JP2019146617A - Filter cleaning mechanism and cloth drying device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problems in which, in a drying filter in a cloth drying device, clogging with lint is likely to occur in an air blowing path and drying efficiency deteriorates, and on the other hand, a mechanism for cleaning the filter stably is likely to become complex.SOLUTION: A lint accumulation box for accumulating lint cleaned and collected from a drying filter is provided separately from an air blowing path, and lint cleaning conveyance means is provided for cleaning the lint of the drying filter and conveying it to the lint accumulation box. By moving the lint cleaning conveyance means using the force of the air flowing in the air blowing path during drying, the drying filter is cleaned, and the lint after cleaning is conveyed to the lint accumulation box to be accumulated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is a filter drying mechanism for collecting lint waste generated from a cloth in a cloth drying mechanism used in a clothes dryer, a washing machine, and the like, and particularly cleans the filter with no power and a simple configuration. The present invention relates to a filter cleaning mechanism and a cloth drying apparatus using the same.

  A lint called lint adheres to the drying filter in the cloth drying apparatus. When lint adheres to the drying filter, the drying performance deteriorates, so it is necessary to periodically clean the filter. Patent Documents 1 to 3 are proposed as methods for simplifying cleaning of a filter attached to a drying filter in a cloth drying apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic cleaning mechanism that cleans lint on a drying filter using a cleaning blade that is moved by a driving mechanism such as a motor. In Patent Document 2, the dry filter unit is configured to be detachable from the air passage, and a blade for scraping lint is disposed in the vicinity of the filter, and the lint on the filter is removed by moving the blade by hand. A mechanism is disclosed. Patent Document 3 discloses a method of scraping lint on a filter by rotating a blade installed on a drying filter by using a wind force flowing at the time of drying without disposing a power means. .

JP 2011-130789 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-179296 JP-A-2014-068655

  The drying filter in the cloth drying device is likely to be clogged with lint in the air passage, and the drying efficiency is likely to decrease. For this reason, in order to keep the dry filter always clean, it is desirable to provide means for removing the lint of the dry filter. However, the conventional cleaning means for the filter has the following problems.

  The mechanical cleaning mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that a driving unit is required and the cleaning mechanism is complicated. Further, the method of Patent Document 2 has a problem that it is necessary to remove and clean the dry filter from the air passage every time in order to clean the dry filter, and the maintenance frequency is high and the operation becomes complicated. Further, although the method of Patent Document 3 does not require power and the configuration is relatively simple, it is clear that lint scraped off from the filter falls into the air passage, and the lint that falls into the air passage is dropped. Reattaches to the filter by blowing air. For this reason, the lint adhering to sufficient filter will increase according to drying time, and sufficient filter cleaning effect cannot be acquired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of cleaning lint attached on a drying filter in a cloth drying apparatus with a simple configuration that does not require power and the like, and to install the mechanism in the cloth drying apparatus. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a cloth drying apparatus that suppresses clogging of a filter due to lint adhesion, and that maintains drying efficiency and reduces maintenance frequency.

  In order to solve the above problems, a lint collection box for collecting lint cleaned and recovered from the dry filter is provided separately from the air blowing path, and the lint of the dry filter is cleaned and transported to the lint collection box The lint cleaning and conveying means is provided, and the lint cleaning and conveying means is moved by utilizing the force of the air flowing through the air passage during drying to clean the drying filter and convey the lint after cleaning to the lint collection box. Configure to accumulate.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the lint removed from the dry filter by cleaning is transported to the lint collection box separated from the air blowing path, thereby reattaching the lint to the dry filter. And the cleanliness of the dry filter can always be maintained. Furthermore, by performing the cleaning and conveying operation using the force of the wind flowing through the air passage during drying, a drive mechanism is not necessary and the cleaning mechanism can be simplified.

It is a figure for demonstrating one Example of the filter cleaning mechanism in this invention, and is a figure which shows the side surface cross section of a filter cleaning mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating one Example of a washing-drying apparatus as a cloth drying apparatus carrying the filter cleaning mechanism of this invention. In order to explain the detailed structure of the filter cleaning mechanism according to the present invention described with reference to FIG. 1, the same embodiment is shown in a cross section from the upper direction (cross section AA in FIG. 1). FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section BB in FIG. 3) from the lint stacking box side in order to explain the detailed structure of the filter cleaning mechanism in the present invention described in FIG. FIG. 5 is a view showing a cross section of a lint scraping portion from a brush (C-C cross section of FIG. 4) in order to explain the detailed structure of the filter cleaning mechanism in the present invention described in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the other Example of the filter cleaning mechanism in this invention, and is a figure which shows the side surface cross section of a filter cleaning mechanism. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pendulum type movable unit provided with a plate-like wing, a cleaning blade, and a closing lid for a lint collection box opening in order to explain the structure of the filter cleaning mechanism in the present invention described in FIG. 6 in detail. is there.

  The present invention relates to a filter cleaning mechanism and a cloth drying apparatus using the same. In the cloth drying device, dust called lint, which is formed of lint generated from the cloth during drying, is generated. The generated lint is collected by a filter provided in the air passage of the apparatus. However, if lint adheres to the filter, the air blowing efficiency of the air passage is reduced, which adversely affects the drying efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the filter with considerable frequency. In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a filter cleaning mechanism capable of keeping a filter clean.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the filter cleaning mechanism of the present invention and a cloth drying apparatus using the same will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of a cloth drying apparatus using the filter cleaning mechanism of the present invention. The figure shows a horizontal rotary drum type laundry drying apparatus having a cloth drying apparatus that is relatively widely used. As for the cloth, the cloth to be washed and dried is put into the rotary drum 17 from the cloth insertion port (opening / closing door) 12 provided in the front of the apparatus. When performing the drying operation, the rotating drum 17 is rotated by the rotating drum rotation driving means 15 (directly connected motor), thereby stirring the cloth and drying the cloth with the air blown from the blower fan 14. . In many cases, dry warm air is used as air blown to the cloth by a heater (not shown). The air to be dried circulates along the route 3 indicated by the arrow through the air duct path 10 provided in the apparatus.

  Since the apparatus of the embodiment is a washing / drying apparatus having a washing function in addition to a cloth drying function, the apparatus includes a water suction port 13 for supplying water to the rotating drum and a drain port 16 for draining water, and a detergent. Wash the fabric with agitation. Since the apparatus of FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a washing / drying machine having a washing function, a water inlet 13 and a water outlet 16 are also shown.

  The filter cleaning mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is disposed close to the upper part of the washing and drying apparatus in FIG. The purpose of removing the lint in the air duct 10 is to prevent the lint from reattaching to the dry clothing and to prevent the lint from flowing into the blower fan. The inflow of lint to the blower fan may cause a failure of the blower fan or ignition by a heater. For this reason, it is necessary to arrange a filter close to the upstream side of the blower fan.

  In addition, since the lint collected from the air duct is required to be taken out periodically, the cleaning mechanism needs to be arranged at a position with good operability. In the cloth drying apparatus (washing and drying apparatus) of this embodiment, the operability is ensured by arranging the filter cleaning mechanism at the upper part of the apparatus. The filter cleaning mechanism 1 of the present invention has a lint collection box 9 for collecting the collected lint. In the figure, the lint collection box 9 is shown removed with an arrow. The lint collection box 9 that has been removed is used by opening the top cover, discarding the lint inside, and then returning it to the original position of the washing and drying apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an embodiment of a filter cleaning mechanism mounted on the cloth drying apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. The figure shows a side cross-sectional view for explaining the filter cleaning mechanism of the present embodiment. As shown in the drawing, the wind in the air duct is configured to flow in from the right side 2 of the air passage, pass through the path indicated by the arrow 3, and flow out from the left side 4 of the air path. The air duct 10 is provided with a filter 5 for removing lint flowing in the air passage. In the apparatus of the present invention, a filter cleaning mechanism including a rotating blade 6 and a cleaning brush 7 is disposed on the upstream side of the filter. The filter cleaning mechanism shown in the figure is configured such that the cleaning brush 7 rotates on the filter 5 and cleans lint attached to the filter 5 when the blade receives the force of the wind flowing in the air passage. In the filter cleaning mechanism of the present invention, a lint accumulation box 9 for accumulating the cleaned lint adjacent to the air passage is provided. The rotating cleaning brush 7 is configured to rotate and clean the surface of the filter 5 and to send a part of the rotation area into the lint collection box 9. By adopting the structure of the present embodiment, the lint collected from the filter 5 by the rotating brush 7 can be carried into the lint accumulation box 9 and collected in the lint accumulation box. In the method of the present invention, the cleaning brush 7 is rotated using the force of the air flowing in the air passage, so that a driving mechanism such as a motor is not required.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the filter cleaning mechanism of the present embodiment in more detail. FIG. 3 shows an AA cross section of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary cleaning unit including the blade 6 and the cleaning brush 7 as viewed from the upper side of FIG. The embodiment shown in the figure shows a configuration having six rotating blades 6, and the cleaning brush 7 is arranged on only two of the six blades. Since the cleaning brush 7 is located on the lower side of the wing, it is indicated by a broken line in the wing, and the inside of the double broken line in the drawing represents the cleaning brush 7. An outer broken line written in the blade indicates an arm portion of a rotating body that fixes the blade 6 and the cleaning brush 7. The number of blades is determined in accordance with the torque required to drive the cleaning brush. The cleaning brush 7 does not have to be attached to all wings, but it is desirable to install the cleaning brush 7 at a rotationally symmetric position in order to stabilize the rotational operation. In the embodiment shown in the figure, from the result of examining the rotational torque and the cleaning performance, six rotary blades 6 are arranged, and two of them are provided with the cleaning brush 7. The rotary cleaning body rotates in the direction of arrow 19. The lint scraping means 18 is disposed at a position where the rotating brush 7 returns from the lint collection box 9 to the filter 5 region in the air passage. The lint scraping means 18 can scrape the lint attached to the cleaning brush 7 returning from the lint collection box 9 to the filter 5 region in the air passage into the lint collection box 9.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the structure of the lint scraping means 18. FIG. 4 is a view showing a BB cross section of FIG. A blade 6 for receiving wind is disposed on the upper side of the rotary arm, and a cleaning brush 7 is disposed on the lower side. FIG. 4 is a diagram in which the rotary brushes 7 are attached to all the rotary blades 6 in order to easily understand the structure of the rotary blades 6 and the cleaning brush 7. As described above, it is not necessary to attach the cleaning brush 7 to every wing 6. Further, in this embodiment, the cleaning brush 7 is integrally disposed below the rotary blade 6, but a structure in which the positions of the rotary blade 6 and the cleaning brush 7 are shifted may be used. However, in this case, the structure of the rotating body tends to be complicated. The cleaning brush 7 enters the lint accumulation box 9 side from the opening on the left side of FIG. 4, and returns to the air duct 10 side from the opening on the right side. A lint scraping means 18 is arranged at a portion returning from the lint collection box 5 to the air duct 10 side. The lint scraping means 18 of this embodiment is constituted by “comb-shaped” members arranged in a line. When the brush passes through the “comb-shaped” member, the lint, which is mainly lint, is caught by the comb portion, so that it can be scraped off from the brush and collected in the lint collection box 5. By providing a “comb” gate as shown in the figure on the outlet side, most of the lint adhering to the cleaning brush 7 from the filter 5 could be collected in the lint collection box 9.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the lint scraping means 18 in more detail. The figure shows a CC cross section of FIG. The rotating wing and the cleaning brush move in the direction of arrow 19 in the figure.
The “comb-shaped” member of the lint scraping means 18 of the present embodiment has a shape that collapses forward as shown in the figure. With such a shape, the rotational movement of the brush (movement in the arrow direction 19) generates a force to scrape the lint entangled with the brush toward the brush tip side, so that more stable lint scraping can be achieved. It becomes possible. In accordance with the state of the cleaning brush and the lint to be attached, it is necessary to select an optimum structure with high cleaning properties and low rotational resistance for the comb thickness, density and shape of the lint scraping means 18.

  FIG. 6 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the filter cleaning mechanism mounted on the cloth drying device in the present invention. The filter cleaning mechanism of the present embodiment can also be mounted on the cloth drying device of FIG. The figure is a side sectional view as in FIG. As shown in the figure, the wind in the air passage 10 flows from the right side 2 of the air passage, passes through the route indicated by the arrow 3, and flows out from the left side 4 of the air passage. The air duct 10 is provided with a filter 5 for removing lint flowing in the air passage 10. In the apparatus of the present invention, on the upstream side of the filter 5, a pendulum movable part including a pendulum-like wing (plate) 20 that receives the wind of the air passage 10 and a cleaning blade 21 disposed at the tip thereof is disposed. An alternate long and short dash line 23 in the figure indicates the position of the pendulum movable unit when stopped, that is, when the wind is not flowing through the air passage. The plate-like wing part 20 of the pendulum movable part is stopped at a position (illustrated by a one-dot chain line 23) that closes the air passage when not blowing, and when wind blows to the air passage 10, a solid line in the figure Is pushed up to the position indicated by. When the air flow in the air passage is stopped, the pendulum movable unit returns to the original position (a chain line 23 in the figure). For the force at which the pendulum movable part returns to the original position, a method such as applying a rotational force to the weight including the pendulum movable part itself or a rotating shaft part with a spring or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, this is done by installing a rotation spring (not shown in the figure) on the rotation shaft.

  The filter cleaning mechanism of this embodiment cleans lint attached to the filter 5 during blowing by a blade cleaning mechanism 21 attached to the pendulum movable part after the blowing is stopped. Since the cleaning blade 21 moves along an arcuate locus, the filter 5 is also installed in an arcuate shape. By arranging the filter 5 in a curved surface as shown in the figure, the rigidity of the filter 5 surface can be increased. Accordingly, the contact property of the surface of the filter 5 with the blade cleaning mechanism 21 can be stabilized, so that there is an advantage that the cleaning property is easily stabilized. Further, although the cleaning mechanism of the present invention uses the cleaning blade 21, it is of course possible to use the cleaning brush 7 described in the above embodiment. The lint scraped off from the filter 5 by the blade cleaning mechanism is collected into the lint collection box 9 from the opening of the lint collection box 9 disposed adjacent to the air passage.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the pendulum movable part of the filter cleaning mechanism described in FIG. The pendulum movable part includes a plate-like wing 20 for receiving wind from the air passage, a cleaning blade 21, and a closing lid 22 for the lint collection box opening. When the wind blows to the air passage and the pendulum movable part is swung up, the closing lid 22 moves to a position where the opening of the lint accumulation box 9 is closed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lint accumulated in the lint accumulation box 9 from returning to the air passage again due to the wind during the blowing. Further, an arrow 25 in FIG. 7 indicates the direction of the rotational force applied to the pendulum movable unit.
In the present embodiment, the wing portion that receives the wind of the pendulum movable portion has a simple plate shape, but the operation of the pendulum can be further stabilized by installing a wing-like projection on the surface.

  In the filter cleaning mechanism described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, the filter 5 is configured integrally with the downstream air passage. With such a structure, since the air passage on the downstream side of the filter is blocked by the filter, there is no risk of lint flowing into the air blowing fan 14 on the downstream side unless the filter is broken.

  Further, in the filter cleaning mechanism of the present invention described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the lint collected in the lint accumulation box 9 is prevented from returning to the air passage 10 and the filter 5 again due to the flow of air during air blowing. is necessary. For this purpose, it is necessary to control the flow of wind generated in the lint collection box 9 during blowing. In the present invention, the lint collection box 9 adjacent to the air passage basically has a box shape without an opening hole or the like through which air flows except for the connection portion with the air passage 10. By adopting such a structure, generation of wind from the lint accumulation box 9 toward the air flow path 10 is prevented. However, if there is a small hole through which air leaks in the lint collection box 9 and a wind flow occurs in the lint collection box 9, the collected lint may be returned to the air flow path 10 or the filter 5 side. . As one measure for preventing this, the lint collecting box 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 has a small air vent 11 arranged on the upper surface of the box. A small air vent hole 11 is provided above the lint collection box to create a controlled flow toward the air flow path 10 and the filter 5 on the upper surface of the collection box, thereby generating a swirl flow inside the lint collection box 9. Thus, it was possible to suppress the lint accumulated on the lower side of the lint accumulation box 9 from returning to the air blowing path 10 and the filter 5. However, in order to properly control the flow of air in the accumulation box by the air on the upper surface of the lint accumulation box 9, it is necessary to appropriately design the inner wall shape of the lint accumulation box 9.

  As described above, the filter cleaning mechanism of the present embodiment can achieve filter cleaning with a relatively simple configuration that does not require power. In the filter cleaning mechanism of the present invention and the cloth drying apparatus using the same, it is possible to always keep the filter clean. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a filter cleaning mechanism capable of maintaining a high level of drying efficiency with little maintenance of the filter, and a cloth drying apparatus using the same.

1 ... Filter cleaning mechanism part which is one Example of this invention
2… Inflow side of the air flow in the air passage
3… Blowing direction
4… Outflow side (fan side) of the air flow in the air passage
5… Filter (to be cleaned)
6… Wings (Rotation)
7… (Brush) cleaning means
8… Rotating shaft
9… lint collection box
10… Air duct
11… Air vent hole
12… Cloth entry port (open / close door)
13… water inlet
14… Blower fan
15… Rotating drum rotation drive means
16… drainage
17… Rotating drum
18… lint scraping means
19… Cleaning means rotation direction
20… Wings (Pendulum)
21… (Blade) Cleaning means
22… Opening closure lid
23… Position when air flow is stopped
24… Closing lid connecting arm
25… Direction of rotational force

Claims (9)

An air duct,
A lint capturing filter for capturing lint provided in the air passage;
A lint cleaning and collecting mechanism for cleaning and collecting lint attached on the lint capturing filter;
A lint collection box for storing lint separated from the air passage and cleaned by the lint cleaning and collecting mechanism;
Wind pressure utilization driving means for utilizing the wind force in the air passage for driving the lint cleaning collecting mechanism,
A filter cleaning mechanism for a cloth drying mechanism. In the filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 1,
A filter cleaning mechanism, wherein the cleaning member is a rotary cleaning recovery mechanism that rotates and moves on the filter, and the rotary cleaning recovery mechanism includes a blade that rotates with wind flowing in the air passage. The filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 2,
In the rotary cleaning / recovery mechanism, the rotation area of the cleaning member that rotates on the filter is composed of an area that contacts the filter and at least two areas that rotate away from the filter and within the lint collection box. A filter cleaning mechanism. The filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 2,
The rotary cleaning and collecting mechanism includes a lint removing member for removing from the cleaning member lint attached to the rotationally moving cleaning member in at least one position of a rotation region of the cleaning member. Cleaning mechanism. The filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 4,
In the rotary cleaning and collecting mechanism, the lint removing member is disposed inside the lint collecting box or on the outlet side from the collecting box of the cleaning mechanism in the rotation region of the cleaning member. Cleaning mechanism. In the filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 1,
A part of the lint cleaning and collecting mechanism has a lint collecting port closing member that closes the opening of the lint collecting box, and when the lint cleaning and collecting mechanism is stopped, the lint collecting port closing member is moved to the lint collecting box. A filter cleaning mechanism, characterized in that the filter cleaning mechanism is configured to stop at a position where the opening is closed. In the filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 1,
The lint cleaning and collecting mechanism includes wind pressure driving means using wind pressure, and is configured such that the stop position of the lint cleaning and collecting mechanism is different when the wind flows through the delivery path and when the wind stops. A filter cleaning mechanism. In the filter cleaning mechanism according to claim 7,
The lint cleaning and collecting mechanism has a collection box opening closing means for closing the opening of the lint collection box in a state of at least one of when blowing or when stopping blowing. .   The cloth drying apparatus provided with the filter cleaning mechanism of any one of Claims 1-8.

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