JP2007330439A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing and drying machine to perform drying operation by using a heat pump mechanism having a heat exchanger, and capable of smoothly discharge dehumidified water without causing a clogging phenomenon due to a foreign matter such as lint, etc. in the dehumidified water produced by the heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: A container type tank 50 constituted in a roughly closed state to collect and reserve the dehumidified water produced by an evaporator 30 which is the heat exchanger and a drainage pump 53 to discharge the dehumidified water reserved in this tank 50 are provided out of a route of a circulating duct 27, and a filter to catch the foreign matter in the dehumidified water is arranged in the tank 50. This washing and drying machine is constituted to discharge the dehumidified water collected in the tank 50 out of a main body 1 through the drainage pump 53 in a state of removing the foreign matter by passing the dehumidified water through the filter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laundry dryer that dries laundry by circulating hot air generated by a heat pump mechanism.

  It is known that a laundry dryer that uses a heat pump mechanism to dry laundry has an effect of reducing energy consumption because of high drying efficiency. Such a washing and drying machine circulates air in a rotating tub containing laundry through an air circulation path in which an evaporator and a condenser, which are heat exchangers, are arranged. At this time, air is cooled and dehumidified with an evaporator, and air is heated with a condenser, warmed into air, and sent to a rotating tank. Moreover, the warm air sent into the rotating tub takes moisture from the laundry and then returns to the air circulation path. The washing / drying machine performs the drying operation by repeating such an operation.

In the washing and drying machine having the above-described configuration, in the process of cooling and dehumidifying the moisture-containing air with the heat exchanger during the drying operation, when the air passes through the evaporator, dew condensation occurs on the surface thereof and the dehumidified water is generated. Arise. If this dehumidified water is dripped as it is, there is a possibility that the floor on which the washing / drying machine is installed will be wetted. Therefore, there is a configuration in which a waste liquid reservoir is provided below the evaporator, and dehumidified water stored in the waste liquid reservoir is discharged to a predetermined place by a drain pump (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP 2006-087672 A JP-A-2005-304987

  Further, when the laundry is dried, as the drying progresses, a large amount of fiber waste, so-called lint is generated and scattered from the laundry. In the washing and drying machine having the above-described configuration, in order to prevent the lint from being deposited on a heat exchanger such as an evaporator or a condenser to reduce the heat exchange rate, the lint for capturing the lint in the air circulation path is used. A filter is provided.

  However, if the flow resistance in the air circulation path is increased by providing a lint filter, a sufficient air volume cannot be obtained and the drying efficiency is lowered. Therefore, the lint filter used is limited to a mesh having a certain degree of roughness. . In addition, since the amount of circulating air is large, it is difficult to recover all lint in the air circulation path, and some fine lint passes through the lint filter and enters the heat exchanger. Then, lint adheres to the evaporator, and lint is mixed in the dehumidified water described above. The amount of lint in the dehumidified water is small, but if it enters the drainage pump for discharging the dehumidified water, it may cause clogging by adhering to the passage, drive part or bearing in the drainage pump. .

  As a countermeasure against this, the clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 prevents the pump from being clogged by driving the drainage pump in the reverse direction to cause reverse discharge. However, the lint discharged by driving the drain pump in the opposite direction may enter the drain pump again when the drain pump is driven forward to discharge the dehumidified water. It is not an effective solution.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a filter for removing foreign matters such as lint on the upper surface of the waste liquid reservoir for storing dehumidified water. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, an upper case 103 having an intake port 101 and an exhaust port 102 to form an air circulation path, and a lower case 105 having a waste liquid reservoir 104 attached in communication with the upper case 103. In FIG. 9, the filter 106 is disposed in an inclined state slightly downward to the right so as to block the communication portion. Above the filter 106, an evaporator 107 and a condenser 108 functioning as a heat exchanger are located. Thereby, the dehumidified water dripped from the heat exchanger passes through the filter 106 before being stored in the waste liquid reservoir 104. Accordingly, the foreign matter in the dehumidified water is removed by the filter 106 and does not enter the drain pump 109.

  However, in such a configuration, the dehumidified water is dispersed and flows down over the entire filter 106, so that the speed of passing through the filter 106 is slow, and fine lint that does not need to be trapped easily adheres to the filter 106. When lint adheres, the speed at which the dehumidified water passes through the filter 106 is further slowed down, so that lint is more easily adhered. Furthermore, since the upper surface of the filter 106 is exposed in the air circulation path, in the latter half of the drying operation, the lint that is exposed to the circulating air and adheres to the filter 106 is dried and hardened into a paste. The lint solidified in such a manner cannot easily be swollen even when immersed in water, so that the dehumidified water does not easily pass through the filter 106 even if the amount of lint accumulated is small.

  If the filter 106 is clogged in this way, the dehumidified water does not pass through the filter 106, so that the water level of the waste liquid reservoir 104 rises immediately, and a water level sensor (not shown) detects this, whereby the drain pump 109 However, since there is actually no dehumidified water to be discharged in the waste liquid reservoir 104, the operation of the drain pump 109 cannot be performed normally, resulting in poor drainage.

  As described above, the conventional structure has a structure in which foreign matters such as lint are likely to adhere to and accumulate on the filter, and there is a risk of frequent malfunction of the drainage pump. For this reason, when used for a long period of time, unless the maintenance and inspection work for eliminating the clogging of the filter is frequently performed, the dehumidified water cannot be discharged normally. The problem was lack.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention performs a drying operation in which warm air generated by a heat pump mechanism having a heat exchanger is circulated to dry laundry, and dehumidified water generated by the heat exchanger. An object of the present invention is to provide a washing / drying machine capable of discharging dehumidified water without being affected by the foreign matter even if foreign matter is present in the container and maintaining high reliability over a long period of time. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a washing and drying machine of the present invention includes a water tank provided in a main body and having a rotating tub that accommodates laundry, a circulation duct that communicates with an air inlet / outlet of the water tank, and the circulation A circulation fan that circulates the air in the water tank through a duct, an evaporator or a condenser that exchanges heat with the circulation air, and a heat exchanger that is interposed in the path of the circulation duct, and a compressor and a capillary tube A heat pump mechanism comprising: a warm air generated by the heat pump mechanism is supplied to the rotating tank via the circulation duct to perform a drying operation, provided outside the path of the circulation duct, A container-like tank that collects and stores dehumidified water generated by the heat exchanger and a drainage mechanism that discharges the dehumidified water stored in the tank are provided, and the dehumidified water is provided in the tank. And mainly characterized in that a filter for trapping foreign matter in.

  According to the above means, during the drying operation, the dehumidified water generated by the heat exchanger is collected in the tank and stored after passing through the filter. For this reason, even if foreign matters such as lint scattered from the laundry are mixed in the dehumidified water, the dehumidified water in a state where the foreign matters are removed by the filter is discharged through the drainage mechanism. In addition, since the tank is provided outside the path of the circulation duct, the foreign matter deposited on the filter in the tank is not solidified by the hot air in the circulation duct. Therefore, the dehumidified water can be discharged without being affected by foreign matter in the dehumidified water, and a washing and drying machine capable of maintaining high reliability over a long period of time can be provided.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a drum type (horizontal shaft type) washing / drying machine will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing the entire configuration of the drum type washing and drying machine, and shows a state during a drying operation. On the front plate 1a of the main body 1 forming the outline of the washing / drying machine, a loading port 2 for taking in and out the laundry is formed, and a door 3 for opening and closing the loading port 2 is disposed. Further, support legs 4 for installing a floor surface are provided at corners of the bottom plate of the main body 1.

  A substantially non-porous cylindrical water tank 5 is provided inside the main body 1, and the water tank 5 has a cylindrical shape that has a large number of through holes 6a in the peripheral wall and is rotatable around a horizontal axis. The rotary tank 6 is disposed concentrically. Each of the water tank 5 and the rotating tank 6 has a bottomed cylindrical shape whose front surface (left side in FIG. 1) is open. The water tank 5 is elastically supported in the main body 1 by a plurality of suspensions 7 (only one is shown). As a result, the water tank 5 and the rotating tank 6 have their substantial openings 8 and 9 formed in the inlet 2. And are supported in a slightly upwardly inclined state. Further, an elastically expandable / contractible bellows 10 is connected between the inlet 2 and the opening 8 of the water tank 5 in a watertight manner, and is in close contact with the back surface of the door 3 from the water tank 5 side to the inside and outside of the main body 1. Prevents water leakage.

  In addition, a plurality of baffles 6 b for scooping up laundry are provided on the inner surface of the body of the rotating tub 6. The rotating tub 6 is used for dehydration and drying as well as being easy to wash by storing laundry and being driven to rotate. Further, the through-hole 6a provided in the rotating tub 6 functions as a water passage hole during washing, rinsing and dehydration, and also functions as a ventilation hole during drying. In addition, the rotary tank 6 is provided with, for example, a liquid-filled rotary balancer 11 around the opening 9.

  On the other hand, a motor 12 is disposed in the center of the back surface of the water tank 5. The motor 12 is, for example, an outer rotor type brushless DC motor. A rotating shaft 13 connected to a rotor (not shown) of the motor 12 is inserted into the water tank 5, and the rotating tank 6 is directly connected to a tip portion thereof. Accordingly, when the motor 12 is energized, the rotating tub 6 is directly rotated in conjunction with the rotor of the motor 12.

  Further, a drain outlet 5a is formed at the lowermost rear part of the water tank 5, and one end side of a drain hose 15 via a drain valve 14 is connected to the drain outlet 5a in midstream. The other end side of the drainage hose 15 is connected to and connected to an outside lead-out hole 49 formed in the lower side of the side surface of the main body 1, whereby the water in the water tank 5 is sent to a predetermined drainage place outside the main body 1. It can be discharged.

  A plurality of hot air inlets 16 are formed in the rear end surface portion, which is also the bottom plate of the rotating tub 6, so as to have an annular arrangement concentric with the center of the rotating tub 6. On the other hand, the hot water inlet 5b is similarly formed in the upper part of the end surface part of the rear side in the water tank 5 so as to oppose the rotation trajectory of the hot air inlet 16, and the front side that is the opposite side of the hot air inlet 5b is formed. A hot air outlet 5c is formed at the upper part of the end face portion of the.

  A base plate 17 is disposed on the bottom plate 1 b of the main body 1 below the water tank 5, and a heat exchange duct 18 is disposed on the base plate 17. A suction port 19 is provided at the upper front end of the heat exchange duct 18, and the suction port 19 is connected to a hot air outlet 5 c of the water tank 5 through an expansion joint 20 and an exhaust duct 21. On the other hand, a casing 23 of a circulation fan 22 is connected to the rear end portion of the heat exchange duct 18, and an outlet 24 of the casing 23 is connected to the water tank 5 via an expansion joint 25 and an air supply duct 26. Is connected to the hot air inlet 5b. In this way, the circulation duct 27 is configured such that the rear hot air inlet 5b and the front hot air outlet 5c are detoured below the water tank 5 and communicated with each other.

  In this case, the circulation fan 22 is a centrifugal fan type, and has a circulation fan 28 inside the casing 23. A motor 29 that rotates the circulation fan 28 is provided outside the casing 23. During the drying operation, the circulating air blower 22 is driven to generate circulating air that flows in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG.

  In the circulation duct 27, inside the heat exchange duct 18, an evaporator 30 is arranged at the front part and a condenser 31 is arranged at the rear part. These will be described in detail later, but these exchange heat with the circulating air. The heat pump mechanism is composed of the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31, the compressor 32 arranged outside the heat exchange duct 18 and a capillary tube (throttle) (not shown). Yes. As is well known, the heat pump mechanism includes a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant sealed in the heat pump mechanism circulates in the order of the condenser 31, the capillary tube (throttle), and the evaporator 30 when the compressor 32 operates. Yes.

Although neither the evaporator 30 nor the condenser 31 interposed in the heat exchange duct 18 is shown in detail, a structure in which a large number of heat transfer fins and refrigerant circulation tubes are arranged in an intersecting manner. It is. When the circulating air flowing in the circulation duct 27 passes between the heat transfer fins, heat exchange is performed, and the circulating air is heated or cooled. That is, the heat pump mechanism functions as a heating source for heating the circulating air or a cooling source for cooling the circulating air.
Furthermore, the condenser 31 has a water passage pipe (not shown) for passing cooling water. Thereby, at the time of the cooling operation described later, the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 31 is cooled by this cooling water, so that the amount of heat equivalent to the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporator 30 is dissipated, and the heat pump mechanism is stabilized. It is supposed to work.

  Above the front end portion of the heat exchange duct 18 is provided a lint filter 33 for capturing lint scattered from the laundry (clothing). Although details are not illustrated, the lint filter 33 is configured by attaching a mesh-like filter body to a frame having a handle. The lint filter 33 is inserted from a filter attachment port 34 provided at a lower portion of the front plate 1a of the main body 1 and above the outlet portion 36a of the air passage 36, and the heat exchange duct 18 is formed by the filter body. It arrange | positions so that the channel | path of the suction inlet 19 part may be interrupted | blocked.

  An air blowing port 35 is formed at the front end portion of the heat exchange duct 18 so as to branch from the suction port 19. The heat exchange duct 18 communicates with the air passage 36 formed in the front lower portion of the main body 1 ahead of the heat exchange duct 18 through the air outlet 35. The outlet portion 36a of the air passage 36 faces the outside of the machine with the front facing. The outlet portion 36a is provided with a shutter 37. The shutter 37 is supported at its lower end portion so as to be pivotable back and forth by a support shaft 38, and is powered by a driving source such as a motor or an electromagnet (neither shown). And the outlet 36a is opened and closed. The outlet portion 36a is closed except during cooling operation.

  An air-conditioning blower 39 is disposed in the air passage 36. In this case, the air-conditioning blower 39 has a cross-flow fan shape, and a blower fan 40 in which a large number of long blade pieces are arranged in a cylindrical shape is disposed inside the blower passage 36 and rotates the blower fan 40. A motor (not shown) is juxtaposed outside the air passage 36.

  Further, the air blowing port 35 communicates with the suction port 19 between the rotary tank 6 and the evaporator 30 in the circulation duct 27, and a damper 41 is provided at the communicating portion. The upper end of the damper 41 is supported by a support shaft 42 so as to be able to rotate back and forth, and is rotated by the power of a driving source such as a motor or an electromagnet (both not shown), so that the suction port 19 of the heat exchange duct 18 It functions as a wind path switching device that switches between closing and opening the passage and simultaneously switching between opening and closing the air blowing port 35.

On the other hand, in the upper wall of the intermediate portion of the heat exchange duct 18 between the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31 in the circulation duct 27, air outside the circulation duct 27 in the main body 1 is sucked into the heat exchange duct 18. The air intake 43 is formed.
Further, in the upper part in the main body 1, a power supply system control unit 44 and a display system control unit 45 necessary for controlling the washing and drying machine, a water supply valve 46 for supplying water into the water tank 5, a water supply case 47, and A water supply hose 48 is provided.

  A water storage tank 50 (details will be described later) is disposed on the base plate 17 below the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31. A recess 18 a having a drain port 51 is formed on the lower surface side of the heat exchange duct 18 where the evaporator 30 is disposed. The drain port 51 communicates with a water inlet 52 (see FIG. 2) of the tank 50, whereby dehumidified water generated in the evaporator 30 is collected and stored in the tank 50.

  Further, a drainage pump 53 (corresponding to a drainage mechanism) for pumping the stored water and discharging it to a predetermined drainage place outside the tank 50 is provided at the right end of the tank 50. One end side of the tank hose 54 is connected to the discharge port 53a of the drainage pump 53, and the other end side of the tank hose 54 is joined and connected to an intermediate portion of the drainage hose 15. The lead-out hole 49 is led out of the main body 1 through an out-machine lead-out hole 49. Thus, the drain pump 53 is operated so that the water in the tank 50 is discharged to a predetermined drainage place outside the main body 1.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the tank 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the tank 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular container shape, but only the lower left portion in the figure has a shape slightly protruding downward. A cylindrical water inlet 52 connected to and communicated with a drain outlet 51 provided below the evaporator 30 is provided on the upper left upper surface of the tank 50. The water inlet 52 communicates with the tank 50, and the dehumidified water dripped from the evaporator 30 is collected and stored in the tank 50 from the water inlet 52.

  Further, a water outlet and a sensor attachment port (both not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the protruding portion in the lower left portion of the tank 50. Among these, the drainage pump 53 is inserted in the water outlet, and the suction port 53 b of the drainage pump 53 is located near the bottom surface in the tank 50. In this embodiment, the drainage pump 53 uses a positive displacement pump such as a gear pump. As a result, even when air is present in the tank 50, that is, even when the amount of dehumidified water stored in the tank 50 is small, it can be pumped up and discharged. .

  On the other hand, a water level sensor 55 is inserted into the sensor mounting opening, and the water level sensor 55 is disposed with its upper portion exposed outside the tank 50. A connection cord (not shown) extends from the upper part of the water level sensor 55, and this connection cord is connected to the control unit 44. The water level sensor 55 is configured to output a signal indicating the water level in the tank 50 to the control unit 44 via this connection cord. The tank 50 has a substantially sealed structure except for the water inlet 52, the water outlet, and the sensor mounting port.

  FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal side view of the tank 50 taken along line BB in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a filter 56 is provided in the tank 50 so as to be positioned substantially in parallel with the upper plate 50a and the bottom plate 50b of the tank 50. This filter 56 is configured by integrally attaching a mesh-like filter body 56a for capturing foreign matter in the dehumidified water flowing down from the water inlet 52 to the frame 56b.

  The filter 56 includes a flange portion integrally provided at an end portion of the frame 56b and a plurality of cylindrical bosses 57 protruding from the bottom plate 50b of the tank 50 by a plurality of screws (not shown). By fastening, it is fixedly mounted in the tank 50. In addition, metal Cu fiber, Ag fiber, etc. are woven in a part of mesh of the filter body 56a.

Next, the operation of the drum type washing / drying machine having the above configuration will be described.
An outline of a case where washing is performed by the washing / drying machine having the above-described configuration will be described. When a standard driving course is started, a washing (washing and rinsing) operation is started first. In this washing operation, an operation of supplying water into the water tank 5 is performed by the water supply valve 46, and then the motor 12 is driven to rotate the rotating tank 6 alternately in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed.
When the washing operation is completed, the dehydration operation is subsequently started. In this dehydration operation, after the water in the water tank 5 is discharged, an operation of rotating the rotating tank 6 in one direction at a high speed is performed. Thereby, the laundry in the rotating tub 6 is centrifugally dehydrated.

  When the dehydrating operation is completed, the drying operation is subsequently performed. In this case, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, the damper 41 is set at a position that opens the suction port 19 of the heat exchange duct 18 and closes the blower port 35. In this state, the motor 29 of the circulation fan 22 is driven while rotating the rotating tub 6 in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed. Then, the air in the water tank 5 flows into the heat exchange duct 18 through the exhaust duct 21 and the expansion joint 20 of the circulation duct 27 from the hot air outlet 5c by the blowing action of the centrifugal circulation fan 28.

  At the same time, the operation of the compressor 32 of the heat pump mechanism is started. As a result, the refrigerant sealed in the tube of the heat pump mechanism is compressed to become a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows into the condenser 31 and exchanges heat with the air in the heat exchange duct 18. As a result, the air in the heat exchange duct 18 is heated, and conversely, the temperature of the refrigerant is lowered and liquefied. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the capillary tube and is depressurized, and then flows into the evaporator 30 and is vaporized. At this time, the refrigerant in the evaporator 30 takes heat of vaporization, whereby the air in the heat exchange duct 18 is cooled. Then, the refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 30 returns to the compressor 32.

  By such an action of the heat pump mechanism, the air flowing into the heat exchange duct 18 from the water tank 5 is cooled by the evaporator 30 and dehumidified, and then heated by the condenser 31 and warmed. Then, the hot air is supplied from the hot air inlet 5 b into the water tank 5 through the expansion joint 25 and the air supply duct 26, and is further supplied from the hot air inlet 16 into the rotary tank 6. The hot air supplied into the rotary tub 6 deprives the laundry of moisture, and then flows into the heat exchange duct 18 from the hot air outlet 5c through the exhaust duct 21 and the expansion joint 20. That is, as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 1, air circulates between the heat exchange duct 18, in which the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31 are interposed, and the rotary tub 6, thereby washing the laundry in the rotary tub 6. Dried.

  During such a drying operation, the evaporator 30 performs heat exchange of air passing through the heat exchange duct 18 described above, and here, condensation occurs on the surface as cooling and dehumidification are performed. The dehumidified water generated by the condensation is dropped from the evaporator 30 to the recess 18a and is collected in the tank 50 from the water inlet 52 of the water storage tank 50 through the drain port 51. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the dehumidified water collected and flowing down from the water inlet 52 passes through a filter 56 located immediately below the water inlet 52 and is stored below the tank 50. Thereby, even when foreign matter such as lint exists in the dehumidified water, the dehumidified water in a state where the foreign matter has been removed by the filter 56 is stored in the tank 50.

  Thus, when dehumidified water is stored in the tank 50, the water level in the tank 50 rises. When the water level reaches a predetermined level, the control unit 44 detects that the water level in the tank 50 has reached a level at which water can be drained by a signal indicating the water level output from the water level sensor 55 (see FIG. 2). Then, the control unit 44 drives the drain pump 53 to start discharging the dehumidified water in the tank 50. The stored water pumped up from the suction port 53b of the drainage pump 53 is discharged from the discharge port 53a, and is discharged from the outboard outlet hole 49 to a predetermined drainage place outside the main body 1 through the tank hose 54 and the drainage hose 15. The

  In contrast, the cooling operation can be performed using a heat pump mechanism. In this case, the damper 41 is switched to a position that opens the air blowing port 35 and closes the passage of the suction port 19 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Although not described in detail, the outlet of the cooled air that has passed through the evaporator 30 is opened in a direction opposite to the air flow during the drying operation described above by rotating the blower fan 40. By discharging toward the front outside the main body 1 from the part 36a, the space where the washing / drying machine is installed is cooled.

According to the said Example, there exist the following effects.
Since the tank 50 has a substantially sealed structure in the shape of a rectangular container and the filter 56 is disposed therein, the filter 56 can directly touch the hot air circulating in the heat exchange duct 18 even in the latter half of the drying operation. Therefore, foreign matters such as lint adhering to the upper surface of the filter 56 are not dried and hardened into a paste. Accordingly, the durability against clogging of the filter 56 is improved, and the foreign substance removal operation in the dehumidified water can be continuously performed over a long period of time, and the dehumidified water is not caused by the drain pump 53 causing an inoperative state due to lint clogging. Can be discharged smoothly, and it is possible to maintain high reliability as a washing and drying machine.

  Moreover, since all the dehumidified water dripped from the evaporator 30 gathers in the water inlet 52 and flows down toward the filter 56 from here, the speed at which dehumidified water passes the filter 56 does not become too slow. Accordingly, foreign matters such as large lint in the dehumidified water are captured by the filter 56, but foreign matters such as fine lint that do not need to be captured pass through the filter 56. However, since such a fine foreign substance has a low possibility of clogging the drainage pump 53, there is no problem even if it passes through the filter 56. With such a configuration, since the amount of foreign matter such as lint deposited on the filter 56 can be moderately suppressed, the durability against clogging of the filter 56 is further improved, and it can be used for a long period of time. It is possible to maintain high reliability as a washing dryer.

  Further, since a displacement type pump is used as the drainage pump 53, the drainage pump 53 can almost suck up the stored water as dehumidified water in the tank 50, and there is almost no residual water in the tank 50 after drainage is completed. Have Therefore, it is possible to prevent the generation of a strange odor due to various bacteria. However, in the case of a pressure-feed type configuration employing, for example, a gear as the positive displacement pump, there is a possibility that the pump may be clogged even when a relatively small amount of foreign matter enters the pump. However, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the foreign matter can be effectively removed from the dehumidified water sucked by the drain pump 53, so that it can operate without any problem for a long period of time, and the above-described advantages can be obtained. it can. Furthermore, since metallic Cu fiber, Ag fiber, or the like is woven into a part of the mesh of the filter body 56a, the generation of a strange odor can be more effectively prevented by the bactericidal action.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described below. FIG. 4 shows an external perspective view in a state where the upper plate 50a (see FIG. 5) of the container-like tank 50 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, at the intermediate position between the rear side plate 50c and the front side plate 50d on the rear side of the tank 50 shown in the figure, a partition plate 60 having the same height as these is integrated on the bottom plate 50b in parallel therewith. Is formed. The left end of the partition plate 60 is integrally connected to the left side plate 50e on the left side of the tank 50, while the right end of the partition plate 60 is connected to the right side plate 50f on the right side of the tank 50 and the center portion of the tank 50. It extends to near the middle. With such a configuration, the tank 50 is formed in a U-turn shape as a path through which dehumidified water surrounded by the water can pass.

  In such a tank 50, a first filter 61 and a second filter 62 as filters for removing foreign matters such as lint in the dehumidified water are disposed adjacent to each other with the partition plate 60 in between, and on the left side. It arrange | positions in the state inclined to the angle close | similar to the diagonal direction which connects the upper end side of the board 50e, and the lower end side of the right side board 50f. The first filter 61 and the second filter 62 are configured by integrally attaching filter bodies 61a and 62a, which are configured in the same manner as the filter body 56a of the filter 56 in the first embodiment, to the frame-shaped frames 61b and 62b. ing. In the present embodiment, the filter body 61a is about 70 mesh, for example, while the filter body 62a is about 100 mesh, which is different in size.

  Trapezoidal flange portions 61c and 62c are integrally formed in the center of the left end portions of the frames 61b and 62b, respectively. Further, flanges 61d and 62d (only the back side is shown in FIG. 4) are integrally formed at both corners of the right ends of the frames 61b and 62b. In particular, these flange portions 61d and 62d have an inverted L-shaped cross section projecting upward, and a triangle is formed on the inner side (the center side of each of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62). Shaped reinforcing ribs 63 are provided to ensure the required strength.

  On the other hand, on the bottom plate 50b of the tank 50, cylindrical bosses 64 project from six locations corresponding to the flange portions (only two are shown in FIG. 4). Thus, the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 are attached in the tank 50 by fastening the flange portions 61c, 61d and 62c, 62d and the bosses 64 with screws 65, and are in the inclined state described above. Fixed. Further, a gap α is formed between the upper ends of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 and the upper plate 50a of the tank 50 as shown in FIG. The structure functions as the overflow portion 66.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross section of the inlet side and the outlet side of the U-turn water passage of the tank 50, wherein (a) is a vertical side view of the inlet side and (b) is a longitudinal side view of the outlet side. It is. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the structure for attaching the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 to the tank 50 as shown in FIG. 4 is omitted.

  During the drying operation, as shown in FIG. 1, the dehumidified water generated from the evaporator 30 flows down from the water inlet 52 into the tank 50 through the recess 18 a and the drain outlet 51. As shown in FIG. 5A, since the first filter 61 is not located directly below the water inlet 52 so as not to pass the filter function, the dehumidified water collected and flowing down from the water inlet 52 is directly stored in the tank 50. to go into. In this embodiment, the amount of dehumidified water that enters from the water inlet 52 during the drying operation is, for example, a small amount of about 20 cc per minute. Therefore, the water level of the dehumidified water that has entered the tank 50 gently rises little by little, and as indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 1 filter 61 is passed. At this time, since the flow of the dehumidified water is very slow, a part of the foreign matter such as lint in the dehumidified water settles downward.

  Subsequently, the dehumidified water that has passed through the first filter 61 and from which a considerable amount of lint has been removed flows into the second filter 62 from between the right end of the partition plate 60 and the right side plate 50f of the tank 50. . Then, the dehumidified water passes through the second filter 62 in such a flow as to flow downward from above with respect to the second filter 62 as indicated by an arrow D in FIG. Since the second filter 62 uses a filter body 62 a having a finer mesh than the first filter 61, foreign matters such as fine lint that have passed through the first filter 61 are captured when passing through the second filter 62. Removed.

  Thus, when dehumidified water is stored in the tank 50, the water level in the tank 50 rises. When this water level reaches the drainage start water level S indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5A, the control unit 44 drives the drainage pump 53 to discharge the dehumidified water in the tank 50 as in the first embodiment. The dehumidified water stored in the tank 50 is discharged to a predetermined drainage place outside the main body 1.

  As described above, since the drainage is started when the water level in the tank 50 reaches the drainage start water level S, normally, until the gap α provided at the upper end side of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 is reached, The water level in the tank 50 does not rise. However, in the unlikely event that the first filter 61 or the second filter 62 is clogged and the flow of water is greatly hindered, the upstream side (inlet) of the dehumidified water flow in the first filter 61 or the second filter 62 It is conceivable that only the water level on the water inlet 52 side gradually increases. However, in this embodiment, when the water level reaches the gap α, the dehumidified water on the upstream side can overflow from the gap α to the downstream side (drainage pump 53 side), and functions as a so-called overflow portion 66. The flow of the stored water to the downstream side can be promoted.

According to the said Example, there exist the following effects.
Since the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 are arranged to be inclined, it is possible to efficiently increase the filter area that acts to remove foreign matters such as lint, and the clogging of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 is prevented. Durability can be improved.

  In addition, the dehumidified water collected from the water inlet 52 is directly stored in the tank 50 and is slowly passed through the first filter 61 in a flow that flows upward from the lower side (upstream side). Then, foreign matters such as lint in the dehumidified water can be precipitated downward. That is, since the effect of removing foreign matter can be obtained also by the precipitation action, the burden of removing foreign matter due to the capture of the first filter 61 is reduced, and the durability that enables long-term use against clogging of the first filter 61 is further improved. To do. Furthermore, since foreign matter adheres to the lower surface side of the first filter 61, the attached foreign matter tends to be less deposited, which is advantageous in terms of durability against clogging.

  Further, when the dehumidified water is pumped up by the operation of the drainage pump 53, the foreign matter precipitated below the dehumidified water stored on the upstream side (the water inlet 52 side) of the first filter 61 is shown in FIG. a), it is compressed and accumulated in the lower right end E. Therefore, the margin for lint deposition of the first filter 61 can be further increased.

  Since the second filter 62 is arranged so that the dehumidified water passes through the second filter 62 in such a manner as to flow downward from above, the lint capturing performance of the second filter 62 is improved. In this case, since most of the lint is removed by the first filter 61, the second filter 62 can efficiently remove lint while ensuring durability against clogging.

  The dehumidified water flow path is formed in a U-turn shape, and the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with the partition plate 60 interposed therebetween. A filter area can be secured. Furthermore, since the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 are configured with the same size, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost such as mold cost of the filter bodies 61a and 62a.

  Since the gap α is provided between the upper ends of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 and the upper plate 50a of the waste liquid tank 50 and above the drainage start water level S, the first filter 61 should be used. When the second filter 62 is clogged, the upstream side (water inlet 52 side) dehumidified water can overflow to the downstream side (drainage pump 53 side) with the gap α as the overflow portion 66. It is possible to prevent the drainage pump 53 from performing a draining operation normally and causing a drainage failure immediately.

  In addition, since the filter body 61a of the first filter 61 is about 70 mesh, for example, while the filter body 62a of the second filter 62 is about 100 mesh, the first filter 61 without damaging the flow of dehumidified water as much as possible, Foreign substances such as relatively large dust and lint are removed, and the second filter 62 can efficiently remove foreign substances such as relatively small lint that have passed through the first filter 61. With such a combination of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62, it is possible to provide a filter that is less likely to be clogged and can efficiently remove foreign matters.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Note that the same parts as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described below. FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5A in the second embodiment, and shows a cross section on the inlet side of the tank 50.
As described in the second embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5A, foreign matters such as lint in the stored dehumidified water settle downward on the upstream side (water inlet 52 side) of the first filter 61. Tend to. However, it is also conceivable that the precipitated foreign matter peels and rises again due to the flow of dehumidified water.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a lint holding sheet 70 (a foreign matter holding sheet) made of a nonwoven fabric is provided on the upstream side (water inlet 52 side) of the first filter 61 on the bottom plate 50 b of the tank 50. Equivalent). As a result, the precipitated foreign matter is held in the lint holding sheet 70 in an adhering state, and does not rise again. Therefore, the accumulation of foreign matters such as lint can be improved, and the durability of the first filter 61 as the filter function can be improved accordingly.

  Note that a gap may be provided between the bottom plate 50 b of the tank 50 and the lint holding sheet 70. If it does in this way, it will become difficult for the flow of the dehumidification water above the lint holding sheet 70 to be transmitted below, and it can prevent the rise of peeling of lint further. Further, it is more effective to increase the effective holding area by bending the lint holding sheet 70 into, for example, a wave shape.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The same parts as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 in the first embodiment, and shows an external perspective view of the tank 50.
As shown in FIG. 7, on the left side of the upper surface of the tank 50, the tank 50 is formed at the intermediate position between the water inlet 52 and the drainage pump 53 to have the same shape as the water inlet 52 (corresponding to the first water inlet). A second water inlet 80 is provided as a water inlet communicating with the inside. The second water inlet 80 communicates with a water outlet (not shown) provided below the condenser 31, and accordingly, the heat exchanger duct 18 includes two water outlets together with the water outlet 51. Is formed.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view in which the upper plate 50a of the tank 50 is omitted. The second partition plate 81 is placed on the bottom plate 50b so as to block the portion located below the second water inlet 80 and the portion located below the drain pump 53 and to divide the second filter 62 in half. Are integrally formed. The second partition plate 81 is also integrally formed with a boss 64 positioned below the flange 62c of the second filter 62.

  In the second partition plate 81, the left end portion is formed in a rectangular shape having the same height as the partition plate 60, and the connecting portion with the central boss 64 is from the left end portion in order to avoid interference with the flange portion 62c. The height is also low. On the other hand, the right end portion of the second partition plate 81 is formed in a triangular shape having a hypotenuse extending substantially parallel to the lower surface of the second filter 62. With such a configuration, the dehumidified water flow path from the second water inlet 80 to the drainage pump 53 is also formed in a U-turn shape.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
In the drying operation, dehumidified water due to condensation generated on the surface of the evaporator 30 is mainly discharged from the drain port 51, but is scattered to the position of the condenser 31 by the warm air circulating in the heat exchange duct 18. There is. The dehumidified water scattered in the vicinity of the condenser 31 in this manner is collected into the tank 50 from the second water inlet 80 through a drain port (not shown) provided below the condenser 31.

  Although not shown, since the second filter 62 is not located directly below the second water inlet 80, the dehumidified water collected and flowing down from the second water inlet 80 directly flows into the tank 50 without passing through the filter function. enter. Therefore, like the dehumidified water from the water inlet 52 (corresponding to the first water inlet) described in the second embodiment, the second filter 62 flows in such a manner as to flow upward from below with respect to the second filter 62. Passing through the back side in FIG. 8, foreign matters such as lint are captured and removed. At this time, part of the foreign matter in the dehumidified water settles downward.

  Subsequently, the dehumidified water that has passed through the back portion of the second filter 62 is merged with the dehumidified water that has passed through the first filter 61, and flows into the front side portion of the second filter 62 in FIG. 8. Then, this dehumidified water passes through the portion on the near side of the second filter 62 in such a flow as to flow downward from above with respect to the second filter 62 as in the second embodiment. In this case, the first filter 61 And foreign matters such as lint that have passed through the inner portion of the second filter 62 are removed.

  Thus, when dehumidified water is stored in the tank 50, the water level in the tank 50 rises. Although not shown, when the water level reaches the drainage start water level S as disclosed in FIG. 5A, for example, the control unit 44 drives the drainage pump 53 in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. Then, the discharge of the dehumidified water in the tank 50 is started, and the dehumidified water stored in the tank 50 is discharged to a predetermined drainage place outside the main body 1.

According to the said Example, there exist the following effects.
On the upper surface of the tank 50, in addition to the conventional water inlet 52, a second water inlet 80 communicating with a drain outlet provided below the condenser 31 is provided. Thus, even when the dehumidified water generated in the evaporator 30 is scattered near the condenser 31 by the circulating air during the drying operation, the dehumidified water is collected in the tank 50 and the second filter 62 is Foreign matter contained in the dehumidified water is removed by filtering and precipitation, and the dehumidified water from which the foreign matter has been removed can be discharged out of the main body 1 by the drainage pump 53.

  Since a small amount of dehumidified water is scattered from the evaporator 30 side to the condenser 31 side, the second filter 62 is separated between the back side portion and the near side portion by the second partition plate 81 as in this embodiment. In the case where two filter parts are formed by forming a U-turn-shaped water passage and passing the dehumidified water in two stages, that is, the filter area through which the dehumidified water from the condenser 31 side passes through the evaporator. Even when the dehumidified water from the 30 side is approximately half the filter area through which it passes, an effective lint removal action can be obtained.

In addition, this invention is not limited to each Example described above and described in drawing, The following deformation | transformation or expansion | deployment is possible.
For example, if the tank 50 itself is made of a material from which Ag ions and the like are eluted, the generation of a strange odor due to residual water in the tank can be reduced by a sterilizing action.
In addition, the overflow portion 66 forms a mesh-free portion (hole portion) in part of the upper end portions of the first filter 61 and the second filter 62 instead of the gap α at the upper end portion of the filter, and overflows from this portion. You may make it flow.

Nonwoven fabrics may be used for the filter bodies 56a, 61a, and 62a of the filter 56, the first filter 61, and the second filter 62. In this case, the density of the nonwoven fabric of the filter body 62a may be set higher than the density of the nonwoven fabric of the filter body 61a.
The tank 50 may be appropriately positioned around the outer periphery of the main body 1 so that the tank 50 can be taken in and out from the outside. With this configuration, the filter can be easily replaced when the filter is clogged.
The washing / drying machine may have a vertical axis in which a water tank and a rotating tank are arranged in a vertical axis.
In addition, the specific configuration of the circulation duct 27 and the flow direction of the circulating air can be implemented by appropriately changing them in practice without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a longitudinal side view of a washing / drying machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. External perspective view of tank Longitudinal side view of tank The external appearance perspective view which abbreviate | omitted the upper plate of the tank which shows 2nd Example of this invention It is sectional drawing of a tank, (a) is an entrance side, (b) is each vertical side view of an exit side FIG. 5A shows a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 equivalent diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 equivalent Longitudinal side view around the heat exchanger showing conventional technology

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a main body, 5 is a water tank, 6 is a rotating tank, 22 is a circulation fan, 27 is a circulation duct, 30 is an evaporator (heat exchanger), 31 is a condenser (heat exchanger), and 32 is a compressor. , 50 is a tank, 52 is a water inlet, 53 is a drainage pump (drainage mechanism), 56 is a filter, 61 is a first filter (filter), 62 is a second filter (filter), 66 is an overflow portion, and 70 is lint holding A sheet (foreign substance holding sheet), 80 indicates a second water inlet.

Claims (7)

A water tank provided with a rotating tub provided in the body and containing laundry, a circulation duct communicating with the air inlet / outlet of the water tank, a circulation fan for circulating the air in the water tank through the circulation duct, and a circulation A heat exchanger composed of an evaporator, a condenser, etc. that exchanges heat with air and interposed in the path of the circulation duct, and a heat pump mechanism comprising a compressor and a capillary tube, and generated by the heat pump mechanism In what performs the drying operation by supplying the warm air that has been performed to the rotating tank through the circulation duct,
A container-like tank that is provided outside the path of the circulation duct and collects and stores dehumidified water generated by the heat exchanger;
A drainage mechanism for discharging the dehumidified water stored in the tank,
A washing and drying machine, wherein a filter for capturing foreign matter in the dehumidified water is disposed in the tank.   The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the filter is disposed to be inclined in a diagonal direction in the tank.   The filters are arranged at multiple locations, and the filter that is first located when viewed from the water inlet of the tank is inclined so that the upstream side is positioned upward and the downstream side is positioned downward with respect to the flow of dehumidified water. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the washing / drying machine is used.   The washing / drying machine according to claim 3, wherein the filter is disposed adjacent to a water passage of dehumidified water formed in a U-turn shape in the tank.   4. The washing / drying machine according to claim 3, wherein a foreign matter holding sheet for holding foreign matter that has sunk from the dehumidified water is disposed on the bottom surface of the tank below the filter located first when viewed from the water inlet.   6. An overflow portion for overflowing the collected dehumidified water is provided in an upper portion of the filter or a portion between the upper end of the filter and the inner wall of the upper wall of the tank. The washing dryer as described in.   The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the tank has a plurality of water inlets capable of collecting waste water from both the evaporator and the condenser.

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