JP2016022133A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow control according to the weight of a load of a drying object, and to allow a more efficient drying operation.SOLUTION: A clothes dryer includes: a drying chamber having a hot air inlet and a hot air outlet, and for accommodating clothes to be dried; a circulation air passage provided being connected to the hot air inlet and the hot air outlet at the outside of the drying chamber; a blower for circulating the air inside the drying chamber through the circulation air passage; a heat pump for configuring a refrigeration cycle by connecting a compressor, a condenser, a throttle device for controlling a flow rate of a refrigerant and an evaporator sequentially, and being configured by disposing the condenser and the evaporator in the circulation air passage; and control means for controlling the throttle device so that a temperature difference between an inlet temperature of the evaporator and an outlet temperature of the evaporator becomes a preset overheat degree in a drying step. The control means makes the overheat degrees different according to the weight of the clothes to be dried.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present embodiment relates to a clothes dryer.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, drum-type laundry dryers that can automatically perform from clothes washing to drying have become widespread as clothes dryers. The drum type washing and drying machine includes a heater type that uses an electric heater as a heating source for drying and a heat pump type that uses heat radiation by a condenser in a refrigeration cycle and cooling and dehumidification by an evaporator.

  The heat pump type has a refrigeration cycle in which a compressor, a condenser, a squeezing device, and an evaporator are connected in a cycle, and the condenser and the evaporator are connected to a drying chamber (water tank) containing clothes. It is arranged in the circulation air passage. The circulation air passage is provided with a blower that circulates the air in the drying chamber through the circulation air passage. When the refrigeration cycle is operated, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor enters the condenser in a high-temperature and high-pressure state, and then enters the evaporator through a throttling device to become a low-temperature and low-pressure, and returns to the compressor. repeat. And the air which passes along a circulation air path is heated with a condenser, is warmed, enters a drying room, and warms the clothing in a drying room. The air deprived of moisture from the clothes goes out to the circulation air passage and is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator. By repeating this, drying proceeds. With such a configuration, warm air is generated by the condenser and dehumidification is performed by the evaporator, so that the clothes can be effectively dried. For this reason, the heat pump type has the advantage that the temperature level is lower and the clothes can be dried than the heater type, so that there is less damage to clothing, and the electricity cost can be greatly reduced and the drying time can be shortened.

  Further, in recent years, in this type of heat pump type washing and drying machine, the capacity has been increased in order to increase the amount that can be performed at one time from washing to drying. In general, when operating a refrigeration cycle (heat pump), to adjust the amount of refrigerant so that the degree of superheat (the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the evaporator, also called the superheat value) is maintained at the set temperature. The throttling device is controlled by the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the evaporator. However, in the laundry dryer having a large capacity, the range of the weight of the laundry to be loaded is expanded, and there is a large difference in the amount of heat exchange required between the maximum load and the minimum load. Cannot be performed properly, and efficient operation is required.

JP 2009-61163 A

  Therefore, a clothes dryer that can be controlled according to the weight of the load to be dried and can perform a more efficient drying operation is provided.

  The clothes dryer of the present embodiment is provided with a hot air inlet and a hot air outlet, and a drying chamber for storing clothes to be dried inside, and connected to the hot air inlet and the hot air outlet outside the drying chamber. The refrigeration cycle is configured by sequentially connecting the generated circulation air passage, the blower that circulates the air in the drying chamber through the circulation air passage, the compressor, the condenser, the throttle device that controls the flow rate of the refrigerant, and the evaporator. Among them, a heat pump configured by disposing a condenser and an evaporator in a circulation air passage, and a temperature difference between an evaporator inlet temperature and an evaporator outlet temperature in a drying process so as to have a set superheat degree. Control means for controlling the diaphragm device. The control means varies the set value of the degree of superheat according to the weight of clothes to be dried.

The figure which shows the relationship between the weight of the clothing in 1st Embodiment, the initial superheat degree, and the superheat degree after a trigger. Schematic broken side view of a washer / dryer Schematic broken rear view of a washer / dryer The figure which shows typically the schematic structure of a circulation air path and a heat pump Block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration centering on the controller The figure which shows typically the temperature change of each part in a drying process The figure which shows typically the change of the temperature of each part and the temperature difference of the drying chamber inlet / outlet FIG. 7A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 when the weight of the laundry is small, and FIG. 7B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 when the weight of the laundry is large. The figure which shows 2nd Embodiment and shows an example of the cloth quality in the case of a weight of 5.0 kg, an initial superheat degree, and the superheat degree after a trigger. The figure which shows 3rd Embodiment and shows an example of the room temperature in the case of a weight of 5.0 kg, the initial superheat degree, and the superheat degree after a trigger. The figure which shows 4th Embodiment and shows an example of the humidity in the case of a weight of 5.0 kg, the initial superheat degree, and the superheat degree after a trigger. The figure which shows 5th Embodiment and shows an example of the water temperature in the case of a weight of 5.0 kg, the initial superheat degree, and the superheat degree after a trigger. The figure which shows 6th and 7th embodiment, and shows the temperature change of each part in a drying process typically

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments applied to a drum-type washing and drying machine will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the substantially same component, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the casing 1 of the washing / drying machine has a rectangular box shape, and the front surface 1a (left side in FIG. 2) is slightly inclined forward and downward. On the front surface 1a, although not shown, a laundry doorway is formed, and a door 2 for opening and closing the laundry doorway is provided. A water tank 3 is disposed inside the housing 1. This aquarium 3 has a horizontal axis shape whose axial direction is the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2), has a cylindrical shape with a closed rear surface, and is disposed in an upwardly inclined state via a suspension (not shown). Has been. This water tank 3 also functions as a drying chamber. A front opening of the water tank 3 is connected to the laundry entrance through a bellows 4.

  In the water tank 3, a drum 5 as a rotating tank is rotatably accommodated. Similarly to the water tank 3, the drum 5 also has a horizontal axis shape in which the axial direction faces the front-rear direction, has a cylindrical shape with the rear surface closed, and is arranged in an upwardly inclined state. A number of holes 6 through which water and air can be passed are formed in the peripheral wall portion and the back surface portion of the drum 5. Although not shown, a baffle for lifting and stirring the laundry is provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion of the drum 5. The front opening of the drum 5 communicates with the laundry entrance together with the front opening of the water tank 3. In this drum 5, clothes (laundry) are accommodated through the laundry entrance so as to be put in and out.

  A washing machine motor 7 that rotates the drum 5 is disposed on the back surface of the water tank 3. The washing machine motor 7 is composed of, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and is configured to directly drive the drum 5 to rotate. The drum 5 functions as a washing tub during washing, as a dehydrating tub during dehydration, and as a drying tub during drying.

  In the water tank 3, a hot air inlet 8 is formed in the upper part of the back surface part, and a hot air outlet 9 is formed in the upper part of the front part of the peripheral wall part. A circulation air passage 10 is provided outside the water tank 3 so as to be positioned in the housing 1. The circulation air passage 10 is for connecting the hot air inlet 8 and the hot air outlet 9 of the water tank 3 functioning as a drying chamber to circulate the air in the water tank 3. The circulation air passage 10 includes a drying chamber inlet duct 11 having one end connected to the hot air inlet 8, a drying chamber outlet duct 13 having one end connected to the hot air outlet 9 via a filter case 12, and the like. A drying unit duct 14 provided between the drying chamber inlet duct 11 and the drying chamber outlet duct 13 and a fan casing 16 of the blower 15 are provided.

  The blower 15 includes a fan casing 16, a blower blade 17 provided in the fan casing 16, and a fan motor 18 that rotationally drives the blower blade 17. The fan casing 16 has a suction port 16a and a discharge port 16b. The suction port 16a is connected to the end of the drying unit duct 14, and the discharge port 16b is connected to the lower end of the drying chamber inlet duct 11. . The drying unit duct 14 and the blower 15 are disposed below the water tank 3 at the lower rear portion in the housing 1. A lint filter 20 (see FIG. 4) is detachably provided in the filter case 12. The lint filter 20 captures lint contained in the air that has flowed from the hot air outlet 9 toward the filter case 12.

  The other end portion of the drying chamber outlet duct 13 extends downward from the rear, and is connected to one end portion of the drying unit duct 14 at a lower portion in the housing 1. In the drying unit duct 14, a condenser 21 that functions as a heating unit and an evaporator 22 that functions as a dehumidifying unit are disposed. Among these, the condenser 21 is disposed between the evaporator 22 and the blower 15, and the evaporator 22 is disposed near the drying chamber outlet duct 13 on the upstream side of the condenser 21. The condenser 21 and the evaporator 22 constitute a part of the heat pump 23.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the heat pump 23 passes through the compressor 24 that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, the condenser 21 that radiates and condenses the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24, and the condenser 21. A refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a throttle device 25 that controls the flow rate of the refrigerant and an evaporator 22 that evaporates the refrigerant that has passed through the throttle device 25 and absorbs heat through a pipe 26. In the heat pump 23, a discharge temperature sensor 27 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the compressor 24, the condenser temperature sensor 28 is provided in the condenser 21, and an evaporator inlet temperature sensor in the vicinity of the inlet of the evaporator 22. 29 and an evaporator outlet temperature sensor 30 is provided near the inlet of the compressor 24. Further, in the circulation air passage 10, a drying chamber inlet temperature sensor 31 is provided near the hot air inlet 8, and a drying chamber outlet temperature sensor 32 is provided near the hot air outlet 9.

  The drying unit duct 14 is provided with a drain tank 33 for storing the dehumidified water dehumidified by the evaporator 22, and a drain pump for discharging the dehumidified water stored in the drain tank 33 to the outside of the apparatus. 34 (see FIG. 2) is provided. 3 and 4, an exhaust port 36 having an opening is provided at the upper part of the drying unit duct 14 in the vicinity of the upstream side of the evaporator 22, and the evaporator 22 and the condenser 21 are connected to each other. An air inlet 37 made of an opening is provided in between.

  An operation panel 38 is provided on the top of the front surface 1 a of the housing 1. The operation panel 38 is provided with an operation unit for the user to set a driving course and a display unit for displaying the driving course. A control device 39 (see FIG. 2) constituting control means is provided at the lower part of the front part in the housing 1. The control device 39 is mainly composed of a microcomputer and has a function of controlling the overall operation of the washing / drying machine. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the washing / drying machine has a water supply valve 40 for supplying water into the water tank 3 during washing, a drain valve 41 for discharging water in the water tank 3, and a water level in the water tank 3. A water level sensor 42 to be detected is provided.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration centering on the control device 39. The control device 39 includes an operation unit in the operation panel 38, a water level sensor 42, a rotation sensor 43 that detects the rotation speed of the washing machine motor 7, a current sensor 44 that detects a current flowing through the washing machine motor 7, and the discharge temperature. Sensor 27, condenser temperature sensor 28, evaporator inlet temperature sensor 29, evaporator outlet temperature sensor 30, drying chamber inlet temperature sensor 31, drying chamber outlet temperature sensor 32, room temperature sensor 45, humidity sensor 46, water temperature A signal from the sensor 47 or the like is input. The room temperature sensor 45 and the humidity sensor 46 are provided, for example, in a predetermined part of the housing 1. The room temperature sensor 45 detects the temperature in the room where the washing and drying machine is installed, and the humidity sensor 46 detects the humidity in the room. . The water temperature sensor 47 is provided in the water supply valve 40 for supplying water into the water tank 3 at the time of washing, and detects the temperature of the water supplied into the water tank 3.

  Based on these signals and a control program prepared in advance, the control device 39 displays the operation panel 38, the water supply valve 40, the drain valve 41, the washing machine motor 7, the fan motor 18, the compressor 24, the throttle device 25, A function of controlling the drain pump 34 and the like is provided.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
The user operates the operation unit of the operation panel 38 with the clothes (laundry) stored in the drum 5, sets a desired driving course, and starts driving. Regarding the operation of the washing and drying machine, there are various driving courses such as a washing / drying course for automatically washing clothes from drying to drying, and a drying course for only drying clothes. A case where the standard mode is selected will be described as an example.

  The control device 39 first detects the weight of clothes in the drum 5. In the detection of the clothing weight, the drum 5 is rapidly rotated to, for example, 170 rpm by the washing machine motor 7, and the current value flowing through the washing machine motor 7 is detected by the current sensor 44 during the rapid rotation, and the detected current value (torque) The weight of the clothing is determined based on the q-axis current value corresponding to the component. This weight is determined, for example, in seven stages from 1.0 to 7.0 kg as shown in FIG. In this case, the control device 39 and the current sensor 44 function as weight detection means for detecting the weight of the clothes. The control device 39 determines the water level during washing based on the detected weight and displays the amount of detergent to be used on the display unit of the operation panel 38. The user inserts the detergent based on the display on the display unit.

  Thereafter, the control device 39 executes a washing process including washing, rinsing, dehydration and the like. At the start of this washing process, the control device 39 opens the water supply valve 40 to supply water into the water tank 3. The control device 39 performs washing by alternately rotating the drum 5 in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed by the washing machine motor 7, and detects the cloth quality of the clothes during this process. The cloth quality is detected as follows.

  After the water level (water amount) in the drum 5 reaches a predetermined predetermined water amount and is stabilized by water supply, the magnitude of torque fluctuation of the washing machine motor 7 is detected based on the q-axis current value described above. The magnitude of the torque fluctuation (fluctuation width and average value) becomes larger as the water absorption of the clothes increases. As for the clothes in the drum 5, when the cotton ratio is high, the water absorption is high and the torque fluctuation is large. On the other hand, when the chemical fiber ratio is high, the water absorption is low and the torque fluctuation is small. Based on the magnitude of this torque variation and the above-described clothing weight, the control device 39 determines the quality of the clothing. That is, it is possible to determine whether the garment is cotton or synthetic fiber based on the correlation between the magnitude of the torque fluctuation of the washing machine motor 7 and the water absorption of the garment. In this case, the control device 39 and the current sensor 44 function as cloth quality detecting means for detecting the cloth quality of the clothes.

  Then, in the final dehydration in the washing process, the control device 39 causes the washing machine motor 7 to rotate the drum 5 in one direction at high speed, thereby centrifugally dehydrating the clothes. The control device 39 ends the washing process by performing the final dehydration, and shifts to the drying process.

  In the drying process, the drum 5 is rotated in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed by the washing machine motor 7, and the compressor 24 and the blower 15 of the heat pump 23 are energized and driven.

  Among these, the laundry in the drum 5 is stirred by rotating the drum 5 in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed. Further, the blower 15 is energized and driven, and the air in the water tank 3 serving as a drying chamber is circulated through the circulation air passage 10 as indicated by solid line arrows in FIGS. Furthermore, with the operation of the compressor 24, the refrigerant that has become a high-temperature and high-pressure gas is discharged from the compressor 24, and the refrigerant dissipates heat in the condenser 21, condenses, and passes through the expansion device 25 to increase the flow rate. It is controlled to become a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid and is supplied to the evaporator 22. The refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 22 is repeatedly circulated by evaporating into a gas and returning to the compressor 24 again.

  At this time, the air passing through the circulation air passage 10 is heated by the condenser 21 to be warmed, and the warm air is supplied from the hot air inlet 8 into the water tank 3 and eventually into the drum 5, and the clothes in the drum 5 are warmed. Heated in contact with the wind. The warm air that has warmed clothes and deprived of moisture flows from the warm air outlet 9 through the filter case 12 and the drying chamber outlet duct 13 to the drying unit duct 14 side. The hot air flowing toward the drying unit duct 14 is cooled and dehumidified in the process of passing through the evaporator 22. The dehumidified warm air is heated when it passes through the condenser 21 again. By repeating this, the clothes in the drum 5 are dried. The dehumidified water dehumidified by the evaporator 22 is stored in the drain tank 33. The dehumidified water stored in the drain tank 33 is discharged to the outside by the drain pump 34 at regular intervals.

  During this drying process, a certain amount of circulating air is discharged from the exhaust port 36 to the outside of the circulating air passage 10, and the same amount of air is introduced from the air inlet 37 into the circulating air passage 10 (see the dotted arrow in FIG. 4). . This intake / exhaust amount is determined by the pressure balance in the circulation air passage 10, and stable operation can be performed by always performing intake / exhaust.

  In this drying process, the control device 39 sets the degree of superheat (superheat) that is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the evaporator 22 in the control of the expansion device 25. If the flow path resistance of the expansion device 25 is increased, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 22 is reduced and the refrigerant is easily evaporated, and the degree of superheat increases. Conversely, if the flow path resistance of the expansion device 25 is reduced, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 22 increases and the refrigerant is less likely to evaporate, and the degree of superheat is reduced.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows the temperature change of each part in the drying process. By controlling the compressor 24 and the expansion device 25, the condenser temperature is maintained at a substantially constant temperature in a steady state, and the circulating air is heated by the condenser 21 and supplied into the water tank 3. The high-humidity air that takes moisture from the clothing and contains water vapor is dehumidified by the evaporator 22 and, as the drying progresses, the temperature approaches the temperature near the hot air inlet 8 of the water tank 3 (drying chamber inlet temperature). Therefore, in the circulation air passage 10, the drying proceeds due to the temperature difference between the temperature near the hot air inlet 8 of the water tank 3 (drying chamber inlet temperature) and the temperature near the hot air outlet 9 of the water tank 3 (drying chamber outlet temperature). It is possible to judge the degree of.

  FIG. 7 shows changes in the temperature of each part and the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the drying chamber. FIG. 8 shows an example of the temperature change of each part when the weight of the clothes to be dried is small (a) and large (b). As can be seen from FIG. 8, when the weight of clothing to be dried is large (see (b)), the amount of dehumidified water and the load also increase, and the drying chamber inlet / outlet which is the temperature difference between the drying chamber inlet temperature and the drying chamber outlet temperature. The slope of increase and decrease of the temperature difference becomes gentler than in the case of (a). In such a case, if the degree of superheat is reduced, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 22 increases and the evaporation area can be increased. Conversely, when the weight of the clothes is small (see (a)), the drying chamber inlet / outlet temperature difference changes abruptly. In such a case, if the degree of superheat is increased, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 22 decreases, and the load on the compressor 24 can be reduced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the degree of superheat varies depending on the weight of clothing to be dried. The information on the weight of the garment uses the detection result of the weight detection at the start of the washing process. Specifically, when the weight of clothing is large, for example, when the weight is 7.0 kg, the initial degree of superheat is set as small as 1.0 ° C. On the contrary, when the weight of the clothes is small, for example, when the weight is 1.0 kg, the initial degree of superheat is set as large as 7.0 ° C. In the present embodiment, the degree of superheat is changed to an initial set value and a set value after triggering from the middle according to conditions described later. FIG. 1 shows an example of the initial superheat degree corresponding to each weight and the superheat degree after the trigger. In this case, for each weight, the superheat degree after the trigger is set to be larger than the initial superheat degree.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature difference between the temperature detected by the drying chamber inlet temperature sensor 31 and the temperature detected by the drying chamber outlet temperature sensor 32 in the circulation air passage 10 is the predetermined temperature. In this case, when it is determined that the temperature has decreased to 15 ° C. (see t1 in FIGS. 7, 8A, and 8B), the superheat degree is changed to a set value after the trigger. Specifically, when the clothing weight is 7.0 kg, the degree of superheat after the trigger is increased from the initial value of 1.0 ° C. to 3.0 ° C. When the clothing weight is 1.0 kg, the degree of superheat after the trigger is increased from the initial value of 7.0 ° C. to 9.0 ° C.

  Then, the control device 39 determines that the drying is completed when the temperature difference between the temperature detected by the drying chamber inlet temperature sensor 31 and the temperature detected by the drying chamber outlet temperature sensor 32 reaches a preset temperature. The operation of the compressor 24 is stopped, but the operation of the blower 15 is continued and a cooling operation for cooling the inside of the drum 5 is performed. When the temperature detected by the drying chamber outlet temperature sensor 32 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the operation of the blower 15 is also stopped, and the drying process is terminated.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
In the drying process, the control device 39 that controls the expansion device 25 so that the degree of superheat, which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the evaporator 22, becomes a set value, the superheater according to the weight of the clothing to be dried Different degrees. Specifically, when the garment weight is large, the degree of superheat is reduced, and when the garment weight is small, the degree of superheat is increased. As a result, it is possible to perform a drying operation according to the weight of the load to be dried, and according to the necessary dehumidification amount, and a more efficient drying operation is possible.

  Further, the control device 39 changes the degree of superheat based on a decrease in the temperature difference between the drying chamber inlet and outlet to a predetermined temperature, for example, 15 ° C. Thereby, the superheat degree according to the progress degree of drying of clothing can be set. When the load applied to the evaporator 22 is small (when the amount of dehumidification is small), the dehumidification area may be small. Therefore, when the drying progresses and the dehumidification amount decreases, the degree of superheat is increased so that the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 22 is reduced, the load on the compressor 24 is reduced, and the power consumption is reduced. And efficient operation of the refrigeration cycle.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the weight of clothing uses the result of weight detection in the washing process. Alternatively, for example, when the user starts the drying operation, it is also possible to input weight information on the operation panel and set a set value of the superheat degree based on the weight information.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment. In this embodiment, the initial degree of superheat and the degree of superheat after triggering are set according to the quality of the clothing to be dried. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the weight is 5.0 kg. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the cloth quality is determined to be cotton, the initial superheat degree is 3.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after the trigger. Is set to 5.0 ° C. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the fabric is determined to be a synthetic fiber, the initial degree of superheat is set to 4.0 ° C., and the degree of superheat after the trigger is set to 6.0 ° C. In addition, although not shown in figure, the superheat degree is set for every weight whose weight is 1.0-7.0 kg. For the determination of the cloth quality, the determination result in the washing process in the first embodiment can be used.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to perform a more efficient drying operation by setting the superheat degree suitable for each of the cloth quality that is difficult to dry (cotton) and the cloth quality that is easy to dry (synthetic fiber).

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment. In this embodiment, the initial degree of superheat and the degree of superheat after the trigger are set according to the room temperature where the washing / drying machine is installed. FIG. 10 shows an example when the weight is 5.0 kg. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the room temperature is determined to be 20 ° C., the initial superheat degree is 3.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after triggering Is set to 5.0 ° C. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the room temperature is determined to be 5.0 ° C., the initial superheat degree is set to 1.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after the trigger is set to 3.0 ° C. In this case as well, although not shown, the degree of superheat is set for each weight of 1.0 to 7.0 kg. The determination of the room temperature uses the temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 45 provided in the washing / drying machine.

  When the room temperature is low, it is difficult to dehumidify in the evaporator 22, and it is necessary to facilitate dehumidification. Therefore, by setting the degree of superheat small, it is possible to increase the dehumidification area and increase the dehumidification amount.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the initial degree of superheat and the degree of superheat after the trigger are set according to the humidity in the vicinity of the washing / drying machine. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the weight is 5.0 kg. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the humidity is determined to be 50%, the initial superheat degree is 3.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after triggering. Is set to 5.0 ° C. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the humidity is determined to be less than 50%, the initial superheat degree is set to 5.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after the trigger is set to 7.0 ° C. In this case as well, although not shown, the degree of superheat is set for each weight of 1.0 to 7.0 kg. The determination of the humidity uses the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46 provided in the washing / drying machine.
When the humidity is high, the degree of superheat is reduced to facilitate dehumidification, and when the humidity is low, the degree of superheat is increased to allow operation with a dehumidifying area corresponding to the amount of dehumidification.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 12 shows a fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, the initial degree of superheat and the degree of superheat after the trigger are set according to the temperature of water used in the washing / drying machine. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the weight is 5.0 kg. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the water temperature is determined to be 20 ° C., the initial superheat degree is 3.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after the trigger Is set to 5.0 ° C. When the weight is 5.0 kg and the water temperature is determined to be 5 ° C., the initial superheat degree is set to 1.0 ° C., and the superheat degree after the trigger is set to 3.0 ° C. In this case as well, although not shown, the degree of superheat is set for each weight of 1.0 to 7.0 kg. The water temperature is determined using the temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 47 provided in the water supply valve 40 used during washing.

  When the water temperature is high, dehumidification is relatively easy, and by increasing the degree of superheat, it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumption by an operation with a small load. When the water temperature is low, dehumidification is difficult, and it becomes possible to increase the amount of dehumidification by reducing the degree of superheat and increasing the amount of refrigerant.

(Sixth and seventh embodiments)
FIG. 13 shows sixth and seventh embodiments. In the first embodiment described above, when the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the drying chamber reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 15 ° C., the set value of the superheat degree is changed to the set value after the trigger (see time t1). ). In contrast, in the sixth embodiment, the discharge temperature of the compressor 24 is monitored by the discharge temperature sensor 27, and the detected temperature (compressor discharge temperature) of the discharge temperature sensor 27 is a predetermined temperature, for example, 90 ° C. At the point of time (see time t2), the superheat degree is changed to the set value after the trigger.

  In general control, when the discharge temperature of the compressor 24 increases and reaches an upper limit temperature, for example, 100 ° C., the control device 39 performs control to forcibly stop the compressor 24. In the present embodiment, when the temperature detected by the discharge temperature sensor 27 reaches 90 ° C., the setting value of the superheat degree is changed to be increased. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in the discharge temperature of the compressor 24 without stopping the compressor 24.

  In the seventh embodiment, the inlet temperature of the evaporator 22 is monitored by the evaporator inlet temperature sensor 29, and the detected temperature (evaporator inlet temperature) of the evaporator inlet temperature sensor 29 is a predetermined temperature, for example, 25 ° C. At that time (see time t3), the superheat degree is changed to the set value after the trigger. According to this, the temperature of the refrigerant entering the compressor 24 can be prevented from rising excessively. Thereby, the load of the compressor 24 can be reduced and the amount of power consumption can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the laundry dryer that can perform from washing to drying is illustrated, but a clothes dryer having no washing function may be used.
The washing / drying machine is not limited to the drum-type washing / drying machine, but can be applied to a vertical washing machine / dryer in which the axial direction of the water tank and the rotating tank is directed in the vertical direction.

  As described above, according to the clothes dryer of the present embodiment, in the drying process, the control device that controls the squeezing device so that the degree of superheat becomes a set value is the degree of superheat according to the weight of clothes to be dried. Are different. As a result, it is possible to perform a drying operation according to the weight of the load to be dried, and according to the necessary dehumidification amount, and a more efficient drying operation is possible.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 3 is a water tank (drying chamber), 5 is a drum, 7 is a washing machine motor, 8 is a hot air inlet, 9 is a hot air outlet, 10 is a circulating air passage, 15 is a blower, 21 is a condenser, 22 is Evaporator, 23 heat pump, 24 compressor, 25 throttling device, 27 discharge temperature sensor, 28 temperature sensor for condenser, 29 temperature sensor for evaporator inlet, 30 temperature sensor for evaporator outlet, 31 Is a temperature sensor for the drying chamber inlet, 32 is a temperature sensor for the drying chamber outlet, 39 is a control device (control means, weight detection means, cloth quality detection means), 44 is a current sensor (weight detection means, cloth quality detection means), 45 is a room temperature sensor, 46 is a humidity sensor, and 47 is a water temperature sensor.

Claims (8)

A drying chamber having a hot air inlet and a hot air outlet and containing clothes to be dried;
A circulation air passage provided outside the drying chamber and connected to the hot air inlet and the hot air outlet;
A blower for circulating the air in the drying chamber through the circulation air passage;
A refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a compressor, a condenser, a throttle device for controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant, and an evaporator in order, and the condenser and the evaporator are arranged in the circulation air passage. A heat pump,
Control means for controlling the expansion device so that a temperature difference between the inlet temperature of the evaporator and the outlet temperature of the evaporator becomes a set superheat degree in a drying process,
The said control means is the clothes dryer which makes the said superheat degree differ according to the weight of the clothing of drying object. A drying chamber inlet temperature sensor that detects an air temperature near the inlet of the drying chamber in the circulation air path, and a drying chamber outlet temperature sensor that detects an air temperature near the outlet of the drying chamber,
The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the control means increases the degree of superheat based on a decrease in temperature difference between a temperature detected by the drying chamber inlet temperature sensor and a temperature detected by the drying chamber outlet temperature sensor. A discharge temperature sensor for detecting the discharge temperature of the compressor;
The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the control means changes the degree of superheat based on a temperature detected by the discharge temperature sensor. An evaporator inlet temperature sensor for detecting the evaporator inlet temperature;
The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the control means changes the degree of superheat based on a temperature detected by the evaporator inlet temperature sensor. A cloth quality detecting means for detecting the cloth quality of the clothing housed in the drying chamber;
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means changes the degree of superheat based on the cloth quality detected by the cloth quality detection means. It has a room temperature sensor that detects the room temperature near the clothes dryer,
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means changes the degree of superheat based on a temperature detected by the room temperature sensor. It has a humidity sensor that detects the humidity in the vicinity of the clothes dryer,
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit changes the degree of superheat based on humidity detected by the humidity sensor. It has a water temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the water used,
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means changes the degree of superheat based on a temperature detected by the water temperature sensor.

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