JP2007082830A - Clothing dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clothing dryer which permits a stable operation of a heat pump generating drying air to be circulated between a drying chamber and the heat pump. <P>SOLUTION: An air circulation route is formed which delivers air heated by a heater 29 of a heat pump unit 20 to a water tank 3 to be a drying chamber, returns the air discharged from the water tank 3 to the heat pump unit 20 through a filter unit 60, dehumidifies in a heat absorber 28 and delivers again to the heater 29. The filter unit 60 is provided with a lint filter 61 and a duct communicating with an air outlet 46 and an air introduction opening 47 is formed. Since the air is discharged from the air outlet 46 and an external air is introduced from the air introduction opening 47 when the amount of heat accumulated in the air in the air circulation route increases, an excessive increase in the temperature and pressure of a refrigerant with an increase in the amount of accumulated heat can be suppressed, and overloading a compressor 27 can be restrained, whereby the heat pump is stably operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer that feeds heated air into a drying chamber containing clothes and removes moisture from the clothes to dry, and a heat pump system applied to a washing dryer provided with a clothes drying function in the washing machine The present invention relates to a clothes drying apparatus.

  As a heating air generating means applied to a drying function of a clothes dryer or a washing dryer, a heater heating type in which air is heated by a heater is often used. Although the heater heating method has a simple structure and can be miniaturized, there are problems such as the necessity of providing a dehumidifying means and an increase in power consumption. In order to solve this problem, a heat pump type drying function is applied to a clothes dryer or a washing dryer.

  A heat pump type clothing drying device sends heated air heated by a heat pump radiator to a drying chamber containing the clothing, returns moisture absorbed from the clothing to the heat pump heat absorber, and removes the dehumidified air. The air circulation path which again heats with a heat radiator and ventilates to a drying chamber is comprised.

  However, if the air in the air circulation path is circulated as it is, the amount of heat of the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle increases as the amount of heat of the whole air increases.If the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant increase, the refrigerant will eventually be removed. The compressor to be compressed is overloaded, and the heat pump cannot be stabilized in a safe state. Therefore, an exhaust port is provided in the air circulation path from the radiator to the rotating drum, and a part of the heated air heated by the radiator is discharged from the exhaust port to radiate heat outside the air circulation path. A clothes dryer is known (see Patent Document 1).

In the above-described prior art, a part of the heated air heated by the radiator is discharged from the exhaust port before being used for drying clothes, so that there is a problem that energy loss is large. In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed a configuration in which a clothes drying device that stabilizes a heat pump is applied to a washing dryer (see Patent Document 2). In this washer / dryer, a structure for discharging the air in the air circulation path to the outside from the drain pipe for draining the water in the water tank containing the rotating drum is provided. When the temperature rises above a predetermined temperature, the drain valve is opened and a part of the heated air is discharged from the water tank to the outside from the water tank. By opening this drain valve, outside air is introduced into the air circulation path from the intake port, and the temperature of the refrigerant can be lowered by this exhaust and intake air, so the opening and closing of the drain valve is controlled according to the rise in the refrigerant temperature. As a result, the heat pump is operated in an optimum state.
JP 07-178289 A JP 2005-358029 A

  However, in the above prior art, the drainage pipe is diverted to the exhaust outlet that releases heat generated by the heat pump, so a separate path for exhausting air from the drain outlet of the water originally stored in the water tank is provided. It is necessary to provide a structure that prevents water stored from the exhaust path from flowing out during the washing process.

  Also, the water tank containing the rotating drum corresponds to the drying chamber of the clothes dryer, and exhausts from the drain port provided at the bottom of the water tank, so that a part of the heated air used for drying the clothes is discharged. As a result, energy loss occurs.

  In addition, a lint filter is provided in the air circulation path to catch lint that increases as the clothes dry, but when clogging occurs in the air circulation path, the amount of air flowing through the air circulation path And the stable operation of the heat pump may be impaired from the overload state of the compressor accompanying the excessive increase in the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes drying apparatus that shortens drying time and saves energy by operating a heat pump in a stable state.

  The present invention for achieving the above object includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a radiator for dissipating heat of the compressed refrigerant into the air, a throttle means for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a reduced pressure And a heat absorber that removes heat in the air by the refrigerant, and a heat pump is formed by forming a refrigerant circulation line that returns from the compressor to the compressor through the radiator, the throttle means, and the heat absorber, and is heated by the radiator. Air circulation path that blows the heated air into the drying chamber containing the clothing, draws out the moisture-absorbing air from the clothing to the outside of the drying chamber, leads it to the heat absorber, and introduces the air dehumidified by the heat absorber into the radiator again In the clothes drying apparatus comprising the air circulation path, an air discharge port for exhausting a part of the circulation air to the air flow path from the drying chamber of the air circulation path to the heat absorber, and lint contained in the circulation air is captured. Lint filter and previous And wherein the air inlet for introducing the outside air to become disposed in the air circulation path in the air blowing direction downstream side of the lint filter.

  According to the above configuration, since the circulating air after passing through the drying chamber can be discharged to the outside from the air discharge port, the clothes can be efficiently dried without wasting heat energy necessary for drying the clothes. be able to. In addition, even when the lint filter is clogged and the air volume of the blown air is reduced, the flow rate of the outside air sucked from the outside air inlet can be secured stably, and the amount of the sucked outside air can be secured from the air discharge port. Since part of the circulating air is discharged and radiated to the outside of the air circulation path, it is possible to suppress overload of the compressor due to excessive rise in the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, and to stably operate the heat pump in a safe state.

  In the above configuration, by providing an intake filter that captures dust in the outside air introduced from the air introduction port into the air circulation path, on the upstream side of the heat absorber in the air circulation path, dust contained in the outside air sucked from the outside air introduction port Can be prevented from entering the heat absorber, and performance deterioration of the heat pump can be prevented in advance.

  In addition, by providing the air discharge port downstream from the drying chamber and upstream from the lint filter, even if the lint filter is clogged and the blown air volume decreases, the amount of air discharged from the air discharge port is stabilized. Can be secured.

  Further, by providing an exhaust filter that captures lint from the air exhausted from the air exhaust port, it is possible to prevent the lint from being released to the outside from the air exhaust port.

  In addition, a lint filter, an intake filter, and an exhaust filter are formed in an integrated filter unit, and this filter unit is detachably disposed from the air circulation path, so that there is no need to take out and clean each filter individually, One filter unit may be taken out and cleaned, so that maintainability can be improved.

  In addition, by providing a partition plate that separates the flow of the air that has passed through the lint filter and the outside air that has flowed in from the air inlet, the air flow in the air circulation path may hinder the flow of air that flows in from the air inlet. There is no obstacle to the introduction of outside air.

  Further, the blower fan for blowing the air in the air circulation path is preferably provided on the downstream side of the intake filter and on the upstream side of the heat absorber, and the air inlet can be provided at a position where the negative pressure becomes large, A sufficient amount of outside air is introduced.

  In addition, by providing an air intake duct that guides outside air to the air introduction port, it is possible to introduce outside air having a low temperature outside the housing from the air introduction port, which is effective in suppressing an excessive increase in the blown air temperature. is there.

  Also, by providing an intake valve that adjusts the amount of outside air introduced at the air inlet, if the ambient temperature of the device is low and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is large, the amount of air introduced can be reduced. The amount of heat released from the air outlet can be reduced, and conversely, when the ambient temperature of the device is high and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is small, the amount of air released can be increased by increasing the amount of air introduced. It is possible to perform adjustment to increase the value by the intake valve, and it is possible to always maintain the heat radiation amount from the air circulation path appropriately.

  In addition, by providing an exhaust valve that adjusts the amount of air exhaust at the air outlet, if the ambient temperature of the device is low and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is large, the air exhaust amount is reduced to reduce the air The amount of heat released from the air outlet can be reduced. Conversely, when the ambient temperature of the device is high and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is small, the amount of heat released from the air outlet can be increased by increasing the amount of air discharged. Adjustment to increase the value can be performed by the exhaust valve, and the amount of heat released from the air circulation path can always be maintained appropriately.

  According to the present invention, the air circulation that feeds the heated air heated by the heater of the heat pump to the drying chamber, returns the moisture absorption air discharged from the drying chamber to the heat pump, dehumidifies it by the heat absorber, and sends it to the heater again. When the path is formed, when the amount of heat accumulated in the air circulation path increases and the refrigerant temperature and pressure rise abnormally, the air in the air circulation path can be discharged and outside air can be introduced. It is possible to prevent the temperature and pressure from becoming excessively high and to prevent the compressor from being overloaded. Therefore, it is possible to provide a clothes drying apparatus that has high drying capability and realizes energy saving by stable operation of the heat pump.

  The present embodiment shows a drum-type washing and drying machine in which the clothes drying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a washing machine. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a drum-type washing / drying machine 1 according to the embodiment with an emphasis on the configuration of a drying function.

  In FIG. 1, a drum drive motor 4 is attached to the back surface of the water tank 3 containing the rotary drum 5, and the rotary shaft 17 of the rotary drum 5 supported by a bearing 16 provided in the water tank 3 is used as the drum drive motor 4. The water tank unit 10 is configured to be driven to rotate. The water tank unit 10 is supported by a suspension structure in the washing machine casing 2 at an inclination angle in which the rotation axis of the rotary drum 5 is upward on the front side. The aquarium 3 and the rotating drum 5 are each opened on the front side, and by opening the door body 8 provided on the front surface of the washing machine casing 2, the laundry is taken in and out from the laundry entrance 6 that opens to the front of the rotating drum 5. can do. When the door body 8 is closed, the bellows 43 provided in the opening of the water tank 3 is in close contact with the inner surface of the door body 8, so that the water tank 3 becomes a watertight and airtight space, and each process of washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying is performed. When running, water and air will not leak to the outside.

  The heat pump unit 20 is disposed so as to fit in the space formed in the lower part on the back side of the washing machine casing 2 by tilting the water tank unit 10 in the washing machine casing 2. The washing machine housing 2 has a limited volume so that the drum-type washing / drying machine 1 can be installed in an existing installation place with a limited area such as a waterproof pan. When the components for supporting the suspension structure, water supply, drainage, etc. are accommodated, the excess space is reduced, but the washing machine housing 2 is arranged without increasing the size by configuring the heat pump unit 20 in a compact manner. Is possible.

  The heat pump unit 20 houses a compressor 27 (see FIG. 2), a heat absorber 28, and a heat radiator 29 in a unit case 21, and the unit case 21 communicates with the heat absorber 28 and is connected to an intake connection pipe 32. The exhaust connection pipe 33 is connected in communication with the radiator 29. On the bottom surface of the unit case 21 corresponding to the heat absorber 28, a water storage portion 34 that receives the condensed water dripped from the heat absorber 28 is formed, and the water stored in the water storage portion 34 passes through the dust filtration filter 35 and the stored water drain port 36. The water is drained by a drain pump (not shown).

  Each of the heat absorber 28 and the radiator 29 faces each other with a predetermined interval, and a space serving as an air flow path is formed between each other surface and the wall surface of the unit case 21. End portions of the heat sinks are held by a pair of side wall plates 37 so as to form an air flow path from the intake space on the side through the heat absorber 28 and the radiator 29 to the exhaust space on the radiator 29 side. It is accommodated in the unit case 21 as a heat dissipation unit. Note that the heat absorber 28 is inclined so that the upper part approaches the radiator 29, and the radiator 29 having the upper part inclined toward the heat absorber 28 face each other in an inclined state, thereby making the air flow path effective. Therefore, the heat pump unit 20 can be disposed in a limited space formed behind the water tank unit 10.

  The heat pump unit 20 and the water tank unit 10 having the above-described configuration are connected by an air duct shown in FIG. The water tank 3 has an intake port 11 formed on the back surface thereof and an exhaust port 12 formed on a side peripheral surface thereof. Heated air is blown between the intake port 11 and the exhaust connection pipe 33 of the heat pump unit 20. The air circulation path for drying clothes is connected by the duct 13 and connected between the exhaust port 12 and the intake connection pipe 32 of the heat pump unit 20 by the hygroscopic air blowing duct 14 provided with the blower fan 15. Is formed.

  The rotating drum 5 is formed with a large number of through holes 9 on the side peripheral surface thereof so that water and air can freely flow between the rotating drum 5 and the water tank 3, and the bottom surface communicates with the intake port 11. 1 is provided, the heated air fed from the heat pump unit 20 via the heated air blowing duct 13 passes through the intake port 11 into the rotary drum 5 as shown by the arrow in FIG. It can be introduced from the bottom. Further, the heated air deprived of moisture from the clothes housed in the rotating drum 5 becomes hygroscopic air, and passes through the through holes 9 and the laundry entrance 6 into the water tub 3 as shown by arrows in FIG. 12 passes through the filter unit 60, is exhausted toward the hygroscopic air blowing duct 14, and is exhausted toward the intake connection pipe 32 of the heat pump unit 20.

  The drum-type washing / drying machine 1 having the above-described configuration is not illustrated by selecting a driving course or setting time of each process from an operation / display unit provided in front of the washing machine casing 2. It is input to the control means, and it is possible to freely select from the washing operation to the drying operation as a series of operations by the control operation of each part by the control device, or to perform only the drying process.

  When washing is performed, the door 8 is opened, the laundry is put into the rotary drum 5, an instruction is input from the operation / display unit, and the operation is started. The detergent is supplied, and the drum driving motor 4 rotates the rotating drum 5 to start the washing process. The rotating drum 5 is laundered by repeating the action of tapping washing in which stirring blades 7 provided at a plurality of locations on the inner peripheral surface lift the laundry upward and drop it from above. After this washing process, washing is completed by executing a rinsing process and a dehydrating process. When an operation course for consistently performing from the washing process to the drying process is selected and inputted, the control means shifts to the drying process after the washing is completed when the washing is completed. In addition, when drying wet clothes, only the drying step can be performed.

  In the drying process, if the laundry or wet clothes (hereinafter collectively referred to as clothing) that have been dehydrated are accommodated in the rotating drum 5 and the drying process is performed, the rotating drum 5 rotates at a rotational speed corresponding to the drying process. At the same time as the clothes are rotated and the clothes are stirred, the heat pump unit 20 and the blower fan 15 are driven to start circulation of the drying air. In this drying process, the water tank 3 plays the same role as a drying chamber in a clothes dryer.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the heat pump unit 20, the refrigerant is compressed by the operation of the compressor 27, and this pressure causes the refrigerant to flow from the compressor 27 through the refrigerant pipe 41 to the radiator 29, the throttle means 42, and the heat absorber 28. The compressor 27 is circulated. The heat of the compressed refrigerant flows into the radiator 29 and is radiated to the air in contact with the fins provided in the refrigerant pipe 41 provided in the radiator 29, so that the blown air is heated and heated. Air is generated. Since the heated air is supplied from the exhaust space through the exhaust connection pipe 33 and the heated air blowing duct 13 into the rotary drum 5 from the intake port 11, the heated air becomes moisture-absorbed air that has taken away moisture from the clothes to be stirred. It is discharged from the exhaust port 12.

  In order to prevent lint such as lint from being generated from the clothing as the drying of the clothing progresses, the lint filter described later is used to prevent the lint from being accumulated on the blower fan 15 or the blower duct and reducing the blower ability. A filter unit 60 in which a plurality of filters including 61 are integrated is provided. The hygroscopic air discharged from the exhaust port 12 enters the filter unit 60, the lint contained in the hygroscopic air is captured by the lint filter 61, and is sent to the hygroscopic air blowing duct 14. The hygroscopic air blown into the hygroscopic air blowing duct 14 enters the intake space of the heat pump unit 20 through the intake connection pipe 32 and the hygroscopic air intake port 30, and the heat absorber 28 through which the low-pressure refrigerant is decompressed by the throttle means 42 flows. When passing through the sensible heat and latent heat are deprived and dehumidified, the dewed water generated by the dehumidification is dripped into the water storage section 34, and the dehumidified and dried air enters the radiator 29 and is heated again. Air circulation is formed. The water stored in the water storage section 34 is discharged into the water tank 3 by operating a drain pump (not shown) at regular intervals, and the drain valve 19 is opened to pass through the drain pipe 25 from the drain port. Drained outside.

  The amount of heat by which the air is heated by the radiator 29 is approximately equal to the sum of the power consumption of the compressor 27 and the amount of heat absorbed from the hygroscopic air by the heat absorber 28, so that the radiator 29 is input to the compressor 27. It is possible to heat the air by obtaining an output that is higher than the electric power. However, when the air in the air circulation path is repeatedly circulated, the amount of heat of the entire air continues to be accumulated by subtracting the amount of heat radiated naturally from the amount corresponding to the power consumption of the compressor 27. At the same time, the amount of heat of the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle continues to increase, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant excessively increase, and there is a possibility that the compressor 27 will be overloaded. In order to avoid this, as shown in FIG. 2, an exhaust filter 62 communicating with an air discharge port 46 for discharging a part of the circulating air from the air circulation path to the filter unit 60 and outside air is introduced into the air circulation path. An air intake filter 63 communicating with the air inlet 47 is provided.

  In the heat pump unit 20, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 41 is monitored, and when the temperature of the refrigerant becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the intake valve 74 provided in the air introduction port 47 is opened and the air is introduced from the air introduction port 47. Introducing outside air into the circuit. Since the blower fan 15 is provided on the downstream side of the air introduction port 47, outside air flows into the air circulation path from the air introduction port 47 due to the negative pressure. Accompanying the introduction of the outside air, moisture absorption air in the air circulation path is exhausted to the outside from the air discharge port 46. Due to the introduction and discharge of the outside air from the air circulation path, the temperature of the circulation air decreases due to the cooling of the outside air flowing into the air circulation path and the discharge of the high temperature air, so that the temperature of the refrigerant also decreases and the refrigerant temperature exceeds the temperature. The compressor 27 is prevented from falling into an overload state due to rising. When the refrigerant temperature falls to a predetermined temperature, the intake valve 74 is closed and the introduction of outside air from the air introduction port 47 is stopped, so there is no exhaust from the air discharge port 46, and the air blown into the air circulation path Heat is accumulated in the air, and air circulation with a high drying effect is performed. It is more preferable to provide an exhaust valve 48 at the air discharge port 46 so that the exhaust amount can be adjusted.

  Since the heat pump unit 20 is operated in the optimum state by the above control, the compressor 27 is intermittently operated in order to avoid an excessive increase in the refrigerant temperature so that the heating capacity is lowered and the drying time does not become long. Moreover, since the air exhaust port 46 exhausts the moisture-absorbed air after leaving the water tank 3 and contributing to drying, there is little energy loss, and external air introduced from the outside is also mixed into the blown air after leaving the water tank 3 Therefore, there is little influence on the drying effect by air discharge and introduction of outside air, and the drying time does not increase.

  The filter unit 60 communicating with the air discharge port 46 is provided with an exhaust filter 62 so that lint contained in the air in the air circulation path is not released to the outside. The filter unit 60 communicating with the air introduction port 47 is provided with an intake filter 63 so that dust contained in the outside air does not enter the air circulation path. FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration of the filter unit 60 in which the exhaust filter 62, the intake filter 63, and the lint filter 61 are integrated.

  In FIG. 3A, the filter unit 60 is attached to the washing machine housing 2 so that it can be inserted and removed from the front portion thereof, and the main portion is illustrated so as to communicate with the air ducts by being inserted and attached from the front portion. Do not connect to the opening of the pipeline. A blower passage for air exiting the exhaust port 12 of the water tank 3 is connected to the lower surface opening of the filter housing 66 provided with the exhaust filter 62 on the side surface, and moisture absorption air exiting the water tank 3 flows in. The hygroscopic air flows into the lint filter 61 through the air inlet 65. Since the air discharge port 46 communicating with the exhaust filter 62 is located downstream of the exhaust port 12 opening in the water tank 3 and upstream of the lint filter 61, the lint filter 61 is clogged and air circulation occurs. Even when the air volume of the air flowing through the road is reduced, the exhaust from the air discharge port 46 can be secured stably.

  The lint filter 61 is formed in a bag shape in which an upper filter 61b is fitted on a lower filter 61a so as to be openable and closable by a hinge structure 67, and bulges toward the downstream side in the air blowing direction of the air duct. That is, the air entering from the air inlet 65 is divided into upper and lower parts, passes through the filter sheet 64 attached to the opening formed in the lower filter 61a, and is attached to the opening formed in the upper filter 61b. After passing through the filter sheet 64, the vertically separated air merges and flows downstream, and lint contained in the air is captured when passing through the filter sheet 64.

  Further, since the lint filter 61 is configured in a bag shape in which the lower filter 61a and the upper filter 61b are fitted, the lint capturing effect is high, the filter area is widened, and the lint capturing function is maintained over a long period of time. Can do. When the upper filter 61b is closed on the lower filter 61a, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lower filter 61a and the upper filter 61b have an opening edge 68 that opens above the lower filter 61a in the upper filter 61b. Since it fits in the formed fitting groove part 69, a highly airtight fitting state is obtained. Since the lint is gradually accumulated on the lint filter 61, it is necessary to perform cleaning to remove the lint that has been periodically accumulated. When the filter unit 60 is pulled out and the upper filter 61b is opened, the lint is deposited inside the bag. The lint can be easily removed. When the upper filter 61b is closed onto the lower filter 61a, the fitting protrusion 71 provided at the tip of the upper filter 61b fits into the fitting recess 72 formed above the air inlet 65 and is locked. The upper filter 61b is not opened by vibration or impact when the unit 60 is pulled out, and the accumulated lint is not scattered outside.

  At the time of cleaning to remove the accumulated lint, when the finger is inserted from the open recess 73 formed in the filter housing 66 and the tip of the upper filter 61b is pulled up, the fitting projection 71 and the fitting recess 72 are disengaged. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the upper filter 61b can be opened from the lower filter 61a to be in a developed state.

  Further, since the exhaust filter 62 formed on the side surface of the filter housing 66 opens to the side of the flow of the blown air, even when the air exhaust port 46 communicating with the exhaust filter 62 is opened by the exhaust valve 48, the air is exhausted. Air that is blown through the circulation path is not exhausted at once, and by setting the opening diameter of the air discharge port 46 and the ventilation cross-sectional area of the exhaust valve 48 appropriately, a part of the air in the air circulation path is exposed to the outside. Can be discharged. When this air is discharged, lint contained in the air is captured by the exhaust filter 62, and adverse effects due to the release of lint to the outside are prevented.

  In addition, since the intake filter 63 is provided on the side of the air flow that has passed through the lint filter 61, when a part of the air in the air circulation path is discharged from the air discharge port 46, it is supplemented. The outside air flowing in from the air inlet 47 passes through the intake filter 63 and flows into the air circulation path. At this time, a partition plate 70 is provided between the intake filter 63 and the lint filter 61 in order to prevent the air flow in the air circulation path that has passed through the lint filter 61 from interfering with the introduction of outside air introduced into the air circulation path. Is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, since the position of the air inlet 47 is set on the upstream side immediately before the blower fan 15, the negative pressure by the blower fan 15 is large, so that a sufficient amount of outside air is present. Can be introduced into the air circulation path.

  Further, as described above, it is preferable to provide the exhaust valve 48 at the air discharge port 46, and the control corresponding to the outside air temperature is possible by mutual control with the intake valve 74. Since the temperature of the place where the drum-type washing / drying machine 1 is installed also changes depending on the season or environment, control corresponding to the ambient temperature is necessary. When the ambient temperature is low and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is large, the amount of intake air and exhaust is reduced, so that the amount of outside air introduced from the air inlet 47 is suppressed and the amount of heat released from the air outlet 46 is reduced. Control is performed to suppress the opening of the intake valve 74 and the exhaust valve 48 so as to decrease, and to reduce the introduction of low-temperature outside air. On the other hand, when the ambient temperature is high and the amount of natural heat released from the air circulation path is small, in order to increase the amount of intake and exhaust, the frequency of opening the intake valve 74 and the exhaust valve 48 is increased to increase the amount of air introduced and the amount of air. Control to increase air discharge from the circulation path. The air introduction port 47 is preferably provided with an intake duct 75 that opens to the outside of the washing machine housing 2, and it is possible to introduce a cooler outside air into the air circulation path to suppress the excessive rise of the refrigerant.

  In the filter unit 60 having the above-described configuration, since the lint filter 61, the exhaust filter 62, and the intake filter 63 are integrated, when the filter unit 60 is pulled out from the front portion of the washing machine housing 2, three filters are taken out simultaneously. And cleaning of the three filters can be performed together. Therefore, it becomes excellent in the maintainability which can perform a troublesome cleaning operation at a stretch. In addition, the lint filter 61 can be divided into two bags to improve the lint capturing performance while the lint filter 61 is formed into a bag, and the inside can be opened to easily remove the lint accumulated inside.

  Further, since the filter unit 60 is inserted into the filter housing to which the filter unit 60 is mounted, the air circulation path and the pipe line to the air discharge port 46 and the pipe line to the air introduction port 47 are connected. Construction is easy to implement, and filters can be placed in each flow path for ventilation, exhaust, and intake.

  In the configuration of the embodiment described above, only the intake valve 74 of the air introduction port 47 or both the intake valve 74 of the air introduction port and the exhaust valve 48 of the air discharge port 46 are provided. Even if only the exhaust valve 48 is provided, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the embodiment, the example in which the clothes drying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the drum-type washing / drying machine 1 has been described. However, a vertical washing / drying machine and a clothes drying machine can be similarly configured.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the air heated by the heat pump circulates through the air circulation path and the amount of heat is abnormally accumulated due to the configuration in which exhaust and intake air can be performed with respect to the air circulation path for drying clothes. Since the refrigerant temperature is prevented from being overheated, the compressor does not fall into an overload state, and the heat pump is operated in an optimum state. Therefore, it is possible to stably generate efficient drying air by using a heat pump, and to provide a clothes drying apparatus that can reduce drying time and save energy.

Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drum type washing-drying machine to which the clothes drying apparatus which concerns on this invention is applied. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the drying function in an apparatus same as the above. The perspective view which shows the structure of a filter unit.

Explanation of symbols

1 Drum-type washing and drying machine 2 Washing machine housing 3 Water tank (drying room)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Rotating drum 11 Intake port 12 Exhaust port 13 Heated air ventilation duct 14 Hygroscopic air ventilation duct 15 Blower fan 20 Heat pump unit 27 Compressor 28 Heat absorber 29 Radiator 30 Hygroscopic air intake port 31 Heated air exhaust port 41 Refrigerant conduit 42 Restriction Means 46 Air discharge port 47 Air introduction port 48 Exhaust valve 60 Filter unit 61 Lint filter 62 Exhaust filter 63 Intake filter 70 Partition plate 74 Intake valve 75 Intake duct

Claims (10)

A compressor that compresses the refrigerant; a radiator that dissipates the heat of the compressed refrigerant into the air; a throttle unit that depressurizes the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant; and a heat absorber that deprives the air of heat by the decompressed refrigerant; A heat pump is formed by forming a refrigerant circulation line that returns from the compressor to the compressor through the radiator, the throttle means, and the heat absorber, and the heated air heated by the radiator is placed in a drying chamber that contains clothing. In a clothes drying apparatus in which an air circulation path configured to blow and absorb moisture absorbed in moisture from the clothes is discharged outside the drying chamber and led to the heat absorber, and the air dehumidified by the heat absorber is again introduced into the radiator,
In the air flow path from the drying chamber of the air circulation path to the heat absorber, an air discharge port for exhausting a part of the circulating air, a lint filter for capturing lint contained in the circulating air, and ventilation of the lint filter A clothing drying apparatus comprising an air introduction port for introducing outside air into the air circulation path on the downstream side in the direction.   The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an intake filter that captures dust in the outside air introduced into the air circulation path from the air introduction port is provided upstream of the heat absorber of the air circulation path.   The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air discharge port is provided downstream of the drying chamber and upstream of the lint filter.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an exhaust filter that captures lint from the air exhausted from the air exhaust port.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a filter unit in which a lint filter, an intake filter, and an exhaust filter are integrated is formed, and the filter unit is detachably disposed from an air circulation path.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a partition plate that divides the flow of the air that has passed through the lint filter and the outside air that has flowed from the air inlet.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blower fan that blows air in the air circulation path is provided downstream of the intake filter and upstream of the heat absorber.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an air intake duct that guides outside air to the air inlet is provided.   The clothing drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an intake valve that adjusts an introduction amount of outside air is provided at the air introduction port.   The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an exhaust valve for adjusting an air exhaust amount is provided at the air discharge port.

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