CN114901896B - Clothes treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a clothes treatment device which can sufficiently inhibit the wrinkling of clothes. A laundry treatment device (1) is provided with: a housing chamber (200) disposed in the case (100) for housing clothes; a first supply unit (300) for supplying warm air into the accommodating chamber (200); a hanger hanging device (610) for keeping the clothes in a state of hanging in the accommodating chamber (200); an excitation mechanism (630) for swinging the hanger suspension device (610); a control unit for controlling the excitation mechanism unit (630); and a camera for detecting the shaking amplitude of the clothes when the clothes hanger hanging device (610) swings. When clothes are dried by warm air from the first supply unit (300), the control unit determines the swing frequency of the clothes hanger suspension device (610) when the clothes hanger suspension device swings according to the swing amplitude of the clothes detected by the camera.

Description

Clothes treating apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus that performs a process such as drying of laundry.

Background

Conventionally, there is known a clothes treating apparatus capable of hanging clothes in a storage portion, drying the clothes with warm air, or flattening wrinkles of the clothes with steam. For example, patent document 1 describes an example of such a laundry treatment apparatus.

The laundry before drying is expanded due to the moisture, and thus is in a state of no wrinkles, and the laundry is easily wrinkled when the laundry is contracted as the drying proceeds. Therefore, if the suspended laundry can be flattened while the laundry is dried, wrinkling is less likely, and thus it is preferable.

It is also possible to dry the laundry wet with steam in order to dry the laundry even when the steam is blown onto the laundry to carry out the folding and flattening. For such drying, it is also necessary to avoid wrinkling of the laundry.

Therefore, it is conceivable to shake the laundry by swinging a holding portion (for example, a hanger hanging device) that holds the laundry in a hanging state, and to subject the laundry to centrifugal force or the like to easily flatten the laundry.

However, the frequency of the swing of the clothes hung on the holding portion may be changed by resonance depending on the state of the clothes such as shape and weight. Therefore, if the holding portion is simply swung, the clothes may not swing as expected depending on the state of the clothes, and wrinkles may not be easily suppressed.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2018-057413

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treatment apparatus capable of sufficiently suppressing wrinkling of laundry.

Solution for solving the problem

The main aspect of the present invention is a laundry treatment apparatus comprising: a housing chamber disposed in the case for housing laundry; a warm air supply unit for supplying warm air into the accommodating chamber; a holding part for holding the clothes in a state of being hung in the accommodating chamber; an excitation section configured to oscillate the holding section; a control unit that controls the excitation unit; and a shake detection unit configured to detect a shake amplitude of the laundry when the holding unit swings. Here, when the laundry is dried by the warm air from the warm air supply unit, the control unit determines the swing frequency at which the holding unit swings, based on the swing amplitude of the laundry detected by the swing detection unit.

The wobble frequency may be determined not only directly but also based on the result. For example, in the case where the exciting section is configured to oscillate the holding section by rotation of the motor, when the rotation speed of the motor is determined, the oscillation frequency of the holding section is determined as a result.

According to the above configuration, the laundry can be sufficiently shaken regardless of the state of the weight, shape, or the like, and therefore, it can be expected that the wrinkling of the laundry is sufficiently suppressed.

In the laundry treatment apparatus according to this aspect, the following structure may be adopted: the shake detection unit includes an imaging unit that images the laundry hung on the holding unit.

According to the above configuration, the shake amplitude of the laundry can be detected by analyzing the image captured by the imaging unit.

In the laundry treatment apparatus according to this aspect, the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a humidity detection unit configured to detect a humidity in the storage chamber. In this case, the control unit may start the swing of the holding unit by the excitation unit when the detected humidity obtained by the humidity detection unit is equal to or lower than a threshold value.

According to the above configuration, since the laundry can be started to shake at the point in time when the water content of the laundry is reduced to the amount at which wrinkling is to be started, the vibration exciting portion can be prevented from operating while the wrinkle flattening effect is not easily obtained, and the waste of electric power and the like can be suppressed.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a laundry treatment apparatus capable of sufficiently suppressing wrinkling of laundry.

The effects and the meaning of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments. However, the following embodiments are merely examples of the practice of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the description of the following embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 (a) is a front view of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment, and fig. 1 (b) is a right side view of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment, taken at a position of the first supply unit.

Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment, taken at the position of the second supply unit.

Fig. 4 (a) and (b) are plan sectional views of the laundry treating apparatus in a state where the cover is detached and a state where the cover is assembled, respectively, according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment cut at a position of an air intake duct of the first supply unit.

Fig. 6 (a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the structures of the hanger suspension device and the excitation mechanism section according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) is a front cross-sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus according to the embodiment, which is cut at a front position of the air circulation unit, and fig. 7 (b) is a front view of the air circulation unit according to the embodiment in a state of detaching the cover.

Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing operation control of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing laundry shaking processing performed during a drying process according to an embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a laundry treatment apparatus; 100: a case; 200: a housing chamber; 270: a camera (photographing section, shake detecting section); 300: a first supply unit (warm air supply unit); 600: a holding unit; 610: a hanger hanging device (holding part); 630: an excitation mechanism (excitation unit); 802: a control unit; 803: humidity sensor (humidity detecting part).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 (a) is a front view of the laundry treating apparatus 1, and fig. 1 (b) is a right side view of the laundry treating apparatus 1. Fig. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the laundry treating apparatus 1 cut at the position of the first supply unit 300. In fig. 2, the second supply unit 400 and the air circulation unit 700 are omitted from illustration. Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the laundry treating apparatus 1 cut at the position of the second supply unit 400. In fig. 3, the air circulation unit 700 is omitted from illustration. Fig. 4 (a) and (b) are plan sectional views of the laundry treating apparatus 1 in a state where the cover 240 is removed and a state where the cover 240 is assembled, respectively. In fig. 4 (a) and (b), illustration of the air circulation unit 700 is omitted. Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus 1 cut at a position of the air intake duct 350 of the first supply unit 300. In fig. 2, the air flow containing ozone and the warm air flow are indicated by solid arrows. In fig. 3, the steam flow is indicated by solid arrows, and the condensate flow is indicated by broken arrows. In fig. 5, the air flow from the outside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 is indicated by solid arrows. In fig. 3, for convenience of explanation, a hanger hanging device 610 is drawn in front of a cut surface by a one-dot chain line.

The laundry treatment apparatus 1 includes a casing 100 having a long rectangular parallelepiped shape. Feet 110 are provided at four corners of the outer bottom surface of the case 100. A housing chamber 200 for housing various kinds of clothes such as western-style clothes and overcoat is disposed in the inside of the case 100. The accommodating chamber 200 has a lengthwise rectangular parallelepiped shape. A first supply unit 300 capable of supplying warm air and ozone to the storage chamber 200 and a second supply unit 400 capable of supplying steam to the storage chamber 200 are disposed below the storage chamber 200 in the case 100. The first supply unit 300 corresponds to a warm air supply unit of the present invention.

The front surface of the accommodating chamber 200 is opened as an input port 201 for laundry. A portion of the front surface of the case 100 corresponding to the inlet 201 is opened. A door 500 is provided at the front surface of the case 100. The door 500 has substantially the same size as the front surface of the cabinet 100. The inlet 201 is covered by a door 500. The right end portion of the door 500 is coupled to the case 100 by a hinge portion, not shown, and the door 500 can be opened forward with the hinge portion as a fulcrum.

The first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220 are provided adjacent to each other at a central portion of the bottom surface of the housing chamber 200. The first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220 have a substantially semicircular cylindrical shape having straight portions on both sides. The arcuate portion 211 of the first supply port 210 and the arcuate portion 221 of the second supply port 220 are curved in opposite directions from each other as viewed from above. Thus, the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220 have a shape that is nearly circular as shown by the one-dot chain line in fig. 4 (a). A minute gap is provided between the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220, and an assembly boss 230 having an assembly hole 231 is provided in the gap.

A cover 240 is disposed above the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220 so as to cover them. The cover 240 includes a disk-shaped top surface portion 241 and a peripheral surface portion 242 extending obliquely downward from the peripheral edge of the top surface portion 241. The top surface portion 241 is larger than the combined size of the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220. A shaft 243 protruding downward is formed in the center of the inner surface of the top surface portion 241. The shaft 243 is fitted to the fitting hole 231 of the fitting boss 230 so as to form a predetermined gap between the top surface portion 241 of the cover 240 and the first and second supply ports 210 and 220. A plurality of discharge holes 244 are formed throughout the entire periphery of the peripheral surface portion 242 of the cover 240. The discharge hole 244 has a rectangular shape that is long in the radial direction of the cover 240, and is located around the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220, that is, outside the projection area of the first supply port 210 and the second supply port 220 in the cover 240. Thus, dust and foreign matter falling from the laundry are less likely to enter the first and second supply ports 210 and 220 through the discharge hole 244. A predetermined gap is provided between the outer peripheral edge of the cover 240 and the bottom surface of the housing chamber 200.

A discharge port 202 is formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the accommodation chamber 200. The discharge port 202 is connected to an exhaust duct 250, and the exhaust duct 250 is exposed to the outside from the rear surface of the case 100.

An exhaust gas filter unit 260 is removably attached to the exhaust port 202. The exhaust gas filtering unit 260 includes an ozone removing filter 261 and a filter cover 262 accommodating the ozone removing filter 261. An activated carbon/catalyst filter may be used for the ozone removal filter 261. The filter cover 262 is provided with a plurality of vent windows 263.

A holding unit 600 is provided at a central portion of an upper portion of the accommodating chamber 200 in a front-rear direction, and the holding unit 600 can hold laundry in a hanging state and shake the laundry.

The holding unit 600 includes a hanger suspension 610, two support portions 620, and an excitation mechanism portion 630. The hanger suspension 610 corresponds to the holding portion of the present invention, and the excitation mechanism 630 corresponds to the excitation portion of the present invention.

The hanger hanging device 610 is hung with a hanger on which the laundry is hung. The two support portions 620 are fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the accommodating chamber 200, respectively. A rail groove 621 is formed in each support portion 620, and left and right end portions of the hanger hanging device 610 are fitted into the rail groove 621. Thus, the hanger hanging device 610 is supported by the two support parts 620 so as to be horizontally movable in the left-right direction. The exciting mechanism part 630 is attached to the hanger hanging device 610, and swings the hanger hanging device 610 in the horizontal direction.

Fig. 6 (a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the structures of the hanger suspension device 610 and the excitation mechanism section 630. Fig. 6 (a) is a front view of the hanger suspension device 610 to which the excitation mechanism section 630 is attached, and fig. 6 (b) is a plan view of the hanger suspension device 610. Fig. 6 (c) and (d) are diagrams showing the state where the hanger suspension device 610 is moved in the right and left directions by the excitation mechanism section 630, respectively. In fig. 6 (b), for convenience of explanation, the roller 633 of the excitation mechanism section 630 accommodated in the cam groove 613 is shown. In addition, in fig. 6 (c) and (d), the hanger suspension 610 is shown in cross section.

The hanger hanging device 610 has a shape long in the left-right direction. A plurality of hooks 611 for hanging the hanger are provided on the lower surface of the hanger hanging device 610 so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. An elliptical cam groove 613 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in a recess 612 in the center of the upper surface of the hanger suspension 610. A square tubular cover 614 is provided on the upper surface of the hanger hanging device 610 so as to surround the recess 612.

The excitation mechanism section 630 includes a swing motor 631, a cam shaft 632, and a roller 633. The cam shaft 632 is connected to a motor shaft 631a of the swing motor 631. An arm 632a extending in a direction perpendicular to the motor shaft 631a is formed at a front end portion of the cam shaft 632. A roller 633 is rotatably mounted to the tip of the arm 632a. The roller 633 is received in a cam slot 613 of the hanger suspension 610.

When the swing motor 631 operates and the cam shaft 632 rotates, as shown by an arrow and a broken line of (b) of fig. 6, the roller 633 moves while tracing a circular track, and the cam groove 613 moves in the left-right direction. Thus, as shown in fig. 6 (c) and (d), the hanger hanging means 610 is alternately moved in the right and left directions. That is, the hanger hanging device 610 swings in the left-right direction at a swing frequency corresponding to the rotation speed of the swing motor 631.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of clothes may be hung side by side on the hanger hanging device 610 such that the front-rear direction of the clothes becomes the extending direction of the hanger hanging device 610. The swing motor 631 of the excitation mechanism 630 is disposed between the top surface of the housing chamber 200 and the top surface of the casing 100, and the cam shaft 632 penetrates the top surface of the housing chamber 200 and is connected to the swing motor 631. The cam shaft 632 is covered by the cover 614 of the hanger hanging device 610 and is hidden.

Referring to fig. 2 and 5, the first supply unit 300 includes a first supply duct 310, an ozone generator 320, a heater 330, a blower fan 340, and an air intake duct 350.

In the first supply duct 310, an inlet 311 is connected to an outlet 342 of the blower fan 340, and an outlet 312 is connected to an inlet of the first supply port 210. The ozone generator 320 is disposed in the vicinity of the inlet 311 in the first supply pipe 310. The first supply duct 310 has the following shape: extends leftward from the inlet 311, is bent in a rightward folded manner from a portion passing through the arrangement position of the ozone generator 320, and then extends upward to the first supply port 210.

The ozone generator 320 is a discharge type ozone generator, and generates a discharge such as corona discharge or silent discharge between a pair of electrodes, and generates ozone from air passing between the pair of electrodes. The heater 330 is disposed in the first supply duct 310 closer to the first supply port 210 than the ozone generator 320, and heats the air flowing in the first supply duct 310. As the heater 330, for example, a PTC heater may be used.

The blower fan 340 is a centrifugal fan, and has a suction port 341 on a side surface and a discharge port 342 on a peripheral surface. The blower fan 340 takes in air from the suction inlet 341 and sends the taken-in air to the ozone generator 320 in the first supply duct 310. As the blower fan 340, a fan other than a centrifugal fan, for example, an axial flow fan may be used.

An intake port 101 is formed in a front surface of the casing 100 at a position facing the intake port 341 of the blower fan 340. The air intake port 101 is provided with a dust filter 120 for removing dust and the like contained in the air taken in from the air intake port 101.

One end of the intake duct 350 is connected to the intake port 101, and the other end is connected to the suction port 341. A plurality of ventilation holes 501 are formed in the rear surface of the door 500 at positions corresponding to the air inlet 101 of the cabinet 100, and an air intake 502 is formed in the bottom surface. Inside the door 500, the intake port 502 communicates with the plurality of ventilation holes 501. When the blower fan 340 is operated, air outside the laundry treating apparatus 1 is taken into the intake duct 350 through the intake 502, the ventilation hole 501, and the intake port 101. Hereinafter, the outside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 will be referred to as the outside.

Referring to fig. 3, the second supply unit 400 includes a second supply pipe 410, a steam generating device 420, and a drain device 430. The second supply duct 410 has a shape in which a lower portion bulges rightward. The second supply pipe 410 has a lead-out port 411 connected to an inlet of the second supply port 220 at an upper end portion thereof. The second supply pipe 410 is provided with an inlet 412 on the right side surface of the lower portion. In the second supply pipe 410, a water storage 413 is provided below the inlet 412 by making the bottom lower than the inlet 412. An outlet 414 is provided on the bottom surface of the water reservoir 413.

The steam generating device 420 includes a water supply tank 440, a water supply tub 450, a pump module 460, and a steam generator 470. The water supply tank 440 stores water supplied to the steam generator 470. The water supply tank 440 is detachably provided in a water supply tank installation portion, not shown, in the housing 100. When the water supply tank 440 is installed in the water supply tank installation part, the supply port 441 thereof is connected to the inlet 451 of the water supply tub 450 from above. The supply port 441 is provided with an on-off valve 442, and when the supply port 441 is connected to the inlet 451, the on-off valve 442 is opened to supply water from the water supply tank 440 to the water supply tank 450, and the entire water supply tank 450 is filled with water.

The pump module 460 includes a pump 461, a connection hose 462, and a water supply hose 463. The suction inlet of the pump 461 is connected to the outlet 452 of the water supply tub 450 through a connection hose 462. A water supply hose 463 is connected to the discharge port of the pump 461. The pump 461 sucks water in the water supply tub 450 through the connection hose 462 and supplies the water to the steam generator 470 through the water supply hose 463.

The steam generator 470 includes a main body 471 and a heater 472, and is attached to the inlet 412 of the second supply pipe 410 via a heat insulating member, not shown. The main body 471 is formed of a metal material such as die-cast aluminum, and has a steam generation chamber 473 therein. A water supply port 474 connected to a water supply hose 463 is provided above the steam generating chamber 473 in the main body 471, and a discharge port 475 connected to the inside of the second supply duct 410 is provided right of the steam generating chamber 473. The heater 472 is embedded in the main body 471.

The main body 471 is heated by the heater 472 to be high temperature. The water droplets delivered by the pump 461 fall to the bottom surface of the steam generating chamber 473 and evaporate, thereby generating high-temperature steam. The generated steam is discharged into the second supply pipe 410 through the discharge port 475.

The drain 430 includes a drain tank 480 and a drain hose 490. The drain hose 490 has a connection port 491 at an upper end portion thereof, which is connected to the discharge port 414 of the second supply pipe 410. A baffle 492 is disposed in the connection port 491 so as to block the discharge port 414. The baffle 492 is, for example, a mesh plate made of metal and having a fine mesh for preventing ozone supplied into the housing chamber 200 from leaking into the tank 100 through the drain hose 490 during deodorization/sterilization operation.

The drain tank 480 is a container for recovering condensed water generated in the second supply pipe 410. The drain tank 480 is detachably provided in a drain tank installation portion, not shown, in the tank body 100. When the drain tank 480 is provided at the drain tank installation portion, the inlet 481 thereof is located directly below the lower end of the drain hose 490.

The front surface of the casing 100 is provided with the inlet/outlet 102 of the water supply tank 440 and the drain tank 480 provided in the casing 100 at the front positions of these tanks 440 and 480. The inlet/outlet 102 is covered with an openable/closable cover 103 (see fig. 1 (a) -1 (b)). The user can take and put the water supply tank 440 and the drain tank 480 into the tank 100 by opening the door 500 and opening the cover 103.

Fig. 7 (a) is a front cross-sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus 1 cut at a front position of the air circulation unit 700, and fig. 7 (b) is a front view of the air circulation unit 700 in a state where the cover 712b is removed. Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of a main portion of the laundry treating apparatus 1. In fig. 7 (a) and 8, the air flow blown out from the air circulation unit 700 is indicated by solid arrows and broken arrows. In fig. 7 (a), for convenience of explanation, a hanger hanging device 610 is drawn in front of a cut surface by a one-dot chain line.

An air circulation unit 700 is disposed inside the accommodating chamber 200 at the bottom and in the vicinity of the rear surface of the accommodating chamber 200. The air circulation unit 700 sucks air in the accommodating chamber 200 and blows the sucked air into the accommodating chamber 200, and blows the blown air toward the suspended laundry.

The air circulation unit 700 is provided with a circulation fan 710 and a ventilation board (louver) mechanism 720. The circulation fan 710 is a cross flow fan including a fan 711, a housing 712, and a fan motor 713. The fan 711 has an impeller 711a arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the axial dimension is substantially larger than the radial dimension. A fan shaft 714 is provided at the center of the fan 711. Both end portions of the fan shaft 714 protrude from both end surfaces of the fan 711.

The fan 711 is accommodated in the housing 712, and both end portions of the fan shaft 714 are rotatably supported on both side surfaces of the housing 712. The case 712 is composed of a body 712a having an open front surface and a cover 712b covering the front surface of the body 712 a. The casing 712 has a suction port 715 opening forward on the front side of the fan 711, i.e., on the front surface of the cover 712b, and a discharge port 716 opening upward on the rear side of the fan 711. The suction port 715 is opened in a direction along the bottom surface of the accommodating chamber 200, and its lower end is slightly higher than the bottom surface of the accommodating chamber 200. The suction port 715 is provided with a plurality of lattices 715a extending in a lattice shape. The axial dimensions of the suction port 715 and the discharge port 716 are substantially the same as those of the fan 711. That is, the suction port 715 and the discharge port 716 have a long shape in the axial direction.

A filter 717 is disposed in the casing 712 between the suction port 715 and the fan 711. The filter 717 captures dust sucked from the suction port 715 together with air.

The right end of the fan shaft 714 penetrates the right side surface of the housing 712 and further penetrates the right side surface of the housing chamber 200. A portion of the right side surface of the accommodating chamber 200 corresponding to the air circulation unit 700 is recessed inward, and a fan motor 713 is mounted at an outer side of the portion. The fan shaft 714 penetrating the right side surface of the housing chamber 200 is coupled to a rotor (not shown) of the fan motor 713.

The fan motor 713 drives the fan 711 to rotate via the fan shaft 714. When the fan 711 rotates, air is sucked from the suction port 715, and the sucked air is sent by the fan 711 and blown out from the discharge port 716.

The ventilation board mechanism 720 includes a ventilation board 721 and a ventilation board motor 722. The ventilation plate 721 has a square shape long in the axial direction of the circulation fan 710, and has a slightly larger size than the discharge port 716 of the circulation fan 710. Eave portions 723 are provided at both left and right end portions of the ventilation plate 721, and a ventilation plate shaft 724 is provided at a lower end portion of the eave portions 723. The circulation fan 710 is provided with a support 718 at the rear upper end of both side surfaces of the casing 712. The ventilation board shafts 724 on both sides of the ventilation board 721 are rotatably supported by the supporting portions 718 on both sides of the housing 712. Thereby, the ventilation plate 721 is located above the discharge port 716 and can swing in the up-down direction.

The right end of the ventilation board shaft 724 penetrates the right support 718 and further penetrates the right side surface of the housing chamber 200. A ventilation board motor 722 is mounted above the fan motor 713 on the outside of the right side surface of the housing chamber 200. The ventilation board shaft 724 penetrating the right side surface of the housing chamber 200 is coupled to a rotor (not shown) of the ventilation board motor 722.

The louver motor 722 rotates forward and backward at a predetermined rotation angle, and swings the louver 721 via the louver shaft 724. The air blown upward from the discharge port 716 of the circulation fan 710 is turned by contact with the ventilation plate 721. The steering angle of the air varies according to the angle of the swing ventilation plate 721, and the direction in which the air, i.e., wind, is directed varies.

The fan shaft 714 of the circulation fan 710 serves as a rotation shaft when the fan 711 rotates, and the louver shaft 724 of the louver mechanism 720 serves as a swing shaft when the louver 721 swings. As shown in fig. 8, the circulation fan 710, i.e., the air circulation unit 700, is disposed at the bottom of the accommodating chamber 200 in the following state: the rotation axis of the fan 711 and the axial direction of the swing axis of the ventilation plate 721 are parallel or substantially parallel to the left-right direction, i.e., the front-rear direction of the laundry suspended by the hanger suspension device 610.

As shown in fig. 8, a camera 270 is disposed at a central portion of the top surface of the housing chamber 200 in the left-right direction and in front of the hanger hanging device 610. The camera 270 photographs the laundry hung on the hanger hanging device 610. The camera 270 has horizontal and vertical angles of view that can capture all of the clothes when all of the hooks 611 of the hanger hanging device 610 are hanging the clothes. The camera 270 corresponds to an imaging unit and a shake detection unit of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the laundry treating apparatus 1.

The laundry treatment apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 801, a control unit 802, and a humidity sensor 803 in addition to the above-described configuration.

The operation unit 801 includes an operation button such as a selection button for selecting an operation mode and a start button for starting an operation, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation button operated by the user to the control unit 802.

The humidity sensor 803 detects the humidity in the housing chamber 200, and outputs a humidity signal corresponding to the detected humidity to the control unit 802. The humidity sensor 803 corresponds to a humidity detection unit of the present invention.

The control unit 802 includes a microcomputer, various driving circuits, and the like, and controls the ozone generator 320, the heater 330, and the blower fan 340 of the first supply unit 300; a pump 461 and a heater 472 of the second supply unit 400; a swing motor 631 of the holding unit 600; a fan motor 713 and a ventilation board motor 722 of the air circulation unit 700, and the like.

In the laundry treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a deodorizing/sterilizing operation for deodorizing/sterilizing laundry, a drying operation for drying laundry, and a fold flattening operation for flattening folds of laundry can be performed.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing operation control of the laundry treatment apparatus 1.

When the operation start operation is performed, the control unit 802 determines which operation of the deodorization/sterilization operation, the drying operation, and the folding-flattening operation is selected (S1).

When the deodorization/sterilization operation is selected (S1: deodorization/sterilization), the deodorization/sterilization operation is started, and the control unit 802 executes the deodorization/sterilization process (S2). During deodorization/sterilization, control unit 802 causes blower fan 340 and ozone generator 320 in first supply unit 300 to operate.

As shown by solid arrows in fig. 5, by the operation of the blower fan 340, the air outside the machine is taken into the intake duct 350 from the intake port 101 and is sent into the first supply duct 310.

As shown in fig. 2, the air flowing in the first supply duct 310 passes through the ozone generator 320, and at this time, ozone generated in the ozone generator 320 is mixed into the air. In this way, the air containing ozone reaches the first supply port 210 through the first supply duct 310, and is discharged from the first supply port 210 into the housing chamber 200. The discharged ozone-containing air collides with the cover 240 and spreads to the surrounding, and a part of the discharged ozone-containing air is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 244, and the remaining part is discharged from between the cover 240 and the bottom surface of the housing chamber 200. Thus, the air containing ozone is diffused through the cover 240 to go upward toward the laundry, widely contacting the laundry. The laundry is deodorized/sterilized by the deodorization/sterilization effect of ozone.

The air having the ozone concentration reduced by the deodorization/sterilization of the laundry is discharged from the discharge port 202 provided at the upper portion of the housing chamber 200 into the exhaust duct 250, flows through the exhaust duct 250, and is discharged to the outside. The air discharged from the discharge port 202 passes through the ozone removal filter 261. Thereby, ozone in the air is removed, and the air reduced to an appropriate ozone concentration is discharged outside the machine.

Also, during deodorization/sterilization, the control portion 802 drives the fan motor 713 in the air circulation unit 700 to operate the circulation fan 710, and drives the ventilation board motor 722 to swing the ventilation board 721 in the up-down direction.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), the air containing ozone in the housing chamber 200 is taken into the casing 712 through the intake port 715, and is blown out from the exhaust port 716 as an ozone wind. The blown ozone air is turned by the ventilation board 721 to go toward the laundry. At this time, since the turning angle of the ozone wind is changed by the swing of the ventilation board 721, the ozone wind contacts the laundry from various directions. Thereby, the contact efficiency of the ozone wind with the laundry becomes good, and the laundry is easily deodorized/sterilized. In addition, the laundry is pushed by the ozone wind from all directions, whereby the suspended laundry shakes. Thus, ozone can be allowed to reach portions such as armpits which are not easily reached in a state where the clothing is stationary. In addition, dust attached to the laundry is liable to fall off.

The laundry is suspended from the hanger suspension device 610 such that the front-rear direction thereof is parallel to the axial direction of the swing axis of the ventilation plate 721 of the air circulation unit 700. Therefore, even in the case where a plurality of laundry is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 200 as shown in fig. 7 (a), the ozone wind discharged from the circulation fan 710 and turned by the ventilation plate 721 easily passes between the laundry and the laundry to reach the upper portion of the accommodating chamber 200. Thus, the ozone wind is easily blown to the plurality of clothes without missing, and the plurality of clothes are well deodorized/sterilized.

When a predetermined deodorization/sterilization time elapses, the control unit 802 stops the operation of the ozone generator 320, the blower fan 340, the circulation fan 710, and the ventilation board 721, and ends the deodorization/sterilization process. Thus, the deodorization/sterilization operation is ended.

Next, when the control unit 802 determines in step S1 that the drying operation is selected (S1: drying), the drying operation is started, and the drying process is executed (S3). During the drying process, the control part 802 operates the blower fan 340 and the heater 330 in the first supply unit 300.

As shown by solid arrows in fig. 5, by the operation of the blower fan 340, the air outside the machine is taken into the intake duct 350 from the intake port 101 and is sent into the first supply duct 310.

As shown in fig. 2, the air flowing through the first supply duct 310 is heated by the heater 330 to be warm air at a temperature suitable for drying (for example, about 60 ℃). Then, the warm air reaches the first supply port 210, and is discharged from the first supply port 210 into the storage chamber 200. The discharged warm air is diffused through the cover 240 to go upward toward the laundry as well as the ozone-containing air, and widely contacts the laundry. Thereby, the laundry is dried. The air deprived of moisture from the laundry in the accommodation chamber 200 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 202 and the exhaust duct 250.

During the drying process, the control part 802 operates the circulation fan 710 in the air circulation unit 700, and swings the ventilation board 721 in the up-down direction.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), the air in the storage chamber 200 warmed by the supply of warm air is taken into the casing 712 from the suction port 715, and is blown out from the discharge port 716 as warm air. The blown warm air is turned by the swing ventilation plate 721, thereby contacting the laundry from various directions. Thus, the contact efficiency between the warm air and the clothes is improved, and the clothes are easily dried. In addition, by the clothes being shaken, warm air can be made to touch a portion where the clothes are not easily touched in a state where the clothes are stationary, and dust attached to the clothes is easily dropped.

In addition, as in the case of the deodorization/sterilization operation, even in the case where a plurality of laundry is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 200 as shown in fig. 7 (a), the warm air discharged from the circulation fan 710 and turned by the ventilation plate 721 easily passes between the laundry and the laundry to come to the upper portion of the accommodating chamber 200. Therefore, warm air is easy to blow to a plurality of clothes without missing, and the plurality of clothes are easy to dry.

Further, during the drying process, the laundry shaking process, which will be described later, is performed by the control part 802, and the hanger hanging device 610 swings. Accordingly, the laundry hung on the hanger hanging device 610 is shaken in the front-rear direction of the laundry, and at this time, the laundry is flattened by centrifugal force acting on the laundry. This suppresses wrinkling of the laundry accompanying the drying.

When a predetermined drying time elapses, the control unit 802 stops the operation of the heater 330, the blower fan 340, the circulation fan 710, and the ventilation board 721, and ends the drying process. Thus, the drying operation is ended.

Next, when control unit 802 determines in step S1 that the folding-flattening operation is selected (S1: folding flattening), it starts the folding-flattening operation, and executes a preparation process (S4). During the preparation, the control section 802 causes the heater 472 of the steam generator 470 in the second supply unit 400 to operate in a state where the pump 461 is stopped. Thereby, the temperature of the main body 471 of the steam generator 470 increases.

Also, during the preparation, the control portion 802 causes the circulation fan 710 in the air circulation unit 700 to operate, and causes the ventilation plate 721 to swing in the up-down direction. As shown in fig. 7 (a), the air in the housing chamber 200 is taken into the casing 712 from the suction port 715 and blown out from the discharge port 716 in the form of wind. The blown air is turned by the swing ventilation plate 721, thereby contacting the laundry from various directions and shaking the laundry. Thus, dust is liable to fall from the clothing.

When the main body 471 of the steam generator 470 becomes sufficiently high temperature, the control part 802 ends the preparation process, performing the steam process (S5). During the steam, the control unit 802 operates the pump 461 while the heater 472 is continuously operated. As shown in fig. 3, high-temperature steam is generated by the steam generator 470 and discharged into the second supply pipe 410. The released steam rises in the second supply pipe 410 to reach the second supply port 220, and is discharged from the second supply port 220 into the accommodating chamber 200. The discharged steam collides with the cover 240 and spreads to the surrounding, a part of which is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 244, and the remaining part is discharged from between the cover 240 and the bottom surface of the accommodating chamber 200. In this way, the steam is diffused through the cover 240 to go upward toward the laundry, widely contacting the laundry. The wrinkles of the laundry are flattened by the moisture and heat possessed by the steam.

As the steam flows in the second supply pipe 410, a portion thereof may be condensed to generate condensed water. The condensed water flows downward and is accumulated in the water reservoir 413, and is discharged from the discharge port 414. The discharged condensate is recovered into the drain tank 480 through the drain hose 490. As described above, in the present embodiment, the water storage portion 413 for storing the condensed water is provided below the inlet 412 of the second supply pipe 410, and thus the condensed water is prevented from flowing from the inlet 412 into the steam generator 470.

Moreover, during the steam process, the circulation fan 710 and the ventilation board 721 continue to operate. The laundry is shaken by the wind blown out from the discharge port 716 and turned by the ventilation plate 721. When the laundry is shaken in a suspended state, the laundry is easily subjected to a force such as centrifugal force. Thus, the surface of the laundry contacting the steam is easily flattened, and thus the wrinkles of the laundry are easily flattened. Further, although the laundry is not in a dry state like in the preparation process due to being wetted with steam, dust attached to the laundry may fall off by the laundry being shaken.

In addition, as in the case of the deodorization/sterilization operation, even in the case where a plurality of laundry is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 200 as shown in fig. 7 (a), the wind discharged from the circulation fan 710 and turned by the ventilation plate 721 easily passes between the laundry and the laundry to reach the upper portion of the accommodating chamber 200. Thus, wind is easily blown to a plurality of clothes without missing, the plurality of clothes are well shaken, and the wrinkles are easily flattened.

When a predetermined steam supply time elapses, the control unit 802 stops the heater 472 and the pump 461, and ends the steam process.

Next, the control part 802 performs a drying process (S6). During the drying process, the blower fan 340 and the heater 330 are operated, and the circulation fan 710 and the ventilation board 721 are also continuously operated, as in the drying process during the drying operation. Thereby, the laundry wetted with the steam is dried. The drying time in the folding and flattening operation may be set to a time suitable for the folding and flattening operation or may be set to a drying time different from the drying time in the drying operation.

In addition, during the drying process of the wrinkle preventing operation, the control unit 802 also performs the laundry shaking process, the hanger hanging device 610 swings, and the laundry hanging on the hanger hanging device 610 shakes in the front-rear direction of the laundry. Thereby, the wrinkling of the clothes accompanied with the progress of drying is suppressed.

When the drying process ends with the lapse of the predetermined drying time, the control unit 802 executes the ventilation process (S7). That is, the control part 802 keeps the circulation fan 710 and the ventilation board 721 in operation following the drying process. Air in the accommodation chamber 200 is taken in from the intake port 715 and blown out into the accommodation chamber 200 from the exhaust port 716, whereby air outside the machine is taken in from the first supply port 210 into the accommodation chamber 200 through the intake duct 350 and the first supply duct 310 of the first supply unit 300, and air inside the accommodation chamber 200 is discharged outside the machine through the exhaust port 202 and the exhaust duct 250. This ventilates the inside of the storage chamber 200, and the inside wall of the storage chamber 200 is dried even if it is wetted with steam.

When a predetermined ventilation time elapses, the control unit 802 stops the circulation fan 710 and the ventilation plate 721, and ends the ventilation process. In this way, the fold flattening operation ends.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a laundry shaking process performed during a drying process.

Referring to fig. 11, when the drying process is started, control unit 802 detects the humidity in accommodation chamber 200 by humidity sensor 803, and determines whether or not the detected humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (S101). After a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of the drying process, the humidity in the storage chamber 200 becomes sufficiently high due to the moisture released from the laundry, and then the detection of the humidity is started.

The clothing is expanded by the moisture contained in the wet state, and thus flattened and is less prone to wrinkling. The laundry shrinks as the moisture of the dried laundry becomes smaller, and the surface forms wrinkles to be wrinkled. Therefore, if the laundry can be flattened at a point in time when the moisture content of the laundry is reduced to an amount at which wrinkling is to be started, wrinkling of the laundry can be effectively suppressed. Since the moisture content of the laundry can be estimated from the humidity in the storage chamber 200, the humidity in the storage chamber 200 corresponding to the moisture content at which wrinkling is to be started is obtained by performing experiments or the like in advance, and the humidity is set to the above-described threshold value.

When the detected humidity is equal to or lower than the threshold value (yes in S101), the control unit 802 performs a swing frequency determination process (S102) of determining a swing frequency at the time of swinging the hanger suspension device 610. The wobble frequency determination process is as follows.

The control unit 802 increases the rotational speed of the swing motor 631 stepwise, for example, by several tens of rpm, and increases the swing frequency of the hanger hanging device 610 stepwise. At the swing frequency of each stage, the laundry is shaken in the front-rear direction of the laundry in a manner corresponding to the swing frequency. The control unit 802 detects the amplitude of the laundry (hereinafter referred to as the amount of shaking) by capturing the laundry suspended from the hanger suspension device 610 at a predetermined sampling frequency by the camera 270 at each stage of the swing frequency and analyzing each captured image. For example, the control unit 802 recognizes the laundry from the captured image, and measures the angle by which the laundry is inclined to the right or left with respect to the vertical direction. Then, the control unit 802 detects the largest tilt angle among the tilt angles measured from the respective images as the amount of shake. The angle obtained by adding the maximum inclination angle when the laundry is rocked to the right and the maximum inclination angle when the laundry is rocked to the left may be used as the rocking amount.

The control unit 802 stores the amount of wobble at the wobble frequency of each stage in a memory inside the control unit. When the rotational speed of the swing motor 631 reaches a predetermined rotational speed and the amount of swing at the swing frequency corresponding to the predetermined rotational speed is detected, the control unit 802 extracts the maximum amount of swing from all the detected amounts of swing, and determines the swing frequency corresponding to the amount of swing as the swing frequency of the hanger hanging device 610 at this time. The control unit 802 may determine the oscillation frequency of the hanger suspension device 610 by determining the rotation speed of the oscillation motor 631. That is, determining the rotational speed of the swing motor 631 also determines the frequency of the swing of the hanger suspension 610.

The frequency of the swing of the laundry suspended in the hanger suspension device 610 may be changed by resonance depending on the state of the laundry such as shape and weight. The determined swing frequency is regarded as the swing frequency at which the laundry in the state at this time is shaken most.

When a plurality of clothes are hung on the hanger hanging device 610, the control unit 802 detects the amount of shaking of each clothes at the frequency of the shaking of each stage, and takes the average value or the total value of the amounts of shaking as the amount of shaking of the stage.

When the oscillation frequency is determined by the oscillation frequency determination processing, the control section 802 causes the oscillation motor 631 to rotate at a rotational speed corresponding to the determined oscillation frequency, and causes the hanger suspension 610 to oscillate at the determined oscillation frequency. Accordingly, the laundry hung on the hanger hanging device 610 is largely shaken in the front-rear direction thereof, and the surface of the laundry is sufficiently flattened, so that wrinkles are not easily formed on the laundry.

The control unit 802 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the hanger suspension device 610 began to swing at the determined swing frequency. As the laundry is dried, the weight of the laundry and the like are changed, and thus the swing frequency at which the laundry is easily shaken may be changed. Therefore, before the end of the drying, the plural times of the wobble frequency determination processing is performed, and the length of the predetermined time is set so that the plural times of the wobble frequency can be changed.

When a predetermined time has elapsed (S104: yes), the control unit 802 again performs the oscillation frequency determination processing (S102), and swings the hanger suspension device 610 at the determined oscillation frequency (S103). In this way, the oscillation frequency of the hanger hanging device 610 is changed to the optimum oscillation frequency every time a predetermined time elapses until the drying process is completed. Therefore, even if the state of the laundry is changed as the drying proceeds, the laundry is continuously and sufficiently shaken.

Then, when the drying process is finished (S105: yes), the control part 802 ends the laundry shaking process.

It should be noted that the drying process may be ended based on the humidity in the housing chamber 200 detected by the humidity sensor 803, instead of the lapse of time. In this case, the oscillation frequency determination process may be performed not every time the predetermined time elapses but every time the humidity in the housing chamber 200 decreases by a predetermined amount.

Effect of the embodiments >

As described above, according to the present embodiment, during the drying process of drying laundry by warm air from the first supply unit 300, the swing amplitude of the laundry suspended from the hanger suspension device 610 is detected by the camera 270, and the swing frequency when the hanger suspension device 610 swings is determined according to the detected swing amplitude. Accordingly, the laundry can be sufficiently shaken regardless of the state of the weight, shape, or the like, and it is expected that the wrinkling of the laundry can be sufficiently suppressed.

Further, in the drying process, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 803 is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the vibration of the hanger suspension device 610 is started by the vibration mechanism 630, so that the laundry can be flattened by starting to shake the laundry at a point of time when the water content of the laundry is reduced to an amount at which wrinkling is to be started. This can avoid the excitation mechanism section 630 from operating while the fold flattening effect is not easily obtained, and thus can suppress waste of electric power and the like.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the present invention other than the above.

For example, in the above embodiment, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 803 is equal to or lower than the threshold value during the drying process, the vibration of the hanger suspension 610 is started by the vibration excitation mechanism 630. However, the swing of the hanger hanging device 610 may be started after a predetermined standby time has elapsed from the start of the drying process or from the start of the drying process.

In the above embodiment, the camera 270 is used to detect the shake amplitude of the laundry. However, other detection portions, such as an acceleration sensor, may also be used. In the case of using the acceleration sensor, the following structure may be adopted: a rocking hanger is fixed to a hook 611 of the hanger hanging device 610, and an acceleration sensor is disposed on the hanger.

Further, the structure of the hanger hanging device 610 is not limited to the structure of the above embodiment, and may be any structure as long as it can hold the laundry in a hanging state.

The structure of the excitation mechanism section 630 is not limited to the structure of the above embodiment, and may be any structure as long as the hanger suspension device 610 can be swung in the horizontal direction.

In the above embodiment, when the control unit 802 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed in S104 in the laundry shake processing, the processing returns to the processing of S102 immediately to perform the shake determination processing. However, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 802 may capture the laundry suspended from the hanger suspension device 610 by the camera 270, detect the shaking amplitude of the laundry, compare the shaking amplitude with the shaking amplitude of the laundry at the predetermined shaking frequency detected in the previous shaking frequency determination processing, and not shift to the shaking frequency determination processing when the shaking amplitude is not reduced by the predetermined amount.

In the above embodiment, the hanger hanging device 610 is disposed in the housing chamber 200 with the front-rear direction of the suspended laundry being the left-right direction of the housing chamber 200. However, the hanger hanging device 610 may be disposed in the housing chamber 200 with the front-rear direction of the hung laundry being the front-rear direction of the housing chamber 200.

In the above embodiment, the laundry treatment apparatus 1 performs the deodorizing/sterilizing operation. However, the laundry treating apparatus 1 may not perform the deodorizing/sterilizing operation, and the ozone generator 320 may not be disposed in the first supply unit 300.

In the above embodiment, the air circulation unit 700 is disposed in the housing chamber 200. However, the laundry treating apparatus 1 may be configured such that the air circulation unit 700 is not disposed in the accommodating chamber 200.

The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

Claims (1)

1. A clothing processing device is characterized by comprising:

a housing chamber disposed in the case for housing laundry;

a warm air supply unit for supplying warm air into the accommodating chamber;

a holding part for holding the clothes in a state of being hung in the accommodating chamber;

an excitation section configured to oscillate the holding section;

a control unit that controls the excitation unit; and

a shaking detection part for detecting the shaking amplitude of the clothes when the holding part swings,

when the clothes are dried by using the warm air from the warm air supply part, the control part determines the swinging frequency of the holding part when the holding part swings according to the swinging amplitude of the clothes detected by the swinging detection part;

the shake detection unit includes a photographing unit that photographs the laundry hung on the holding unit;

a humidity detection unit for detecting the humidity in the accommodating chamber,

When the detected humidity obtained by the humidity detection unit is equal to or lower than a threshold value, the control unit starts the swing of the holding unit by the excitation unit;

the air circulation unit comprises a circulation fan and a ventilation plate mechanism, the ventilation plate mechanism comprises a ventilation plate and a ventilation plate motor, the ventilation plate motor drives the ventilation plate to swing, and air blown upwards from an exhaust port of the circulation fan is contacted with the ventilation plate and then turns;

a first supply port and a second supply port are provided in the central portion of the bottom surface of the housing chamber so as to be adjacent to each other, a cover is disposed above the first supply port and the second supply port so as to cover them, and ozone-containing air passes through the first supply duct to reach the first supply port and is discharged from the first supply port into the housing chamber.