JP2012110412A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clothes dryer in which part of heat of drying air is effectively released outside for reducing the size of a heat pump device.SOLUTION: A clothes dryer comprises: a heat pump device 1 including a compressor 2, a condenser 3, throttle means 4 and an evaporator 5 connected to one another through a pipeline 6 so that a refrigerant may be circulated therethrough; a drying chamber 7 in which targets to be dried such as clothes are placed; an air blower 8 sending drying air to the drying chamber 7; an air circulation path 9 through which the drying air sent by the air blower 8 is dehumidified by the evaporator 5 of the heat pump device 1, heated by the condenser 3 and then circulated to the drying chamber 7; a clothes input port 11 through which the targets to be dried are put into the drying chamber 7; and a door 12 for opening/closing the clothes input port 11, and the door 12 includes water-cooling means 20 for cooling the drying air flowing in from the drying chamber 7 and flowing out to the air circulation path 9.

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes and the like.

  Conventionally, in this type of clothes dryer, a heat pump device is used for drying clothes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 3 is a system diagram of the clothes drying apparatus described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. 3, a compressor 51, a condenser 52, a heat exhauster 53, a throttle means 54, and an evaporator 55 are connected by a pipeline 56 through which a refrigerant circulates to constitute a heat pump device 57. The wind circuit 58 for flowing the drying air includes a condenser 52 that heats the drying air, a drying chamber 59 that holds clothes to be dried, and an evaporator 55 that cools and dehumidifies the drying air. It connects so that it may connect with a road.

  The heat exhauster 53 is installed between the condenser 52 and the throttle means 54, and is disposed in a wind circuit 60 different from the wind circuit 58. The heat exhauster 53 removes the outside air blown by the blower 61 and the heat exhaustor 53. The flowing refrigerant exchanges heat and releases a part of the heat of the refrigerant so as to reduce the temperature rise of the refrigerant. The detection means 62 for detecting the state of the heat pump device 57 detects the refrigerant discharge temperature by the thermistor 63 provided in the pipe 56 through which the refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 51, and controls the compressor 51 and the blower 61.

  The arrow A indicates the flow of drying air flowing through the wind circuit 58, the arrow B indicates the flow of cooling outside air flowing through the wind circuit 60, and the arrow C indicates the flow of refrigerant flowing through the pipe 56. Show.

  Next, the operation of the clothes drying apparatus will be described. When the drying operation is started, the blower 64 provided in the compressor 51 and the wind circuit 58 is operated, and the drying air is blown to the wind circuit 58 by the blower 64. The drying air is heated by heat radiation from the condenser 52 and is introduced into the drying chamber 59 as warm air. The drying air that has come into contact with the clothes in the drying cabinet 59 removes moisture from the wet clothes and dries the clothes.

  The drying air is provided with sensible heat as the amount of heat for evaporation, and thus the temperature is lowered. However, the drying air contains water vapor having substantially the same latent heat released from the clothing and becomes highly humid. The enthalpy of the drying air before and after coming into contact with clothing is almost constant. The drying air that has become highly humid is cooled by the evaporator 55, deprived of latent heat, dewed and dehumidified. The drying air which has been dehumidified and whose absolute temperature has been lowered is heated again by the condenser 52.

  On the other hand, in the heat pump cycle, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51 takes heat from the drying air by the condenser 52 and condenses and liquefies. The refrigerant exiting the condenser 52 enters the heat exhauster 53, exchanges heat with the outside air blown by the blower 61, and exhausts a part of the heat of the refrigerant. Next, the high-pressure refrigerant is depressurized by the throttle means 54, becomes low temperature and low pressure, takes heat from the drying air by the evaporator 55, and returns to the compressor 51.

  The amount of heat obtained by adding the amount of heat obtained from the input of the compressor 51 to the amount of heat deprived by the evaporator 55 by the refrigerant is released from the condenser 52, but the amount of heat corresponding to the input of the compressor 51 is discharged by the heat exhaustor 53. Heat is radiated to the outside in advance, and the amount of heat radiated from the condenser 52 is balanced at a constant value.

Further, as another means of exhaust heat, it is conceivable to provide a heat balance means in the air passage that sends the drying air deprived of moisture from the clothes to the evaporator and cool the drying air flowing through the air passage. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP 2004-239549 A JP 2004-236965 A

  However, in the conventional configuration described in Patent Document 1, in order to exhaust a part of the heat of the refrigerant, an exhaust heat wind circuit 60 is provided and the exhaust heat radiator 53 is disposed, and the exhaust gas is discharged from the condenser 52. There is a problem in that the piping of the refrigerant pipe to the heater 53 and the piping of the refrigerant pipe from the exhaust heat generator 53 to the throttle means 54 are necessary, and the heat pump device 57 is increased in size. In the configuration described in Document 2, since the air path through which the drying air flows is cooled, it is difficult to increase the cooling area, and there is a problem that heat cannot be effectively exhausted from the drying air.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a clothes dryer in which part of the heat of drying air is effectively released to the outside and the heat pump device is miniaturized.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a clothes dryer of the present invention includes a heat pump device, a drying chamber that houses a drying target such as clothes, a blower that blows drying air into the drying chamber, and the blower. A circulation air passage that dehumidifies the air to be blown by the evaporator of the heat pump device, heats it with a condenser and circulates it to the drying chamber, an inlet port that inputs an object to be dried into the drying chamber, and an inlet port A door body that opens and closes, and is provided with water cooling means for cooling the drying air flowing into the door body from the drying chamber and flowing out into the circulation air passage.

  As a result, it is possible to effectively release part of the heat of the drying air to the outside when the drying air passes through the door body, and to realize a small heat pump device that can be operated safely and stably. Can do.

  The clothes dryer of the present invention can effectively release part of the heat of the drying air to the outside, and can reduce the size of the heat pump device.

System diagram of clothes dryer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Schematic cross-sectional perspective view of the door of the clothes dryer System diagram of conventional clothing drying equipment

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat pump device in which a refrigerant is circulated through a compressor, a condenser, a throttle means, and an evaporator, a drying chamber for storing a drying object such as clothing, and a drying chamber for drying. A blower that blows air for use, a circulation air passage that dehumidifies the drying air blown by the blower with the evaporator, heats it with the condenser, and circulates it to the drying chamber, and inputs a drying object into the drying chamber A drying chamber provided with a water cooling means for cooling the drying air that flows from the drying chamber and flows out to the circulation air path. By allowing the drying air coming out of the door to pass through the door body, a large cooling area can be formed, and part of the heat of the drying air can be effectively discharged to the outside, and the exhaust heat. Necessary to pipe refrigerant pipes to connect No, it is possible to mount the heat pump apparatus compactly clothes dryer is downsized.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in particular, the door body of the first aspect of the invention cools the first space in which the drying air in the drying chamber flows in and flows out to the circulation air passage, and the drying air flowing in the first space. Water cooling means for supplying cooling water, a second space defined by the first space and the partition portion, and a cooling water discharge port for discharging the cooling water to the second space side of the partition portion. By being configured, a part of the circulation air passage can be configured inside the door body, and the drying air that has come out of the drying chamber can be cooled over a wide area by passing through the door body. A part of the heat of the working air can be effectively exhausted.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in particular, the door body of the second aspect of the invention has a drainage port for draining dew condensation water generated in the first space, and the drainage port is provided at the bottom of the first space. By discharging from the door body, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from accumulating in the first space.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the door body of the second or third aspect of the invention has a cooling water discharge port for discharging the cooling water discharged from the cooling water discharge port to the second space, and the cooling water drainage. By providing the mouth at the bottom of the second space and discharging it from the door body, it is possible to prevent condensation from accumulating in the second space.

  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 system diagram of a clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional perspective view of a door body of the clothes dryer.

  1 and 2, a heat pump device 1 includes a compressor 2 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 3 that dissipates heat of the compressed high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and a capillary tube that reduces the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant. The throttle means 4 is connected to the evaporator 6 through which the refrigerant whose pressure has been reduced to low pressure takes heat from the surroundings, and the refrigerant is circulated by a pipe 6.

  A blower 8 that blows drying air is provided in a drying chamber 7 that accommodates a drying target such as clothing. The circulation air path 9 cools and dehumidifies the drying air blown by the blower 8 with the evaporator 5 of the heat pump device 1, heats it with the condenser 3, supplies the air to the drying chamber 7 from the air supply port 10 and circulates it.

  An input port 11 is provided on the front side of the drying chamber 7 for putting clothes to be dried into the drying chamber 7 and taking out clothes after drying, and an openable / closable door body 12 for opening and closing the input port 11 is provided. Inside the door body 12, a first space 14 is formed on the drying chamber 7 side by a partition portion 13 formed in a plate shape, and vent holes 15 a and 15 b for allowing drying air to pass through the first space 14 are provided. ing.

  The vent hole 15a allows the drying air to flow into the first space 14 from the drying chamber 7, and the vent hole 15b allows the drying air that flows into the first space 14 to flow out to the circulation air passage 9. It is.

  Cooling water is discharged from the cooling water discharge port 16 provided in the upper part of the second space 17 defined by the partition portion 13, and the drying air flowing through the first space 14 is cooled via the partition portion 13. The first space 14 is configured such that the cooling water discharged from the cooling water discharge port 16 flows on the surface on the second space 17 side of the partition portion 13 that defines the first space 14 and the second space 17. The second space 17 is formed adjacent to the door body 12.

  Condensed water generated by cooling the drying air flowing through the circulation air passage 9 by the evaporator 5 is discharged from a first drain port 19 provided in the circulation air passage 9 below the evaporator 5. On the downstream side of the first drain port 19, a cooling water channel 21 provided with an on-off valve 20 and a drain channel 23 provided outside with a drain valve 22 are branched and connected in two directions.

  The other of the on-off valve 20 provided in the cooling water channel 21 is connected to the cooling water discharge port 16, and dew water discharged from the first drain port 19 is opened by opening the on-off valve 20 and closing the drain valve 22. The water is discharged from the cooling water discharge port 16 into the second space 17 through the cooling water passage 21 and the on-off valve 20, and is cooled along the surface of the partition portion 13.

  The on-off valve 20 for supplying the cooling water into the second space 17 functions as a cooling means for cooling the drying air flowing through the first space 14 via the partition part 13, and the second through the cooling water discharge port 16. The cooling water discharged into the space 17 is discharged out of the door body 12 through a cooling water drain port 24 provided at the bottom of the second space 17.

  Further, the dew condensation water generated by cooling the drying air flowing through the first space 14 is discharged out of the door body 12 from the dew condensation water outlet 25 provided at the bottom of the first space 14. Yes. The cooling water channel 21 and the drain channel 23 are made of a flexible material having flexibility such as a rubber hose, for example, and can be easily piped to a narrow space in the machine.

  Arrow D indicates the flow of drying air flowing through the circulation air passage 9, arrow E indicates the flow of cooling water flowing through the second space 17 along the surface of the partition 13, and arrow F indicates the pipeline. 6 shows the flow of the refrigerant flowing through 6.

  The vent hole 15a is formed in the door body 12 so that the drying air flows from the drying chamber 7 toward the door body 12, and faces the drying chamber 7 and communicates with the door body 12 in a state where the inlet 11 is closed. To do. The drying air that has flowed into the first space 14 from the air vent 15 a collides with the partition 13, flows along the partition 13 to the air vent 15 b, and flows out to the circulation air passage 9. The partition 13 that defines the first space 14 and the second space 17 is formed of a thin plate of a metal having a good thermal conductivity such as aluminum.

  The compressor 2, the blower 8, the on-off valve 20, the drain valve 22 and the like of the heat pump device 1 are controlled by control means (not shown), and the control means can execute a drying operation according to a preset program. it can.

  About the clothes dryer comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. When the drying operation is started, the blower 8 and the compressor 2 operate. The drying air blown by the blower 8 passes through the condenser 3, and the drying air is heated by heat radiation from the condenser 3, and is introduced into the drying chamber 7 from the air supply port 10 as warm air. The drying air that comes into contact with the clothes in the drying chamber 7 removes moisture from the clothes and dries the clothes. At this time, the drying air becomes highly humid air.

  The drying air that has become highly humid flows into the first space 14 provided in the door body 12 from the vent hole 15 a, and the drying air that flows out from the vent hole 15 b to the circulation air passage 9 is cooled by the evaporator 5. The condensed water generated after dehumidification is drained from the first drain port 19. The drying air that has been dehumidified and whose absolute humidity has been reduced is heated by the condenser 3 and blown into the drying chamber 7 to circulate.

  When condensed water is generated in the evaporator 5 and begins to be discharged from the first drain port 19, the drain valve 22 is closed and the open / close valve 20 is opened. The condensed water is used as cooling water through the cooling water channel 21 and the cooling water discharge port 16. Then, the liquid is discharged into the second space 17, and the partition 13 is cooled along the surface of the partition 13.

  The drying air that has become highly humid in the drying chamber 7 flows into the first space 14 provided in the door body 12 through the vent hole 15a, and is cooled by coming into contact with the partition portion 13 cooled with cooling water. . Since the partition part 13 can ensure a wide cooling area in the door body 12 and is formed of a highly heat conductive metal such as aluminum, it has a high cooling effect and a part of the heat of the drying air. Can be effectively exhausted. The cooled drying air is condensed on the surface of the partition 13 and dehumidified. The condensed water is drained from a condensed water drain port 25 provided at the bottom of the first space 14 by its own weight.

  The drying air is cooled by the partition 13 after being introduced into the first space 14 from the drying chamber 7, so that the inside of the drying chamber 7 is cooled by the cooled drying air and the temperature is lowered. It is possible to dry clothes efficiently.

  On the other hand, in the heat pump device 1, the heat of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 is radiated by the condenser 3, and the high-pressure refrigerant that has left the condenser 3 is decompressed by the throttle means 4 to become low-temperature and low-pressure, evaporating The unit 5 takes heat from the drying air and returns to the compressor 2. The amount of heat obtained by adding the amount of heat obtained from the input of the compressor 2 to the amount of heat taken by the evaporator 5 by the refrigerant is released from the condenser 3.

  Here, the thermal energy released from the condenser 3 to the drying air is approximately equal to the sum of the power consumption of the compressor 2 and the amount of heat absorbed from the drying air by the evaporator 5. For this reason, the condenser 3 can obtain an output higher than the electric power input to the compressor 2, and can heat the drying air and put it into clothes in the drying chamber 7.

  However, if the drying air is circulated as it is, the amount of heat of the entire drying air increases, the refrigerant temperature and refrigerant pressure of the heat pump device 1 increase, and the operating pressure rises. As a result, the compressor 2 is overloaded and the capacity of the compressor 2 is lowered so that the refrigerant reaches a predetermined refrigerant temperature and refrigerant pressure, and efficient drying cannot be performed.

  Therefore, the present invention is provided with water cooling means for cooling the drying air passing through the door body 12 while allowing the drying air from the drying chamber 7 to flow into the door body 12. Thereby, since the drying air cooled and dehumidified by the partition part 13 and the evaporator 5 flows into the condenser 3, an excessive increase in the refrigerant temperature and the refrigerant pressure can be suppressed, and an overload of the compressor 2 is prevented. Thus, the safe and stable operation of the heat pump device 1 becomes possible.

  Moreover, since the drying air cooled and dehumidified by the partition 13 and the evaporator 5 is introduced into the drying chamber 7, the drying capacity is improved.

  In addition, since the drying air is indirectly cooled, the drying air that has become hot and humid will not be discharged outside the machine. Never become.

  Moreover, since it is set as the structure which cools and exhausts the air for drying inside the door body 12, it is not necessary to provide a heat exhaust device in the heat pump apparatus 1, and from the piping from a condenser to a heat exhaust device, and a heat exhaust device. Piping to the throttle means is unnecessary, and the heat pump device can be configured compactly.

  Further, since the partition portion 13 is configured to be substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the drying air is introduced into the first space 14, the drying air can collide with the partition portion 13. At the same time, since it flows to the vent hole 15b along the surface of the partition portion 13, the heat exchange efficiency between the drying air and the partition portion 13 is improved, and the exhaust heat effect of the drying air can be enhanced.

  In the present embodiment, the drying air is cooled and dehumidified by cooling the partition portion 13, but for example, the amount of cooling water discharged can be reduced by shortening the opening time of the on-off valve 20, By reducing the cooling capacity by reducing the opening of the on-off valve 20 and reducing the amount of cooling water discharged, only the cooling can be performed without dehumidifying the drying air. Condensation water does not occur and drainage is unnecessary.

  In this case, by operating the on-off valve 20 and the drain valve 22 in conjunction with each other, the condensed water discharged from the first drain port 19 can be smoothly discharged from the cooling water channel 21 and the drain channel 23.

  Further, as the cooling water discharged from the cooling water discharge port 16 into the second space 17, the condensed water generated in the evaporator 5 is discharged. However, tap water is also possible, and the water is stored in a tank or the like. It is also possible to configure the cooling water to circulate with a pump. In this case, the cooling water can be discharged regardless of the timing and amount of generation of condensed water, and the heat pump device 1 can be operated in an optimum state.

  In this embodiment, the clothes dryer is used. However, the same effect can be obtained as a laundry dryer having a washing function.

  In addition to a configuration in which the drying chamber is configured to be rotatable by a motor (not shown) and clothes and the like housed therein are dried while stirring, a configuration in which a drying target is placed in the drying chamber may be used. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a clothes dryer configured to suspend a drying object such as clothes in a drying chamber.

  As described above, the clothes dryer according to the present invention can effectively release part of the heat of the drying air to the outside, and can reduce the size of the heat pump device, so that it is useful as a clothes dryer. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat pump apparatus 2 Compressor 3 Condenser 4 Throttling means 5 Evaporator 6 Pipe line 7 Drying chamber 8 Blower 9 Circulating air path 11 Input port 12 Door body 13 Partition part 14 1st space 17 2nd space 20 On-off valve ( Water cooling means)

Claims (4)

A heat pump device in which a refrigerant is circulated through a compressor, a condenser, a throttling means, and an evaporator, a drying chamber for storing a drying target such as clothing, and a blower for blowing drying air into the drying chamber A circulation air passage that dehumidifies the drying air blown by the blower with the evaporator, heats it with the condenser and circulates it to the drying chamber, an inlet port that feeds a drying object into the drying chamber, and A clothes dryer provided with a water cooling means for cooling the drying air which flows into the door body from the drying chamber and flows out to the circulation air passage. The door body includes a first space into which drying air in the drying chamber flows in and flows out into the circulation air passage, water cooling means for supplying cooling water for cooling the drying air flowing through the first space, and the first body. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, further comprising: a second space defined by the space and a partition portion; and a cooling water discharge port for discharging cooling water to the second space side of the partition portion. The door body has a drainage port for draining dew condensation water generated in the first space, and the drainage port is provided at a bottom portion of the first space so as to be discharged from the door body. Clothes dryer. The door body has a cooling water drainage port for draining the cooling water discharged from the cooling water discharge port to the second space, and the cooling water drainage port is provided at a bottom portion of the second space from the door body. 4. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, wherein the clothes dryer is discharged.