EP2924163A1

EP2924163A1 - Household appliance for washing or drying

Info

Publication number: EP2924163A1
Application number: EP14200029.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Miki Yamasaki
Original assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Priority date: 2014-03-25
Filing date: 2014-12-23
Publication date: 2015-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 2034-12-23
Also published as: JP2015181745A; JP6253468B2; EP2924163B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a washer having a housing (1), a loading/unloading port (3a) that opens and closes when laundry is loaded or unloaded, a water storage section (4) disposed below the loading/unloading port (3a), a water supply device that supplies water to the water storage section (4), and a water drainage device (7, 7a) that drains water from the water storage section (4). The washer includes a movable shelf (2) for placing the laundry thereon, and a shelf drive mechanism that moves the movable shelf (2) in vertical direction. The shelf drive mechanism places the movable shelf in an upper position when the laundry (2d) is loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port (3a), and places the movable shelf (2) in a lower position when the laundry is washed in the water storage section (4).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washer or to a dryer.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, combi washers/dryers perform cleansing while rotating a washer/dryer tub with an outer tub filled with water, achieve spin-drying by spinning the washer/dryer tub, and accomplish drying by blowing warm air into a rotating washer/dryer tub with a heater or other heat source. An example of the above-described combi washers/dryers is described, for instance, in JP-2008-246230-A .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, when a washer or a dryer uses the above-described washer/dryer tub that rotates to perform cleansing and drying, centrifugal force exerted during rotation and mechanical force exerted on dropped laundry may be applied to the laundry (clothes). This may result in damage to cloth. In recent years, in particular, there is a tendency for people to perform washing every day even if laundry is not significantly soiled (a tendency toward "frequent washing of slightly soiled laundry").
Further, it is believed that removing washed or dried laundry from a washer or a dryer and folding the laundry imposes relatively heavy workload during household work for laundry washing.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a washer or dryer that minimizes the possibility of damaging cloth and reduces the load imposed on a user after washing or drying.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washer having a housing, a loading/unloading port that opens and closes when laundry is loaded or unloaded, a water storage section disposed below the loading/unloading port, a water supply device that supplies water to the water storage section, and a water drainage device that drains water from the water storage section. The washer includes a movable shelf for placing the laundry thereon, and a shelf drive mechanism that moves the movable shelf in vertical direction. The shelf drive mechanism places the movable shelf in an upper position when the laundry is loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port, and places the movable shelf in a lower position when the laundry is washed in the water storage section.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dryer having a housing, a loading/unloading port that opens and closes when clothes are loaded or unloaded, and a drying chamber disposed below the loading/unloading port. The dryer includes a movable shelf for placing the clothes thereon, a shelf drive mechanism that moves the movable shelf in vertical direction, an opening/closing device that hermetically closes the drying chamber, and a vacuum device that evacuates the drying chamber. The shelf drive mechanism places the movable shelf in an upper position when the clothes are loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port, and places the movable shelf in a lower position when the clothes are dried in the drying chamber. When the clothes are dried, the opening/closing device hermetically closes the drying chamber, and the vacuum device evacuates the drying chamber.
The present invention provides a washer or dryer that minimizes the possibility of damaging cloth and reduces the load imposed on a user after washing or drying.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a combi washer/dryer with a movable shelf (loading/unloading state or wind finishing process);
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a washing/drying process;
FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 (loading/unloading state and wind finishing process);
FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 1 (washing/rinsing process and spinning/drying process);
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the movable shelf:
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a mount for laundry loading/unloading; and
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a combination of a movable shelf main body and the mount.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present embodiment will be described in conjunction with a combi washer/dryer having the functions of both a washer and a dryer.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a combi washer/dryer with a movable shelf. The combi washer/dryer according to the present embodiment includes a housing 1, a loading/unloading port, an upper transport region 3, and a lower seal region 4. The loading/unloading port is opened and closed by a door section 3a when laundry 2d is loaded or unloaded. The upper transport region 3 includes the loading/unloading port. The lower seal region 4 serves as a water storage section and as a drying chamber and is disposed below the upper transport region 3. Further, one or more units of a movable shelf 2 are disposed in the upper transport region 3 and in the lower seal region 4 and movable in vertical direction by a shelf drive mechanism (not shown). The movable shelf 2 is used to carry the laundry 2d and netted to permit water and wind to easily pass through the movable shelf 2.
When the laundry 2d is loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port, the movable shelf 2 is positioned in the upper transport region 3, which is disposed in an upper position. When the laundry 2d is cleansed (washed and rinsed) in the lower seal region 4, the movable shelf 2 is placed in a lower position. The movable shelf 2 according to the present embodiment includes a water/wind ejection port 2a and a detergent ejection port 2b, and is connected to a water/wind injection control device 8 through a water/wind injection flexible pipe 16. When the above-described water supply device is used to supply water from the water/wind ejection port 2a of the movable shelf 2, the water can be stored in the lower seal region 4. Further, an oscillator 5 is disposed at the bottom of the lower seal region 4. The oscillator 5 performs ultrasonic cleansing by generating an ultrasonic wave in the water during a cleansing process.
The combi washer/dryer according to the present embodiment also includes an opening/closing device and a vacuum control device (vacuum pump) 6. The opening/closing device includes a sealing cover 4a that hermetically closes the lower seal region 4. The vacuum control device 6 evacuates the lower seal region 4. During a drying process, the movable shelf 2 is placed in a lower position, and the vacuum control device 6 evacuates the lower seal region 4 with the lower seal region 4 hermetically closed by the sealing cover 4a. Subsequently, the drying process can be facilitated by blowing wind into the lower seal region 4 from the water/wind ejection port 2a of the movable shelf 2. It is expected that the wind blown from the water/wind ejection port 2a will smooth out wrinkles. The reason is that the wind blows from a nearby spot to directly hit the laundry 2d on the movable shelf 2.
Further, a finishing blower fan 15 is disposed in the housing 1 and used as a blower. The upper transport region 3 has a wind outlet (not shown) through which air blown from the finishing blower fan 15 is discharged. When the above-mentioned drying process in the lower seal region 4 comes to an end, the shelf drive mechanism moves the movable shelf 2 to the upper transport region 3, which is in an upper position, and air is blown from the wind outlet toward clothes mounted on the movable shelf 2 in order to dry the clothes to a better finish.
A washing/drying operation according to the present embodiment will now be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2.
In process 20, folded or unfolded laundry 2d is placed on the movable shelf 2. The laundry 2d may be placed on the upper surface of one unit of the movable shelf 2 or placed in a sandwiched manner to be retained between two adjacent units of the movable shelf 2. When the laundry 2d is placed on one unit or between two units of the movable shelf 2, the one or two units of the movable shelf 2 are positioned in the upper transport region 3 in the housing 1. Next, the door section 3a is closed and brought into contact with a seal section 3b to hermetically close the upper transport region 3. Further, a washing control panel 12 is manipulated to define washing/drying operations.
In process 21, the sealing cover 4a of the lower seal region 4 automatically opens in accordance with the manipulation of the washing control panel 12. When the sealing cover 4a is open, it is housed in opposing sidewalls of the lower seal region 4.
In process 22, the weight of the laundry 2d is measured through the movable shelf 2 to automatically determine the amounts of water, wind, and detergent to be ejected. Subsequently, the movable shelf 2 is moved downward and positioned in the lower seal region 4 by the shelf drive mechanism. Further, the interval between two adjacent units of the movable shelf 2 is adjusted to half the wavelength of a standing wave from the oscillator 5. For example, one full wavelength = sound speed/frequency. Therefore, when the frequency is 40 kHz, one full wavelength = 1500000 (mm/sec)/40000 (Hz) = 37.5 mm. Thus, the wavelength of the standing wave is 37.5 mm/2 = approximately 19 mm. In other words, as dirt falls within ranges that are positioned at intervals of 19 mm, the interval between the units of the movable shelf 2 is set to 19 mm.
In process 23, the sealing cover 4a housed in the opposing sidewalls of the lower seal region 4 automatically closes to hermetically close the lower seal region 4. FIG. 4 shows the positions of a plurality of units of the movable shelf 2 during a washing/rinsing process and a spinning/drying process. The water/wind injection flexible pipe 16 and a detergent injection flexible pipe 17, which are coupled to the movable shelf 2, are formed to be able to expand and contract as needed between a state where the movable shelf 2 is in the upper transport region 3 and a state where the movable shelf 2 is in the lower seal region 4.
In process 24, water is injected from the water/wind ejection port 2a provided for the movable shelf 2. The movable shelf 2 is connected to the water/wind injection flexible pipe 16 through a coupling section 16a. Further, the water/wind injection flexible pipe 16 is coupled to the water/wind injection control device 8. The water/wind injection control device 8 is coupled to an external water supply port 8a. The water/wind injection control device 8 controls the injection of water to supply water to the water/wind ejection port 2a for the movable shelf 2. The water coming out from the water/wind ejection port 2a is formed as regular water or formed into bubbles containing air.
In process 25, a detergent is injected from the detergent ejection port 2b provided for the movable shelf 2. The movable shelf 2 is connected to the detergent injection flexible pipe 17 through a coupling section 17a. Further, the detergent injection flexible pipe 17 is coupled to a detergent injection control device 10. The detergent injection control device 10 is coupled to a detergent tank 9. The detergent injection control device 10 controls the injection of the detergent to supply the detergent to the detergent ejection port 2b for the movable shelf 2. The detergent coming out from the detergent ejection port 2b is formed as regular liquid detergent or formed into bubbles containing air.
As described above, the water and the detergent can be directly blown onto the laundry 2d on the movable shelf from the water/wind ejection port 2a and the detergent ejection port 2b. This provides improved detergency. If a simple structure is adopted, an alternative is to eliminate an ejection port from the movable shelf 2 and permit a water supply device provided for the upper transport region 3 to shower water on the movable shelf 2 or directly supply water to the lower seal region 4.
In process 26, the oscillator 5 oscillates to irradiate the water with an ultrasonic wave and generate a standing wave in accordance with the frequency. Here, a plurality of units of the movable shelf 2 are disposed at intervals equivalent to an integer multiple of wavelength/2 in order to provide improved detergency. Roughly speaking, two different elements are utilized to exert physical force in order to perform ultrasonic cleansing. A first element is to perform cleansing by means of cavitation. A second element is to perform cleansing by accelerating water molecules with an ultrasonic wave. Numerous gas molecules exist in water. When an ultrasonic wave having a frequency as high as 20 to 100 kHz is generated in a liquid, a positive pressure and a negative pressure are alternately applied to the gas molecules. The gas molecules compressed by the positive pressure drastically expand in the next moment under the negative pressure. As such a compression and expansion cycle is repeated, the gas molecules are placed under extremely high pressure. Therefore, when a limit is reached, the gas molecules burst and disappear. A shock wave (cavitation) generated when such bubbles burst is then applied to the laundry. As a result, a cavitation effect is produced to remove dirty substances from the laundry. Further, as ultrasonic cleansing accelerates water molecules, the accelerated water molecules strike against the laundry 2d. Such an impact removes dirty substances from the laundry 2d. In this instance, the higher the frequency, the greater the effect. Instead of performing ultrasonic cleansing, the movable shelf 2 may be swung in water to achieve cleansing.
In process 27, a rinsing process is performed by repeating water injection and water drainage operations. Water drainage is achieved with a water drainage device 7 that drains water from an external water drainage port 7a. Water injection is achieved by injecting water from a plurality of units of the water/wind ejection port 2a provided for the movable shelf 2. After the water is drained, water contained in the laundry 2d can be removed as it is sandwiched between two adjacent units of the movable shelf 2.
In process 28, the vacuum control device 6 performs evacuation through a coupling section 6a to reduce the pressure in the lower seal region 4. This raises the boiling point of water to dry the laundry 2d at a low temperature. When the pressure is reduced, for instance, to 5kPa, the heater function of the movable shelf 2 is performed so as to dry the water contained in the laundry 2d at a temperature of 50°C. The contained water is evaporated, gasified, and discharged toward the coupling section 6a of the vacuum control device 6. In other words, the gas, which is a factor of high pressure, is suctioned into the vacuum pump, which is a factor of low pressure. In the present embodiment, a common region is used as the water storage section for storing water during the washing process and as the drying chamber that is evacuated during the drying process. Alternatively, however, the water storage section and the drying chamber may be disposed in different regions.
In process 29, the water/wind injection control device 8 operates so that wind is blown from the water/wind ejection port 2a of the movable shelf 2 through the water/wind injection flexible pipe 16 and the coupling section 16a. The water/wind injection control device 8 is coupled to an external air inlet 11 and to the external water supply port. The water/wind injection control device 8 can exercise control so that different amounts of air and water are ejected from the water/wind ejection ports 2a of the individual units of the movable shelf 2.
In process 30, the sealing cover 4a of the lower seal region 4 opens as is the case with process 21. While the sealing cover 4a is open, it is housed in the opposing side walls of the lower seal region 4.
In process 31, one or more units of the movable shelf 2 on which the dried laundry 2d is placed automatically moves upward into the upper transport region 3. In this instance, a plurality of units of the movable shelf 2 are positioned at substantially equal intervals.
In process 32, the finishing blower fan 15 takes in air from an intake/exhaust port 14 at the front of the housing 1 and blows the air onto the dried laundry 2d to swell the fiber of the laundry 2d for finishing purposes.
In process 33, a user removes the finished laundry 2d. In this instance, the laundry remains either folded or unfolded.
A configuration of the movable shelf 2 according to the present embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. The movable shelf 2 shown in FIG. 5 includes a main body and a mount 2c. The main body includes the coupling section 16a for the water/wind injection flexible pipe 16 and is fastened to the shelf drive mechanism. The mount 2c, which is netted, includes the water/wind ejection port 2a and the detergent ejection port 2b and is detachable from the main body. The mount 2c is coupled to the detergent injection flexible pipe 17 through the coupling section 17a. The water/wind ejection port 2a and the detergent ejection port 2b may alternatively be disposed in the main body.
As such being the case, the movable shelf 2 according to the present embodiment is configured so that only the mount 2c can be pulled out of the housing 1 as shown in FIG. 6 through the loading/unloading port while the laundry 2d is placed on the mount 2c. When an operation is started after the mount 2c on which folded laundry 2d is placed is loaded into the combi washer/dryer and attached to the main body, the laundry 2d remains folded even after the end of the drying process. Therefore, after drying, the mount 2c removed from the main body in the combi washer/dryer can be directly stored in a separate closet. It should be noted that the laundry 2d may be sandwiched and held between a plurality of units of the mount 2c instead of being simply placed on a single unit of the mount 2c.
Operational advantages provided by the present embodiment will now be described. In the present embodiment, the laundry (clothes) can be loaded and unloaded from the top of a washer or a dryer when a washing or drying operation is performed. This provides increased user-friendliness. Further, as a tub does not rotate during a washing or drying operation, a small mechanical force is exerted on the laundry (clothes). This not only suppresses damage to cloth, but also reduces the possibility of laundry (clothes) being entangled. As a result, the finish of washing or drying improves.
Further, in the present embodiment, water is stored only in the water storage section/drying chamber 4, which is in a lower position in the housing 1, and no water is stored in an upper position in the housing 1. Therefore, laundry can be cleansed while saving water. Furthermore, only the water storage section/drying chamber 4 needs to be evacuated. This makes it possible to achieve higher efficiency, require a smaller amount of operating time for drying, and consume a smaller amount of electrical power than when the whole housing 1 is evacuated. When folded or unfolded laundry 2d is placed on the movable shelf 2 and dried, the present embodiment maintains such a laundry state even after drying. This makes it possible to reduce workload after drying.
Although the vacuum control device 6 is used in the present embodiment, an alternative is to use a water-cooled dehumidification mechanism, a heat pump unit, or the like, remove water from air, and allow the air to recirculate in the lower seal region 4. If, for example, a power saving course or other similar predetermined course is selected, drying may be accomplished simply by operating the finishing blower fan 15 to blow air without blowing air from the water/wind ejection port 2a.

Claims

A washer having a housing (1), a loading/unloading port (3a) that opens and closes when laundry (2d) is loaded or unloaded, a water storage section (4) disposed below the loading/unloading port (3a), a water supply device (16) that supplies water to the water storage section (4), and a water drainage device that drains water from the water storage section (4), the washer comprising:
a movable shelf (2) for placing the laundry (2d) thereon; and

a shelf drive mechanism that moves the movable shelf (2) in vertical direction;

wherein the shelf drive mechanism places the movable shelf (2) in an upper position when the laundry (2d) is loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port (3a), and places the movable shelf (2) in a lower position when the laundry (2d) is washed in the water storage section.
A dryer having a housing (1), a loading/unloading port (3a) that opens and closes when clothes (2d) are loaded or unloaded, and a drying chamber disposed below the loading/unloading port (3a), the dryer comprising:
a movable shelf (2) for placing the clothes (2d);

a shelf drive mechanism that moves the movable shelf in vertical direction;

an opening/closing device (4a) that hermetically closes the drying chamber (4); and

a vacuum device (6) that evacuates the drying chamber (4);

wherein the shelf drive mechanism places the movable shelf (2) in an upper position when the clothes (2d) are loaded or unloaded through the loading/unloading port (3a), and places the movable shelf (2) in a lower position when the clothes are dried in the drying chamber (4); and

wherein, when the clothes are dried, the opening/closing device (4a) hermetically closes the drying chamber (4), and the vacuum device (6) evacuates the drying chamber (4).
The washer according to claim 1,
wherein the water storage section (4) is provided with an oscillator (5); and
wherein, during cleansing of the laundry in the water storage section (4), the oscillator (5) generates an ultrasonic wave in the water.
The dryer according to claim 2,
wherein the housing (1) includes a blower (15) thereinside and a wind ejection port is disposed above the drying chamber, the wind ejection port allowing air supplied from the blower (15) to be blown therethrough; and
wherein, when drying in the drying chamber (4) terminates, the shelf drive mechanism moves the movable shelf (2) upward and air is blown through the wind ejection port (2a).
The washer or the dryer according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the movable shelf (2) includes a main body fastened to the shelf drive mechanism and a mount (2c) detachable from the main body; and
wherein the mount (2c) is pulled out of the housing (1) through the loading/unloading port (3a).