JP2009022401A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To normally discharge drainage water condensed by a heat absorber of a cloth dryer which is mounted with refrigeration cycle. <P>SOLUTION: In the clothes dryer, a heat radiator 14 and the heat absorber 16 constitute a heat exchanger 18 of fin and tube type with its fins 17 being shared and integrated. The heat exchanger 18 allows at least the lower edge of the heat absorber 16 to face a section 26 for temporarily accumulating the drainage water. A drainage water discharge passage 29 is arranged on the bottom face of a circulation airflow channel 20 after passage through the heat radiator 14 so that the circulation airflow channel 20 after passage through the heat radiator 14 may communicate with the section 26 for temporarily accumulating the drainage water. In this manner, the drainage water can be normally discharged through the drainage water discharge passage 29 even when the drainage water generated by the heat absorber 16 enters into the circulation airflow channel 20 over the heat sink 14 by the momentum of the air flowing among the fins 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes using a refrigeration cycle.

  A conventional drum-type clothes dryer has a structure as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a rotating drum 52 that rotates about a horizontal axis as a central axis is arranged in the outer case 51, and the opening on the front surface of the rotating drum 52 is opened and closed by a door 53. An air passage 55 including a drying chamber 54 set inside the rotary drum 52 is formed in the outer case 51, and lint in the air that flows through the air passage 55 and the circulation fan 56 is removed. A lint filter 57 is provided. The heat absorber 58 and the radiator 59 installed in the air passage 55 and the compression means 60 and the decompression means 61 installed outside the air passage 55 constitute a refrigeration cycle. A drain water receiver 62 for draining the drain water condensed by the heat absorber 58 is provided.

  In the above configuration, during the clothes drying process, the circulation fan 56 is operated to circulate the air through the air passage 55 so that the air flows in the order of the heat absorber 58, the radiator 59, and the drying chamber 54. Here, the compression means 60 is operated, and the high-humidity air flowing in from the drying chamber 54 is cooled and dehumidified by the heat absorber 58, and then the air is heated by the radiator 59, and the high-temperature and low-humidity air is returned to the drying chamber 54. Helps dry clothes. The drain water is discharged out of the machine through the drain water receiver 62 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, the heat exchanger that integrates the heat absorber 58 and the heat radiator 59 to reduce the size and cost is configured as shown in FIG. The fins 71 are arranged in parallel at regular intervals and the gas flows between them, and the fins 71 are vertically inserted at predetermined step pitches and column pitches, and the heat-dissipating heat transfer tubes 72 functioning as heat radiators and the heat-absorbing functions acting as heat-absorbing devices. The heat transfer tube 73 is provided with slits 74 between the rows of fins 71, and the heat dissipation heat transfer tube 72 and the heat absorption heat transfer tube 73 share the fins 71 so that the heatsink and the heat absorption device are integrated.

In the above configuration, the self-heat conduction through the fins 71 between the heat-dissipating heat transfer tube 72 having a high temperature and the heat-absorbing heat transfer tube 73 having a low temperature is effectively suppressed by the slit 74, and a decrease in heat exchange capability can be suppressed ( For example, see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent No. 3330789 JP-A-2-254269

  However, in the combination of the above-described conventional configurations, the drain water condensed by the heat absorber 58 enters the heat radiator 59 with the momentum of air passing between the fins 71. Since there is no drain water receiver corresponding to the lower part of the radiator 59, drainage cannot be performed, and the drain water enters the air passage 55 beyond the radiator 59, and the drain water remains accumulated in the air passage 55. The water re-evaporates to cause a deterioration in drying performance, and drain water stays after the drying is finished, and it is spoiled and unsanitary.

  This invention solves the subject of such a conventional structure, and it aims at discharging drain water normally while aiming at compactness and cost reduction by integrating a heat radiator and a heat absorber.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the clothes dryer of the present invention is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger in which the radiator and the heat absorber are integrated by sharing fins, and the heat exchanger includes at least the heat exchanger. The lower end of the heat absorber faces the drain water temporary storage part, and a drain is formed on the bottom surface of the circulation air path after passing through the radiator so that the circulation air path after passing through the radiator and the drain water temporary storage part communicate with each other. A water discharge passage is provided.

  As a result, even if the drain water generated in the heat absorber passes through the heat radiator and enters the circulation air passage through the fins, the drain water is returned to the drain water temporary storage section through the drain water discharge passage. It can drain normally.

  Since the clothes dryer of this invention can discharge | emit drain water normally, it can prevent the deterioration of the drying performance by re-evaporation of drain water, and can prevent the decay of the water in a circulation air path.

  The first invention includes a main body, a drying chamber that is supported in the main body and dries clothes, a compression means, a radiator, a decompression means, and a heat absorber that constitute a refrigeration cycle, a blower means, the heat absorber, A radiator, a drying chamber, and a circulation air passage through which air circulates in the order, the radiator and the heat absorber being a fin-and-tube heat exchanger integrated with a common fin, The heat exchanger has at least a lower end of the heat absorber facing a drain water temporary storage unit, and the circulation air passage after passing the radiator and the drain water temporary storage unit communicate with each other after the passage of the radiator. By providing a drain water discharge passage at the bottom of the circulation air passage, the heat exchanger can be made compact by reducing the thickness of the heat exchanger, especially in the direction of air flow. Cost reduction can be realized. Also, even if the drain water generated in the heat absorber passes through the fins and enters the circulation air passage through the fins, the drain water is returned to the drain water temporary storage section through the drain water discharge passage and is Can drain. And while preventing the deterioration of the drying performance by the re-evaporation of drain water, it can prevent the decay of the water by water staying in a circulation air path after drying, and can use it hygienically.

  In the second invention, in particular, in the heat exchanger of the first invention, an air sealing portion is provided at the lower end on the downstream side in the air flow direction, and the other portion faces the drain water temporary storage portion. Accordingly, the drain water exceeding the radiator can be reduced as much as possible by dropping the drain water from the lower end of the radiator in addition to the heat absorber.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, on the bottom surface of the circulating air passage after passing through the radiator of the first or second aspect, a weir for returning drain water to the drain water discharge passage is provided apart from the radiator. The drain water can be efficiently guided to the drain water discharge passage and returned to the drain water temporary storage section. Further, since the weir is separated from the radiator to the downstream side of the drain water discharge passage, it is possible to suppress an increase in air ventilation resistance to a minimum.

  In particular, the fourth aspect of the present invention enables the washing of the clothes accommodated in the drying chamber according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, so that the clothes can be washed and dried in the same tank. Thus, a space-saving clothes washer / dryer can be provided in a single housing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A cylindrical outer tub 2 is provided inside the main body 1, and a cylindrical inner tub 3 that accommodates clothes (not shown) is rotatably provided inside the outer tub 2, and is driven to rotate by a motor 4. Is done. The inner tub 3 becomes a clothes laundry room in the washing process, and becomes a clothes drying room 5 in the drying process. On the front surface of the main body 1, there are provided an opening 6 for putting clothes in and out and a door 7 for opening and closing the opening. A drain port 8 for discharging washing water and dehumidified water is provided at the lower part of the main body 1, and a drain valve 10 is provided in the washing water drain path 9. An air blowing means 11 for circulating air through the drying chamber 5 is provided, and a detachable lint filter 12 for removing foreign matters such as dust and lint in the air is provided.

  The compressor 13, the radiator 14, the decompressor 15, and the heat absorber 16 are annularly connected by a tube to constitute a refrigeration cycle. The radiator 14 and the heat absorber 16 are a so-called fin-and-tube heat exchanger 18 in which the fins 17 are shared and the two units are integrated. A slit 19 is provided in the fin 17 between the rows of the radiator 14 and the heat absorber 16. The circulation air passage 20 is configured to circulate air in the order of the heat absorber 16, the radiator 14, the drying chamber 5, and the heat absorber 16.

  The circulation air passage 20 between the drying chamber 5 and the heat absorber 16 is provided with an exhaust port 21 for exhausting a part of the circulating air and an intake port 22 through which outside air flows, and an outside air inflow control valve 23 is provided at the intake port 22. ing. The air flowing through the exhaust port 21 and the intake port 22 passes through the lint filter 12, and foreign matter is removed. Further, a circulating air temperature detecting means 24 for detecting the temperature of the circulating air after flowing out of the drying chamber 5 is provided. An air sealing portion 25 is provided at the lower end of the heat exchanger 18 on the downstream side in the air flow direction, and the other portion faces the drain water temporary storage portion 26. A sealing portion 25a is provided at the upper end of the heat exchanger 18 from end to end in the air flow direction.

  A drainage pump 27 for draining the water stored in the drain water temporary storage unit 26 is provided, and a water level detection means 28 for detecting the full water in the drain water temporary storage unit 26 is provided. A drain water discharge passage 29 is provided on the bottom surface of the circulation air passage 20 after passing through the radiator 14 so that the circulation air passage 20 and the drain water temporary storage portion 26 communicate with each other. The drain water discharge passage 29 has several small holes in the present embodiment. This area is extremely small compared to the front surface area of the heat exchanger 18 (for example, 1% of the front surface area of the heat exchanger 18). Further, the weir 30 is provided on the bottom surface of the circulation air passage 20 after passing through the radiator 14 so as to be separated from the radiator 14.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described. In the washing process, the water supply valve (not shown) is opened with the drain valve 10 closed, and water is supplied into the outer tub 2 through the water supply path (not shown) until a predetermined water level is reached. The clothes are washed by rotating the inner tub 3 containing clothes and washing water. In the rinsing process after washing, water is supplied into the outer tub 2 as in the washing operation, and the inner tub 3 is rotated to rinse the clothes. In the dehydration step, the drain valve 10 is opened to drain water to the outside of the machine, and then the inner tub 3 containing clothes is rotated at high speed by the motor 4 to dehydrate.

  When the drying process is started, the outside air inflow control valve 23 is closed to operate the air blowing means 11 and air is circulated through the circulation air passage 20. Further, the compression means 13 is operated to make the refrigeration cycle function. The low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid mixed refrigerant in the heat absorber 16 evaporates by absorbing sensible heat and latent heat from the humid air coming out of the drying chamber 5 and becomes a low-pressure superheated gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant sucked by the compressing means 13 is compressed to become a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, dissipates heat into the air by the radiator 14 and condenses to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Then, the pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing means 15 and flows into the heat absorber 16 again. The slit 19 provided in the fin 17 suppresses the self-heat conduction between the radiator 14 and the heat absorber 16, and the deterioration of the heat exchange performance with respect to the air side can be suppressed.

  The inner tub 3 is rotationally driven by the motor 4 so that the clothes are stirred up and down, deprived of moisture when the circulating air passes through the gap between the clothes, exits the outer tub 2 in a humid state, flows through the circulation air passage 20 and blows air. It is sucked by the means 11 and supplied to the heat absorber 16. In the heat absorber 16, the air is cooled and condensed, and dehumidified from the air. This air is heated in the radiator 14 to become hot air of high temperature and low humidity, flows through the circulation air passage 20 and flows into the inner tub 3 again, and promotes drying of clothes.

  The drain water condensed by the heat absorber 16 is stored in the drain water temporary storage unit 26, and when the water level detecting means 28 detects that the water level has reached a predetermined level, the drain pump 27 is operated for a predetermined time and discharged outside the main body 1. . Waste thread is mixed in the circulating air that has passed through the drying chamber 5, but is captured by the lint filter 12. By the above operation, the clothing is dried.

  Here, most of the drain water condensed in the heat absorber 16 falls to the drain water temporary storage unit 26 from the lower end of the heat absorber 16, and in particular, the drain water condensed in the upper part of the heat absorber 16 is air passing through the fins 17. The heatsink 14 is reached with a momentum. Most of this drain water falls from the lower end of the radiator 14 to the drain water temporary storage unit 26. The drain water that has not fallen from the lower end of the radiator 14 flows into the circulation air passage 20 through the radiator 14, but is blocked by the weir 30 and returns to the drain water temporary storage portion from the drain water discharge passage 29. . The area of the drain water discharge passage 29 is sufficiently smaller than the front surface area of the heat exchanger 18, and the amount of air that flows through the drain water discharge passage 29 and shortcuts the heat exchanger 18 is sufficiently small.

  When the temperature of the circulating air rises and the temperature detected by the circulating air temperature detecting means 24 reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.), the outside air inflow control valve 23 is opened and a part of the circulating air is exhausted from the exhaust port 21. At the same time, by sucking outside air from the intake port 22, the enthalpy corresponding to the input to the compression means 13 is radiated from the circulating air, and the compression means 13 can be operated safely without causing an excessive increase in the condensation pressure. And the ability of the compression means 13 is feedback-controlled by the detection temperature of a condensation temperature detection means (not shown), and a condensation temperature is maintained at predetermined temperature. Then, when the temperature detected by the circulating air temperature detecting means 24 reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 60 ° C.), the drying is finished.

  As described above, the radiator 14 and the heat absorber 16 are fin-and-tube heat exchangers 18 in which the fins 17 are shared and the two units are integrated, so that the air passage of the heat exchanger 18 in particular can be used. The thickness can be reduced by reducing the thickness in the flow direction, and the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of man-hours when manufacturing the heat exchanger 18. Here, the heat exchanger 18 has at least the lower end of the heat absorber 16 facing the drain water temporary storage unit 26, and the heat radiator 14 so that the circulation air passage 20 after passing through the radiator 14 and the drain water temporary storage unit 26 communicate with each other. By providing the drain water discharge passage 29 on the bottom surface of the circulation air passage 20 after passing, the drain water generated in the heat absorber 16 passes over the radiator 14 by the momentum of the air passing through the fins 17. Even if it enters, drain water can be returned to the drain water temporary storage part 26 through the drain water discharge passage 29 and drained normally. And while preventing the deterioration of the drying performance by re-evaporation of drain water, it can prevent the decay of water by water staying in the circulation air path 20 after drying, and can use it hygienically.

  Further, the heat exchanger 18 is provided with the air sealing portion 25 at the lower end on the downstream side in the air flow direction, and the other portion faces the drain water temporary storage portion 26, thereby adding to the heat absorber 16. The drain water exceeding the radiator 14 can be reduced as much as possible by dropping the drain water from the lower end of the radiator 14.

  Further, by providing a weir 30 for returning the drain water to the drain water discharge passage 29 on the bottom surface of the circulation air passage 20 after passing through the radiator 14, the drain water is efficiently supplied to the drain water discharge passage 29. It can guide and return to the drain water temporary storage part 26. FIG. Further, since the weir 30 is away from the radiator 14, an increase in air ventilation resistance can be minimized.

  In addition, since the clothes housed in the drying chamber 5 can be washed, the washing and drying of the clothes can be performed consistently in the same tank. Can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the drain water discharge passage 29 has been described as a small hole provided in the bottom surface of the circulation air passage 20. However, as long as the circulation air passage 20 and the drain water temporary storage portion 26 communicate with each other, the form Does not matter.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 18 is arranged horizontally, but the heat absorber 16 is placed upward so that drain water does not leak into the circulation air passage 20 on the upstream side of the heat absorber 16. The heat exchanger 18 may be inclined.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example when a refrigeration cycle is mounted on a clothes dryer with a washing function that automatically performs from washing to drying in the same tank is described, but is not limited thereto. The same effect can be obtained even with a clothes dryer that only performs drying.

  As described above, since the clothes dryer according to the present invention can reliably drain drain water, the present invention can be applied to all clothes dryers using a refrigeration cycle.

Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention Cross section of conventional clothes dryer Schematic diagram of a conventional heat exchanger

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 5 Drying chamber 11 Blowing means 13 Compression means 14 Radiator 15 Depressurization means 16 Heat absorber 17 Fin 18 Heat exchanger 20 Circulating air passage 25 Sealing portion 26 Drain water temporary storage portion 29 Drain water discharge passage

Claims (4)

A main body, a drying chamber supported in the main body and drying clothes, a compression means, a radiator, a decompression means and a heat absorber, a blower means, a heat absorber, the heat radiator, and the drying chamber constituting a refrigeration cycle A circulation air passage through which air circulates in the order of the heat absorber, and the heat radiator and the heat absorber are fin-and-tube heat exchangers integrated by sharing fins, and the heat exchanger is at least The lower end of the heat absorber faces the temporary drain water storage section, and the bottom of the circulating air path after passing the radiator so that the circulating air path after passing the radiator and the drain water temporary storage section communicate with each other. A clothes dryer with a drain water discharge passage. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is provided with an air sealing portion at the lower end on the downstream side in the air flow direction, and the other portion faces the drain water temporary storage portion. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a weir for returning drain water to the drain water discharge passage is provided on the bottom surface of the circulation air passage after passing through the radiator away from the radiator. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the clothes contained in the drying chamber can be washed.

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