JP2005124766A - Drum type washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drum type washing and drying machine in which washing power is improved by using detergent bubbles. <P>SOLUTION: At the time of starting washing, by supplying water to a water level lower than a predetermined water level corresponding to the amount of laundry inside a water tub 3 and rotationally driving a rotary drum 2 at a rotation speed higher than the one at the time of washing, water in which a detergent is dissolved in high concentration is foamed, the detergent bubbles are generated and the laundry is washed with the bubbles. A projection part 37 is formed at the entrance of a discharge port 21 so that the detergent bubbles filled inside the water tub 3 do not flow into the circulation path of drying air by the rotation of the rotary drum 2 at the time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum-type washing / drying machine in which laundry is accommodated in a rotating drum that is rotatably disposed in a water tub, and each step of washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying is performed.

  A drum-type washing machine for washing laundry by sequentially executing a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dewatering process by putting the laundry in a rotating drum rotatably arranged in the water tank and rotationally driving the rotating drum. By being provided with a drying function, the drum type washing machine can be configured as a drum type washing and drying machine capable of executing a drying process for drying the laundry after the dehydration process.

In the drying function, air containing moisture in the water tank is exhausted to the outside of the tank, the moisture in the air exhausted by the dehumidifying means is dehumidified, and then heated and dried by the heating means to be blown into the water tank again. It can be constituted as follows. In such a drum-type washing / drying machine, there is a problem that yarn waste generated from the laundry in the drying process adheres to the exhaust hose and the dehumidifying means adjacent to the rotating drum. In order to prevent the attachment of the yarn waste and the like, there is known a drum type washing and drying machine in which the yarn waste attached by the water in the rinsing process is washed away so as not to obstruct the flow of the circulating air (see Patent Document 1). ).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-333185 (pages 3 to 5, FIG. 1)

  As described above, the drum-type washing / drying machine is the most important function as a washing machine because an air circulation path is formed to exhaust the air in the water tank and return it to the water tank again in order to configure the drying function. When constructing a drum-type washer / dryer that carries out a washing process using detergent foam in which a high-concentration detergent solution is foamed in order to improve detergency, the generated detergent foam enters the air circulation path from the exhaust passage. There has been a problem that it adheres to a dehumidifying means, a heating means, an air blowing means and the like disposed in the air circulation path and lowers their functions.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a drum-type washing / drying machine provided with means for solving the above-mentioned problems that occur when a drum-type washing / drying machine having a drying function is configured to perform a washing process by foam washing. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a drum-type washing / drying machine according to the present invention has a rotating drum that is driven and rotated by a motor in a cylindrical drum having a large number of through holes in a peripheral wall. A drying air circulation path is formed in which air exhausted from the water tank is blown again into the water tank through an air circulation path provided with dehumidifying means, dust removing means, air blowing means, and heating means, and the dehumidifying means Is characterized in that a dehumidifying means housing chamber containing the water and an exhaust port leading to the chamber are provided in an upper part of the side peripheral surface of the water tank.

  According to the above configuration, since the exhaust port for exhausting the air in the water tank to the drying air circulation path is provided above the water tank, when the foam cleaning is applied to the washing process, the water tank that generates detergent foam The exhaust port is positioned above the lower part, and a state in which the detergent bubbles are difficult to enter the drying air circulation path from the exhaust port is obtained. Therefore, even if the washing function is improved by providing the drum-type washing / drying machine with a foam washing function, it is possible to prevent the foam washing function from affecting the drying function.

  In the above configuration, the exhaust port is formed as an opening that is long in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotary drum, and a protrusion having a wall surface facing the rotation direction of the rotary drum is formed in the vicinity of the entrance of the rotation drum. The detergent bubbles flowing along with the rotation are guided in the rotation direction of the rotary drum by the protrusion formed near the inlet of the exhaust port, and are prevented from flowing into the exhaust port.

  According to the present invention, when the function of washing foam is applied to the washing process in the drum type washing and drying machine, it is possible to prevent the detergent foam generated in the washing process from entering the drying air circulation path, and the function of washing foam. As a result, the drying function is not impaired, and a drum-type washing / drying machine with improved cleaning performance by foam cleaning can be configured.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a main part of a drum-type washing machine according to the embodiment. A water tank 3 is supported in an inclined state by a suspension structure (not shown) in a washing machine housing 6. A rotating drum 2 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is rotatably supported. The rotary drum 2 is rotationally driven by a drum drive motor 7 attached to the back of the water tank 3 so that the rotational speed can be varied and the rotational direction can be switched. Further, since the rotating drum 2 is inclined so that the direction of the rotation axis is inclined downward from the front side opening as shown in the drawing toward the back side as the bottom surface, the front side of the washing machine casing 6 is arranged. Opening the door body 9 that can be freely opened and closed on the inclined surface 6a formed on the rotating drum 2 reduces the amount of bending when the laundry is taken in and out of the rotary drum 2, and the drum type laundry dryer 1 Since there is no need to secure a space on the front side, the drum type washing / drying machine 1 can be installed in a narrow space such as a washroom.

  In addition to the above-described components, the washing machine housing 6 includes a water supply unit 12 for supplying water into the aquarium 3, a drainage unit 13 for draining water in the aquarium 3 to the outside, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the air in the water tank 3 exhausted from the exhaust port 21 is removed from the dehumidifying means accommodating chamber 16, so that the drying process of drying the laundry accommodated in the rotary drum 2 can be performed. An air circulation path for drying that blows air again from the air blowing port 22 into the water tank 3 through the yarn waste collecting filter 17 and the air blowing pipe 18 is configured.

  The drum-type washing / drying machine 1 configured as described above performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process by a control operation by the control device 40, and a drying process is executed as necessary. The drum-type washing / drying machine 1 is configured to perform foam washing using detergent foam obtained by foaming water in which detergent is dissolved at a high concentration in the washing process. Hereafter, the required operation | movement of the drum type washing-drying machine 1 which becomes the said structure is demonstrated.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the control device 40, and the control unit 41 configured by a microcomputer is stored in the storage unit 45 in accordance with setting input such as selection of a driving course input from the setting unit 43. A control command is output to the power switching unit 42 using the control program. The power switching unit 42 is configured by using a switching element such as an SCR, and performs ON / OFF control of the drum drive motor 7, the water supply valve 50, the drainage pump 49, and the like according to a control command output from the control unit 41.

  The door body 9 is opened, the laundry is put into the rotary drum 2, a required amount of detergent is put into the detergent inlet provided in the water supply unit 12, and the power switch 48 is operated to turn on the washing machine casing 6. By selecting and inputting a driving course in accordance with the type of laundry from the setting unit 43 on the operation panel provided on the surface of the laundry, and inputting the start of driving, the control unit 41 executes a control program corresponding to the setting input. The data is read from the storage unit 45 and a control operation corresponding to the control procedure is started. First, the control unit 41 rotates the rotary drum 2 to detect the amount of laundry. Since the cloth amount detection unit 46 detects the amount of laundry from the load change received by the drum drive motor 7 according to the amount of laundry, the detected amount of laundry is input to the control unit 41 and stored in the storage unit 45. Remembered.

  First, a washing process is started, and water supply control and rotation control of the rotary drum 2 are executed in the washing process. The control unit 41 opens the water supply valve 50 and outputs a control command for supplying water into the water tank 3 to the power switching unit 42, and at the same time, provides a control command for rotating the rotary drum 2 at the first predetermined rotation speed to the power switching unit 42. Output. By this control operation, the water supply valve 50 is opened and tap water is supplied from a water supply pipe connected to the water supply unit 12, and water mixed with detergent is supplied into the water tank 3. In parallel with this water supply, the drum 2 is rotated by the drum drive motor 7 at the first predetermined rotation speed. The first predetermined rotational speed is when the laundry stored in the rotating drum 2 is lifted in the rotating direction by the rotation of the rotating drum 2 and moves to a height position where the weight of the laundry is higher than the inertia and centrifugal force associated with the rotation. It is a rotational speed which shows the behavior which falls on the lower inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2.

  Agitating protrusions 4 (see FIG. 2) are provided at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2. When the rotating drum 2 rotates at a predetermined speed, the agitating protrusions 4 are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2. Hook an object and lift it in the direction of rotation. Since the laundry falls when its own weight is lifted up to a height that surpasses the inertia and centrifugal force associated with rotation, the laundry accumulated in the rotating drum 2 is also lifted one after another and moved and falls from above. At the same time as the accumulated state is separated, the laundry is given a washing action by the impact of dropping. When the rotational speed is lower than the first predetermined rotational speed, the action of lifting the laundry does not occur, and conversely, the centrifugal force increases at a rotational speed faster than the first predetermined rotational speed. It will stick to and will not fall.

  In parallel with the rotational driving of the rotating drum 2, the water supply is continued in the water tank 3, so that the water supplied into the water tank 3 is supplied from the through holes 8 formed in the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2 to the rotating drum 2. It also intrudes inside. Accordingly, the laundry that is repeatedly lifted and dropped by the rotating drum 2 rotating at the first predetermined rotation speed is uniformly wet with water when dropped.

  The water level in the supplied water tank 3 is detected by a water level detection unit 47 provided in the water tank 3, and when the water level becomes a second predetermined water level lower than the first predetermined water level for performing the washing operation, the water level Since the detection unit 47 inputs the detection output to the control unit 41, the control unit 41 outputs a control command for closing the water supply valve 50 and stopping the water supply to the power switching unit 42, so that the water supply is stopped.

  When the water is supplied to the second predetermined water level in the water tank 3, the control unit 41 outputs a control command for rotationally driving the rotary drum 2 to the drum drive motor 7 at a second predetermined rotational speed that is faster than the first predetermined rotational speed. Therefore, the rotary drum 2 is rotationally driven at the second predetermined rotational speed. The second predetermined rotation speed is a rotation speed that allows the laundry to stick to the inner peripheral surface of the rotary drum 2 due to the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the rotary drum 2. When the rotary drum 2 is rotationally driven at the second predetermined rotation speed, a high-concentration detergent liquid in which detergent is mixed in a small amount of water supply generates a water flow and bubbles due to the rotation of the rotary drum 2. Easy state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a drainage groove 10 is formed in the lowermost part of the water tank 3 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction (arrow A direction) of the rotary drum 2, and the side wall of the drainage groove 10 has a water flow direction. Since it intersects (in the direction of arrow B), a turbulent flow (arrow C) is generated in the water flow by this side wall, and the washing water in which the detergent is mixed at a high concentration becomes foamed by the turbulent flow.

  In general, detergent molecules consist of hydrophilic groups and lipophilic groups. In detergent solutions that are dissolved in water, the detergent molecules are aligned at the interface (water surface), and the detergent molecules that cannot be arranged are present individually or as micelles (groups) in the water. To do. As soon as the interfacial detergent molecules are removed, the detergent molecules in the water move to the interface and are replenished. When bubbles generated by turbulent flow are sent to the detergent liquid, the bubbles rise to reach the interface, and detergent bubbles in a form in which the detergent molecules aligned with the interface are held in the foam film as they are are generated. Since the detergent foam has as many detergent molecules as possible, the detergent concentration is also high. Since the detergent molecules in the liquid move to replenish the detergent molecules removed as detergent bubbles, detergent bubbles are created one after another when bubbles are sent one after another.

  The detergent foam generated in large quantities fills and rises between the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 2 and invades one after another into the rotating drum 2 from the open front side opening and adheres to the laundry. The laundry is in a state of being stuck on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2 rotating at the second predetermined rotation speed, and detergent bubbles easily enter the space vacated in the center of the rotating drum 2, and washing is performed through the through holes 8. Since there is a state in which the detergent foam penetrates into the laundry, the detergent foam uniformly adheres to the laundry. The laundry is in a state of being evenly wetted by water due to the behavior of the rotary drum 2 being driven to rotate at the first predetermined rotational speed, and when detergent bubbles adhere to this, the detergent components penetrate into the laundry. It becomes easy.

  When the detergent foam penetrates the surface or the interior of the soiled laundry, the lipophilic group is bound to the oil soil and the particle soil adhered to the oil and carried away. In addition, if the detergent foam breaks when passing through the laundry, a high concentration of detergent liquid will permeate into the laundry, and the dirt will be easily removed, so that the laundry can be washed with the detergent foam. . By making the detergent liquid into a detergent foam having a large volume and adhering and penetrating into the laundry in the rotary drum 2 in this way, the detergent component is likely to act on the dirt, and the detergent liquid of high concentration is likely to permeate, resulting in uneven washing. It is suppressed and the washing time can be improved and at the same time the washing time can be shortened.

  After a sufficient time has passed for the detergent foam generated to enter the rotary drum 2 and the laundry to be covered with the detergent foam, the control unit 41 opens the water supply valve 50 and puts water in the water tank 3. Is output to the power switching unit 42, the water supply valve 50 is opened and water supply is started. The water level in the supplied water tank 3 is detected by the water level detection unit 47, and when the first predetermined water level is detected, the water level detection unit 47 outputs a detection output to the control unit 41. By the command, the water supply valve 50 is closed and the water supply is stopped.

  The first predetermined water level is a water supply amount corresponding to the amount of laundry, and is first detected by the cloth amount detection unit 46 as described above, and the detected amount of laundry is stored in the storage unit 45. Therefore, the water supply is stopped when the first predetermined water level that is the amount of water supply corresponding to the amount of laundry is detected.

  Since the control unit 41 outputs a control command for rotating the rotary drum 2 at the first predetermined speed to the power switching unit 42 in accordance with the start of the replenishing water supply until the first predetermined water level is reached, the drum drive motor 7, the rotary drum 2 is rotationally driven at a first predetermined rotational speed. By rotating the rotating drum 2 at the first predetermined rotation speed, the laundry is lifted and dropped to be washed, and the rotation direction is switched between the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction at predetermined time intervals. As a result, the detergent foam uniformly adheres to the dirt of the laundry covered with the detergent foam, and the washing operation for a predetermined time is performed with the wash water that has been replenished and supplied with the amount of water necessary for washing. When a predetermined time required for washing elapses, the control unit 41 outputs a control command for stopping the rotation of the drum drive motor 7 to the power switching unit 42, so that the rotation of the rotary drum 2 is stopped and the washing process is completed.

  By carrying out the foam washing in the washing process, the water tank 3 is filled with detergent foam, and the rotating drum 2 rotates in the water tank 3. There is a risk that detergent bubbles may enter even where you do not want to enter. The place where the detergent bubbles are most likely to enter is a dehumidification conduit (dehumidification means accommodation chamber) 16 in which an exhaust port 21 that opens toward the flow of the detergent bubbles is opened. The dehumidification pipe line 16 is connected to the heating pipe line 19 through the blower pipe line 18, and if the detergent bubbles that have flowed into the dehumidification pipe line 16 remain, the detergent foam is blown into the blower pipe line 18 or There is a risk of being sent to the heating pipe 19, and when the inflow of this detergent foam is large and the inflow continues, it adheres to the lint collecting filter 17 and the blower fan 15 in the middle and is used for drying. Obstructs air flow. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the detergent bubbles from entering the dehumidifying conduit 16 from the water tank 3.

  As a measure to prevent the detergent bubbles from entering the dehumidification conduit 16 from the exhaust port 21, as shown in FIG. 4, the dehumidification conduit 16 rotates near the inlet of the exhaust port 21 that opens toward the water tank 3. A protrusion 37 having a wall surface facing the rotation direction of the drum 2 is formed. The wall surface of the protruding portion 37 facing the rotation direction of the rotary drum 2 (arrow A direction) causes detergent bubbles to flow in the rotation direction of the rotary drum 2 (arrow D direction), and does not disturb the detergent foam flow. The detergent foam is prevented from entering the dehumidifying conduit 16 from the mouth 21.

  If a part of the protrusion 37, preferably a position corresponding to the dehumidifying means 38 disposed in the dehumidifying duct 16, or a part on the upstream side of the dehumidifying means is cut away, water in the rinsing step It is possible to wash away detergent bubbles, lint, etc. adhering to the dehumidifying means 38. That is, after the washing process is completed, an operation of dehydrating the detergent liquid from the laundry by rotating the rotary drum 2 at a high speed is performed, and the rinsing process is performed with the water supplied into the water tank 3. In this case, the water in the water tank 3 is scattered by the rotation of the rotary drum 2, so that when the projecting portion 37 is partly cut away, the scattered water enters the exhaust port 21 and falls on the dehumidifying means 38. In addition, it is possible to wash away detergent bubbles adhering to the dehumidifying means 38, yarn waste generated from the laundry in the drying process, and the like.

  After the washing step, the rinsing step, and the dehydrating step, the drying step can be optionally performed to dry the dehydrated laundry or dry wet clothes. When the execution of the drying process is selected and input from the setting unit 43, the control unit 41 turns on the blower fan 15 and the heater 20 and outputs a control command to open the water injection valve 53 to the power switching unit 42. Then, the air blowing fan 15 is rotationally driven to perform a drying operation for circulating the air in the water tank 3 through the drying air circulation path.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air in the rotary drum 2 is discharged into the water tank 3 from the through holes 8 formed in the peripheral surface by the rotation of the blower fan 15 and is exhausted into the dehumidifying conduit 16 from the exhaust port 21. A heat exchanger 51 is disposed in the dehumidifying conduit 16, and dehumidifying means 38 is configured to sprinkle water injected by opening the water injection valve 53 from the water injection nozzle 52 onto the heat exchanger 51. Therefore, the air containing the moisture exhausted into the dehumidifying pipeline 16 is cooled and dehumidified. The air dehumidified in the dehumidifying pipe 16 passes through the lint collecting filter 17, passes through the blower pipe 18, is led to the rear of the water tank 3, flows into the heating pipe 19 provided on the back surface of the water tank 3, and is heated. It is heated by 20 and blown into the water tank 3 from the blower port 22. Since the air blown into the water tank 3 flows into the rotary drum 2 through the air holes 39 and the through holes 8 formed on the bottom surface of the rotary drum 2, moisture is taken away from the laundry by the dehumidified and heated air. Drying of all the laundry is promoted by stirring by the rotation of the drum 2, and the laundry is dried by repeating this air circulation for a predetermined time.

  In the embodiment described above, the configuration in which the rotary drum 2 is inclined is shown. However, the same configuration can be made when the rotary drum 2 is arranged in the horizontal direction.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even if the washing performance is improved by washing the foam in the washing process, it is suppressed that the detergent foam affects the structure for performing the drying process, and the washing performance is improved. An excellent drum type washing machine can be provided.

Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the drum type washing-drying machine which concerns on embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drying function with which a drum type washing-drying machine same as the above is provided. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus with which a drum type washing-drying machine same as the above is provided. Sectional drawing of the diameter direction of a water tank and a rotating drum.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drum type washing dryer 2 Rotating drum 3 Water tank 7 Drum drive motor 15 Blower fan (blower means)
16 Dehumidification pipeline (dehumidification means accommodation room)
17 Waste thread recovery filter (dust removal means)
18 Blower Line 19 Heating Line 20 Heater 21 Exhaust Port 22 Blower Port 37 Projecting Part 38 Dehumidifying Means

Claims (2)

A rotating drum that is housed in a cylindrical drum having a large number of through holes in the peripheral wall and is rotated by a drum drive motor is disposed in the water tank, and dehumidifying means exhausts air exhausted from the water tank. A drying air circulation path is provided to blow air again into the water tank through an air circulation path provided with dust removing means, air blowing means, and heating means, and the dehumidifying means housing chamber containing the dehumidifying means is disposed at an upper part of the side peripheral surface of the water tank. A drum-type washing / drying machine characterized by being provided adjacent to each other and having an exhaust port communicating with the dehumidifying means accommodation chamber formed in a side peripheral wall of the water tank. 2. The drum type according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust port is formed as an opening that is long in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating drum, and a protrusion having a wall surface facing the rotation direction of the rotating drum is formed near the entrance of the opening. Washing and drying machine.

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