JP2007068870A - Garment dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a garment dryer which dehumidifies and dries a compartment effectively and quietly using a heat pump apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This garment dryer has a blowing means 29 for supplying air for drying into its inner tub 24, a heat pump apparatus 32 for dehumidifying the air for drying, a circulation air passage 37 which connects the inner tub 24 and the heat pump apparatus 32 for circulation, and a driving means 25 for driving the inner tub 24. It can stop the rotation of the inner tub 24 when the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub 24 is exhausted out of a main body 21 from a garment input opening 26 because the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub 24 is exhausted out of the main body 21 from the garment input opening 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes and a clothes dryer having a washing function.

  A conventional drum-type clothes dryer has a structure as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described. As shown in the figure, a rotating drum 3 that rotates about a horizontal axis 2 as a central axis is disposed in an exterior case 1. A clothing insertion port 4 formed on the front surface of the rotating drum 3 is opened on the front surface of the outer case 1 and is opened and closed by a door 5. An air circulation path 7 including a drying chamber 6 set inside the rotary drum 3 is configured in the outer case 1. The air circulation path 7 includes a drying chamber 6, a blower chamber 8, a heat exchange chamber 9, and the like on the way, and the air in the drying chamber 6 flows from the rotary drum side exhaust port 10 on the back wall to the blower chamber 8, and then heat The air passes through the exchange chamber 9 and is circulated to the drying chamber 6 again from an air supply port 11 provided in front of the drying chamber 6.

  The blower chamber 8 is provided with a fan 12, and the heat exchange chamber 9 is provided with a heat absorber 13 on the upstream side and a radiator 14 on the downstream side. The heat absorber 13 and the heat radiator 14 constitute a heat pump device with an expansion mechanism 16 such as a compressor 15 and a capillary tube, and the high-humidity air from the drying chamber 6 is cooled and dehumidified by the heat absorber 13. Then, it becomes dry air, reaches the radiator 14 and is heated to become high-temperature air. And this high temperature air is supplied to the drying chamber 6 from the air supply opening | mouth 11, and is used for the drying of the clothing A in it. Reference numeral 17 denotes a motor whose rotation is transmitted to the rotating drum 3 and the fan 12 via belts 18 and 19.

As described above, one motor 17 is used to drive the rotary drum 3 and the fan 12 to dry the clothes A in the rotary drum 3 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 7-178289 A

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, when the door 5 is opened and the dry air is discharged from the clothing input port 4 to dehumidify and dry the humid room to prevent mold generation or to create a comfortable space, the rotating drum 3 also rotates, and energy loss and noise generation have been problems.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional configuration, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently and quietly dehumidify and dry a room using a heat pump device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the clothes dryer of the present invention is provided with an outer tub supported in the main body, an open / close door that covers a clothing input port of the outer tub, and a rotatable inside the outer tub. An inner tank, a blowing means for supplying drying air into the inner tank, a heat pump device for dehumidifying the drying air, and a circulating air connected so that the drying air circulates between the inner tank and the heat pump device A path and a driving means for driving the inner tub are provided, and the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub is exhausted from the clothing input port to the outside of the main body.

  As a result, when the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tank is exhausted from the clothing inlet to the outside of the main body, the rotation of the inner tank can be stopped, and the driving energy of the inner tank and the rotation noise of the inner tank can be reduced. It can be lost.

  The clothes dryer of the present invention can efficiently and quietly dehumidify and dry the room using a heat pump device.

  The first invention includes a main body, an outer tub supported in the main body, an open / close door that covers a clothing input port of the outer tub, an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub, and an inner tub Blower means for supplying drying air to the air, a heat pump device for dehumidifying the drying air, a circulation air passage connected so that the drying air circulates through the inner tub and the heat pump device, and driving the inner tub The dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub is exhausted to the outside of the main body from the clothing input port, and the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub is input into the clothing. When exhausting outside the main body from the mouth, the rotation of the inner tank can be stopped, so that the driving energy of the inner tank and the rotation noise of the inner tank can be eliminated, and the heat pump device is used to efficiently and quietly Can be dehumidified and dried.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an intake port for introducing outside air into the circulation air passage, and an intake valve for opening and closing the intake air port, and by selectively switching between the intake air port and the circulation air passage, Since part of the dehumidified air exhausted to the outside of the main body does not return to the circulation air path, all the dehumidified air can be used for indoor drying, and the room can be dried more efficiently. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, indoor drying setting means is provided, the intake valve is opened by the indoor drying setting means, and the clothing input port is opened, so that indoor drying can be reliably performed with a simple operation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a low-temperature air passage that communicates with a circulation air passage between the heat absorber and the heat radiator of the heat pump device, supplies dry air before heating into the inner tank, and closes the low-temperature air passage. By providing a discharge valve that switches the flow path so that dry air is heated by the radiator, if you do not want to raise the room temperature as in summer, do not pass through the radiator and before heating from the low temperature air passage If you want to raise the room temperature as in winter, dry air heated by closing the low-temperature air passage and switching the flow path so that the dry air is heated by the radiator The room temperature can be adjusted during indoor drying.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the opening / closing door is provided with the opening means, it is not necessary to open the opening / closing door at the time of indoor drying, and the indoor drying can be performed in a small space.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, the intake valve is switched to the outside air introduction side in conjunction with the opening of the opening / closing door, so that the introduction of the outside air and the opening of the clothing input port can be interlocked, and there is no erroneous operation and the room is reliably Drying can be performed.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the intake valve is switched to the circulation side in conjunction with the closing of the opening / closing door, so that the circulation of dry air and the closing of the clothing inlet can be interlocked to ensure that the clothing is dried without any erroneous operation. It can be performed.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the clothes contained in the inner tub can be washed, so that washing to drying can be performed automatically, and the time spent for washing and drying by the user can be saved. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an installation diagram of the clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  A cylindrical outer tub 23 elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions 22 is provided inside the main body 21, and vibrations during drying are absorbed by the suspensions 22. A cylindrical inner tub 24 for storing clothes is rotatably provided inside the outer tub 23, and is rotated by a motor (driving means) 25. The outer tub 23 is a clothes drying chamber.

  On the front surface of the main body 21, there are provided a clothing insertion port 26 through which clothes are put in and out and an opening / closing door 27 that opens and closes the clothing. Similar openings 23a, 24a are also provided on the front side of the outer tub 23 and the inner tub 24, and the opening 23a of the outer tub 23 is airtightly connected to the clothing inlet 26 of the main body 21 by a rubber bellows 28. ing. The blower means 29 includes a motor 29a and a fan 29b, and is provided behind the main body 21 as shown in FIG.

  The air blowing means 29 sucks air that has passed through the inner tub 24 and the outer tub 23 from a suction port 30 provided below the outer tub 23 and guides it to a supply port 31 provided on the back surface of the outer tub 23. The positional relationship between the clothing input port 26 and the supply port 31 is preferably coaxial, and the supply port 31 is placed as much as possible in the clothing input port 26 so that dry air discharged from the supply port 31 is directly ejected from the clothing input port 26. It is provided near the center. A compressor 33, an expansion mechanism 34, a heat absorber 35, and a heat radiator 36 constituting the heat pump device 32 are disposed in an empty space on the back surface of the main body 21. The circulation air passage 37 is for flowing the air blown by the blowing means 29 from the heat absorber 35 to the radiator 36 in the direction of the arrow, and the heat absorber 35, the blowing means 29, and the radiator 36 are arranged inside. Contained. The inlet side of the circulation air passage 37 communicates with the suction port 30, and the outlet side communicates with the supply port 31.

  When drying clothes, the drying air blown by the blowing means 29 passes through the suction port 30 and the heat absorber 35 and the radiator 36 in the circulation air passage 37 as shown by the arrows in FIG. Then, after entering the outer tub 23 and the inner tub 24 from the supply port 31 and passing through the clothing in the inner tub 24, it returns to the blowing means 29 through the suction port 30 and circulates again.

  The suction port 30 of the outer tub 23 and the inlet of the circulation air passage 37 communicate with each other via a suction hose 37a made of a bellows-like stretchable flexible material, and the outlet of the circulation air passage 37 and the supply port 31 are the same. In addition, it communicates via a supply hose 37 b made of a bellows-like stretchable flexible material, and the vibration of the outer tub 23 is prevented from being transmitted to the heat pump device 32. Further, a drain water container 37c for storing dehumidified water from the heat absorber 35 is provided at the lower part of the circulation air passage 37, and the water stored in the drain water container 37c is discharged from the main body 21 through a discharge port (not shown). Is discharged.

  In addition, the heat pump device 32 includes a compressor 33, a radiator 36 that radiates heat of the compressed refrigerant, an expansion mechanism 34 that includes a throttle valve, a capillary tube, and the like for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a reduced pressure. The refrigerant having a low pressure is connected by a pipe line 38 so that the refrigerant circulates through the heat absorber 35 that takes heat from the surroundings. Flows in the direction of the arrow and circulates to realize a heat pump cycle. Further, the control means 39 controls the drying by driving the motor 25, the air blowing means 29, the compressor 33 and the like based on the setting contents of the display setting means 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the clothes dryer is generally installed in a bathroom dressing room.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In the indoor drying process, when the open / close door 27 is opened and the compressor 33 of the heat pump device 32 is operated, the refrigerant is compressed, and the pressure circulates through the radiator 36, the expansion mechanism 34, and the heat absorber 35. In the radiator 36, heat is released by the compression of the refrigerant, and in the heat absorber 35, the heat is absorbed by the refrigerant whose pressure is reduced by the expansion mechanism 34. At this time, the air blowing means 29 is activated, and the warm air heated by the heat radiation of the radiator 36 is blown into the outer tub 23 and the inner tub 24 through the supply port 31, and is discharged out of the main body 21 from the clothing input port 26. Is done.

  On the other hand, the humid air in the room reaches the circulation air passage 37 from the suction port 30 of the outer tub 23. When this moist air passes through the heat absorber 35, sensible heat and latent heat are taken away and dehumidified, and separated into dry air and dehumidified water. This dry air is heated again by the radiator 36 and becomes warm air. The dehumidified water dewed by the heat absorber 35 is stored in the drain water container 37c and discharged from the discharge port to the outside of the apparatus. By repeating the above operation, the dehumidification drying in the room is advanced.

  As described above, by providing the driving means 25 for driving the inner tub 24 and the air blowing means 29 for supplying the drying air separately, the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub 24 is supplied from the clothing inlet 26. When exhausting out of the main body 21, the rotation of the inner tank 24 can be stopped, and the driving energy of the inner tank 24 and the rotational noise of the inner tank 24 can be eliminated.

  Also, the bathroom is humid, and mold generation is a problem especially during the rainy season, and the bathroom door is closed to a sealed space, and the dehumidifier is driven to dry. However, the bathroom is generally narrow, and when a single-function dehumidifier is placed, it becomes even narrower and unusable. By adding an indoor drying function to the clothes dryer, the clothes dryer can be dehumidified and dried without narrowing the bathroom.

  In this embodiment, a discharge port is provided as a means for discharging the dehumidified water in the drain water container 37c. However, a drain pump may be provided to discharge water.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an intake port 41 that introduces outside air into the circulation air passage 37 upstream of the heat absorber 35 and an intake valve 42 that opens and closes the intake port 41 are provided. The intake valve 42 selectively switches between the intake port 41 and the circulation air passage 37 by an opening / closing motor 42a. When the opening / closing motor 42a is driven to move the intake valve 42, the intake port 41 is opened and the circulation air passage 37 is closed, moist outside air is introduced from the intake port 41. When the wet outside air passes through the heat absorber 35, the sensible heat and latent heat are taken away and the dehumidified air is separated into dry air and dehumidified water. The dry air is heated by the radiator 36 and is supplied as warm air from the supply port 31 to the outer tub 23 and the inner tub 24.

  The dry air supplied into the inner tub 24 is exhausted out of the main body 21 from the clothing inlet 26 without being sucked from the inlet 30 because the circulation air passage 37 is closed. Thereby, part of the air after dehumidification does not return to the circulation air passage 37, so that all the air after dehumidification can be used for indoor drying, and the room can be dried more efficiently.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the clothes dryer according to the embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  4 and 5, the indoor drying setting means 40a is provided in the display setting means 40, the intake valve 42 is opened by the indoor drying setting means 40a, and the opening / closing door opening for opening the opening / closing door 27 is performed. The means 43 is operated to open the clothes insertion opening 26. The opening / closing door opening means 43 is constituted by a motor that opens the opening / closing door 27.

  When the power switch 44 is closed, power is supplied from the commercial power supply 45. When the indoor drying setting means 40a in the display setting means 40 is operated, a signal is transmitted to the control means 39, the power switching means 39a of the control means 39 opens the intake valve 42, and further opens and closes the opening / closing door opening means 43. The door 27 is also opened.

  As described above, when performing indoor drying, there is no need to forget to open the opening / closing door 27 and the intake valve 42, and the indoor drying can be reliably performed with a simple operation.

(Embodiment 4)
6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of a clothes dryer in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  6 and FIG. 7 is characterized by a low-temperature air passage that communicates with the circulation air passage 37 between the heat absorber 35 and the heat radiator 36 of the heat pump device 32 and supplies dry air before heating into the inner tank 24. 46 and a discharge valve 47 that switches the flow path so that the dry air is heated by the radiator 36 by closing the low-temperature air passage 46.

  The discharge valve 47 is driven by a drive motor 47a. As shown in FIG. 6, when it is not desired to raise the room temperature in summer, the circulation air passage 37 is blocked by the discharge valve 47, and the low-temperature dry air before heating is supplied from the low-temperature air passage 46 without passing through the radiator 36. To do. As shown in FIG. 7, when it is desired to increase the room temperature in winter, the low-temperature air passage 46 is closed by the discharge valve 47 and the flow path is switched so that the dry air is heated by the radiator 36. Supply heated dry air.

  As described above, the room temperature can be adjusted during indoor drying by switching between heating the supplied air and not heating it.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 8, the opening / closing door 27 is provided with an opening 49, and the opening 49 is opened / closed by the opening means 48. The opening means 48 includes an opening lid 48a and a lever 48b. Instead of opening the open / close door 27 during indoor drying, the lever 48b is tilted, the opening lid 48a is moved, the opening 49 is opened, and the dry air is discharged out of the main body 21. Thereby, there is no need to open the opening / closing door 27, and indoor drying that is space-saving and has a good appearance can be performed. Although the opening / closing operation of the opening means 48 is manually performed by the lever 48b, the same effect can be obtained even if it is automatically performed using a motor.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a clothes dryer in the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the clothes dryer in the embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those in the first and third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  9 and 10, the opening / closing door opening means 43 is provided with an opening detection means 50 for detecting the open state. When the opening / closing door 27 is opened, the opening detection means 50 detects this, and the intake valve 42 is opened via the control means 39. As described above, the intake valve 42 is switched to the outside air introduction side in conjunction with the opening of the opening / closing door 27, so that the introduction of the outside air and the opening of the clothing input port 26 can be interlocked, and there is no erroneous operation and the room is reliably Drying can be performed.

(Embodiment 7)
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a clothes dryer in the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the clothes dryer in the embodiment of the present invention. The same constituent elements as those in the first and third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  11 and 12, a closing detection means 51 for detecting a closed state is provided in the opening / closing door opening means 43. When the opening / closing door 27 is closed, the closing detection means 51 detects this, and the intake valve 42 is closed via the control means 39. Since the intake valve 42 is switched to the circulation side in conjunction with the closing of the open / close door 27, the circulation of the dry air and the closing of the clothing inlet 26 can be interlocked, and the clothing is reliably dried without any erroneous operation. Can do.

(Embodiment 8)
FIG. 13: is sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in the 8th Embodiment of this invention. The same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 13, the main body 21 elastically supports the outer tub 23 by four tension springs 22 and two elastic bodies 52. The inner tank 24 is rotatably disposed in the outer tank 23. The motor (driving means) 25 is composed of a brushless DC motor and is controlled by an inverter so that the rotational speed can be freely changed. And the inner tank 24 is driven directly. The water supply means 53 supplies water into the inner tank 24. The air inlet 42 is closed in advance. The water level detection means 54 detects the washing water level in the outer tub 23. The drainage means 55 drains the washing water in the outer tub 23.

  The control means 39 is provided at the lower front portion of the main body 21. The control means 39 sequentially controls each process of washing, rinsing and dehydration based on the setting contents inputted by the display setting means 40 provided at the upper front of the main body 21, and is a power switching means (not shown). The motor 25, the water supply means 53, the drainage means 55, etc. are sequentially controlled via In this way, the clothes stored in the inner tub 24 can be washed.

  As described above, the clothes dryer according to the present invention performs indoor dehumidification drying using a heat pump device, and adds deodorizing means and fragrance supplying means to the circulation air passage, thereby deodorizing the room and favorite scent. It can be attached and a comfortable room can be provided.

Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 1 of this invention Installation drawing of the clothes dryer Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 3 of this invention Block diagram of the clothes dryer Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 4 of this invention. Cross section of the clothes dryer Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 5 of this invention Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 6 of this invention. Block diagram of the clothes dryer Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 7 of this invention. Block diagram of the clothes dryer Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 8 of this invention. Cross section of conventional clothes dryer

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Main body 23 Outer tank 24 Inner tank 25 Driving means 26 Clothes input port 27 Opening / closing door 29 Blowing means 32 Heat pump device 35 Heat absorber 36 Radiator 37 Circulating air passage 40a Indoor drying setting means 41 Inlet 42 Intake valve 46 Low temperature air passage 47 Drain valve 48 Opening means

Claims (8)

A main body, an outer tub supported in the main body, an open / close door that covers a clothing input port of the outer tub, an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub, and supplying drying air into the inner tub Air blowing means, a heat pump device for dehumidifying the drying air, a circulation air passage connected so that the drying air circulates through the inner tub and the heat pump device, and drive means for driving the inner tub A clothes dryer configured to exhaust the dehumidified air supplied into the inner tub to the outside of the main body from the clothes inlet. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein an intake port for introducing outside air to the circulation air passage and an intake valve for opening and closing the intake air port are provided to selectively switch between the intake air port and the circulation air passage. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, further comprising an indoor drying setting means, wherein the indoor drying setting means opens an intake valve and opens a clothes input port. A low-temperature air passage that communicates with the circulation air passage between the heat absorber and the heat radiator of the heat pump device, supplies dry air before heating into the inner tank, and closes the low-temperature air passage so that the dry air flows into the heat radiator. The clothes dryer of any one of Claims 1-3 provided with the discharge valve which switches a flow path so that it may be heated by. The clothes dryer of any one of Claims 1-4 which provided the opening means in the opening-and-closing door. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the intake valve is configured to switch to the outside air introduction side in conjunction with opening of the opening / closing door. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the intake valve is configured to switch to the circulation side in conjunction with closing of the open / close door. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the clothes stored in the inner tub can be washed.