JP2001218994A - Drum type washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect such a dried condition that a little water is left by performing an efficient dehumidification with a comparatively simple constitution. SOLUTION: A hot air supply device 19 is provided with a hot air circulation passage 29, a fan device 26, and a hot air heater 22 to supply hot air into a drum 4. A dehumidifier 20 supplies cooling water into a rear part duct cover 28 to dehumidify hot air. A temperature sensor 37 for cooling water and a temperature sensor 40 for hot air are provided at the bottom of the rear part duct cover 28. A microcomputer in a controller 43 detects the dried condition of clothing on the basis of only the temperature sensor 37 for the cooling water or both sensors 37, 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum type washing / drying machine having a drying function in addition to a washing function.

[0002]

Conventionally, in a drum-type washing machine, a structure in which a drum having a front opening and a large number of water passage holes in a peripheral wall portion is arranged in a horizontal axis inside a water tank having a front opening. It is. In this apparatus, each step of detergent washing, rinsing, and dehydration is performed. That is, in the detergent washing step, water is stored in the drum and the detergent is charged, and then the drum is rotated forward and reverse at a relatively low rotation speed.In the rinsing step, water is poured into the drum. After storing, the drum is rotated forward and backward at a relatively low rotation speed, and in the dewatering step, the drum is driven at a relatively high rotation speed after draining.

Recently, a drum type washing / drying machine which performs a drying step following a dewatering step has been supplied. A hot air supply means for supplying hot air to the inside of the drum having a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air to perform the drying step; And a dehumidifying means for supplying cooling water to a part of the air to dehumidify the warm air. In this one,
While rotating the drum, hot air is circulated and supplied to the drum by hot air supply means, and the hot air that has passed through the drum is dehumidified by cooling water. This has the advantage that efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration.

In this type of drum type washing and drying machine, the degree of drying of the clothes is detected by detecting the temperature of the hot air and detecting that the clothes are almost dried based on the degree of the change. I have.

However, this method can only detect that the clothes are almost completely dried, and cannot detect a dry state before that, that is, a dry state where a little moisture remains. was there.

In this type of drum type washing and drying machine,
Operate the hot air supply means and dehumidification means during the dehydration process,
It has been considered to perform dehydration while performing preliminary drying. In this case, in the dehydration process, not only the dehydration noise but also the fan operation noise generated by the fan device is generated, which may increase the noise.

Further, in this type of drum type washing and drying machine, the drum is intermittently driven to rotate during the detergent washing step and the rinsing step, but the rotation speed may be set in accordance with the cloth amount (clothing weight). Conceivable. However, it is conceivable that the structure is complicated due to the necessity of the cloth amount detecting means, and that the detected cloth amount and the actual garment weight deviate and the rotation speed of the drum is not appropriate. Furthermore, when the rotation speed of the drum is only the rotation speed at which the clothing does not stick to the inner surface of the drum when the rotation of the drum is performed, the clothing always tumbles (falls upward and drops),
Cloth shrinkage and cloth damage are likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to achieve efficient dehumidification with a relatively simple structure, and in addition to such a case that a little water remains. The second purpose is to enable efficient dehumidification with a relatively simple configuration, and to perform preliminary drying during the dehydration process while performing a preliminary drying. The third object is to achieve efficient dehumidification with a relatively simple configuration, and furthermore, a cloth amount detecting means is unnecessary and is not influenced by the cloth amount. A fourth object is to achieve efficient dehumidification with a relatively simple configuration, and also to reduce cloth shrinkage during rotation of the drum. And the occurrence of fabric damage can be reduced. In the Unisuru place.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the first object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a water tank provided inside an outer box and a water tank provided inside the water tank to house clothes therein. A hot-air supply means having a hot-air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; Dehumidifying means for supplying cooling water to a part of the path to dehumidify warm air, cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means, and cooling water temperature detecting means Drying detection means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on the temperature detection result of

[0010] In the above configuration, a hot air supply means having a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum;
Since dehumidifying means is provided for dehumidifying hot air by supplying cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. Moreover, cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means, and drying detecting means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on the temperature detection result by the cooling water temperature detecting means are provided. Therefore, it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains. That is, according to the investigation by the present inventors, the following has been found. When hot air is circulated and supplied into the drum by the hot air supply means and dehumidified by the dehumidification means, the temperature after the dehumidification of the cooling water gradually increases according to the elapsed time, and then decreases. It turns out. Then, it was found that the degree of drying of the clothes was a drying state in which a little moisture remained when the temperature decreased by a predetermined value from the peak value of the temperature change. Therefore, since the drying detecting means detects the degree of drying of the clothes based on the temperature detection result by the cooling water temperature detecting means, it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water tank provided inside an outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and containing clothes inside, and a warm air passing through the inside of the drum. A hot air supply unit having a circulation path and having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; and supplying cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air. Dehumidifying means, cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means, hot air temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot air, and cooling water temperature detecting means Based on the degree of change in the detected temperature due to
Alternatively, it is provided with a drying detecting means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on both the degree of change and the degree of change of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for hot air.

In this configuration, as described above, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration, and it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains. Furthermore, in addition to the cooling water temperature detecting means, a hot air temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot air is provided,
Since the degree of drying of the clothes is detected based on both the degree of change of the temperature detected by the cooling water temperature detecting means and the degree of change of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for hot air, drying of the clothes is almost completed. It becomes possible to detect with high accuracy.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, both the degree of change in the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for cooling water and the degree of change in the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for hot air in the drying detecting means. After the drying condition of the clothes is detected based on the above, the supply of the cooling water in the dehumidifying means is stopped for a predetermined time, and the supply of the cooling water is restarted after the predetermined time. This configuration has the following operational effects. In other words, even when it is detected that the clothes are almost completely dried, in a situation where the clothes are likely to be hardened, the clothes on the outer surface may be almost completely dried even though the clothes on the outer side are almost completely dried. . However, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the supply of the cooling water in the dehumidifying unit is stopped for a predetermined time after detecting the degree of drying of the clothes, the temperature of the hot air temporarily rises, and then the supply of the cooling water is stopped. Since it resumes, the dehumidifying effect is improved. In this case, in order to increase the temperature of the hot air, it is conceivable to increase the amount of electricity supplied to the heater. However, the temperature of the hot air becomes excessively high and the power cost rises. However, in the above configuration, the temperature of the hot air is raised by stopping the supply of the cooling water, so that the temperature of the hot air can be prevented from becoming excessively high and the power cost does not soar.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water tank provided inside an outer box, and a drum provided inside the water tank and rotatably containing clothes therein. A hot air supply means for supplying hot air to the inside of the drum having a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air; and cooling a part of the hot air circulation path Dehumidifying means for supplying water to dehumidify hot air, dehydrating step controlling means for operating the hot air supplying means and dehumidifying means in a dehydrating step of rotating the drum to dehydrate clothes, and dehydrating step controlling means. Fan drive control means for controlling the rotation speed of the fan device during the dehydration process to be lower than the rotation speed of the fan device during the drying process.

In the above configuration, as described above, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, when dehydration is performed while performing preliminary drying during the dehydration process, noise can be reduced.
That is, in the normal drying process, the rotation speed of the fan device is set to be relatively high so that the temperature of the hot air is not excessively increased. By the way, when hot air is supplied and dehumidified during the dewatering process, the clothes in the drum contain water, and the temperature does not become so high. Therefore, there is no problem even if the rotation speed of the fan device is increased. I understood. In view of this point, in the invention of claim 4, since the rotation speed of the fan device during the dewatering process is controlled to be lower than the rotation speed of the fan device during the drying process, noise is generated. Can be suppressed as much as possible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water tank provided inside an outer box, and a drum provided inside the water tank and rotatably containing clothes therein. A hot air supply means for supplying hot air to the inside of the drum having a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air; and cooling a part of the hot air circulation path A dehumidifying means for supplying water to dehumidify the warm air; and intermittently rotating the drum, and during the driving period, gradually rotating the drum from a low rotation speed for a low load to a high rotation speed for a high load. And a drum drive control means for controlling so as to change to

In this configuration, as described above, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, during the driving period of the drum, the drum is controlled so as to gradually change from a low rotation speed for a low load to a high rotation speed for a high load. Will be able to

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water tank provided inside an outer box, and a drum provided inside the water tank and rotatably containing clothes therein. A hot air supply means for supplying hot air to the inside of the drum having a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum and having a fan device and a heater for hot air; and cooling a part of the hot air circulation path Dehumidifying means for supplying water to dehumidify the warm air, and in the drying process, the drum is rotated intermittently, and during the driving period, the drum is rotated at a rotational speed and clothing at which the clothing does not stick to the inner surface of the drum. Drum drive control means for controlling rotation in combination with a rotation speed capable of sticking to the inner surface of the drum.

In this configuration, as described above, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, during the drying process, during the driving period of the drum, the drum is controlled to rotate at a combination of a rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the drum inner surface and a rotation speed at which the clothes can stick to the drum inner surface. Therefore, the occurrence of cloth shrinkage and cloth damage during rotation of the drum can be reduced. That is, in the drying process, the drum is usually rotated at a rotational speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum, whereby the clothes are always tumbled (lifted and dropped) in the drum. Then, the clothes are replaced and the clothes are dried. However, this causes the clothing to shrink and damage the clothing. However, in the configuration of claim 6, since the clothes are rotated at a combination of the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum and the rotation speed at which the clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum, replacement of the clothes is performed at a minimum. ,
It is possible to uniformly apply warm air to the clothes while eliminating cloth shrinkage and cloth damage, thereby contributing to uniform drying of the clothes while suppressing cloth shrinkage and cloth damage.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, the drum drive control means gradually increases the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum and rotates the clothes so that the clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum. The feature is that the speed is set. In this configuration, a sudden change in rotation is less likely to be applied to the garment, which further reduces cloth shrinkage and damage.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a water tank 2 is disposed inside a rectangular parallelepiped outer box 1 while being elastically supported by, for example, a pair of elastic support devices 3 on the right and left sides. The water tank 2 is disposed in a state of an oblique axis which is downwardly lowered and has a substantially cylindrical shape. Inside the water tank 2, a drum 4 is rotatably disposed coaxially with the water tank 2 (in a state of an oblique axis falling backward). The drum 4 has a large number of dewatering holes 4a also serving as ventilation holes on the peripheral side wall and the rear wall, and also functions as a washing tub, a dewatering tub, and a drying tub. An inspection plate 1a is detachably attached to the rear surface of the outer case 1. The drum 4 is provided with a balance ring 4b at the opening edge thereof, and a plurality of baffles 4c on the inner peripheral surface.
Is provided.

The outer box 1, the water tub 2 and the drum 4 have openings 5, 6 and 7 for loading and unloading laundry, respectively, on the right front side in the figure. The opening 6 is connected in a watertight manner by an elastically deformable bellows 8. The opening 5 of the outer box 1 is provided with a door 9 for opening and closing the opening.

The drum 4 has a rotating shaft 10 on a back plate 4b.
The rotating shaft 10 is attached to the rear plate 2 a of the water tank 2.
Is rotatably inserted and supported via a bearing in a housing 11 provided in the housing. Further, a stator 13 of a motor 12 is mounted on an outer periphery of the housing 11, and an outer rotor 12 of the motor 12 is mounted on the rotating shaft 10.
a is attached. The rotation of the motor 12 drives the drum 4 to rotate.

At the lowermost part of the water tank 2, a recess 15 for accommodating the heater 14 for water heating is formed. At the bottom of the recess 15, a drain 15a is formed. Is connected to a drain valve 16 and a water distribution pipe 17. A drying device 18 as a drying means is provided at a rear portion, an upper portion, and a front upper portion of the water tank 2. The drying device 18 includes a hot air supply device 19 as a hot air supply device and a dehumidifier 20 as a dehumidification device. The hot-air supply device 19 includes a hot-air heater 22 provided in a heater case 21, a fan device 26 including a fan case 23, a fan 24, a fan motor 25, and the like, a front ventilation pipe 27, and a rear portion. And a duct cover 28. A vent 2b (see FIG. 3) is formed slightly below the rear plate 2a of the water tank 2, and the vent 2b and the suction side of the fan case 23 are connected to the outer surface of the rear plate 2a of the water tank 2. Are connected to each other by a duct 28a which is a dehumidifying duct constituted by the rear duct cover 28 attached to the rear panel 2a and the outer surface of the rear plate 2a.

The discharge side of the fan case 23 is connected to one end of the heater case 21, and the other end of the heater case 21 is connected to one end of the front ventilation pipe 27. The other end of the front ventilation space 27 communicates with the front opening 7 of the drum 4. Therefore, in the hot air supply device 19, a hot air circulation path 29 passing through the inside of the drum 4 is formed as shown by an arrow in FIG. Then, when the hot air is generated by the fan device 26 and the heater 22, the hot air is generated by the hot air circulation path 29.
In the direction of the arrow.

The dehumidifier 20 has a common water supply pipe 30.
And the cooling water supply valve 31 and the cooling water supply pipe 32 are connected in this order, and the cooling water supply pipe 32 is formed above a duct 28 a which is a part of the hot air circulation path 29. The cooling water inlet 28b is connected to the cooling water inlet 28b (see FIG. 2).

The outlet of the common water supply pipe 30 includes:
In addition to the cooling water supply valve 31, a washing water supply valve 33 (FIG. 4)
The washing water supply valve 33 is provided with a water supply pipe 34 and a water supply case 35 shown in FIG. In this case, at the time of water supply prior to detergent washing or rinsing, the washing water supply valve 33 is opened and supplied to the water tank 2 through the water supply pipe 34 and the water supply case 35, and at the time of the drying process, the cooling water supply valve 31 is provided. Is opened and a relatively small amount of water flows through the water supply pipe 32 to the duct 28a.
It is supplied to.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower portion of the rear duct cover 28 is formed so as to swell slightly rearward, and the bottom of the swelling portion 28c is formed by the water tank 2 and the drum 4
To the rear and incline in accordance with the inclination of. And
At the lower part of the rear wall of the bulging portion 28c, a bottomed cylindrical sensor arrangement portion 36 is formed so as to protrude into the duct 28a, and the sensor arrangement portion 36 has a cooling water temperature detecting means. A barrel temperature sensor 37 is inserted from outside. This cooling water temperature sensor 37 is
a The temperature of the cooling water accumulated at the bottom is detected.

Further, at the upper part of the rear wall of the bulging portion 28c, a bottomed cylindrical sensor arrangement portion 38 is formed so as to protrude into the duct 28a. Is provided with a water eaves portion 39. In the sensor arrangement section 38, a warm air temperature sensor 40 as a warm air temperature detecting means is inserted and arranged from outside. The hot air temperature sensor 40 detects the temperature of the hot air that has exited the drum 4.

An operation panel 41 is provided on the outer surface of the upper part of the front plate 1b of the outer box 1, and the operation panel 41 is provided with operation parts of various switches and a display surface of a display. On the inner surface of the outer box 1 corresponding to the operation panel 41, an operation circuit section 42 having a main body of various switches and a main body of a display is provided. In addition, a control unit 43 including a microcomputer and various drive circuits is provided below the inner surface of the front plate 1b of the outer box 1.

Next, the electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The microcomputer 44 serving as the dryness detection means, the fan drive control means, and the drum drive control means is provided with a switch input from a switch input unit 45. The switch input unit 45 includes various switches such as a course selection switch and a start switch.
The "Y-shirts" course and the "delicate clothing" course are selectively selected. The microcomputer 44 controls the driving of the motor 12 via the inverter circuit 46, and also controls the heater 14 for water heating, the drain valve 1
6. The driving of the heater 22 for hot air, the motor 25 for the fan, the water supply valve 31 for the cooling water and the water supply valve 33 for the washing is controlled via the drive circuit 47.

Now, the microcomputer 44 comprises:
Broadly speaking, it has a program for controlling a washing process (washing process, rinsing process, dehydrating process) from washing to dehydration of the laundry and a drying process for drying the dehydrated laundry. First, the control of the drying process is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this drying step, first, as shown in step P1, the motor 12
To rotate the drum 4 intermittently in the forward and reverse directions, and open the cooling water supply valve 31. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the drum 4 is driven in a pattern in which the rotation is repeated for 27 seconds and pauses for 3 seconds in the forward and reverse directions, and during the rotation driving period, a low rotation speed for a low load, for example, 40 rpm. To a high rotation speed for high load, for example, 80 rpm.

When the cooling water supply valve 31 is opened, a small amount of water flows down the duct 28a, and the water is partially collected at the bottom of the bulging portion 28c of the rear duct cover 28 and exits from the vent 2a. Is discharged from the drain port 15a. Then, after waiting for a predetermined time, for example, 20 seconds in Step P2,
In step P3, the temperature of the cooling water (initial cooling water temperature) is detected.
It is determined whether it is not more than ° C. The purpose of this determination is to determine, for example, that the coolant temperature is not appropriate when the water temperature exceeds 30 ° C. After this, step P5
Move to In this step P5, the initial cooling water temperature is determined and stored, and in step P6, the heater 22 for the hot air and the motor 25 for the fan are energized. With this,
Hot air is generated and circulates through the hot air circulation path 29 including the inside of the drum 4, whereby hot air is supplied into the drum 4. The fan 24 is rotated at, for example, 3500 rpm.

When the hot air flows through the duct 28a, the hot air exchanges heat with the above-described cooling water to dehumidify the hot air, whereby the clothes in the drum 4 are dried.
In the next step P7, a predetermined amount of power is supplied to the motor 12 for a predetermined time, the rotation speed of the motor 12 at that time is detected, and the load is determined to be small or large according to the rotation speed. In this case, the clothing amount is "large", "medium",
They are classified and classified into "small" and "very small".

In the next step P8, the reference value ΔT1 for detecting the change of the cooling water (the first drying degree, for example, 90%
(Corresponding to the drying rate) is set based on the set course and the clothing amount determination result. FIG. 7A shows the contents of the setting data table. For example, when the “standard” course is set and the amount of clothing is “large”, ΔT1 is set to “3.5 ° C.”.

Thereafter, in step P9, the temperature of the cooling water is detected, and in step P10, it is determined whether or not the change in the water temperature has decreased by at least ΔT1 from the peak temperature value. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the cooling water gradually rises in temperature and then gradually falls. In FIG. 9, the temperature drop is detected at time ta, that is, the first degree of drying is detected. Have been.

In the next step P11, it is determined whether or not the preset course is a "standard" course.
Here, for example, if the "standard" course is set,
A reference value ΔT2 (corresponding to a second drying degree, for example, 97% drying rate) for detecting a change in the warm air is set based on the clothing amount determination result (step P12). FIG. 7B shows the contents of the setting data table. For example, when the clothing amount is “large”, ΔT1 is set to “4 ° C.”. Then, in step P13, the temperature of the hot air is detected, and in step P14, the change in the temperature is compared with the reference value ΔT2.
It is determined whether or not it has risen. When the change of the reference value ΔT2 is determined (time tb in FIG. 9), it means that the second drying degree, ie, 97% drying rate (drying is almost completed) is detected.

When the above-mentioned judgment is made at the time point tb in FIG. 9, the program shifts to step P15 to set the finishing operation time S. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8A, the setting is performed based on the setting data table according to the initial cooling water temperature and the amount of clothing. This finishing operation is an operation for continuing the drying operation up to that time to bring the final drying state (for example, 100% drying rate). Thereafter, the process shifts to Step P16 to execute the finishing operation at the set time S, and then shifts to Step P17 to execute the cool-down operation. This cool-down operation is an operation in which the heater 22 for hot air is turned off, the water supply valve 31 for cooling water is closed, and only air is blown (the drum 4 continues rotating) for a predetermined time. Thereafter, the program shifts to Step P18, where the fan motor 25 is turned off, and the drying stroke control is ended.

By the way, in the step P11,
When the set course is other than the “standard” course (in the case of the “Y shirts” course and the “delicate clothing” course), the above-described second drying degree detection (setting and detection of ΔT2) is not performed. Then, the process shifts to Step P19 to set a finishing operation time S. In this case, FIG.
As shown in (b) or (c), it is set based on the setting data table according to the initial cooling water temperature and the amount of clothing. In other words, the finishing operation is started at the set finishing operation time S from the time point ta in FIG.

In the dehydration step, which is the preceding stage of the drying step, the microcomputer 44 controls the drum 4
For example, is rotated in one direction at high speed, and the heater 2 for hot air is rotated.
2 and the fan motor 25 are energized, and the cooling water supply valve 31 is opened. That is, preliminary drying is performed during the dehydration process. In this case, the fan 24
Is set to 2800 rpm, which is lower than 3500 rpm in the above-described drying process.

According to the above-described embodiment, the hot air circulation path 29 passing through the inside of the drum 4 and the fan device 26 are provided.
And a hot air supply device 19 having a hot air heater 22 for supplying hot air to the inside of the drum 4, and supplying cooling water to a duct 28 a which is a part of the hot air circulation path 29 to dehumidify the hot air. Since the dehumidifying device 20 is provided, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, a cooling water temperature sensor 37 for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification is provided, and a microcomputer 44 as drying detection means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on the temperature detection result by the cooling water temperature sensor 37. Is provided, it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains (drying rate is about 90%). In other words, paying attention to the characteristic that the temperature after dehumidification of the cooling water gradually increases in the drying process and then decreases, and when the temperature decreases from the peak value of the temperature change by a predetermined value ΔT1 or more, a little water remains. It is possible to detect the first degree of dryness.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the cooling water temperature sensor 37, the hot air temperature sensor 40 for detecting the temperature of the hot air is provided, and the degree of change in the temperature detected by the cooling water temperature sensor 37 is provided. Since the degree of drying of the clothes (the second degree of drying, approximately 97% drying rate) is detected based on both the temperature and the degree of change in the temperature detected by the hot air temperature sensor 40, the drying of the clothes is almost completed. Can be detected with high accuracy.

Further, according to the present embodiment, noise can be reduced when dehydration is performed while performing preliminary drying during the dehydration process. That is, in the normal drying process, the rotation speed of the fan 24 is set to a relatively high value of 3500 rpm so that the temperature of the hot air does not increase too much. By the way, when preliminary drying is performed in the dehydration step, it can be understood that the rotation speed of the fan can be increased because the clothes in the drum do not contain water and do not become so hot. Was. In the present embodiment in consideration of this point, as described above, the rotation speed of the fan 24 during the dehydration process is controlled to be lower (for example, 2800 rpm) than the rotation speed of the fan device during the drying process. Therefore, generation of noise can be suppressed as much as possible. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 10, it can be seen that the noise was 40 dB in the normal drying process, whereas the noise was reduced to 38 dB in the dehydration process in which the preliminary drying was performed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, during the driving period of the drum 4, the drum 4 is moved from a low rotation speed (40 rpm) for a low load to a high rotation speed (80 rpm) for a high load. ), So that the clothes can be washed well with a large or small amount of clothing.

FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the degree of change (ΔT1) in the temperature detected by the cooling water temperature sensor 37 and the temperature sensor 40 for the hot air are used.
After detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on both the detected temperature change degree (ΔT2) (after time tb in FIG. 11), the supply of the cooling water is stopped for a predetermined time TK, and the cooling is performed after the predetermined time TK. The feature is that the supply of water is restarted.

According to the second embodiment, the following operation and effect can be obtained. In other words, even when it is detected that the clothes are almost completely dried, in a situation where the clothes are likely to be hardened, the clothes on the outer surface may be almost completely dried even though the clothes on the outer side are almost completely dried. . However, in this embodiment, since the supply of the cooling water is stopped for a predetermined time after detecting the drying condition of the clothes, the temperature of the warm air temporarily rises, and then the supply of the cooling water is restarted. Can be improved. In this case, unlike the case of increasing the heater energization amount for increasing the temperature of the hot air,
It is possible to prevent the temperature of the hot air from becoming excessively high, and to prevent a rise in power cost.

FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, during the driving process of the drum 4 during the drying process, the clothing is
A rotation speed that does not stick to the inner surface, for example, 50 rpm, and a rotation speed at which clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum 4, for example, 8
Control is performed so as to rotate in combination with 0 rpm. In particular, the period of the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum 4 is, for example, 2 seconds, and the period of the rotation speed at which the clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum 4 (2
1 second), the occurrence of cloth shrinkage and cloth damage during rotation of the drum 4 can be reduced. That is, in the drying process, when the drum 4 is rotated at a rotation speed (50 rpm) at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum, the clothes are always tumbled (lifted and dropped) in the drum 4. You. However, this causes the clothing to shrink and damage the clothing. However, in this embodiment, it is possible to uniformly apply the warm air to the garment while eliminating cloth shrinkage and damage to the clothes, while changing the clothes to the minimum necessary. Can contribute to the uniform drying of

FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the clothes are stuck to the inner surface of the drum 4 by gradually increasing the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum 4. The characteristic is that the rotation speed is set to be possible (80 rpm). According to this embodiment, a sudden change in rotation is less likely to be applied to the garment, thereby further reducing damage to the cloth.

[0049]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention can obtain the following descent. According to the first aspect of the present invention, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. Moreover, cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means, and drying detecting means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes based on the temperature detection result by the cooling water temperature detecting means are provided. Therefore, it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration, and it is possible to detect a drying state in which a little water remains. Furthermore, in addition to the cooling water temperature detecting means, a hot air temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot air is provided, and the degree of change in the temperature detected by the cooling water temperature detecting means and the temperature of the hot air temperature detecting means. Since the degree of drying of the clothes is detected based on both the degree of change in the detected temperature and the degree of drying of the clothes, almost complete drying of the clothes can be accurately detected.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the supply of the cooling water in the dehumidifying means is stopped for a predetermined time after the degree of drying of the clothes is detected, and then the supply of the cooling water is restarted. In addition, the temperature of the hot air can be prevented from becoming excessively high, and the power cost does not soar.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, since the rotation speed of the fan device during the dehydration process is set to be lower than the rotation speed of the fan device during the drying process, noise is reduced when performing dehydration while performing preliminary drying during the dehydration process. Can be achieved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration, and the drum is driven from a low rotational speed for a low load to a high load for a driving period of the drum. Since the rotation speed is controlled so as to be gradually changed to a high rotation speed, the clothes can be dried well even if the amount of clothing is large or small.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, efficient dehumidification can be achieved with a relatively simple structure, and, during the drying process, during the driving period of the drum, the clothes are placed on the inner surface of the drum. Since rotation is controlled by a combination of a rotation speed at which clothes do not stick and a rotation speed at which clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum, the occurrence of cloth shrinkage and damage to the cloth during rotation of the drum can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the drum drive control means gradually increases the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum so that the rotation speed is such that the clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum. Therefore, cloth shrinkage and cloth damage are further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of an entire drum-type washing / drying machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the check plate removed.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a lower portion of a rear duct cover.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing control contents of a drying process.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing forward / reverse rotation and rotation speed patterns of a drum.

7A is a diagram illustrating a data table for setting ΔT1, and FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a data table for setting ΔT2.

8A is a diagram showing a data table for setting a finishing operation time S of a “standard” course, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a data table for setting a finishing operation time S of a “delicate clothing” course. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a data table for setting the finishing operation time S of the “Y shirts” course.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing temperature changes of cooling water and hot air;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a fan rotation speed, a noise, and the like in a dehydration process and a drying process.

FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9 showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is an outer box, 2 is a water tank, 4 is a drum, 12 is a motor, 18
Is a drying device, 19 is a hot air supply device (hot air supply means), 2
0 is a dehumidifier (dehumidifier), 22 is a heater for hot air, 24
Is a fan, 26 is a fan device, 28 is a rear duct cover, 28a is a duct, 29 is a hot air circulation path, 31 is a cooling water supply valve, 32 is a cooling water supply pipe, and 37 is a cooling temperature sensor (cooling water). Temperature detecting means), 40 is a warm air temperature sensor (warm air temperature detecting means), and 44 is a microcomputer (drying detecting means, fan drive control means, drum drive control means).

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A water tank provided inside an outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and accommodating and rotating clothes therein, and a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum. A hot air supply unit having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; a dehumidifying unit for supplying cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air; Cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means; and drying detecting means for detecting a degree of drying of the clothes based on a temperature detection result by the cooling water temperature detecting means. Drum type washer / dryer. 2. A water tank provided inside the outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and rotated to accommodate clothes therein, and a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum. A hot air supply unit having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; a dehumidifying unit for supplying cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air; Cooling water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cooling water after dehumidification in the dehumidifying means; hot air temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot air; and a change in the temperature detected by the cooling water temperature detecting means. A drum-type washing / drying machine comprising: drying detection means for detecting a degree of drying of clothes based on the degree or both of the degree of change and the degree of change in the temperature detected by the temperature detection means for hot air. 3. After the drying detecting means detects the degree of drying of the clothes based on both the degree of change of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for cooling water and the degree of change of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means for hot air, 3. The drum type washing and drying machine according to claim 2, wherein the supply of the cooling water in the dehumidifying means is stopped for a predetermined time, and after the predetermined time, the supply of the cooling water is restarted. 4. A water tank provided inside an outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and rotated to accommodate clothes therein, and a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum. A hot air supply unit having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; a dehumidifying unit that supplies cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air; A dehydration step control means for operating the hot air supply means and the dehumidification means in a dehydration step of rotating a drum to dehydrate clothes; and a dehydration step for controlling the rotation speed of the fan device during the dehydration step by the dehydration step control means. And a fan drive control means for controlling the rotation speed to be lower than the rotation speed of the fan device at the time. 5. A water tank provided inside the outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and rotated to accommodate clothes therein, and a warm air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum. A hot air supply unit having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; a dehumidifying unit that supplies cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air; Drum driving control means for intermittently rotating the drum and controlling the drum to gradually change from a low rotation speed for a low load to a high rotation speed for a high load during the driving period. Drum type washer / dryer. 6. A water tank provided inside an outer box, a drum provided inside the water tank and rotated to accommodate clothes therein, and a hot air circulation path passing through the inside of the drum. Hot air supply means having a fan device and a heater for hot air to supply hot air to the inside of the drum; dehumidifying means for supplying cooling water to a part of the hot air circulation path to dehumidify the hot air; In the process, the drum is intermittently driven to rotate, and during the driving period, the drum is rotated at a combination of a rotation speed at which clothes do not stick to the drum inner surface and a rotation speed at which clothes can stick to the drum inner surface. And a drum drive control means for controlling the washing and drying. 7. The drum drive control means is characterized in that the rotation speed at which the clothes do not stick to the inner surface of the drum is gradually increased to a rotation speed at which the clothes can stick to the inner surface of the drum. The drum type washing / drying machine according to claim 6, wherein