JP2007175223A - Cloth drier, washing machine, and washing machine with cloth drying function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cloth drier, which is improved in the effect of deodorizing and sterilization of clothes by ozone by performing control for showing the effect of deodorizing and sterilization by ozone sufficiently and for using the ozone safely, and to provide a washing machine and a washing machine with a cloth drying function. <P>SOLUTION: An ozone generator 47 applies silent discharge to an introduced air to generate ozone. This ozone is is supplied into the drum 3 at a proper time according to each course selected by a user. Thus, the clothes are sterilized so that the effect of deodorizing and sterilization of the clothes by ozone may be shown sufficiently. Since there is no ozone within the drum 3 due to an oxidation reaction, and, thus, the ozone never smells outside, so that the clothes can be taken out safely when the user takes the clothes out of the drum 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, a washing machine and a washing machine with a clothes drying function having functions of deodorizing and sterilizing clothes.

Conventionally, it is known to deodorize and disinfect clothes by circulating hot air generated by a heating device in a circulation passage and supplying ozone generated by an ozone generator to clothes in a drying chamber. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a washing machine using such deodorizing and disinfecting means is proposed.
JP 2002-320792 A

However, in the washing machine described in Patent Document 1, since ozone is supplied while the clothing is wet, moisture contained in the clothing must be supplied unless ozone is supplied for a long time or the ozone concentration is considerably increased. This prevents the ozone from penetrating into the clothing and cannot fully exert the deodorizing and sterilizing effects.
Moreover, improvement of the technique which controls so that ozone is used safely is always calculated | required.

The present invention made on the basis of such a background provides a clothes dryer, a washing machine, and a washing machine with a clothes drying function, in which the deodorization and sterilization effects due to ozone are sufficiently exhibited. Main purpose.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer, a washing machine, and a washing machine with a clothes drying function that can be controlled so that ozone is used safely.

  Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer, a washing machine, and a washing machine with a clothes drying function, in which the deodorizing and sanitizing effects of clothes by ozone are improved.

  The invention according to claim 1 has a treatment tank for drying clothes, one end and the other end, and the one end and the other end are connected to the treatment tank and circulates the air in the treatment tank. A drying air passage for causing the air to flow, a blower means for generating an air flow that is provided in the drying air passage, takes out air in the treatment tank from one end side, and returns to the treatment tank from the other end side, and A dehumidifying means provided in the drying air passage for removing moisture in the air passing through the drying air passage, a heating means provided in the drying air passage for heating the air passing through the drying air passage, and the drying An ozone generator arranged outside the air passage, for generating ozone, and an ozone supply control for supplying the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank via the dry air passage Means, and the blowing means and the A clothes dryer that operates a heating means to circulate and heat the air in the treatment tank, and performs a cool-down process to lower the temperature of the clothes in the treatment tank after the drying process is completed. The ozone supply control means supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank during the cool-down process.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the cool-down process includes a first half part which is a sterilization process for supplying ozone into the treatment tank, and an ozone elimination process for extinguishing ozone supplied in the sterilization process by an oxidation reaction. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the cool-down process is not completed until a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the deodorizing ozone process.

  Invention of Claim 3 accommodates clothing, the processing tank for performing washing and dehydration of the accommodated clothing, the ozone generator for generating ozone, the ozone generated by the ozone generator is the A washing machine having ozone supply control means for supplying the ozone into the treatment tank, wherein the ozone supply control means is configured to remove ozone generated by the ozone generator during the dehydration step of dehydrating clothes. It is a washing machine characterized by being supplied inside.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the treatment tank includes a rotating drum that rotates about a rotating shaft, and the ozone supply control means is configured so that the rotation speed of the rotating drum reaches a predetermined dehydration rotation speed. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein ozone generated by the ozone generator is supplied into the treatment tank.
The invention according to claim 5 has one end and the other end, the one end and the other end being connected to the treatment tank, and an air circulation path for circulating the air in the treatment tank, and the air circulation The air circulation path is provided in the air circulation path, and is provided in the air circulation path. The air circulation path is provided in the air circulation path for generating an air flow for taking out air in the treatment tank from one end side and returning the air from the other end side to the treatment tank. And the ozone generator is connected to the air circulation path. The ozone supply control means operates the blowing means and the heating means when supplying ozone. The washing machine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein ozone is supplied into the treatment tank along with heated air passing through the air circulation path.

  The invention according to claim 6 has a treatment tank for storing water, storing clothes for washing and dewatering, and drying clothes, and one end and the other end. A drying air path connected to the processing tank for circulating the air in the processing tank, and provided in the drying air path, taking out the air in the processing tank from one end side, and the processing from the other end side Blower means for generating an air flow to be returned to the tank, and a dehumidifying means for removing moisture in the air passing through the drying air path, provided in the drying air path, provided in the drying air path, and the drying A heating means for heating the air passing through the air passage, an ozone generator for generating ozone, which is disposed outside the drying air passage, and ozone generated by the ozone generator is supplied to the dry air passage To supply into the treatment tank through A washing machine with a clothes drying function, comprising: an ozone supply control means; a washing course for washing and dehydrating; a washing and drying course for washing, dehydrating and drying; and a selection means for selecting a drying course for drying. When the washing course is selected, the ozone supply control means supplies ozone into the treatment tank at the time of a dehydration process for dehydrating clothes, and when the washing drying course or the drying course is selected, A washing machine with a clothes drying function, wherein ozone is supplied into the treatment tank during a drying process.

  The invention described in claim 7 is a treatment tank for storing clothes and washing the stored clothes, an ozone generator for generating ozone, and ozone generated by the ozone generator in the treatment tank. An ozone supply control means for supplying the ozone into the treatment tank, wherein the ozone supply control means supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank before supplying water in the washing process. The washing machine is characterized in that the clothes are preliminarily washed with ozone.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in response to a signal indicating that the washing machine performs washing without using a detergent, the ozone supply control means performs preliminary cleaning, and the preliminary cleaning is performed. 8. The washing machine according to claim 7, further comprising control means for washing the clothes stored in the treatment tank with only water without using a detergent, and then rinsing the clothes to execute a washing course without detergent. It is.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the clothes that do not contain excess water after the drying process are exposed to ozone, the ozone does not interfere with the water and efficiently penetrates into the clothes. The remaining odorous component is oxidized by ozone and disappears. Moreover, even if bacteria that cannot be removed by drying heat in the drying process remain, these bacteria can be sterilized.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ozone supplied into the treatment tank in the sterilization step starts after the deodorization step in which the ozone disappears due to the oxidation reaction, and then the predetermined required for the ozone to disappear due to the oxidation reaction. Until the time elapses, the cool-down process does not end, so that the odor of ozone does not drift outside and the clothes can be taken out safely.

According to the invention of claim 3, by supplying ozone into the treatment tank even during the dehydration process of the clothes after washing, the clothes attached to the inner peripheral wall of the treatment tank are exposed to ozone even during dehydration. In addition, it is possible to improve the deodorization and sterilization effects of clothing.
According to invention of Claim 4, since ozone is supplied in a processing tank from the time of the rotation speed of a rotating drum reaching the predetermined rotation speed from which excess water | moisture content is substantially removed from clothing, ozone is a water | moisture content. Without being disturbed, it is possible to improve the deodorization and sterilization effect of clothing.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the air blowing means and the heating means are used in combination when supplying ozone, and air containing ozone activated by heating is supplied into the treatment tank so that the clothes can be bathed. In addition, the sterilization effect can be improved.
According to invention of Claim 6, since it is controlled so that ozone is supplied in a processing tank at the optimal timing according to the course which a user selects, does a user supply ozone in a processing tank? It is not necessary to set whether or not to be appropriate, and the deodorization and sterilization treatment of clothes by ozone is effectively performed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, ozone is efficiently infiltrated into the interior of the garment by exposing the dried garment before the washing process to ozone, and the bacteria adhering to the garment are oxidatively decomposed by ozone. Since the water solubility is high, the cleaning effect can be improved so that it can be easily removed from the clothes by washing in the washing step.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the cleaning effect similar to that of the seventh aspect of the invention by exposing the dried clothes before the washing step to ozone, and further, without using a detergent. Since washing is performed, even if the water used for washing is discharged outside the machine, the water is environmentally friendly. Washing without using such a detergent is effective in washing clothes with little dirt such as towels and underwear that are washed daily.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, as seen from diagonally upward on the front right.
In the washing machine 1, an outer shell is constituted by a slightly vertically long housing 2. A water supply port 9 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 2, and a water supply facility such as a water supply is connected to the water supply port 9. An operation unit 71 is disposed above the front surface of the housing 2. By operating the operation unit 71, the user can cause the washing machine 1 to perform a desired operation.

On the left side of the operation unit 71, a storage unit 7 for storing the detergent and the softening agent is disposed so as to be able to be pulled out.
When viewed from the bottom to the top, the front surface of the housing 2 is a surface in which a lower portion rises vertically and is inclined gently and obliquely backward from the middle. A door 6 is provided near the center of the front surface. The door 6 has a square shape with rounded corners when viewed from the front side, and has a circular seal packing (not shown) for closing an outer layer 5 described later.

A front panel 2a that can be independently detached is provided below the front surface of the housing 2, and by removing the front panel 2a, the lower front portion of the washing machine 1 is exposed and provided at the lower front portion. Maintenance of a pump, a switching valve, a filter, and the like (which will be described later) can be easily performed.
Further, a window 53 is formed on the right side of the front panel 2 a, and the window 53 is covered with a lid 54. When the lid 54 is removed, the filter (described later) is exposed, and the lint and the like captured by the filter can be easily removed.

The rear of the upper surface of the housing 2 is a low step surface 2b that is lowered by one step. In the washing machine 1, since the height of the housing 2 is relatively high, the upper portion of the housing 2 may interfere with the water tap when it is installed. Therefore, even when the water tap is low, a low-level step surface 2b is formed at the rear of the upper surface so that the washing machine 1 can be arranged without hindrance.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cross section of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side when the washing machine is cut along a vertical plane along the front-rear direction. In the following, regarding the description of the washing machine 1 and its components (components) according to this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the left side in FIG. 2 is the front (front) side, the right side is the back (rear) side, and the upper side is the upper surface (upper). The side and the lower side are described as the bottom (lower) side, the front is the right side, and the back is the left side.

A drum 3 is disposed in the center of the housing 2.
The drum 3 has a cylindrical shape, and is coaxially accommodated in the cylindrical outer tub 5. In this embodiment, the drum 3 and the outer tub 5 constitute a washing tub (treatment tub), and a so-called oblique drum arrangement structure is formed in which the front of the drum 3 faces obliquely upward. The front end surfaces of the drum 3 and the outer tub 5 are open, and a door 6 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 to close it. A motor (not shown in FIG. 2, but this motor is the motor 62 in FIG. 3) is provided behind the rear end surface of the outer tub 5, and the drum 3 is rotated about the central axis of the drum 3 by the motor. Is done.

  A water supply pipe 8 disposed in the housing 2 is connected to the water supply port 9 on the upper surface of the housing 2 via a first switching valve 44 that is a four-way valve. The other end of the water supply pipe 8 opposite to the one connected to the water supply port 9 is connected to the top of the peripheral wall surface of the outer tub 5, and the water supply port 9 and the inside of the outer tub 5 are connected via the water supply pipe 8. Communicate. An accommodating portion 7 for accommodating a detergent and a softening agent is disposed in the middle of the water supply pipe 8.

  The accommodating portion 7 has a box (not shown) that can be pulled out forward of the housing 2, and the inside of the box is partitioned into a detergent accommodating chamber and a softener accommodating chamber. The box is pulled out, the detergent and softener are stored in the respective storage chambers, and the box is pushed in to complete the setting of the detergent and softener. Then, when water is supplied to the storage portion 7 via the water supply pipe 8, the detergent and / or softener stored in the detergent storage chamber and the softener storage chamber are supplied via the water supply pipe 8. It is dissolved in water and supplied into the outer tub 5. It is also possible to selectively supply water in which the detergent and / or softener is not dissolved into the outer tub 5.

In addition, one end of a priming pipe 48 is connected to the accommodating portion 7 in the middle of the rear side surface in the up-down direction. The other end of the priming pipe 48 is connected to a supply pump 33 provided in the housing 2, and when the supply pump 33 is driven to pump out water in the housing 2, the supply pump 33 is supplied from the housing portion 7. To supply priming water.
The water supply pipe 8 branches into a detergent water supply pipe 42 and a softener water supply pipe 43 at the first switching valve 44, and the detergent water supply pipe 42 and the softener water supply pipe 43 merge in the housing portion 7.

The first switching valve 44 includes an inlet through which water from the water supply port 9 flows, a detergent water outlet 45 connected to the detergent water supply pipe 42, and a softener water outlet 46 connected to the softener water supply pipe 43. ing.
Therefore, by switching the first switching valve 44, the water flowing in from the inlet of the first switching valve 44 is caused to flow from the detergent water outlet 45 to the detergent storage chamber of the storage unit 7 through the detergent water supply pipe 42. Alternatively, it is possible to selectively flow from the softener water outlet 46 through the softener water supply pipe 43 to the above-described softener storage chamber of the storage unit 7.

  The washing and dehydration will be specifically described. In the washing machine 1, in the washing process, clothes to be washed are accommodated in the drum 3 from the front surface of the housing 2 with the door 6 opened. After the door 6 is closed, water is stored in the outer tub 5. The outer tub 5 is configured to be airtight and liquidtight, but the drum 3 has a large number of small holes formed on its peripheral surface. Therefore, when water is stored in the outer tub 5, the stored water also enters the drum 3, and cleaning water also collects in the drum 3.

On the inner peripheral surface of the drum 3, baffles (not shown) protrude from appropriate positions. When the drum 3 is rotated by the motor, so-called tapping washing is performed in which the clothes including water in the drum 3 are lifted by the baffle and are naturally dropped. When the washing process ends, the water in the outer tub 5 is drained.
A drainage port 10 opened rearward is formed at the lowermost end of the outer tub 5, that is, below the rear end surface, and a drainage valve 12 is attached to the rear side thereof. A drainage pipe 11 extending downward is connected to the drainage valve 12, and a filter 14 and a second switching valve 13 are inserted in this order. A branch pipe 15 is connected to the filter 14 in addition to the drain pipe 11, and the water passing through the filter 14 is continuously discharged out of the housing 2 along the drain pipe 11 by switching the second switching valve 13. It is possible to select whether to flow to the branch pipe 15 or not.

  By opening the drain port 10 toward the rear of the outer tub 5 and disposing the drain valve 12 behind it, the positions of the drain port 10 and the drain valve 12 are substantially equal to the height of the lowermost end of the outer tub 5. Can be in position. Thereby, the drainage port 10 and the drainage valve 12 do not enter the arrangement space of the various components arranged below the outer tub 5, and a wide arrangement space of the various components can be secured. In particular, when the washing machine 1 is operated, the outer tub 5 vibrates. Therefore, when the drain port 10 and the drain valve 12 fixed to the outer tub 5 protrude downward from the outer tub 5, Since the drainage valve 12 vibrates together with the vibration 5, it is necessary to open a lower space in consideration of the vibration. In this embodiment, since the drainage port 10 and the drainage valve 12 are arranged using the rear of the outer tub 5, the lower space of the outer tub 5 can be used well for arranging other components.

When the drain valve 12 and the second switching valve 13 are “open”, the water in the outer tub 5 is discharged out of the housing 2. On the other hand, when the drain valve 12 is “opened” and the second switching valve 13 is “closed”, the water in the outer tub 5 flows out to the branch pipe 15 through the filter 14.
After the water in the outer tub 5 is discharged, a rinsing process is performed. In the rinsing step, the drain valve 12 is closed again, water is stored in the outer tub 5 as in the above-described washing step, and rinsing is performed by rotating the drum 3 by a motor.

When the rinsing process is completed, the rotation of the drum 3 is stopped, and the water in the outer tub 5 is discharged out of the housing 2 in the same manner as the draining operation described above.
In the dehydration step, the drum 3 is dehydrated and rotated (high-speed rotation) by the motor, and moisture contained in the clothes is dehydrated. In the washing machine 1 according to this embodiment, the rotation of the drum 3 is gradually started up so that abnormal vibration does not occur in the drum 3 due to uneven distribution of clothing on the inner peripheral wall of the drum 3 during dehydration. Dehydrated.

In the washing machine 1 according to this embodiment, washing, dehydration and drying are performed in the order of washing process → dehydration 1 process → rinsing 1 process → dehydration 2 process → rinsing 2 process → final dehydration process → drying process.
In other words, the washing machine 1 communicates with the outlet 17 of the drying air passage 16 as a drying means below the rear end surface of the outer tub 5 so that drying can be performed in addition to washing and dewatering. The outlet 17 is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the outlet 17 (not shown in FIG. 2, but this temperature sensor is the temperature sensor 63 in FIG. 3). The drying air passage 16 extends obliquely upward along the rear end surface of the outer tub 5, wraps forward along the upper portion of the outer tub 5, extends forward along the upper peripheral surface of the outer tub 5, and the tip thereof is The inlet 18 communicates with the front peripheral surface of the outer tub 5. In the drying air passage 16, a region extending obliquely upward along the rear end surface of the outer tub 5 functions as a dehumidifying pipe 19 as a dehumidifying means.

  A filter 20 is inserted into the drying air passage 16 on the downstream side of the dehumidifying pipe 19 when viewed in the air flow direction, and further, a blower 21 serving as a blowing means is provided on the downstream side. By rotating the blower 21, the air in the drum 3 exits from the outlet 17, moves in the drying air passage 16, and is supplied again into the drum 3 from the inlet 18. On the downstream side of the blower 21 in the drying air passage 16, a heater 22 as a heating unit is inserted. The air passing through the drying air passage 16 is dehumidified in the dehumidifying pipe 19, and then heated by the heater 22 and supplied from the inlet 18 to the drum 3.

  Then, when the clothing is exposed to air heated by the heater 22, the moisture contained in the clothing is vaporized into water vapor, and the hot and humid air in the drum 3 containing the water vapor exits from the outlet 17 and is dehumidified. Move upward in 19. At that time, the water supplied through the heat exchange water supply pipe 49 is dropped in the dehumidifying pipe 19. Specifically, the heat exchange water supply pipe 49 has one end connected to the first switching valve 44 and the other end connected to the upper portion of the dehumidifying pipe 19. Therefore, by switching the first switching valve 44, water from the water supply port 9 is dropped into the dehumidifying pipe 19 through the heat exchange water supply pipe 49. In addition to the heat exchange water supply pipe 49, water can be supplied into the dehumidifying pipe 19 via the heat exchange tank water water supply pipe 24. The configuration of the heat exchange tank water supply pipe 24 will be described later.

  When water falls into the dehumidifying pipe 19, the hot and humid air exchanges heat, and the hot and humid air is cooled and dehumidified. Then, the water from the heat exchange water supply pipe 49 or the heat exchange tank water supply water 24 and the water liquefied when dehumidified fall in the dehumidification pipe 19 and then reach the drain port 10 through the outlet 17. When the drain valve 12 and the second switching valve 13 are opened, the water is discharged out of the housing 2.

  A tank 4 is provided below the drum 3. This tank 4 is for storing water after being used in the outer tub 5, and is a tank having a sealed structure. In order to guide the water in the outer tub 5 to the tank 4, the other end of the branch pipe 15 opposite to the one end connected to the filter 14 is opened in the tank 4. Specifically, a water storage valve 25 is inserted in the middle of the branch pipe 15, and the branch pipe 15 extends obliquely upward from the filter 14 toward the water storage valve 25 in the range from the filter 14 to the water storage valve 25. The water storage valve 25 extends downward and penetrates the upper surface of the tank 4, and the other end of the branch pipe 15 is arranged in the vertical direction in the tank 4.

Therefore, the water in the outer tub 5 is guided into the tank 4 by closing the second switching valve 13 and opening the drain valve 12 and the water storage valve 25.
Further, one end of an air bleeding hose 50 is connected to the tank 4. The air bleeding hose 50 extends upward from the tank 4 through the rear of the outer tub 5, and the other end is connected to the upper portion of the dehumidifying pipe 19. Thereby, the inside of the tank 4 and the dry air path 16 are connected.

The tank 4 is provided with a pressure adjusting drain pipe 27 having an inlet 26 opened in the tank 4. A check valve 28 is interposed in the middle of the pressure adjusting drain pipe 27. The outlet side of the pressure adjusting drain pipe 27 joins the downstream side of the second switching valve 13 of the drain pipe 11.
An overflow pipe 23 is also connected to the pressure adjusting drain pipe 27. Therefore, when a predetermined amount or more of water is supplied into the outer tub 5, the predetermined amount or more of the water overflows to the outside of the outer tub 5 through the overflow pipe 23 and is discharged outside the machine through the drain pipe 11. The

In order to circulate the water stored in the tank 4, the tank 4 is provided with a circulation pipe 32 that communicates between the outlet 31 and the inlet 30 formed on the side thereof. In the circulation pipe 32, a supply pump 33, a third switching valve 34, and an ejector 35 are inserted in order from the outlet 31 toward the inlet 30 along the water circulation direction.
The third switching valve 34 is a five-way valve, and switches the first outlet 36, the second outlet 37, the second outlet 37 to switch the water discharged from the supply pump 33 and flowing in from one direction into any one of the four directions. There are three outlets 38 and a fourth outlet 39.

A circulation pipe 32 is connected to the first outlet 36, and is connected to the inlet 30 via the ejector 35.
A tank water drain pipe 40 is connected to the second outlet 37, and the tank water drain pipe 40 is joined downstream of the check valve 28 of the pressure adjusting drain pipe 27.
One end of the heat exchange tank water supply pipe 24 described above is connected to the third outlet 38. The other end of the heat exchange tank water supply pipe 24 is connected to the upper portion of the dehumidifying pipe 19.

One end of a tank water supply pipe 41 is connected to the fourth outlet 39, and the other end of the tank water supply pipe 41 is connected to the water supply pipe 8 via the accommodating portion 7.
An ozone generator 47 is provided in the vicinity of the tank 4. The ozone generator 47 is a device that generates ozone by applying silent discharge to air taken from an air flow path (not shown). The air that has passed through the ozone generator 47 contains ozone.

  In this embodiment, the air containing ozone generated by the ozone generator 47 is supplied to the drying air passage 16 by the first supply passage 51. The given position is the downstream side of the filter 20 in the drying air passage 16 and the upstream side of the blower 21 (the suction side of the blower 21). When the blower 21 rotates, the suction side becomes negative pressure, and air containing ozone is sucked into the blower 21 via the first supply path 51. For this reason, there is no need to provide a special device such as an air pump for releasing the generated ozone, and the ozone generator 47 can be configured with a simple mechanism. Then, ozone is mixed into the air circulated through the drying air passage 16, and the ozone is supplied from the inlet 18 to the drum 3.

  Normally, the air is circulated through the drying air passage 16 during the drying process in which the clothes in the drum 3 are dried. In the present invention, the control unit 61 shown in FIG. The drum 3 is rotated in order to supply ozone into the drum 3 at an optimum timing corresponding to each course in accordance with the input signal of each course set by pressing a key arranged on the operation unit 71 shown in FIG. The motor 62 (see FIG. 3), the ozone generator 47, the blower 21 and the heater 22 are controlled. This eliminates the need for the user to appropriately set whether or not to supply ozone into the drum 3, and effectively deodorizes and disinfects clothing with ozone.

  Air containing ozone generated by the ozone generator 47 is supplied to the ejector 35 through the second supply path 52. The ozone supplied through the second supply path 52 is mixed with the water in the circulating tank 4 in the ejector 35. More specifically, in the ejector 35, air containing ozone supplied from the second supply path 52 is mixed as fine bubbles in the water due to the negative pressure generated when water passes through the ejector 35. And when the pigment | dye, the odor component, and various germs are contained in water, these are oxidized by ozone and the water in the tank 4 is decolored, deodorized, and disinfected.

  Further, the outer tub 5 containing the drum 3 has a liquid-tight and air-tight structure, and the ozone generated by the ozone generator 47 is generated by the tank 4 and the outer tub 5 in the overflow pipe 23 and the air vent hose 50. Due to the connected structure, it flows between the tank 4 and the outer tub 5 but does not leak from the housing 2 to the outside. Therefore, the washing machine 1 can be a safe and inconvenient device in which ozone odor or the like does not drift outside.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control circuit configuration in the washing machine 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and only components related to ozone supply control according to the present invention are shown.
The washing machine 1 is provided with a control unit 61 as an ozone supply control means composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and the control unit 61 is connected with an ozone generator 47, a blower 21, a heater 22, and a motor 62. Has been. The control unit 61 is connected to, for example, an operation unit 71 as a selection unit provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. Various displays are arranged on the operation unit 71, and the display of these displays is controlled by the control unit 61, and the user can use the steam drying key 74, the washing / drying key 75, or the washing key of the operation unit 71. By operating 76, a signal is input to the control unit 61.

Furthermore, a temperature sensor 63 for measuring the temperature of the outlet 17 (see FIG. 2) of the drying air passage is connected to the control unit 61.
FIG. 4 is a specific plan view of the operation unit 71 described above.
The operation unit 71 is provided with a power off / on key 72 and a start / pause key 73. The power off / on key 72 is a key for supplying / stopping power to the washing machine 1. The start / pause key 73 is a key for instructing to start the operation of the washing machine 1 and to pause the operation on the way.

  Further, the operation unit 71 is provided with a steam drying key 74, a washing / drying key 75, and a washing key 76. The steam drying key 74 is a key to be pressed when only drying clothes, that is, when selecting a drying course. The washing / drying key 75 is a key to be pressed when performing a series of processes from washing to drying, that is, when selecting a washing / drying course. The washing key 76 is a key that is pressed when washing and dehydration are performed and drying is not performed, that is, when a washing course is selected.

  For example, when the washing key 76 is pressed, processing contents related to washing are sequentially displayed according to the pressing among the plurality of processing contents displayed in three rows and four columns above. Specifically, when the washing key 76 is pressed once, “Standard” lights up, and when the washing key 76 is pressed once again, “Standard” turns off and “self-style” lights up. When 76 is pressed, “self-style” is turned off and “detergent zero” is turned on instead.

When the washing / drying key 75 and the steam drying key 74 are pressed, the processing contents relating to washing / drying and the processing contents relating to drying can be sequentially selected, respectively.
Further, an air wash (disinfecting / deodorizing) key 77 and a steam cleaning key 78 are provided.
The air wash (disinfecting / deodorizing) key 77 is a key operated when it is desired to deodorize and deodorize the odor attached to the clothing, although it is not necessary to wash the clothing. For example, if there is clothes that are worried about the smell of cigarettes, the clothes are stored in the drum 3 and the air wash (disinfecting / deodorizing) key 77 is pressed. “” Is lit → “Drum stop” is lit → Both are extinguished → “Drum rotation” is lit and the display is switched. When the drum rotation is lit, air containing ozone is supplied into the drum 3 while the drum 3 is rotating. When the drum stop is lit, the drum 3 does not rotate and the air containing ozone is The deodorizing / deodorizing process of clothing, which is supplied into the drum 3, is performed as a process independent of washing and drying. That is, the air wash (disinfecting / deodorizing) key 77 is a key for performing the processing independently when it is desired to deodorize / deodorize clothes that need not be washed.

The steam cleaning key 78 is a key to be pressed when it is desired to add steam cleaning during washing.
The operation unit 71 is arranged with other keys and various displays indicating the driving situation. However, since these are not directly related to the present invention, description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining a sterilization process of clothing using ozone during a drying operation. This is performed as described below when the control unit 61 detects an input signal indicating that the laundry drying key 75 or the steam drying key 74 has been selected, for example.

The drying operation is divided into a drying process, a drying process extension time, and a cool-down process. The cool-down process is further divided into a sterilization process as the first half and a deodorization process as the second half.
When the drying process starts, the controller 61 operates the motor 62 to turn on the blower 21 and the heater 22. By rotating the drum 3 by a motor 62 alternately at a predetermined number of rotations, for example, 45 rpm, the clothes are agitated, the clothes are evenly exposed to hot air, and the moisture contained in the clothes evaporates.

  The progress of the drying process is determined based on the temperature at the outlet 17. When the temperature of the temperature sensor 63 reaches a predetermined temperature, the control unit 61 determines that the degree of drying has been completed to, for example, 92%, and continues the drying process for a certain time from that point. After the temperature sensor 63 is detected to have reached the predetermined temperature in this way, the drying process for a certain period of time that is continued is referred to as an extended time. When the extension time ends, the dryness of the clothes is, for example, 98 to 100%.

When the drying process extension time ends, the controller 61 turns off the heater 22 and starts a cool-down process for cooling the clothes in the drum 3 to a predetermined temperature. And the control part 61 turns ON the ozone generator 47 at the time of the cool-down process start.
Thereby, the air containing ozone generated by the ozone generator 47 is supplied into the drum 3.

  In this way, after the clothing has been dried, the clothing that does not contain excess moisture is exposed to ozone, so that ozone does not interfere with moisture and efficiently penetrates into the clothing and remains in the clothing. The odor component is oxidized by ozone and disappears. Moreover, even if bacteria that cannot be removed by drying heat in the drying process remain, these bacteria can be sterilized. Further, since the clothes are agitated by the rotation of the drum 3, ozone can be uniformly applied to the clothes.

  When the sterilization process, which is the first half of the cool-down process, is performed for a predetermined time, for example, 15 minutes, the control unit 61 turns off the ozone generator 47 and continuously performs the cool-down operation. If the measured temperature of 63, that is, the temperature in the drum 3, becomes a predetermined temperature, for example, 50 ° C. or less, the cool-down process is terminated. In addition, even if the temperature in the drum 3 is 50 ° C. or lower, the control unit 61 extends the cool-down process if the deodorization process, which is the latter half of the cool-down process, is not performed for 10 minutes, for example. . Thereby, ozone in the housing 2 including the drum 3 disappears due to an oxidation reaction, so that even if the user opens the door 6 when taking out clothes from the drum 3, the ozone odor does not drift.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining a sterilization process of clothing using ozone during the final dehydration operation. This is performed as described below when the control unit 61 detects an input signal indicating that the washing key 76 has been selected, for example.
The final dehydration operation is divided into a drainage time of water in the outer tub 5, a final dehydration process, a sterilization process, a deodorizing ozone process, and a cool-down process.

For example, when a drainage time of 2 to 3 minutes elapses, the controller 61 starts the final dehydration step of dehydrating moisture contained in the clothing by operating the motor 62 and rotating the drum 3.
In this embodiment, the ozone generator 47 and the blower 21 are turned on at the start of the final dehydration process, and ozone is supplied into the drum 3 even during the final dehydration process, so that the inner peripheral wall of the drum 3 is stretched even during the dehydration process. Ozone is supplied to the attached clothes to improve deodorization and sterilization effects. Further, the heater 22 is also turned on, and ozone activated by heating is supplied.

  In the final dewatering step, the rotation of the drum 3 is gradually started up so that abnormal vibration does not occur in the drum 3 because clothing is unevenly distributed on the inner peripheral wall of the drum 3 when the drum 3 starts to rotate. Specifically, the rotational speed of the drum 3 is increased to a predetermined rotational speed, and after maintaining the rotational speed for a predetermined time, it is decelerated and temporarily stopped if necessary. When the clothes fall from the inner peripheral wall of the drum 3 by this deceleration and stop, and the rotation of the drum 3 is started up again, uneven distribution of the clothes can be suppressed. After repeating this cycle, for example, two or three times, the drum 3 is rotated at a final dewatering speed, for example, 900 rpm.

Then, the controller 61 rotates the drum 3 at 900 rpm for 15 minutes, and then temporarily stops the motor 62 to complete the final dehydration step.
When the final dehydration process is completed, a sterilization process, a deodorization ozone process, and a cool-down process are performed. In the sterilization process, the control unit 61 rotates the drum 3 alternately forward and reverse, and further supplies ozone following the final dehydration process. In the sterilization process, clothing is agitated, so ozone can be uniformly applied to the clothing. In addition, clothes to which ozone is supplied are after dehydration, and excess moisture that hinders ozone supply is reduced, so that deodorization and sterilization effect by ozone can be improved.

Then, when ozone is supplied into the drum 3 for a predetermined time, the ozone generator 47 is turned off, the sterilization process is terminated, and the process proceeds to the ozone elimination process.
When 15 minutes have elapsed since the start of the ozone-depleting process, the heater 22 is turned off and the cool-down process is started. In the cool down process, the blower 21 remains ON, and the air in the drum 3 is continuously circulated. This cold air circulation quickly reduces the temperature of the clothes. It should be noted that it takes approximately 35 to 45 minutes from the start of the final dehydration process to the end of the deodorization ozone process, but this time varies depending on the amount of load (the amount of clothes washed).

In this embodiment, the heater 22 is turned off at the end of the deodorization process. However, the cool-down process can be omitted by turning off the heater 22 at the start of the deodorization process.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the sterilization process of clothing using ozone during the final dehydration operation, and is a modification example of the sterilization process shown in FIG. 6. 7 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 in that the rotation number of the drum 3 reaches 900 rpm, and the ozone generator 47 is turned on after the moisture in the laundry is substantially removed. .

When the washing process (step S1), the rinsing process 1 (step S2), and the rinsing process 2 (step S3) are completed, the final dehydration process is started (step S4).
In the final dehydration step, the rotation of the drum 3 is gradually started up as in the case of washing in FIG. When it is determined that the rotation speed of the drum 3 has reached 900 rpm which is the final dehydration rotation speed (Yes in step S5), the ozone generator 47, the blower 21 and the heater 22 are turned on (step S6). . When the number of revolutions of the drum 3 reaches 900 rpm, moisture is almost removed from the laundry, and ozone is not hindered by moisture, so that the laundry can be deodorized and sterilized by ozone. .

When it is determined that the drum 3 has been rotated at 900 rpm for 15 minutes (Yes in step S7), the final dehydration process is terminated, and the drum 3 is rotated alternately forward and backward at a rotation speed of 45 rpm (step S8). ).
On the other hand, if it is determined that 30 minutes have passed since the ozone generator 47 was turned on (Yes in step S10), the ozone generator 47 is turned off and the sterilization process is ended (step S11). At this time, the blower 21 and the heater 22 are not turned off, and air containing no ozone is circulated in the drum 3. As a result, an ozone elimination process is performed in which all ozone in the housing 2 including the drum 3 is extinguished by an oxidation reaction.

  When it is determined that 5 minutes have passed since the ozone generator 47 is turned off (Yes in step S12), the heater 22 is turned off (step S13), and the clothing is cooled to a predetermined temperature. The process is started. When it is determined that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 63, that is, the temperature in the drum 3 has become, for example, 50 ° C. or less (Yes in step S9), the cool-down process is ended.

In this embodiment, the control unit 61 turns off the heater 22 after 5 minutes have passed since the ozone generator 47 is turned off. However, the heater 61 may be turned off at the same time as the ozone generator 47 is turned off. it can.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the ozone cleaning process. Ozone cleaning process includes supplying ozone to clothes before washing process to wash, disinfect and deodorize clothes (pre-washing with ozone) This is a cleaning process. Such ozone cleaning is suitable for washing clothes with little dirt such as towels and underwear that are washed daily. Further, since no detergent is used, even if water used for washing is discharged out of the housing 2, the water is environmentally friendly.

  When the operation of the washing machine 1 is started, the ozone generator 47 is turned on, and the drum 3 is rotated alternately forward and reverse at a rotation speed of 45 rpm, and the blower 21 is turned on (step T1). Then, air containing ozone is supplied into the drum 3 and is put on clothes in the drum 3 to perform preliminary washing with ozone. As a result, the dried clothes before the washing process can be effectively exposed to ozone, and bacteria attached to the clothes are oxidatively decomposed by ozone and become highly water-soluble. The washing effect can be improved so that it can be easily removed from the clothes by washing with water in the washing step without detergent.

In this embodiment, the heater 22 is not turned on, but ozone can be activated by heating the air containing ozone with the heater 22 also turned on.
When it is determined that the preliminary washing with ozone has been performed for 15 minutes (Yes in step T2), the process proceeds to the next washing step (step T3).
In this embodiment, water washing without detergent is performed in the washing process. However, the detergent washing is performed using a detergent, or steam is sprayed into the drum 3 before the washing process to remove sebum dirt. As a result of this, steam cleaning can be performed to make the clothes rise to a high temperature and easily fall off, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

And after completion | finish of a washing process, it moves to the rinse 1 process (step T4), and when the rinse 1 process is complete | finished, the ozone generator 47 is turned off (step T5).
Then, after the ozone generator 47 is turned off, two rinsing steps (step T6) and a dehydrating step (step T7) are performed and the process is terminated.
In this embodiment, the ozone generator 47 is turned off after the end of one rinsing process, but can be turned off at other timings, for example, before the washing process or before the dehydration process.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Further, in this embodiment, a washing machine with a clothes drying function having an oblique drum arrangement structure has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to those in which drums are arranged horizontally or vertically, It can also be applied to clothes dryers.

It is a perspective view of the washing machine concerning one embodiment of this invention, and is the figure seen from the front right diagonal upper part. It is the schematic sectional side view which looked at the cross section when the washing machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was cut | disconnected by the vertical surface along the front-back direction from the side. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part relevant to this invention of the washing machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is a specific top view of the operation part 71 shown in FIG. It is a timing diagram explaining the disinfection process of the clothing using ozone at the time of dry operation. It is a timing diagram explaining the disinfection process of the clothing using ozone at the time of final dehydration operation. It is a flowchart explaining the other example of the disinfection process of the clothing using ozone at the time of a final dehydration operation, and is a modification of the disinfection process shown in FIG. It is a flowchart of an ozone cleaning process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing machine 3 Drum 16 Drying air path 17 Outlet 18 Inlet 19 Dehumidification pipe 21 Blower 22 Heater 47 Ozone generator 61 Control part 71 Operation part

Claims (8)

A treatment tank for drying clothes;
One end and the other end, the one end and the other end are connected to the treatment tank, and a drying air path for circulating the air in the treatment tank,
Blower means for generating an air flow that is provided in the drying air path and takes out air in the processing tank from one end side and returns the air from the other end side to the processing tank;
A dehumidifying means for removing moisture in the air that is provided in the drying air passage and passes through the drying air passage;
A heating means provided in the drying air passage, for heating air passing through the drying air passage;
An ozone generator arranged outside the dry air path for generating ozone;
Ozone supply control means for supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank through the dry air passage;
A garment for operating the air blowing means and the heating means to circulate and heat the air in the treatment tank, and a cool down process for lowering the temperature of the garment in the treatment tank after the drying process is completed. A dryer,
The ozone supply control means includes
A clothes dryer, wherein ozone generated by the ozone generator is supplied into the treatment tank during the cool-down process. The cool-down process is divided into a first half which is a sterilization process for supplying ozone into the treatment tank and a second half which is a deodorization process for eliminating ozone supplied in the sterilization process by an oxidation reaction.
2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the cool-down process is not completed until a predetermined time elapses after the deodorization process is started. A treatment tank for containing clothing and washing and dehydrating the contained clothing;
An ozone generator for generating ozone;
A washing machine having ozone supply control means for supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank,
The ozone supply control means includes
A washing machine, wherein ozone generated by the ozone generator is supplied into the treatment tank during a dehydration process for dehydrating clothes. The treatment tank includes a rotating drum that rotates about a rotation axis,
The ozone supply control means includes
The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein ozone generated by the ozone generator is supplied into the treatment tank when the rotation number of the rotating drum reaches a predetermined dehydration rotation number. One end and the other end, the one end and the other end are connected to the treatment tank, and an air circulation path for circulating the air in the treatment tank;
Blower means for generating an air flow that is provided in the air circulation path and takes out the air in the treatment tank from one end side and returns it to the treatment tank from the other end side;
Heating means provided in the air circulation path for heating the air passing through the air circulation path,
The ozone generator is connected to the air circulation path,
The ozone supply control means includes
The washing according to claim 3 or 4, wherein when supplying ozone, the air blowing means and the heating means are operated to supply ozone into the treatment tank together with heated air passing through the air circulation path. Machine. A tank for storing water, storing clothes, washing and dewatering, and drying clothes;
One end and the other end, the one end and the other end are connected to the treatment tank, and a drying air path for circulating the air in the treatment tank,
Blower means for generating an air flow that is provided in the drying air path and takes out air in the processing tank from one end side and returns the air from the other end side to the processing tank;
A dehumidifying means for removing moisture in the air that is provided in the drying air passage and passes through the drying air passage;
A heating means provided in the drying air passage, for heating air passing through the drying air passage;
An ozone generator arranged outside the dry air path for generating ozone;
Ozone supply control means for supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank through the dry air passage;
A washing machine with a clothes drying function comprising a washing course for washing and dehydrating, a washing and drying course for washing, dehydrating and drying, and a selection means for selecting a drying course for drying,
The ozone supply control means includes
When the washing course is selected, ozone is supplied into the treatment tank during a dehydration process for dehydrating clothes,
When the washing / drying course or the drying course is selected, ozone is supplied into the treatment tank during the drying process. A treatment tank for containing clothing and washing the contained clothing;
An ozone generator for generating ozone;
An ozone supply control means for supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank,
The ozone supply control means includes
A washing machine characterized by supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tank and preliminarily washing clothes with ozone before water supply in a washing step. In response to the washing machine being given a signal to do laundry without using detergent,
Pre-cleaning is performed by the ozone supply control means,
Following the preliminary cleaning, wash the clothes contained in the treatment tank with only water without using a detergent,
8. The washing machine according to claim 7, further comprising control means for executing a washing course without detergent after rinsing the clothes.

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