JP2004113709A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure an intake and exhaust route for air to improve drying efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: By forming a cutout part 10c in a peripheral part of a washing lid 10, a gap between the washing lid 10 and a top cover 2 is formed to discharge air increased in temperature and humidity by contacting with laundry in a drying process, to the outside of a main body from the gap. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine provided with a hot air supply unit, which takes in air from outside the machine and exhausts the air outside the machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a stirring-type washing / drying machine capable of drying with warm air has been provided in addition to washing, rinsing, and dehydrating laundry.
[0003]
A washing and drying machine according to the prior art has a hot air supply device that draws in air outside the machine, heats it with an internal heater, and then supplies warm air with a fan. Warm air is blown onto the items by the hot air supply device, and the laundry is dried by slightly stirring. At this time, the warm air in the washing tub containing moisture by contacting with the wet laundry stays in the washing tub and the upper part of the outer case, and the gap between the outer case and the top cover, the hand provided on the washing lid. It has been general to exhaust air from an opening or the like on the lower surface of the outer box through around a hook portion and a water tank (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2000-271377 (pages 3, 4; FIG. 1)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the washing / drying machine provided with the drying function as described above, the discharge of the warm air containing the moisture from the laundry during the drying process is not necessarily performed efficiently through the above-mentioned gaps or the like, so that the washing air stays inside the washing machine. This is a factor that reduces the drying efficiency. Further, dew condensation may occur on the inner surface of an outer box constituting an outer shell of a washing machine made of a sheet metal such as a color steel plate, and the dewed water may cause problems such as wetting the floor. Further, in the above-described washing lid in which the exhaust hole is formed in the handle portion, it is easy to allow intrusion of dust and the like, and not only the appearance is impaired, but also it is blocked by the object placed immediately above the washing lid. There was also a risk.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore has as its object to improve drying efficiency by smoothly exhausting air, prevent dew condensation from occurring inside the washing machine, and prevent dust from entering the inside of the washing machine. Another object of the present invention is to provide a washer / dryer that prevents invasion of the like and the like and does not impair the aesthetic appearance.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a washing and drying machine of the present invention comprises, as a first means, an outer box, a water tub housed inside the outer box, and a washing and rinsing of laundry stored in the water tub. A washing tub provided for dehydration and drying, a top cover provided at the upper part of the outer box and having an opening through which laundry is taken in and out, and an opening of the top cover is opened and closed, and a flange is provided on a peripheral edge. Provided with a washing lid, a blower fan for sucking air from outside of the outer box, and a hot air supply means to the washing tub comprising a heater for heating the sucked air, wherein the washing lid is provided from the hot air supply means. The ventilation portion for discharging the warm air from the outside of the machine is provided in the flange portion (the invention of claim 1).
[0008]
In such a configuration, the hot air containing moisture is taken out of the laundry and the hot air containing the moisture is exhausted through the ventilation portion provided on the flange portion of the washing lid, that is, the gap between the top cover and the washing lid. Therefore, it does not stay in the washing / drying machine main body. Therefore, the drying efficiency can be improved without impairing the appearance of the upper surface of the washing / drying machine.
[0009]
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the washing and drying machine of the present invention comprises, as a second means, an outer box, a water tub housed inside the outer box, and a water tub housed in the water tub to wash laundry. A washing tub for rinsing, spin-drying and drying, a top cover provided at the upper part of the outer box and having an opening for taking in and out the laundry, a washing lid covering the opening of the top cover, A back cover that closes the opening; and a hot air supply unit provided in the back cover, the blower fan that sucks air from outside the outer box, and the hot tub supply unit that includes a heater that heats the sucked air. The hot air supply means includes a casing in which a blower fan, a heater, and a motor are incorporated as a unit, and a casing in which an intake port for the blower fan is formed, and an engagement portion formed on a peripheral edge of the intake port and a back cover. By engaging the engaged portion formed on the gas-inlet periphery each other, wherein the casing is characterized in that attached to the back cover (the invention of claim 4).
[0010]
In the above-described configuration, the intake position of the casing of the hot air supply device and the opening position of the ventilation hole of the back cover can be accurately matched by engaging the engagement portions provided respectively. Therefore, the outside air can be taken in smoothly.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the washing and drying machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing the entire configuration of a washing / drying machine. As shown in this figure, a washing / drying machine main body has a square cylindrical metal outer box 1 and an upper end opening of the outer box 1. An outer shell of the main body of the washing machine is constituted by the top cover 2 attached to the outer case 1, and a water tub 3 is arranged inside the outer box 1. The water tub 3 is elastically supported via springs 5 on four (only two of them are shown) hanging rods 4 suspended from the upper end of the outer box 1, and a washing tub 6 is rotatably provided inside the water tub 3. are doing. A stirrer 7 is provided at the inner bottom of the washing tub 6, and the washing tub 6 and the stirrer 7 are rotated via a rotating shaft 9 by a driving device 8 including a motor and the like attached to the outer bottom of the water tub 3. It is selectively driven to rotate.
[0012]
The top cover 2 has an opening 2a through which laundry can be taken in and out of the washing tub 6, and a washing lid 10 having, for example, a two-fold structure is attached to be openable and closable by a hinge 10a provided on a rear surface thereof. I have. In addition, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, an operation panel 11 for operating the washer / dryer is provided on the front upper surface of the top cover 2. A control device 12 is arranged. A water supply valve 13 as water supply means, a hot air supply device 14 as hot air supply means, and the like are disposed on the rear upper surface of the top cover 2. The entire part is covered.
[0013]
The hot air supply device 14 is entirely unitized by a casing 16 having an intake port 16a and an air outlet 16b, and a blower fan 17 and a heater 18 are provided therein. The driving motor 19 is attached to the outer surface of the casing 16 and is connected to the blower fan 17 via a rotating shaft. The heater 18 is disposed on the leeward side of the blower fan 17. A vent hole 15b is formed in the back cover 15 that covers the hot air supply device 14 at a position facing the air cover 16a so as not to block the intake port 16a of the hot air supply device 14.
[0014]
A water tank cover 20 is provided on the upper surface of the water tank 3, and the water tank cover 20 is provided with an inner lid 21 that opens and closes a central opening portion so as to be rotatable. The inner lid 21 has an opening 21a formed at a substantially center thereof, for example, including a plurality of slit grooves, and an exhaust filter 22 is detachably provided in the opening 21a so as to cover the opening 21a. A bellows-like duct 23 connected to the outlet 16b of the casing 16 is connected to the water tank cover 20.
[0015]
Now, as shown in FIG. 3, a flange portion 10b is formed over the entire periphery of the washing lid 10 in the form of a hanging wall, and the front and rear surfaces and the flange portions 10b on each side surface of the two-fold lid are formed. Is provided with a cut-out portion 10c which is a ventilation portion so that a part of the cut-out portion is cut off, and a gap, that is, a so-called ventilation portion is formed between the washing cover 10 and the top cover 2 when the washing lid 10 is closed. It has become.
[0016]
In the top cover 2, an inclined surface 2b is formed on a wall surface of the opening 2a along the hinge 10a of the washing lid 10 as a communication path toward a gap formed between the washing lid 10 and the washing lid 10. As a result, a so-called escape portion is formed above the opening 2a, and the entrance to the gap with the washing lid 10 is widened, so that it is possible to easily discharge hot air containing moisture to the outside of the machine. In addition, if the end of the flange portion 10b on the side of the washing lid 10 facing this is formed into an edge shape which is inclined substantially parallel to the inclined surface of the top cover 2, this effect can be further enhanced.
[0017]
In addition, the casing 16 of the hot air supply device 14 shown in FIG. 1 has an engaging portion 16c formed in a convex ring shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the intake port 16a. On the opposite side of the back cover 15, a convex ring-shaped engaged portion 15 a is formed on the outer periphery of the ventilation hole 15 b to have a slightly larger diameter so as to be able to engage with the engaging portion 16 c. I have. Therefore, the casing 16 and the back cover 15 of the hot air supply device 14 are positioned by engaging the engaging portion 16c and the engaged portion 15a. The back cover 15 has a filter case 24 which is detachably provided so as to cover the ventilation hole 15b. The filter case 24 is provided with a mesh portion 24a at a position facing the ventilation hole 15b, and the mesh portion 24a is coarser than the exhaust filter 22.
[0018]
In addition, the engaging portions 16c of the casing 16 of the hot air supply device 14 and the engaged portions 15a provided on the back cover 15 are engaged with each other, so that the opening positions of both intake ports are accurately matched. Therefore, the outside air can be taken in smoothly and without leakage.
[0019]
The operation of the washing / drying machine configured as described above will be described. By operating the operation panel 11, the washing, rinsing, and dehydrating steps are sequentially performed. First, in the washing step, after washing is put into the washing tub 6, tap water is supplied into the washing tub 6 through the water supply valve 13 together with the detergent to store a predetermined amount of water. Thereafter, the laundry is agitated by rotating the agitator 7 automatically by the driving device 8 or the like so that the laundry is agitated, thereby performing a washing process of removing dirt from the laundry.
[0020]
When this washing process is completed, after draining, the washing tub 6 is rotated at a high speed to perform intermediate dewatering. As a result, most of the washing liquid containing the detergent is squeezed out of the laundry and discharged outside the machine, so that the next rinsing step can be completed efficiently and in a short time. The rinsing step is basically performed in the same manner as the washing step.
[0021]
When the rinsing step is completed, a finishing dehydration step is performed by rotating the washing tub 6 at a high speed, and the laundry is thus dehydrated.
[0022]
Now, in drying the laundry thus completed to the dehydration step, the operation of the drying step of the washing and drying machine according to the present invention will be described below.
[0023]
In the drying process, first, the blower fan 17 is rotated by the driving of the motor 19 in the hot air supply device 14, whereby the hot air supply device is supplied from the outside of the outer box 1 through the ventilation hole 15 b of the back cover 15 and the intake port 16 a of the casing 16. Air is taken into 14. In FIG. 1, the flow of air and the flow of dry air as hot air are indicated by arrows. After that, the air sent along the ventilation path inside the casing 16 is heated by the heater 18 and supplied as warm air into the washing tub 6 through the duct 23. This hot air evaporates from the laundry by giving heat of vaporization to the moisture in the laundry while in contact with the laundry, and thus deprives the laundry of the moisture, so that the hot air becomes moist. As a result, the warm air that has become warm and moist air rises in the washing tub 6, passes through the opening 21 a provided in the inner lid 21 and the exhaust filter 22, and is discharged out of the washing tub 6, and The air is naturally exhausted out of the machine from a gap formed between the notch 10c provided in the flange portion 10b of the peripheral edge of the washing lid 10 and the top cover 2. As described above, the moist warm air in the drying process tends to stay mainly in the space between the washing cover 10 and the inner cover 21 in the related art. It is quickly discharged from a wide range of gaps, so that the warm air can be prevented from staying in the outer box 1 as much as possible.
[0024]
Therefore, since moist warm air does not stay inside the outer case 1, it is possible to prevent a state in which the back surface of the outer case 1 made of metal and easily exchanges heat is condensed by moisture. Further, by smoothly discharging the warm air containing moisture in the washing tub 6, the introduction of new warm air can be promoted instead, and the flow of the warm air can be improved as a whole, and the drying efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, the exhaust of the moist warm air after contributing to the drying is directly blocked by the object placed on the washing lid 10 by using the notch 10c of the flange 10b around the washing lid 10. There is no spilling or damage to the beauty of the top surface of the main body.
(Modification)
Next, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a modification of the present invention, which shows an outer peripheral surface of an engaging portion 16 d provided on a casing 16 of the hot air supply device 14 and a through hole of the back cover 15. The inner peripheral surfaces with which the engaged portions 15c provided on the outer periphery of the pores 15b engage with each other are inclined surfaces. As a result, the workability of inserting the back cover 15 into the casing 16 during assembly is improved.
[0025]
Similarly to the above, a convex ring-shaped engaging portion 24b is provided also on the outer periphery of the mesh portion 24a of the filter case 24 as a filter, and provided on the outer periphery of the ventilation hole 15b on the side of the back cover 15 facing the same. The engaging portion 24b has a slightly larger diameter in order to engage the engaged portion 15d with each other. In this case, if both the inner and outer surfaces of both engaging portions 15d and 24b are inclined surfaces, the attachment and detachment of the filter case 24 to and from the back cover 15 are performed in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the opening positions of both the mesh portion 24a of the filter case 24 and the ventilation hole 15b of the back cover 15 can be accurately matched, so that the outside air can be taken in smoothly and without leakage.
[0026]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described and illustrated embodiments. The notch in the flange portion of the washing lid may be any hole that allows the inside and outside to communicate with each other in the flange portion of the washing lid, and may be, for example, a hole formed in the flange portion. Further, the washing lid is not limited to the two-fold structure, and the filter structure can be variously modified.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the warm air in the tub can be smoothly exhausted out of the machine from the ventilation portion between the peripheral flange portion of the washing lid and the top cover. Drying efficiency can be improved without blocking the exhaust port with the placed object and without impairing the aesthetic appearance.
[0028]
Further, the opening positions of the three members, namely, the intake port of the casing constituting the hot air supply means, the ventilation hole of the back cover, and the mesh part of the filter case, are accurately matched by engaging the engagement parts provided respectively. The present invention provides a washing / drying machine which has a remarkable effect that the outside air can be smoothly sucked in.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing the entire configuration of a washing / drying machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state where a main part of a washing lid is closed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state where a main part of a washing lid is opened. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing a modification of the present invention.
1 outer box 2 top cover 3 water tub 6 washing tub 10 washing lid 10b flange 10c notch (ventilation part)
14 Hot air supply device (hot air supply means)
15 back cover 15a, 15c, 15d engaged portion 16 casing 16a intake port 16d engaging portion 17 blower fan 18 heater 19 motor 24 filter case (filter)
24a mesh part 24b engaging part

Claims (7)

Outer box,
A water tank housed inside the outer box,
A washing tub accommodated in the water tub and used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying the laundry, and a top cover provided on the outer box and having an opening for taking in and out the laundry,
A washing lid that covers the opening of the top cover so that it can be opened and closed, and a flange is provided on the periphery.
A hot air supply means to the washing tub comprising a blower fan for sucking air from outside the outer box and a heater for heating the sucked air,
The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing lid has a ventilation portion for discharging warm air from the hot air supply means from outside the machine in a flange portion. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation portion of the washing lid is formed by cutting out a flange portion. The washing lid has a rear surface provided to be openable and closable by a hinge with respect to the top cover, and a relief portion is formed in the top cover so as to form a communication path between the washing lid rear surface and the facing top cover. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Outer box,
A water tank housed inside the outer box,
A washing tub accommodated in the water tub and used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying the laundry, and a top cover provided on the outer box and having an opening for taking in and out the laundry,
A washing lid for covering the opening of the top cover,
A back cover for closing the opening behind the top cover,
It is provided in the back cover, and comprises a blower fan that sucks air from outside the outer box and a hot air supply unit to the washing tub that includes a heater that heats the sucked air,
The hot air supply means includes a casing in which a blower fan, a heater and a motor are incorporated as a unit, and a casing in which an intake port for the blower fan is formed. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the casing is attached to the back cover by engaging an engaged portion formed on an edge of the mouth with each other. 5. The washer / dryer according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the engaging portion of the casing at the periphery of the intake port and the engaged portion of the periphery of the intake port at the back cover side has an inclined surface. A detachable filter provided opposite to the intake opening of the back cover, an engaging portion provided on the outer periphery of the mesh portion of the filter, and an engaged portion provided on the outer periphery of the intake opening on the back cover side. The washing and drying machine according to claim 4, wherein the filter is attached to the back cover such that the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other. 7. The washer / dryer according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the engaging portion on the filter side and the engaged portion on the back cover side has an inclined surface.

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