JP2008086422A - Dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dryer which can effectively dry objects to be dried in a short time, remove foreign body such as lint or dust, can easily eliminate bacteria of filters, or conduct such bacteria elimination of heating means or dehumidification means, or additionally eliminate bacteria of the objects to be dried. <P>SOLUTION: The dryer W includes a compartment 10 for containing objects to be dried and executes drying operation of the objects to be dried inside the compartment 10. The dryer includes a heating means 82, a dehumidification means 85, a blowing means 83, and an air circulation passage 72 for discharging air heated by a heating means 82 into the compartment 10 by the blowing means 83, sending air which passes inside the compartment 10 into the dehumidification means 85, and circulating the air to the heating means 82 again. The problem is solved by a bacteria eliminating means 111 and a foreign body removing filter 112 for removing lint in the air circulation in sequence from the compartment 10 side, which are provided between the compartment 10 and the dehumidification means 85. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dryer that includes a storage chamber for storing a material to be dried, and that performs a drying operation for the material to be dried in the storage chamber.

  Conventionally, such a dryer uses an electric heater or a gas combustion heater as a heat source, heats the outside air by the electric heater or the combustion heater to form high-temperature air, and then blows it into a storage chamber in which clothes and other objects to be dried are stored. The material to be dried in the storage chamber is dried.

  However, in such a dryer, an electric heater, a gas combustion heater, or the like is used as a heat source, so that an energy consumption for drying an object to be dried increases, and an energy cost such as an electricity bill and a gas bill increases. There was a problem.

Therefore, in a clothes dryer, a heat pump that is composed of a compressor, a heating coil, an expansion valve, and a cooling coil, and that includes a refrigerant circuit that can circulate the heat exchange medium, is covered with high-temperature air heated by the heating coil. There has also been developed a method of drying a dried material and condensing moisture evaporated from the material to be dried by condensing it in a cooling coil (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
For example, an ozone generator is known that applies an alternating voltage between electrodes to generate a silent discharge in a gap, and generates ozone by passing air or oxygen through the gap (for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4). Etc.)
JP 2001-62194 A JP 2006-110394 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-4802 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-116907

Since the high-temperature air after drying the object to be dried with the high-temperature air heated by the heating coil contains foreign matters such as lint and dust generated from the object to be dried, these foreign matters When adhering to the heating coil or the cooling coil, there is a problem that the heat exchange efficiency is lowered.
Therefore, a filter for removing these foreign substances is installed between the storage chamber for storing the material to be dried and the cooling coil as the dehumidifying means.
And when this filter was clogged after long-term use, it was removed and cleaned. However, it could not be sterilized.
If the bacteria are not sterilized, bacteria may migrate and adhere to the dried product from the filter, causing stains and odor problems, or may migrate and adhere to the heating coil and cooling coil to propagate and reduce heat exchange efficiency. was there.

  The object of the present invention is to solve such problems, in particular, to easily sterilize the filter, and to easily sterilize the heating coil and the cooling coil together with the sterilization of the filter. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dryer that can be used, or can further easily sterilize a material to be dried.

The dryer according to claim 1 of the present invention for solving the above-described problem is provided with a storage chamber for storing a material to be dried, and performs a drying operation of the material to be dried in the storage chamber.
Heating means, dehumidifying means, air blowing means, and air heated by the heating means by the air blowing means are discharged into the housing chamber, and the air passing through the housing chamber is sent to the dehumidifying means, and again to the heating means. An air circulation path for circulation,
A sterilization means and a foreign matter removal filter for removing foreign matters in the circulating air are provided between the storage chamber and the dehumidifying means in order from the storage chamber side.

  The dryer according to claim 2 of the present invention is the dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a gas cooler, a pressure reducing device, and an evaporator are sequentially connected in an annular manner, and the heating means is provided by the gas cooler. And the dehumidifying means is constituted by the evaporator.

  The dryer according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the dryer according to claim 1 or 2, the sterilization means is configured to be used for sterilization of only the foreign matter removing filter. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the dryer according to the first or second aspect, the sterilization means can be used for sterilization of the heating means and the dehumidification means together with the foreign matter removing filter. It is configured.

  The dryer according to claim 5 of the present invention is the dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sterilization means is operated during a drying operation of the object to be dried. It is configured to be usable for sterilization.

  The dryer according to claim 6 of the present invention is the dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sterilizing means is an ozone generating mechanism for generating ozone and an ozone concentration in the air circulation path. And a detection means, wherein the ozone generation mechanism is controlled and operated so that the ozone concentration in the air circulation path detected by the ozone concentration detection means becomes an ozone concentration according to the sterilization target. And

The dryer according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a storage chamber that stores a material to be dried, and performs a drying operation of the material to be dried in the storage chamber.
Heating means, dehumidifying means, air blowing means, and air heated by the heating means by the air blowing means are discharged into the housing chamber, and the air passing through the housing chamber is sent to the dehumidifying means, and again to the heating means. An air circulation path for circulation,
Between the storage chamber and the dehumidifying means, a sterilization means and a foreign matter removal filter for removing foreign matters in the circulating air are provided in order from the storage chamber side,
While maintaining the circulation-type advantage that the temperature of the air discharged into the storage room can be increased, the object to be dried can be efficiently dried in a short time by dehumidifying the dehumidifying means, as well as lint, dust, etc. Since foreign matter is removed by the foreign matter removal filter, the evaporator, gas cooler, etc. are not contaminated by foreign matter such as lint and dust, the heat exchange rate is maintained without lowering, and the sterilization means is activated as necessary. As a result, the filter, heating means, dehumidifying means, etc. can be easily sterilized, or the dried product can be further sterilized.

The dryer according to claim 2 of the present invention is the dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a gas cooler, a pressure reducing device, and an evaporator are sequentially connected in an annular manner, and the heating means is provided by the gas cooler. Since the dehumidifying means is configured by the evaporator,
For example, compared with the case where the circulating air is heated by an electric heater and the dehumidification is performed by water cooling, the temperature of the air discharged by the gas cooler to be discharged into the housing chamber can be increased, and the object to be dried is dehumidified by the evaporator. It is possible to dry more efficiently in a short time, improve energy efficiency, and further contribute to energy saving.

The dryer according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the dryer according to claim 1 or 2, the sterilization means is configured to be used for sterilization of only the foreign matter removing filter. So that
There is a remarkable effect that the filter can be easily sterilized without removing only the filter that is easily contaminated with bacteria from the installation location.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the dryer according to the first or second aspect, the sterilization means can be used for sterilization of the heating means and the dehumidification means together with the foreign matter removing filter. Since it is characterized by being configured,
A remarkable effect is achieved in that sterilization such as a filter that easily receives bacterial contamination and heat exchange fins of the heating means and dehumidification means can be easily sterilized without being removed from the installation site.

The dryer according to claim 5 of the present invention is the dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sterilization means is operated during a drying operation of the object to be dried. Since it is configured to be usable for sterilization of
Since the object to be dried can be sterilized with drying during the drying operation, there is a remarkable effect that there is a deodorizing effect.

The dryer according to claim 6 of the present invention is the dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sterilizing means is an ozone generating mechanism for generating ozone and an ozone concentration in the air circulation path. And a detection means, wherein the ozone generation mechanism is controlled and operated so that the ozone concentration in the air circulation path detected by the ozone concentration detection means becomes an ozone concentration according to the sterilization target. So that
Since the bacteria can be sterilized at the ozone concentration according to the sterilization target, the safety is improved, and it is possible to further contribute to energy saving and resource saving.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an internal configuration of a washing / drying machine W that executes a washing operation and a drying operation after the completion of the washing operation, as an embodiment of the dryer to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a refrigerant of the washing / drying machine W. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of air and the flow of drying air.

  The washing / drying machine W of this embodiment is used for washing and drying clothes to be washed such as clothes (the clothes to be dried in the drying operation), and a main body forming an outline An opening / closing door 3 is attached to the center of the upper surface of the door 1 as a lid for delivering the laundry, and various operation switches and display portions are provided on the upper surface of the main body 1 on the side of the opening / closing door 3. An operation panel (not shown) is provided.

A cylindrical resin-made outer tub drum 2 capable of storing water is provided in the main body 1, and the outer tub drum 2 is disposed with a cylindrical shaft in the left-right direction.
A cylindrical stainless steel inner tub drum (rotating drum) 5 serving as a washing tub and a dewatering tub is provided inside the outer tub drum 2.
The inside of the inner tub drum 5 serves as a storage room (functioning as a storage room in the drying operation) 10 for storing the laundry, and this is also provided with a cylindrical shaft as a left-right direction. The inner tank drum 5 is connected to the shaft 8 of a drive motor (not shown) mounted on the side wall (the back side in FIG. 1) of the tank drum 2 and is centered on the axis of the inner tank drum 5 connected to the shaft 8. The drum 2 is held rotatably.

  Since the outer tub drum 2 is vibrated and displaced by the rotation of the inner tub drum 5, it is placed on the base 32 located on the bottom surface of the main body 1 via a suspension 30 having a vibration absorbing function to reduce vibration and noise. It is fixed. That is, the rotating inner tank drum 5 is attached on the base 32 via the outer tank drum 2 and the suspension 30.

  A watertight opening / closing lid 7 is provided at the upper part of the outer tub drum 2 in correspondence with the opening / closing door 3. In addition, a large number of through holes (not shown) through which air and water can flow are formed in the entire peripheral wall of the inner tank drum 5. Moreover, the stop position of the inner tub drum 5 is defined, and an opening / closing cover (not shown) for delivering the laundry is provided at a position (upper surface) corresponding to the opening / closing cover 7 of the outer tub drum 2 at the time of the stop. Have.

  The drive motor described above is a motor for rotating the inner tub drum 5 around the axis 8 in the horizontal direction in the washing operation and the drying operation after the completion of the washing operation. This drive motor is attached to the other end of the shaft 8 (the back side in FIG. 1), and causes the inner tub drum 5 to rotate at a lower speed in the drying operation than in the washing operation by a control device (not shown). Controlled.

  An inner hollow portion 9 is formed in one end of the shaft 8 (front side in FIG. 1), and an air circulation path 72 and an inner tank drum 5 which will be described later are disposed through the discharge port of the hollow portion 9. Is communicated.

  A water supply passage (not shown) serving as a water supply means for supplying water into the inner tank drum 5 is provided in the upper portion of the main body 1, and one end of the water supply passage is connected to a water supply source such as tap water through a water supply valve. It is connected. The water supply valve is controlled to be opened and closed by the control device. Further, the other end of the water supply passage is connected to the inside of the outer tub drum 2 and communicates with the inside, and when the water supply valve is opened by the control device, the inner tub drum 5 provided in the outer tub drum 2 is opened. Water (tap water) is supplied to the storage chamber 10 from a water supply source.

  Further, a drainage passage (not shown) is provided at the lower portion of the main body 1 as drainage means for draining the water in the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5, and one end of the drainage passage is connected to the control device. It communicates with the bottom of the outer tub drum 2 through a drain valve that is controlled to open and close. Further, the other end of the drainage passage is led out of the washing / drying machine W and reaches a drainage groove or the like.

On the other hand, in the washer / dryer W, the air circulation path 72 described above is formed in the main body 1 from the rear side to the side of the outer tub drum 2.
This air circulation path 72 discharges the air heated by the gas cooler 82 as the heating means by the blower fan 83 as the blowing means into the accommodation chamber 10, and the evaporator 85 as the dehumidifying means uses the air passed through the accommodation chamber 10. The air circulation path 72 includes a discharge-side duct member 67, a suction-side duct member 68, an air passage 69, and the like. Yes.
One end of the duct member 67 communicates with the inside of the inner tank drum 5 (the storage chamber 10) through the discharge port of the hollow portion 9 formed at one end of the shaft 8 (front side in FIG. 1). It is connected and fixed to the drum 2, and the other end is connected and fixed to the air passage 69.
Further, one end of the duct member 68 is connected and fixed to the outer tank drum 2 so as to communicate with the inside of the inner tank drum 5 (the storage chamber 10) in the outer tank drum 2, and the other end is connected and fixed to the air passage 69. Has been. Both duct members 67 and 68 constituting the air circulation path 72 are made of metal or heat-resistant synthetic resin.

On the other hand, a drying unit comprising an air circulation path 72, a refrigerant circuit 95 in which a compressor 81, a gas cooler 82, an expansion valve 84 as a pressure reducing device, an evaporator 85, and the like are sequentially connected in a pipe form, and a blower fan 83 is provided. Contained.
In the washing / drying machine W of this embodiment, the heating means is constituted by the gas cooler 82 and the dehumidifying means is constituted by the evaporator 85 as described above.
The compressor 81, the gas cooler 82, the expansion valve 84, the evaporator 85, and the blower fan 83 are installed in the air passage 69.
The refrigerant circuit 95 is also provided with an internal heat exchanger 88 for exchanging heat between the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 81 and discharged from the gas cooler 82 and the low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 85.

The blower fan 83 supplies the drying air in the air circulation path 72 from the duct member 67 of the air circulation path 72 to the accommodating chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5 through the discharge port of the hollow portion 9 of the shaft 8.
That is, the washer / dryer W circulates the drying air in the air circulation path 72 into the inner tank drum 5 by the blower fan 83 during the drying operation, so that the gas cooler provided in the air passage 69 of the air circulation path 72. The drying air heated by heat exchange with 82 is discharged into the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5.

  With such a configuration, the air after circulating in the storage chamber 10 by the operation of the blower fan 83 and drying the laundry, flows into the air path 69 through the duct member 68 of the air circulation path 72, and the evaporator 85. After being cooled and dehumidified by exchanging heat, the air is sucked into a blower fan 83 provided in the air path 69, passes through the periphery of the compressor 81, and is heated by exchanging heat with the gas cooler 82. Then, the inside of the storage chamber 10 is discharged.

  Here, between the storage chamber 10 and the evaporator 85, a sterilization means 111 and a foreign matter removal filter 112 are provided in this order from the storage chamber 10 side.

  Specifically, the sterilization means 111 is a sterilization means capable of sterilizing, for example, the filter 112, and specifically, for example, a short wavelength ultraviolet ray from an ultraviolet radiation lamp is applied to the filter 112. Sterilization means for sterilization by irradiation, sterilization means for sterilizing the filter 112 by simultaneously generating ozone as well as ultraviolet rays when the wavelength of ultraviolet rays is 185 nm, and an ozone generation mechanism Examples include a sterilization means that sterilizes the filter 112 using ozone, a sterilization means that uses hydrogen peroxide, or a combination of two or more thereof.

  The sterilization means 111 is preferably a sterilization means capable of sterilizing the filter 112 and sterilizing the gas cooler 82 as the heating means and the evaporator 85 as the dehumidification means. The sterilization means which can also sterilize the to-be-dried substance in 10 is especially preferable.

  The sterilization means 111 can be operated when necessary to sterilize the filter 112. However, the sterilization means 111 can be sterilized by operating at a predetermined time or time interval, or can be detected by the clogging detection sensor 61. When the difference ΔP between the pressure above and below 112 reaches a preset ΔP and the filter 112 is clogged, the information on ΔP is sent from the clogging detection sensor 61 to the control device, and based on the information from the control device, Can be activated by a signal.

The ozone concentration in the air circulation path 72 detected by the ozone concentration detection means 62 using the ozone generation mechanism for generating ozone and the sterilization means having the ozone concentration detection means 62 in the air circulation path 72 as the sterilization means 111. For example, when the filter 112, the evaporator 85, and the gas cooler 82 are sterilized, the ozone concentration is increased so that the ozone concentration according to the sterilization target (filter 112, evaporator 85, gas cooler 82, object to be dried, etc.) If the ozone generation mechanism is controlled and operated by the control device such as sterilizing the object to be dried using ozone concentration lower than that, it can be sterilized at the ozone concentration according to the sterilization target. As a result, it can contribute to further energy and resource savings.
The ozone concentration detection means 62 is installed on the air upstream side of the evaporator 85 in the air path 69 and on the air downstream side of the filter 112.
Outputs of the clogging detection sensor 61 and the ozone concentration detection means 62 are connected to a control device.

The foreign matter removing filter 112 is for removing foreign matter such as lint and dust released into the circulating air from the material to be dried in the storage chamber 10 during the drying operation. It is installed in the duct member 68 below the sterilization means 111 between.
The foreign matter removing filter 112 is not particularly limited as long as it can remove foreign matters such as lint and dust released into the circulating air.

Specifically, as the foreign matter removing filter 112, for example, a glass fiber filter, a filter using a synthetic fiber using a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin, a polyester resin, a polyamide resin, or the like, or an open cell is used. Filters using synthetic resin foam, filters using metal fibers, filters using metal laths, filters using perforated plates, filters having a plurality of slits in a thin metal plate, or combinations of two or more of these Can be mentioned.
The size, area, thickness and the like of the foreign matter removing filter 112 are determined based on the size and amount of foreign matter such as lint and dust released into the circulating air.

In addition, an outside air inlet 120 is provided in the air passage 69 between the storage chamber 10 and the suction side of the blower fan 83 and on the air downstream side of the foreign matter removing filter 112. The outside air introduction port 120 is a port for mixing outside air into the air circulating in the air circulation path 72.
A lid member 122 is attached to the opening of the outside air introduction port 120, and the outside air introduction port 120 can be opened and closed by the lid member 122. The lid member 122 is controlled in opening / closing and opening degree by a control device. That is, the control device controls the opening and closing and the opening degree of the lid member 122 based on the temperature and humidity of the outside air detected by the sensor 60 and the outside air sensor described later. Thereby, the amount of outside air introduced from the outside air inlet 120 can be adjusted.

  On the other hand, an inside air discharge port 130 is provided in the air path 69 on the upstream side of the outside air introduction port 120. The inside air discharge port 130 is a discharge port through which a part of the air circulating in the air circulation path 72 flows out to the outside. A lid member 132 is attached to the inside air outlet 130 so as to be openable and closable. The lid member 132 is also controlled in opening / closing and opening degree by the control device. That is, the control device controls the opening degree of the lid member 132 according to the temperature and humidity detected by the sensor 60 and the outside air sensor, and adjusts the amount of circulating air exhausted from the inside air outlet 130. be able to.

The above-described sensor 60 detects the temperature and humidity of the drying air (circulated air) in the air path 69 on the air downstream side of the evaporator 85 in the air path 69 and on the air upstream side of the inside air outlet 130. Is installed.
An outside air sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature (outside air temperature) and humidity outside the washing and drying machine W is installed on the side wall or the back surface of the main body 1 of the washing and drying machine W. The outputs of the sensor 60 and the outside air sensor are connected to the control device.

A predetermined amount of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is sealed as a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 95, and the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit 95 becomes a supercritical pressure.

The above-described control device is a control means for controlling the washing / drying machine W, and operates a drive motor (not shown), opens / closes a water supply valve in a water supply passage, opens / closes a drain valve in a drain passage, operates a compressor 81, and an expansion valve. The aperture adjustment of 84 and the air volume of the blower fan 83 are controlled.
The control device also controls the temperature of the drying air that has passed through the gas cooler 82 so that the laundry accommodated in the inner tub drum 5 is not discolored and damaged.

Further, as described above, the control device controls the opening / closing and opening of the lid member 122 of the outside air inlet 120 and the lid member 132 of the inside air outlet 130 based on the outputs of the sensor 60 and the outside air sensor.
Further, as described above, the control device controls the operation of the sterilization means based on the output of the clogging detection sensor 61, and the ozone concentration in the air passage 69 is turned on according to the object to be dried based on the output of the ozone concentration detection means 62. The concentration is controlled.

Next, the operation of the washing / drying machine W will be described with the above configuration.
When the laundry and a predetermined amount of detergent corresponding to the amount of the laundry are put into the storage chamber 10 in the inner tub drum 5 and the power switch and the start switch among the operation switches described above are operated, the control is performed. The device starts washing operation.
And a control apparatus opens the water supply valve of the water supply channel | path which is not shown in figure, and opens a water supply channel | path. Thereby, water is supplied from the water supply source into the storage chamber 10 of the inner tank drum 5 in the outer tank drum 2. At this time, the drain valve of the drain passage is closed by the control device.
In the washing operation, the lid member 122 of the outside air introduction port 120 and the lid member 132 of the inside air discharge port 130 are fully closed by the control device.

  When a predetermined amount of water accumulates in the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5, the control device closes the water supply valve and closes the water supply passage. Thereby, the supply of water from the water supply source is stopped.

  Next, the drive motor formed on the side surface of the main body 1 is energized and activated by the control device to rotate the shaft 8, whereby the inner tank drum 5 attached to the shaft 8 starts to rotate in the outer tank drum 2. The washing process of the washing operation is started.

  When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the washing process, the drive motor is stopped by the control device, the drainage valve of the drainage passage is opened, and water (washing) in the storage chamber 10 of the inner tub drum 5 (that is, in the outer tub drum 2). Water) is being discharged.

  When the water in the storage chamber 10 of the inner tub drum 5 is discharged, the control device operates the drive motor again to dehydrate the laundry. After performing this dehydration for a predetermined time, the control device closes the drain valve of the drain passage.

  Next, the control device shifts to the rinsing process, and opens the water supply valve of the water supply passage to open the water supply passage. Thereby, water is again supplied from the water supply source to the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5. When a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5, the control device closes the water supply valve and closes the water supply passage. Thereby, the supply of water from the water supply source is stopped.

  Then, after rinsing by repeating the rotation operation of the drive motor for a predetermined time, the control device stops the drive motor, opens the drain valve of the drain passage, and discharges the rinse water in the storage chamber 10 to the drain passage. When the rinsing water in the storage chamber 10 is discharged, the control device operates the drive motor again, rotates the inner tub drum 5 as described above, and shifts to a dehydration process in which the laundry is dehydrated.

  After performing this dehydration process for a predetermined time, the control device closes the drain valve. Further, the control device starts the compressor 81 and starts the operation of the blower fan 83. Then, the inner drum 5 is rotated by the drive motor to shift to the drying operation.

In this drying operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed and discharged by the compressor 81 radiates heat by the gas cooler 82 and then passes through the internal heat exchanger 88. In the internal heat exchanger 88, the high-pressure side refrigerant is deprived of heat by being deprived of heat by the low-pressure side refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 85.
As a result, the evaporation temperature in the evaporator 85 can be lowered, and the cooling capacity can be improved. Then, the refrigerant exiting the internal heat exchanger 88 reaches the expansion valve 84.

The refrigerant is not condensed so far, and the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit 95 is at a supercritical pressure. The refrigerant reaching the expansion valve 84 is depressurized there, liquefied in the process, and then flows into the evaporator 85 where it absorbs heat from the surroundings and evaporates.
The refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 85 passes through the internal heat exchanger 88. Here, the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 85 may not be completely in a gaseous state but may be mixed with liquid refrigerant. However, the refrigerant is allowed to exchange heat with the high pressure side discharged from the gas cooler 82 through the internal heat exchanger 88. Thus, since the refrigerant is heated by the high-pressure side refrigerant, the degree of superheat of the refrigerant can be ensured.
As a result, it is possible to avoid inconvenience that the liquid refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 81 and compressed. Note that the refrigerant discharged from the internal heat exchanger 88 is repeatedly circulated by being sucked into the compressor 81.

  On the other hand, the drying air heated by the blower fan 83 by the heat radiation of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant in the gas cooler 82 exits from the duct member 67 of the air circulation path 72 and flows into the hollow portion 9. The drying air that has flowed into the hollow portion 9 is discharged into the storage chamber 10 from the discharge port.

The drying air discharged into the storage chamber 10 warms the material to be dried stored in the inner tank drum 5 (the storage chamber 10), evaporates the moisture, and dries the material to be dried.
Air containing moisture by drying the material to be dried flows out of the inner drum 5 from the through hole (not shown) through the storage chamber 10, enters the duct member 68 of the air circulation path 72, and is disinfected. Passes through the foreign matter removing filter 112.
Here, the circulating air that has passed through the storage chamber 10 may be mixed with foreign matters such as yarn waste such as to-be-dried items and dust stored in the storage chamber 10. However, the circulating air exiting the storage chamber 10 can remove foreign matters such as lint and dust while passing through the foreign matter removing filter 112.

By disposing the sterilization means 111 and the foreign matter removing filter 112 sequentially from the storage chamber 10 side between the storage chamber 10 and the evaporator 85, the filter 112 can be sterilized efficiently, and the evaporator 85, It is possible to efficiently sterilize the gas cooler 82 and the like and sterilize the material to be dried.
In addition, since foreign matters such as lint and dust are removed by the foreign matter removing filter 112, the evaporator 85 and the gas cooler 82 are not contaminated by foreign matter such as lint and dust, and the heat exchange rate is not lowered and maintained. The effect that it is done is acquired.

The air that has passed through the foreign matter removing filter 112 is introduced into the evaporator 85 and passes therethrough.
Moisture contained in the air from the storage chamber 10 (moisture evaporated from the material to be dried) condenses on the surface of the evaporator 85 and the wall surface of the wall 86 in the process of passing through the evaporator 85 to form water droplets in the drain tank 89. Fall. The dropped water droplets are discharged from the drainage passage to an external drainage groove or the like via a drain pipe (not shown) provided at the lower part of the drain tank 89.

  Air dried by the evaporator 85 is sucked into the blower fan 83. Then, the air passes around the compressor 81. At this time, the air cooled by the evaporator 85, sucked into the blower fan 83 and discharged is passed through the periphery of the compressor 81, so that the compressor 81 heated by the operation can be cooled.

The air that has cooled the compressor 81 flows into the gas cooler 82 and is heated.
Then, the air enters the duct member 67 of the air passage 69, is blown into the hollow portion 9 of the shaft 8, and is discharged into the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5 in the same manner as described above to remove moisture from the material to be dried in the inner tank drum 5. Repeat the cycle of deprivation and drying.

  On the other hand, when the drying operation is started, the control device starts opening / closing and opening degree control of the lid member 122 and the lid member 132 based on the temperature and humidity detected by the sensor 60 and the outside air sensor as described above. By this control, the temperature of the air discharged into the storage chamber 10 can be raised without the introduction of outside air, and while maintaining the advantage of a circulating dryer that performs a drying operation, the air is recovered by the evaporator 85. The amount of water that must be reduced can be reduced, and the object to be dried can be efficiently dried. Further, since the outside air introduction amount can be adjusted, more accurate outside air introduction can be realized.

By executing such a drying operation for a predetermined time by the control device, the object to be dried in the storage chamber 10 in the inner tank drum 5 is completely dried. By heating the air in the air circulation path 72 with the gas cooler 82 and dehumidifying it with the evaporator 85, the object to be dried can be efficiently dried in a short time.
Thereby, compared with the case where water cooling is performed by heating circulating air with an electric heater or a gas combustion heater, for example, energy efficiency can be improved and it can contribute further to energy saving. Further, by using a refrigerant whose supercritical pressure is on the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit 95, such as carbon dioxide, a large heating capability can be obtained in the gas cooler 82.

  During such a drying operation, an ozone generation mechanism that generates ozone can be operated as the sterilization means 111 as necessary to sterilize the object to be dried.

  This ozone generation mechanism includes an air pump (not shown), an ozone generator connected to its discharge pipe, and an ozone concentration detection means 62 in the air circulation path 72. The output of the ozone concentration detection means 62 is connected to a control device. ing. Ozone generated by the ozone generator is mixed with hot air in the air passage 69 in the air circulation path 72 by piping. Of course, the ozone generated by the ozone generator may be directly mixed with the hot air in the air passage 69 in the air circulation path 72.

  The ozone mixed with the hot air in the air passage 69 exits from the duct member 67 through the air circulation path 72, flows into the hollow portion 9, is discharged into the storage chamber 10, and is stored in the inner tank drum 5 (the storage chamber 10). The dried material is warmed to evaporate the moisture, the dried material is dried, and the dried material is sterilized by ozone and deodorized.

  The ability of the ozone generator at this time is to adjust the applied voltage of the ozone generator so that the ozone concentration in the air circulation path 72 detected by the ozone concentration detecting means 62 is, for example, 0.05 to 0.2 ppm. It is preferable to do.

In addition, when the sterilization target is the filter 112, the evaporator 85, the gas cooler 82, etc., the ozone concentration is often set higher than in the case of sterilization of the target to be dried. It is preferable to sterilize when no object is contained.
That is, when the sterilization target is the filter 112, the evaporator 85, the gas cooler 82, or the like, the ozone concentration in the air circulation path 72 detected by the ozone concentration detecting means 62 is, for example, 0.4 to 1.0 ppm. Thus, it is preferable to sterilize by adjusting the voltage applied to the ozone generator.

  The air sent from the air pump to the ozone generator is preferably equipped with an intake filter in the ozone generator to remove dust, and if the intake air is dehumidified by providing the intake filter with a hygroscopic material, the amount of ozone generated is reduced. In addition, the lifetime of the ozone generating element can be extended and hot air dried at a low humidity can be supplied into the inner tank drum 5, thereby improving the drying efficiency.

  The ozone concentration is detected by the ozone concentration detection means 62 provided in the air circulation path 72, and the ozone generation mechanism is controlled by the control device so that the ozone concentration becomes an ozone concentration corresponding to the sterilization target. If the generator is operated, it can be sterilized at an ozone concentration corresponding to the sterilization target.

  Air containing ozone after sterilization is passed through a known ozone removal filter to decompose or adsorb ozone, reduce the ozone concentration to 0.1 ppm or less, make it harmless, and then go outside the machine. It is important to release.

The description of the above embodiment is for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the invention described in the claims or reduce the scope. Moreover, each part structure of this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the technical scope as described in a claim.
In each of the above embodiments, the drying air is heated and dehumidified using the refrigerant circuit, but the present invention is also effective for a dryer using an electric heater or a water / air cooling heat exchanger.
In the embodiments, the present invention is applied to a washing / drying machine having washing and drying functions. However, it is needless to say that the drying machine may have only a single drying function.

  The dryer according to the present invention can efficiently dry a material to be dried in a short time by dehumidifying by the dehumidifying means while maintaining the circulation type advantage that the temperature of the air discharged into the storage chamber can be increased. At the same time, foreign matter such as lint and dust is removed by a foreign matter removing filter, so that the evaporator and gas cooler are not contaminated by foreign matter such as lint and dust, and the heat exchange rate is maintained without reduction. Accordingly, the sterilization means can be actuated accordingly so that the filter, heating means, dehumidification means, etc. can be easily sterilized. The above utility value is high.

It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the washing-drying machine of the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the refrigerant | coolant and air flow of the washing-drying machine of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

W Washer / Dryer 1 Main body 2 Outer tub drums 3 and 7 Open / close door 5 Inner tub drum 8 Shaft 9 Hollow portion 10 Storage chamber 30 Suspension 32 Base 60 Sensor 61 Clogging sensor 62 Ozone concentration detection means 67 Discharge side duct member 68 Suction Side duct member 69 Air passage 72 Air circulation path 81 Compressor 82 Gas cooler 83 Blower fan 84 Expansion valve 85 Evaporator 86 Wall 88 Internal heat exchanger 89 Drain tank 95 Refrigerant circuit 111 Disinfection means 112 Foreign matter removal apparatus wall 120 Outside air inlet 122, 132 Lid member 130 Inside air outlet

Claims (6)

In a drier that includes a storage chamber that stores a material to be dried, and that performs a drying operation of the material to be dried in the storage chamber.
Heating means, dehumidifying means, air blowing means, and air heated by the heating means by the air blowing means are discharged into the housing chamber, and the air passing through the housing chamber is sent to the dehumidifying means, and again to the heating means. An air circulation path for circulation,
A dryer characterized in that a sterilization means and a foreign matter removal filter for removing foreign matters in the circulating air are provided between the storage chamber and the dehumidifying means in order from the storage chamber side.   A compressor circuit, a gas cooler, a decompression device, and an evaporator are provided with a refrigerant circuit that is sequentially connected in an annular manner, the heating means is constituted by the gas cooler, and the dehumidifying means is constituted by the evaporator. The dryer according to 1.   The dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sterilizing means is configured to be used for sterilizing only the foreign matter removing filter.   The dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sterilizing unit is configured to be used for sterilizing the heating unit and the dehumidifying unit together with the foreign matter removing filter.   The said sterilization means is comprised during the drying operation of the said to-be-dried material, and is comprised so that it can be used for the sterilization of the to-be-dried material. Dryer.   The sterilization means includes an ozone generation mechanism for generating ozone and an ozone concentration detection means in the air circulation path, and the ozone concentration in the air circulation path detected by the ozone concentration detection means depends on the sterilization target. The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ozone generation mechanism is controlled and operated so as to have a high ozone concentration.

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