fig. 1).

The vertical washing and drying integrated machine 1 further includes a rotation speed reading device 64 and a temperature detection unit 65 as an example of the detection unit. The rotation speed reading device 64 and the temperature detecting section 65, as well as the motor 9, the brake clutch mechanism 10, the water supply valve 21, the drain valve 23, the air blowing section 7, the heating section 8, and the operating section 17 described above, are electrically connected to the control section 60, respectively.

The rotation speed reading device 64 is a device that reads the rotation speed of the motor 9, strictly speaking, the rotation speed of the output shaft 30 of the motor 9, and is constituted by a hall IC, for example. The rotation speed read by the rotation speed reading device 64 is input to the control unit 60 in real time. The control unit 60 controls the duty ratio of the voltage applied to the motor 9 based on the input rotation speed, thereby controlling the motor 9 to rotate at a desired rotation speed. In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the washing tub 4 is the same as the rotation speed of the motor 9, and the rotation speed of the rotary wing 5 is a value obtained by multiplying the rotation speed of the motor 9 by a predetermined constant such as the reduction ratio of the reduction mechanism 31. In short, the rotation speed reading device 64 reads the rotation speed of the motor 9, and thereby reads the rotation speeds of the washing tub 4 and the rotary wing 5 together. A known temperature sensor such as a thermistor can be used as the temperature detection unit 65. The temperature detecting part 65 detects the temperature inside the outer tub 3, that is, the temperature inside the washing tub 4.

The control unit 60 controls on/off of the actuator 42 of the brake clutch mechanism 10, and switches the brake clutch mechanism 10 to any one of the first state, the second state, and the third state. That is, the control unit 60 controls the respective operations of the brake 40 and the clutch 41 in the brake clutch mechanism 10. Control unit 60 controls the opening and closing of water supply valve 21 and drain valve 23. The control unit 60 controls the respective operations of the air blowing unit 7 and the heating unit 8. When the user operates the operation unit 17 to select the operation conditions, the control unit 60 receives the selection.

The control unit 60 controls the operations of the motor 9, the brake clutch mechanism 10, the water supply valve 21, the drain valve 23, the air blowing unit 7, and the heating unit 8 to perform the washing and drying operation. Referring to the flowchart of fig. 4, the washing and drying operation at least includes: a washing process of washing the laundry Q (step S1), a rinsing process of rinsing the laundry Q after the washing process (step S2), a dehydrating process of dehydrating the laundry Q by rotating the washing tub 4 after the rinsing process (step S3), and a drying process of drying the laundry Q after the dehydrating process (step S4).

In the washing process of step S1, controller 60 opens water supply valve 21 for a predetermined time to store water in outer tub 3 and washing tub 4 to a predetermined water level, and then rotates rotary wing 5. As a result, the washing Q in the washing tub 4 is agitated by the mechanical force of the blade 5A of the rotating blade 5 and the mechanical force of the water flow generated in the washing tub 4 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating blade 5. The dirt is removed from the laundry Q by the stirring. The washing tub 4 may be rotated together with the rotary wing 5. In addition, a detergent may be put into washing tub 4, and in this case, laundry Q in washing tub 4 is decomposed by the detergent. When the predetermined washing time has elapsed, the control unit 60 opens the drain valve 23 to drain the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 4, and the washing process is ended.

In the rinsing process of step S2, controller 60 opens water supply valve 21 for a predetermined time to store tap water at a predetermined water level in outer tub 3 and washing tub 4, and then rotates rotary wing 5. Thereby, the laundry Q in the washing tub 4 is rinsed. When the predetermined rinsing time has elapsed, the control unit 60 opens the drain valve 23 to drain the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 4, and ends the rinsing process. The rinsing process may be performed a plurality of times.

In the dehydration process of step S3, the control part 60 rotates the washing tub 4 at a high speed of, for example, 850rpm in a state where the drain valve 23 is opened. The laundry Q in the washing tub 4 is dehydrated by the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation. The water seeped out of the laundry Q by the dehydration is discharged to the outside of the machine from the drainage path 22. It should be noted that the dewatering process may be performed after the washing process and the rinsing process, respectively, as an intermediate dewatering process. In this case, the dehydration process finally performed after the rinsing process like the step S3 is distinguished from the intermediate dehydration process to be referred to as a final dehydration process. The maximum rotation speed of the washing tub 4 in the final dehydration process may be higher than the maximum rotation speed of the washing tub 4 in the intermediate dehydration process.

As the last process in the washing and drying operation, the control part 60 performs the drying process of step S4. It should be noted that the drying process may be performed after the final dehydration process as one of the washing and drying operations, or may be independently performed as the drying operation. During the drying process, the laundry Q in the washing tub 4 is agitated by the rotating blades 5 and dried by being blown by the air fed from the air blowing unit 7 and the heating unit 8.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing a change with time of the temperature in the washing tub 4 during the drying process. In the graph of fig. 5, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time (unit: minute), and the vertical axis represents the temperature (unit:. degree. C.) in the outer tub 3 detected by the temperature detector 65. The temperature in the tub 3 is an index indicating the drying efficiency of the laundry Q in the washing tub 4. As an example, the drying efficiency is a value (unit:%) obtained by dividing the mass of the laundry Q completely dried after the drying process is finished by the mass of the wet laundry Q before the washing and drying process is started. Although the transition of the temperature in the tub 3 and the transition of the drying efficiency are not completely consistent, the drying efficiency is high and the moisture contained in the laundry Q is small even when the temperature in the tub 3 is high.

The period of the drying course is divided into a first period and a second period after the first period. The first period is divided into a heating drying period and a constant-speed drying period after the heating drying period. The heating-drying period is an initial stage of the drying process, during which moisture is rapidly discharged from the laundry Q, whereby the temperature inside the tub 3 is rapidly increased. During the constant-speed drying period corresponding to the intermediate stage of the drying process, the temperature inside the tub 3 is kept substantially constant, and a constant amount of moisture is discharged from the laundry Q per unit time. The second period is also called a deceleration drying period, and is a period of a final stage in which the surface of the laundry Q is substantially dried and the drying efficiency reaches, for example, 90% or more. In the second period, the temperature in the tub 3 rises with the passage of time. Hereinafter, the temperature in the tub 3 at which the drying efficiency is 90% is referred to as a target temperature.

Referring to fig. 6, which is a flowchart showing the drying process, as the drying process is started, control unit 60 detects the amount of laundry Q in washing tub 4 as the load amount (step S41). For example, the control unit 60 reads a deviation of the rotation speed of the motor 9 when the rotary wing 5 carrying the laundry Q is rotated by the rotation speed reading device 64, and detects the load amount from the deviation.

The control unit 60 determines the drying time until the completion of the entire drying process, the target time, which is the target value of the time until the completion of the first period, and the like, based on the detected load amount. The relationship between the load amount and the drying time and the relationship between the load amount and the target time are previously obtained by experiments and the like and stored in the memory 62. Further, the laundry Q is dried faster as the load amount is smaller, and therefore the drying time and the target time are set to be shorter. On the other hand, the drying time or the target time is set to be longer because the drying of the laundry Q takes longer as the load amount is larger.

Next, the control unit 60 starts counting time by the timer 63 (step S42). Then, the control unit 60 sets the brake clutch mechanism 10 to the first state, operates the air blowing unit 7 and the heating unit 8, and also operates the motor 9 (step S43). Accordingly, the first period starts, and in the first period, heated air, that is, hot air is blown from duct 6 to laundry Q in washing tub 4 in a state where washing tub 4 is stationary, and laundry Q is agitated by rotating rotary blade 5. At any time during the first period, the controller 60 may switch the brake clutch mechanism 10 to the third state to rotate not only the rotary wing 5 but also the washing tub 4. Accordingly, the positions of the laundry Q in the washing tub 4 are alternated, so that the hot air from the duct 6 can blow all the laundry Q without dead space, and the laundry Q can be dried efficiently.

Then, when the target time of the first period has elapsed since the time measurement in step S42 (yes in step S44), control unit 60 confirms the temperature in outer tub 3 (step S45). When the temperature in the tub 3 reaches the target temperature (yes in step S45), the control unit 60 switches the brake clutch mechanism 10 from the first state to the second state (step S46). In this case, the air blowing unit 7, the heating unit 8, and the motor 9 may be continuously operated, or may be temporarily stopped when the brake clutch mechanism 10 is switched, and then may be operated again after the brake clutch mechanism 10 is switched. In short, the second period starts with the switching of the brake clutch mechanism 10. In the second period, the washing tub 4 is in a free state, and in this state, the hot wind blows the laundry Q in the washing tub 4, and the laundry Q is agitated by the rotating wing 5.

Then, the control part 60 confirms whether or not an end condition for ending the drying process is satisfied (step S47). An example of the end condition being satisfied is, for example, the drying time from the start of the timer in step S42. When the laundry Q is dried and the termination condition is satisfied (yes in step S47), the control unit 60 stops the air blowing unit 7, the heating unit 8, and the motor 9, returns the brake clutch mechanism 10 to the first state, and terminates the drying process.

As described above, in the drying process, the control unit 60 operates the motor 9 to rotate the rotary wing 5. At this time, in the first period of the drying process, controller 60 operates brake 40 to bring washing tub 4 to a stationary state (see fig. 5). Since the laundry Q is in a wet state in the first period before the final stage in the drying operation, the laundry Q is not easily tangled even if friction is generated between the laundry Q and the inner surface of the washing tub 4 when the washing tub 4 is in a stationary state. In the reverse manner, in the first period, since washing tub 4 is stationary during the rotation of rotary wing 5, the agitation of laundry Q in washing tub 4 is promoted, and therefore, even heavy laundry Q can be efficiently dried.

Since the laundry Q dried to a certain degree is likely to wrinkle as the first period elapses, the control unit 60 sets the washing tub 4 in a free state during the second period after the first period in the drying process (see fig. 5). When the washing tub 4 is in a free state, the washing tub 4 rotates along with the washing Q without interfering with the movement of the washing Q even if the washing Q is agitated by the rotary blade 5 and moves. This makes it difficult to generate unnecessary friction between the laundry Q and the inner surface of the washing tub 4, and therefore the laundry Q is not easily tangled. Therefore, the laundry Q is less likely to wrinkle due to knots. As a result, wrinkles of the laundry Q during the drying operation can be reduced. In addition, since the frictional force between the laundry Q and the inner surface of the washing tub 4 can be reduced, the cloth damage of the laundry Q can be reduced.

Further, although there is a possibility that brake 40 is worn out by friction between brake 40 and large diameter portion 25A of support shaft 25 of washing tub 4 when washing tub 4 is in the free state, wear of brake 40 can be suppressed by leaving washing tub 4 in the free state only during the second period, which is important.

Further, as described above, the control section 60 determines the target time of the first period from the load amount detected in step S41 (step S44). That is, the control unit 60 determines the time to start the second period to set the washing tub 4 in the free state based on the detected load amount. Thus, since the timing at which washing tub 4 is in the free state is optimized, more efficient drying of laundry Q and further reduction of wrinkles of laundry Q can be achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims.

For example, although the vertical washing and drying machine 1 is a vertical washing and drying machine in which the axis J of the washing tub 4 is arranged so as to extend vertically along the vertical direction Z (see fig. 1), the vertical washing and drying machine may include a structure in which the axis J is arranged slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction Z.

As the structure for operating the brake 40 and the clutch 41, a structure other than the actuator 42 realized by the above-described torque motor may be adopted.

For example, instead of hot air, cold air may be used to dry the laundry Q, and in this case, the heating unit 8 may be omitted.

Claims

The utility model provides a vertical washing and drying all-in-one which characterized in that includes:

a motor generating a driving force;

a washing tub having an inlet and an outlet for laundry formed at an upper end thereof and a bottom wall at a lower end thereof for receiving the laundry, the washing tub being rotated by a driving force of the motor;

a rotary wing disposed on the bottom wall in the washing tub and rotated by receiving a driving force of the motor;

a brake for stopping rotation of the washing tub;

a clutch which cuts off or connects a transmission path of the driving force from the motor to the washing tub;

an air supply part for supplying air into the washing barrel; and

a control unit for controlling the motor, the brake, the clutch and the air supply part to execute drying operation for drying the washings in the washing barrel,

in the drying operation, the control unit may operate the motor to rotate the rotary wing, release the brake, and disconnect the transmission path by the clutch to set the washing tub in a free state.
The vertical washing and drying all-in-one machine of claim 1,

in the drying operation, the control unit operates the brake to bring the washing tub into a stationary state during a first period, and brings the washing tub into the free state during a second period after the first period.
The vertical washing and drying integrated machine according to claim 1 or 2,

also comprises a detection unit for detecting the load of the washings in the washing barrel,

the control unit determines a timing of bringing the washing tub into the free state according to the load amount detected by the detection unit.