JP2012095718A - Clothing drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clothing drying machine preventing a high-voltage electrical component from being a fire source when a combustible refrigerant is leaked, and having a high safety.SOLUTION: A clothing drying machine comprises: a drying room 14 for accommodating clothing; a circulating air path 20 connected into the drying room 14 in a communicating manner; an air blower 26 for circulating air into the drying room 14 through the circulating air path 20; a heat pump including a condenser 35 for heating the air in the circulating air path 20, an evaporator 34 for cooling and dehumidifying the air in the circulating air path 20, a compressor 36 for compressing a combustible refrigerant to supply to the condenser 35 and decompressing means for decompressing the combustible refrigerant passing through the condenser 35; refrigerant leakage detecting means for detecting the presence or the absence of refrigerant leakage; and controlling means for supplying a current to a high-voltage electrical component after the refrigerant leakage detecting means detects the absence of the refrigerant leakage.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a clothes dryer.

  Conventionally, clothes dryers equipped with a heat pump for drying clothes such as laundry have attracted attention because they have better drying efficiency than those equipped with heaters for heating and are effective in reducing energy consumption. ing.

  In a clothes dryer equipped with a heat pump, a circulation air passage communicating with a drying chamber containing clothes is provided, and a blower for circulating the air in the drying chamber through the circulation air passage and the evaporation of the heat pump are provided in the circulation air passage. A condenser and a condenser are provided.

  The heat pump includes a compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, a condenser that dissipates and liquefies the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and a decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser. An evaporator that vaporizes the liquefied refrigerant is sequentially connected by piping, and the refrigerant is circulated by driving the compressor.

  Then, the air in the circulation air passage heated by the heat released from the condenser is sent into the drying chamber, and the air deprived of moisture from the clothing is dehumidified by cooling in the evaporator in the circulation air passage. The clothes are dried by repeatedly heating the air again with a condenser and supplying the air to the drying chamber.

  In such clothes dryers, hydrofluorocarbons such as R134a are used as alternative refrigerants, but this type of alternative refrigerant has a small ozone depletion coefficient but is a greenhouse gas and promotes global warming. . In recent years, due to increasing interest in environmental problems, the use of flammable refrigerants having a low ozone depletion coefficient and a low global warming potential has been studied even in clothes dryers equipped with heat pumps.

  Because the amount of refrigerant sealed in the heat pump of the clothes dryer is small, even if the refrigerant leaks out of the heat pump, it is difficult for the inside of the clothes dryer to reach the ignition limit concentration and there is little possibility of developing into a fire None, but for further safety, safety measures in the event of refrigerant leakage are desired. Conventionally, rotating the exhaust fan causes the refrigerant to diffuse and not exceed the ignition limit concentration inside the housing. The thing which makes the surface temperature of the heating apparatus with which clothes dryer and the clothes dryer are equipped with below predetermined temperature is proposed (for example, refer the following patent documents 1 and 2).

  By the way, in a clothes dryer, for example, when a high voltage electric component that applies a high voltage such as an ion generator that generates hydroxy radicals having a strong oxidizing action to disinfect or deodorize clothes to be dried is disposed. When such a clothes dryer leaks a flammable refrigerant, there is a possibility that a high-voltage electrical component may become an ignition source.

JP 2009-207673 A JP 2007-289559 A

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and even if a high-pressure electrical component is disposed in a clothes dryer equipped with a heat pump using a flammable refrigerant, the flammable refrigerant will leak. It is an object of the present invention to provide a clothes dryer having a high safety without causing the high-voltage electrical component to be a source of ignition in the event of damage.

  The clothes dryer according to the present invention includes a drying chamber for storing clothes, a circulation air passage communicating with the drying chamber, a blower for circulating air into the drying chamber through the circulation air passage, and the circulation air passage. A condenser that heats the air in the interior, an evaporator that cools and dehumidifies the air in the circulation air passage, a compressor that compresses and supplies a combustible refrigerant to the condenser, and a combustible gas that has passed through the condenser. A heat pump having a pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, a refrigerant leak detecting means for detecting presence or absence of a refrigerant leak in the heat pump, and energizing the high-voltage electrical component after the refrigerant leak detecting means detects that there is no refrigerant leak And a control means.

It is a perspective view from the front of the washing dryer concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematically the internal structure of the washing-drying machine shown in FIG. It is a cycle lineblock diagram of a heat pump. It is sectional drawing of the high voltage component arrange | positioned at the washing-drying machine shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the washing / drying machine shown in FIG. It is a time chart of the refrigerant | coolant leak detection process of the washing / drying machine shown in FIG. It is the table showing the load amount of the compressor used as the standard of the refrigerant leak detection according to the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from a compressor. It is a time chart of the refrigerant | coolant leak detection process of the washing-drying machine concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the table showing the temperature of the evaporator used as the standard of refrigerant leak detection according to room temperature. It is the table showing the temperature of the condenser used as the standard of refrigerant leak detection according to room temperature.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The present embodiment relates to a drum-type washing and drying machine that serves as both a washing machine and a clothes dryer as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is provided in a substantially rectangular box-like outer box 1 and a lower part thereof. An outer shell is formed from the base plate 2. The front portion 1a of the outer box 1 has an upwardly inclined shape, and a laundry doorway 3 including a circular opening is formed at a substantially central portion thereof. A door 4 is provided on the front surface 1 a of the outer box 1 through a hinge 5 so as to be pivotable in the lateral direction, and the laundry doorway 3 is opened and closed by the door 4. An operation display panel 6 for setting various operations of the washing machine and displaying the operation status is provided above the laundry entrance / exit 3 on the front surface 1a, and a drawer type detergent is placed on the side of the operation display panel 6. Case 7 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially cylindrical water tank 8 having an open front surface and a closed rear surface is disposed in the outer box 1. The aquarium 8 is elastically supported on the base plate 2 in such a manner that the axial direction of the aquarium 8 is a horizontal axis in the front-rear direction and is slightly inclined rearward so that the front opening communicates with the laundry entrance 3. It is elastically supported via the mechanism 9.

  Water such as tap water is supplied from the outside of the water tank 8 through the water supply valve 18, the water supply case 71, and the water supply hose 72, and is provided at the bottom of the water tank 8. The water in the water tank 8 can be drained out of the machine through the drain valve 19 and the drain hose 74 from the drain port 73. The water tank 8 is provided with a hot air outlet 10 at the top of the front end and a hot air inlet 11 at the top of the rear end, in addition to the front opening, the water supply port 70 and the drain port 73.

  A cylindrical rotating drum 14 whose front surface is open and whose rear surface is closed is rotatably disposed in the water tank 8. The rotary drum 14 is disposed in the water tank 8 in a state where the axial direction is a horizontal axis in the front-rear direction and is slightly inclined downward. A number of holes 15 through which water and air can be passed are formed in the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 14, and the inside of the rotating drum 14 communicates with the water tank 8 through the holes 15. A plurality of baffles 16 are provided on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 14. The front opening of the rotating drum 14 is also communicated with the laundry entrance 3, and the rotating drum 14 accommodates the laundry put in from the laundry entrance 3. The rotating drum 14 is rotationally driven by a motor 17 provided on the back surface of the water tank 8. The rotating drum 14 having such a configuration functions as a washing tub during the washing stroke, as a dehydrating tub during the dehydration stroke, and as a drying chamber for storing clothes during the drying stroke.

  A circulating air passage 20 is connected to the hot air outlet 10 and the hot air inlet 11 provided in the water tank 8, and the air in the water tank 8 (the rotating drum 14) can be circulated through the circulating air path 20. . The circulation air passage 20 is connected to the return air duct 24 connected to the hot air outlet 10 of the water tank 8, the air supply duct 30 connected to the hot air inlet 11 of the water tank 8, and the lower end of the return air duct 24. A bellows-like expansion joint 25, a bellows-type expansion joint 29 connected to the lower end of the air supply duct 30, and a heat exchange duct 22 connected between the pair of expansion joints 25, 29 are provided.

  The heat exchange duct 22 is placed on the base plate 2 positioned below the water tank 8, and the evaporator 34 and the evaporator 34 are separated from the evaporator 34 to the downstream side (rear side) of the heat exchange duct 22. A condenser 35 is provided. The evaporator 34 and the condenser 35 are tube-shaped with fins in which a large number of heat transfer fins are arranged at a predetermined pitch on the refrigerant circulation pipe, and have excellent heat exchange properties. The wind flowing through the heat exchange duct 22 passes through.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the evaporator 34 and the condenser 35 are a compressor 36 that compresses the refrigerant supplied to the condenser 35, and a flow rate control valve that is a decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant discharged from the condenser 35. 37 constitutes a heat pump 38. The heat pump 38 forms a refrigeration cycle by connecting a compressor 36, a condenser 35, a flow rate control valve 37, and an evaporator 34 in this order through a connection pipe. A hydrocarbon-based combustible refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as a refrigerant) such as isobutane is sealed in the heat pump 38, and the refrigerant circulates by the operation of the compressor 36, whereby the evaporator 34 flows in the heat exchange duct 22. The air is cooled and dehumidified, and the condenser 35 heats the air dehumidified by the evaporator 34. The compressor 36 and the flow control valve 37 are disposed outside the heat exchange duct 22.

  Such a heat pump 38 is provided with various temperature sensors. Specifically, a discharge temperature sensor 39 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 near the refrigerant discharge port of the compressor 36. A condenser temperature sensor 40 that is disposed and detects the temperature of the condenser 35 is disposed in the condenser 35, and an evaporator temperature sensor 41 that detects the temperature of the evaporator 34 is provided near the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 34. ing.

  A blower 26 that circulates and supplies the air in the water tank 8 through the circulation air passage 20 is disposed on the downstream side (rear end side) of the heat exchange duct 22. The blower 26 rotationally drives a centrifugal impeller 32 disposed in a fan case 27 by a fan motor 33, and air sucked from the heat exchange duct 22 is supplied to the water tank 8 through the expansion joint 29 and the air supply duct 30. Discharge.

  In addition, an ion generator 50 that emits a mist of fine particles containing hydroxy radicals is disposed in the middle of the circulation air passage 20, for example, inside the air supply duct 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ion generator 50 includes a plurality of discharge electrodes 52, a water retaining material 53, a high voltage power supply 55, and a conductive rod 54, attached to a case 51 attached to the outside of the circulation air passage 43. Prepare.

  The plurality of discharge electrodes 52 are made of a conductive aggregate including a porous body such as ceramics and carbon, and have a pin shape with a sharp tip. The plurality of discharge electrodes 52 are provided so as to protrude from a water retention material 53 made of a porous material such as urethane sponge having water retention properties, and are provided so that the tip ends protrude into the air supply duct 30.

  The case 51 is provided with a water storage tank 51 a for storing water to be supplied to the plurality of discharge electrodes 52. A water supply path 56 extending from the water supply valve 18 is connected to the water storage tank 51a, and a part of water such as tap water is supplied to the water storage tank 51a from outside the apparatus through the water supply valve 18 and the water supply path 56. ing. Further, an overflow path (not shown) extending to a portion of the drain hose 74 downstream of the drain valve 19 is connected to the water storage tank 51a, and when the amount of water stored in the water storage tank 51a reaches a predetermined amount or more, the water storage tank 51a. The water inside flows into the overflow channel and is drained to the drain hose 74. Then, the water supplied into the water storage tank 51 a is absorbed by the water retaining material 53 and penetrates into the water retaining material 53 and is supplied to the discharge electrode 52 accordingly.

  The high voltage power supply 55 includes a transformer that boosts the power supply voltage supplied from the control device 13 that controls the washing and drying machine to generate a predetermined high voltage (for example, 6 kV). The conductive rod 54 is disposed so that the distal end thereof is in contact with the water retention material 53, and the proximal end is connected to the negative electrode of the high voltage power supply 55. As a result, a negative high voltage from the high voltage power supply 55 is applied to the discharge electrode 52 via the conductive rod 54 and the water retaining material 53 containing water, and the discharge electrode 52 is negatively charged. ing. That is, in this embodiment, the ion generator 50 corresponds to a high-voltage electrical component to which a high voltage obtained by boosting the power supplied from the control device 13 is applied.

  The control device 13 includes a microcomputer and a memory, and functions as a control unit that controls the overall operation of the washing / drying machine. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 13 receives various operation signals from the operation display panel 6, and receives a water level detection signal from a water level sensor 42 provided to detect the water level in the water tank 8. . Further, the control device 13 receives temperature detection signals from the discharge temperature sensor 39, the condenser temperature sensor 40, and the evaporator temperature sensor 41, and rotates the motor 17, the compressor 36, and the fan motor 33, respectively. A rotation detection signal is input from rotation sensors 43, 44, 45 provided to detect the rotation.

  And the control apparatus 13 is based on the input of said various signals and the control program previously memorize | stored in memory, the operation display panel 6, the motor 17, the water supply valve 18, the drain valve 19, the fan motor 33, The operations of the compressor 36 and the ion generator 50 are controlled.

  Further, the control device 13 also functions as a refrigerant leak detection unit that detects whether or not the refrigerant sealed in the heat pump 38 has leaked, as will be described later.

  Next, an example of the operation of the washing / drying machine having the above configuration will be described.

  In the washing / drying machine having the above-described configuration, when the standard operation course is started, the control device 13 first starts the washing process (washing and rinsing). In this washing process, the operation of supplying water into the water tub 8 by the water supply valve 18 is performed, and then the motor 17 is operated, whereby the rotating drum 14 is rotated alternately in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed.

  When the washing process ends, the control device 13 proceeds to the dehydration process. In this dehydration process, after the water in the water tank 8 is discharged, an operation of rotating the rotating drum 14 in one direction at a high speed is performed. Thereby, the laundry in the rotating drum 14 is centrifugally dehydrated.

  When the dehydration process is completed, the control device 13 proceeds to the drying process. In the drying process, the control device 13 operates the motor 17 to operate the fan motor 33 of the blower 26 while rotating the rotating drum 14 containing the wet laundry after washing and rinsing in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed. Let As a result, the air in the water tank 8 is exchanged by heat from the hot air outlet 10 through the return air duct 24 and the expansion joint 25 of the circulating air passage 20 as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. It flows into the duct 22.

  In addition, the operation of the compressor 36 of the heat pump 38 is started together with the operation of the blower 26. Then, the refrigerant sealed in the heat pump 38 is compressed by the compressor 36 to become a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows into the condenser 35 and exchanges heat with the air in the heat exchange duct 22. As a result, the air in the heat exchange duct 22 is heated, and the refrigerant is cooled and liquefied. The liquefied refrigerant is then depressurized through the flow control valve 37, and then flows into the evaporator 34 and vaporizes, whereby the evaporator 34 cools the air in the heat exchange duct 22. The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 34 returns to the compressor 36 and is compressed again to become a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant.

  By such operations of the heat pump 38 and the blower 26, the air that has entered the rotating drum 14 from the water tank 8 becomes moisture-containing by drying the laundry, and the moist air is discharged from the hot air outlet 10. After flowing into the heat exchange duct 22 of the circulation air passage 20, it is cooled by the evaporator 34 and dehumidified, and then heated by the condenser 35 to be warmed.

  The hot air is supplied from the hot air inlet 11 into the water tank 8 through the expansion joint 29 and the air supply duct 30, and further supplied from the hole 15 into the rotary drum 14. The hot air supplied into the rotary drum 14 takes away moisture from the laundry and dries the clothes, and then flows again into the heat exchange duct 22 from the hot air outlet 10 through the return air duct 24 and the expansion joint 25. Circulate as you do.

  In the washing and drying machine as described above, when the user selects from the operation display panel 6 an operation for disinfecting / deodorizing clothes or an operation for suppressing mold generation in the water tank 8, the control device 13 performs a refrigerant leak detection process for detecting whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 before the ion generator 50 is energized.

  In the refrigerant leakage detection process, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 13 operates the compressor 36 at a predetermined frequency (for example, 40 Hz) for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute), and also operates the fan motor 33 at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, The air blower 26 is operated by rotating at 2000 rpm.

  In this embodiment, the blower 26 is operated to evaporate (vaporize) the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 34 and then return to the compressor 36. However, the rotational speed of the blower 26 is set high so that the heat exchange duct 22 When the flow rate of the air flowing through the refrigerant increases too much, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 detected by the discharge temperature sensor 39, the condenser temperature sensor 40, and the evaporator temperature sensor 41, the condenser 35, and the evaporator 34 Each temperature cannot be measured accurately in a short time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the fan motor 33 in the refrigerant leak detection process is set to be smaller than the rotation speed (for example, 4000 rpm) of the fan motor 33 in the drying process. Accordingly, the temperature of each member constituting the heat pump 38 can be detected accurately in a short time while the heat pump 38 is normally operated in the refrigerant leak detection process, and therefore the refrigerant leak detection can be performed in a short time and with high precision. Can do.

  Then, the control device 13 detects the temperature Td of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 input from the discharge temperature sensor 39 when the compressor 36 is operated at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined time, and the load of the compressor 36 The amount L is detected. In the present embodiment, when the load amount L of the compressor 36 increases or decreases, the input power of the compressor 36 also increases or decreases. Therefore, the control device 13 uses the input power of the compressor 36 as the load amount L of the compressor 36. The input power of is detected.

  Then, the control device 13 determines that the load amount L of the compressor 36 is a predetermined load amount (threshold value) according to the temperature Td of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 according to the table illustrated in FIG. If it is less than or equal to Lth, it is determined that there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38, and if it is greater than the load amount Lth, it is determined that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38.

  Specifically, when the refrigerant temperature Td detected by the discharge temperature sensor 39 is 5 ° C. or less (Td ≦ 5 ° C.), if the input power L of the compressor 36 is 100 W or less, the heat pump 38 has refrigerant leakage. If the input power L of the compressor 36 is greater than 100 W, it is determined that there is no refrigerant leakage in the heat pump 38. When the refrigerant temperature Td is greater than 5 ° C. and 15 ° C. or less (5 ° C. <Td ≦ 15 ° C.), if the input power L of the compressor 36 is 110 W or less, the refrigerant temperature Td is greater than 15 ° C. and 25 When the input power L of the compressor 36 is 120 W or less in the case of 15 ° C. or less (15 ° C. <Td ≦ 25 ° C.), the refrigerant temperature Td is greater than 25 ° C. and 35 ° C. or less (25 ° C. <Td ≦ 35 ° C.). In this case, when the input power L of the compressor 36 is 130 W or less, and the refrigerant temperature Td is from 35 ° C. (35 ° C. <Td), the heat pump 38 has an input power L of 140 W or less. 7, the load amount L of the compressor 36 detected by the control device 13 is illustrated in FIG. 7 for each refrigerant temperature Td discharged from the compressor 36. Compressor 36 If it is larger than load amount L), the refrigerant leakage is judged that there is no heat pump 38.

  When the control device 13 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage in the heat pump 38, the control device 13 opens the water supply valve 18 to supply a predetermined amount of water to the water storage tank 51a from outside the apparatus.

  When the water supply to the water storage tank 51a is completed, the control device 13 activates the fan motor 33 and the motor 17 of the blower 26 and supplies power to the high voltage power supply 55 so that the discharge electrode 52 of the ion generator 50 is negative. Apply high voltage.

  As a result, charges concentrate on the tip of the discharge electrode 52 and energy exceeding the surface tension is given to the water contained in the tip, so that water molecules in the form of mist are fed from the tip of the discharge electrode 52 into the air supply duct 30. Is released. The water particles released in the form of mist are negatively charged and contain hydroxy radicals generated by the energy. Accordingly, the hydroxy radical having a strong oxidizing action is supplied into the water tank 8 together with the air flowing through the air supply duct 30 by the air blowing action of the centrifugal impeller 32, so that the clothes in the water tank 8 are sterilized and deodorized. In addition, generation of mold in the water tank 8 can be suppressed.

  Further, when the control device 13 determines that there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38, the operation display panel 6 or the like is informed that there is an abnormality in the heat pump 38 without supplying power to the high voltage power supply 55, and is displayed to the user. Announce abnormality.

  Even if the inside of the outer box 1 reaches the ignition limit concentration due to the refrigerant leaked from the heat pump 38, the ion generator 50 operates normally and mist-like water molecules are released from the tip of the discharge electrode 52. As long as the leaked refrigerant does not ignite as long as spark discharge occurs at the discharge electrode 52 of the ion generator 50 due to adhesion of dust or the like, the leaked refrigerant may ignite. In the washing and drying machine of the present embodiment, the control device 13 energizes the ion generator 50 after detecting that the heat pump 38 has no refrigerant leakage, so that the refrigerant leaking from the heat pump 38 is surely ignited. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the washing and drying machine of the present embodiment, it is possible to detect whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 without using another component such as a gas sensor that is expensive and easily deteriorates with time, and it is possible to suppress the manufacturing cost for a long period of time. A refrigerant leak can be detected stably.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the control device 13 operates the compressor 36 at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined time, and then determines whether there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 based on the load L of the compressor 36. And a second detector for determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 based on the temperature of the evaporator 34, and a third for determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 based on the temperature of the condenser 35. It differs from the above-described first embodiment in that it includes a detection means, and other configurations have the same configurations as those of the first embodiment. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

  In the refrigerant leak detection process in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the control device 13 first operates the compressor 36 at a predetermined frequency (for example, 40 Hz) and rotates the fan motor 33 at a predetermined rotation speed. Then, the blower 26 is operated. Further, the control device 13 obtains the temperature Te1 of the evaporator 34 input from the evaporator temperature sensor 41 and the temperature Tc1 of the condenser 35 input from the condenser temperature sensor 40 at the time of starting the refrigerant leak detection process. Detect.

  Then, the control device 13 outputs the temperature Td of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 and the load amount L of the compressor 36 input from the discharge temperature sensor 39 when the compressor 36 is operated at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute). The temperature Te2 of the evaporator 34 input from the evaporator temperature sensor 41 and the temperature Tc2 of the condenser 35 input from the condenser temperature sensor 40 are detected.

  As the first detection means, the control device 13 determines that the load amount L of the compressor 36 is determined in advance according to the temperature Td of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 according to the table illustrated in FIG. It is determined that there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 if it is equal to or less than the threshold value Lth, and it is determined that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 if it is greater than the load amount Lth. Note that the case where the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage is determined according to the table of FIG. 7 is described in detail in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  As the second detection means, the control device 13 detects the temperature Te1 of the evaporator 34 detected at the time when the refrigerant leak detection process is started, and the temperature Te2 of the evaporator 34 detected when the compressor 36 is operated for a predetermined time. ΔTe (= Te1−Te2), in other words, if the amount of change in the temperature of the evaporator 34 caused by operating the compressor 36 for a predetermined time is smaller than a predetermined temperature (for example, −5 ° C.), the refrigerant is supplied to the heat pump 38. It is determined that there is no leakage. If the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, −5 ° C.), it is determined that the heat pump 38 has a refrigerant leakage.

  Further, the control device 13 serves as the third detecting means, the temperature Tc1 of the condenser 35 detected at the time when the refrigerant leak detection process is started, and the temperature of the condenser 35 detected when the compressor 36 is operated for a predetermined time. If the difference ΔTc (= Tc1−Tc2) from the temperature Tc2, that is, the temperature change of the condenser 35 caused by operating the compressor 36 for a predetermined time is larger than a predetermined temperature (for example, 5 ° C.), the heat pump 38 It is determined that there is no refrigerant leakage, and if it is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 5 ° C.), it is determined that there is refrigerant leakage in the heat pump 38.

  In the present embodiment, when it is detected that there is no refrigerant leakage in two or more of the first to third detection means, the control device 13 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage in the heat pump 38, and the first When it is detected that there is a refrigerant leak in two or more detection means among the third detection means, it is determined that the heat pump 38 has a refrigerant leak.

  Even in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the control device 13 can detect refrigerant leakage from the heat pump 38 without using another component such as a gas sensor. Moreover, since it is detected that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38, the control device 13 energizes the ion generator 50, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the refrigerant leaking from the heat pump 38 from being ignited.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the control device 13 determines that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 when it is detected that there is no refrigerant leak in the plurality of detection means, and energizes the ion generator 50. It is possible to improve the safety of the washing / drying machine by increasing the accuracy of the refrigerant leak detection.

  In the present embodiment, it is determined that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 when two or more of the first to third detection means detect that there is no refrigerant leak. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when it is detected that at least any one of the first to third detection means has no refrigerant leakage, the control device 13 may determine that the heat pump 38 has no refrigerant leakage.

  Further, in the second detection means of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 from the amount of change in the temperature of the evaporator 34 caused by operating the compressor 36 for a predetermined time. The temperature Te2 of the evaporator 34 when it is operated at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) is predetermined according to the installation atmosphere temperature (room temperature) Tr of the washing / drying machine according to the table shown in FIG. It may be configured that when the temperature (threshold value) Tth of the vessel 34 is equal to or higher than that, the heat pump 38 determines that the refrigerant leaks, and when the temperature is higher than the temperature Tth, the heat pump 38 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage.

  In the third detection unit of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not there is a refrigerant leak in the heat pump 38 from the amount of change in the temperature of the condenser 35 caused by operating the compressor 36 for a predetermined time. The temperature Tc2 of the condenser 35 inputted from the condenser temperature sensor 40 at the time of operating at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) is the installation atmosphere temperature (room temperature) of the washing / drying machine according to the table shown in FIG. It is determined that the heat pump 38 has a refrigerant leak if the temperature is within a predetermined temperature range of the condenser 35 according to Tr, and if the temperature is not within the temperature range, the heat pump 38 is determined to have no refrigerant leak. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer box 1a ... Front part 2 ... Base plate 3 ... Laundry doorway 4 ... Door 5 ... Hinge 6 ... Operation display panel 7 ... Detergent case 8 ... Water tank 9 ... Elastic support mechanism 10 ... Hot air outlet 11 ... Hot air Inlet 13 ... Control device 14 ... Rotating drum 15 ... Hole 16 ... Baffle 17 ... Motor 18 ... Water supply valve 19 ... Drain valve 20 ... Circulating air passage 22 ... Heat exchange duct 24 ... Return air duct 25 ... Expansion joint 26 ... Blower 27 ... Fan case 29 ... Expansion joint 30 ... Air supply duct 32 ... Centrifugal impeller 33 ... Fan motor 34 ... Evaporator 35 ... Condenser 36 ... Compressor 37 ... Flow control valve 38 ... Heat pump 39 ... Discharge temperature sensor 40 ... Condenser temperature Sensor 41 ... Evaporator temperature sensor 42 ... Water level sensor 43 ... Circulating air passage 43 ... Rotation sensor 50 ... Ion generator 51 ... Case 51a ... Water storage tank 52 ... Discharge electrode 53 ... Water retention material 54 ... Conductive fluid De 55 ... high voltage power supply 56 ... water supply channel 70 ... supply port 71 ... feed water case 72 ... water supply hose 73 ... drain outlet 74 ... drain hose

Claims (6)

A drying room for housing clothing;
A circulation air passage connected in communication with the drying chamber;
A blower for circulating air into the drying chamber through the circulation air passage;
A condenser that heats the air circulating in the circulation air passage; an evaporator that cools and dehumidifies the air circulating in the circulation air passage; and a compressor that compresses a combustible refrigerant and supplies the compressed air to the condenser A heat pump comprising a decompression means for decompressing the combustible refrigerant that has passed through the condenser;
Refrigerant leakage detection means for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage of the heat pump;
A clothes dryer comprising: control means for energizing the high-voltage electrical component after the refrigerant leak detection means detects that there is no refrigerant leak.   The refrigerant leak detection means is configured to detect the heat pump when a load of the compressor when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is greater than a load determined in advance according to a temperature of a combustible refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein it is detected that there is no refrigerant leakage.   2. The refrigerant leak detection means detects that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump when the temperature of the evaporator when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is lower than a predetermined temperature. Clothes dryer.   The refrigerant leakage detection means detects that the heat pump has no refrigerant leakage when the temperature of the condenser when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is within a predetermined temperature range. The clothes dryer as described in. The refrigerant leak detection means is
If the compressor load when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is greater than a predetermined load corresponding to the temperature of the combustible refrigerant discharged from the compressor, it is detected that there is no refrigerant leakage in the heat pump. First detecting means for
A second detecting means for detecting that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump when the temperature of the evaporator when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is lower than a predetermined temperature;
A third detector that detects that the heat pump has no refrigerant leakage when the temperature of the condenser when the compressor is operated at a predetermined frequency is within a predetermined temperature range;
When two or more detection means among the first detection means, the second detection means, and the third detection means detect that there is no refrigerant leak in the heat pump, the refrigerant leak detection means has no refrigerant leak in the heat pump. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the clothes dryer is detected.   2. The rotation speed of the blower during a detection process in which the refrigerant leak detection unit detects the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage of the heat pump is set to be smaller than the rotation speed of the blower during a drying process. The clothes dryer of any one of -5.

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