JP2001129287A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate restriction on an installing place at home, to improve installing performance, and to improve convenience in use in a washing and drying machine capable of operating consistently from washing to drying. SOLUTION: An almost cylindrical inner basket 19 for rotating a washing/ spinning shaft 20 as the center by inputting laundry or a drying object in an outer tub 18 is contained, and this outer tub 18 is elastically supported by a casing 16. The laundry or the drying object is agitated by a pulsator 21 rotatably arranged in the inner basket 19. In a drying process, the drying object is agitated by the pulsator 21, hot air heated by a heater 29 is blown upon the drying object in the inner basket 19, at least the outer tub 18 is cooled from almost above the casing 16 by a cooling air blower 36, and humid air generated by blowing the hot air upon the drying object is dehumidified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine capable of performing washing to drying consistently.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a new washing and drying machine, the present inventors have
The configuration shown in FIG. 9 is proposed. Less than,
The configuration will be described.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 9, a casing 1 supports an outer tub 2 by a suspension 3 in a vibration-proof manner. Outer tub 2
Of the outer tub 2 through a washing / dehydrating shaft 5 having a hollow and biaxial structure and a clutch 6 for switching transmission of rotational force to the washing / dehydrating shaft 5 during washing or spinning. Is connected to the inner tank 7 provided at A fluid balancer 8 is provided above the inner tank 7, and a stirring means 9 is provided at the inner bottom. A drain valve 10 is provided at the bottom of the outer tank 2.

The drying blower 11 blows hot air for drying into the inner tank 7 from the hot air supply path 12.
And is connected to the bottom of the outer tank 2 via a duct 13. The heater 14 heats warm air.
The cooling blower 15 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1 and, during the drying process,
The outer tub 2, the duct 13, and the like are configured to be cooled.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In the washing process, laundry, water or hot water and detergent are put into the inner tub 7, the clutch 6 of the transmission mechanism is set to the washing side, and the power of the motor 4 is transmitted to the stirring means 9 via the washing shaft. As the agitating means 9 rotates, the laundry proceeds by being agitated.

In the dehydration step, after the washing is completed, the drain valve 10 is opened to drain the water in the inner tub 7, and then the clutch 6 of the transmission mechanism is switched to the dehydration side so that the power of the motor 4 is transmitted via the dehydration shaft. By transmitting the rotation to the inner tub 7 and applying a centrifugal force to the laundry, the water is separated from the laundry to progress.

[0007] In the drying step, first, the stirring means 9 is slowly rotated, so that the inner tank 7 is centrifuged during dehydration.
After the laundry stuck on the inner wall is peeled off, the stirring means 9 is instantaneously strongly rotated in the opposite direction to agitate the laundry so as to be thrown upward in the inner tub 7. at the same time,
The hot air heated by the heater 14 is sent into the inner tank 7 by the drying blower 11.

This hot air takes moisture from the object to be dried in the inner tank 7, and when passing through the outer tank 2 and the duct 13, it is cooled and dehumidified by the blower of the cooling blower 15, and then again. Then, it returns to the blower 11 for drying. Thereby, drying proceeds.

[0009]

In the washing / drying machine having the above-described structure, the cooling blower 15 is provided on the side surface of the housing 1, so that the cooling blower 15 is provided on the rear wall surface of the housing 1 or on both left and right side surfaces. In addition, it is necessary to secure a space for cooling on the side of the product body, so when installing the product body in a general home, it must be installed in a place where there is no wall in the home. If the cooling blower 15 is provided on the front surface of the body 1, there is a problem that the installation is greatly restricted, such as danger to infants and the like due to the presence of the rotating body on the front surface.

A blower 11 for drying and a blower 1 for cooling
5 had to be provided with a motor, which also had the problem of increased costs.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and
Eliminate restrictions on installation locations in the home, improve installation,
The purpose is to improve usability.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention encloses a substantially cylindrical inner tub which is loaded with laundry or an object to be dried in an outer tub and rotates about a substantially vertical axis. The outer tub is elastically supported by the housing, and the laundry or the drying object is agitated by a stirring means rotatably disposed in the inner tub, and in the drying process, the drying object is agitated by the stirring means. The hot air heated by the heating means is blown to the object to be dried in the inner tank, the cooling means cools at least the outer tank from almost above the housing, and the humid air generated by blowing the hot air to the object to be dried. It is configured to dehumidify.

Thus, there is no need to secure a space for cooling required for dehumidification on the side surface of the product main body, and it is not necessary to limit the installation location of the product main body. can do.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical inner tub which is loaded with laundry or a drying object and rotates about a substantially vertical axis, and includes the inner tub. An outer tub, a housing that elastically supports the outer tub, a stirring unit that is rotatably disposed in the inner tub and stirs the laundry or the object to be dried, and a drive that rotates the inner tub or the stirring unit. Means, heating means for heating hot air supplied from the hot air supply path into the inner tank, blowing means for supplying hot air into the inner tank, and cooling means for cooling for dehumidification. In the drying step, while stirring the object to be dried by the stirring means, the hot air heated by the heating means is blown to the object to be dried in the inner tank, and the cooling means from substantially above the housing Cool at least the outer tub and blow hot air on the object to be dried The hot air heated by the heating means is blown against the drying object in the inner tank by the blowing means to remove moisture, and the hot air is blown on the drying object. The humid air generated by the cooling can be dehumidified by cooling the cooling unit, and the cooling unit cools at least the outer tank from substantially above the housing, thereby cooling the side surface of the product body for cooling. Since there is no need to secure a space and it is not necessary to limit the installation place of the product main body, the installability can be improved and the usability can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a motor for driving the blowing means and a motor for driving the cooling means are commonly used. The cooling means can be driven by one motor, and the cost can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the cooling means is constituted by a sirocco fan. It can be efficiently turned downward.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the cooling means is constituted by an axial fan, and a load on a motor for driving the cooling means is reduced. A large amount of cooling air can be sent.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, a case guide is provided around the cooling means so as to direct an air flow downward, and a load of a motor for driving the cooling means is provided. , And cooling air can be efficiently directed downward.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the air flow of the cooling means is configured to also serve to cool a motor for driving the cooling means. By cooling the motor, the size of the motor can be reduced and the life can be prolonged.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, a mesh filter is provided at a suction port of the cooling means, and a motor for driving the cooling means is rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. It has a process of reversing the rotation direction, and it can blow off dust attached to the filter provided at the suction port of the cooling means at an appropriate timing, and can always keep a clean state. it can.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) As shown in FIG.
Is provided with an outer tub 18 resiliently suspended by a plurality of suspensions 17 therein, and the suspension 17 absorbs vibration during dehydration. Inside the outer tub 18, an inner tub 19 for storing laundry and objects to be dried is provided.
Washing and dehydrating shaft (substantially vertical shaft) 20 with hollow and double structure
And a pulsator (stirring means) 21 that stirs laundry and objects to be dried is rotatably provided at the inner bottom of the inner tub 19.

A number of small holes (not shown) are provided in the inner peripheral wall of the inner tank 19, and the fluid balancer 2
2 are provided. The pulsator 21 is shaped like a pot having an inclined outer periphery, so that the object to be dried can easily fly upward along the inclined surface by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the pulsator 21 in the drying process.

A motor (drive means) 23 is attached to the bottom of the outer tub 18, and is connected to the inner tub 119 via the clutch 24 and the washing / dehydrating shaft 20 for switching the transmission of rotational force to the washing / dehydrating shaft 20 during washing or spin-drying. Alternatively, it is connected to the pulsator 21.

The circulation duct 25 has one end connected to the lower portion of the outer tank 18 via a circulation path switching valve 26 and an elastic lower bellows-like hose 27, and the other end to a drying blower (blower means).
28 is connected to one end. The other end of the drying blower 28 is connected to a hot air supply path 30 having a heater 29 as a heating means.
To the inner tank 19 through the upper bellows-shaped hose 31 to form a path for circulation.

The outer tub 18 is provided with an inner lid 32 for hermetically covering the upper surface of the outer tub 18, and the inner lid 32 is opened with a hot air blow-out hole 33 from a telescopic upper bellows-shaped hose 31. ing. Further, an opening / closing lid 34 is provided on the inner lid 32 so that clothes can be taken in and out. A drain valve 35 is provided at the bottom of the outer tank 18.

The cooling blower (cooling means) 36 is
6, and the outer tank 1 is mounted inside the housing 16 from above.
8. It is configured to be able to blow air to cool the circulation duct 25 and the like.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. From the washing step to the spin-drying step, the laundry is put into the inner tub 19 and the operation proceeds by a normal operation of the washing machine. Thereafter, the process proceeds to a drying step, in which hot air is sent into the inner tank 19 through the hot air supply path 30 and the upper bellows-shaped hose 31 by the air blown by the drying blower 28 and the heat generated by the heater 29. The hot air, after depriving the laundry of moisture, exits from the inner tub 19 to the outer tub 18, passes through the lower bellows-like hose 27, and passes through the circulation duct 2.
To 5. This flow is indicated by arrows in FIG.

When hot air containing moisture by removing moisture from the laundry passes through the inner wall of the outer tub 18 and the circulation duct 25, the cooling air blower 36 installed on the upper surface of the housing 16 removes external air. By the inflow, the outer tub 18 and the outer wall of the circulation duct 25 are cooled, and inside of the outer tub 18 and the circulation duct 25 are dewed, and the moist hot air is dehumidified and returns to the drying blower 28. By circulating hot air in this circulation path, the inner tank 1
The drying object in 9 can be dried. The condensed water 37 is appropriately discharged from the drain valve 35.

As described above, the cooling blower 36 is
Since there is no need to secure a space for cooling on the side surface of the housing 16, there is no need to select a location for the housing 16, and it is not necessary to limit the installation location of the product body. In addition, the ease of installation can be improved, and the usability can be improved.

The drain valve 35 and the circulation path switching valve 26
There are various patterns of opening and closing, but in the present invention,
Since there is no particular limitation, the opening / closing pattern is not described.

In this embodiment, the warm air is circulated through the circulation path. However, an exhaust system may be used.

(Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 2, the drying blower 38 is driven by a motor 39, and the cooling blower 4 is mounted on the opposite side of the drying blower 38 by using the motor 39 in common.
0 is provided so as to be integrally formed. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the operation characteristic to the present embodiment will be described.

When the motor 39 is driven, the drying blower 3
8 and the cooling blower 40 operate simultaneously. The action of the wind by the drying blower 38 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the air that has passed through the circulation duct 25 is sucked into the heater 29.
Side, and is pushed into the inner tank 19 through the hot-air jet hole 33, and the flow of this wind is indicated by an arrow a.

Further, the wind from the cooling blower 40 starts to be generated at the same time as the wind from the dryer blower 38 without controlling the blow timing, and the action of the wind is the same as that of the operation of the first embodiment. The air is sucked in and blown down from the upper surface of the housing 16 toward the outer tank 18 and the surface of the circulation duct 25 inside the housing 16, and the flow of the wind is indicated by an arrow b.

As described above, since the drying and the cooling air are simultaneously blown by one motor 39, the control of the blowing timing can be simplified, the blower portion can be made compact, and the cost can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3) As shown in FIG. 3, the drying blower 41 is driven by a motor 42, and the cooling blower 4 is mounted on the opposite side of the drying blower 41 by using the motor 42 in common.
The cooling blower 43 is constituted by a sirocco fan. Discharge port 44 of drying blower 41
Is facing the heater (see FIG. 1), and the cooling blower 4
3, the suction port 45 faces the outside air, and the discharge port 46 faces downward from the upper surface of the housing. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the operation characteristic to the present embodiment will be described.

Since the cooling blower 43 is constituted by a sirocco fan, its discharge direction is limited to one. By directing this discharge direction downward, it is possible to easily realize the downward blowing of the outside air.

The drying blower 41 may be constituted by a sirocco fan as long as the direction of the wind is satisfied.

(Embodiment 4) As shown in FIG. 4, the blower 47 for drying is driven by a motor 48, and the cooling blower 4 is mounted on the opposite side of the blower 47 for drying by using the motor 48 in common.
The cooling blower 49 is constituted by an axial fan. The discharge port 50 of the drying blower 47 faces the heater (see FIG. 1), the upstream side of the cooling blower 49 generally faces the outside air, and the downstream side of the cooling blower 49 has a general housing as shown by an arrow. It is configured to face downward from the upper surface of the body. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the drying blower 47 is constituted by a sirocco fan, but this embodiment is not limited as long as the direction of the wind is satisfied.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the operation characteristic to the present embodiment will be described.

Since the cooling blower 49 is constituted by an axial fan, the load on the motor 48 is light and a large amount of air can be flown. Therefore, the drying blower 47 and the cooling blower 49 are combined into one. While sharing with the motor 48,
A large amount of wind from outside air can be sent as cooling air into the housing without excessive load on the motor 48.

(Embodiment 5) As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drying blower 51 is driven by a motor 52, and the cooling blower 53 is provided on the opposite side of the drying blower 51 by using the motor 52 in common. Cooling fan 5
3 is composed of an axial fan. This cooling blower 53
Are provided around the guide case 54.

The discharge port 55 of the drying blower 51 faces the heater (see FIG. 1), the suction port 56 of the cooling blower 53 faces the outside air, and the outlet 57 of the guide case 54 faces downward. As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6, the wind flows from the suction port 56 to the discharge port 57 of the case guide 54 as a whole.
Through, and downward. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the drying blower 51 is constituted by a sirocco fan, but this embodiment is not limited as long as the direction of the wind is satisfied.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the operation characteristic to the present embodiment will be described.

Since the cooling blower 53 is constituted by an axial fan, the load on the motor 52 is light and a large amount of air can be flown. Therefore, the drying blower 51 and the cooling blower 53 are combined into one. While sharing with the motor 52,
The guide case 54 can forcibly direct the direction of the wind toward the inside of the housing without excessively loading the motor 52, and a large amount of wind from outside air is used as cooling air. Can be sent inside.

(Embodiment 6) As shown in FIG. 7, the drying blower 58 is driven by a motor 59, and the cooling blower 6 is mounted on the opposite side of the drying blower 58 by using the motor 59 in common.
The cooling fan 60 is constituted by an axial fan.

A guide case 61 is provided around the cooling blower 60, and the guide case 61 is configured to also cover the motor 59, and has a suction port 62 and a discharge port 63. Other configurations are the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as that of the fifth embodiment will be omitted, and only the characteristic operation of the fifth embodiment will be described.

Since the motor 59 is located downstream of the cooling blower 60, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 59 is cooled. Moreover, since the cooling blower 60 is constituted by an axial fan, the motor 59
For this reason, a light load can be applied and a large air volume can be flown. Further, since the motor 59 is cooled as described above, the motor 59 loads two blowers, a drying blower 58 and a cooling blower 60. However, since it is driven while being cooled, it is small in size and can have a long life.

(Embodiment 7) As shown in FIG. 8, the blower for drying 64 is driven by a motor 65, and the cooling blower 6 is mounted on the opposite side of the blower for drying 64 by using the motor 64 in common.
6 are integrally formed, and the cooling blower 66 is formed by an axial fan. A guide case 67 is provided around the cooling blower 66. A mesh filter 68 is provided at the suction port of the guide case 67, and the rotation direction of the motor 65 is reversible. Other configurations are the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In addition,
The description of the same operation as that of the fifth embodiment will be omitted, and only the characteristic operation of the fifth embodiment will be described.

When the cooling blower 66 is rotated forward, the dust that has flown in from the airflow from the outside is collected by the mesh filter 68, so that the dust can be prevented from entering the inside. When the motor 65 is rotated in the reverse direction at an appropriate timing, the direction of the wind is reversed because the cooling blower 66 is an axial fan, and the dust accumulated on the mesh filter 68 is blown off. Can always be kept clean.

At this time, the air direction of the drying blower 64 may be reversed, or the air volume may simply be changed, and the present invention is not affected without particular limitation.

[0059]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a substantially cylindrical inner tub that is loaded with laundry or an object to be dried and rotates about a substantially vertical axis is provided. An outer tub that contains the tub, a housing that elastically supports the outer tub, a stirring unit that is rotatably disposed in the inner tub, and stirs the laundry or the object to be dried; and the inner tub or the stirring unit. , A heating means for heating the hot air supplied from the hot air supply path into the inner tank, a blowing means for supplying the hot air to the inner tank, and cooling for cooling for dehumidification. Means for stirring the object to be dried by the stirring means in the drying step, and blowing hot air heated by the heating means to the object to be dried in the inner tank, and the casing by the cooling means Cool the outer tub at least from substantially above the Since it is configured to dehumidify the humid air generated by spraying, there is no need to secure a space for cooling on the side of the product body, and it is not necessary to limit the installation place of the product body, so the installability can be improved. Therefore, usability can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the motor for driving the air blowing means and the motor for driving the cooling means are shared, the air blowing means and the cooling means are combined by one motor. Can be driven, compact,
It is possible to obtain a washer / dryer that can be used at any low cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cooling means is constituted by a sirocco fan, so that when the cooling air from the cooling means is blown down from above, it can be efficiently directed downward.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the cooling means is constituted by an axial fan, it is possible to reduce the load on the motor for driving the cooling means and to send a large amount of cooling air. it can.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the case guide for directing the air flow downward is provided around the cooling means, the load of the motor for driving the cooling means can be reduced, and the large air volume can be reduced. The cooling air can be efficiently sent into the lower housing.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the airflow of the cooling means is configured to also serve to cool the motor for driving the cooling means.
By cooling the motor, it is possible to make the motor compact and prolong its life.

According to the present invention, a mesh filter is provided at the suction port of the cooling means, and the motor for driving the cooling means is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. Since it has a process of reversing the rotation direction, dust adhering to the filter provided at the suction port of the cooling means can be blown off at an appropriate timing, and a clean state can be always maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a washing / drying machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a washing / drying machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drying fan and a cooling fan of a washing and drying machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drying fan and a cooling fan of a washing and drying machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a drying fan and a cooling fan of a washing and drying machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of a drying fan and a cooling fan of the washing and drying machine.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part of a drying fan and a cooling fan of a washing and drying machine according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a drying fan and a cooling fan of a washing and drying machine according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a conventional washer / dryer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 16 housing 18 outer tub 19 inner tub 20 washing / dehydrating axis (substantially vertical axis) 21 pulsator (stirring means) 23 motor (driving means) 28 drying blower (blowing means) 29 heater (heating means) 36 cooling blower ( Cooling means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Matsuda 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Norio Nogi 1-3-400 Umeda 1-3-1 Kita-ku Osaka-shi Excel Techno Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3B155 AA16 AA22 BB02 BB18 BB19 CA16 CB07 CB49 CB56 MA01 MA02 MA04 4L019 AE03 AG02

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A substantially cylindrical inner tub that is loaded with laundry or an object to be dried and rotates about a substantially vertical axis, an outer tub that includes the inner tub, and a housing that elastically supports the outer tub. A stirring means for rotatably disposed in the inner tub to stir the laundry or the object to be dried; a driving means for rotating the inner tub or the stirring means; and a supply into the inner tub from a hot air supply path. Heating means for heating warm air to be heated, blowing means for supplying warm air into the inner tank, and cooling means for cooling for dehumidification, and in the drying process, the drying object is cooled by the stirring means. While stirring, the hot air heated by the heating means is blown to the object to be dried in the inner tank, and the cooling means cools at least the outer tank from almost above the housing, and the hot air is applied to the object to be dried. Is configured to dehumidify the humid air generated by spraying Washing dryer. 2. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein a motor for driving the air blowing means and a motor for driving the cooling means are shared. 3. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means comprises a sirocco fan. 4. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means comprises an axial fan. 5. The washing and drying machine according to claim 4, wherein a case guide for directing an air flow downward is provided around the cooling means. 6. The washing and drying machine according to claim 4, wherein the air flow of the cooling means also serves to cool a motor for driving the cooling means. 7. A cooling device, wherein a mesh filter is provided at an inlet of the cooling means, and a motor for driving the cooling means is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions, and has a process of reversing the rotation direction. 4. The washing and drying machine according to 4.