JP2008301941A - Washing/drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To have an outside air introduction means effective for preventing dew condensation on an inner wall surface or the like without impairing the external appearance design even if exhausting part of humidity from a circulation duct to a body inside for a stable operation of a heat pump mechanism, or a heat source for warming air. <P>SOLUTION: This washing/drying machine which warms air using the heat pump mechanism and circulatingly supplies the warm air via a circulation duct 20 to dry laundry in a drum 11, is provided with an exhaust port 32 for exhausting the part of the circulation air from the circulation duct 20 to the inside of the body 1, the outside air introduction means having an outside air introduction port on the outer surface of the body 1, a filter device 40 having a filter panel 42 covering the outside air introduction port, wherein the filter panel 42 is formed to be hung with a hand for attaching/detaching the filter member 41 provided in the filter device 40, and a recessed part 49 for guiding the outside air to the outside air introduction port. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing and drying machine provided with a heat pump mechanism that circulates and supplies hot air during a drying operation and functions as a heating source for the hot air.

  Conventionally, as this type of washer-dryer, for example, a drum-type washer / dryer is provided with a rotatable drum for storing clothes in a water tank that can store water, and a washing process such as washing, rinsing, and dehydration, and a drying process are performed. It can be operated automatically or selectively. In order to increase the efficiency of heat energy used for drying, particularly in the drying process, hot air heated to a predetermined temperature can be circulated and supplied into the drum. For this purpose, a circulation duct connected to the hot air inlets and outlets before and after the water tank is formed, and a heating source such as an electric heater for warm air and a blower fan are provided in the middle of the duct. Therefore, in such a circulation configuration, the drying operation is performed in a closed-loop wind circuit without exhausting outside the machine, and the living environment where the washing dryer is installed is not affected by the temperature and humidity due to the exhaust. It can be performed comfortably.

  However, in recent years, attempts have been made to adopt a heat pump mechanism as a heating source in order to obtain a more efficient drying action. As is well known, this heat pump mechanism is composed of a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant is circulated in the order of a condenser, a capillary tube, and an evaporator by means of a compressor. On the other hand, an evaporator that cools and dehumidifies by a heat exchange action and a condenser that heats are arranged. Employment of this heat pump mechanism is evaluated as effective in that a high quality finishing effect with less wrinkles can be obtained because the laundry is dehumidified and dried at a relatively low temperature.

  However, as a characteristic of the refrigeration cycle, the amount of heat that the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle has is increased by the fact that the heat dissipation heat of the condenser is superior to the cooling heat amount of the evaporator, and the temperature of the entire circulating air rises as the laundry is dried. In addition, the pressure increases and the compressor may be overloaded. For this reason, a proposal has been made in which an exhaust port for discharging a part of the circulating air is provided on the upstream side of the evaporator, and an intake port for sucking air outside the circulation duct is provided to assist this (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

  However, according to the above configuration, a part of the air containing a lot of moisture after contributing especially to the drying from the exhaust port is discharged to the internal space of the washing / drying machine main body. Condensation is likely to occur. This dew condensation causes the generation of rust and the dripping dew wets the installation floor surface, resulting in generation of soot and odor. On the other hand, a means of discharging a part of the moisture directly outside the main body outside the machine can be considered, but in this case, the convenience of the original circulation type is impaired although it is a small amount, and the living environment related to temperature and humidity is adversely affected. Both of them are unpreferable for the user in practice, such as giving a problem or having difficulty in setting the installation location.

  Therefore, it is considered effective to prevent condensation by taking outside air outside the main body into the main body, diffusing and diluting so that moisture does not stay, and reducing the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the main body. As the outside air introduction means, a configuration in which a fan device for general intake and an outside air inlet opening on the outer surface of the main body is provided can be considered. However, it is necessary to provide the outside air introduction port in consideration of a position where it is not inadvertently blocked or sucking in dust or dust, and appearance design.

On the other hand, this type of washer / dryer includes a filter device that captures yarn waste and the like from the air flowing through the circulation duct during a drying operation. This is because there is a possibility that lint or the like may be caught on the constituent parts of the evaporator or condenser (for example, pipes through which the refrigerant passes) interposed in the circulation duct, thereby inhibiting the flow in the duct and the heat exchange action. For this reason, a filter device in which a filter member is arranged in the previous stage (upstream side) is provided. Of course, it is necessary to appropriately remove the captured lint and the like, and therefore a structure that can be detached and easily operated from the outside of the main body is required.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-215543

  According to the above configuration, it is considered effective to prevent dew condensation in the main body by providing the outside air introduction means, while the outside air introduction port for that purpose, the installation site such as the inlet / outlet port of the filter member of the necessary filter device, If they are provided at the outer surface position of the main body, which is easily noticeable by the user, and these are arranged separately, the appearance design of the washing / drying machine is greatly impaired. In addition, the filter member can be easily attached and detached, and the outside air inlet must not be blocked by other equipment, and there are various practical matters such as the possibility that foreign matter may enter if the front surface is left open. Have a serious problem.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured to cover the outside air introduction port with a filter device from the front side, and can easily guide outside air to the outside air introduction port while improving the appearance design of the outer surface of the main body. An object of the present invention is to provide a washing and drying machine that can be used.

In order to achieve the above object, a washing and drying machine according to the present invention includes a main body forming an outer shell, a rotating tub provided in the main body for storing laundry, and a water tub disposed on an outer peripheral side thereof, A circulation duct connected to an air inlet / outlet provided in the water tank, a blower fan provided to circulate and supply air into the water tank via the circulation duct, and evaporation to the windward side in the middle of the circulation duct A heat pump mechanism comprising a compressor having a condenser arranged on the leeward side, an exhaust port formed on the upstream side of the evaporator of the circulation duct, and exhausting part of the circulating air into the main body, Outside air having a filter device that captures lint and the like from the air circulating through the circulation duct so as to be removable from the outside of the main body, and an intake fan device that takes outside air outside the main body into the main body With introduction means ,
On the outer surface of the main body, an inlet / outlet of the filter member and an outside air inlet of the outside air introducing means are arranged side by side, and the filter device is positioned in front of the inlet / outlet in the attached state of the filter member. And having a filter panel that covers the outside air inlet from the front,
The filter panel is configured to be aligned with the outer surface of the main body, and a concave portion is formed on the outer surface of the main body along the lower edge side of the filter panel, and the concave portion is formed on the lower edge side of the filter panel. In addition to being able to be handled, the outside air can be communicated with the outside air inlet covered by the filter panel.

  According to the above means, the long-term stable use of the heat pump mechanism and the prevention of condensation on the inner wall surface of the main body can be achieved, and the outside air inlet arranged side by side is covered from the front by the filter device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a washing / drying machine that can guide the outside air to the outside air inlet through the concave portion, and that is also effective in preventing foreign matter from entering from the front.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a drum-type washing / drying machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing an outline of the overall configuration of the washing / drying machine, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view. First, the overall configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. A rectangular box-shaped main body 1 that forms the outer shell of the washing and drying machine includes a front plate 2 that forms the front, left and right side plates 3 and 4, a rear plate 5, an upper top plate 6, and a base plate that forms the bottom. 7 and the like. For example, the front plate 2 is more specifically described. For example, the front plate 2 has a panel frame 2a having an operation unit at the upper part, a door frame 2b having a door 8 at the lower part thereof, and a filter device at the lowermost part. In addition, components such as a lower frame 2c having a cold air outlet or the like (details will be described later) are connected. The front plate 2 having such a configuration has a so-called matched shape so that the entire front plate 2 is inclined rearward and has a gentle arc shape, and the outer surfaces of the respective constituent members are substantially flush.

  Inside the main body 1, a substantially non-porous and cylindrical water tank 9 and a drum 11 having a large number of through holes 10 in the peripheral wall and rotatable around a horizontal axis are concentrically disposed. . Both the water tank 9 and the drum 11 have a large opening on the front side (the left side in the figure), are arranged to face the door 8, and the water tank 9 is elastically supported so as to be pivotally supported in a slightly upwardly inclined state. It is elastically supported on the base plate 7 of the main body 1 through the device 12. Thus, the space between the opening of the door 8 and the front opening of the water tank 9 functions as a clothes inlet, and an elastically expandable / contractible bellows 13 is connected in a watertight manner so that the water tank 9 can be connected to the main body 1 from the water tank 9 side. A closed space is formed to prevent water leakage.

  The drum 11 is formed with a plurality of baffles 14 for scooping up the laundry, and the drum 11 is driven to rotate so that the laundry is agitated particularly during washing and drying. It is said. The drum 11 is directly driven by a motor 15 provided on the back surface of the water tank 9. The motor 15 is composed of, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and a drum 11 is directly connected to a rotating shaft 16 connected to the rotor through a water tank 9. Further, a drain port 17 is formed at the lowermost rear part of the bottom of the water tank 9, and a drain pipe 19 is communicated with the drain valve 18 in the middle. It constitutes drainage means that can drain into the drainage area.

  On the other hand, the water tank 9 is provided with an air inlet / outlet at positions separated from each other, and is provided with a circulation duct 20 connected to the inlet / outlet. For example, the outlet 21 in the present embodiment is formed on the upper side of the front side of the water tank 9, the inlet 22 is configured to open to the back side of the water tank 9, and the circulation duct 20 connected thereto is below the water tank 9. It is set as the structure which bypassed and communicated. The specific configuration of the circulation duct 20 will be described. The exhaust duct 23 connected to the outlet 21 of the water tank 9, the air supply duct 24 connected to the inlet 22, and the other end extending below these ducts 23, 24. Expansion joints 25a and 25b connected to each other, an intermediate duct 26 connected to one expansion joint 25a, and a heat exchange duct 27 connected between the intermediate duct 26 and the other expansion joint 25b. .

  Among them, a heat pump mechanism described later is interposed in the heat exchange duct 27, and the circulating air flowing in the duct 27 is cooled or heated by heat exchange, and as a result, hot air for drying is generated. The lower end portion of the air supply duct 24 and the downstream end of the heat exchange duct 27 form a fan casing and a blower fan 28 is disposed, and hot air is circulated and supplied into the water tank 9 through the air supply duct 24. Therefore, circulating air that flows in the direction of arrow R through the circulation duct 20 and the water tank 9 is generated.

  The heat exchanging duct 27 is installed on the base plate 7 of the main body 1 together with the heat pump mechanism, and the heat pump mechanism and its related configuration will be described below. As is well known, the heat pump mechanism includes a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant is circulated by a compressor 29 in order of a condenser 30, a capillary tube (throttle) (not shown), and an evaporator 31, and circulates in the condenser 30 as a function thereof. The air to be heated is heated and warmed, supplied from the inlet 22 of the water tank 9 through the air supply duct 24 by the blower fan 28, sent into the drum 11 inside, and dried while removing moisture from the stored laundry. . The air containing a lot of moisture after contributing to drying is recovered from the outlet 21 on the front side through the exhaust duct 23 to the heat exchange duct 27, where the moisture is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 31, and reaches the condenser 30 again. It is heated and circulated as warm air, and such a heat pump mechanism functions as a heating source for heating so-called circulating air.

  On the other hand, the intermediate duct 26 is formed with an exhaust port 32 for discharging a part of the circulating air, which is located on the upstream side which is the inlet side of the circulating air of the evaporator 31. An air inlet 33 for sucking air in the surrounding space is formed on the downstream side which is the outlet side of the container 31. In the present embodiment, the exhaust port 32 and the intake port 33 are formed to open on the upper surface side of the intermediate duct 26 and the heat exchange duct 27, respectively.

  Further, the intermediate duct 26 is formed with a cold air passage 34 that branches from the heat exchange duct 27 to the exhaust duct 23 side, and the other end is formed with a cold air outlet 35 formed in the lower frame 2c outside the main body 1. Communicating with Specifically, the cold air passage 34 is configured to communicate between the heat exchange duct 27 side of the intermediate duct 26 and the cold air outlet 35 via the inlet portion 36a and the outlet portion 36b of the fan casing 36. A cold-air fan device 37 having a cylindrical cross-flow fan 37a driven by a motor (not shown) is arranged, and this constitutes cold-air blowing means necessary for cooling operation to be described later. The outlet portion 36b of the fan casing 36 has an arc shape similar to the crossflow fan 37a, and the outlet portion 36b opens corresponding to the cold air outlet 35 of the lower frame 2c. The surrounding wall surface 48 is also formed in an arc shape (refer to FIG. 6 described later for details).

  And the damper 38 which selectively opens and closes the entrance part 36a and the channel | path of the circulation duct 20 is provided. This damper 38 is driven by a stepping motor (not shown) and is normally maintained in a state where the circulation duct 20 side is communicated, and is controlled so as to open the inlet 36a side and close the circulation duct 20 side during cooling operation described later. Is done. At this time, the exhaust port 32 formed in the intermediate duct 26 is also simultaneously closed by the damper 38.

  In addition, a louver 39 that is the same as a drive source that is a stepping motor that drives the damper 38 is rotatably provided on the outlet 36b side. That is, the louver 39 has a semicircular arc shape that follows the arc shape of the fan casing 36 having the outlet portion 36b, and has a discharge port 39a formed of a lattice-like opening portion at a part thereof, and the damper 38 has the cold air passage 34. When the side is opened, the louver 39 is also rotated at the same time, and the discharge port 39a is in communication with the outlet 36b and the cold air outlet 35.

  A filter device 40 is provided upstream of the position where the damper 38 of the intermediate duct 26 is provided. Although details will be described separately, a filter member 41 for capturing lint such as lint from the air circulating in the circulation duct 20 and one end of the filter member 41 are extended to the outside of the main body 1 and integrally formed. The filter panel 42 is made up of. As will be described later, the filter panel 42 also functions as a handle, and the filter member 41 can be attached and detached from the outside of the main body 1.

  The configuration of the filter device 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The filter device 40 is formed integrally with the lower frame 2c constituting the front plate 2 together with the cold air blowing means or the like, or as a part of the lower frame unit 43 that is integrally mounted and fixed. 3 and 4 are a perspective view seen from the front side and a perspective view seen from the inner side with the lower frame unit 43 removed from the front plate 2, and FIG. 5 is a front view, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

  First, in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the intermediate duct 26 is bent at a right angle inside the lower frame 2c, and the expansion joint 25a (see FIG. 1) is fitted and connected to the vertically extending upper end. A connecting portion 26a is formed, and a flange portion 26b for connecting to the heat exchange duct 27 is formed at an end portion extending in the horizontal direction. The exhaust port 32 is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the intermediate duct 26 as shown in FIG. However, the filter device 40 is built in the vertical portion of the intermediate duct 26 and has the filter panel 42 partially extending to the outer surface of the lower frame 2c. The outer surface of the filter panel 42 is It is incorporated in a so-called matched form so as to be substantially flush with the outer surface of the lower frame 2c.

  Further, in FIG. 3, the lattice-shaped discharge ports 39a of the louvers 39 constituting the cold air blowing means correspond to the cold air blowing ports 35 of the lower frame 2c, and the cold air can be blown out. Is shown. In addition, a lid 44 that can be opened and closed is provided on the left side of the lower frame 2c in FIG. 3 (and FIG. 2). Although this detailed description is omitted, the lid 44 can be opened and removed so that filter means (not shown) for capturing lint from the drainage of the drain pipe 19 of the water tank 9 can be attached and detached, and can be cleaned. To do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an intake fan device 45 is provided on the side of the vertical portion of the intermediate duct 26. The intake fan device 45 is for introducing outside air into the main body 1. As will be described in detail later, one end opens to the outer surface of the lower frame 2 c and the other end opens into the main body 1 to draw outside air. It is provided integrally with the intake duct 46 taking in the direction indicated by the broken line arrow, thereby constituting the outside air introduction means.

  Thus, the configuration of the filter device 40 provided facing the intermediate duct 26 becomes clear from the cross-sectional view of FIG. That is, a mesh-like filter member 41 is accommodated in a flat space immediately below the connecting portion 26a of the intermediate duct 26 so as to be detachable in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in the figure), and its front end extends to the outer surface of the lower frame 2c. A filter panel 42 is formed so as to hang downward so as to be aligned. Incidentally, the opening end of the insertion / exit port 47 is formed in a recessed portion 53 that is recessed inward from the outer surface of the lower frame 2 c, and the size thereof is a vertical flat surface that substantially faces the filter panel 42.

  Accordingly, the filter panel 42 faces the front and rear of the inlet / outlet 47 of the filter member 41 with a gap, and not only covers the inlet / outlet 47 from the front, but also extends horizontally from the laterally long opening of the inlet / outlet 47. The shape greatly extends to the right side (see FIG. 5). This is because the outside air introduction port 50 of the outside air introduction means arranged in parallel on the right side of the concave portion 53 is also covered from the front surface, and the details will be described later.

  In addition, since the filter member 41 shown in the present embodiment is in the shape of a shallow container as shown in the drawing, the inlet / outlet port 47 may have a large opening area in the height direction. In order to prevent leakage of circulating air, a closing plate portion 52 that closes close to the opening edge of the inlet / outlet port 47 is provided. However, the closing plate portion 52 is not necessarily required. For example, when the filter member 41 has a flat plate shape, the inlet / outlet port 47 has a narrow horizontal hole shape. It is because it is possible to block.

  Further, as apparent from FIG. 6, the outer surface of the lower frame 2c along the lower edge of the filter panel 42 forms a concave portion 49 that is recessed inward. The depth of the concave portion 49 is formed so as to reach the concave portion 53, and forms a gap into which at least fingers can be inserted so that the lower edge portion of the filter panel 42 can be handled. It is. Incidentally, the concave portion 49 shown in the present embodiment has a form utilizing the external shape required by the cold air blowing means described above.

  That is, in the cold air blowing means arranged below the filter device 40, the louver 39 and the lower frame 2c are also formed in an arc shape corresponding to the cylindrical shape by the cross-flow fan 37a of the cold air fan device 37, and these are formed in front. Since it arrange | positions inward, without projecting from the outer surface of the faceplate 2, the recessed part 49 which becomes depressed inside circular arc shape with respect to the outer surface of the lower frame 2c is formed. Accordingly, the cold air outlet 35 of the lower frame 2c is open to the arcuate wall surface 48 as described above.

  Next, the outside air introducing means will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. This is also provided integrally with the lower frame unit 43 in order to take air outside the main body 1 into the main body 1. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 with the filter device 40 removed, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7 and viewed from the direction of the arrow, and FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected along C line | wire and seen from the arrow direction, and all cut | disconnect and disclosed the principal part of an external air introduction means.

  First, an outside air introduction port 50 is formed alongside the access port 47 of the filter member 41 shown in FIG. The outside air introduction port 50 opens to a recessed portion 53 on the same plane as the access port 47, and is thus provided at a position recessed inward from the outer surface of the entire lower frame 2c. However, the outside air filter 51 is attached and fixed to the outside surface side of the outside air introduction port 50 by an appropriate fixing means in order to prevent entry of foreign matter. On the other hand, the intake duct 46 described with reference to FIG. 4 is integrally attached and fixed inside the outside air inlet 50.

  The intake duct 46 is bent substantially at a right angle, as clearly shown in FIG. 9, and has an intake fan device 45 at its inner end so as to communicate with the inside of the main body 1. Therefore, when the intake fan device 45 is driven, outside air flows along the arc-shaped wall surface 48 from the concave portion 49 as a gap formed below the lower edge portion of the filter panel 42, and the concave portion. The outside air inlet 50 formed at 53 is taken in, and outside air is taken in as shown by the broken-line arrows in FIGS. 8 and 9 and constitutes outside air introduction means introduced into the main body 1 through the intake duct 46. .

  Although a detailed description is omitted, for example, a control device (not shown) for controlling various operations such as washing and drying is provided inside the panel frame 2a having the operation unit shown in FIG. This control device has a circuit configuration mainly composed of a microcomputer, and inputs operation signals set in the operation section of the panel frame 2a, detection signals from a water level sensor and a temperature sensor (not shown), etc., and stores them in advance. On the basis of the control program, the motor 15 for driving the drum 11, the refrigeration cycle of the compressor 29, the circulation fan 28, the cool air blowing device 37 for the cold air blowing means, the intake fan device 45 for the outside air introducing means, The drain valve 18 and a water supply valve (not shown) are driven and controlled.

Next, the operation of the drum type washing / drying machine having the above configuration will be described.
As is well known, in the standard operation course, washing, rinsing, and dehydration processes are automatically performed mainly on the control of the rotation speed of the drum 11 directly connected to the motor 15, and finally the process proceeds to the drying process. . In the drying process, the control device drives the blower fan 28, air circulates in the circulation duct 20, and heats the air by driving a heat pump mechanism that functions as a heating source for the air. Circulatingly supplied to the drum 11 (in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 1). That is, in the condenser 30 of the heat pump mechanism, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 29 to become a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and heat is exchanged with the air flowing through the heat exchange duct 27. At this time, the air is heated and warm air is heated. It becomes. The warm air is supplied from the inlet 22 on the back surface side of the water tub 9 through the air supply duct 24 by the blower fan 28, and is brought into contact with the laundry housed in the drum 11 to perform a drying action for removing moisture.

  Air (warm air) that contributes to the drying action and contains a lot of moisture flows into the exhaust duct 23 from the outlet 21 on the front side of the water tank 9, and exchanges heat through the intermediate duct 26 provided in the lower frame unit 43. It flows into the duct 27 and reaches the evaporator 31. However, the refrigerant functioning as a refrigeration cycle expands through a capillary tube (not shown), is supplied to the evaporator 31, and exchanges heat with the moist air after contributing to drying to evaporate. Since the latent heat of evaporation at this time is given from the air, the air is cooled, the amount of saturated steam is reduced, and the supersaturated steam in the air is condensed. The condensed water is dripped through the evaporator 31 and is appropriately discharged out of the main body 1 through a dehumidifying water draining means (not shown).

  By the way, the exhaust port 32 provided in the intermediate duct 26 is maintained in an open state. In other words, the damper 38 during the drying operation is held at the position shown in the solid line in FIG. 1 so as to shield the cold air passage 34 and forms a circulation passage as the circulation duct 20. Therefore, a part of the air containing moisture is discharged from the open exhaust port 32 to the internal space of the main body 1 as indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. Most of the other circulating air is cooled and dehumidified through the evaporator 31 and reaches the condenser 30 where it is heated and warmed again as described above and circulated and supplied as new hot air. However, an air inlet 33 is also opened on the downstream side, which is the outlet side of the evaporator 31. Therefore, air in the surrounding space passes from the air inlet 33 into the heat exchange duct 27 as indicated by a broken line arrow Q in FIG. And replenished as circulating air. As a result, particularly as a feature of the refrigeration cycle, the amount of heat released from the condenser 30 is higher than the amount of cooling heat from the evaporator 31 by an amount corresponding to the power consumption of the compressor 29, and the compressor 29 may be overloaded. In addition, a safe operation by the refrigeration cycle (heat pump mechanism) can be realized by suppressing the pressure increase of the refrigerant and ensuring a stable heat radiation amount by the condenser 30.

  However, it is easy to condense to retain a part of the moisture while being discharged in the main body 1, and further, condensation is likely to occur on the inner wall surface due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the main body 1. For example, when the outside air temperature is 5 ° C or less in winter, or when the outside air temperature is higher than 35 ° C on a hot day (eg, 80% humidity) in summer, etc. The moisture is condensed on the inner wall surface of the main body 1 and internal components.

  However, in this embodiment, since the outside air introducing means is provided, the intake fan device 45 is driven as shown in FIG. 8 in particular, and the concave portion 49 at the lower edge of the filter panel 42 as shown by the broken line arrow in the figure. The outside air taken in is introduced into the outside air introduction port 50 having a gap with the inner surface side of the filter panel 42, and introduced through the intake duct 46 so as to blow out to the side in the main body 1. The introduced outside air moves without stagnation of the air in the main body 1 including moisture discharged from the exhaust port 32, and dilutes and diffuses.

  Thus, the diluted and diffused air in the main body 1 exceeds the amount of intake air from the intake port 33 into the circulation duct 20, so that the internal pressure in the main body 1 is increased, and the air is the front plate 2 constituting the main body 1. The left and right side plates 3 and 4 and the top plate 6 are discharged to the outside of the main body 1 through minute gaps at the respective joints, so that the exchange with the outside air is performed smoothly. In this case, a dedicated exhaust outlet may be provided, but in actuality, exhaust can be performed through the appropriate gap as described above. In addition, as described above, the moisture component discharged outside the machine is performed in a sufficiently diluted state due to the introduction of the outside air, so that changes in the atmosphere such as temperature and humidity in the living space where the washing dryer is installed are performed. It can be kept small, and the convenience of the original hot air circulation type can be maintained.

  Further, the front surface of the outside air introduction port 50 provided in the recessed portion 53 is covered with a filter panel 42 with a gap, and the outside air filter 51 is attached and fixed. Can be prevented. In addition, the filter panel 42 is in front of the inlet / outlet port 47 of the filter member 41 and covers the outside air inlet 50 arranged side by side, and is aligned with the outer surface of the lower frame 2c. It can be a design. In addition, the cold air outlet 35 positioned below the filter panel 42 corresponds to the non-hole portion of the louver 39 having the discharge port 39a facing it, that is, in a closed state.

  On the other hand, during such a drying operation, lint such as lint is generated from laundry clothes and the like. This lint moves along the flow of circulating air (in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 1) and flows into the exhaust duct 23 from the outlet 21 side of the water tank 9. However, the lint is quickly captured by the filter device 40 before reaching the heat exchange duct 27 on the downstream side. That is, it is captured and accumulated in the filter member 41 provided on the inlet side of the intermediate duct 26.

  When cleaning the filter member 41, the filter member 41 is pulled outward (forward) using the filter panel 42 extended to the outer surface of the front plate 2 of the main body 1 as a handle. Can be easily taken out, and after cleaning, the filter panel 42 may be grasped and inserted through the inlet / outlet 47. In this case, in order to enable the lower edge portion of the filter panel 42 to be handled, the concave portion 49 into which a finger can be inserted has a part of the lower frame 2c having the cold air outlet 35 below the arc-shaped wall surface 48. Thus, it is formed inwardly and can be used as an outside air intake passage to the outside air introduction port 50 at its right end.

  The concave portion 49 formed by forming a predetermined gap with the arc-shaped wall surface 48 adopts a cylindrical cross-flow fan 37a as cold air blowing means in this embodiment, and a wind outlet portion 36b of the louver 39 or the fan casing 36. Since the shape of the portion is also an arc shape, the periphery of the corresponding cold air outlet 35 (corresponding to the arc-shaped wall surface 48) is connected to the recessed portion 53 by using a similar arc shape. However, arc shapes such as the louver 39 and the fan casing 36 also contribute to ease of inserting fingers.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to cool the indoor space where the washing / drying machine is installed, it is executed by setting the cooling operation in the operation part of the panel frame 2a. In this case, a control device (not shown) drives the damper 38 as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 and holds it at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line rotated upward. As a result, the circulation passage as the circulation duct 20 is blocked and the exhaust port 32 is also closed, while the inlet portion 36a of the cold air passage 34 is opened and is in communication with the heat exchange duct 27 side. The louver 39 is also driven simultaneously with the driving of the damper 38, and the discharge port 39a is rotated to a position facing the outlet portion 36b and the cold air outlet 35, that is, held in a communicating state.

  In this state, the operation of the compressor 29 is started, and the cool air fan device 37 is also energized. As a result, an air flow opposite to that during the drying operation is generated in the heat exchange duct 27, and the air taken into the heat exchange duct 27 from the intake port 33 or the like is shown by a broken line arrow E in FIG. It is cooled by passing through the evaporator 31. This cooled air is taken into the fan casing 36 by the rotation of the cross flow fan 37a, and is discharged from the outlet 1a of the bar 39, the outlet 36b of the fan casing 36, and the cold air outlet 35 of the lower frame 2c. The indoor space where the washing and drying machine is installed is cooled.

  In this cooling operation, as the air in the main body 1 is released to the outside, the outside air is taken into the main body 1 through gaps such as the outside air inlet 50 and the connecting portions of the constituent members of the main body 1. Further, the flow of the circulating air flows in the direction of the broken line arrow E opposite to that during drying, but the damper 38 is provided in front of reaching the filter member 41 so as to switch the passage. There is no risk of peeling or reverse feeding.

According to the said Example, there exist the following effects.
Even if a part of the air containing moisture is discharged from the exhaust port 32 into the main body 1 upstream of the evaporator 31 in order to ensure a safe and stable operation of the heat pump mechanism that functions as a heating source of the circulating air, Since the outside air introducing means having the intake fan device 45 for taking in outside air is provided, the movement of moist air is promoted to prevent the retention of air, which is a condition that tends to cause condensation, and the moisture component is diluted and diffused to reduce the temperature difference. Therefore, the condensation on the inner wall surface of the main body 1 can be effectively suppressed, and the anxiety due to moisture and condensation can be avoided. However, the outside air introduction port 50 of the outside air introduction means is configured to open to the outer surface of the main body 1, and this outside air introduction port 50 is configured to be covered from the front by the filter panel 42 of the filter device 40 provided side by side, and the appearance design is Good (details will be described later).

  The filter device 40 is indispensable for this kind of washing and drying machine that circulates hot air, that is, it is difficult for the user to clean the substantially closed loop circulation passage by the circulation duct 20. In addition, lint such as lint generated from clothing or the like needs to be captured and easily removed by the filter device 40, and the entanglement of the heat pump mechanism with the evaporator 31 and the condenser 30 by the lint can be avoided. Therefore, the filter member 41 that captures lint is provided with a filter panel 42 that extends to the outer surface of the main body 1, and the filter panel 42 can be used as a handle while being aligned with the outer surface of the main body 1.

  That is, the filter panel 42 is located in front of the inlet / outlet port 47 of the filter member 41 and has a size substantially opposite to the recessed portion 53 in which the inlet / outlet port 47 is formed. Yes. Not only that, the outside air inlet 50 arranged side by side on the same plane as the inlet / outlet 47 is also formed in a horizontally extending shape that covers the gap from the front. Accordingly, only the filter panel 42 is exposed on the outer surface of the main body 1 and the outer surface is flush, so the appearance design is very good.

  However, in order to enable the filter panel 42 to be handled, in this embodiment, the arc-shaped wall surface 48 having the cold air outlet 35 provided close to the lower side thereof can be effectively used as the concave portion 49 that forms the gap. I did it. That is, the cold air outlet 35 has an opening shape that is horizontally long on the left and right, and this substantially corresponds to the width dimension of the upper inlet / outlet 47 and the outside air inlet 50 arranged side by side. The horizontally long cold air outlet 35 has an opening corresponding to the cylindrical cross-flow fan 37a of the cold air fan device 37 provided on the inner surface side of the lower frame 2c as the main body 1, and the cold air outlet 35 and its The periphery forms a similar arc-shaped wall surface 48 together with the arc-shaped fan casing 36 and the louver 39, that is, the entire area including the cross-flow fan 37a and the louver 39 is configured in an arc shape (see FIGS. 6 and 8). ). Accordingly, an arcuate wall surface 48 that is recessed inward from the outer surface of the lower frame 2c is formed horizontally along the lower edge side of the filter panel 42, that is, a concave portion 49 is formed. Continuing to a recess 53 having a mouth 47.

  As a result, a finger can be inserted into the inner surface side of the lower edge of the filter panel 42, so that it can be handled. In addition, since a passage (gap) that guides outside air to the outside air introduction port 50 can be formed through the concave portion 49, the outside air can be reliably taken in even with the outside air introduction port 50 covered with the filter panel 42. . However, since the arc-shaped wall surface 48 can be handled and the concave portion 49 having a configuration that allows the outside air to communicate with the outside air introduction port 50 may be formed, for example, a linear inclined surface shape may be used.

  In addition, since the outside air inlet 51 has the outside air filter 51 mounted and fixed on the structure whose front surface is covered as described above, it is impossible to intrude foreign substances and of course fingers cannot be inserted, and is excellent in safety. . In addition, when the filter device 40 is cleaned, the filter panel 42 is surely removed, and the outside air inlet 50 that is naturally covered can be visually observed. Therefore, the outside air filter 51 can be inspected and checked without being clogged with dust or the like, and is extremely effective for long-term use.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a washing / drying machine having a cold air blowing means capable of cooling operation is described, and the cold air blowing ports 35 are arranged in close proximity to the lower part of the filter device 40 and the outside air introduction port 50. A clean appearance can be maintained on the outer surface. Accordingly, these can be disposed on the front surface (front plate 2) of the main body 1, the filter device 40 can be easily attached and detached, and the outside air inlet 50 can be easily inspected. Is advantageous in that it can be blown out.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the rotating tub is not limited to the drum around the horizontal axis, and is also adopted in a washing / drying machine having a washing / dehydrating tub around the vertical axis. it can. Further, in a washing / drying machine that does not have a cooling operation function, a concave portion that allows a finger to be inserted is formed along the lower edge of the filter panel, and a passage (gap) that leads to the outside air inlet through the concave portion on the inner surface side of the filter panel. In this case, the shape of the concave portion can be appropriately set to a shape optimal for handling. In addition, the intermediate duct having the exhaust port and the outside air introduction means are integrally assembled as a lower frame unit. However, this has the advantage of facilitating manufacturing and assembly, but is not limited to this and may be replaced with another specific configuration. The present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The longitudinal side view which shows the outline | summary of the whole structure in one Example which applied this invention to the drum type washing-drying machine. External perspective view of the washer / dryer The perspective view seen from the front side of the lower frame unit A perspective view seen from the inner surface side of the lower frame unit Front view of lower frame unit Sectional drawing cut | disconnected along the AA line in FIG. FIG. 5 equivalent view with the filter device removed Sectional drawing cut along line BB in FIG. Sectional drawing cut along line CC in FIG. 7 and viewed from the direction of the arrows

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a main body, 2 is a front plate, 2c is a stock frame, 9 is a water tank, 11 is a drum (rotating tank), 20 is a circulation duct, 26 is an intermediate duct, 27 is a heat exchange duct, 28 is a blower fan, 29 is a compressor, 30 is a condenser, 31 is an evaporator, 32 is an exhaust port, 33 is an intake port, 35 is a cold air outlet, 38 is a damper, 39 is a louver, 40 is a filter device, 41 is a filter member, 42 Is a filter panel, 43 is a stock frame unit, 45 is an intake fan device, 47 is an inlet / outlet port, 48 is an arcuate wall surface, 49 is a concave portion, 50 is an outside air inlet, and 51 is an outside air filter.

Claims (2)

A body forming an outer shell;
A rotating tub provided in the main body for storing laundry, and a water tub disposed on an outer peripheral side thereof;
A circulation duct connected to an air inlet / outlet provided in the water tank, and a blower fan provided to circulate and supply air into the water tank via the circulation duct;
A heat pump mechanism comprising a compressor or the like in which an evaporator is disposed on the windward side of the intermediate part of the circulation duct, and a condenser is disposed on the leeward side;
An exhaust port that is formed on the upstream side of the evaporator of the circulation duct and discharges a part of the circulating air into the main body;
A filter device that detachably attaches a filter member that captures lint from the air circulating through the circulation duct from the outside of the main body;
Outside air introduction means having an intake fan device for taking outside air outside the body into the body,
On the outer surface of the main body, the filter member access port and the outside air introduction means are arranged in parallel,
The filter device has a filter panel that is located in front of the inlet / outlet in the attached state of the filter member and covers the outside air inlet from the front surface,
The filter panel has a form that matches the outer surface of the main body, and forms a recessed portion that is recessed in the outer surface of the main body along the lower edge side of the filter panel,
The concave portion has a configuration in which the lower edge side of the filter panel can be handled, and the outside air communicates with the outside air inlet covered by the filter panel.   The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein an outside air filter is attached and fixed to the outside air inlet.

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