JP2009028112A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent decrease in dehumidification performance of a dehumidification clothes dryer equipped with a heat pump device. <P>SOLUTION: The clothes dryer is provided with circulation airflow channels 14 and 17 for connecting an inner tub 5 and the heat pump device 25 which is equipped with a heat absorbing device 23 and a heater 21 for circulation, a blowing fan 12 and a temperature sensing means 27 to detect the temperature of the absorbing device 23. It is also provided with an exhaust opening 28 for discharging drying air outside the machine, an exhaust valve 30 which switches the drying air for flowing toward the circulation or toward the exhaust opening 28, a suction inlet 31 which introduces outside air into the circulation airflow channel 14 and a suction valve 32 for opening or closing the suction inlet 31. When the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing means 27 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, driving of the heat pump device 25 is stopped and only the blowing fan 12 is driven. In this way, frost adhering to the heat absorbing device 23 is removed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to control at the time of defrosting a clothes dryer having a washing function and an air conditioning function in the vicinity of the installation location.

  A conventional clothes dryer having an air conditioning function has a configuration as shown in FIG. 8 (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The configuration will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a rotary drum type drying chamber 102 is built in the clothing drying apparatus main body 101. A drum rotating belt 104 is suspended between the outer periphery of the drying chamber 102 and the drum rotating motor 103 and rotates as the motor 103 is driven. The back wall of the drying chamber 102 is provided with an exhaust port for discharging air discharged during the drying process, and a filter 105 is attached to cover the exhaust port and remove lint etc. mixed with the discharged air. ing.

  The front surface of the drying chamber 102 formed in a drum shape is provided with a loading port 107 for loading laundry and a heater 106 as a heat source for supplying warm air to the laundry inside, and circulates in a path described later. The heated air is heated by the heater 106 and supplied into the drying chamber 102.

  On the back wall of the drying chamber 102, a heat exchanging fan 109 having a function of sucking air in the drum-shaped drying chamber 102 and exchanging heat is installed facing the inner wall, and the heat exchanging fan 109 is used for rotating the drum. A rotational force is given by the second belt 110 mounted on the motor 3, and the drying chamber 102 and the rotation speed are different, but rotate integrally.

  The high-temperature and high-humidity air exhausted and exhausted from the drying chamber 102 by the rotation of the heat exchange fan 109 is appropriately heat-exchanged with the outside air by the heat exchange function of the heat exchange fan 109, cooled and dehumidified, and outside the drying chamber 102. Is sent to the first air circulation path 111.

  In this conventional example, the apparatus main body 101 dries clothes and has an air-conditioning function for the installation space. Each configuration will be described below.

  Between the apparatus main body 101 and the drying chamber 102, the 1st air circulation path 111 was provided in the outer side of the drying chamber 102, and the 2nd air circulation path 112 was provided in the outer side, and both air circulation paths were partitioned off. It has a structure.

  Dampers 113A, 113B, 113C, 113D for switching the air flow according to the function to operate the apparatus main body 101 such as clothes drying or air conditioning in the installation room, are provided on the walls of each air circulation path and both air circulation paths. 113E, 113F, a shutter 114, and the like are provided.

  First, a heat absorber 115 is installed in the middle of the path of the first air circulation path 111 through which the high-temperature and high-humidity air sucked from the drying chamber 102 passes, and then a heater 116 is installed with a partition shutter 114 interposed therebetween. The second air circulation path 112 located outside the first air circulation path 111 is provided with an expansion valve 117 provided between the heater 116 and the heat absorber 115 and between the heat absorber 115 and the heater 116. A compressor 118 is installed, and the heat absorber 115, the heater 116, the expansion valve 117, and the compressor 118 are connected by a pipe to form a refrigeration cycle.

  A damper 113A is provided on the wall surface of the first air circulation path 111 between the heat absorber 115 and the heater 116, and this damper 113A is provided with air that has been cooled and dehumidified continuously with the bypass 119 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 101. Is supplied to the outside from a damper 113B serving as the air conditioning outlet.

  The outer wall of the apparatus main body 101 near the heat exchange fan 109 is provided with an intake / exhaust port 120 for supplying outside air to the heat exchange fan 109 and cooling the air in the drying chamber 102 by heat exchange, The intake / exhaust port 120 is connected to the second air circulation path 112. An intake fan 121 is installed near the intake / exhaust port 120 of the second air circulation path 112, and outside air is taken into the air circulation path by driving the intake fan 121.

  On the wall surface of the first air circulation path 111, a drain path 122 that discharges moisture generated in the clothes drying and air-conditioning dehumidification process to the outside of the apparatus is attached.

  When the clothes dryer uses the refrigeration cycle to dry clothes inside the drying chamber 102, the dampers 113A, 113B to 113F are all closed, while the shutter 114 is opened and the first air circulation path 111 is the second. Although isolated from the air circulation path 112 and energized to the heater 106, the refrigeration cycle including the motor 103 and the compressor 118 is also energized, but the intake fan 121 is not energized. In the above state, the drum-shaped drying chamber 102 is rotated, the heat exchange fan 109 is also operated, the air is heated by the heater 106 and is heated by the humidity in the drying chamber 102, and the air evaporates from the clothes. After the yarn waste is removed by the filter 105, the air containing moisture is primarily cooled by the heat exchange fan 109, flows through the first air circulation path 111, and is positively dehumidified by the cooling and dehumidifying fins 115.

  The dehumidified air is heated when passing through the heater 116 from the open shutter 114, is supplied to the heater 106 again, returns to the drying chamber 102, and is quickly dried with air having high dehumidification.

  When the clothes dryer is operated in the dehumidifying mode near the installation location, power is supplied to the compressor 118 and the intake fan 121 of the refrigeration cycle, but no power is supplied to the motor 103, and therefore, the interior of the drying chamber 102 is not supplied. There is no clothes drying function.

  As for the air circulation path, the dampers 113B, 113E and 113C are opened, the dampers 113A and 113D are closed, and the shutter 114 in the middle of the passage is opened to communicate from the damper 113C on the outside air suction side to the damper 113B on the front surface. The damper 113F is opened to partition the first air circulation path 111.

The heat absorber 115 and the heater 116 connected to the compressor 118 are located in the air passage. Therefore, the outside air led from the damper 113C to the first air circulation path 111 is first cooled and dehumidified by the heat absorber 115, and then dehumidified. After being heated in contact with the heater 116, dehumidified air is discharged from the front damper 113B to the outside of the apparatus main body 101 and released to the installation space of the dryer, so that the installation space is dehumidified and hung in the installation space. Dehumidify and dry the clothing.
JP-A-9-56992

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, if the heat sink is frosted when the installation space is at a low temperature or the like, the heat exchange does not proceed smoothly, and the drying air cannot be cooled and dehumidified. Since the space cannot be dehumidified, the room becomes damp.

  Further, when drying clothes hung in the installation space by drying air exhausted outside the apparatus, drying time is extremely long.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the problem of such a conventional configuration, and an object is to efficiently melt frost attached to a cooling and dehumidifying fin.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a clothes dryer of the present invention includes a circulation air path in which drying air is connected to circulate an inner tank and a heat pump device including a heat absorber and a heater, A temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat absorber, an exhaust port for exhausting the drying air to the circulation air passage outside the machine, and an exhaust valve for switching the drying air to flow to the circulation side or the exhaust port side; An intake port that introduces outside air into the circulation air passage, and an intake valve that opens and closes the intake port, and when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means falls below a predetermined value, the drive of the heat pump device is stopped, Only the blowing means is driven.

  Thereby, since the air of the place where the clothes dryer was installed passes a heat pump apparatus, the frost adhering to the heat absorber of a heat pump apparatus can be melt | dissolved efficiently.

  The clothes dryer of the present invention can efficiently melt frost adhering to the heat absorber of the clothes dryer, shorten the time for defrosting operation, and reduce the decrease in dehumidifying capacity.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body, an outer tub supported by the main body, an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub, driving means for driving the inner tub, and drying air in the inner tub. A heat pump device comprising: a blowing unit that supplies cooling; a heat absorber that cools and dehumidifies the drying air; and a heater that heats the dehumidified drying air; and a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the heat absorber; A circulation air passage connected so that the drying air circulates between the inner tank and the heat pump device, an exhaust port for exhausting the drying air to the outside of the circulation air passage, and the drying air An exhaust valve that switches to flow to the inner tank side or the exhaust port side, an intake port that introduces outside air into the circulation air passage, an intake valve that opens and closes the intake port, cleaning, rinsing, dehydration, drying, etc. Control means for controlling a series of steps of The stage closes the exhaust valve and closes the intake valve to stop the introduction of outside air, and drives the heat pump device and the blower fan to configure the in-machine circulation air path, or the exhaust valve and the intake valve. In the drying process of the dryer installation chamber that opens and dehumidifies the installation location, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is equal to or lower than a first predetermined value, the intake valve is opened to flow in outside air, and The exhaust valve allows air to flow to the exhaust port side, and performs control to stop driving of the heat pump device, thereby removing frost attached to the heat absorber using outside air.

  The second aspect of the invention relates to the control means of the first aspect of the invention, particularly when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means becomes equal to or lower than the second predetermined value, the exhaust valve and the intake valve are closed and the drying air is By controlling the flow of the circulating air path to the tank side and stopping the driving of the heat pump device, the air heated in the inner tank can quickly remove the frost attached to the heat absorber.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, the circulating air passage of the first or second aspect comprises a heater on at least one of the downstream side of the heater of the heat pump device or the upstream side of the heat absorber side, and the control means When the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means becomes below a predetermined value, the heater is energized and heated, so that the frost adhering to the heat absorber of the heat pump device is efficiently melted to reduce the time for defrosting operation. By reducing the reduction in dehumidifying capacity, it is possible to quickly remove the frost attached to the heat absorber by the air heated by the heater.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below 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 having a washing function in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the clothes dryer, and FIG. 3 is a heat pump device of the clothes dryer. Configuration and air flow system conceptual diagram, FIGS. 4 to 7 are defrosting system operation diagrams of the clothes dryer.

  In FIG. 1, a cylindrical outer tub 3 elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions 2 is provided inside a main body 1, and vibrations during washing and dehydration are absorbed by the suspension 2. Inside the outer tub 3, a cylindrical inner tub 5 having a large number of small holes 5 a formed on the outer periphery for housing the garment 4 is rotatably provided, and is rotated by a motor 6 serving as a driving means. The outer tub 3 serves as a laundry room for the clothes 4 in the washing process, and serves as a drying room for the clothes 4 in the drying process.

  On the front surface of the main body 1, there are provided an opening 1a for taking in and out the garment 4 and a door 7 for opening and closing the opening 1a. A similar opening is provided on the front side of the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5, and the opening of the outer tub 3 is water-tightly connected to the opening 1 a of the main body 1 by a bellows 8. The bottom of the outer tub 3 has a drain port 9 for discharging washing water to the outside of the machine, and a drain valve 10 for opening and closing the drain path is formed between the drain port 9 and the outer tub 3. During washing, the drain valve 10 is closed and a predetermined amount of washing water can be stored in the outer tub 3.

  The blower fan 12 disposed above the main body 1 sucks drying air that has passed through the inner tub 5 and the outer tub 3 from the outer tub exhaust port 13 provided in the outer tub 3, and exits from the upstream circulation air passage inlet 15. The inside of the upstream circulation air passage 14 provided on the back surface of the tank 3 is blown and led to the upstream circulation air passage outlet 16 as indicated by an arrow a.

  Below the main body 1, a heat pump device 25 including a heater 21, a heat absorber 23, a heat exchange air passage 26, and the like is arranged in connection with the upstream circulation air passage 14. In the lower part, a drain water container 36 for storing dehumidified water from the heat absorber 23 is provided, and the water stored in the drain water container 36 is discharged from the drainage pump 37 to the outside of the machine body.

  As shown in the rear view of FIG. 2, a downstream circulation air passage 17 is provided on the outer surface of the outer tub 3, and the drying air that has entered from the downstream circulation air passage inlet 18 is blown and blown out in the direction of arrow b. It is supplied from the port 19 into the outer tank 3 and the inner tank 5.

  In the lower part of the back surface of the outer tub 3, a heater 21 that radiates heat from the compressor 20 and the compressed refrigerant, a throttle means 22 for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a refrigerant that has been decompressed to a low pressure The heat pump device 25 connected by the pipe line 24 is arranged so that the refrigerant circulates through the heat absorber 23 that takes heat from the surroundings, and the empty space in the lower part in the main body 1 is effectively utilized and accommodated.

  The heat exchange air passage 26 is for flowing the air blown by the blower fan 12 from the heat absorber 23 to the heater 21 in the direction of the arrow c, and the compressor 20 is moved in the left-right direction of the main body 1. And it is accommodated in the inside of the said heat exchange air path 26 along with the heater 21. FIG. The inlet side of the heat exchange air passage 26 communicates with the upstream circulation air passage outlet 16, and the outlet side communicates with the downstream circulation air passage inlet 18. A temperature detecting means 27 such as a thermostud is connected to the heat absorber 23 and detects the temperature state of the heat absorber 23.

  As shown in the system conceptual diagram of the configuration of the heat pump device and the air flow in FIG. 3, the drying air blown by the blower fan 12 passes through the upstream circulation air passage 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow d and is heated. After passing through the heat absorber 23 and the heater 21 in the exchange air passage 26, it passes through the downstream circulation air passage 17, enters the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5 from the blowout port 19, and the clothing 4 in the inner tub 5 is removed. After passing, it returns to the blower fan 12 through the outer tank exhaust port 13 and circulates again. That is, the outer tub 3, the upstream circulation air passage 14, the heat exchange air passage 26, and the downstream circulation air passage 17 form a circulation air passage for drying air.

  An exhaust port 28 for exhausting the air flowing through the circulation air passage from the heat absorber 23 to the outer tub 3 to the outside of the main body 1 from the circulation air passage is connected to the exhaust air passage 29 connected to the downstream circulation air passage 17. In addition, an exhaust valve 30 is provided in front of the exhaust port 28, and it is possible to select whether or not to exhaust from the exhaust port 28 by opening and closing the exhaust valve 30.

  The upstream circulation air passage 14 from the outer tub 3 to the heat absorber 23 is provided with an intake port 31 for taking in outside air. The intake port 31 is located between the outer tub 3 and the heat absorber 23, and is connected to the intake port 31 in the middle of the upstream circulation air passage 14 from the outer tub 3 to the heat absorber 23. It is possible to select whether or not to perform intake by opening and closing the intake valve 32.

  The blower fan 12 circulates air inside the upstream circulation air passage 14, the heat exchange air passage 26, and the downstream circulation air passage 17, and is configured to be positioned between the intake port 31 and the exhaust port 28. is doing. In addition, a heater 33 that is a heat source for supplying warm air is provided in front of the heat absorber 23 on the wind discharge side of the blower fan 12 in the middle of the upstream circulation air passage 14, and the heat absorber 23 has a temperature. Detection means 27 is provided.

  In addition, the heat pump device 25 includes a compressor 20, a heater 21 that radiates heat of the compressed refrigerant, a throttle means 22 that includes a throttle valve, a capillary tube, and the like for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a reduced pressure. The refrigerant having a low pressure is connected to the heat absorber 23 that takes heat from the surroundings by a pipe 24 so that the refrigerant circulates, and the refrigerant flows and circulates in the direction of arrow 38 in FIG. Realize. Further, the control means 39 drives the drive motor 6, the drain valve 10, the blower fan 12, the compressor 20, and the like to exhaust air with respect to the temperature detected by the temperature detection means 27 such as the washing, dehydration, and drying processes and the thermostud. The valve 30 and the compressor 20 are controlled.

  The inner tank 5 and the outer tank 3 are movable with respect to the main body 1, while the heat pump device 25 and the like are fixed to the main body 1. The connection and piping between the movable structure and the fixed structure are as follows.

  In FIG. 1, the outer tank exhaust port 13 and the upstream circulation air passage inlet 15 communicate with each other via an exhaust hose 35 made of a bellows-like stretchable flexible material. 2 is prevented from being transmitted to the heat pump device 25. In FIG. 2, the downstream circulation air passage 17 and the downstream circulation air passage inlet 18 are made of a bellows-like stretchable flexible material. The air hose 34 communicates with each other.

  The operation and action of the clothes dryer configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In the washing process, water is supplied until the water level reaches a predetermined water level in the outer tub 3 with the drain valve 10 closed, and the garment 4 and the inner tub 5 containing the washing water are rotated by the drive motor 6 to wash the clothing 4. I do.

  In the rinsing step after washing, water is supplied into the outer tub 3 as in the washing step, and the garment 4 is rinsed by rotating the inner tub 5. Subsequently, in the dehydration process, the drain valve 10 is opened to drain water outside the apparatus, and then the inner tub 5 containing the clothing 4 is rotated at high speed by the drive motor 6 to dehydrate.

  In the drying process, when the compressor 20 of the heat pump device 25 is operated while rotating the inner tub 5 by the drive motor 6 and stirring the clothes 4 up and down, the refrigerant is compressed. The means 22 and the heat absorber 23 are circulated. The heat of the compression of the refrigerant is released in the radiator 21, and the heat is absorbed in the heat absorber 23 by the refrigerant that has been decompressed by the expansion means 22 and becomes low pressure.

  When the blower fan 12 is operated at this time, the warm air heated by the heat radiation of the heater 21 is blown into the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5 from the outlet 19 through the downstream circulation air passage 17.

  The warm air blown into the inner tub 5 deprives moisture when passing through the gaps in the clothing 4, passes through the outer circulator exhaust port 13 of the outer tub 3 through the upstream circulation air passage 14 in a wet state, The exchange air path 26 is reached.

  When the wet warm air passes through the heat absorber 23, sensible heat and latent heat are taken away and dehumidified, and separated into low-temperature air and dehumidified water. This low-temperature air is heated again by the heater 21 and becomes warm air having a low relative humidity. At this time, the intake valve 32 and the exhaust valve 30 are closed on the intake port 31 and the exhaust port 28 side, and the drying air circulates through the inner tank 5, the downstream circulation air passage 17, the upstream circulation air passage 14, and the heat pump device 25. To do. The dehumidified water condensed by the heat absorber 23 is stored in the drain water container 36 shown in FIG. 1 and discharged from the drain pump 37 to the outside of the main body 1. By repeating the above operation, drying of the garment 4 inside the inner tub 5 proceeds.

  Next, a description will be given of a case where a place where a clothes dryer is installed (here, for example, a bathroom including a bathroom) is dehumidified or clothes hung at the installation place are dehumidified and dried.

  In FIG. 3, the heat pump 26 and the blower fan 12 are operated with the intake valve 32 and the exhaust valve 30 opened. Along with the operation of the blower fan 12, the intake port 31 existing on the suction port side of the blower fan 12 becomes negative pressure with respect to the atmosphere, and the exhaust port 28 existing on the blowout port side becomes positive pressure with respect to the atmosphere. Therefore, the outside air is reliably taken into the upstream circulation air passage 14 from the air inlet 31, passes through the heat pump device 25, and is exhausted from the exhaust air outlet 28 to the outside of the main body 1 through the exhaust air passage 29.

  Thus, the outside air flows through the heat pump device 25, is dehumidified by the heat absorber 23, and is heated by the heater 21, so that the toilet (space) where the dryer is installed is dehumidified, and the exhaust port 28 The air discharged from the air comes into contact with the clothes hung in the bathroom or bathroom, and promotes the drying of the clothes. In this case, since the inner tub 5 is not rotated, the motor 6 is not energized, and therefore there is no clothing drying function inside the inner tub 5.

  The above is the drying operation in the main body and the dehumidification of the installation place or the drying operation of the hanging clothes in the installation space.

  Here, when the place where the clothes dryer is installed is low temperature, there is a high possibility that the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 will form frost, and if the frost is not removed in a short time, the dryer is used. The dehumidifying function cannot be demonstrated.

  The frost removal configuration when clothes are being dried on the main body is as follows.

  As shown in the system operation diagram of FIG. 4, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means 27 becomes a first predetermined value or less, the drive of the heat pump device 25 (that is, the compressor 20) is stopped, and the intake valve 32. Is opened, only the blower fan 12 is driven, and the exhaust valve 30 is switched so that the drying air flows to the exhaust port side until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 27 exceeds the predetermined value by the arbitrary value x. To control.

  Thereby, since the air of the place where the clothes dryer is installed passes through the heat pump device 25, the frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 can be efficiently melted, and the time for the defrosting operation can be shortened. A decrease in capability can be reduced.

  In another example, when the place where the clothes dryer is installed is at a low temperature, the space is dehumidified or the clothes hung in the space are dried, and the clothes are attached to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25. The case of frost will be described with reference to the system operation diagram of FIG.

  In this case, when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 27 becomes a predetermined value or less, the drive of the heat pump device 25 (that is, the compressor 20) is stopped, and the intake valve 32 is left open, By driving only the blower fan 12 and leaving the exhaust valve 30 open so that the drying air flows to the exhaust port side until a predetermined time t has passed, the air at the place where the clothes dryer is installed is converted into a heat pump device. Therefore, the frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 can be efficiently melted, the defrosting operation time can be shortened, and the dehumidification capability can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2)
On the other hand, when the air in the place where the clothes dryer is installed is extremely low in temperature such that the frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 is not effective, the defrosting is controlled in the control of the first embodiment. It may not contribute to shortening the driving time.

  The frost removal configuration when clothes are being dried on the main body is as follows.

  In the configuration of the second embodiment, the inner tub 5 is previously warmed with drying air. Then, as shown in the system operation diagram of FIG. 6, when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 27 falls below the second predetermined value, the drive of the heat pump device 25 (ie, the compressor 20) is stopped, and the intake air The valve 32 is closed, only the blower fan 12 is driven, and the drying air is exhausted so as to flow to the inner tank 5 side until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 27 exceeds the predetermined value by an arbitrary value x. The valve 30 is controlled to remain closed. Of course, the second predetermined temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature in the first embodiment.

  As described above, frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 is circulated while passing through the heat pump device 25 through the inner tub 5, the upstream circulation air passage 14, and the downstream circulation air passage 17 where the drying air is heated. Can be efficiently melted to shorten the time for the defrosting operation, and the decrease in the dehumidifying capacity can be reduced.

  In another example, the air in the place where the clothes dryer is installed dehumidifies the space at an extremely low temperature, which is ineffective at melting the frost attached to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25, or The case where the clothes suspended in the space are dried and the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 is frosted will be described with reference to the system operation diagram of FIG.

  Also in this case, the inner tub 5 is previously warmed with drying air. Then, as shown in the system operation diagram of FIG. 7, when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 27 becomes a predetermined value or less, the driving of the heat pump device 25 (that is, the compressor 20) is stopped, and the intake valve 32 is turned on. It switches to a closed state, drives only the said ventilation fan 12, and it controls to switch the exhaust valve 30 so that drying air may flow into the inner tank 5 side until predetermined time t passes.

  As a result, the frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 is circulated through the inner tub 5, the upstream circulation air passage 14 and the downstream circulation seal passage 17 where the drying air is heated while passing through the heat pump device 25. Can be efficiently melted, the defrosting operation time can be shortened, and the decrease in the dehumidifying ability can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 3, a heater 33 is provided on the upstream side of the heat pump device 25 on the heat absorber 23 side.

  When the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 27 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the control unit causes the heated drying air to pass through the heater 21 of the heat pump device 25 by energizing and heating the heater 33. As a result, the frost adhering to the heat absorber 23 of the heat pump device 25 can be efficiently melted, and the time for the defrosting operation can be further shortened, and the decrease in the dehumidifying capacity can be reduced. In FIG. 3, the heater 33 is installed on the upstream side of the heat absorber 23 and between the blower fan 12. However, the heater 33 may be installed in the downstream circulation air passage 17 downstream of the heater 21 and is heated. The air may pass through the inner tank 5 from the outlet 19 and pass through the heat absorber 23 from the upstream circulation air passage 14.

  As described above, the clothes dryer according to the present invention efficiently melts frost adhering to the heat absorber of the heat pump, can reduce the time for defrosting operation, and has a clothes dryer and a washing function for drying clothes. Useful for clothes dryers equipped.

Sectional drawing of the clothes dryer provided with the washing function of Embodiment 1 of this invention Rear view of the clothes dryer Structure of heat pump device and air flow system conceptual diagram of the clothes dryer Defrosting system operation diagram of the clothes dryer Defrosting system operation diagram of the clothes dryer Defrosting system operation diagram of the clothes dryer Defrosting system operation diagram of the clothes dryer Cross section of conventional clothes dryer

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 3 Outer tank 5 Inner tank 6 Drive motor (drive means)
12 Blower fan (Blower unit)
Reference Signs List 14 upstream circulation air passage 17 downstream circulation air passage 20 compressor 21 heater 22 throttling means 23 heat absorber 24 pipe 25 heat pump device 27 temperature detection means 28 exhaust port 30 exhaust valve 31 intake port 32 intake valve 33 heater 39 control means

Claims (3)

A main body, an outer tub supported by the main body, an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub, a driving means for driving the inner tub, and a blowing means for supplying drying air into the inner tub. , A heat pump device having a heat absorber for cooling and dehumidifying the drying air and a heater for heating the dehumidified drying air, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat absorber, and the drying air A circulation air passage connected to circulate between the inner tub and the heat pump device, an exhaust port for exhausting the drying air to the outside of the circulation air passage, and the drying air to the inner tub side or the exhaust Controls a series of processes such as cleaning, rinsing, dehydration, and drying, an exhaust valve that switches to flow to the inlet side, an intake port that introduces outside air into the circulation air passage, an intake valve that opens and closes the intake port Control means for controlling the exhaust valve. Close the intake valve to stop the introduction of outside air, and drive the heat pump device and the blower fan to configure the in-machine circulation air path, or open the exhaust valve and intake valve to In the drying process of the dryer installation chamber for performing dehumidification, when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is equal to or lower than a first predetermined value, the intake valve is opened to flow in outside air, and the exhaust valve A clothes dryer which controls to stop driving of the heat pump device while flowing to the exhaust port side. The control means closes the exhaust valve and the intake valve when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means becomes equal to or lower than a second predetermined value, and causes the drying air to flow through the circulation air passage toward the inner tank, and the heat pump The clothes dryer according to claim 1, which is controlled to stop driving of the apparatus. The circulating air passage forms a heater on at least one of the downstream side of the heater of the heat pump device and the upstream side of the heat absorber, and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater is energized and heated.